Blending the spirit of ’90s grunge with an early 2000s emo-pop sound, newcomers Bloodsugar might have found the right chemicals for their Chico musical romance.
For lead singer Lys Lourdes, this is new territory. The singer-songwriter has been creating her blend of alternative sonic diary entries since she was 12.
"It’s just really cool to have so many talented people around me all the time."Lys Lourdes, lead singer
“It’s been awesome. Our creative process has been fun,” Lourdes said. “It’s just really cool to have so many talented people around me all the time.”
This past year, she has joined forces with lead guitarist Christian Crandall, drummer Joe Stone who also performs backup vocals, and bassist to create Bloodsugar.
“I was kind of my own band because I would just record all of the parts, and so everything took a really long time, and I also had no one to bounce anything off of, so when these guys asked me to do a project with them, I was like, ‘oh my God, please, thank you,’” Lourdes said.
Collaboration is the keyword. Crandall said the process of Lourdes working with them started with their other band, The Chemicals, at the album release party.
“I think we all just kind of had this collective idea [that] it'd be really cool to see just kind of how far this project would go if we just kept writing music and collaborating,” Crandall said.
The right chemistry
Crandall’s music journey began with a childhood passion for guitar. His influences come from doo-op and Eddie Cochran, which his parents listened to around the house.
“I definitely come in with a more of an old school kind of pop sensibility,” Crandall said. “That's really what influenced my guitar playing.”
A chance encounter with Stone a lifetime ago while they both worked at electronic retailer Best Buy sparked their musical fuse, and they have since collaborated in four previous bands.
Stone’s journey began in Southern California, where he was born and raised. He moved up north to attend Chico State, where he joined the Recording Arts program and dove headfirst into the local music scene.
“I'm a ska punk kid at heart, so my very first band, actually, when I moved up here, was a ska punk band,” Stone said.
Stone emphasized the area’s music culture, describing it as a tight-knit group where once you’re a part of it, it feels like family.
“I’ve loved Chico through and through, especially the music community, and have always met my best friends through that,” Stone said
“It's something we're so passionate about, and we care so much about, and it's fun in the process, and we get to ultimately have this thing we're really proud of at the end, and that we did ourselves."- Joe Stone, drummer and background vocalist
Wiley’s musical origins began with the desire to play guitar, and he transitioned from Guitar Hero to bass. Hailing from Chico, he was immersed in music from a young age due to his drummer father's involvement in local bands.
“They had band practice in our basement growing up so pretty much just being around local music is just something I've always had,” Wiley said.
Wiley deepened his involvement in the local music community, regularly attending shows and ultimately becoming a part of it.
“Funny enough, I used to watch Joe's ska punk band before we even knew each other over at Cafe Coda,” Wiley said.
Now, together as Bloodsugar, the last six months have been sort of a whirlwind spent working on music and performing shows.
“It's something we're so passionate about, and we care so much about, and it's fun in the process, and we get to ultimately have this thing we're really proud of at the end, and that we did ourselves,” Stone said.
Bloodsugar’s bright future
This past February, the band released “Conditions,” their introductory single about the hard-learned life lesson that sometimes love doesn’t have to be unconditional.
“When you're in love with someone and you think that you'll love them no matter what, and they could do anything, and you would forgive them, but then realizing that actually there's some things that you can't do,” Lourdes said.
They are also nearing the completion of their next upcoming single, "Holden Caulfield." They’re anticipating its release within the next two to three weeks.
“Please feel free to come up and talk to us, like we really want to get a sense of community. We want to talk to you ..."Jordan Wiley, bassist
“Hopefully by end of this year, by fall, we'll be able to get together like a full EP, like at least five or six songs to be able to release out to the public,” Stone said.
Creating a strong sense of community is a fundamental motivation behind this music project for all of its members.
They view this musical pursuit as an opportunity to forge meaningful connections with each other and their audience.
“Please feel free to come up and talk to us, like we really want to get a sense of community,” Wyiley said. “We want to talk to you, show up at the merch booth.”
Plus, how can you not love a group that remembers the 20th anniversary of My Chemical Romance’s breakthrough sophomore album, “Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge,” which happened to fall on the day we conversed in the NSPR studio.
