Surf-pop trio Bikini Trill headlines concert at El Rocko Lounge If you go
Victory North is teaming up Highly Unorthodox Gathering (H.U.G.) and El Rocko Lounge to bring some rays of California sunshine to Savannah. LA’s Bikini Trill are a surf-pop trio heavily inspired by reggae-infused SoCal bands like Sublime, No Doubt, 311, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Since forming in 2017, Bikini Trill have quickly made a name for themselves thanks to infectious, smoke-hazed, beach party jams that incorporate electronic and hip-hop beats, dubby bass, skank island guitar, and dreamy, catchy vocals.
Bikini Trill was formed by vocalist Lauren “LJ” Johnson, guitarist Tony Barker Stern, and bassist Kourosh “Roach” Poursalehi when the three longtime friends moved to Los Angeles from Austin, Texas.
“We gave up on music,” said Roach over the phone. “LJ was managing a band me and Tony had in Texas. She wasn’t even in the band. She never sang in a band or had been in a band.”
Roach moved to LA to produce and engineer music, LJ to work in marketing at Capital Records, and Tony to compose music for film and television. When the friends reunited in LA, LJ was illustrating art under the brand Bikini Trill, which was inspired by her love for punk and ‘90s riotgrrl music.
“When we wrote the song ‘Sticky Trees’, we put it with the art, and we just called the band Bikini Trill,” said Roach. “We’re like, we shouldn’t be doing this. We know we’re done with bands, but man, when we were reunited in LA it was like, maybe we should try this again.”
If you go
What: Bikini Trill w/ Jarv and Unifiya When: 8 p.m., March 12
Where: El Rocko Lounge, 117 Whitaker St. Cost: $15 Info: victorynorthsavannah.com
Fortunately for Bikini Trill, Roach was working at Paramount Recording Studio where they were able to squeeze in some recording time and make some industry connections.
“We’re sneaking in at night to use the studio, to work on our songs and mix them, record them,” said Roach. “I’m working on a Kanye [West] session, we’re sneaking in, and we’re doing a Kid Cudi session, we’re sneaking in. Then through Kanye’s engineer we link with The Dirty Heads and their managers and basically have entered this realm of the reggae scene in America and been playing a lot of festivals and touring.”
Thanks to their new connections Bikini Trill were able to join The Dirty Heads and 311 on tour in 2019 — even getting to perform at the legendary Red Rock Amphitheater in Denver, Colorado. Then The Dirty Heads took Bikini Trill along on a tour with Lupe Fiasco last year.
LJ’s bright, poppy pastel art now adorns the band’s many music releases and merchandise with an aesthetic that perfectly captures Bikini Trill’s carefree, sunshiny sound.
“It’s just been a crazy ride man,” said Roach. “We do everything ourselves. Tony and I produce all the music, mix it record it. LJ writes all the lyrics and does all the art. It’s kind of crazy because, like I said, we gave up but then we came back full swing.”
During the pandemic, Bikini Trill created their own recording studio in Koreatown in Los Angeles where they recorded all their singles and are currently working on their debut album. Bikini Trill have three new songs that they look forward to performing on their first East Coast tour and have a limited edition vinyl they will be selling at shows.
“It wasn’t that long ago that we were in the fans perspective in the crowd watching our favorite bands whether they were small local bands, mid-size bands, or big bands,” remarked Roach. “It wasn’t that long ago we were in the crowd, and I would go up to my favorite bands and they wouldn’t even look me in the eye, so we were like, we’ll never do that, would never be that band, and will always go above and beyond to make sure the fans have a crazy experience and feel loved and welcome. That’s a big part of what we do, too.
“This tour has been so amazing and we’re so grateful to be on it and to be playing in front of so many people and to be playing with so many other dope acts that we really love, and to meet so many new fans that are just genuinely good people. You know, not every genre has great fans and loving fans and we’re just so blessed to have those type of fans coming to the shows, meeting us, hearing about us for the first time. We’re lucky and we definitely are trying to stay grounded.”
Bikini Trill will be joined by underground rapper Jarv, and Savannah reggae-rock band Unifiya.