Mary Frances Dale

SXSW 2014: Misun x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

LA-based Misun met with us at South by Southwest to talk about their music (self-described as “spaghetti soul-dance”), their South by Southwest experience, leprosy from armadillos and Jon’s caffeine addiction.  Check out our interview below, and then be sure to catch these guys on tour — they are truly, uniquely, awesome.

Vinyl Mag: So how have you guys been liking Austin besides the traffic issues? You’ve been here before, haven’t you?

Misun Wojcik [vocals/lyrics/keys]: I have not.

Jon Jester [drums]: Two of us have.

VM: Well welcome to the little blue dot in a big red state!

MW: It’s cool. We like it so far.

VM: It’s a unique place! I just moved here, so I’m getting my bearings on it all as well. Well, to start out, could you maybe tell me a little about yourselves and what roles you play within the group and what you bring to Misun?

William Devon [bass/keys]: I play bass, and that’s my role. I dance onstage [laughing], and style icon.

MW: “Diva” is a word we like to use.

Andrew Wallace [aka Nacey, guitar/production]: I play guitar, and I produce our tracks.

MW: I do vocals, lyrics, keys…

VM: And really cool hairstyles – I wish I could create that. Except the wind outside will destroy it in one second.

MW: Yeah! You should have seen it before! If you think this is nice…

JJ: I play the drums. And that’s what I do. I make sure we get from A to B. I’m addicted to caffeine, but not coffee.

MW: But not coffee.

VM: But you like the Crystal Light type of caffeine?

JJ: Yeah, the weird caffeine. I’m into these caffeine packs now that are essentially what you would have in a sugar-free Monster, but it comes in this little packet, and it’s really cheap.

MW: He makes it really yummy-looking, and it is, but it’s fat.

JJ: It’s poison, really. It is.

WD: Everyday, he picks us up with the same big cupful of his [laughing].

MW: Is this too much, Jon? [Laughing]

Will: All of our interviews are going to be like this [laughing]. Jon is the caffeine crack head.

MW: Jon has a problem.

VM: But he likes his caffeine artificially created, like chemically…

JJ: Exactly. The stronger, the better.

VM: Okay, so your music is super upbeat, but chill. I almost feel like it has a reggae vibe to it. When you’re creating music, creating a track, what is your focus? When you’re approaching it, what is your goal for how the music will turn out? Do you go in with an end goal in mind? Or do you just have it organically develop?

WD: I think it’s pretty organic every time. We don’t even really know what our sound is yet in some ways. We just know that…sometimes, it’s just based off of what we’ve been listening to, influenced by something a little bit, and we’ll just kind of roll with it in that direction.

VM: I read something about how you guys were influenced by Quentin Tarantino? So, how has Tarantino – also, what other art forms like music, film, writing – come into your work and influenced what you create?

MW: Some of the dance-heavy stuff is….what would you say the influence is?

AW: We’ve been DJs for a long time, so we’ve been into dance music for a long time. But it’s not… I feel like every single one of us pretty much like everything, so if we’re listening to rock music, we might start writing rock music.

JJ: Yeah, it’s cool not having…. like if you’re in a rock band, or if you’re in a hip hop band, you kind of stay within those lines. And I don’t think we have those lines. Those lines for us are…

MW: Ever-expanding. We would be bored if we couldn’t do different music all the time.

VM: If you could summarize your genre, what would you say? Sum up what you are in a couple of words.

MW: Well pop’s in there, for sure. Rock, for sure. Rock, pop, soul-dance.

VM: I like that! Soul-dance.

MW: Spaghetti soul-dance [laughing].

JJ: And that’s where the Tarantino can probably be heard. A lot of his guitar lines. Kind of twangy, western-y guitar vibe. Like Pulp Fiction and all of those. And what was the other? Did Kill Bill have a lot of that with the trill-y?

VM: So you secretly want to be in a Western? A Tarantino Western?

MW: Yeah, he is a cowboy, for sure.

VM: That’s awesome. Do you like any of the psychedelic Westerns? Like Dead Man with Johnny Depp? Austin’s a great place if you’re into Westerns, then!

MW: Exactly, what we want to get out of this city – but we won’t have the chance – we want to see Texas Texas. Like, ‘tumbleweed Texas.’ And I bet you there’s a lot of them, based on the wind outside.

VM: I’m pretty sure I saw a tumbleweed when I was driving over here, which kind of freaked me out.

JJ: Have you seen an armadillo yet?

VM: No, I haven’t.

JJ: It just looks like a little armored rat. On the side of the road.

MW: Are they dangerous?

VM: I think they carry leprosy…

All: What?!?

VM: Like if you touch it, you can catch leprosy!

MW: You’re joking.

JJ: Is there a cure for leprosy now?

VM: Yeah, antibiotics or something. I just would prefer not to catch leprosy!!

JJ: Yeah, and that’s how Misun ended up in in a leper colony.

MW: Someone needs to write a song about that [laughing]. Could you imagine if someone got leprosy out here? Like, ‘how was South By?’ ‘It was fun; we all caught leprosy.’

VM: What are your plans for after South By and moving forward throughout the year? Any projects you’re super pumped about working on?

MW: We’ve got a few shows lined up on the West Coast, and –

JJ: It’s really our first tour, too. We’re going to the Pacific Northwest. Middle of May, we’re going to… what is it – Everett, Washington? Something called Fisherman’s Village Music Festival there.

MW: We’re also playing in Oregon.

JJ: Yeah, a couple in Portland, a couple North West states. It’s all between the 12th and 17th of May, sometime in there. And then we’re playing the Echoplex March 22 – that’s an official after-South-by show. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the Echoplex, but it’s a great venue, I’m super pumped on that.

AW: We’re playing Hard Rock City again, going down to San Diego for that show.

MW: I think the hope is that we make more music this year and keep touring. Build awareness, and have fun. We love writing so much; we want to be able to do that as much as possible…we’re based out of LA, and we all moved from DC.

AW: We made that move about four months ago.

VM: How are you liking LA?

MW: Loooooooove.

JJ: On a day like today, it’s like, ‘wow, I miss LA, nice sunny weather.’

MW: Yeah, I miss LA. But seriously, the vegetables – the prices on fresh produce is just unbelievable. DC will rob you, you know, for a cucumber.

JJ: Although if you buy a 30-pack of beer, you’re paying $1.50 for the CRV tax in California, because they charge you about five cents a can.

MW: But, see, the wine is less, so I win.

VM: How did you guys get together to collaborate and become a group?

WD: We’ve kind of always done music, and we kind of all just started working together, and it just kind of naturally happened. I don’t think we originally had intentions of creating a band, and music just started coming and we thought, ‘let’s go for it.’ And then we met Jon.

MW: Yeah, it was definitely weird. There was a point where we were like, ‘are we a band?’ because before that, we were just kind of playing around.

JJ: Misun opened for a band that I was playing with at the time. It was in DC; I’d been in LA off and on for a while, living there, and when I saw them play, it was just the three of them without a drummer, and it was legit. I mean, I was really floored. I mean, I had heard of the band, but I had never seen them or really listened to them, and you know, saw her, and I grabbed Andrew after the show, and was just like, ‘look man, even if it’s not me, I think you guys really need a drummer, and I’ll throw my hat in the ring.’

VM: So you just went out there and were like, ‘I want to join’?

JJ: I mean, I’ve been doing this for awhile, and maybe a month or so later, Misun reached out to me and was like, ‘how’s this all feeling? In terms of friends, and do you want to do this?’ and I had already decided to move to LA, and we started playing together in March of last year, so it’s been about a year…

MW: And he’s incredible. We had like little tryouts for other drummers, and boy was it tough, but this was just like [clap] bam!

AW: And the band he was playing with was like electronic, so he has this whole system, and he triggers samples with his drum set, and for us, we do so much electronic stuff, he just educated us on how that works.

JJ: And I fought it. I was forced into that world, because I used to have long hair, and I wanted to just rock. I just wanted to hit things as hard as I could and then all of a sudden, then this other band was like giving me these electronics, and I was like, ‘this isn’t what I want to do.’

VM: It becomes scientific, almost.

JJ: It used to be you just show up, and you’ve got your sticks and your wood, and then all of a sudden I’ve got all these wires and things, and I fought it. Now I look back, and I’m like, ‘thank God those guys made me do that switch.’ Because when I met Misun, I was like, ‘I already know how to do this, here it is,’ and it just worked.

MW: Yeah, we didn’t even know something like that existed at all.

JJ: Sometimes, you know, you fight against what you think is not what you want to do, and then all of a sudden it turns out to be the perfect situation. I’ve been reflecting on that a lot over the past year. On how that all just…

VM: How that perfectly worked out!

