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Whittier, Calif.-based prog/punk duo Littlest Viking is touring in support of its self-titled album.
Christopher Patrick Gregory is on the way to Maryland from Virginia.
While driving, Gregory is still on an adrenaline high from playing South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
“We had so much fun playing there,” he explains during a recent phone interview. “Our show was well attended and now we’re on tour and making enough money going from town to town. I would consider it a success.”
Gregory is the drummer for the Whittier, Calif.-based duo the Littlest Viking.
He met Ruben Jesse Cortez after placing an ad through Craiglist on wanting to start a band.
“It’s kind of a weird way to start a band, but that’s the way we got started,” he says. “I wish the story could be more glamorous, but we met in a dangerous way. We trusted each other a lot.”
The prog/punk band will perform a show at 8 p.m. Friday, March 29 at Blackwater Music, 109 Fourth NW.
The duo is also touring in support of its current self-titled release, which was put out in October. It was released on Mountain Man Records, which is based in Long Beach, Calif.
Gregory says the duo sounds like a musical lovechild of Don Caballero, Piglet, American Football, Braid and Hot Snakes.
“We’re all over the place and we incorporate a lot into what we do,” he explains.
Gregory and Cortez took about a year to build the album. The drums were recorded in a studio in San Francisco, while everything else, including the mixing, was done in Los Angeles.
Gregory says when it comes to writing the music, it’s usually started with Cortez.
“Ruben will just play a riff and we’re off and running,” he explains. “Our process is very simple and most of the songs come from jamming together. We’ve been performing with each other for a few years now and have built up a great working relationship. He knows where I’m going with the music and I know where he is headed. We communicate a lot better know and use a lot of our instinct.”
As the duo continues its trek through the country, Gregory says they are talking about new music.
He says there will probably an EP released later this year.
“We’ve got a bunch of ideas in our head and we’re trying to get them all together,” he explains. “Right now, we’re enjoying the tour and getting more of our music out there.”
Littlest Viking
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, March 29
WHERE: Blackwater Music, 109 Fourth NW
HOW MUCH: $8 at the door
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