Palmas

The Philadelphia and NYC "Surf & Soul" group Palmas draws influence from retro West Coast sounds and brings them back home to the East Coast. The group formed in 2013 when Matthew Young (in Los Angeles) and Adam Cantiello (in Philadelphia) started exchanging favorite surf records: Pet Sounds, Walk Don't Run, Out of Limits and The Endless Summer Soundtrack. Motivated by the spirit of the era – and strengthened by the addition of Kurt Cain-Walther, Eric Camarota and Pat Degan – Palmas began channeling romanticism to put a new spin on the modern indie rock genre. They released their debut EP To The Valley in 2015 and have since followed up with two new tracks; "Flowers" last fall and "Floating In The Dark" in January.

Interview with Matthew Young

GROWING UP

I was born in Brooklyn but grew up in Voorhees, NJ, outside of Philadelphia. My parents are true New Yorkers, born and raised in Coney Island so it was always important for them to raise me with some of that culture. I spent a lot of weekends and holidays in the city. Neither of my parents are artists but they pushed me and allowed me the freedom to excel in my interests. While neither of them played instruments, they certainly exposed me to my musical tastes. I have very early memories of listening to the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin, and other classics. It didn’t take much to convince them around 12 years old that I wanted an electric guitar. Since then, there probably hasn’t been many days I haven’t held an instrument.

MUSICAL UPBRINGING

Where I grew up, when you hit 4th grade you were allowed to pick an instrument and try out for the school band. The trumpet stood out to me, it’s a powerful instrument. I wasn’t very great at it but I played for two years and loved it. Playing trumpet made me revisit that acoustic guitar that had been sitting around my house for years.

THE START OF WRITING MUSIC

I always loved playing, it took getting older, expanding my interests and knowledge that I started taking song writing more seriously.

BAND FORMATION

Adam and I had been introduced a few years earlier jamming with some mutual friends. We had kept in touch and got together a few times over the years but like most things in life our time was occupied with other things. Around 2013 I moved out to California for a work opportunity but knew it was temporary. Adam and I kept sharing tunes back and forth through email and we decided when I came back it was time to get together and actually play. I had known Eric since high school and Adam grew up with Pat. We had mutually known Kurt through the music scene. We didn’t have many expectations other than getting together on weekends to play with some friends. From there it grew naturally.

WRITING PROCESS – INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP EFFORT

I would say a combination of both. A riff or idea may come from Adam, Eric, or myself however the song is written as a group effort. Kurt is very vocal with instrumentation ideas and leading us with where he thinks he can take the vocals. We tend to be more of a quality over quantity band. We scrap a lot of ideas and only move forward with the ones we’re passionate about.

LYRICS – INTENTIONALLY SITTING DOWN TO WRITE VS HAVING IDEAS IN YOUR HEAD AND THEN THEY SPILL OUT

It is definitely more of the spilling out variety. We are open about our motives and direction, the idea to write a song people can dance to is nice, but we’re not going to force it. When a tune feels right, we move forward with it. Eric always preaches that our best songs are the ones that are spewed out naturally in written in a matter of minutes.

TRAVELING IMPACTING ART – INSPIRED BY THE PLACES THEY GO

I think that new experiences always open up your mind but I believe we are playing the music we love to play. People always ask us how a band that has so much surf influence comes from Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

WRITING, SOMETHING HE ENJOYS?

I enjoy getting in the room with the guys and playing new ideas, feeling each other out. I think it’s where we get to connect and often find ourselves on the same page. We are currently working on our debut record. It’s an interesting, exciting, and sometimes stressful time. We have high expectations of ourselves and are vocal about that fact.

SHIFT IN WRITING PROCESS

The first time we recorded we were on an extremely tight budget and were still figuring out who we were. This time around we are thinking about bigger instrumentation, how we can achieve certain sounds and dynamics. I don’t believe the process has shifted as much as it has evolved.

ARTWORK – CONTRIBUTE IDEAS OR REMAIN HANDS OFF

We’re very hands on with our artists and contribute through every aspect. Particularly Kurt and Adam have a really great vision for how our music translates visually. We try to make each piece of art cater to the song. Like our recording, it’s not so much a revision as it has been our ideas evolving and getting stronger.

ARTWORK – AESTHETICALLY COOL PACKAGE VS COVERSATION BETWEEN LYRICS AND ART

I can’t speak for the others but I don’t believe we look for a direct connection between lyrics and a video. I believe it’s more so about finding the right mood that connects the two. There needs to be a connection there. In our most recent video “Flowers” we tried to connect the themes of the song with the vibe of the video, but there was no direct connection. Aesthetics are incredibly important but it also needs to make sense.

REPRESENTATION THROUGH BAND’S VISUALS

I want people to take us seriously and know that we take our craft seriously. We try to only release visuals that live up to the standard that we feel represents our band. We work with artists whom we respect and trust can help bring to life what is in our head. How people interpret that is out of our control.

WHO / WHAT CHANGED THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

The internet but more specifically Spotify has made access and discovery so much easier. In a playlist you can discover 100 new artists you never heard of. Whether that is good or bad isn’t for me to say. I still love going to a random show and discovering something new.

MENTORS

I’ve had many mentors along the way, including my parents or other people I look up to. Jeff Watson gave me a chance and took me under his wing, that guidance led me to want to be in a band again.

Photography by Stephanie Cheng | Interview by Heather Hawke