Sometimes your Girl Crush really just lives up to your expectations. Sade Sanchez is kind of the version of ourselves that we wish we were in some parallel universe. Front-woman to an all girl psych band, shredder of guitar, ripper of motorcycles and genuine Nice Girl /good human being. Is it possible? Yes, it is! We've been following Sade and LA Witch for years but recently caught up with her to get to know her better. Read on to hear about music, motorcycles and ice cream.
Photos by Adri Law
Atwyld: Tell us about yourself. This question is always fun because we love to see how people choose to describe themselves haha.
SADE: My name is Sade. Im a first generation Mexican. Im a Pisces, Gemini rising with a Pisces moon. :) I play guitar and sing in a band called L.A. WITCH.
Atwyld: What kind of ice cream do you like?
SADE: My favorite is Rocky Road. Ice cream is my kinda my weakness. Right now I’m hooked on this spot called Magpies. They got some nice vegan flavors.
SADE: My favorite is Rocky Road. Ice cream is my kinda my weakness. Right now I’m hooked on this spot called Magpies. They got some nice vegan flavors.
Atwyld:Where are you from originally?
SADE: My parents moved from Mexico when they were in their early 20’s. I was born in Los Angeles. I grew up all around the valley. Mostly North Hollywood and Van Nuys.
Atwyld:Where do you live now?
SADE: I currently live in City Terrace which is in East L.A.
Atwyld: Have any favorite lunch spots in LA we need to know about? We love food.
SADE: I love sushi. My favorite sushi spot in in little Tokyo called Hama. I love good vegan food so I eat at Cafe Gratitude a lot. I hate that I love all that hippie shit. Its so expensive. haha. I also really like Bread Lounge. The owner, Ron is super rad. They make their own bread there and have tasty salads, sandwiches and pastries. For tacos I go to Mariscos Jalisco on Olympic. I could keep goin on food. Lol.
Atwyld: How long have you been playing guitar and singing?
SADE: I can’t remember when I started singing. I feel like I’ve been doing that all my life. But I started playing the guitar when I was about 13?
Atwyld: Did you have any musical role models?
SADE: A bunch! I admire guitarists like Jimmy Hendrix, Dick Dale, Link Wray, Johnny Thunders, Johnny Mar, Poison Ivy, Rikk Agnew and Greg Sage. But as overall musicians, I always loved PJ Harvey, Iggy Pop, Ari Up from the Slits, Mazzy Star and Siouxsie Sioux among some others.
Atwyld: Tell us about LA Witch. When did you start the band? How did you meet your bandmates?
SADE: We started in 2013. When we started it was a 4-piece band. Irita (bass player) and I carried the band after goin through a few members and then Ellie became our later and current drummer. I knew Ellie from high school. We were in a 2-piece band in high school.
Atwyld: What are some of your most memorable shows?
SADE: Playin Levitation Fest in 2015 was a big highlight for me. It was our first big festival and a fest that all of us had been wanting to play for a long time. It was the year that 13th Floor Elevators played. The Jesus and Mary Chain also played one of my favorite albums, ‘Psycho Candy’. That was a special show. We were just babies! We were so nervous. I'll never forget playing in Cape Town, South Africa. It was our first time there and the audience blew our minds. We also played the first and third year of Babes Ride Out. Those were very special to me since it was the first time we played to an all female audience. It was empowering to see all these badass women come together to create such a cool event. I think after that show is when I started riding too!
Atwyld:Was it intentional to be an all-female band or did it just happen that way?
SADE: Well, there’s some kinda irony in that story. I was pretty young and newly sober. I had this overprotective, mentally and psychically abusive boyfriend who wouldn’t let me jam with guys. It was a pretty tough time in my life. He wouldn’t let me start a band unless it was with women. It was tough to find women who played around that time. Nothing like today. Theres definitely more women in the music scene then there was before. The few women in the scene were usually already taken in other bands. So when I heard through a mutual friend that this group of girls was looking for a guitarist and singer, I was super excited. I didn't even care that they couldn’t actually play. All 3 of them had just picked up their instruments for the first time and I had already been playing for years! I was just so desperate to make music. It was a shitty reason to start a girl band, but I can’t tell you how glad I am that it worked out that way. I’ve long moved on from that relationship and grown a lot since then. My current band is my family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Atwyld: What inspired you to start riding motorcycles? Did you start riding recently?
SADE: I started riding in 2015 after getting my license and first bike which was a 1973 Honda CB350. But I started working on them for the first time recently after rebuilding my current bike. I didn't have anyone in my family or around me growing up that rode a motorcycle to look up to. But I did watch a lot of movies! I remember watching Terminator 2 . John Conor’s character was so cool with that nothin to lose, fuck you attitude on his little bike. And then seeing Arnold in all that leather on that fat boy! My mind was blown. I was always a tom boy I guess. My parents catered to my tomboyness, buying me action figure toys and giving me short hair cuts. haha. I always saw myself riding a motorcycle when I got older. Nothing made that dream feel more obtainable than seeing other women ride though. As I mentioned earlier, it was after playing Babes Ride Out that I decided I was gonna make my dream a reality. Something about seeing women ride, really pushed and inspired me. The idea of riding a motorcycle didn't seem so unrealistic or intimidating and it looked even cooler than any of the men I ever saw riding!
Atwyld: Tell us about what you currently ride.
SADE: I currently ride a 1988 Harley Sportster XLH 883.
Atwyld: We see that you are deep into some mods on your bike, is it done now? Is it ever done??? LOL. breakdown the build for us.
SADE: Ha! I know, it feel like I’ve been working on it forever. It's pretty much done though. I have some small things that I wanna do but its in riding condition. Aw man, to really break it down; basically I took it all completely apart, rebuilt the engine, the transmission and the front end. Took the heads and cylinders to Phil at cycle works to have them rebuilt and machined. Customized a bunch of shit like some of the mounts. Re-did all the electrical. Stripped a bunch of paint and polished along the way. Put it all into a new chopped frame. New fender, tail light, oil bag, fuel tank… yea that’s kinda of all the big stuff I guess. Was a challenging and cool process. Now working on a 1953 A10 BSA.
Atwyld: Where do you like to take a ride?
SADE: I love riding around Los Angeles, taking weird streets discovering new spots, views and looking at people. I love riding over bridges and through the industrial parts of L.A like Vernon. But I also love riding up the Angeles Crest. I have a membership to the Huntington Gardens and I was riding there a lot. There's some old mansions and big old trees on the way. Pasadena is super beautiful there’s some really cool hilly zone's and cool old architecture to look at.
Atwyld: If you were a car what kind of car would you be and why? (probably the most important question we will ask you haha)
SADE: I like this question!! Its hard though, cause I feel like I could be a few different ones depending on my mood. Lol. Ok, Im gonna go with either an early to mid 60s Lincoln Continental with the suicide door, a Porsche 356, 60’s Chevy Impala, or early to mid 60’s Chevelle. Shit. I could keep going.
Atwyld: Any advice to wannabe rockers or riders out there?
SADE: The most bad ass thing you can do is be you, live on your terms and stand up for what you believe in. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what things you have, what you wear or what you ride. Things come and go. Having a real, genuine heart and soul is what will truly drive you.