JJ: Yeah. Like, maybe we’re onto something in this band.

MW: It’s like eating your vegetables. You don’t want to do it, but it’s good for you. But I do like my vegetables.

JJ: We’re very healthy!

VM: Yeah! You have your green juice – I was going to get y’all a drink, but Odwalla is probably a better strategy…

JJ: We’ll come back and meet you after our show and take you up on that.

SXSW 2014: Bonzie x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

Nina Ferraro (Bonzie) isn’t your typical young college girl. While most girls her age would choose to spend their Spring Break on a beach somewhere taking Jell-O shots (I know I did), Bonzie chose to spend hers at South by Southwest, playing shows and pursuing her music career.  Par for the course for someone who started booking her own shows at age 12.  We sat down with Nina to talk about how awesome she is, as well as her experience at SXSW and her plans after the festival. Check out our conversation below, and be sure to give her music a listen – it’s more than worth it.

Vinyl Mag: How are you liking Austin so far?

Bonzie: I love it! I love it! First of all, I like the warmth. It’s a nice break from Chicago. I like the weather in Chicago.

VM: Chicago is freezing!

B: It is freezing. They got ten inches of snow a couple of days ago. Aside from that, I like the southern hospitality. Granted, most of the people I’m interacting with are not from Austin. It’s nice that you’re from Austin; I’m finally getting to talk with the locals. I like it a lot.

VM: When are your upcoming shows for South By?

B: I’ve got the Nylon show tomorrow. I love Nylon magazine; it’s one of my favorite magazines. I have a Hyde Park showcase.

VM: Hyde Park is awesome. It’s just a solid, classic restaurant to go to. Good food, good people – you’ll have a good time. Tell me a little bit about how you got into music.

B: It’s interesting; I don’t have a musical family. I didn’t have anyone in my life who was really musical to look up to. I’m not really sure, honestly. I started playing piano when I was very young, and I took piano lessons, and I didn’t really connect with it. I didn’t really like piano lessons like any other kids. I picked up the guitar when I was nine and started writing music, and it just felt pretty natural. It wasn’t something I really thought about or had conscious decision to do. It just started happening, and I went with it. I didn’t tell anyone about it for a while. I would write songs and play them for people and tell them that they were covers. I started booking my own shows.

VM: How old were you when you started booking your own shows?

B: I was 12 when I started. Granted, the first shows that I booked were very, very small, like coffee shops.

VM: And now you’re playing things like Nylon.

B: Yeah! It’s been great! It’s been amazing how it’s progressed, how I’ve progressed. It’s felt very natural.

VM: So you just released your full-length, debut album. Can you tell me about that process?

B: It’s an interesting thing, because I do write my songs by myself. So, I write them in my room with my guitar, just thinking and writing. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it’s slow, but it’s always alone. So, when it comes to making a record, or even arranging a band, I have these very specific ideas in my mind about what I want to happen: this is part should be this, the drum should do this, this is a keyboard solo here. The record was a matter of – for me – playing with different musicians, seeing how they interpret my ideas, listening to it, recording it, and if it’s not right, doing it again. You know, doing it as many time until it’s as close as I think the material world can get to what I envisioned. That’s the way I did my album. It was nice, because I didn’t really have a time frame, so I really spent time on it and made it what I wanted it to be.

VM: And two of the guys from Milk Carton Kids played with you?

B: Yeah, Joey Ryan and Kenneth from the Milk Carton Kids. Joey sang on “Felix” and Kenneth played the guitar. They were super cool; they were really nice guys. Joey has the most beautiful voice. When I made that song, I wanted a male harmony part that was sort of like the voice of Joey Ryan from the Milk Carton Kids, and he ended up doing it, which was amazing. And Kenneth is really cool; he does this amazing, almost Spanish, guitar part over “Felix.” It’s beautiful. They’re great musicians.

VM: What about school? Have you graduated high school yet?

B: Yeah, I graduated high school. I’m in college. I’ve just made it work. You have to really be self-motivated. I know that’s so easily said and not easily done, because we have the Internet, and we do write essays on the computer – it’s just the worst combination.

VM: There’s this awesome app you can download, and it’ll block everything you want it to block for you.

B: Oh no, but why would you do that?

VM: So, it’ll keep you from getting on Facebook for two hours.

B: I’m not promoting myself here, because I just said you have to be self-motivated, and now I’m talking about all the ways I procrastinate.

VM: I’m sure you’re studying Music?

B: No, actually I don’t study Music. I’m doing more like Sociology.

VM: Does that inspire your music at all?

B: Sort of, yeah. I feel like I get a lot of my inspiration just by existing and meeting people, but I think anything you can add to your mind is good, for the most part.

VM: How did you pick your name?

B: Bonzie was a word that I made up but I started associating with creative outputs that I did. I had been releasing music under my own name and performing under Nina Ferraro. There’s something that just felt too personal about me as a person, which my music is not. When I’m in my music, I just think about the music, and I sort of lose my body. I just felt really natural and comfortable to go under Bonzie.

VM: It has a life of its own it sounds like. So you said for your songwriting, it’s more of a solo process. That’s unique for a lot of the people I’ve been talking to this week. Do you talk to people while you’re writing? Do you ask for advice from anyone?

B: I do write the songs on my own. When it comes to performing and playing with other musicians, it’s such an amazing type of connection, because it’s taking a singular idea and meshing it with other ideas, and that’s the sound that comes out. The song remains the same, but it’s a matter of how it evolves and the sound that comes out. That’s been fun with my band, especially playing the South By shows. Since we’re playing so many venues, you start to get to the core of what it means to be done and what the feeling is of the songs. It’s been really cool at South By, because we’re playing so many shows so close together that we feel very connected.

VM: Who are you performing with right now?

B: Right now, my band is Lucas Gillan on drums, Packy Monhelm on keys and guitar and Anton Catwich on bass. They’re all from Chicago. I play with lots of different musicians.

VM: Are y’all having a blast down here?

B: It’s so much fun!

VM: Have you hit up any of the parties? Have you let yourself breathe and relax yet?

B: Yeah, a little bit. I haven’t had much time. I had two shows yesterday, and I had a show the day I came in on Tuesday, so I’ve been sort of in that zone. Today was my day off. I’m thinking I might find Ellis Leone’s band, San Fermin. I’m hoping to go see that. I went to the ATO Records party, too yesterday, which was fun. Honestly, I have the most fun when I’m performing and on stage, and when I talk to people afterwards, but I love going to see shows too.

VM: Can you tell me about your craziest experience at South By?

B: I feel like every moment has been crazy. I got lost once; that was interesting. That was a little crazy and wild. Let’s see…we were unloading the car, and one of the guitarists pulled forward and put the car into drive, and it started rolling down a hill. That was kind of crazy!

VM: How did you stop it?

B: By running to the front seat and grabbing the wheel! That has nothing to do with Austin though. I did see the line for a Lady Gaga show that was absolutely insane and that horrible, horrible tragedy with the drunk driver. A lot is happening here. It’s a lot of people, it’s a lot of enthusiasm, so it’s pretty intense, but it’s fun.

VM: What projects are you working on that you’re really excited about for the future?

B: Right now, I’m working on this music video for my song, “Data Blockers.” I recorded it in Brooklyn with this group called APK Productions. It was fun to record; we’re just working on finishing it and getting the editing right. I’m looking through footage, and I’m being as collaborative as possible.

VM: I can’t wait for the release of it. Do you know when that’s going to be?

B: I don’t know. Hopefully by the end of this month. It’s going to be soon for sure.

VM: You’ve got a lot going on.

B: I’m doing some recording, too. I’ve been recording slowly for my next record.

VM: Do you record in Chicago?

B: Yeah, so far for this record it’s been mostly in Chicago. I put out a single that I did with Steve Albini in Chicago recently, but right now I’m recording more and working on the video.

VM: Do you think Chicago itself has affected the way you approach music in any way, because it’s a unique place?

B: It is a unique place! The more I travel, the more I realize that. I grew up in Wisconsin, and then I moved to Chicago when I was in my early teens, so it’s still in the Midwest.

VM: Midwestern girl deep down.

B: Yeah. I mean, when I come to a place like Austin, there’s just a different vibe. It’s really cool!  The people are really nice and really interesting, just very kind and open, not that we’re not that way in Chicago.

VM: It’s so cold in Chicago; you’re like fending off the wind.

B: Yeah, there’s totally something to that! I always talk about the weather.

VM: It does affect you; I mean, you have to live in the weather.

