El Dorado Hills Punk Band Thrives on Making Fans Happy
Feb 27, 2015 11:01AM ● By Morgan Cásarez
End the Fight – Patrick Bergevin, Daniel Portillo and Gavin Prophet – Photo by Dante Fontana © Style Media Group
Less than a year ago, friends and teen musicians Patrick Bergevin, Daniel Portillo and Gavin Prophet joined forces to become End The Fight, a hardcore pop-punk band based in El Dorado Hills. In January, they released their self-titled debut EP featuring four original tracks, including “Real Friends,” Bergevin’s favorite song to perform live.
“I think what sets us apart from everyone else is that we are on the lighter side of things,” shares guitarist Bergevin. “While we still play a little harder music, we keep it fun and upbeat. We also don’t have a ‘lead singer.’ We all sing in our songs and that gives us so many different variations on vocals.”
Among the trio’s favorite local venues are The Boardwalk in Orangevale and downtown Sacramento’s Ace of Spades. In February, the band had the honor of playing at Berkeley’s famed 924 Gilman, a non-profit, volunteer-run community venue where the likes of AFI, Rancid and Green Day took the stage for some of their earliest performances. On April 2, End The Fight will follow up the success of their Bay Area debut with an all-ages show at The Colony, in Sacramento, alongside Rosedale and Support The Rabid.
“We have music available on iTunes, the Google Play Store, and Spotify,” Prophet, the band’s drummer, says. “We just want everyone to show everyone our music. Even if they don’t like it, it never hurts to try. When more people get to know who we are, it helps us grow as a band. Support and fan happiness is what makes us thrive!”
When it comes to working on new music, each member is aided by their ability to play multiple instruments. According to Bergevin, “we can all write music on the other’s instrument. This helps out a lot when we have song ideas and to show the others what we are thinking.”
When they aren’t busy writing or performing, Portillo and his friends can often be found battling it out on Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. “[We] play way too much Wii U,” admits the bassist.
As they look ahead, the multi-talented musicians count touring and continuing to build their fan base (their Facebook page boasts nearly 3,000 likes) high among their goals for the future, but Grammys can wait. “I guess my idea of an award is just the feeling I get when songs and other things I create get the credit and love from the people I share it with,” Prophet explains. “I just want us...to make it somewhere great in music and let everyone enjoy the tunes that we can give to our listeners. I want to play great shows and live and breathe music.”
“The heart and energy that everyone else puts into the band makes me feel so great to be a part of it,” Portillo adds. “I would love to make it with my best friends doing something we all love. That’s my number one goal in life.”
For more information, visit facebook.com/endthefightofficial.
“I think what sets us apart from everyone else is that we are on the lighter side of things,” shares guitarist Bergevin. “While we still play a little harder music, we keep it fun and upbeat. We also don’t have a ‘lead singer.’ We all sing in our songs and that gives us so many different variations on vocals.”
Among the trio’s favorite local venues are The Boardwalk in Orangevale and downtown Sacramento’s Ace of Spades. In February, the band had the honor of playing at Berkeley’s famed 924 Gilman, a non-profit, volunteer-run community venue where the likes of AFI, Rancid and Green Day took the stage for some of their earliest performances. On April 2, End The Fight will follow up the success of their Bay Area debut with an all-ages show at The Colony, in Sacramento, alongside Rosedale and Support The Rabid.
“We have music available on iTunes, the Google Play Store, and Spotify,” Prophet, the band’s drummer, says. “We just want everyone to show everyone our music. Even if they don’t like it, it never hurts to try. When more people get to know who we are, it helps us grow as a band. Support and fan happiness is what makes us thrive!”
When it comes to working on new music, each member is aided by their ability to play multiple instruments. According to Bergevin, “we can all write music on the other’s instrument. This helps out a lot when we have song ideas and to show the others what we are thinking.”
When they aren’t busy writing or performing, Portillo and his friends can often be found battling it out on Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. “[We] play way too much Wii U,” admits the bassist.
As they look ahead, the multi-talented musicians count touring and continuing to build their fan base (their Facebook page boasts nearly 3,000 likes) high among their goals for the future, but Grammys can wait. “I guess my idea of an award is just the feeling I get when songs and other things I create get the credit and love from the people I share it with,” Prophet explains. “I just want us...to make it somewhere great in music and let everyone enjoy the tunes that we can give to our listeners. I want to play great shows and live and breathe music.”
“The heart and energy that everyone else puts into the band makes me feel so great to be a part of it,” Portillo adds. “I would love to make it with my best friends doing something we all love. That’s my number one goal in life.”
For more information, visit facebook.com/endthefightofficial.
End the Fight – The Arts – March 2015 [5 Images]
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