Poolside, a band formed in early 2011 by Jeffrey Paradise, DJ, producer and musician, created music with an ideal vibe for relaxing hangouts on summer days. With a discography of four studio albums, Poolside will be going on tour, starting Jan. 19 in Santa Barbara, with stops across North America promoting their new album, “Blame it All On Love.”
When he started making music in Los Angeles, California, Paradise wanted to bring a new wave of chill yet dance-type music to the area, and ever since, the band and their music have grown.
“Initially, it was just meant to be a weekend project of making some songs for people to chill out to, like backyard barbecue music,” Paradise said. “This was at a period when dubstep was peaking in the U.S. and it didn’t feel like the right music for low-key hangs in Los Angeles where we were living.”
With that idea in mind, Paradise and his partner Filip Nikolic went to their friends and converted a pool house into a studio as a weekend project. After the release of their first hit single “Do You Believe?” on SoundCloud, things began to take off for the band, leading to numerous bookings and interest from record labels.
Over the past 14 years, Poolside has undergone much change and evolution to morph into the kind of band they are today. Their music has ranged from numerous different formats — a DJ duo, a two-piece band, a four-piece band and even a seven-piece band — showing the variety of expression from Paradise and friends.
“For this tour it’s the live five-piece band, just playing all the rock venues, and we’re excited to do the songs live,” Paradise said. “It’s really special for us to be able to play because we’ve never done a proper headlining tour. It’s been a lot of different forms of evolution of the band. So we are very excited to be doing that.”
On tour, Poolside will be joined by slenderbodies and MUNYA to help perform some of the songs from the “Blame It All On Love” album. Paradise has loved collaborating with other artists and learning about how they approach their shared distinct style of music.
On Feb. 1, Poolside is set to play at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, and is extremely excited to return to the city. “I love going to Portland. I love bringing my bike on tour and just cruising around the city and checking out all the food. There are so many good restaurants with unique chefs in Portland,” Paradise said. “The crowds are always good, too. We always have good shows there, so I’m sure this will be no exception.”
Looking ahead, fans should expect an amazing show from Poolside’s first proper band tour with a combination of new and old songs from their albums and a mix of covers and remixes with special guests. For students who need a day of some “daytime disco” and nothing but good vibes, Poolside in Portland on Feb. 1 is the perfect show.
