A few weeks ago I packed my bags and headed to the other coast to play Weston Hills Country Club. The weather forecast wasn’t great, but I left early to hit a few local craft beer spots on the way. I ended up at Riverside Market and Cafe. It wouldn’t stop raining, but they have a great beer selection. While at Riverside, the bartender mentioned a local band she was going to see perform. I looked them up, liked what I heard, introduced myself and scheduled an interview.
Yardij is an alternative rock band, like like to have fun, and have released a lot of great original tunes. They’ve also played some pretty big music festivals over the years and I am excited to meet them. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Yardij.
I was sitting at a bar last week and the bartender said she was going to see you guys perform at Funky Buddha Brewing Company. I wasn’t familiar with you, but glad she mentioned the band. Give me an overview of the band, where you guys play and how it all got started.
We’re stoked as well! Our name is Yardij, and we’re a 5 piece indie alt band from South Florida. We came together after Deja decided to redefine her musical direction from less singer/songwriter to front woman. The members all came together pretty organically after that. We play all over the state of Florida, and are currently expanding our markets.
Where did the name come from? I love it!
Thanks! Yardij is actually a tribute to The Junkyard. It was a rehearsal spot in Hollywood that our manger owned. Her husband was sitting at the dinner table with us while we were on the subject and said it out loud. When we first heard the word we were all pretty indifferent, but the phonetic spelling was what sold us.
The band looks to be quite diverse… Tell me about all of the members of the band, where you all met, and what instruments everyone plays.
Alex (bass) and Deja (lead vocals) met when they were seniors in high school and started working on music together. Nick (guitarist) was a long time friend of Alex’s, and joined shortly after. Andrew, the original keyboardist and Ricky (Nitti Gritti), the original drummer, were the other two founding members of Yardij, but Andrew left to pursue other endeavors, and Ricky left to pursue his DJ career. The universe brought Jordan and Yardij together. He was in a session tapping his pencil at a studio our manager was in at the time and she noticed right away. She asked him to slide to a rehearsal and the rest is history. Deja worked with Anthony at the School of Rock and a sit-in for a show on bass turned into him rounding out the lineup as the fifth member on lead guitar.
You guys opened for Bon Jovi. What was that show like?
Opening for Bon Jovi was pretty wild. The whole day was really chill. You just sit in this really nice green room and wait the whole day to play the biggest show of your career thus far, and its exponentially larger than the shows you’re used to playing. NBD.
Have you ever made a mistake on stage?
It’s not about how many mistakes you make on stage, it’s about how good you are at hiding them.
You play a lot of shows in Florida, but have you ever toured outside of the Sunshine State?
Yes! We played in NYC and Austin, Texas for SXSW!
You have a press contact, a general manager, a booking agent… How do you keep them all straight?
(Laughs.) The question is how do they keep us straight?
It’s a family. We all take care of each other, have each others backs. We all want to succeed, and just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a team to move a project.
Tell me more about your EP Face Value.
Its coming out on June 22 and we couldn’t be anymore excited! It’s a little bit of a switch up from some of the older music, but we’re almost certain our fans will dig it.
What is the tattoo on Deja’s arm?
It’s an elephant with butterfly wings as the ears and its been unfinished for 3 years. (Laughs.) One day she’ll finish it!
“Distance” is the first single off that EP. LOVE the video. Where did you record that video and who did the production?
Clark Martin produced the video! Deja wrote the story so it was very personal and definitely fun to shoot. We shot it at this cool low-key park in Davie. Definitely doesn’t look like Florida. It’s called Wolf Lake.
There are a lot of great bands out there. Who are some of your biggest influences?
All of us have different ones. Some of Deja’s influences are Susan Tedeschi and Nancy Wilson. You can hear a lot of RHCP in Alex’s bass lines and some Strokes in Nick’s melodies. Jordan’s got Thomas Prigden and Josh Manuel chops while Anthony draws a lot of inspiration from Incubus and Circa Survive.
Your single “If I Stay” has over 50k streams on Spotify. As a band, what are your thoughts on services like Spotify and Apple Music?
They’re incredible tools for DIY bands, up and coming artists, and all of the above. Between curated playlists and the idea of paying a small monthly fee for almost any song you’d ever want, it’s enticing for listeners to give new music a chance.
What is your songwriting process like? Do you all contribute on new songs? Do you ever do cover songs?
All of us contribute in the songwriting process which is a really cool experience for the band. It definitely keeps us all very attached to the music. We always include one cover song, right now we’re on “Always Alright” by Alabama Shakes.
When and where do you guys practice?
3 times a night at our manager’s compound out in her backyard.
Fans can buy shirts and hats in your online store. What else can people buy? Do you sell more merchandise at shows?
We also have keychains with bottle openers. We usually give those to anyone who buys any merch at a show. Of course our EPs are for sale at shows, but those we don’t offer online.
What’s next for Yardij?
About to head out for a summer tour in July along the east coast that we’re way stoked for. Also hosting an EP release festival this summer, and releasing singles shortly after the release. You’re the only one outside of the team that knows though. Surprise!
Thank you for doing this. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Respect the journey. Even the not so great times all serve a purpose.
Connect with Yardij:
Website: https://www.yardij.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yardij/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yardijmusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/yardij/
