Campus Celebrity: Aer

With the temperatures rising and the constant sunny skies in LA, we know that all you collegiates are gearing up for those weekends spend at Santa Monica or Fridays at Sunset Rec. With summer right around the corner, who wouldn’t want to create the perfect playlist with a fun, fresh vibe? Well lucky for you, we’ve found the perfect duo to add to your playlist: Aer.

Comprised of David Von Mering and Carter Schultz, Aer has released two hit albums “Bright Side” and “Aer” which have topped the iTunes Albums Chart. With an interesting mix of pop, reggae, rap, and rock, Aer’s biggest appeal comes from the promise that their music always manages to keep it lighthearted and fresh. That’s why we at HC UCLA are thrilled to announce that we had the opportunity to catch up with Aer’s, Carter Schultz to give you a peek at their history, new music, and recent tour.

HC: What does the name Aer mean?

CS: We started in high school and Aer just seemed kinda catchy and stuck at first. But as we started finding our sound in addition to what we wanted to do, the name Aer really spoke to us in the sense that it is fresh, it is necessary for growth and life. You know, we like to consider our music as something new and fresh. We’re always trying to keep it new, we’re trying to keep it fresh…and what’s fresher than air?

HC: Can you give us a bit of a background on how you guys came together as a group?

CS: Yeah, David and I met in middle school and we used to play football on the blacktop. And in high school we started a four piece rock band. Then in junior year of high school our band went their separate ways. But David and I said that we wanted really wanted to keep making music which is what we set out to do in the first place. When we started, we had no expectations. We just had fun and we kinda rolled into it. Now five years later, we’re touring and having so much fun. We really lucked out and we really put in a lot of hard work.

HC: What’s the tour been like for you guys?

CS: Unfortunately this is a really short tour. We started it off with a festival down in Phoenix which was amazing. We played in front of 4000 people and…the only complaint that I had was that our set was around 1:30 pm…so it was probably 98 to 100 degrees out. And I certainly almost fainted five times. But aside that, we loved it. The rest of the shows have been in California. And we love it out here. A lot of people say we have a west coast feel. We have that feel good vibe so it’s always great being out here because there’s nothing but love. Everyone that comes out is in great spirits. We’re looking forward to closing out California, then we’re heading off to Hawaii. It’s my first time being in Hawaii ever. We’re even shooting a music video out there. So it’s not a bad end, I just wish it could be a little bit longer!

HC: Have you had a favorite venue to play at?

CS: Yeah, I’ve gotta say that any artist who has gotten a chance to play here would probably say that Red Rock in Colorado is an amazing, amazing place to play. It’s an amphitheater literally carved out of red rock. The acoustics are amazing and the stage is amazing. It’s got a 10000 people capacity. We got to play with the Dirty Heads. It was raining, but that made it that much more epic. At the end of our set the sun came out so it was a really crazy show. And it was naturally beautiful plus the music made it really great.

HC: How would you say that your music had evolved since you guys started to now?

CS: We’re growing up. When we started making music we were just two high schoolers cutting class and smoking bongs in our backyard at our parent’s house. But now I feel like as we’ve gotten older our music has grown with us. While we still try to keep it light and, no pun intended, “airy” and fun, we are definitely getting older. The music may seem more mature. We’re not just trying to appeal to high schoolers or college students, but to everyone. We don’t just want young kids or certain demographics to relate to us, we want everyone to be able to.

HC: Can you tell us about how your song writing process works? Do you guys work individually or does one of you take the lead?

CS: David does all the productions. So probably 90% of the time he will have the theme or idea for the song or he’ll have a musical group or whatever. He’ll kinda bring it to the table and we’ll both roll with it. We’ll bring up song concepts or vocal styles. You know, do we want to hit it with more of raggea feel or rap on it or hit it with a gritty rock feel? So it starts with David’s productions. But lately we’ve been doing more of a full collaborative effort and it’s been pretty great.

HC: What are your major musical influences?

CS: The Artic Monkeys. Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Red Hot Chili Peppers is what got David and I together in the first place. Definitely their music and their whole aura and their longevity and their attitude and their grit and being able to pull off more melodic stuff. I grew up on a lot of Sublime. In middle school I also got into Kid Cudi. So those have been a big influence on my lyrical and vocal delivery style.

HC: Do you have a favorite song to play when you’re out on tour?

CS: Yeah, this one is kinda old but we still love playing “Wondering Why” a whole lot. We recently added a live band to our set. They just revitalize our music and add a whole another groove and life into a song that we made years ago.

HC: If you could use three words to describe fans what would they be?

CS: Haha I like this question….let’s see. Energetic, Happy, and Drunk.

HC: If you have one piece of advice for aspiring musicians what would it be?

CS: Keep going. I mean try a million different things. If you’ve always wanted to be a rapper and you’ve rapped really hard but it’s not sticking for you. Just keep rapping, but try it in a different ways. Like add a new melody to it or rap over more of a house beat. But it’s huge to keep your main goal and focus in mind but be able to hit it from different angles and approaches. For example I never considered myself to rap, but I always knew I wanted to be in a band. When the band stuff didn’t work out, I started moving onto some rap stuff, but I’m still in a band at the end of the day. You know, it’s cool so keep trying. Keep tailoring your talents to something that you give a 100% to and hopefully make it yours.

HC: What can your fans look forward to in the future?

CS: Our fans can definitely look forward to new music coming out…soon.  I can’t tell you when or what it’s called or how many songs…I can’t tell you anything. But I can tell you that new music is on its way. Also they can also look forward to come out and see us live. Because we love our fans but we love it even more when they come see us in person when we can connect with them one on one. And literally physically be in front of them. Just make that personal connection. So come see us live, because you can really see what we’re all about. We put on a crazy, energetic live show. And that’s the beauty of it. So heads up for new music, new videos, new tour dates.

Want more Aer? Check out their offical website for concert dates, music, and more: http://www.freshaermovement.com/

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