B: For sure. Anthropologists, when they go to somewhere like Antarctica, they study those people. Those people are different…I don’t know.  I just came up with that place, but anywhere, even like Alaska, even in the U.S.  There’s a different culture depending on the environment.

VM: It is true. I’ve noticed what you’re saying. Like in the North, people act a little more insular.

B: Yeah, more focused on their body.

VM: Then you get southern people, who are just crazy.

B: Yeah! It’s fun; it’s awesome; I love it! But Chicago has probably influenced me in some non-descript way. I guess you can never really know how much something influences you, but the more I go places, talk to people, I guess it does.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit more about the shoot? I was Googling you earlier, and I saw the cover of your album, and you’re very stark and isolated. It’s a beautiful photo. Who did that?

B: Oh, are you talking about on my website? That was Jim Newberry in Chicago.

VM: So, you work with a lot of Chicago photographers and recording people?

B: Yeah, he does a lot of musicians. It was fun to do that. That was a while back. Thank you about that picture. I’ve worked a lot with Shee Sinsong; she’s a photographer in New York who I just became friends with, and we did a photo shoot out there. It was really fun. It was she and all of her friends; she had just graduated college, so she’s super young, and she and her friends just got the wardrobe together. I mean, the APK Productions felt like a similar thing, but it was just she and her friends doing the wardrobe and super inspired about how the backdrop needed to be. It was fun!

VM: Awesome! This is fantastic. I’ll have so much to write about.

B: Thank you for having me! I talk too much.

VM: No, this is wonderful!

 

*Bonzie, you’re just a delight.

Tour Dates:

May 09    Joe’s Pub    New York, NY
May 10    World Cafe Live Philadelphia    Philadelphia, PA
May 11    Sixth & I Historic Synagogue    Washington, DC

SXSW 2014: Little Daylight x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

One of my favorite interviews of South by Southwest this year was with Little Daylight. I sat down with members Nikki Taylor, Matt Lewkowicz and Eric Zeiler to discuss their love of remixes, the power of caffeine and their future plans.  Please listen to this band. You will like them as much as we do. Vinyl Mag seal of approval!

Vinyl Mag: How are ya’ll doing? How is Austin? What do you think about everything here?

Nikki Taylor: I mean, I love it, we were here last year, so this is our second year, and it’s such an awesome, fun time of year. We’re playing a lot of shows this year, and doing a lot of stuff, so it’s busier than last year. It’s a little less party and see lots of bands vibe, and more of a play a lot of music vibe, but either way it’s fun.

VM: Cool. What have ya’ll been up to?

Matt Lewkowicz: We just got in yesterday.

VM: And you flew in from New York?

Matt: No, we drove from New York.

Nikki: Three days of driving.

VM: That’s crazy!

Eric Zeiler: We’re starting our tour after this, in Houston, so we had to drive here to get everything. Oh no, Dallas  – we’re starting in Dallas.

VM: Keep it in Texas. Texas is like a country in and of itself. Could you each tell me about your role in the group and how you work together?

Nikki: We’re a democracy in how Ancient Greece is a democracy, but with women.

Matt: Right, we allow women.

Nikki: Right, a band of the people. For the people. By the people.

Matt: And waving it towards women’s rights…but yes, in terms of individual roles, we just kind of mush it all together to one patty and then just fry it up, slice it up and see what happens.

Eric: We do have instruments that we play, though, live, and those are distinct roles. For the stage. For the studio, everything is very egalitarian, and everyone is playing different instruments and writing together…but live, I play bass and keyboards.

Matt: I play guitar and keyboards and percussion.

Nikki: I sing and I play keys. and we have a drummer. He’s not here right now, but yeah – it’s the four of us onstage.

VM: When you’re creating a song or a track, how do you approach it? What is your ultimate goal, and how do you reach that goal?

Nikki: We just finished recording our album a couple weeks ago. It was over the summer and the fall, and we all just kind of brought in a lot of ideas. The first day we were working on the album, we sifted through everything we had all been thinking about. And as soon as we had an idea going, we just all workshopped it. Literally, the three of us, just like sitting here talking about what kind of thing it should be. And the end goal, I would say, is just to make the song its best version of itself. We don’t have this thing of, ‘oh this song needs to be this type of thing.’ We had a song that started out on our album as a four on the floor, electronic kind of thing and ended up being a ballad. So it evolves.

Eric: The electronic stuff – the fact that we do most of our creation in the studio – we have all sorts of tools that are at our disposal. Guitars, acoustic guitars, instruments, drums, and then like electronic stuff. So, depending on the song, those elements might come to the forefront just because the song demands them. Because we’re in the studio, and not just in a rehearsal space, we have those at our disposal. We all love that. We are all into having that kind of music, so we were excited about having those sounds in the songs.

VM: Didn’t you have your EP before you ever performed live?

Matt: No, we didn’t release the EP, but we had recorded some of the songs.

Nikki: We released our first album last year, and then our first show was actually last year at South By. So this is actually our one year anniversary of playing our first show here.

VM: What are you excited about at South By? What shows are you most excited to be playing?

Eric: Of ours? We’re probably most excited about the Filter one; it’s with the four-band lineup, and they’re all great bands. It’s with Washed Out, Temples, and Eagles, so it will be exciting to play with all the other bands…

Nikki: And Mr. Wise is playing, and we like him a lot so that will be a good show, too.

VM: You’re performing today right?

Nikki: Tonight. Midnight.

VM: I want to come to that!

Nikki: Yeah, you should!

VM: I’ll have to make it. So…you definitely incorporate remixes into what you do. You released a whole remix album when you also released Tunnel Vision. Does that change the way you approach anything, with the intention of creating remixes?

Matt: Yeah, remixing has been a part of us since making music has been a part of us. From the beginning, we were doing both at the same time. And the remixes have always been a good place for us to practice our studio skills. A lot of times when we write a song, what we do is we workshop things and work on chopping things up and approaching them differently every day until we see what sticks and what works well. With remixes, that’s what we’re doing from the beginning…there are parallel paths to us. So, that’s why remixing and writing originals has been a very similar act.

Nikki: And then getting remixes back from other people.

VM: Yeah, I mean people are remixing your tracks all the time. How is that? That’s got to be really cool. I feel like it’s really flattering, having people be like, ‘I want to rework your track and make it part of this new creation.’

Nikki: Yeah, definitely. And it’s so cool, as the originator of the song, to hear people’s take on it. There are so many different directions you can go with it, and it’s really great when you hear something you never would have thought is in the song, and someone saw something and created something around it. It’s so cool. I remember we did…who was the remix you got stuck in your head?

Matt: Twice As Nice.

Nikki: Twice As Nice did a remix of “Overdose,” and it was so cool. The chords were so different and awesome and catchy that for a while Matt would get the song in his head, but the remix version in his head.

Matt: Yeah, I would be taking a shower and singing our song and realize I wasn’t singing our song the way we wrote it. I was singing the song the way it had been remixed, and that was just a surreal moment.

VM: That’s so cool, like the cultural collaborative effort of people when you work in remixing.

Eric: Yeah, we’ve been back to remixing after being off of it while we’ve been making our album, about eight months. But we’ve been back at it and a couple of them, we would love to perform live someday. Like remixes of other artists we’ve done that we’re so excited about that we imagine it would even be fun to perform it. It’s basically like writing a new song for us, based around someone else’s vocals.

Nikki: It’s almost like the line becomes very transparent or something. Like remixes and originals, and people remixing you and you doing other stuff and performing it live – yeah, you’re right, – it’s like this community effort, sort of group thing that you’re just taking pieces from stuff.

VM: That kind of plays into your whole vibe, like you were saying earlier. Like you’re very egalitarian – you’re kind of always co-working a democracy. I feel like the remix falls into that vibe – that democratizing impulse you have. What projects are you working on as of now? I guess you’re about to release the new album.

Eric: The project of going on tour for two months!

Matt: Our project is learning how to drive for long amounts of time on single cups of coffee. We’re trying to get one cup of coffee to stretch for at least five hours, or something like that.

Eric: Caffeine matters.

Matt: And also stretch our bladders out so we can go without stopping and peeing. I mean, that’s a big project for us. I guess it’s liquid management.

Nikki: Liquid assets management.

Matt: Which in a socialistic-egalitarian-democracy, is something important we all have to vote on and think on and discuss ([aughing]. But that really is the project right now. Truly, it’s being on the road. We did the six-to-eight-month album block, and now we have risen again, and we’re in the real world, and we have to play shows and go to cities we’ve never been to. That’s kind of an exciting thing that is happening on this tour for the first time. We’re going to places like Columbus, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky.

