On a warm weekend morning at Los Altos Park Plaza, the sun peaked as the light breeze pushed leaves into a sway; I met the minds behind local Long Beach indie-pop-rock band, One High Five.
The near silent park’s atmosphere is nothing like their garage practice sessions. The booming guitar riffs and agile melodic tunes invade drummer, Kyle Traska’s small garage twice a week surrounded by laundry machines, beer boxes and construction tools from his roommates.
The shows are much more vibrant and energetic as all the elements come together. Songs start fast paced, then the listener is suddenly smacked down with soothing ballads creating an inventive up-and-down rollercoaster for the ears.
The members jump around the stage, or better yet, front man David Sauer, goes into the crowd and pulls focus to audience members not looking as pumped as Sauer would like.
“If people are staring at me funny, I stare at them back … and target those people that look uncomfortable,” Sauer said. “If I can break down that fourth wall between the band and audience interaction by showing them we’re normal people just like them, then I feel like it’s more engaging overall.”
Sauer started the band back in 2009 and is the only original member. One High Five has undergone four to five different line-ups consisting of about 25 different players.
“It’s definitely a passion,” Sauer said. “I just want to play good shows, and write some fun music and be more active in the community.”
The most recent line-up includes Jason Gray on guitar, Tina Stephenitch on bass, Sauer on vocals, guitar and keyboard and Traska on drums.
Gray channels his fondness of both skate punk and contemporary jazz, which translates into his playful to tranquil riffs. The sultan of swoon, Frank Sinatra stands at the top of Stephenitch’s influence list. The bassist opened her musical tastes to ‘80s punk and new wave not long after, and lets the songs run through her head as she acts them out accordingly on stage.
As his hands moved in reflection of his message, the animated Sauer explained his Beach Boys to Beatles roots that eventually delved into the punk scene. When performing, his voice shifts from a vivacious pitch to a subtler one almost mirroring Green Day’s, Billie Joe Armstrong.
The album “Here, Hear” will release on May 11. Their next show will be at Long Beach’s Que Sera venue on May 5.