Revamped band Vacerra are back to rock Davis’ music scene

The group brings a punk-rock energy and community-oriented outlook to their shows 

By MIRIAM RAMAKRISHNAN — arts@theaggie.org 

Davis band Vacerra will be performing at California Aggie’s Nov. 19 Couch Concert, a quarterly live music event held in the basement of The Aggie House at 116 A Street.

Vacerra is composed of four members: Mia Armenta, UC Davis alum and lead singer, Nathaniel Ewing, fourth-year environmental policy major and drummer, Isabella Gallegos, fourth-year mathematics major and guitarist and Asher Ekberg, third-year history major and bassist.

Many of the band members draw from more intense genres, which is reflected in their personal work. Armenta said that Courtney Love, lead singer of riot-grrrl band Hole, inspires her when she plays.

“My musical inspiration comes from lots of punk, garage and harder sounding genres, and it is obvious that I listen to a lot of that stuff in my creative work,” Ekberg said. “A lot of the music that I have created or helped create will sound more evil or moody, as that is what comes easily to me. However, I have tried putting in work to expand in taste and creation, as I don’t want what I create to end up sounding too similar or samey.”

Ewing noted that Ringo Starr and David Garabaldi also serve as major musical inspirations.

“[They had a] way of playing the right thing at the right time, supporting the song and playing complex & interesting grooves,” Ewing said. 

He mentioned that he aims for that same balance of serving the song while keeping the rhythm interesting in his own playing.

Ewing, Ekberg and Armenta were previously in the band Shmoozi, another Davis mainstay that played crowded shows throughout last year.

“We’re in a funny space with the band right now because many people know us individually, but since we rebranded in August we kind of had to start from ground zero,” Ekberg said. “Luckily, we have made many great connections already in this new group and in our previous one, so it’s not totally ground zero.”

Every member of the band affirmed how much they want Vacerra to be an open and welcoming space. Inclusivity is not an afterthought for the group — it shapes how they think about who their shows are for.

“I can definitely say that we want to be known as Davis’s queer rock band,” Ekberg said. “We care very deeply about the base that follows us. I also love seeing mosh pits at our gigs, and I hope we can continue to build and grow a faithful audience.”

All the members are quite familiar with being part of a band and with the local music scene as a whole. They’re well known among other Davis bands and musicians, which seems to have helped ease the transition of their rebranding.

“I think being one of the more seasoned bands is cool, because there's a lot less worry logistics-wise when it comes to playing shows as a new band,” Gallegos said. “Making a new band hasn't been anywhere as stressful as it was the first time we started performing.”

Armenta affirmed that sentiment and said she feels comfortable playing because she knows all the people at her shows. She also said that she hopes Vacerra will be “more punk, less rock” — unlike her previous band.

For those eager to hear Vacerra live, the quarterly California Aggie Couch Concert is only a few weeks away on Nov. 19. The event will take place on 116 A St. in the basement of the Aggie House. Admission is free and doors open at 6 p.m. 

Written by: Miriam Ramakrishnan — arts@theaggie.org