Nikki: New Orleans.

Eric: Where are you from?

VM: I’m from around Nashville.

Matt: Cool. We’re playing there also, in the summer! Mercy Lounge.

Eric: Do you know the band Coin?

VM: I don’t.

Eric: They’re from Nashville, and they’ve become friends. They’re here –  they’re playing a bunch. You’re about to hear a lot about them. They’re doing great. They’re awesome. They represent Nashville well.

*Catch Little Daylight up on their tour!!!!

MON 21 APRIL
The Independent      San Francisco, CA, US

WED 23 APRIL
Troubadour      West Hollywood, CA, US

THU 24 APRIL
5th Avenue Side Stage      San Diego, CA, US

TUE 20 MAY
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park      New York, NY

THU 19 JUNE – SUN 22 JUNE
Firefly Music Festival 2014      Dover, DE

 

SXSW 2014: Luke Winslow-King x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

You may remember that we all went gaga over Luke Winslow-King‘s album The Coming Tide about a year ago.  This gent is brilliant, and we still haven’t gotten over it. So, of course, we had to snag an interview with him this year at his showcase at the Bloodshot Records Yard Dog Day Party to talk about what he’s got coming out next, his New Orleans influence and his fashion inspirations! Enjoy!

Vinyl Mag: So what exactly [brought you to move] to New Orleans? I heard the rumor that it was a crime.

Luke Winslow-King: Yes. After high school, I went on tour with a few friends from Earth Work Music in Northern Michigan, and we were on a tour around the country playing a Pete Seeger compilation of Woody Guthrie’s songs and stories. We went to California and Texas. We played the Old Settler’s Festival on our way to Louisiana, and we went to Festival International in Lafayette. Then, when we got to New Orleans, I was staying at my friend, John Butae’s, house, and we parked our car in front of The Pink Hotel on Ursaline Street in New Orleans. We woke up and found broken glass on the sidewalk where our car was. All our instruments were still in flight. I stayed in New Orleans for about two or three weeks after that and fell in love with the place. I auditioned for the classical music program at the University of New Orleans then went there for school for the next few years. I kind of fell in love with the place. I moved to New York for about a year and then came back to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina and stuck around. I love it there; it’s great.

VM: Can you tell me more about how you got into music?

LWK: I picked up a guitar when I was five or six years old. I always had instruments around the house and was always interested in it. My dad plays Bob Dylan songs and Neil Young, so he was always playing around the campfire growing up. I grew up in church and was always singing. I started taking the guitar seriously and taking lessons around 10 years old. I started my own band when I was 14 and played gigs in my hometown. I started Winslow-King Blues Band when I was 15. So, I’ve always been into it since I was a child and have just gone on different tangents of rock and roll and classical music; I was really into bebop jazz in high school. Then I got into Chicago Blues, and then Delta Blues and New Orleans…jazz.

VM: I actually went down to the Delta for a trip and hung out with the B.B. Kings in Indianola. The Delta is really like a hotbed of American music. It’s really unique American cultural form.

LWK: Yeah, jazz and blues are really the only original American forms that were created in America, as far as music goes. Then rock and roll, and then things come off of it. The Delta is an incredible place for rich culture, not just in music, but also in all other forms.

VM: As is New Orleans.

LWK: Yeah, it is. The heritage there goes really deep, and it’s a great amalgamation of cultures. It’s been really inspiring for me, and I think it’s a great city that I can play original blues, and jazz, and rock and roll, and folk music and blend it together and have an audience for all of those styles. In one night and on one album, you can do anything you like, and people can really support you there. Sometimes we get the drunken tourists, and we’ve just got to keep them entertained, but we also have some really great listening audiences in New Orleans, too, which we’re really lucky to have. Sometimes it’s hard for people to play country or folk music; it doesn’t always go over as well in New Orleans, because people are expecting to hear the traditional roots music. We’re really lucky that we marry those two things – we write original folk songs, but we also play traditional jazz and blues. In New Orleans, we have a special niche that we can write new music but have this old sound that people are looking for when they’re on musical, tourist trips.  We try to keep the old styles alive and also breathe fresh air into the old styles but also try to be creative and write new things and not just be playing traditional material.

VM: What projects do you have in the works right now that you’re most excited about?

LWK: We have a new album that’s most of the way finished. It’s coming out in the fall, and we’ve been working really hard on that in New Orleans. We’re doing a bunch of projects like touring and playing music. I’m going to some other recording projects with other artists that are coming up this year. I’ve been doing a couple “side-manning” things but mostly just focusing on that new album that’s coming out in the fall.

VM: Are you more of a taco or a barbecue man?

LWK: Wow. I would say I’m more a barbecue person, but I hate to say in an interview – but, I’m going to – that I think Louisiana might have better barbecue than Texas.

VM: Oooooo!

LWK: I went to two barbecue places in Austin this week.

VM: Where did you go?

LWK: I went to Green Mesquite, and I went to another one, but I can’t remember the name. The joint barbecue in New Orleans put them both to shame, I have to say.

VM: You don’t like the brisket. I don’t even know what New Orleans barbecue tastes like.

LWK: It’s the same; it’s just better.

VM: What’s your weirdest Austin experience since you got here?

LWK: I haven’t had any weird experiences here. I think it was a weirder place for me when I was young on my first road trip. I came here before I came to New Orleans on that first road trip.

VM: When was that?

LWK: That was probably in 2001. I went to Barton Springs for the first time in Hamilton’s Pool. That was pretty weird. I had a strange time then, but now it doesn’t seem that weird to me. It was weirder back then. I was more surprised by how progressive it was. I was really surprised that there was so much greenery and vegetation and beauty in Texas that I didn’t expect. I expected more desert. The whole country is special. It’s really nice. I love it. I’m glad to come and visit here, but I don’t think it’s that weird anymore. I think it’s becoming more palatable for all sorts of people.

VM: I know you’re crazy busy with your touring, but any fun you’re going to sneak in before you leave town?

LWK: Nope, we’re hitting the road. We’re going to play this show and get back home. We’ve been really busy, driving around and working on our album. We’re just really focused on getting the tour going and these projects we’re working on. We’re excited to go home and rest up. We’re playing the French Quarter Fest in New Orleans in April and Jazz Fest in May, but I am going to take a break and go to trout camp in Northern Michigan for the opening game trout season. I’m very excited about that, on a side note. It’s where you camp out, and then you go trout fishing.

VM: [Is trout fishing] a Michigan thing?

LWK: Yeah, there’s no trout in Texas.

VM: What inspires you fashion wise?

LWK: Thank you. My fashion icon is also a Texan. His name is Mance Lipscomb. He’s a great Texas songster. If you hadn’t heard of Mance Lipscomb, you should check him out and also check out his great style. He wears a lot of clashing stripes, and I like that.

VM: You look like a professional.

LWK: Thank you! I like to take my job really seriously as a professional, and I appreciate it when people dress up on stage. Your audience gets a sense of what you’re about when you take your appearance seriously. Every time I’m on stage, I try to think about what the audience is looking for while being yourself and being honest to you and your music. That’s what it’s about, is satisfying your audience and bringing something that’s valuable for them. If you’re just up there for yourself, then it’s really not that fun to watch.

VM: That’s a very humble attitude for a musician.

LWK: Thank you! I think it’s a really important thing to keep insight. Thank you!

 

SXSW 2014: Moon Taxi x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

I was super pumped when I learned that I was going to get to interview Moon Taxi at South by Southwest this year.  Having been a fan for years, I’ve seen them live quite a few times (it doesn’t hurt that I’m from Nashville, Moon Taxi’s city of origin).  I loved them first as a local band, and later, once they blew the hell up, as a big, badass, international touring band.  Check out our interview below to read about their newest album, Mountains, Beaches, Cities, as well as what is next for them (tour, tour, tour!!).

Vinyl Mag: You have a really busy year coming up. I know you’re playing Red Rocks with Umphrey’s, and you just played Conan. Tell me more about what projects and events are you excited about.

Spencer Thomson [guitar]:  In April, we’re doing a pretty big tour with a band called The Revivalists. A lot of that is on the East Coast; we’re excited about that. We’re doing a couple nights in Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., Charlottesville – we’re stoked for that. After that, it’s pretty much straight to festival season, which we’re excited about. We’re doing Hangout, Wakarusa, Mountain Jam, and Counterpoint…I think some others.

VM: You’re playing a ton of gigs! Are you guys working on any new material?

