San Diego’s SHRUBRAVO* is a project built on curiosity, collaboration, and the desire to transform playful ideas into immersive sound worlds.
Multi-instrumentalist, Alexander Bravo, grew up in Southern California’s surf and sunshine, where the city’s eclectic music culture left a lasting imprint.
In San Diego, you can move from a sweaty rock show to a restaurant with live jazz and end the night with a vinyl DJ set, a breadth of experiences that helped shape SHRUBRAVO*’s genre-blurring approach.
Blending the precision of city-pop, the warmth of lo-fi textures, and the psychedelic shimmer of influences like The Beach Boys, SHRUBRAVO* has carved out a colourful and unpredictable sonic palette.
His latest EP, Twilite Coaster, which we recently reviewed here, imagines a dreamlike train journey, each track serving as a stop along a surreal, groove-infused ride.
Created with close collaborators Billy Petty and Kevin Capacia, the record balances jam-session spontaneity with rich, carefully layered production.
We caught up with SHRUBRAVO* to talk about origins, influences, and what lies ahead.
HAPPY: What did you get up to today?
SHRUBRAVO*: Not much! I just got back from a trip to Portland, Oregon this past weekend.
It was a magical time reconnecting with old friends and their families, swimming in the Columbia River, and jamming a ton at my buddy’s house.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
SHRUBRAVO*: I’m from San Diego, California, and I pretty much love everything about it.
It’s pretty blissed out for the most part; great surf, excellent Mexican food, and the general vibe is laid back.
Most of the world may not know this, but we have a very diverse and spread-out music scene that covers every niche you could think of.
So you could go see your standard rock show, walk by a restaurant featuring some incredible live jazz, and end up at a bar with a vinyl DJ set of selections you never knew existed (or asked for!), all in one night.
We have great artists, bands, and musicians out here!
HAPPY: How did you first get into music, and what inspired you to start the SHRUBRAVO* project?
SHRUBRAVO*: I got into music when I saw a guitar for the first time at my cousin’s house.
It was a pretty powerful realization that I could connect and express myself through sound, and I was hooked.
Throughout high school I played guitar non-stop and fell into a good friend group that would jam and play together, and they really showed me the value and craft that goes into music making.
But once we had to go to college, I was on my own! So, I decided to take music seriously and go to school for it.
The University of California Santa Cruz is where I really developed my technical knowledge and started playing multiple instruments, while also meeting other incredibly talented colleagues and professors.
After college, it just seemed natural to try and carve out a space for my solo work, which is what SHRUBRAVO* is.
While I love playing and making music with other people, this project is where I really try to push myself musically and creatively.
So, the inspiration came from realizing that even though I spent a lot of time playing and learning with other people, I still have a hunger to explore my own ideas, and a drive towards learning how to present them in an authentic way.
HAPPY: SHRUBRAVO* blends city-pop, lo-fi, and psych-pop. Who are your biggest musical influences, and how do they manifest in your music?
SHRUBRAVO*: There are many influences present, but my top 3 artists that are most influential would be Makoto Matushita, Ginger Root, and The Beach Boys.
Each of those artists sparked a different facet of what I hope to accomplish in my own music.
With Matushita, it’s definitely the style, precision, and textural qualities.
With Ginger Root, it’s the perfect synchronization of the visual and aural elements of a project.
And The Beach Boys because… well, I just really love the way Brian Wilson wrote beautiful songs along with a bunch of wacky tunes.
So I guess you could say I’m trying to make highly detailed, interesting, and silly songs.
HAPPY: What sparked the concept of Twilite Coaster as an imaginary train journey?
SHRUBRAVO*: I’ve always loved concept albums and EPs as a way to organize a vibe or an energy.
This particular batch of songs that my band and I cooked up was influenced by lots of city-pop and liminal sounds, so after we listened to what we recorded, it just sounded to me like each track took you to a different realm, similar to what I imagine a groovy train ride could do in taking its passengers to different train stations.
I wanted to lean into that in order to help guide the mixing and video elements, and it was a fun exercise in following through on that concept.
HAPPY: How does working with Billy Petty and Kevin Capacia shape the final product compared to working alone?
SHRUBRAVO*: Billy and Kevin are a great team to work with! Billy is the co-producer/drummer/videographer/photographer/handyman of the band and always knows how to execute my crackpot ideas better than I could envision, and Kevin is a superb pianist and producer in his own right, so they make music-making fun and easy.
The way we typically work is I’ll come up with a song or concept and they usually fix it with their expertise, which brings it to life.
HAPPY: You’ve explored video production for this EP. Do you see visuals becoming a bigger part of SHRUBRAVO*’s future releases?
SHRUBRAVO*: Absolutely! It’s really hard to make music AND create videos, on top of everything else an independent project has to do.
But it’s so rewarding to explore that realm of music artistry. Our previous EP (Good Morning, Beast) was the project’s first “real” attempt at producing video to pair with the album, and that may have sparked a fire in wanting to take it to the next level.
This time around, we tried creating an entire visual world for the music to live in.
I have to give a MAJOR shoutout to Billy Petty for shooting, set designing, and rigging all of the visual elements present in our videos!
It’s been a real treat seeing him explore that side of artistry, and I’m just lucky enough to have him in SHRUBRAVO*!
HAPPY: What’s the most unexpected or surreal moment you’ve had while making music (on this EP or past projects)?
SHRUBRAVO*: I feel like my career gets more surreal as I keep getting older and honing my craft, so I’d like to think that moment has yet to come!
But there was one time I met a Beach Boy and won an autographed hat from him in a raffle.
That felt like a major sign from the universe that maybe I should keep going and enjoy the ride. (Spoiler alert: it was not Brian Wilson…)
HAPPY: After Twilite Coaster, what’s next for SHRUBRAVO*? Any dream collaborations or new directions you’re excited about?
SHRUBRAVO*: We are already beginning demoing some new tracks for the next album, and I’m certain that we will delve even deeper into the world of DIY video production.
Outside of this project, I’m hoping to collaborate in the near future with artists I’ve already had the pleasure of playing with before (Dante Elephante, MOANS, and Different Attiudes, amongst several others).
The ultimate goal is to make a timeless record, so anything that helps towards that, I’d be into!
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
SHRUBRAVO*: My beautiful wife and two dogs. My family, friends, collaborators, and supporters. Surfing. Knowing my true self and feeling the presence of the ever-lasting life force that guides us all. Homemade fish tacos. And of course, X Happy Mag.
