Blue Broderick, perhaps better known as DINERS, grew up listening to Beach Boys on the radio in the Phoenix suburbs. Her home was filled with other bands that her parents would listen to like Smashing Pumpkins or John Lennon. This instilled a lifelong love of classic rock, she still has the same taste in music and finds inspiration in the classics. “The thing that got me into music was Billy Idol. I was a big fan of classic rock, and still am. It wasn’t until I started knowing other people who played music that I listened to anything else.”

Blue got their first guitar when she was eleven, luckily she had a guitar teacher who taught her. “I loved learning covers, but the magic was being able to perform my own songs. I think I started writing songs within a week of playing guitar.” A huge influence on Blue growing up is their cousin who’s about 6 years older than her. Her cousin was an adult and songwriter she could look up to. When Blue got a guitar their cousin had already put out an EP of his own. He was super cool because he played guitar and played in rock bands around town. 

Blue says, “I thought the coolest thing you could do is write your own song. And he was, he’s still is a great example of that.” Her other cousins who were the same age as Blue acted as her first bandmates wrote songs and played them around the house. But the family band never made it out of the garage or anything. Blue pointed out that growing up in the suburbs is really conducive to listening to mainstream music, basically whatever tunes in on the radio. Going to her older cousin’s shows blew her mind because she realized you could be cool and creative in Arizona.

While she was in high school, she got to know other people who played in bands around town and they introduced her to a lot of indie music. Whether it was listening to their original songs or indie covers. There were a handful of open mics and shows in town that made up the music scene.

Like a lot of songwriters, Blue’s first show was an open mic at a coffee shop. It was exciting to share her songs with other people, and not just practice in her room. “I remember it being kind of a success, it probably sounded really bad, but in my mind, I got through it and I think I was so glad. Looking back I’m so glad that I started doing open mic nights because I think it just built up a lot of courage.” It wasn’t too long before Blue recruited a bass player and other kids she’d met in the scene. Of course, she’s been in countless bands since then, she can’t remember all of them.

“I was just very unhappy with my high school band while we were on a tour. So, I got back from the tour and decided to start kind of a “solo project” I guess. But with the hopes that there’d be, sort of, recurring characters; friends that would be down to back me up. I really love this idea of having a fluid lineup where I could play a solo set, but if I had friends that were down to play, maybe I could do a full band set as well.“

Blue has been making records under DINERS ever since. She just released their seventh album Domino. Though some reviewers have labeled this album as “power pop” or “low-fi indie”, Blue describes this album as being the most classic rock-inspired album she’s ever made. Sticking close to her origins, the Beach Boys influence can be heard on the reflective album. “It’s very similar to the music I wanted to play when I was younger. I think I tried to abandon anything that sounded like indie rock on this record. Even though it probably just sounds like indie rock or something. I just want it to rock.” It’s not necessarily the pinnacle of the DINERS, but it certainly captures the moment the Blue’s vision at the moment. Lately, Blue’s been feeling inspired by sweet, jangly, beautiful, lush power pop, but DINERS will continue to be a sort of fluid project.

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