Spencer: Yeah, we’re trying to balance it. We’re doing a month of touring and then spending time at home writing. We just started writing pre-production for the next record. Very early stages right now, but that’s the goal – to spend the rest of the year half touring, half working on the next record. Hopefully, we can put it out early in 2015. That’s the plan now, but we’ll see. Things always change.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit about the name “Moon Taxi?” I’ve always wondered where that came from.

Spencer: Honestly, the story changes every time someone asks. We booked a gig before we even had a name. Some friends of ours had a band, and they asked us to open, but we barely knew any songs; this was like a really early incarnation of the band, but they had to put something on the flyer to include us. Somehow, “Moon Taxi” came up. Then, it just stuck forever.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit about the evolution of the band? I know you started out in Nashville and played a ton of gigs and got this great following, especially with frat parties.

Spencer: We started playing together in college. Once we were all done is when we really started hitting the road a lot. We spent a lot of time touring. We were touring on a live album, and the sound back then was a little different. It was a little more “jam-band-y” than it is now.

VM: I remember those days.

Spencer: The good ‘ole days. We spent a lot of years touring when we weren’t really satisfied with anything we had done in the studio. We kind of had a revelation that we really wanted to hone in and focus and start making great studio music and put as much time and effort into that as we were into playing live. That was around 2011. We changed the way we wrote and thought about records a lot. Then we made the record that came out in 2012, Cabaret. Finally having a studio record that sounded good – that we were proud of – really opened a lot more doors for us. We got more attention than just playing live. Obviously, we still play tons of shows, and that’s how we’ve gotten our name, and we’ve made a lot of progress that way. I think we’ll always be a band people want to see live, but now we’re trying to balance that with also having really good studio records. I think that combination has really helped us get to the next level.

VM: What is your favorite memory from recording your latest album, Mountains, Beaches, Cities? Where did you record? I love the album art, by the way.

Spencer: Oh thanks. This guy from Australia did it. He just sent us an email and was like, “If you guys need artwork, let me know.” We looked at his stuff and were like, “Alright.” Everything he’d send would be spot on from the first time. His name is Samuel Johnson. We do a lot of the groundwork [for the record] at my house. We spend a couple days in a big, proper studio. This one we did in a studio in Nashville called Sony Tree. Then we mixed it with the same guy who mixed our last two records, a guy named Anse Powell. The majority of the time spent making the record, as far as recording goes, actually just happens in my house, which was a big change we made. Previously, we’d sit together, write songs in a practice room and jam it out. That really wasn’t getting us the result we wanted, so we stepped back, and now it’s more of a nuanced approach.

Trevor Terndrup [guitar]: We do a lot on the pre-production side. We get these songs pretty much done, and then we just got to go into the studio and fill in the blank pieces, which is bass and drums. One of my favorite moments was in the song “Beaches” – at the end, it has this altro sequence that really peaks at a nice point and has a more live feel. It goes from a very studio-oriented song to a live version, but the transition is kind of seamless. That was one fun part for me, getting in the studio and trying to peak out live.

Spencer: That song, also, we recorded this nice ambient noise at the beach from the balcony.

Trevor: I didn’t actually get credit for my best boy grip – best man grip, actually. I was holding the mic out there. To capture the sound, you really need the proper mic technique.

Spencer: And placement.

Trevor: Placement is key.

VM: Could you each tell me about your role and what each of you brings to Moon Taxi?

Tommy Putnam [bass]: In the early days of the band, I booked all the shows and took a booking agent, managerial role. I still do a lot of that; I work closely with our booking agent to make sure the shows that we’re doing are fitting and we get paid enough money. I do a little bit of writing, too and just keep the bass down.

Tyler Ritter [drums]: Other than being Tommy’s bodyguard, my job is mostly just to complement what these guys write as close to their original vision of the song as I can and still put my voice on it, because I’m not one of the people who’s bringing an original song from the beginning to the table. I’m usually there at the end trying to put my flavor on it, but I’ve still got to keep it within the original mindset of the writer. I like doing that; it’s fun. It’s cool to adapt to other people’s tendencies.

Wes Bailey [keyboard]: I play the keys. That’s all I got.

Spencer: I’m an alcoholic. I’ve got some vices I’m dealing with, and I’m shaking. I arrange all of our travel, and I launder all of our money.

VM: So how is your “South By” going so far?

Tyler: There’ s a lot of walking and trying to get into things that you’re not allowed into. I do find it upsetting that people with badges that work for the bands can get into whatever they want very easily, and the bands that actually provide them with a source of income and a job aren’t allowed into places. You really could get into anything, you just have to bullsh*t your way into stuff.

VM: I’ve learned that a clipboard and a walkie-talkie are a great way to get into something. Just act like you’re really stressed out. So how many shows are you playing for “South By” this year?

Trevor: 7 or 8. Just shy of 10.

VM: Which ones are you most excited about?

Trevor: That’s a tough question. I mean, what’s your favorite child?

VM: Touché. So, are you more of a barbecue or taco person?

Trevor: I actually like rainbow trout.

VM: Where did you find rainbow trout?

Trevor: Lambert’s.

VM: Oh! Lambert’s is great. Good, solid place.

Trevor: Yeah, with this lime quinoa salad with big hunks of avocado.

Spencer: We’re trying to keep our barbecue and tacos to a decent amount.

Trevor: Yeah, we’ve got to keep this figure going on.

VM: Tell me something really crazy about Moon Taxi.

Trevor: Well the name of the band came from…

VM: Let’s see if it’s different.

Trevor: It was a late, late night in Nashville, and I was trying to hail a cab, and I was having zero luck. It was one of those nights where nothing was going my way.

Tyler: So, Spencer got really mad on Trevor’s behalf and pulled out a gun and started shooting everybody.

Trevor: That later became the Moon Taxi trials, and there is still an ongoing investigation.

*Be sure to catch Moon Taxi on their current tour!!

Tour Dates:

Apr 16    World Cafe Live Philadelphia w/ The Revivalists    Philadelphia, PA

Apr 17    Brooklyn Bowl w/ The Revivalists    Brooklyn, NY

Apr 18    Brooklyn Bowl    Brooklyn, NY

Apr 19    930 Club w/ The Revivalists    Washington, DC

Apr 25    Counterpoint Music Festival    Kingston Downs, GA

Apr 26    Civic Theatre w/ moe.    New Orleans, LA

May 17    Hangout Music Festival    Gulf Shores, AL

May 30    BottleRock    Napa Valley Napa, CA

Jun 05    Wakarusa Music Festival    Ozark, AR

Jun 06    Mountain Jam Festival    Hunter, NY

Jun 29    Electric Forest    Rothbury, MI

Jul 03    Sumtur Ampitheater w/ Umphrey’s McGee    Papillion, NE

Jul 05    Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Umphrey’s McGee    Morrison, CO

Jul 11    Carolina West RibFest    Asheville, NC

Jul 26    Equus Run Vineyards Amphitheatre    Lexington, KY

Aug 22    Raleigh RibFest    Raleigh, NC

Aug 23    High Point Hopfest    High Point, NC

 

SXSW 2014: Casual Sex x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

Who wouldn’t be intrigued by a band called Casual Sex?

So, honestly, we were originally drawn to them because of the shock value of their name (weren’t you?), but then we gave them a listen, and that’s where the real love affair began.  This band is cool.  That’s really all that I can say.

Their music is a bundle of seduction, fitting somewhere between Scissor Sisters and of Montreal on my party-time playlist (and with Sam’s Bowie-esque vocals thrown into the mix, seriously where has this band been all my life?).  We caught up with them at South by Southwest this year to talk about their music, Southern hospitality, country walks, and their plans after the festival.

Vinyl Mag: So, tell me how your South By is going so far!

Sam [guitar/vocals]: It’s been very good, very great, very exciting. Very busy.

Ed [guitar]: It’s been amazing; people have been amazing, Austin locals have been so nice. We got picked up the other day by a complete random and taken to a show, ’cause we were carrying all our equipment along a long street.  So yeah – it’s been amazing. The shows have been fantastic; we’ve had a great reception everywhere we’ve played, so it’s good.

VM: How many shows are you playing through South By this year?

Ed: Six. Is it six shows this year?

Peter [bass]: Yeah, I think we play about six shows. Our last one’s tonight at 10 o’clock.

Ed: We played at the British Embassy yesterday, and it was great. So that’s going to be a hoot.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit about how the band got together and your process?

Sam: Yeah, well it kind of started…I run a studio, and we were running courses. I knew Ed anyways, a friend. And I had a lot of work together already and kind of came on board to play an old catalog of songs, and then eventually, Peter kind of muscled in. And we asked Chris to play drums. And then we all found out we worked fairly well together. So we became more of a solid, democratic unit.

