We recently interviewed Children of Eden after watching them perform for the first time in Vegas at the dimly lit, somewhat smelly, Double Down Saloon. We learned that after ten years, dozens of songs, countless collaborators, and more drummers than most bands would survive, this La Mirada, CA group is not just a band anymore; they’ve evolved into a collective. Keep reading to learn more about these guys and their music.
Founded in April 2016 by brothers Chris and Mike Avila, Children of Eden has grown from a punk-influenced project into an outlet built on energy, emotion, friendship, that only comes from perseverance and grit. By now, most bands would have already quit, but not these dudes. They have history, learnings, and great advice.
During our chat, Chris, Mike, and Alyx spilled the tea about their favorite songs, musical influences, brotherhood, longevity, lineup changes, and what they hope fans feel when they leave a Children of Eden show.
Watch the full interview below:
Ten Years of Children of Eden
Chris and Mike told us they’ve been playing music for more than 20 years, shaping their sound through years of writing, recording, experimenting, and learning how to work together as both brothers and creative partners.
Chris handles bass, vocals, and co-founder duties, while Mike serves as frontman, vocalist, and co-founder. Alyx, who also plays with Apollo 3, helps bring the band’s live sound to life on drums and other instruments whenever needed. We were blown away by the talent these dudes bring to the stage, swapping instruments interchangeably without any issues. One minute, Mike is on drums, then guitar, and Alyx shared drumming and guitar duties as well.
Over the years, Children of Eden has released roughly 55 songs across EPs, singles, albums, and different musical eras, Chris recalled.
A Band Built on Experimentation
Children of Eden has never wanted to be locked into one sound.
Their music pulls from punk, ska, reggae, hip-hop, funk, grunge, metal, pop, and more. Chris and Mike grew up with wide-ranging influences, from The Clash and The Ramones to The Beach Boys, Eagles, Michael Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Parliament Funkadelic, Sonic Youth, Dave Grohl, and Marky Ramone.
The Clash especially shaped their willingness to take risks.
Rather than writing one kind of song over and over, Children of Eden uses each song as a chance to explore something different. Sometimes that means a ska rhythm. Sometimes it means a hip-hop groove. Sometimes it means a gritty punk song with pop sensibility underneath.
As Mike explained, the goal has always been simple: write songs that stick. He told us he writes songs and learns new techniques as he’s constantly growing his musical style.
Even when the music gets loud, abrasive, or aggressive, melody still matters.
Favorite Songs
One of Chris’s favorite songs to perform is “Going Nowhere,” a track that came from a period when it was just him and Mike writing without a full band.
The song started with a YouTube drum beat and a catchy ass bassline. Once the groove locked in, the two literally started running in place and skanking because the song made them move.
That was the sign, Mike explained.
If the song made them move, it had something.
For Alyx, songs like “Monster” and “Children of Eden” stand out because they give him room to bring in hip-hop, funk, grunge, and Rage Against the Machine-style energy behind the drums.
For Mike, the current favorite is an unreleased song called “Well Fed,” which will appear on the upcoming Banana Split compilation through Blank Reel Studios out of Riverside, CA.
That song hits him differently because it reflects where he is in life now: navigating disconnection, parenthood, technology, aging, self-doubt, and the search for connection through music.
One lyric in particular still gets to him every time:
“I hope this song gives you everything that you ever needed.”
For Mike, that line is both personal and universal. It is a message to himself, to the audience, and to anyone who has ever felt unseen, unheard, or disconnected.
Success Is Longevity
After ten years as Children of Eden and more than two decades playing music, the band has learned that success is not always about money, fame, or audience size.
Sometimes success is simply still being active.
Chris described longevity as something that starts to feel meaningful after watching people come and go. Bands break up. Members leave. Life happens. People move on. Children of Eden stayed and that right there, means something.
Being in a band, they explained, is like being in a marriage. It requires chemistry, patience, communication, compromise, and the ability to survive creative differences.
