Fog Lamp came together in West Oakland during the pandemic lockdown. Aaron Firestone, the band\u2019s singer and main lyricist, started jamming with his friend Adam Selken. They decided what direction to take as the band evolved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tried a bunch of different configurations,\u201d Firestone says. \u201cWe both played guitar and synthesizer. Adam also plays several other instruments and programmed computer drums for the first couple of years and our first two albums.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met another keyboard player, Leslie [Allred], when I was hanging out at The Lodge in Oakland,\u201d Firestone continues. \u201cI mentioned that Adam and I were looking to add more low-end sounds to our songs. Leslie said he played bass, if we were looking for a bass player. I asked him if he had a bass synthesizer. He did, so he joined up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trio started perfecting their sound at their Oakland rehearsal space, Coconut Canyon West. \u201cMost of the songs start with riffs Adam works up,\u201d Firestone says. \u201cI\u2019ll separately write lyrics and see what fits the theme of the song he\u2019s come up with. Leslie writes his parts to accompany the melodies Adam\u2019s written. I started on guitar, but slowly moved into just singing.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the trio coalesced, they made two albums, Conversation? and Anxious Stargazing. \u201cWe recorded them at our rehearsal studio, using a drum machine,\u201d Firestone says. \u201cI overdubbed the vocals at Adam\u2019s house. He wanted me to take an aggressive approach to my singing, so he got me drunk and I yelled most of the vocals. On our new album, Still Entangled, I wanted to take a more tuneful approach, so I went back and forth between yelling and singing, adding more melodies to my yelling.\u201d<\/p>\n
They also added a drummer to the lineup. \u201cRachelle Hughes was in another band,\u201d Firestone says. \u201cThey told us to look them up if we ever wanted to add a live drummer. They introduced us to Kurt Schlegal, who produced Still Entangled, the first album we made in an actual studio. We recorded in January 2025, at Kurt\u2019s Lucky Recording in Brisbane. It was very cold when we were there, and that probably helped us focus. Kurt weighed in from time to time with his opinions, which were always helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Firestone says the band played the songs live, together. \u201cWe\u2019re a band,\u201d he says. \u201cWe don\u2019t do a lot of jamming or solos. All the parts contain rhythm and melody, with Rachelle holding down the groove. We\u2019re constantly changing up the rhythms and melodies as we go along, to amplify our message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLibrary Cop\u201d opens with Hughes laying down a fractured drum beat. The band jumps in with a stuttering rhythm as Firestone describes a cop peering over the shoulders of people to see what they\u2019re reading, a metaphorical take on the censorship the current administration is trying to apply. \u201cDeath of Idealism\u201d describes the dread people feel when good intentions don\u2019t produce meaningful results. A chiming guitar hook rides a dark synthesizer rhythm over a pop\/punk beat as Firestone delivers an ironic vocal.<\/p>\n
Like many current bands, Fog Lamp writes honestly about today\u2019s social issues and political realities, lightening things up with a dose of sardonic humor. \u201cWhen we play live, people clap and cheer,\u201d Firestone says. \u201cA few people sing along, here and there. I think our audiences are mostly left-leaning. Folks that don\u2019t agree with us haven\u2019t confronted us yet. We want to encourage people to question the path that has been laid out for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The band is largely self-contained, handling their own booking and publicity. They have their music up on YouTube, along with a few videos they\u2019ve put together. Firestone made their most recent video effort, for the song \u201cUncomfortable Laughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used live footage with a desert scape, as well as found footage that has to do with the lyrical content,\u201d Firestone says. \u201cI would rather have people formulate their own ideas, rather than going into it too much.<\/p>\n
\u201cYouTube helps us get the word out and we try to play a gig about once a month, to get heard by new people,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe\u2019re slowly but surely building a following, but we all have day jobs. And three of us are also going to college, so it\u2019s a lot to juggle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fog Lamp will play at 8pm on Thursday, May 21, at Spats, 1974 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. 510.841.7255. Listen to Fog Lamp at: foglamp.bandcamp.com<\/a>. Instagram: @spatsbar<\/a>. Watch the video for \u201cUncomfortable Laughter\u201d here.<\/a><\/p>\n