The Sterling Clan plays at the Detroit Bar Mondays in August
The Sterling Clan came together in June 2012 with an eclectic range of musical taste. The band has been successful in making a name in Orange County by playing local venues in the area. The Sterling Clan play Mondays this month at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa.
The band consist of Jackie Rupey on vocals and rhythm guitar, Dave Johnson on vocals and rhythm guitar, Vic Arzola on lead guitar, Paul Dilsaver on bass and Nelson Whitney on drums.
The band describes their sound as “Cali/Western Rock. Its melodic guitar based hard blues rock with a bit of a punk attitude, enhanced by melodic hooks and strong male and female vocals.” The bands different range of age groups brings this eclectic sound to life. The OC Concert Guide got a chance to talk to Vic Arzola guitarist of the band.
OCCG: You guys have been a band for a little over a year now. How are you guys growing as a band?
VA: The band was originally started as a recording project and it wasn’t until we had recorded about a dozen songs in 4 or 5 months that we morphed into the live band. This is Jackie and Nelson’s first band, so everything was new for them but the experience that Dave, Vic and Pauly bring from being in other bands helped us quickly evolve into the live act that we are today. We’re that rarity of bands, one that enjoys rehearsing and gets along; everybody works hard and has input, it’s helped us quickly evolve into an identifiable sound that is all Sterling Clan.
OCCG: What is the major difference between playing in Orange County and Los Angeles?
VA: Orange County is our home base and Detroit Bar has been our home bar, so when we play here it’s almost like a backyard party with friends and family. Building on that base we’ve been able to play other places like the House of Blues in Anaheim and The Coach House several times this year, filling in with smaller shows at various other places to stay busy trying playing several shows a month to stay sharp.
LA is more diverse with a lot of additional competition from bands that have gone to the big city from all over the country to try and make it, so you really have to work even more to gain a following. Although Vic was LA born and raised, we are definitely less known there, so right now it’s a matter of us breaking into the right venues that provide the most movement and gaining new fans. That’s always a challenge for a new band but we have a good time playing live and we want the audience to share that feeling with us, so, no matter where we are, we bring the party.
OCCG: Vic where did you learn to play guitar? The lead guitar sounds super solid on all the tracks!
VA: Well thanks! I’m pretty much self taught and developed my style by listening to many, many great guitarists over decades while stubbornly refusing to cover their tunes because I wanted to I wanted to create a unique style. I have a little theory in me, but when I write leads I just clear my mind and feel it out. We are guitar based rock to be sure; one of the reasons that we sound the way they do is that Dave’s rhythm guitar gives me a great platform to embellish upon. I try to keep leads relatively short, sweet, melodic and relevant, very little of that bumblebee style lead guitar.
OCCG: What was Time/Loaded Gun written about?
VA: Its one of our first songs, and its primarily about the inescapable challenges, wear and tear, and combustibility of life today and how you must handle it.
OCCG: Would you rather play in small venues or larger venues? Why?
VA: We love playing small venues for the intimacy and direct connection to the audience, but our music is big, loud and great for partying on a big scale so big venues are a blast. We’ll bring the party!
OCCG: What do you feel as you play your music?
VA: Sheer ecstasy, joy, release, fulfillment, pure and simple.
OCCG: Who would you want to do a tour or concert with?
VA: X, Jack White, The Black Keys, Rival Sons sounds pretty cool, if we could keep JW from fighting the Black Keys.