For Children of Eden, the lesson has been clear: you cannot do it alone.
More Than a Band
Over time, as Chris explained, Children of Eden has become a collective of musicians.
The band has played with many different members, collaborators, fill-ins, and friends who helped keep the project moving forward and chugging. Some musicians contributed to recordings, some filled in live, and some became part of the larger Children of Eden family. Collaboration has kept Children of Eden kicking for this long.
Alyx has been a major part of that, contributing drums, guitar, solos, and creative ideas across Children of Eden and related projects. His ability to hear what a song needs has made him a trusted collaborator for Chris and Mike.
The band also gave love to Juan, who was unable to make the interview but has become an important part of the current lineup. Juan originally played bass, but his style translated naturally to guitar. Since joining, he has brought a more detailed, meticulous, and metal-influenced approach to the band’s newer material.
According to the Mike, Juan challenges them creatively, pushes ideas forward, and has helped take their songwriting into a new chapter.
Brothers, High Expectations, and Learning to Have Fun Again
Being brothers gives Chris and Mike a creative connection that can be powerful, but also intense AF.
They admit they often think alike, write alike, and approach the band with high expectations. That mindset helped them push hard, but it also created challenges with other musicians over the years.
At one point, they realized they may have been sucking the fun out of the process by expecting everyone to perform with the same level of intensity and precision.
That lesson became especially clear when their younger brother briefly joined the band. They held him to the same high standard, then realized he had never been given the same years of experience they had growing up and playing music.
That became a major eye-opener and Mike’s 2026 lesson.
If you are making art and you are not having fun, there is no point, said Mike.
The Banana Split Compilation
Children of Eden is also part of Banana Split, a compilation featuring Children of Eden, Quid Punk Quo, and Bate.
The project was inspired by old-school punk compilations and the idea of bands working together instead of only promoting themselves individually. For Children of Eden, compilations are a way to build community.
Rather than each band shouting into the void alone, Banana Split gives multiple artists a shared platform and a reason to support one another. This took us back to the days of Punkorama and Fat Wreck compilations, where you got to discover bands.
That same mindset is behind Eden Entertainment, the band’s approach to booking shows and creating opportunities for bands they respect.
What Children of Eden Wants You to Feel
When asked what first impression they want people to walk away with after seeing them live, the answer started as “relief,” then quickly corrected itself into something better: Release.
Children of Eden wants their shows to feel like a place where people can let go.
Anger, joy, sadness, frustration, excitement, exhaustion, whatever it is, the band wants the audience to feel it without shame.
No fake coolness. No standing still just to look tough. No pretending. Just pure raw emotion.
That energy is exactly what caught our attention when we first saw Children of Eden perform at Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas.
The vocals, the movement, the barefoot chaos, the shared members, the unexpected lineup shifts, and the raw force of the songs all created one reaction:
Who the fuck are these guys?
That is the kind of live impact Children of Eden hopes to leave behind every time they play.
Shoutouts and Community
Children of Eden gave shoutouts to Quid Punk Quo, Bate, Blank Reel Studios, Apollo 3, Panic Movement, their wives and kids, their fans, former members, the Southern California scene, and everyone who has supported them along the way.
For a band that has lasted this long, those connections matter. Children of Eden is living proof that a band can survive lineup changes, creative struggles, evolving influences, and the chaos of life if the love for music stays intact.
Ten years in, they are still here writing, playing, and making sure the audience feels their music too.
Follow Children of Eden:
About C² (Christy + Chris)
Concert lovers turned creators. Highlighting creators, bands, stories, sounds, and places you need to know.
Disarray Magazine is an independent media platform established in 2009, spotlighting punk, hardcore, alternative culture, live music, food, nightlife, and the chaos in between. Created by journalist Christy Buena, C² exists to document the bands, people, and moments shaping the scene.
Leave a Reply