The Thieves About is an alternative rock band based in Encinitas, CA – a small beach community just north of San Diego. Singer and guitarist J. Scott Gavin moved to Encinitas from the Phoenix area in 2015. In 2017, he began collaborating with local musicians. Chicago native Brian Ulery joined as the band’s drummer and they began writing and performing in bars and music clubs throughout the San Diego area. John Reikes subsequently joined as the band’s lead guitarist in 2018 and Andrew Williams joined as the band’s bassist in 2020.

In late 2017, The Thieves About recorded and released their self-titled debut EP. The band’s popularity grew and the band began performing all over Southern California and the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. In 2019, the band wrote and recorded their sophomore EP, The Chaos Theory. The first single off the EP, “Hurricane,” immediately received air play on San Diego radio stations.

With its 1990s-influenced sound, the band’s music pays homage to the flannel-clad days of Generation X.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with The Thieves About discussing their newest music, challenges and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

The Thieves About hail from the gorgeous north county area of San Diego.  Our influences involve the unparalleled alt-rock genre of the 90’s, a splash of hair metal from the 80’s, some power-pop-punk of the 2000’s, and just a hint of 70’s stadium anthem rock.  But just a hint…  

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

I, J. Scott Gavin, grew up in a small, rural farm town outside of Buffalo, NY.  My parents filled my house with great music and I was always interested in being a rock star.  When the Goo Goo Dolls finally gained some traction with Super Star Car Wash, I was lead to believe that I could do it too.  My life’s journey planted me at Arizona State in the early 90’s where the Gin Blossoms, and The Refreshments had just blazed the alt rock trail through Tempe.  Again, I was lead to believe that I could do this…  I started writing songs, started a band, and started playing shows in the same clubs they did.  We (my old band GOODER) had a modest, but loyal following and we had a great time playing in Arizona.  BUT, I became the mascot for the Arizona Cardinals and decided that I couldn’t dedicate myself enough to the band to make it a full time thing… so I never really went for it.  I split time between Rock and Roll, and running around in a bird suit for a living.

I’m motivated to keep going because I’m with a terrific group of guys who enjoy what I write and keep pushing me to do more.  We’ve played some fun shows (the biggest being opening for Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers.  Roger, of course, fronting the Refreshments in the 90’s) and I’m still driven to get up on stage and entertain.  It gets in your blood, ya know?  To have fans sing songs back to you that you’ve created, that come from the heart is really an incredibly flattering and humbling rush.  

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

3 outta the 4 tunes on the EP will get you pumped and ready to rage. There’s a lot of energy on there and I like to toss it on when I’m ready to workout.  Hurricane, Anything Anything, and Sideways really set my mind right.  All in Due time is an emotional shift to a time when I was struggling a bit.  I wanted to get that one out there as a song of encouragement.  So while it creates a shift in the dynamic of the EP, I feel it’s a really deep song that touches on what a lot of folks are going through right now.  

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

 That’s just it.  One of the challenges is there are just so many avenues to be entertained.  If you can’t hook the listener in the first 20 seconds, they’re on to the next one.  If they’re not willing to come out and see you live, then perhaps they don’t really make the connection necessary to really drive a solid fan base.  And I’ll be honest, I’m in my mid 40’s and sometimes I’d rather stare at my phone, then hit the town.  But it’s also a driving force to get attention and go out and do the things necessary to get noticed.  Technology is a blessing and a curse.  We’ve got some videos out that 10 years ago wouldn’t have happened.  We’ve recorded during the quarantine and sent tracks to each other to keep the process moving forward.  There’s some amazing stuff out there, but there’s also a lot of shit….  

What was the last song you listened to?

My kids just did a living room concert and sang Old Town Road…. they’re 5 and 7, so you can only imagine how amazing it was.   

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

 In a perfect world, I’d still have my 8 Track/Record player console and I’d spin Vinyl all day….  However, the digital format is so damn easy.  I have it all on my phone and I connect everywhere I go.  I think the sound quality suffers a bit, but by how much really?  I love the crackle of the record player, and actually recorded my second album in AZ on an Analog unit.  It just makes me a little warmer and fuzzy inside.  Every Sunday morning durning my junior year of college my roommate would wake up the house with Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors on that aforementioned record player.  I’ll never forget it.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

Tough call…  I haven’t tapped into the Apple Music subscription yet, but I use iTunes to buy tracks the “old fashioned way.”  Although, I hear that’s on the way out and by the time this is printed it might be obsolete.  I like to try to support smaller, bands – like us – that get their music out there.  Streaming just doesn’t pay the bills ya know?  So If I can spend $5 or $10 on iTunes to buy a local album in a digital format I try to do that…  But I digress, that wasn’t the question.  Pandora.  I just have some cool stations dialed in there and play them based on my mood.  I like Spotify because I have some cool podcasts I enjoy, and did set up a few playlist based on shows we had coming up.  I could probably put more time in there and enjoy it more.  Apple music seems like it’s the bee’s knee’s but I just can’t get there yet.  

Based on our streams, it seems that Spotify gets us the most attention.  So there, I changed my mind.  Spotify.  

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

 I’d like to say that our website (www.thethievesabout.com) is pretty solid, but who goes to websites anymore?  I like the simplicity and connection from Instagram.  We’re posting more stories and updates there, and of course it links in to facebook, but I’m really frustrated with “the book” and the games it plays.  It’s a necessary evil, but I wish there were a more direct way of connecting with your fans without posting something and seeing that a fraction of your friends actually get to see it.  We’ve got a youtube channel if you want to see me spin around a lot on a beach and hear some live shit.  

Anything else before we sign off?

First, thanks for the opportunity and platform to get our band some notoriety.  We are most grateful.  Second, for all those reading this, please feel free to reach out at our many platforms and say hey!  We’d love to hear from anyone interested in getting to know the band and our music.  And right now, who couldn’t use a nice connection?  Come to a show and get a hug.  We could all use a hug right now.  But only if we’re allowed.  For now, please keep away by at least 6 feet.