Indie rock drummer beats to the rhythm

With his wooden Vic Firth drumsticks in hand, senior Matthew Ramirez pumps out a steady rhythm behind the drum kit, rehearsing with Mood Indigo as the alternative rock band prepares for its next set at the House of Blues Anaheim.

On most evenings, you can find Ramirez tucked in a small home studio, surrounded by guitar amps and tangled cables. Practices usually run two to three times a week, with the band running through sets and fine-tuning new songs for their first album, which is still in the making.

The development process usually begins with guitarist and vocalist Jakob Pabon and lead guitarist David Pabon writing the lyrics. After they develop a demo, the song will be sent to the rest of the group and will be refined through multiple run-throughs.

“We’ll break down a new song piece by piece—the chorus, verses, everything—until it sounds right,” Ramirez said. “Jakob and David, usually bring in ideas first, then we all build on them together. Within two or three practices, we can get a song ready to play.”

Mood Indigo’s style originates from a mixture of genres, drawing from ‘80s rock, modern alternative and indie music. One of their most well-known original songs, “Doe Eyes,” is about two people escaping reality and ignoring consequences, living intimate moments together. 

“At first, we only had two original songs and a few covers, but now our set is all over the place,” Ramirez said. “We pull from bands like The 1975 and a lot of ‘80s rock. It’s not just one thing—we’re mixing everything we like into our sound.”

Mood Indigo’s chemistry stems from the members’ proximity to each other. Ramirez lives just three minutes away from David and bassist Anthony Pabon, where the band often gathers at David’s home studio to rehearse and write music. Before forming Mood Indigo, Ramirez, David and Anthony were part of a band created for the Battle of the Bands competition. This prior collaboration, along with multiple smaller gigs and their first big performance at the House of Blues, fostered strong communication between the band members, contributing to the cohesive dynamic of Mood Indigo today.

“It doesn’t feel like work when you’re playing with people you enjoy being around,” Ramirez said. “We’re neighbors, so we’re always hanging out, even outside of practice.” 

The band’s growing collection of original songs has opened opportunities to perform at larger venues. So far, Ramirez has performed at  Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, and on Sept. 26, Mood Indigo will return to the House of Blues Anaheim for their second performance, a milestone marking how far they’ve come from practice sessions in the studio.

“For our live acts, each performance has increased in ticket sales with our first gig being in an alleyway in a shady part of [Los Angeles] to now selling over 300 tickets at the Whisky A Go Go and selling out at the [House of Blues],” David said. “[We] are still practicing and could always try better songs. We try our best to not be complacent.”