Today we’d like to introduce you to Allepakcok Tre, Presley, Lee and Mike. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Tre and Jackson met in high school between the years of 2012 and 2020.
It all began when Jackson saw Tre avoiding schoolwork by playing the guitar in the AV film classroom by approaching Tre with a simple request: Can you play “the Mollusk” by Ween?
Tre simply could not refuse.
From there, the duo signed on for the school fundraiser event of the century: the Battle of the Bands.
Because our duo was equipped only with keyboards and acoustic guitar, with no drums or bass to be found, necessity inspired Tre to contribute vocal beatbox loops and the lowest harmonies his pubescent vocal cords could supply. These elements combined with Jackson’s natural ear for tight harmonies, and Tre’s love of a cappella music, in addition to the sense of humor unique to two high school boys, prompted a unique name for our group.
“Cockapella.”
But alas, it was a name unsuitable for a high school function, so we reversed the name to get something that was unique, subtle, and harder to spell.
“Allepakcok.”
It was at the Battle of the Bands where Allepakcok would play our first show, delighting the audience with their unique covers of “the Mollusk” by Ween, and the John Cena entrance theme, ending the set with the debut original, “Catfish Wranglin'”.
It was there that we earned an insatiable lust for performance, as well as such accolades as
“The worst band I’ve ever seen”
“The comic sans of music”
and
“Pretty funny, I guess.”
The rest was history.
Years of storming open mics around the area, gracing legendary Austin stages that we ordinarily wouldn’t be old enough to witness, Allepakcok forged on as a crafty duo, aspiring for the full sound of a full band, whilst being limited by only a roster of two. Presley would slowly amass an absurd live collection of keyboards and synths for his use, while Tre could be seen rotating between bass, acoustic and electric guitars, all simultaneously slung along his shoulders.
Eventually, after years of supporting this ridiculous rig, we decided to recruit the brilliance that was Lee Chavez, a talented multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. Shortly after, the full Allepakcok was born when Mike Krieger, the drummer and vocalist who plays in Tre’s other project, Blue Tongue, hopped on board.
With our band now doubled in size, Allepakcok began 2022 as the full-size, seriously unserious psychedelic, indie pop rock sonic extravaganza that we were always waiting to be.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve had some ups and downs. Several downs being personal conflicts between band members, a global pandemic, and issues with personal hygiene.
But most prominently has been the challenge of trying to chase after the sound of a full band while only having two members. None of us play drums, so thus was born the idea for vocal beatboxing, looped live with a vocal pedal. Trying to loop vocal percussion in time while trying to seamlessly continue a guitar or bass line was an immense challenge. On Jackson’s end, with his efforts to fill out the sound, had the task of operating and loading in almost five different keyboard and synth units at a time. Unfortunately, he is limited by only having two hands and weighing all of 90lbs. We solved most of these problems by getting other people to do it for us, in the way of Lee Chavez and Mike Krieger.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We consider ourselves a really unique project, with notable qualities we don’t see often in our local scene. Firstly, we have a rule in the band that everything we do has to either sound good or be funny, and if it’s both, we consider it a bonus. This is why we have Tre switching seamlessly between guitar, bass, vocals, and beatbox, while Jackson effortlessly jumps between different synths and keyboards of different sizes while also displaying stellar harmonies and keytar solos. Lee Chavez pulls from his country and blues roots as a multi-instrumentalist (And notably amazing pedal steel player) for captivating melodic lines on whatever instrument he chooses, while drummer Mike Krieger contributes with seamless harmonies and genre-bending beats. What really sets us apart is that we’re actually not good at any of it.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Jackson: Don’t let intimidation get the best of you. I almost did, but when I let it go, I ended up in the greatest worst band of all time and have been for six years now.
Tre: There’s no such thing as too much practice, even when it comes to just joking and making memes on stage. That’s why all I practice is memes.
Lee: It’s the suck zone. It’s the point… where basically, in which the twister… sucks you up.
Mike: First, learn basic communication terms like decibels, stage right/left vs house right/left, and what general band of EQ the feedback is coming from.
This will enable you to more effectively communicate with the sound engineer and will make your experience with them so much smoother.
Also, buy them a drink, remember their name, and thank them during the set. They will appreciate it and make you sound better.
Contact Info:
- Email: allepakcok@gmail.com
- Website: https://allepakcok.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allepakcok/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allepakcok/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC63-N6VxCYgHrxBwPQGMejw
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7K56BJTTGrFctIUw7sKlJ1?si=P6JBvHx9RIygGbg_nzyYAg&nd=1
Image Credits:
Ellie Chavez Photography https://elliechavezphotography.com/
