Interview: INOHA
Photo Credit: Jacob Glombowski
Interview by Maaya O’Flaherty
I had the pleasure of speaking with INOHA on Nov. 8 before their Boston show at Brighton Music Hall. INOHA is a San Antonio-based indie and alternative rock band that is currently on their first headlining U.S. tour. The band, formed in 2023, consists of four members with different musical backgrounds: Keanu Bicol (lead singer, rhythm guitar), Christian Young (bass, vocals), Ricky Juarez (drums), and Gavin Gonzalez (lead guitar, vocals).
Maaya O’Flaherty (MO): It is so nice to meet you guys! Thank you for taking the time today to have this interview. You’re currently on your first-ever U.S. headlining tour. Congratulations! Is touring so far what you’ve expected? Has anything surprised you guys?
Keanu Bicol (KB): This is our first headlining U.S. tour, but a couple of months before we got here, we played the same exact venue with Phoneboy. We opened for them. So, we’re still getting used to the feeling of touring, but we know there are long drives, off days, and we have to share beds with each other. But other than that, it’s a lot of fun. I think we are getting used to it all.
Christian Young (CY): I feel like we had a big jump from being an opener all the time to now headlining. Our sets went from 45 minutes to an hour and a half now. It was kind of a big shock for us, but we’ve gotten used to it. We’ve really enjoyed playing all of our songs now because there were fans that were disappointed before that we didn’t play certain songs, and now we actually get to do those.
Ricky Juarez (RJ): For touring, we had somewhat of an expectation, and some of it has been broken down as we do it. Like Chris said, going from an opening position to headlining position means we’re actually playing more songs, so there’s more to load in and load out equipment wise. Sometimes when you’re the opener, you get backlined, and you use some of the headliners equipment. In this case, we’re the ones who are always offering the backline because it’s our equipment. So there’s a bit more of a load to take on as the headliner.
Gavin Gonzalez (GG): It’s exactly what I expected, except I get sick all the time. So that sucks.
MO: Now that you have performed most of your songs live, how do the songs translate into live performances? Are there any differences? Have your songs evolved?
KB: I think people view us as a TikTok band, or an internet music band, and when people come to the shows and actually hear our whole album, like “ALOHA INOHA,” “Chance 2 Dance,” or our whole discography in general, they’re like, “Oh, my gosh, these guys are really good live”.
CY: A lot of our songs, we had things in mind,for how to get the crowd involved. And now we’re getting to put those into practice. Keanu is really awesome at getting people into things, or Gavin will start a clap at some points and just different chants that we’ve gotten. And with the openers, they’ve been great. Worry Club and Slow Joy, they’ve been making the crowd loosen up and get used to moving. This is the first tour where we’ve had mosh pits. It’s kind of awesome that an indie show has mosh pits going on. We’re not allowed to have mosh pits at this venue, though. So let’s be safe.
RJ: I think in general for live performances, you get to play with expectations. Fans know the songs, and know the lyrics sometimes, so when we make subtle changes, like adding the claps or adding in some fan interaction, like movements, it brings mystery to it. So some things are unexpected. And I think that’s cool. That’s why you come to a live performance, you get to hear your favorite songs, but you also get to experience something new. And we love doing that.
MO: Adding on to what Chris said, what songs do the fans get the craziest over? What songs do you love performing the most? Are you tired of performing any songs?
KB: Personally, I never get tired of performing. Sure, afterwards and before we’re like, “Okay, we have to load in, okay we have to load out, we have to make an hour-ish drive to our hotel,” and everything like that. But when we’re at the show, we’re always 110%, giving it our all, and it doesn’t get tiring. And I think, “Seventh Heaven,” obviously, a lot of people love that song. When we play the opening riff to “GESHUOU,” everyone’s like, “Woah!” And then some of the songs like “Imitate,” is a pretty surprising one, because that’s the one where we have the most crowd interaction. I like to do this thing where I say, “Everyone to the left, and everyone to the right.” A “Cupid Shuffle” type of thing. I think that would be my favorite. I think most fans would get hyped for that.
