Category: Interviews
Festival Foodie SXSW 2016 | Two Words: Kimchi Fries
We associate many things with Austin’s annual SXSW festival: music, technology, media, education, tacos, BBQ, day parties… While the list of affiliated foods, drinks, and entertainment goes on and on, it’s undeniable that there is one delectable treat that stands out. Over the past six years, SXSW attendees have come to crave Chi’Lantro’s acclaimed Kimchi Fries. This creation from Jae Kim has become a SXSW, as well as an Austin, staple.
This reinvention and fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisines is unlike anything you have ever tasted and no line is ever too long to wait in for Chi’Lantro’s fare. After years of indulging on Chi’Lantro’s menu, we just had to chat with Kim about one of our most favorite eats of SXSW.
Festival Foodie: Chi’Lantro is reinventing traditional Korean and Mexican cuisine, where did the idea/inspiration for your food truck and restaurants originate?
Jae Kim: I started the business with 30k in savings and by maxing out a credit card to 30k. I didn’t have the resources, or an experience to start a restaurant, so, leasing the food truck provided an opportunity to serve Korean BBQ inspired menu. We grew organically and took out a loan to open a restaurant.
FF: It’s easy to associate Austin, and Texas as a whole, with traditional BBQ- Ribs, Brisket, Pulled Pork, the works. Over the years, Chi’Lantro has made its own distinctive mark on Austin’s BBQ and food scene with elements of Korean BBQ. Can you explain what makes Korean BBQ different and how are Chi’Lantro’s rib-eye and pork Bulgogi prepared?
Kim: I heard Aaron Franklin of Franklin’s BBQ talking recently and he said making Franklin’s BBQ is a like a science because timing, temperature, and quality has to be perfect. I think Korean BBQ isn’t as time consuming as Texas BBQ because weather doesn’t play into the factor, but we use over 20 ingredients to mix our thinly sliced meat, marinate them for over 24 hours, and cooked on a hot flat top grill.
FF: As a vegetarian option, Tofu is offered as a protein menu item. Is your tofu prepared in any particular manner?
Kim: It’s very simple, yet very good. It’s cubed and fried lightly to give it a slightly crunchy texture on the outside, then pour in our house made tofu sauce for taste.
FF: Where can attendees find Chi’Lantro at this year’s SXSW? Will you be partnering with any specific brands this year?
Kim: We are at Southbites, Austin Convention Center, Palmer Center, 823 Congress, 1509 South Lamar, and East 6th Street. We’ve partnered with multiple brands to give away food during Interactive and Music portion of SXSW. It will be exciting.
FF: How would you describe those famous Kimchi Fries in one word?
Kim: Winning
FF: How did these fries become such a staple to SXSW?
Kim: Word of mouth. We do our best to give our customers quality and consistent food and service and it’s been recognized by our fans and customers at SXSW. We are humbled and thankful.
FF: In addition to your Kimchi Fries, what other menu items would you suggest to someone who has never had Chi’Lantro?
Kim: Our bowl is 2nd most popular item on our menu and we won’t disappoint you!
SXSW 2016: Bayonne x Vinyl Mag
Musically, Roger Sellers is many things – talented composer, accomplished musician, aural experimenter, electronic/minimalist pioneer – he is not, however, a DJ. To clarify any misunderstandings of this fact Sellers has distinguished his electronic material by adopting the alias “Bayonne.” Seller’s debut as Bayonne, Primitives (March 25th, Mom + Pop), is a richly layered soundscape; an hypnotic electronic dream that takes you on a winding journey into another world. With SXSW around the corner and a US tour on the horizon, we sat down with Sellers to talk about the new album and get an inside look into Bayonne.
Vinyl Mag: This month you will re-release Primitives under Bayonne on Mom + Pop. How has the transition been in having your electronic/minimalist material be identified with this moniker while keeping your folk-based material associated with your own name Roger Sellers?
Roger Sellers: The transition has been pretty smooth so far, being that many of the songs in Primitives were written at a time I was also focused on more folk-based writing. The styles easily overlapped. I feel it all comes from a similar place, “Bayonne” is a way for the audience and myself to distinguish the two.