VM: Your music is very…I mean, you’re Casual Sex, how did you get into the –

Ed: Well, the platform of the music was already there, and the name kind of went along with the platform. Sam had already written a body of work, and then we started writing together after our first show. We got what we had down and played a show. We got a great reception from our friends, and then we started getting serious about it and writing together.

VM: How close are the lyrics to your real life [experiences]?

Sam: It’s all 100 percent right; it’s pretty honest stuff. [Laughing] yes, I think you try and write about what you know, so there are a few illustrious experiences documented in the lyrics about sex.

VM: [Laughing] like cheating on your girlfriend?

Sam: Yeah, on the floor of a local occultist, so the press quote goes [laughing], but no it’s true, it’s true. I don’t get up to that sort of thing anymore.

VM: Now you just dress like you’re in the Matrix.

Ed: I dunno. It’s not leather. I was just trying to pull off a more of a – I dunno – a semi-British-goth vibe or something.

VM: I like it. How would you all describe your music?

Chris [drums]: Music with guitars you can dance to would be the easiest way to say it. There are too many genres in music. It’s ridiculous. It’s pointless to try and quantify it, you know.

Ed: And Peter and Chris are an unbelievably tight – almost like soul rhythm section, and we just embellish that sound with guitars. Sam’s actually an accomplished musician, and I can just play what I can play so…

Sam: The sound of tomorrow, now.

Ed: [Laughing] the sound of tomorrow, now.

Chris: I like to think that me and Pete don’t necessarily sound like two skinny white guys from Glasglow – maybe something the opposite of that, but I’m not sure.

Peter: But I think a lot of times, when Chris and I are coming up with things when we’re playing, there’s a thing of getting your guilty pleasures out and playing things you maybe couldn’t find a place to play anywhere else – sort of reggae influence or funk influence kind of things, but we have fun playing as a unit. It’s good but also fun playing as a four-piece.

Ed: We’ve been writing the songs almost live…we’ll come up with an idea and really quickly structure it, and then we’ll record it. Sam has a lot of poetry that he can just put down, and we tend to actually write a track and record it in that one session. So we really really work quite well together. Not many bands can do that. We usually do it live as well. Almost everything we’ve done has live tapes.

Sam: We track as much as we can.

VM: You guys have a really busy year. What projects are you most excited about? And what events?

Chris: I can’t wait to go back to France; we’ve been to France, and it treated us really well. I think it went down well there, and we’re going back in May for two weeks. France, and then the Netherlands, so another European tour. Touring there has been really fun.

Sam: I think we’re going Holland, Belgium, France, and I think our people been talking to Spanish promoters, so we’ll get us some nice food.

VM: What do you think about being in America?

Sam: I love it. I love being in the States. I mean, we were over here in October. And I lived here as a kid up in New Hampshire for a year, and I find something quietly reassuring about being back here with the signage. It kind of almost feels homey at times. But Austin – when you go further south – it’s got a stronger flavor; it’s very much its own identity. I think New York is kind of a bit like its own sort of thing really. I don’t really feel like going to New York is like being abroad; it’s just like being in New York.

Ed: Yeah, I’ve spent a bit of time in New York and the East Coast and California and Los Angeles, and this is the first time I’ve been in this part of the world, and there’s a complete contrast. Everyone is so nice here. And we’re not getting any fake vibes at all. Like everybody is being so nice.

Peter: It’s really quite sincere. The southern hospitality – the rumor of that, the stuff I’ve heard – is true.

Sam: It’s nice, and I love the accents. You always get, you know, the English people ‘ahh I love your accent.’ We do like southern accents. Texas accents. Amazing.

Peter: It’s really strange actually hearing people use the phrase ‘ya’ll’ in a sentence. I didn’t think that happened. ‘Ya’ll’ and people with Stetsons on.

VM: I’m a Tennessee girl, though.

Ed: Ah. Southern Belle.

VM: During your time in Austin, have you sampled any of the barbeque or tacos? It’s what they’re known for.

Sam: I’ve had the tacos. I’ve had burritos; it’s been great.

Ed: I’ve only had enchiladas, because I’ve recently turned vegetarian, so I’ve found it quite difficult. We need to have a nice vegetarian restaurant, because [laughing] I’m dying to have a steak. I’m craving a steak.

VM: So what’s next for you after South By? You’re touring Europe?

Sam: Well, we’ve got a month to finish an album, and kind of already in the process; a lot of it has been written. So just hit the studio, and then pretty much as soon as May comes around – by the third of May, we’re back out, over to Utrecht, and then all the way down to France.

Ed: Amsterdam. We’re playing the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Really looking forward to that one, and then yeah, back to Paris. We’ve got a couple of shows in Paris, and then we’re playing in and around Paris for ten days, so that’ll be great.

Chris: Hopefully we’ll have the album out…well, finished by April 16, 2014.

Sam: And then it’s the UK festival dates, they kind of start around then – in May – so when we get back, then there are various festivals. So the summer’s beginning to shape up, but it’s important for us now to get this record done, I think.

VM: Who’s the craziest member of Casual Sex?

Sam: In terms of crazy fun or crazy neurotic?

Peter: [Laughing] Crazy as in mentally ill?

VM: A little bit of each! We can have one for each. So crazy as in wild.

Sam: I go from two extremes, from being quite quiet most of the time. Occasionally, when I do go for it, I’m pretty nutty.

Ed: We’re all a bit crazy, and we all like to drink, and we all go out quite a lot. And we’re all… I’m past my crazy days now I think.

Sam: I’ve been there and done it. I quite like walking now.

VM: You’re the sheriff now.

Ed: Yes, I am the sheriff.

VM: You hold down the fort. You keep order.

Sam: I like fresh air and country walks now.

VM: Wow. Casual Sex likes fresh air and country walks.

Ed: We all like different things. I mean, we all do different things, socially. I go clubbing a lot. We drink in our local pub quite a lot. Chris, he goes to live shows all the time. I like to dance.

Sam: I like to spend most of my time in the studio. I’m usually in a cave, working. I’ve got a studio both at home, and I’ve got another studio, so I’m generally in front of machines.

Ed: I live with Sam, and he lives in a studio. He actually lives and sleeps in a mastering studio, and then he works in the studio by day. He’s living and sleeping the dream.

Sam: I love being surrounded by machines.

VM: In your cave.

Sam: Yeah, in my cave.

SXSW 2014: Blouse x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

We caught up with Portland-based Blouse at South by Southwest this year to talk about Debbie Harry, New Zealand, bassist Paul’s alter ego and their changing sound! Enjoy, and then stalk them for tour dates. They’re definitely a band to see live.

Vinyl Mag: How has Austin been? Have you done anything crazy yet for South By?

Charlie Hilton [guitar/vocals]: It’s been good, but we’ve just been here one day. We got here Tuesday night, so we sort of tried to do too much last night and ended up like not really doing anything.

VM: Yeah, that’s the way it always is.

CH: But our show yesterday was fun; we played an important showcase thing. The weather’s beautiful, so we’re happy.

VM: Are you excited to be down here from Portland? It’s pretty cold up there right now isn’t it?

CH: Yeah, so far we’ve been on tour with Dum Dum [Girls] for like a week, and the minute we got to California, it was beautiful and hot and sunny, and it’s been that way pretty much ever since, because we been to New Mexico, Vegas, Arizona…so we’re getting a little spoiled, but we’re eventually going to go back to the cold in the North.

VM: Could you tell me a little bit about the evolution  that you took from kind of synth-y, electronic music…I think I read a quote where you said you had wanted an album with nothing plugged in. I think that’s really cool taking that leap.

Arian Gillali [guitar/keyboard]: You know, Patrick has a good way of explaining it.

Patrick Adams [bass]: Do I?

AG: Yeah, What did you say in the last one?

Paul Roper [drums]: You didn’t want there to be any established rules.

PA: Yeah, yeah. I mean it kind of opened us up to not necessarily being a synth-pop band and doing a second record that didn’t have synth pop in it. I guess it was kind of a big statement, but we just saw it as just continuing to make and craft songs that we enjoy.

CH: It started off kind of practical. One of the other guys in the band was like, ‘synths are annoying, and I don’t wanna tour with a synth.’  And then, as we got more serious, it felt really important to try something new on the second record.

VM: It definitely made a statement. People in the blogosphere were going crazy about it.

CH: I mean, people definitely latched onto that aspect of the record – like, what it’s not – which may or may not be a good thing.  I’m not really sure at this point, but I’m happy with the record, and we all like really love the songs. I definitely don’t have any regrets.

MF: What would you say were some of your inspirations that lead to your second record?