CY: I think I never get tired of playing any of the songs. I just love seeing people’s different reactions. Every crowd has a different reaction to each song. But as we’ve gone through, I think my favorite one to watch people react to is, well, the craziest one, is still “Seventh Heaven.” But it’s funny whenever people will mosh to a song that’s slow. We’ve had mosh pits during “Man of the Hour” or “Fire in the Sun.” And it’s like, there is no reason to be doing all that right now. There was a guy that literally did a full vertical jump against our stage during “Fire in the Sun.” And we put it in the [social media] post because it was so good. Those are my favorite reactions to watch and see.
RJ: Oh, I remember that guy. He was humping the stage, bro. You kind of watered that down. No, that’s what he was doing. It was crazy. I remember seeing him. Favorite songs to play? I love all the songs, like the other guys. I love performing. It’s very cool. I think I have the most fun when we play our song “GESHUOU.” That’s because the tempo is really high, it’s really fast, and it’s in a place in the set list where we really drive up the energy again. I like a lot of the elements of that song, so performing that one is my favorite. I also like “Naomi.” I think it’s our overture of our set because it has a little bit of everybody in there; everyone gets introduced. It’s INOHA in a nutshell. INOHA in a paragraph. It’s the introduction paragraph of us, our sound. So that’s my favorite stuff to do live.
GG: Mine’s “Naomi.” It’s just the opening track for our set. It sets the vibe. It’s great.
MO: What is the process of your writing? Would you guys say you’re a lyrics first, music later type of band or does it depend on the song?
KB: When it comes to songwriting, I think it depends on the song. For example, our song “GESHUOU” used to be originally pretty slow. But when I showed it to Gavin, he was like, “Let’s pick it up a couple hundred more BPM,” and that made the song. Honestly, it just depends. Sometimes for songs, it goes through the chain: it’s me, then it goes to Chris for lyrics, and then for Gavin and Ricky it’s drums, finishing touches, and for Gavin’s leads. Other times, it goes through a whole different chain. Maybe it’ll go through me and Ricky first, or me and Chris, or me and Gavin. It just trickles its way down. That’s how I would best describe it.
CY: There’s so many different processes that we’re trying out. Even right now, we’re trying to write songs on our own, for some of our newer stuff, and taking that into account. We just like writing stuff in different ways and seeing how things end up. Like Keanu said, sometimes we start with a word, like with “Papaya Man.” Keanu was just like, “I want a song about papayas.” Or “meticulously” for “Biggest Salmon.” Keanu said, “I want a song with the word meticulously.” And I was like, “okay,” and then I wrote it, and eventually it turned into “Biggest Salmon.” Then that went through a whole revamp, because Gavin heard it and was like, “this needs to be more punk, more crazy.” He made it a whole different song. It used to be slow and way more boring than it is now. Now it’s like, fucking awesome.
MO: I saw in another interview that you guys said you balance between writing your own music and writing music that people will enjoy. So did you know “Seventh Heaven” was going to be a hit when you made it?
CY: I called it.
KB: “Seventh Heaven,” going through the writing process of that, I was in my bedroom. And we did like a live session a couple of days or a couple of weeks ago, and there was this chord that I played, I believe. I was like, “Oh, this is a really cool chord. Maybe you could put in a song.” So I made a chord progression around that song. I was like, “okay, this is a cool chord progression. I’m going to start writing some lyrics.” That’s when I wrote the first intro, the whole, “Oh, won’t you stay for the ride?” And it just kept going. When I showed it to the other guys, they were like, “This is really cool.” That’s my perspective on it.
CY: Keanu just kind of came in with heat. And we were like, “Yeah, let’s finish this.” And we just kept writing to it, and it worked out. It really was just that easy. We thought this song sounds cool, let’s keep making it cool.
