The Ugly Sweaters
Hometown Heroes
Connor Moss
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: On Campus
Plenty of Occidental College students flocked to see Gym Class Heroes play on campus on October 15th, but many more were there to support their hometown heroes, The Ugly Sweaters. The punk rock group is composed of only Oxy students, and after making history at the college this fall, they plan to take their danceable sound to the masses.
DITZ reporter Connor Moss caught up with The Ugly Sweaters band members Mandla Gobledale, Jorge Tobon, and Seth Hansen to see how these fulltime students have the time and energy for such an involved extra-curricular activity. Read on to see how they balance their work and music and what they have to say about the future of the band.
Click Here To Meet The Band
DITZ: How did you all meet each other?
Mandla Gobledale: Well, Jorge and I met through Oxy's Glee Club.
Jorge Tobon: And I had heard Seth drum before through drum line.
Seth Hansen: And then I finally met Jorge through Mandla.
DITZ: And when did you guys start playing together?
SH: After the previous members of the Ugly Sweaters just kind of said "Peace guys" last year, we approached each other and said "Hey, let's jam together sometime."
DITZ: So this is the second incarnation of The Ugly Sweaters?
MG: Yeah it's basically the same songs that I wrote carried over from the old band.
DITZ: And where did the name come from?
MG: "The Ugly Sweaters" came about when we were playing nameless at our first gig. The bass player at the time, Noah, suggested we rock out in the ugly sweaters we had recently bought from the thrift store and I thought to myself, 'That's what we'll call ourselves-The Ugly Sweaters.' So we picked up a third ugly sweater for our drummer, introduced ourselves that night as The Ugly Sweaters and the name just stuck.
DITZ: Very cool. How do you guys find time to practice as full-time students?
MG: We practice about two or three times a week, usually Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. And since I have a Hall Coordinator apartment with a bedroom and living room, we just practice there.
SH: We usually have to practice when people are out at classes, so Tuesday at about 11:30am works pretty well. We haven't gotten any complaints yet.
MG: Well you haven't gotten any complaints; I've got some complaints from the girls upstairs…
SH: Oh. I guess we were just rocking too hard [laughs].
DITZ: When you practice, are you working on new material, or going over your set songs?
MG: Well it depends on what we're working up to. If we have a gig coming up-
SH: Which we do actually....
MG: And we know how long our set can be, then we usually pick around eight songs. But our song bank right now is about nine, ten at the most.
JT: We haven't really written anything new [with the new band members].
MG: Yeah, we just work on the songs for the upcoming gig, and then afterwards we go over what worked and what didn't.
SH: And sometimes we just sort of jam on stuff. We haven't really done anything with the jams yet, but if we needed more material we could easily just jam and something would come to fruition that way.
DITZ: Is Mandla the main composer, or do you all write music?
SH: Well Jorge has some material he hasn't brought in yet, but as far as what we've been doing since we've been together, which is just this semester, it's mostly Mandla's stuff.
DITZ: And Seth, you mentioned an upcoming gig?
SH: We are competing in a Battle of the Bands on November 13th in Hollywood. It's above the Roxy on Sunset, at a slightly chiller bar called On The Rox. It starts at 8pm and the cover is $12. You can get tickets from us on our The Ugly Sweaters or from the Facebook event, which we'll put up soon.
DITZ: Well, good luck!
SH: Thanks, man. Hopefully we'll come out somewhere on top.
DITZ: What do you think about your competition in the L.A. scene right now?
MG: The scene's cool. I don't go to tons of shows but shit like the Echo and Echoplex, the shows that go on there are some of my favorites-it's not a huge scene, but everyone's really into it.
DITZ: Have you played with any other bands in the area?
MG: We played around here last year with the So So Glows and the Raggedy Anns when they were playing at the Smell-that was cool. They even played up here in Eagle Rock. A lot of it is networking at every level. It's like, "whose tour can I jump on?"