CH: When we first started the band, we were geeking out over Galaxy 500 and The Dream Syndicate…

VM: And Portland has that alt-rock vibe going on there, too.

CH:  I mean, there are so many things in Portland happening right now, it’s hard to keep track.

VM: How do you think [being based in Portland affects your sound?]

CH: Oh, I think it definitely does in a big way. I remember making the last record. I was going out into the forest – there are these beautiful forests in Portland – and I spent a lot of time in the mountains in this cabin. It was winter, and I just was going through a dark period, so some of the songs definitely came from that. But it’s beautiful. I’m from LA, so I feel like the seasons there are really beautiful, even when it’s depressing…like, all the trees are dead, and they almost have this purple-y color to them…[laughs] I don’t know. To me, that’s really fascinating – trees with no leaves – gorgeous…

VM: They’re always giving away so much free stuff here! How do you [work together as a group? What are each of your specific roles?]

CH: I feel like everyone in the band is justa really good musician, and more than not, energetically, we’re really good friends, and so we really enjoy playing together. It doesn’t feel like a business.

VM: It’s key, because a lot of bands out there are strictly business.

PA: Yeah, we never really got that deep into that part. It’s more just like, ‘let’s try to figure out how we can all have fun and make this thing happen.’ And a little bit deeper into that question of how we each [contribute] individually. Arian’s been in a bunch of more synth-y, darker bands, and Paul –

PR: A lot of techno.

PA: A lot of techno. Paul was in a band that he toured with for a long time in New Zealand.

MF: New Zealand? That’s so incredible.

PR: Well, it’s green. It’s down over there somewhere…I wanted to get away! I wanted to move out; I wanted to get off the island, so I moved to America and –

CH: And he almost got kicked out, and we saved him.

PR: They saved me!

CH: That is the one thing that we were able to do…we got him a visa.

VM: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened so far at South By? 

PR: Yesterday, we were watching the Dum Dum Girls, and Debbie Harry came out…

CH: Yeah, that was the craziest thing.

VM: What kind of projects are you working on right now?

CH: I’ve been working on this solo record with the label – our label – that I’ve sort of been talking about with them for a couple of years, so I’m hoping to finish that in June.  And we just want to get home and start working on more Blouse stuff, too.

VM: Do you find [performing without the synth is very different from with it]?

CH: It’s a lot more fun, actually. The set’s really dynamic, and there’s a lot of energy in the new songsin a different way than the first record, so we can get really loud, and  it sounds good. We’re just louder, and I think it’s just more fun. The mood can change a little bit more throughout the set, which is cool…it’s not as dreamy anymore.

VM: Where are you performing again?

CH: At the Hotel Vegas tonight…[and tomorrow at] the Absolut vodka Bed Head thing…it’s kind of in a crazy studio. They’re doing people’s hair, and the updos look incredible.

VM: I have one more question. Who is the craziest member? I feel like you all are really chill right now, but who’s the secret crazy one?

CH: It depends on the day, really.

PR: I have this alter ego that comes out…

CH: Yeah, we don’t need to…it’s a secret, but it’s in him somewhere.

 

SXSW 2014: The Silver Palms x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

The Silver Palms are a pretty unique band, and I’m not just talking about their sound (which is pretty damn rad – be sure to grab a listen below).  The Camden, Georgia-based band sat down with us at South by Southwest this year to talk about their hatred of Subway, how good-looking they are and what’s up with their all-black uniform (all before our interview got broken up by the cops…yeah, we’re badasses). Just don’t tell them they look like The Beatles.

Vinyl Mag: So, how’s your South By [Southwest] going so far?

Dalton Drury [vocals/guitar]: Alright, I guess. Yesterday was a show with some…bad audience.

VM: What happened?

DD: Well, they seemed like it. The first show was good, but the second show…

VM: I hear that you don’t like Subway. Your Facebook said that.

DD: If you’re an artist, you’re supposed to be cool. Why are you getting branded by Subway?

VM: But you might have something sponsored by Kmart?

DD: Yeah, exactly. That’s a joke. It’s a joke on all those sell outs.

Wade Beahm [bass]: We love Target though.

DD: Yeah, we do love Target. Target’s the stuff.

VM: So, Target can be your sponsor, but you hate Subway.

Adam Drury [guitar]: It’s gross.

VM: So, you like non-branded subs.

Dalton: Non-branded subs.

AD: For bands! For normal people, go at it, you know?

Jordan Scott [drums]: We’re above that.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit more about this all-black look you’ve got going on here?

Wade: We’re The Beatles, man.

DD: At least five times a day we get, ‘Oh look, it’s The Beatles.’

AD: That’s very true, all the time.

DD: We don’t want to look like The Beatles.

WB: The Beatles are a good-looking band, and, obviously, we are too.

VM: I want to hear a little bit more about how you guys started playing together. Can I get a little more of the background?

WB: Jordan broke my hand in football. I thought we were best friends.

JS: Then, our senior year in high school we were like, ‘yo.’ We saw Muse playing a show and we were like, ‘Wouldn’t that be amazing if we could do that?’ Screw going to college; we were going to become a band.

VM: How many shows are you guys playing for South By?

[All]: Four

VM: Tell me a little bit more about your influences for getting into music.

JS: Johnny Cash. We’re southern boys, you know?

VM: What’s your favorite venue you’ve ever played at?

JS: Newcastle. I love you guys so much, because I know you love me.

Wade: Shout out to you guys.

VM: In terms of Austin, are you more of a taco band or more of a barbecue band?

AD: A taco band?

JS: Meat is murder. Be a vegetarian.

VM: Wow! I’m a vegetarian.

DD: I’m not, so don’t high five me.

VM: So, you’re not going to tell us anything about your upcoming shows?

AD: We have a show at the Madison tonight.

VM: Nothing after South By? It’s all secretive.

WB: If you want to know, go on our Facebook.

VM: Tell me about your craziest South By moment.

JS: Last night, I was on a Pedi cab, and this girl was blasting hip-hop music. I was standing around, just whipping my shirt around and partying on. I was dancing, and everyone was chasing us taking pictures, it was great.

DD: We met this cat named Miguel.

VM: Tell me more.

DD: Alright, he has a sex move and a drink named after him.

AD: He’s a stud.

VM: Where did you meet this character?

DD: He’s a bass player, and apparently he’s really good. He was behind the bar making drinks for everyone.

AD: For no reason.

VM: What are you guys excited about for after South By? I know you’re going to some different festivals.

DD: Yeah, but we haven’t announced anything. I don’t know if I’m allowed to.

VM: Super secretive!

Dalton: You shall see if you want to know so much.

AD: Keep your eyes peeled.

 

*We did as we were told and checked out their Facebook. Voilà! Tour dates below!

TOUR DATES:

Apr 11 Garden Bowl Detroit, MI
Apr 12 Beat Kitchen Chicago, IL Tickets
Apr 14 First Avenue Entry Minneapolis, MN
Apr 16 VFW Missoula, MT
Apr 17 El Corazon Seattle, WA
Apr 18 Hawthorne Lounge Portland, OR
Apr 20 Milk Bar San Francisco, CA
Apr 21 The Satellite Los Angeles, CA
Apr 22 The Hideout San Diego, CA
Apr 23 Pub Rock Scottsdale, AZ
Apr 25 City Tavern Dallas, TX
Apr 27 Lamberts Austin, TX
Apr 28 House of Blues Houston Houston, TX
Apr 29 Circle Bar New Orleans, LA

 

SXSW 2014: SomeKindaWonderful x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

For Cleveland based grunge-soul group SomeKindaWonderful, songwriting comes naturally.  “There’s always something holding you back. I think that’s the human condition. It keeps you playing for something,” says Jordy Towers, lead singer/songwriter for the group. Jordy’s powerful vocals combined with the band’s haunting melodies drive their first release Reverse beyond your average pop break-up ballad.

With lyrics like, “I told my story in REVERSE ’cause it hurts” and “Could I get a DO-OVER?!,” regret and second-guessing become songwriting avenues that lead the listener on a reverse chronology love story.

“One of my favorite movies is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They tell a love-story backwards. I’ve always wanted to do a song like that. The lyrics started coming out, and as they came out it, I started noticing that maybe I can just write this backwards,” says Jordy of his inspiration for the song.

“Reverse,” written the first night the three band members got together, provides an eerie soul-rock punch to the ears. On a soul-searching journey after leaving his LA rap career with [a major label], Jordy stumbled into a small-town Ohio bar where he met Matt Gibson and Ben Schigel. Matt (guitar) and Ben (drums) combined their Cleveland rock influences with Jordy’s LA hip-hop sensibilities to create a sound that doesn’t quite fit neatly into any genre. In addition to the three members that emerged from that fateful meeting in the Ohio bar, Sarah brings her gospel upbringing, with a love of neo-soul and rock to SomeKindaWonderful while Steve adds hip-hop, soul, and gospel elements to the sound.

