By: Dylan Fair
Executive Arts Editor
Many students from Mira Costa have dreamed about careers in music. However, for alumni Miles Michaud, Spencer Dunham and Matt Correia, these dreams have become reality. The group of former Mustangs continues to push forward with its musical career in the up-and-coming group, the Allah-Las.
The Allah-Las’ garage rock style music is influenced by the band’s SoCal upbringings. Although the group originally grew out of Manhattan Beach, members of the Allah-Las see themselves as representing a much wider scope than simply the South Bay.
“I met a lot of kids at Costa who turned me on to different types of art and music, but I also met other people, too,” lead vocalist Miles Michaud said. “These kids mostly came from outside of the South Bay. As soon as I was able to drive, I found myself traveling all over Los Angeles trying to experience different cultures, tastes and scenes.”
The Costa alumni members of the band, Spencer Dunham and Miles Miachuad, graduated from Costa in 2005. According to bassist Dunham, Costa has had a large impact on him.
“My favorite teachers at Costa were Mr. Mellis who taught appreciation of the arts, and Mr. Mancilla, my Spanish teacher, “ Dunham said. “My favorite memory from Costa was when I rode my vespa across the football field during powder-puff half-time.”
Although the group has its roots at Mira Costa, its start in the music industry did not gain speed until after graduation. At Costa, Michaud was involved in music and participated in several high school bands. However, the group did not see a musical career in its immediate future.
The Allah-Las was formed after Dunham and Correia began working together at Amoeba Music in Hollywood. There, the two met Pedrum Siadatian, the Allah-Las lead guitarist. In need of a lead vocalist, the group called on their old friend from Mira Costa, Michaud, to fill the position. Thus, the Allah-Las were formed.
“We got our first gig on Halloween, 2008,” Michaud said. “It was a house party and we didn’t have any finished songs, only different riffs we jammed on. It was really quite silly in retrospect, but we loved performing and loved playing together.”
Even before 2008, the dream of success was present. For Michaud, music was something he had always been practicing.
“He’s been playing music for as long as I can remember,” younger brother and Costa senior Vaughn Michaud said. “But it really wasn’t until he started studying music theory at Santa Monica College that he started taking music seriously.”
Since 2008, the Allah-Las’ members have been working on their sound and place in the music industry. On April 17, the band released its “Tell Me (What’s on Your Mind)” EP. The group’s first full-length release, a self-titled album, was released on Sept. 18.
“We wanted our recordings to sound like the recordings we loved,” Miles Michaud said.
This summer, the group has been in local radio station KCRW’s top albums for the last two months. The band performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas last May, and at the LA FYF Fest.
“We have more young fans who appreciate what we do,” Miles Michaud said. “Playing festivals has and will continue to bring exposure to our band.”
The Allah-Las’ members strive to make music that represents the experiences they have had. They hope to keep producing music they love.
“We try to incorporate past ideas into our music so listeners might be compelled to do the same in their lives,” Miles Michaud said.
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