JT: It seems like bands out here are trying to help each other out instead of one-up one another-which is nice.
DITZ: And how did you end up opening for Gym Class Heroes at Oxy?
SH: I was talking with a friend who works in the Office of Student Life and she mentioned that Gym Class Heroes were coming to campus and they needed someone to open. I just had this moment where I was like, 'I'm gonna go to the office and talk to your boss right now.' So I just ran over and said to Tamara Rice [Assistant Dean of Students] 'Hey, I heard you need an opening act! I'm in a band, we're really good, and we would like to play!' She said they were going to use a DJ but a band would be way better, and she hooked us up right then and there.
MG: We could have been the worst band ever, but we had the connection and we knew where to be.
JT:But luckily we weren't the worst band ever [all laugh].
DITZ: Yeah, that is lucky. What do you guys think of the band you played with, are you fans of Gym Class Heroes? Did you stick around for their show?
SH: I wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan, but I stayed to see them.
JT: I'm not really a fan. I appreciate what they are doing with the fusion of hip hop and rock-the start of that was way back with Run DMC and all these other dudes, which is cool, but not really my thing. But, at the end of the day, they are a huge band and we were honored playing for them.
SH: And they were legit. They came over and talked to us during the sound check and then gave us a shout out after the show, which was really nice.
MG: I had never really heard their stuff before other than that girlfriend song. They do a kind of hip-hop/rock hybrid, and we do our punk rock/indie shit, and they don't usually correlate. But, in this case it was a cool fusion of styles and we even had a lot of people come out just for us, so it worked out.
DITZ: How was it to have a hometown crowd really behind you guys?
JT: It was cool. We had to get them going a bit and tell them to dance...
SH: But once they were comfortable, they were rocking out pretty hard.
DITZ: So what's the next step? Are you guys pursuing a record label?
MG: Well really it has to do with commercialism and being able to sell yourself. We have this thing that we can sell, it's just a matter of hustling and figuring out how to sell yourself and who to sell yourself to and getting a tight press kit together.
SH: If a record label came up to us and said 'Hey, you guys are alright,' I would be there.
JT: Yeah, if we got a contract right now, we would jump on it.
DITZ: Speaking of selling yourselves, do you have any merchandise right now?
MG: I do. Most of the recordings I have are of me doing all the instruments.
SH: But we've been talking about recording together sometime because since Jorge and I have joined the band, a lot of our songs are changing in ways like increased speed.
JT: Yeah, we are adding our own touch to it.
DITZ: Have you guys given any thought to where The Ugly Sweaters will be after Oxy?
SH: Good question…
MG: Personally I'm at a crossroads with two options after graduation. My parents are moving to London and I could work under their visa until I'm 24. Or I could stay in L.A. for a few years and just do music.
SH: Well, I guess I initially didn't plan on it. But if everyone else is down, I'll probably stick with it.
JT: We all have good chemistry when we play, and it's real fun so we'll see where we go.
DITZ: Any advice for bands trying to break through in this industry?
SH: Well this is just from personal experience, but I would say a) make sure you get along with your band members, b) Make sure you have a really solid time to practice, and c) just be as ballsy as you possibly can.
JT: Yeah, make sure you think and know you've got what it takes to put on a good show and be confident on stage.
MG: I would say that first, I don't really know what to tell anyone as far as "making it" because I haven't made it. But my advice is stand behind your music. That's really important. Because, for example, I know some of my friends don't really like my music, and that's fine. But I think it's the best music ever, and I stand behind every song. I'm not a great guitar player, or great singer, but when I get up on stage, that's me. And as long as you stand behind your music that's all that matters. Especially around here, you get some crazy bands, like one kid with a synthesizer and another with a crash cymbal, a kick, and a snare, and these two guys will play for 45 minutes, and at the end you're thinking, 'this sounds awful.' But they are so into it, and at the end you realize that you have seen into these people's souls. I mean, that, is the best.
