If LA band the Ceremonies had a hashtag for their sound, it would be #newnostalgia. Their 1980s New Wave meets alt rock tunes are reminiscent of the Cure, the Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen. These are big synths to fill, especially when you realize that the oldest person in the five-piece — brothers Matthew, Mark, and Michael Cook, and the rest of the band Kane Ritchotte and Jackson White — is Matthew at 21. He says their work transcends their influences; he also cites poets William Blake and William Wordsworth, and novelist Aldous Huxley as major inspirations. In fact, Huxley wrote the mantra for their upcoming album, Imagination Isn’t Dead. The theme of most of our work thus far is keeping the spirit of the child alive, Matthew says. “One of our favorite authors and biggest inspirations, Aldous Huxley said it best: ‘The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.’




Hometown and homebase: The San Fernando valley in the greater Los Angeles area.

Why are you called The Ceremonies?

We know “ceremonies” to be gatherings in the name of collective emotion; a mood ranging from the sadness of a funeral to the celebratory nature of a wedding. We find that duality important. People need ceremonies because they create a sense of belonging: a feeling of community, an appreciation for perspective. Ceremonies give us purpose, they fuel creativity, keep us genuine, and remind us that a human is always a child at heart. 



What made you want to form a band together as brothers?

We have always played music together, singing at benefit shows and high school gigs. I had bands throughout high school and Mark and Michael would fill in when band members couldn’t make it. When I started writing original material, it occurred to us we should be doing it together and from there we began developing a concept for the band. 



Did you grow up in a musical household?

Our parents introduced us to the Beatles and Michael Jackson so we pretty much grew up on those two artists. And then any discovery since then would probably be attributed to two things: the internet, and word of mouth. For example, I remember the first time I heard Talking Heads, I was in high school and got into my friends car and he was playing Psycho Killer from Stop Making Sense; I remember thinking to myself, this might be the coolest thing ever.