Their music has been heard in commercials and TV shows — but with only one released album and another in the works it’s only the beginning for this talented quartet. This is Fialta and their sun-soaked summery sound sits perfectly with the scenery of San Luis Obispo.
Fialta members David Provenzano and Michael Leibovich met while attending Cal Poly, but dropped out to tour together for their former band Sherwood. On the road they met Beth Clements and Sarah Shotwell, who they began to collaborate with, spurring the beginnings of Fialta.
The band plucked its name from the short story by Vladimir Nabokov, “Spring in Fialta.” Using the imaginary town put a spin on the common trend at the time of naming bands after places.
Each member of the group holds a plethora of talents, ranging from singing to playing various instruments, such as the keyboard, ukulele and the trumpet.
“Really, from the first time I picked up a guitar, I was more interested in creating something and making my own thing than just learning other people’s songs,” Provenzano said.
Taking bits and pieces of different genres of music, from indie to pop, Fialta found its sound in happy strums of guitar and upbeat keyboard notes. Warm tones and cheerful vibes ooze out of every song.
Their first album, Summer Winter, was released on July 23, 2013, and the group’s talent was quickly recognized. Their songs have been used in commercials for Chipotle and Kmart, and have been featured in shows, such as “Awkward,” for MTV and NBC.
“I think success is a really relative term,” Shotwell said. “The ways we feel we’ve been successful so far is being involved and building a local fanbase.”
Sure after this, the group began to work on their second album Shadow of a Drought, set to release on August 5. This album encompasses the band members passing into their 30s and their experiences entering this new stage in life.
The group received immense support for the creation of this LP, reaching 244 percent of their goal on Kickstarter with more than a week left in the campaign.
After finishing the album, Fialta plans on taking a regional tour through California and Oregon in mid-July. The group said it’s excited for the opportunities and music to come.
According to the quartet, moving to and staying in San Luis Obispo has given them the space and lifestyle they need to create music while working other jobs. Shotwell is a teacher. The other three work at a local tech company.
“(Fialta) is like a full-time child,” Clements said. “But for me personally, I am so stoked to have a creative outlet outside of work.”
Despite fame and a growing fanbase, creating music for the fun of it seems to be the group’s main goal.
“We have serious thoughts and ideas, but we don’t take ourselves or the music we make too seriously,” Leibovich said. “At the end of the day, we just want to dance our legs off and remember what it is to be fully alive, and we hope our music can be a vehicle for that.”
