Meet conk creet, The Indie-Rock Band Taking SoCal by Storm
Words By Hannah Ramirez
Up-and-coming indie rockers, conk creet, talk about their newest album, “better late than never”.
The up-and-coming Fullerton band--conk creet--is taking SoCal by storm this summer with tour dates set for June 8th, until the 11th. Members Gavin Valladares, Brenton Fergeson, Ethyn Morgan, and Sammy Monaghan will be traveling up the coast of Southern California, starting in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Agoura Hills before concluding in San Luis Obispo.
Derived from the underground scene in the mid-80s, the term indie rock originally meant independently released music, and was polyonymous with other genres like “alternative rock”, “guitar pop-rock” and “college rock”. As time went on, it stood alone as its own genre of music, and bands no longer needed to play out of their basements in order to fall under the indie music umbrella. For example, a few popular indie artists include Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, and Radiohead–even though their music is anything but underground.
Yet no matter the changes it’s undergone, this style of music has always stayed true to its distinctive sound that’s as bold, independent, and resisting of mainstream culture as the bands who create it.
That being said, conk creet is as indie as they come.
With musical influences from multiple subgenres of rock like surf rock, shoegaze, and beach punk enriching their music, they’ve amassed close to 5,000 monthly listeners following the release of their first album, “growing pains” in 2021. Now, the much-desired second album, “better late than never”, was recently released on May 27th!
conk creet band members (from left to right): Sammy Monaghan, Gavin Valladares, Brenton Fergeson, and Ethyn Morgan.
Gavin Valladares, conk creet’s drummer and backup vocalist, spoke on the band’s behalf about their growing support, “It feels surreal to have already amassed any number of consistent listeners! We are so, so grateful for anyone who is willing to give our music a chance. I look back on times where I felt so helpless in terms of growing my musical career and how much the number of streams would disappoint me, and now it seems like I’ve made it. Which is crazy, because I know that I most definitely haven’t ‘made it.’”
This sense of awe at how far they’ve come influenced their title track, “better late than never.” Valladares recapped over the song's vulnerable lyrics which talk about “taking what we’re given” and how “it’s never what we’ve earned.” Conk creet is aware of its progress, yet they remain humble and are fortunate to be able to pursue a life that they’ve dedicated so much time and effort towards: “Without people to listen to the silly little songs we write, we would still just be sitting around in Brenton’s room talking about whether or not we should go to Taco Bell or Jack in the Box.”
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We want to build a “conk community” where everyone expresses themselves creatively and the people around them support their dreams.
All of their music is inspired by personal experiences. For Brenton Fergeson, the band’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist, what he creates is fueled by his struggle to overcome addiction and fight to stop people’s judgments from affecting his life, “I hope to inspire people that there’s hope, for whatever they’re going through…heartbreak, loss, addiction, or just growing up because that’s hard enough! I want the people who listen to us to know that we’re just normal dudes making music, that we’ve gone through, and still are going through, the same things you are. We’re right there for you and hopefully, our music can help you in one way or another.”
Similar to what Fergeson said, Valladares summed up that they want to put out music that does more than just entertain. It’s this shared goal to connect with their community that has inspired their latest album.
“Conk creet is and always has been driven by benevolent motives. We want to truly be there for people, in as many ways as we can. So yes, the music is important and that is what we love to do, but we’re trying to emphasize the concept of community. We want to build a “conk community” where everyone expresses themselves creatively and the people around them support their dreams.’”
’ll be honest, the phrase “conk community” might need a little work, but ultimately it’s the thought that counts. I wouldn’t be opposed to wearing any “conk” merch.
For conk creet, every piece produced is an extension of themselves. And it’s this bold and authentic character that makes them such an enticing band.
“We aren’t joking either when we want this to be more than music- please reach out to us. We want to be friends with you! We want to help people with their mental health! We want to support independent artists! We want to help our friends release music! We want to take over the world!!! …and we can’t do it without you.”
So what are you waiting for? Tickets for their upcoming tour range from five to twelve dollars and can be found on conkcreet.bigcartel.com. This is going to be one hell of a way to kick off the summer!
JUNE 10, 2022