RJ: They summed it up. The only thing I can add is that I do remember us saying that in another interview where we balance between the two. I think it’s two sides of the same coin, you can’t have one without the other. You have to write what’s authentic to you, and therefore it becomes authentic for the audience.
GG: I’m in a different boat. It depends on the song. Some songs are already poppy and catchy, and at this point, I just want to make it 100% fun. I still enjoy the song. For me, that’s like “Saturday Nights,” where it’s just a straight pop song. But there are other songs I hear and think, “Whoa, this is something that I really, really like, and would love to take it in my own spin, and I don’t really care what other people think about it.” I just kind of hope for the best. It really just depends on the sound. And that also ties into our writing process. There are some songs that I have no inspiration for, and other songs where I’m like, “Whoa, that sounds really cool, do you mind if I take the reins on this?”
MO: Speaking of original things, there’s something I really wanted to talk about, which is “Seventh Mineshaft.” I remember when I was younger on my parents iPod and the only song I had on it was “Fallen Kingdom” [another Minecraft parody]. How’d you guys come up with that?
GJ: You just nailed it. We come from that era of YouTube. Right? We really like those Minecraft parodies.
MO: What would you guys say your favorite Minecraft parody is?
KB: Favorite Minecraft parody? I’d have to go with “Hunger Games” by Bajan Canadian. [Starts singing] “Hunger Games. I wanna win. I win it all. I wanna win all day. I’m not teaming. I’m not teaming.” That’s the one I remember. That’s the one I hold really close to my heart. That was also during the time where EDM was really popular. So it would drop and it’s like [mimics beat drop].
CY: That is such a banger. I’m torn between “Don’t Mine at Night” and “Screw the Nether.” Because those get stuck in my head all the time. I think if I had to choose one, I’d probably choose “Screw the Nether.” I’m not going to do a cover like Keanu here. And I just love the animation, that video is so fucking cute.
RJ: I’m similar with Chris where I have just two that come to mind, which is “Don’t Mine at Night” and “Fallen Kingdom,” which you mentioned earlier. I just remember watching the video, with the little animation that they always added, and be like, “Yo, this is crazy.” I’d put that on and do my homework. If I had to choose only one, I guess “Fallen Kingdom” because I liked the little dude with his little beard and he’s walking around and his kingdom’s destroyed. It’s gone. It’s gone. It’s straight to the point.
GG: “How Do I Craft This Again?” The Owl City parody. That one’s good. Also, it’s not necessarily a parody versus its own original song, but all the old Tobuscus songs, like “Diamond Sword.”
Everyone: [Starts singing]
GG: That’s exactly it. So yeah, Tobuscus.
RJ: Sing one for us!
GG: Oh, dude. “Mini Minotaur.” [Starts signing.] That’s not Minecraft. But still, it’s a peak song by him.
CY: That’s the same era.
MO: It’s a real classic. I’m going to pivot on to more fun things. I saw that you [Keanu] crowd surfed. How was that? Is that going to make an appearance in Boston?
KB: If the venue allows it. But I don’t think… Yes, no, maybe so.
GG: You have to do it at the last song. Because then at that point…
KB: Yeah, the last song. If they kick us out, I mean, we’re already loading out at that point. But in general, respect venues, respect the rules. Type stuff.
CY, GG, RJ: [Making fun of KB for saying “Type stuff.”]
CY: I keep on forgetting to censor myself.
RJ: They get to write it and transcribe it. They get to say “and then Chris said something really dumb.”
CY: Ay man. I mean, at least they transcribed it. Yeah, Keanu’s crowd surfing. Actually, in New York, Ricky got to crowd surf for the first time. New York was insane.
GG: Jumped right in the pit.