The members of SomeKindaWonderful kindly took the time to sit down with Vinyl Mag during SXSW to talk about the evolution of the group, their inspiration and upcoming album.

Vinyl Mag: So, you guys are from Cleveland and LA?

Jordy Towers: I’m from LA, and these guys are from Cleveland.

Vinyl: And you left LA, and you found your way to Cleveland. Tell me about that.

Jordy: Dude, I got depressed [when my major label deal didn’t work out]…so, I had some family out in Ohio, and I was doing some soul searching.

Matt: We were in this bar just drinking right by this studio in Cleveland, and Jordy is in there for whatever reason on his soul-searching trip. We went back and started talking and wrote “Reverse” that night.

Jordy: We wrote “Reverse” that night, and we finished it the next day.  It was pretty much demo-ed out that night with rough vocals.

Matt: Like 90 percent mixed that night.

Jordy: Ever since then, every little thing has felt like fate. Even timing things, like obstacles, we got over them at the right time…I’m not mad about anything, because everything led us up to this point.

Vinyl: Could you all talk about what each of you do in the group?

Jordy: I’m pretty much the tip of the band; I bring all the elements together. I used to be a rapper – an underground rapper. I toured with Lupe Fiasco. I’ve been in a freestyle battle with pretty much everyone in the game.  I’ve moved on to something else. That’s where our music is. Our music is a mesh of hip-hop, reggae and rock.  Cleveland is really known for rock.

Matt: I was thinking about that today, because Jordy brings the hip hop reggae vibe. You were always listening to Folky music, and I was always into the Genesis and Rush, high production stuff, and we interfused everything together.

Ben: It’s a songwriting vibe mixed with great production and sound.

Matt: Steve probably comes from the hip-hop world with a little bit of reggae, soul, gospel. Sarah brings her beautifulness of bringing it all together.

Matt: It’s a really cool mix.

Vinyl: Sarah, what about you?

Sarah: I had a heavy gospel influence in my upbringing. I grew up a huge hip-hop fan, a huge neo-soul fan, a huge rock fan, and it just works. That’s why, even though each of us has different backgrounds and upbringings, it works, and it’s very natural.  You can hear my gospel element in the music.  I balance out the testosterone.

Jordy: And she brings the perfect hair.

Matt: Stunning good looks.

Jordy: Perfect style.

Vinyl: And you guys bring the….stubble?

Ben: We almost called ourselves The Stubble Boys.

Matt: If we were going to play Irish music, we’d be The Stubblins. But like I said, I play guitar and ukulele and little bits of other stuff…harmonica at times.

Vinyl: Ukulele! That’s the instrument of peace.

Matt: It reminds me of Hawaii; that’s where I bought it. I had to take the island with me, musically.

Jordy: There’s something about when it comes to writing songs; there’s something about the way he plays that pulls songs out of me.  I write the lyrics and most of the songs.  Just something about Matt, and it’s not just the way he plays but something about him, he makes me really comfortable to just f*ck up if I have to.  You know what I mean? If I sing a bad note, it doesn’t matter. He just wants to get it done with me.

Ben: The musical chemistry is crazy between all of us.

Sarah: You would think we’ve all been life-long friends.

Vinyl: How long have you been together as a group?

Matt: About a year; we’ve known each other longer.

Vinyl: Tell me more about the process of getting your songs out.  It sounds like you have been hampered by legal and logistical difficulties. 

Jordy: We have a song called “In Chains,” which is about how we’re all still locked down at some point in our lives regardless of how we have gotten our release…as far as we think we’re getting, there’s always something holding you back. I think that’s the human condition. It keeps you playing for something.

Sarah: Yeah it does.

Matt: Gotta have struggle.

Vinyl: It’s really impressive that your first song “Reverse” was not only written in one night but on the first night you guys met.

Jordy: One of my favorite movies is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They tell a love-story backwards. I’ve always wanted to do a song like that. The lyrics started coming out, and as they came out, I started noticing that maybe I can just write this backwards. I wasn’t sure if the guys were going to like it but…

Everyone: We really like it!

Jordy: I wasn’t sure; I was like f*ck it! I just tried it, and it f*cking worked.

Ben: Musically, we didn’t have any ideas for what we wanted it to sound like. We just ended up with this haunting eerie cowboy soul R&B song.

Jordy: Now it’s become our sound.

Vinyl: How would you define you your sound?

Jordy: We actually call it grunge soul.

Sarah: Regardless of the genre, that element of the soul is there, and it’s raw and powerful.

Ben: I think that stems from all of us having different things we like, different kinds of music; it’s not like I like what I like, and he likes folk music, and I’m like, ‘I don’t want to hear that sh*t.’  We’re all open to whatever.

Jordy: Subconsciously, we all want to please each other musically. Subconsciously, we all know that we are pleased musically. It’s a mixture of everything that we’re happy with.

Vinyl: Can you tell me more about your name. When I first googled you guys, this 1961 song “Some Kind of Wonderful” came up by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. 

Jordy: That was us. We produced that.

Vinyl: Ha! But where did the name come from? 

Jordy: I had a dream about the word wonderful. At first I was like, we hate to use the word wonderful, because our music is f*cking gorgeous. There’s wonder and then there’s wonderful, and I was like man, let’s just call it SomeKindaWonderful.

Ben: It’s how it makes us feel. We had about five or six different ideas of band names before that but [Jordy] actually still changes it everyday.  Everybody who hears it loves it. That was the first one that we were like, ‘that’s it.’

Vinyl: So what other things inspire you? 

Sarah: Inspiration in life. Life itself is inspiration.

Jordy: When people do good deeds out of their character. Anything that makes you feel super strong.

Ben: Any feeling you have could be inspiring.

Jordy: Being around my family, my band; that’s what inspires me. I love you guys, you know? And being around our fans; the people that are there for us.

Sarah: You know…there are also lot of things that make you feel pain when you see in the world, and our songs hope to empower people. Our inspiration comes from wanting to make the world better, from wanting to help, from living up to a sense of purpose in our being. Jordy and everyone likes to say, it’s about the message.

Vinyl: What’s the timeline for your upcoming album?

Jordy: We’re kind of wrestling with the name of the album. [It will be out this summer]…one more thing I want to say: I feel like music is in an intermission stage right now, and they’re waiting for something, and that’s where we’re going to give them something. I’m honest about that, too. Our record is f*cking ridiculous.

Matt: We have been so part of every genre that we try to put that in our music but make it have the artistry again. But we write such great songs that it still has a pop appeal but not to the point where that’s what our whole thing is about.

Sarah: Kind of like how Lorde was; I don’t think Lorde had the intention to make a pop song, but her song really thrives in that arena.

Matt: Here’s another thing I want to say: a lot of times the whole listening of an album from start to finish is lost. It was created with the intention of a certain experience. I want people to put it on the beginning and be taken on a journey. We want to release it on vinyl, really cool color with a bonus track.

Vinyl: What does the year have in store for you and what upcoming shows are you most excited about?

Ben: This is kind of our introductory show, us presenting what we have to the world and to SXSW and then LA next. We will continue after that, but we’re not exactly sure yet as of now.

Vinyl: Craziest moment?

Matt: Partying on the road, getting roofied in Chicago, showing up at the hotel at 9 a.m. with no shirt on –  just a sports jacket. This is ON the record.

Jordy: This is on the album!

Morgan Delt: “Obstacle Eyes”

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

When Los Angeles based psychedelic singer-songwriter Morgan Delt released his latest single to accompany his debut self-titled album (coming January 28 via Trouble in Mind) and previously released as a limited edition cassette, you can only expect a song as mysterious as Delt. Operating off the grid, Delt is notoriously hard to find information about, only adding to his anachronistic brilliance.

His single, “Obstacle Eyes,” is a nod to sixties psychedelia with cascades of layered chords and twisty melodies anchored by Delt’s smoothly elusive vocals that lure the listener into a hazy drone of melodic repetition. With an instantly catchy hook, Delt creates a trippy fusion of druggy sixties rock with the ambient textures of Ariel Pink.

The song rambles back and forth like a tinkering old music box, igniting a thoughtful introspection that remains transfixed by an enigmatic forward and backward progression. This is a track that deserves your full attention, so sit back and let Delt transport you to a summery sixties acid trip on the California coast.

Take a listen here: