Music Q&A with Ian Cruz of Easy Beach
Photo courtesy of Easy Beach
Hailing out of Detroit, Michigan, emo rock trio, Easy Beach, formed in the fall of 2020. After releasing an EP titled Mantra and some singles, the band did not hesitate to get out on the road and play some shows once shows started to become a part of normal life again. In this Q&A, Easy Beach’s Ian Cruz (vocals/guitar) talked about the band’s released and unreleased music, blink-182, his favorite albums, and more!
Easy Beach formed in the fall of 2020. The band released the Mantra EP and some singles. What is your favorite Easy Beach song?
My favorite song isn’t anything that we’ve released so far. It’s a song we’re not finished writing, called “Elliott Spliff”. I do less yelling and more singing, more interesting guitar/drum work. I’m not sure if it will be on our next EP, but I hope it is. Another cool song we all like to play is “Catbath”. We can make that one last for a solid 10 minutes on stage, and I just start incorporating a sax in the outro. That one will definitely be on the next EP.
What band or artist made you want to play music?
Seeing blink-182 when I was a kid made me want to start playing music with my friends. They looked like they had so much fun. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I watched my friend Johnny play with For Your Health when I thought to myself “hell if he can do it, I can too.” So that was the first time I thought about starting Easy Beach.
What is your favorite album of all time?
Woof. Uhhhhh, there’s a ton. A few that come to mind are WAVVES x Cloud Nothings No Life for Me, At the Drive-In’s first 3 albums, and Blink-182’s Dude Ranch. Maybe In Rainbows by Radiohead… probably that one haha.
If you had a chance to collaborate with a musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
I had the chance to work with Dylan from Cloud Nothings on our songs “Selena Gomez” and “Blurry”, but I think I’d want to work with Zack Schwartz of Glocca Morra/Spirit of the Beehive. Love his guitar work and songwriting, and the production on those Spirit records.
We all have our days where it may not be going as well as we’d like. People deal with their worst days in different ways. What helps you get through the bad days? How do you stay positive?
I only have bad days when people start shit with me lately, but even then I don’t let it bother me anymore. I’m old. I’ve been through some shit. I’ve learned to always have one foot out, ready to walk away from any situation that doesn’t respect me. I also have a son now, and he takes up a lot of that space in my head that used to have worry and self doubt. He’s a beacon for me.
Thank you for taking the time for this Q&A. Any last words or final message for the readers?
Listen to us on your favorite streaming platforms, and we will hopefully have that new record out by fall. Next tour is in August, and one in October if things go correctly. Quit your job if you hate it so much. You’ll be okay. Take care of yourself first.