Frequenting iconic venues like The Rebel Lounge, A Continent Named Coma (ACNC) aims to deliver a unique live performance by showcasing dark emotional beats and combining influences like emo and noise. Loud but rhythmically intricate drumming is partnered with shreds and growls to give attendees the culmination of months of home rehearsals and pedal tweaking. Comprised of Tristan Martinez on vocals and bass, Ryan Peterson on guitar, and Paul Quinones on Drums, ACNC share their sound alongside other acts in a current wave of new artists.
WOD: When was it that you solidified your sound?
ACNC: (Paul) The identity has been very much so the group of us, in that way, anything we come up with, we come up with in the room together. Because of that, it’s really hard to say it’s been difficult, there’s rarely been a moment where we have a song where one of us says, “I don’t like where this is going, we need to change something about this”.
(Ryan) Yeah, it’s a very, like symbiotic relationship as far as like writing and stuff. Like everyone’s bringing something different table.
(Tristan) It is very much ingrained into who we are. Out of the six bands I’ve been in, this is the only band where we write music as a collective, it is all of us. I feel like it works in that sense. It feels more organic working that way, as opposed to one person writing everything. I’ve been in bands like that and this is not that. This is really us writing as a unit.
WOD: How did you all get into music?
ACNC: (Ryan) I’ve been playing guitar since I was 10, so that’s almost 16 years of playing guitar. I have now gone through a bunch of different styles and stuff, different band dynamics, and most of that didn’t stick until we (ACNC) met up and started making music.
(Paul) My dad was a very huge influence on me when it came to music because he was a drummer as well. He played from the time when he was like, 13 up until his passing. And he was very passionate about it, he never quit. Even when he had kids. He always made it work. And he was always in bands. So I wanted to kind of pick up where he left off and keep it in the family.
(Tristan) For me, both of my parents were the kind of people who would just play music around the house. I remember being 10 listening to Rush. Music is just always been an integral part of my day-to-day life. Anything that I do, I’m usually playing music or about a song in my head. My experience has just been taking in everything I possibly can. This is just the natural progression for me, I don’t think I could ever not be in a band.
WOD: What is the importance of live performance?
ACNC: (Tristan) I never feel more myself than when I’m performing.
(Ryan) It’s absolutely liberating because it’s a moment to lose ourselves in the music, which combined with the energy in the room make it irreplicable. I also feel like the pandemic kind of brought to light that the shit can be taken away in a second, so it really all has to be enjoyed at the moment.
WOD: How was it entering the Phoenix music scene when you did?
ACNC: (Paul) It’s been really interesting just because we came into this music scene kind of after a huge heyday (2011-2014). There was a time when Tristan and I were playing in bands around this time as well, where that music scene was always the first topic. You would go to a local show, and there’d be whole sellouts, frequently!
It’s more bare, it’s more scarce than it used to be as far as finding bands that are like us, or even finding bands that are excited, and that isn’t talking down about anyone. But you know, everyone goes through their phases where they’re more motivated or less motivated. You can tell who each of those is, whether the band’s incredibly motivated because people are coming out to their shows. The more you give a shit, the more you’ll get out. And, you know, that’s the chase for any musician.
Write On, Downtown 