XYLØ
March 16, 2016
California natives, Paige and Chase Duddy, make up the brother and sister duo of indie pop band XYLØ. The duo took their band name from the license plate of their xylophone playing grandfather. The pair insist that they are not a family band, due to only making one song in their youth and also due to the ten year age difference. XYLØ recently released an EP entitled “America” on Feb. 26. They describe their music as “dark pop” as the entire EP is filled with haunting vocals and moody instrumentals. The song “America” is cloudy and emotional, and was written by lead singer Paige for a boyfriend that was being deported from California due to an expired visa. The first verse of “America” are painfully honest. “Real life is make believe / All that glitters isn’t gold for me / Save me from everyone.” The video that accompanies the song is quite creepy and cool, and has a bit of a dystopian vibe to it. Listening to the entire EP is calming; the songs flow together well and are crafted expertly. There is feeling and emotion in every song and each one tells a different story. The duo is working on their debut album and have an upcoming show at The Constellation Room, near The Observatory, in Santa Ana on April 8th.
“I was the youngest member in the group,” Mendoza said. “I got a special robe with patches and stars on it.”
Mendoza was required to audition to join the prestigious traveling demonstration team. She described the atmosphere as very welcoming due to her friendly instructors, but also very competitive. Eventually, Mendoza had to quit karate due to the amount of time she was spending in her demonstration team and being unable to attend practices consistently. Her mother would start to make small sacrifices to get her daughter to her classes and watch her perform.
“I would leave from work a bit early so I could get her ready and I would stay and watch the complete class,” Xiomara Varela, Mendoza’s mother, said.
After she stopped practicing martial arts, Mendoza soon turned to music to occupy her time. She began to constantly listen to music, and now she considers music a huge part of her life.
“She’s introduced me to a lot of artists and bands,” sophomore, Raquel Luna, said. “Almost all of our conversations are on songs or artists. I can’t remember a time we hung out without music.”
Mendoza attends live shows often, and has seen artists such as The Vaccines and Walk the Moon perform. She plans to go see more of her favorite artists perform live within the year.
![Practicing her monologue for the upcoming play, Rachelle Escurel, 10, is auditioning to play Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible, which will be held at Downey High School in April. “I’ve previously been a part of a production here at Downey and when I first was a part of it I created so many new memories, experience, and made a whole other family with the people there,” Escurel said. “My heart broke when I [didn’t audition for the last] production and I missed everyone and wanted the experience again.”](https://www.thedowneylegend.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cruciable.cast_-475x316.jpg)
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