Sweet Pill is a three-member band and includes one of our very own fellow Broncos.
Christian Hernandez is a 25-year-old transfer student at CPP and is studying music theory.
Hernandez is Sweet Pill’s bass player and main vocalist.
“I’ve been playing bass for about a decade,” Hernandez said. “I’ve been taking it seriously for maybe four years now and I’ve been singing in the shower since I could shower.”
Sweet Pill’s 23-year-old lead guitarist and backup vocalist is Ramon Limon, who has been playing guitar for about 10 years.
On the drums is 26-year-old Martin Valle, who has been mastering the drums for roughly 10 years as well.
The band began jamming together back in September 2015 and decided to become an official band in June 2016.
It was a process for these guys to decide on their official band name.
They went through a few different names and then it wasn’t until right before going to a show that they came up with Sweet Pill.
Limon was actually in Hernandez’s room when he looked across a Reefer Madness poster that read “The Sweet Pill that makes life bitter” and that was where the name started.
They actually went from The Sweet Pills to The Pills and finally went with Sweet Pill.
Hernandez and Limon went to a music school together as kids and then reunited during their community college days at Rio Hondo College and started jamming together.
They started a band but over time they needed a new drummer and that is where Valle came in. Valle and Limon have actually been friends since high school.
Limon describes band life like being in a relationship. Hernandez and Valle chuckle and agree to the metaphor.
“You become really close with your bandmates,” Limon said.
“You learn how to read each other really well because you’re playing music together which is a whole different experience than just talking and hanging out. You learn how to express yourself with each other and that’s pretty wild.”
Sweet Pill had the opportunity to play at the Fox Theater in Pomona for the Pomona Valley Music Festival on Feb. 9, which the members felt was a big success.
According to the band, one of its biggest successes was when they were invited to perform and get involved with the Inland Empire backyard scene and from that moment the band took off.
Valle talks about the optimistic outlook on this coming year for Sweet Pill and their goals. Going on tour and playing at The Echo music venue are two goals that they want to accomplish.
Sweet Pill practices at least four to six hours of music rehearsal per week, not including the time they spend making merchandise and working on other band-related projects.
There are three main locations where they rehearse: Chicano Rock Studios, Megarise Studios and Valle’s garage, otherwise known as “The M Valley of Death.”
When the band comes together for rehearsal, particularly at The M Valley of Death, all three musicians put their heart and soul into their practice.
Limon starts off the session by lighting an incense of choice to set the vibe. Amps are turned up and the three of them decide which songs they want to rehearse.
The connection between these bandmates is noticeable as they laugh at jokes or discuss their passion for music between songs.
The next show coming up for Sweet Pill is the Blacknoise Boogie show in Huntington Park on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m., which will have a $5 cover fee but will be an all-ages event.
Sweet Pill will be playing alongside Tidal, The Wave, The War Toys and Stormcoast.
The band is excited and preparing to release its new single “Jenny” within the next two months.
The band’s music is available online on a variety of different platforms such as Spotify, SoundCloud, Bandcamp and YouTube.
Feb. 20, 11 p.m.: This article was updated to correct Ramon Limon’s last name.
