The Little Red Men

The Little Red Men are a group of musicians whose age does not define their talent by any means. Though they're only sixteen, they have immense talent, having been in the Vans Warped Tour Battle of the Bands! Though they didn't make it to Warped Tour, it's a huge honor to have even been considered and able to compete with other talented musicians. There's always next year, so keep tabs on this band because they're going places!

How did you guys get your name?

Brandon: Nick (lead guitarist) and I were in the car with my Dad and he wasn't wearing his seatbelt. Nick, being in the passenger seat, asked Brandon's father why he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Noticing that the little red seatbelt man was light up on the dashboard he jokingly responded, "because the little red man keeps me company!". So a few months later when Nick and I were starting this new band, we chose "The Little Red Men" as our name and that our logo was going to be the red seatbelt man that lights up on the dashboard.

How did you guys all come together?

Brandon: Nick and I knew each other from school and we were in a band together called Fully Charged. We wanted to move on musically as a team so we decided to start a new band. We met our drummer Jordan at The Great South Bay Music Festival last Summer when he was performing with Michael Jazz Trio. So we kept in contact with him and asked if he wanted to be our drummer. Luckily he was all for it and he fit right in. I met our bass player Andrew last summer at an arts camp called Usdan. I invited him to come and jam with nick and I, and we jelled instantly.

How did you guys get your start in music?

Andrew: My parents played music all the time around the house. Both my mother and father are musicians and my mom was actually in a band so I was a Around and heard music all the time.
Brandon: I've been singing ever since I was able to. I've always been interested in the arts, especially music. The Beatles initially sparked my interest in music, and being in a band. I taught myself how to play guitar when I was in 6th grade (I'm self taught in several instruments, including voice) and that's when I started songwriting. At this time I was heavily influenced by Neil Young, and originally I wanted to be a singer/songwriter, until I did my school talent show the next year. I watched Nick Granelle play guitar for the first time in a band with some kids from school. I knew he had incredible talent and I really wanted to be apart of it. So i pretty much ditched my acoustic guitar and my solo artist mentality and joined Nick's band. So nick and I played with a band called Fully Charged for the next 3 years, playing shows and cutting our teeth together. Then we decided to move on to bigger and better things as real original artists and started The Little Red Men.

What was the last concert you went to?
Andrew : Never been. Going to see avenged sevenfold on the 30th.
Nick and Brandon: the last concert we went to was actually together. The Global Citizen Festival in Central Park NYC last year. Brandon landed 6 free tickets haha. We saw The Black Keys, foo fighters, and Neil young. It was incredible.

What artists did you listen to while growing up?
Andrew: Red hot chili peppers - foo fighters - victor wooten - jaco pastorious - Marcus miller - bela fleck and the fleck tones
Brandon: The band that has inspired me the most and I have been hooked on since I was 3 years old is The Beatles. However my father turned me onto The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, The Doors, Jimmy Hendrix, Stevie Wonder and a lot of other artists throughout the years. Some of my other influences include the solo works of the Beatles members, Jason Mraz, RHCP, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, Brand New, Nirvana, The Strokes, Led Zeppelin, ELO, The Beach Boys, The Black Keys, Bob Dylan, and Basement.

How much has your music taste changed over the years?
Andrew: For me it hasn't changed much. More it's just expanded. I love every type of music and as I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate more types.
Brandon: I started out listening to The Beatles and a few other classic rock artists my dad showed me, until one day I stumbled upon a band called Nirvana which opened up a lot of doors for me. I have started listening to alternative and indie rock bands/artists like RHCP, The Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, The Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg, Cake, and The Strokes. I'd like to think my music tastes have been evolving.

What song do you listen to to get yourself pumped up?
Andrew: Thunder - SMV

What's one of the biggest obstacles that you've faced as a budding band?
Jordan: Gaining support and building a fan base on a large scale. Social Media has been a big help, yet has made it more competitive for up and coming artists to really get out there.