Fellow Robot is a Long Beach, CA based indie-rock group, and the brainchild of singer/songwriter Anthony Pedroza. The band, which is very much a collaboration between Anthony, drummer Luis Renteria and friends, is hot off the heels of their debut album release, The Robot’s Guide To Music Volume 1. LA Music Critic Bob Leggett called the album “a dynamic debut album…simple yet majestic,” while OC Weekly beamed, “If you’re a fan of indie music, lengthy stories, and cheeky science fiction, there’s a good chance you’re going to like Fellow Robot.”
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Fellow Robot about their latest release, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Greetings, we hail from Long Beach, California and play our own brand of Indie rock with Scifi elements.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
The songs we play have been stewing inside me for some time. For several years I was chasing the next sound that I thought people wanted to hear, and it took me breaking my ankle to realize that truth is what’s most important in any music. I had become a robot, and through truth in my songwriting I found my way back to humanity.
How is this new release (Vol. 2) different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This is the first album I’ve ever released with the support of a record label. Volume 1 was funded by Luis and I wholly, and spending money on marketing, videos, artwork, etc. is incredibly stressful. Having the support from Donut Sounds Record Co. has been a blessing. Volume two is a very different album than Vol. 1, we are telling the story of a depressed robot and sonically we move away from the folky stuff.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Perceived reality is a strange thing, Fellow Robot has songs on our new record where we question if this digital age is doing more harm than good. I think a huge challenge for any indie musician these days is to stay true to your own creed and not get fomo with what everyone else is doing. Technology has helped us play live for our friends and family all over the world through live streaming.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Shiny” from Moana. I’m a stay at home dad for my soon to be two year old. Moana is my part time babysitter when I’m writing interview questions.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl is a ritual that I partake in every day.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify! I love being able to listen to all my friends music and create playlists that I can put almost any song on.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
We are most active on instagram @fellowrobot , as well as youtube where we just released our 8th music video for “Don’t Deny Me”. Spotify has all of our releases as well.
Anything else before we sign off?
Support your local scene, go to your friends gigs, listen to their music. Musicians need all the support they can get, and one person can make a difference by just showing up.