VM: You’ve said many of the songs on Primitives came from experimenting, what does that creative process look like behind all of the sound layering and experimentation?
RS: Primitives is largely based on loops and layers. I found myself purchasing a looper in early college and started experimenting. I liked the ideas I would come up with rather quickly because it wouldn’t allow for second guessing. I soon became very intrigued by this process and decided to put these loops into a live performance, which led to the record years later.
VM: What three words would you use to describe Primitives?
RS: Repetitious, dense, and melodic.
VM: The artwork for Primitives and that translucent turquoise vinyl, is stunning! How was this design and color palette created/chosen?
RS: Well, the way I imagined my environment while working on primitives was like being in a dark, but colorful crystal cave or something. The record and process had a very earthy feel to me so I did the best I could describing that to Rob Carmichael, the artist. The turquoise translucent vinyl worked really well with the color scheme and gives it a crystal effect.
VM: You have quite a few US tour dates coming up, are there any venues/festivals/cities in particular on this tour your are excited to play/visit?
RS: I’m really stoked to play SXSW as always along with Levitation this year. Outside of my home state Im very excited to visit Montreal and Toronto for the first time, as well as hitting the road with Small Black in April.
VM: Do you have any pre-show rituals or routines?
RS: It depends on the show, but I’ll usually try to chill out as much as I can and conserve energy for the performance. Stretching is something I do close to show time, and I’ll usually jump around right before I go on to get the energy up after chilling.
VM: If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
RS: There’s many artists that would be awesome to collaborate with. I’d love to do something in the studio with Wye Oak. I love the way they write and structure their music, and Jenn has the voice of an angel. They rule.
VM: What artists are you excited to see while at SXSW?
RS: It’s funny I just found out Wye Oak will be playing and I’ve never seen them live before. Plus they’re playing at my favorite venue, The Mohawk. Unfortunately I’m playing a set at that same exact same time.
VM: What do you plan on doing in Austin when you’re not performing?
RS: There’s usually little time between shows, meetings, practice, and press during SX to do other things. When I do have time I like to hang with friends of colleagues from out of town that I don’t get to see as often.
VM: Tacos and BBQ seem to rule the SXSW food scene every year. Being from Texas, if you could only choose one or the other as your favorite, which would you choose?
RS: Texas BBQ rules, and so do tacos in Austin. It really depends on what I’m in the mood for but I’d say this year I’ll be more on the BBQ side of things if I had to choose. I eat tacos ALL the time.
Catch Bayonne at SXSW 2016!
3/13 (Sun) Barbarian Group @ Mohawk (Outdoor) – 7:20pm
3/15 (Tue) Bayonne In-store @ Waterloo – 5:00pm
3/17 (Thu) Mom+Pop Showcase @ Container Bar – 1:30pm
3/17 (Thu) Secretly Group Showcase @ Barracuda – 8:15pm
3/18 (Fri) ASCAP Showcase @ The Driskill – 11:59pm (aka midnight)
PerDiem x Vinyl Mag: The Future of Music
Over the last decade, the music industry has struggled to provide a reliable way to successfully support independent artists. The traditional method of saving money to make a record, playing a ton of shows and hoping that people buy your music just isn’t working. Now more than ever, the market is so saturated with great music that artists often struggle to break even, which is ironic because music is more accessible now than it has ever been. How can an independent artist “make it” in the digital age without signing a long term record deal?
Generally speaking we’ve stopped pirating our favorite music in favor of subscription based streaming services, only to learn that a small fraction of what we pay for these services is actually returned to the artists. As fans, we have loads of great music at our fingertips but very few ways to support the bands we love. Certainly the resurgence of vintage music mediums like vinyl and cassette tapes have opened new financial avenues for the independent artist, but what if there were a way for fans and artists to be more intimately connected?
Enter PerDiem, a crowdfunded music investment platform that is looking to breathe new life into the music industry.
Quite simply, PerDiem is an online platform that allows fans to act as record producers. By purchasing shares, PerDiem allows the public to invest in the success of their favorite artists.