RJ: All right. All right. Here’s what happened. So there’s Jacob, he’s part of the crew for Slow Joy, who’s on this tour, he came up on the stage. He jumped right into the middle of the crowd. And I was like, “Yeah, I weigh about the same as him.” So that gave me confidence. And during that show, everyone was crowd surfing every second of the show. It was nuts. It was bizarre. It was crazy. But I loved it. So during this slow part I was like, “I’m gonna do it. If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen now.” So I went, I jumped, and they didn’t catch me. I crushed like six people. It was like Jack Black in that movie, “School of Rock.” It was so bad. But I climbed down and they got up. They were a good sport. And they asked me to come back. And this time I kind of eased into it. And it worked perfectly.
MO: Second time’s the charm.
RJ: Yes, the second time was a charm. They loved it. And it was beautiful. But yeah, I learned my lesson not to just jump on them.
GG: No, I am not crowd surfing. I get sick.
RJ: He also has knee problems or something. I don’t know. I’m just kidding. He’ll probably develop one if he did that.
MO: So, my brother showed me your music in Singapore, and I know you guys just went to the UK. Do you guys think you’ll be going to any other continents anytime soon or doing a world tour?
KB: Yes. Yes, we will.
CY: That’s it. Yeah. We don’t really know when we’re going to be able to go to these places. But we’ve talked about going to Brazil, or South America specifically, because that’s at least closer.
RJ: Just give us time and we’ll probably end up there.
CY: We really just need time. We got to go through some other tours first.
GG: Time and money. Time and money.
CY: Time and money, yeah. We have to stack up some cash before we can even do that.
GG: We’re a new band. We’re only three years old. We’re still just starting our career. So the fact that there’s demand across the world for us to go there says a lot, and we’re really thankful for it. But at the same time, we need to catch up a little bit.
RJ: Yeah, I mean, the UK was our foot in the door for Europe. We’re doing these U.S. tours, and we’re getting our sea legs of touring. This is our second U.S. tour. We’re figuring it out and gaining the experience. So, coming to you soon. That is the message.
MO: Before we wrap up, one last question. If you guys could listen to any song again for the first time, what song would it be?
GG: Does it have to be our music?
MO: No, it doesn’t.
GG: Okay. For the first time, “Lime Street” by Neck Deep. That song is just a fun pop punk song.
CY: Why don’t you wait till the phone gets to you? That’s crazy.
KB: The song we can listen to again for the first time?
MO: Or if you were in a coma and one song would wake you up, what song would that be?
GG: “Gates.” That’s a different answer. Oh, “Gates” by The Menzingers.
CY: I’m not as decisive as Gavin when it comes to music. Gavin is really good at superiority with the music he likes. He’ll say, “This is the best song,” and he’s set on that. I think all of us listen to so much different music that we’re just kind of like, dang, how do we choose? If I had to choose one to wake up from a coma…that is a specific type of vibe.
KB: I got an answer. For me, I think it would be “Another Song About The Weekend,” the acoustic version, from A Day to Remember. It’s a crazy pull. I remember when I was a child, I heard this song. It was literally my intro to pop punk. It’s either that or “Quicksand” by The Story So Far. That’s what I would say.
Everyone: [Laughing]
CY: “Quicksand” is up there for you for sure.
RJ: I guess I’m basing this off of childhood. I would want to listen to, I’m going off of the “forgetting it and hearing it again for the first time,” “El Paso” by Marty Robbins. It’s totally outside of our genre, but it’s a Western song. I remember my grandma showing it to me. I don’t know, playing with that memory would somehow be cool to hear that again for the first time.
CY: You know what? There’s a song in high school that got me into rap and, really, into producing music and making music for myself. Anything from love-sadKiD, really. They’re a local artist from Texas. If I had to choose one from their old songs, there’s a song called “Simple.” If I woke up from a coma to that, it would be peak. It’s such a chill lo-fi rap song, and it’s definitely one that got me into realizing, “Oh, this person can make music as a kid, so I could do it too.”
MO: That’s a perfect note to end on. Thank you guys so much for taking the time today for the interview. I can’t wait to see you guys tonight on stage! Have fun in Boston. Thank you.
This interview was edited for clarity.