DITZ reporter Connor Moss caught up with The Ugly Sweaters band members Mandla Gobledale, Jorge Tobon, and Seth Hansen to see how these fulltime students have the time and energy for such an involved extra-curricular activity. Read on to see how they balance their work and music and what they have to say about the future of the band.
Click Here To Meet The Band
DITZ: How did you all meet each other?
Mandla Gobledale: Well, Jorge and I met through Oxy's Glee Club.
Jorge Tobon: And I had heard Seth drum before through drum line.
Seth Hansen: And then I finally met Jorge through Mandla.
 Media Credit: Emma Ceddia Lead Vocals, Guitar: Mandla Gobledale |
DITZ: And when did you guys start playing together?
SH: After the previous members of the Ugly Sweaters just kind of said "Peace guys" last year, we approached each other and said "Hey, let's jam together sometime."
DITZ: So this is the second incarnation of The Ugly Sweaters?
MG: Yeah it's basically the same songs that I wrote carried over from the old band.
DITZ: And where did the name come from?
MG: "The Ugly Sweaters" came about when we were playing nameless at our first gig. The bass player at the time, Noah, suggested we rock out in the ugly sweaters we had recently bought from the thrift store and I thought to myself, 'That's what we'll call ourselves-The Ugly Sweaters.' So we picked up a third ugly sweater for our drummer, introduced ourselves that night as The Ugly Sweaters and the name just stuck.
DITZ: Very cool. How do you guys find time to practice as full-time students?
MG: We practice about two or three times a week, usually Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. And since I have a Hall Coordinator apartment with a bedroom and living room, we just practice there.
SH: We usually have to practice when people are out at classes, so Tuesday at about 11:30am works pretty well. We haven't gotten any complaints yet.
MG: Well you haven't gotten any complaints; I've got some complaints from the girls upstairs…
SH: Oh. I guess we were just rocking too hard [laughs].
DITZ: When you practice, are you working on new material, or going over your set songs?
MG: Well it depends on what we're working up to. If we have a gig coming up-
SH: Which we do actually....
MG: And we know how long our set can be, then we usually pick around eight songs. But our song bank right now is about nine, ten at the most.
JT: We haven't really written anything new [with the new band members].
MG: Yeah, we just work on the songs for the upcoming gig, and then afterwards we go over what worked and what didn't.
SH: And sometimes we just sort of jam on stuff. We haven't really done anything with the jams yet, but if we needed more material we could easily just jam and something would come to fruition that way.
DITZ: Is Mandla the main composer, or do you all write music?
SH: Well Jorge has some material he hasn't brought in yet, but as far as what we've been doing since we've been together, which is just this semester, it's mostly Mandla's stuff.
DITZ: And Seth, you mentioned an upcoming gig?
SH: We are competing in a Battle of the Bands on November 13th in Hollywood. It's above the Roxy on Sunset, at a slightly chiller bar called On The Rox. It starts at 8pm and the cover is $12. You can get tickets from us on our The Ugly Sweaters or from the Facebook event, which we'll put up soon.
DITZ: Well, good luck!
SH: Thanks, man. Hopefully we'll come out somewhere on top.
 Media Credit: Emma Ceddia Bassist & Vocalist: Jorge Tobon |
DITZ: What do you think about your competition in the L.A. scene right now?
MG: The scene's cool. I don't go to tons of shows but shit like the Echo and Echoplex, the shows that go on there are some of my favorites-it's not a huge scene, but everyone's really into it.
DITZ: Have you played with any other bands in the area?
MG: We played around here last year with the So So Glows and the Raggedy Anns when they were playing at the Smell-that was cool. They even played up here in Eagle Rock. A lot of it is networking at every level. It's like, "whose tour can I jump on?"
JT: It seems like bands out here are trying to help each other out instead of one-up one another-which is nice.
DITZ: And how did you end up opening for Gym Class Heroes at Oxy?
