Saticöy
Following up their single “Enough” released in May, Los Angeles-based band Saticöy is now introducing their new single “Nice To Know”.
Formed by Derek Long (Guitar and Lead Vocals), Jaron Takach (Drums and Production) and Jon Averbook (Bass / Multi-Instrumentalist), their self-produced new single was inspired by Long’s father who passed away in 2011.
“This song stirred up a lot of emotions for me. I felt sad because it reminded me of all the missed opportunities I had with my father. It brought me joy to look through old pictures and ask Mom to take me through some of her fondest memories,” explains Long.
The Ohio-native band released their debut single “Faded From Color” in 2018. Followed by a few more successful releases, the promising alternative-pop band is creating their own musical signature.
“Nice To Know” is now available on major digital platforms.
Photo credit: @baelebae
Introduce yourselves - where are you from?
Jonny, Derek, & Jaron - we are Saticöy all originally from Ohio.
What's the band's story?
Derek: We all met at Ohio University where played in a jam band together. The chemistry we built there laid the foundation for Saticöy. Jaron moved out to CA shortly after college and got a job that allowed him to use the recording studio in the evenings, and from that point on, called me on a weekly basis to convince my stubborn ass to come out and start making music. Needless to say, it didn’t take much convincing. Jon was living in New York at the time, but once he heard we were regrouping it wasn’t longhe picked up and followed through.
How did the name Saticöy come about?
Jon: We had rented a rehearsal studio on Saticoy St. while we were playing for another band. The manager for that band (who insisted on the idea of having a practice space) missed countless monthly payments and owed money. After a number of arguments and quite a bit of frustration, we decided to stop playing for him and keep the studio for ourselves. Money issues aside, we didn’t feel any passion playing FOR other artists. We wanted to write our own material. So we fixed up the studio to make it look and feel amazing. In return, it became our home and the birth of Saticöy. The umlaut over the Ö is a way for us to brand ourselves and also I think it looks cool.
How would you define Saticöy, the band?
Jon: I’d say Saticöy is defined by their ability to make something from nothing. A group of talented musicians/producers who decided to follow their passion and create something they are truly proud of.
Derek: I’d define Saticöy as independence. We produce and write everything ourselves. Anything we didn’t personally create was made by someone we’d connected with on a close personal level, and brought within the fold of the band. Our mixing engineer, vocal producer, and cinematographer are essentially members of Saticöy. The content we’ve released has actually gotten us really solid paid production gigs as well, giving us financial stability in an industry where its hard to come by… As long as we continue to work our asses off, haha.
You released your first single "Faded from Color" last year. How did things change for you since that first release?
Jon: Honestly, so much changed when we released “Faded From Color”. Not only did it do exceptionally well considering we had little to no traction, but it gave us the affirmation we needed to keep going with this first project and to continue on past that as well. I mean, even if “Faded From Color” didn’t do well I know for certain that we would have still kept going, but dropping the single, seeing the numbers, and constantly getting love for it has been a great boost in morale and determination.
“Nice To Know" is your new single. What's the story behind this song?
Derek: “Nice to Know” started with a sample from the first song Jaron had ever produced. It instantly gave the song a sense of nostalgia that we wanted to expand on. We hadn’t really thought about writing a tearjerker up to this point, but I had been wanting to write a song about my late father for some time now, and this song seemed like the perfect sonic landscape for such a song.
Who helped you create this particular song?
Outside of the band, we get production help from our vocal producer Aaron Berton, our mixing engineer, Rashawn McLean, and our mastering engineer Michelle Mancini. Otherwise we make everything ourselves.
What did you feel when writing this song?
Derek: This song stirred up a lot of emotions for me. I felt sad because it reminded me of all the missed opportunities I had with my father. It brought me joy to look through old pictures and ask Mom to take me through some of her fondest memories. I felt strong because I knew that if he could see me now, he would be proud of what I’ve accomplished as well as my ambitions to accomplish more.
What can you tell us about the artwork for "Nice To Know"?
Derek: It’s just a perfect picture for the song, haha. A father building a snowman with his son. For me, that father son experience is just below a game of and learning to shave. Plus, look at that framing! Mom killed it.
What message do you want to convey through this song?
Derek: I wanted to be careful not to make this song too much of a downer. I wanted to accurately portray my grief, and what it feels like to be a young man growing up after losing an incredible father, but more importantly I wanted to portray the strength that rises in us after a triumph over adversity. I wanted to remind people of the importance of celebrating life in the wake of grief. Nice to Know yearns for happier times, yes, but it also expresses a fortified determination to carry on a legacy.
As a band, what do you want to accomplish?
Jon: We want to spread the universal language of music and love, have undeniably amazing songs that convey our unique sound and style and deliver unforgettable, standout live performances. Most importantly, we want to connect with our fans/audience and want them to connect with us. Whether that’s through the music or lyrics or whatever. It doesn’t matter.
What do you like the most about being part of a band?
Jon: Well I don’t like being a part of just any band. Sure I love love love playing live music and if that meant playing in a cover band - so be it - but THIS. THIS BAND is SO different. There are so many reasons I love playing in this band, but the thing I like the most is the creative freedom we have, especially now since we are independent.
What does music mean to you?
Jon: Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand. I believe it to be a necessity in life.
Derek: The fact that I was able to sit and play guitar with a Japanese man who couldn’t speak a lick of english is beautiful. Like Jon said, it’s a universal language.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Jon: I think connectivity would make the world a better place. Unity through diversity. Essentially peace haha. But I mean if humans could just connect to other humans and realize we are all the same - the world would definitely be a better place - part of the reason I love music so so much is because you can connect to it and then in turn, connect with others. Music is very very powerful and it’s one of those things that I think already has (and will continue to) make the world a better place.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Jon: Here’s a few huge life lessons I’ve learned so far - Trust the process. Whatever is happening (good/bad), trust your life - Hustle. I think that we really must be ready to work endlessly. Work as hard as you can and as much as you can. Be consistent, persistent and determined. - If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will.
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