La Luz (band)

Shana Cleveland formed the idea for La Luz after being inspired by surf and rock and roll acts like Link Wray, The Ventures, and Dick Dale, as well as girl groups like The Shirelles.^[6][7] Cleveland put together a band of fellow Seattle musicians (drummer Marian Li Pino, bassist Abbey Blackwell and keyboardist Katie Jacobson) and they immediately started rehearsing, recording and performing. The band name comes from the Spanish for "the light".^[8] Cleveland has cited Japanese guitar player Takeshi Terauchi as her biggest guitar influence.^[9] After releasing an EP titled Damp Face in 2012, La Luz signed with Hardly Art. Shortly after the release of Damp Face Jacobson left the band and was replaced by keyboardist Alice Sandahl. They released their first full-length album, It's Alive, on Hardly Art in October 2013.

On tour supporting of Montreal, La Luz was involved in a serious automobile accident on November 5, 2013, while traveling from Boise, Idaho, to Seattle, when their tour van slipped on black ice. After crashing into a highway divider, the van was hit by a semi-trailer truck.^[10] Band members sustained injuries, and all of the instruments and merchandise were destroyed with the tour van, forcing them to cancel the remainder of the tour.^[11]

In February 2014, bassist Abbey Blackwell left the group,^[12] and was replaced by Lena Simon.^[13] In August 2015, La Luz released their second album, Weirdo Shrine, again through Hardly Art. Produced by Ty Segall, the album was more live-sounding than previous efforts, and featured heavy fuzz guitar.^[14][15][16] Weirdo Shrine received positive reviews in The Guardian, Pitchfork,^[17][18] and The New York Times, and the group embarked on an international tour to support its release. They moved from Seattle to Los Angeles later that year.^[19][20]

In February 2024, Alice Sandahl announced her departure from the band ^[21] and that she was being replaced by musician and producer Maryam Qudus, who has previously performed under the name Spacemoth.^[22] Near this time, Lena Simon was replaced by Lee Johnson on bass guitar. These lineup changes (especially with Maryam Qudus) allowed the band to develop its music style, using electronic effects and arpeggiators in some songs. The next album, News of the Universe, was released in May later that year by Sub Pop. Upon returning from touring the album, the band reworked and recorded five songs from News of the Universe and released them on a limited edition EP titled Extra! Extra! for Record Store Day Black Friday 2025. The EP was made available for streaming in January 2026.^[23]

Current

• Shana Cleveland – guitar, lead vocals (2012–present)
• Audrey Johnson – drums, backing vocals (2021–present)
• Maryam Qudus – keyboard, backing vocals (2024–present)
• Lee Johnson – bass, backing vocals (2024–present)

Former

• Alice Sandahl – keyboard, backing vocals (2012–2024)
• Lena Simon – bass, backing vocals (2014–2024)
• Marian Li Pino – drums, backing vocals (2012–2019)
• Abbey Blackwell – bass, backing vocals (2012–2014)
• Katie Jacobson – keyboard, backing vocals (2012)