SH: I was talking with a friend who works in the Office of Student Life and she mentioned that Gym Class Heroes were coming to campus and they needed someone to open. I just had this moment where I was like, 'I'm gonna go to the office and talk to your boss right now.' So I just ran over and said to Tamara Rice [Assistant Dean of Students] 'Hey, I heard you need an opening act! I'm in a band, we're really good, and we would like to play!' She said they were going to use a DJ but a band would be way better, and she hooked us up right then and there.
MG: We could have been the worst band ever, but we had the connection and we knew where to be.
JT:But luckily we weren't the worst band ever [all laugh].
DITZ: Yeah, that is lucky. What do you guys think of the band you played with, are you fans of Gym Class Heroes? Did you stick around for their show?
SH: I wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan, but I stayed to see them.
JT: I'm not really a fan. I appreciate what they are doing with the fusion of hip hop and rock-the start of that was way back with Run DMC and all these other dudes, which is cool, but not really my thing. But, at the end of the day, they are a huge band and we were honored playing for them.
SH: And they were legit. They came over and talked to us during the sound check and then gave us a shout out after the show, which was really nice.
MG: I had never really heard their stuff before other than that girlfriend song. They do a kind of hip-hop/rock hybrid, and we do our punk rock/indie shit, and they don't usually correlate. But, in this case it was a cool fusion of styles and we even had a lot of people come out just for us, so it worked out.
 Media Credit: Emma Ceddia The Ugly Sweaters Opening for Gym Class Heroes |
DITZ: How was it to have a hometown crowd really behind you guys?
JT: It was cool. We had to get them going a bit and tell them to dance...
SH: But once they were comfortable, they were rocking out pretty hard.
DITZ: So what's the next step? Are you guys pursuing a record label?
MG: Well really it has to do with commercialism and being able to sell yourself. We have this thing that we can sell, it's just a matter of hustling and figuring out how to sell yourself and who to sell yourself to and getting a tight press kit together.
SH: If a record label came up to us and said 'Hey, you guys are alright,' I would be there.
JT: Yeah, if we got a contract right now, we would jump on it.
DITZ: Speaking of selling yourselves, do you have any merchandise right now?
MG: I do. Most of the recordings I have are of me doing all the instruments.
SH: But we've been talking about recording together sometime because since Jorge and I have joined the band, a lot of our songs are changing in ways like increased speed.
JT: Yeah, we are adding our own touch to it.
DITZ: Have you guys given any thought to where The Ugly Sweaters will be after Oxy?
SH: Good question…
MG: Personally I'm at a crossroads with two options after graduation. My parents are moving to London and I could work under their visa until I'm 24. Or I could stay in L.A. for a few years and just do music.
SH: Well, I guess I initially didn't plan on it. But if everyone else is down, I'll probably stick with it.
JT: We all have good chemistry when we play, and it's real fun so we'll see where we go.
DITZ: Any advice for bands trying to break through in this industry?
SH: Well this is just from personal experience, but I would say a) make sure you get along with your band members, b) Make sure you have a really solid time to practice, and c) just be as ballsy as you possibly can.
JT: Yeah, make sure you think and know you've got what it takes to put on a good show and be confident on stage.
MG: I would say that first, I don't really know what to tell anyone as far as "making it" because I haven't made it. But my advice is stand behind your music. That's really important. Because, for example, I know some of my friends don't really like my music, and that's fine. But I think it's the best music ever, and I stand behind every song. I'm not a great guitar player, or great singer, but when I get up on stage, that's me. And as long as you stand behind your music that's all that matters. Especially around here, you get some crazy bands, like one kid with a synthesizer and another with a crash cymbal, a kick, and a snare, and these two guys will play for 45 minutes, and at the end you're thinking, 'this sounds awful.' But they are so into it, and at the end you realize that you have seen into these people's souls. I mean, that, is the best.
Be the first to comment on this story