By Cara Anderson | @carajojo
Photos by Peyton Flynn | @peytoe | peytonflynn.com
Sextile, led by Melissa Scaduto and Brady Keehn is an LA-based band with punk ideals, low-fi vocals, an infectious dancy stage presence, and a hypnotizing mix of drums and synth beats.
Sextile’s leading lady and lad are an alluring duo; Melissa’s olive skin, warm dark eyes, and unruffled demeanor adjoining Brady’s shock of blonde locks and sharp blue eyes. They both wore boots and long jackets that just missed their knees. We met up at Desert Daze festival on Moreno Beach; the sun snuck out for a moment and then recoiled, leaving us to walk the sand under a purple, pink, and grey stretch of sky.
Sextile describes their sound as primitive post-punk from outer space. Melissa, the drummer, is from New York. Brady, the vocalist, is from Virginia and was raised by two Swedish au pairs, hence a distinct accent that prompts people to ask, ‘Where are you from?’
Melissa and Brady moved from New York to California for substance abuse treatment. Now four years clean, they sipped kombuchas while explaining that they’re A-okay with smoking weed. We only had fifteen minutes together, which was just enough time to smoke a joint of Jet Fuel Gold, snap some photos, and scratch into some of the dynamics that make independent publishing and production so satisfying.
“We’re grassroots,” Brady said with vigor, dragging from a joint with his back to the placid lake. Since Sextile began in 2015, they write, produce, and engineer all of their music. Melissa also designed the artwork for their recent EP, 3, and single, Current Affair.
Current Affair, which was released by Sextile in early 2018, gets into the lies and misinformation that the media feeds the general public.
Candid Chronicle was created by recognizing that traditional news outlets weren’t covering stories about cannabis- whether it be scientific research, stories of discrimination, or education about healing. In fact, many mainstream media companies are still using rhetoric that has origins with the racist anti-cannabis propaganda of Henry Anslinger. Simply put, we back the messages that Sextile is putting out. Think about what you’re consuming, who’s behind it, and don’t settle for lies.
On Sunday, we saw Sextile perform at Desert Daze’s tented Theatre. Melissa and Brady are both loose onstage; they looked free.
It’s impossible to not jump around when they get started, especially to songs like Disco. Melissa’s near-shamanic drumming is mesmerizing. Brady’s arms swing as he jumps and dances onstage, hardly stopping. In between sweating and furiously moving- you can see that they’re both having a ball.
Follow @sextileband to stay up to date with their next shows! If you live in LA, check Sextile out on November 16th at Pico Union Project.
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