RVLS (Rivals) are an up and coming alternative/pop band from Los Angeles. Founded in 2014 and fronted by the eccentric Kalie Wolfe (vocals), RVLS released an EP, “Haunted/Haunted,” in May of 2015 and are currently in the studio working on their debut full-length. Along with Kalie, RVLS is made up of Justin Wells (Guitar), Sebastian Chamerlain (Bass), and Micket Woodle (Guitar). They will appear on the “Emo Is Back Tour” tour May 10-14 after playing a small stint beforehand.
How did RVLS form?
- Weirdly enough RVLS was formed between me (Kalie) and Micket Woodle our guitar player. Back in the day, Micket played for a band called The Collected, they went on their first tour, and I tagged along as a photographer for the 3 weeks. He ended up hearing me sing and really dug it but was still in The Collected and was fully committed. Fast forward like 4 years, he made a song (Life Of A Monarch) and hit me up to sing on it. After that we just kept going, now working on our first full length record and touring together. Pretty crazy actually, wouldn’t have ever thought in my entire life we’d play music together.
How does it feel to be involved with this tour?
- When we got hit up about this tour, we all were so excited and almost instantly said yes. We knew it was something we had to be a part of. Like how do you say no to a tour that is called The Emo Is Back tour. Like come on, that's so awesome. Plus all the bands on it are super rad!
Who are some of the bands that inspired you?
- Kalie
- You, Me, And Everyone We Know
- Bring Me The Horizon
- The Neighborhood
- Micket
- 30 Seconds To Mars
- Bring Me The Horizon
- Atreyu
Have you shared the stage with any national acts? If so, who?
- Oceans Ate Alaska
- The Word Alive
- Beartooth
- Assuming We Survive
- Fit For a King
- I Wrestled A Bear Once
- Danger Kids
- DanceGavinDance
- A Skylit Drive
Do you know which dates you are playing? If so, which ones are you looking forward to most?
- We will be playing only a few dates, 5/10-5/14, but we will be out on our own run from 4/30-5/9 to meet up with the Emo Tour! Honestly, I’m really excited about Dallas, I’ve been to that venue a few times when I’ve visited there and love it, when I heard I was playing it I sort of freaked out a bit.
LA is a musician-heavy area, what do you do to make your band stick out?
- Us as a band work insanely hard to make sure our live show is as entertaining as possible. That's mainly whats gotten us so much hype around here, we really like to make sure that people leave excited that they got to see us. We spend hours and hours every week practicing full live sets over and over. When I say full I mean, full blown all out like we are playing a show. We practice about 1-3 times a week, 3 full sets every practice. If there's one thing I can tell bands, its practice your live sets as much as possible.
What's the writing process like?
- Insane! We’ve been sitting with our producer, John Espy, for months now, writing and getting everything ready for this full length. Its a struggle sometimes cause we don’t all agree on things but we eventually come to an agreement. We’re finally recording the final product that’ll be released to everyone soon.
What's your favorite food to get in LA? Where's the best place to get it?
- Kalie - I’m a HUGE Asian food fan, like I love it all, every single kind, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese etc. Gimme it all!. I don’t really have a specific place but there's this sushi place by our practice space that just slays. So good!
- Micket - I’d have to say Italian, Red and White fettuccine forever. Favorite restaurant is gonna be Cheese Cake Factory, they have amazing Italian food.
What's the best part of touring?
- Getting to wake up in a new city every single day or meeting people, that's hard to choose between!
What are three things you always bring on tour?
- Kalie - My Laptop, some headphones, and my sanity.
Sudoku or crossword puzzles?
- Kalie - Sudoku forever.
What's the difference between ketchup and fancy ketchup?
- Kalie - I hate ketchup ): It’s so gross! and goooooy and eky. No ketchup for me!
Are eyelashes considered facial hair?
- Kalie - I mean technically? hahaha that means eyebrows are too! And nose hairs!
RVLS just put out an acoustic version of "The Open Road" which you can watch below. Their debut full-length is expected to drop sometime later in 2016. Be sure to catch them on the "Emo is Back Tour" tour and say hey!