They're On A Mission From God

Sederra with Julian Porte, New Skool Kings, John Paget, 80 Proof, Mr Mirainga and Robert Gupta of the LA Philharmonic
The Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert
and Canned Food Drive
Saturday September 17, 3 PM
Fullerton Downtown Plaza
125 E. Wilshire Avenue Fullerton
Donations, canned goods and clothing will be accepted during the event.

I met up with Fullerton-based band Sederra one night at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. After a hard-hitting set of songs combining the power of hardcore and lyrically-driven compositions, the guys took some time to talk about the band and where they all came from.

The musicians behind Sederra are Tom Schmitt (vocals), Tony Warner (guitar), Mike Doherty (guitar), Eric Bootow (bass), and Will Wentworth (drums). While the band might not be a household name yet, the guys are certainly no strangers to the scene.

Three of the members, Tom, Tony, and Mike, used to be in Longfellow, a 90’s rock band. Longfellow put out three releases, a blue 7-song EP, We’re Huge in Japan, and Words Betray on Long Records, a label the group started. We’re Huge in Japan was later picked up by Kung Fu Records (Blink-182, The Vandals, The Ataris) along with another album, And So On… They toured nationally for years, building a solid fan base, before the members went their separate ways in 2002, disbanding Longfellow in order to focus on other projects.

Longfellow and original Sederra drummer, Darren Reynolds, went on to play with Homegrown (Drive Thru). Doherty went on to play guitar for Die Trying (Island) and Papa Roach (Geffen), playing on the LoveHateTragedy world tour in 2002 and 2003. He mentioned how much he loved being in Longfellow and that a reunion might be in the works for the future. He said they even did a Sederra version of Longfellow’s song, “Beautiful,” which was always a crowd pleaser with its hard rock melodies backed by strongly emotional lyrics. Sederra’s “Meteor Shower,” an acoustic ballad, is much like “Beautiful” in that it allows the band to show a softer side. The vulnerability of Schmitt’s voice is amplified by the sound of the acoustic guitar.

Bassist Bootow joined the Longfellow veterans after spending years in hardcore band Fourth In Line and in another Orange County hardcore band, As Hope Dies. He even played bass in Jughead’s Revenge, opening for Bad Religion at their recent House of Blues, Anaheim show.

Current drummer, Wentworth, came from a different musical background than the other guys. Growing up, his dad was in a country band. He spent his youth taking naps in the garage while his dad’s band powered through practice. Taking after his father, Wentworth played in a bunch of different bands over the years, including a bluegrass group. Reminiscing about his days in that band, he mentioned that on his downtime while in Upstate New York for a music festival, he just up and decided to learn the banjo. There is definitely a well-rounded group of musicians to be found in Sederra; that’s for sure.

The band might be full of seasoned recording artists, but the performances are what they live for. A Sederra concert is out of this world; the musicians are insane to watch. They give the crowd 110% each time, rocking the instruments so hard, it’s like the last time they’ll ever be able to play. And Schmitt always delivers: he can be found jumping off the stage at any given time trying to shake the crowd and get them involved. The fans love it. This is a band that translates their music really well through the live experience, and always leaves a great impression on the audience. Definitely check them out the next time they’re in your area! For the latest news and show announcements, be sure to go to Sederra’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/sederra.

The Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert and Canned Food Drive will remember Kelly with a day of music and donations on Saturday that will draw attention to the destitute and homeless. The event is in partnership with Ron Thomas and the Kelly Thomas Memorial Fund (recently founded in memory of his son).

Eric Bootow, bassist for Fullerton-based rock group Sederra, was inspired by the tragic events of July 5th to put this show together. By reaching out to the Thomas family and his fellow musicians in Fullerton, the show quickly materialized and has since gathered massive support from all over Southern Califorina. The event is expecting to have upwards of a thousand in attendance with Ron Thomas (who will be speaking) and family also in attendance.

Interview by Laura Miller
Ms. Miller Writes for the OC Music Magazine