Space Tan

Jake Soaks Up the Rays and Ventures into the Introspective Void with Gianni and Savanah of Space Tan

Back in the days before COVID, I went to a show at Hotel Vegas on the suggestion of a friend. Incidentally, I had been given a way bigger line of Ketamine than expected by a stranger in the bathroom, whom I came to know only as “The Lizard Man.” The low magenta lighting of that place led me down a strange and wild path into the depths of Space Tan.

Though the band’s name brings to mind a gnarly sunburn from the furthest reaches of the universe, Space Tan’s music comes from a sentimental place deep in the heart. That’s because the band’s exploration is not one of outer-, but of inner-space. It’s universal in its limitation, and front-man and song-writer, Gianni Sarmiento’s vision is precise and singular.

Their music is undeniably fueled by the anxiety and angst of being a young adult in the modern world, but Gianni and bandmate/spouse, Savanah Shanks, showed me nothing but kindness when I came to meet them near the pool outside their apartment. Savannah brought an entire cooler of assorted sparkling waters and hard ciders. I bummed Gianni a cigarette and we both smoked through our masks—he’s trying to cut back. 

Jake Webber (J): So you guys have had a bunch of different names. What made you land on Space Tan?

Gianni Sarmiento (G): So Crocodile was the first band, and that was more of a solo project.

Savanah Shanks (S): That actually started because it was Gianni’s solo name from an earlier side project, which then evolved into a full band. The problem was that it was super hard to find us when you Googled “Crocodile,” all you got was pictures of lizards.

G: And there were two other bands around who were variations of “Crocodile.” And then we ran into the same problem with our second name, which was Ooni; there was another band called Uni, and they were getting kind of big at the time. People would come up to us a lot and say they’d heard us on the radio or on Spotify, but they had actually just mistaken us for them.

J: That must’ve been a buzzkill when you realized in conversation.

G: Tell me about it, ha.

S: It was also hard to spell. People called us “Oni” all the time, like a Japanese ghost.

J: So what kind of scene do you guys hang out in, or maybe just find yourself around?

G: Scene, hmm. You know, I guess as I’ve gotten older I’ve sort of turned away from the crazier scenes. I like to get drunk with the band after the show. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people through Ray (Garza) and Savanah throughout the years, but I’m a very introverted person.

S: And mostly now, we don’t do anything. The quarantine, obviously, has sort of locked us down.

G: I’ve been spending time on personal projects. I’m developing a videogame right now. It’ll be my second, actually.

J: Cool, what sort of game will it be?

G: It’s a little shooter. Like have you ever played Contra or Megaman? It’ll be like that but the levels and enemy layouts will all be randomized by an algorithm.

J: I’ve always been a big fan of Metal Slug.

G: Exactly like that, very old-school.

J: What was your first game?

G: My first game is called “Billy.” It’s a puzzler-platformer where you utilize two blocks you can move with. It’s on Steam right now, actually. I feel like video game design and music production can go hand-in-hand well. I know a lot of other musicians who do game design. When it comes down to it, we’re all just a bunch of nerds.

J: What about you, Savanah? What have you been focusing on during your isolation?

S: I’ve been painting and focusing a lot on social issues right now; the BLM movement and the issues surrounding that. The quarantine has made it simultaneously harder and easier to focus on my creative output. I’ve made a couple of paintings since we started isolating. Mostly I just focus on making the house look better. It’s been hard to be productive, especially when the whole world seems overwhelmingly sad.

J: I know what you mean.

S: I made a shirt for the Raw Paw Shirt Drop, doing some sketches, listening to a lot of podcasts. Abbi Jacobson has this one (A Piece of Work) on art in the MOMA that I’ve been binging. She gets a lot of access behind the scenes at the museum and talks to a lot of people who aren’t artists. It gives you a different perspective on art in general.

J: Is any of your work political?

S: Just one piece right now, but it’s also very abstract.

G: Yeah, to a layman like me, it just looks like pretty colors.

S: When your headspace is in a political place, you make political art, and sometimes it’s hard to say what’s political and what’s not.

J: So, transitioning back to the music, what venues do you guys miss the most right now?

G: So many are going under, we’re losing some forever, so that’s a hard question. I know Barracuda is gone. 

S: COVID has definitely exacerbated that, but I also feel like the local scene has been suffering in a lot of ways for a long time.

J: I first saw you guys at Hotel Vegas, how do you guys feel about playing there?

G: We’ve played a lot there. There’s a great staff. Everything can get a little touch-and-go, but I love everyone there. That whole aspect makes it even more human, really. Makes me like it more. We love Cheer-Up’s and the Mohawk, too. 

S: Cheer-Up’s definitely has a special place in our heart. Gianni would play there when they were on the East Side and he was just starting up. That, and the night that we got engaged we went to Cheer-Ups. It’s just a very special place to us both.

J: Let’s get deeper into the music itself. You guys juxtapose a lot of melancholy lyrics with upbeat melodies, is there an intention there? Or is it just how it naturally manifests?

G: A little of both, I guess. I like the idea of emotional dissonance. That’s just how I, or maybe how anyone feels when they’re depressed or low. It’s not just a one-sided thing. On the day-to-day you feel a lot of things at once. I don’t know, I’d say I’m a very soft, emotional person. I find the pretty things in sadness. I also think it’s important, yes, to get real about the sadness, but also put a twinge of hopefulness into it where you can. 

J: What about the songwriting process? Is it collaborative?

G: It is and it isn’t. I’m definitely the songwriter in the group. I’ll come in with a finished idea and the rest of the band will compose parts around it. But I don’t really feel comfortable writing collaboratively the whole way through. I started off making music just myself and, in a way, I’ve stuck with that. I’d like to try to write collaboratively, but with this group, everyone’s in seven bands, and it’s just easier this way sometimes. 

J: How about the process, is it organic, or do you have a fully-composed idea you’re trying to reach?

G: This album I mostly did at home. A song can feel a certain way live, or when you practice, but then when you take into the recording process, all of these other ideas and fixes come up. So I’d say it’s both. I have a fully formed idea at first, but it changes over time when I’m at the computer or plugged in. I’m always just feeling it out.

Listen to more of Space Tan at their bandcamp.

Written by Jake Webber