For most of the past 365 days, the members of Las Vegas indie rock band Citizens at Risk haven’t practiced, recorded or even seen one another beyond a computer screen. Like many bands sauntering on during the pandemic, the four locals have relied on Zoom calls, email and Dropbox to share their ideas.
It’s hardly the sort of sexy, dangerous-sounding scenario for which rock bands can be known, but it’s what works in the time of COVID.
“We were playing shows every weekend from October 2019 to March of 2020, when COVID hit,” bassist Dave Rivas says. “We were gaining a lot of momentum, and then we had to switch into basically writing and recording mode.”
Rivas wrote most of the instrumentals for the band’s debut EP, Microphallicosm, released in October. Since then, the group has been working on new material. “The music that’s out there is just the tip of the iceberg of what we have in store,” Rivas says. “We have three singles in the pipeline, and one of them is ready to go.”
Citizens at Risk formed in 2017 with a lineup of Rivas, drummer Andy Gensel and guitarist Tilliam Mayo—but it wasn’t until singer Matheus Sá arrived in late 2019 that the lineup was complete.
Born and raised in Brazil, Sá regularly toured with indie bands in his home country before moving to Las Vegas. “I wanted to be an actor, but as you can see, it didn’t work,” Sá laughs. The vocalist sifted through Craigslist ads, hoping to find a new band to join, before coming across Citizens at Risk.
Without a specific genre in mind, every member of Citizens at Risk brings his own unique style and sound to the band. Rivas previously played guitar in punk band Child Endangerment; Gensel brings a Bay Area vibe to his drumming technique; and Mayo, an electronic musician, originally auditioned on drums before learning guitar to play for Citizens at Risk.
“We all write and have interesting, different tastes,” says Gensel of the band’s synthy, poppy, post-punk stew. “I think the direction is dictated by how we blend those things.”
Back in Brazil, Sá says, “I used to tour and travel a lot every weekend. We would just play shows and rehearse in the middle of the week, and that was it, nonstop.”
That’s light years from how Citizens at Risk has worked over the past year during the pandemic, recording at home and exchanging parts over Zoom as the guys patiently await the day when they can jam in the same room and play to live crowds.
Whenever normal life resumes, Gensel anticipates an overall attitude shift: being “more dedicated” to the music scene once the pandemic is over. “We were just starting to hang out with other bands, and then the pandemic hit,” he says. Mayo agrees, explaining that he misses “everything,” especially “being able to hang out with each other and have a good time.”
Though they never expected to rely on technology this much to make their music, the members of Citizens at Risk are thankful it has allowed them to continue creating. And they know they’ll be back together when the timing’s right.
“We’re all very conscientious,” Rivas says. “We don’t want to be a part of causing a superspreader event.”
CITIZENS AT RISK Citizensatrisk.bandcamp.com, Instagram.com/citizensatrisk, Facebook.com/citizensatrisk