Here’s how it works:
An artist determines how much money they need for their new project, i.e. making a new record or going on tour. Then the artist chooses a percentage of the money raised to give back to their investors. Finally, the artist asks fans to help them reach their financial goal by purchasing shares. As revenue from the project grows, the percentage set by the artist is returned to the project’s investors based on how many shares they’ve purchased.
In this model, an artist’s success is directly tied to the fan’s ability to promote their music. The more an investor promotes an artist, the more money that artist makes, meaning more money finds its way into the pockets of its investors. This model creates incentive for people to put their money into music while bringing fans closer than ever before to their favorite musicians, making PerDiem a potential game changer for independent artists.
Ahead of their Athens launch party last Friday, we got to ask founder Brandon Nelson a few questions about his vision.
Vinyl Mag: What made you want to start PerDiem?
Brandon Nelson: I was working in the music industry and saw bands having to work full time jobs and move in with their parents so they could simply afford to live. I watched bands not be able to release songs they loved because they wouldn’t sell or make it on the radio. I decided to leave the music industry because it was sad to see this happening. A few months later I was floating this idea of investing in music to a few friends and people started getting excited about it. Before I knew, I had people wanting to build out the platform and artists wanting to launch their music on it. It was like people were sort of forcing me to make it happen. Every time I would tell artists about the idea they would tell me “you have to do this”. Seeing how much of an impact music can have on people’s lives and the potential for this to make a difference, I knew that I had to do it.
VM: How is PerDiem different from other crowdfunding platforms?
BN: If an artist raises money on a traditional crowdfunding platform, the people are either “donating to” or “pre-ordering” their music. With PerDiem, you are actually investing in the music. So when revenue is generated from that music, part of the sales go back to the people who invested in it. We are able to do this by distributing the music and managing all of the technical stuff for the artists. This way artists can focus on just making the music and having a team of people who have a vested interest in making that music successful.
VM: Is PerDiem open and available to every band or artist, or are there criteria for gaining approval to start a campaign? Would PerDiem ever deny a band’s request to start a campaign?
BN: We welcome any artists to the platform! We work with the artists to make sure they fully understand the platform and are set up for success. It’s still early on so we are determining the best way to go about adding artists to it so that investors are protected, but we will never deny an artist based on genre or style.
VM: Is there a certain amount an artist must raise in order for the campaign to move to the next stage?
BN: Yes, an artist sets how much they are raising and must reach that goal in order to receive the funds.
VM: So my band wants to fund a record or raise money for our upcoming tour. What is the process for starting a PerDiem campaign?
BN: Go to the website (www.perdiem.rocks) and submit your information! We will reach out and get to know you a little better and walk you through everything.
VM: Like any good independent band, we have an entrepreneurial spirit. Can we use PerDiem to buy merchandise, fix our van, or get a new tattoo?
BN: Totally. There has to be an incentive for people to invest money into your band, so that would be tied to a song or album that you are creating. For example, you want to raise $20k to produce an album, you can use that money to fix your van, get a tattoo, and buy some merchandise – as long as you are able to produce the record with the money that you raised.
VM: What if the record doesn’t get made, or never gets distributed? What happens to the money that was pledged?
BN: There is always a risk when investing in anything. There is a chance that something could happen where they use the money and are unable to produce a record at all. As an investor, you are giving your money to an artist that you believe in to give them a shot at their dream. That is why it’s important to only invest in artists that you truly believe in. We try to make this very clear in our “Trust & Safety” part of the site.
VM: A band I love is on PerDiem and I want to help them make a record. How do I get involved?
BN: If you want to invest in a band you simply go to the artists page, select how many shares you want, and buy them. All of the information on how much they are raising, what they are raising it for, and how much they are giving back is all hosted on their page.
VM: The band is going to pay me a percentage of revenue from record sales?! Cool! So… how do I get my money?
BN: When a fan wants to “cash out”, we’ll deposit the value of those shares into your bank account. We are building out a much more comprehensive platform so this process may change a bit in the future to make it easier and more streamlined.
VM: This could be a game changer for the music industry. I see it not only as a way for fans to fund their favorite bands, but also as an opportunity for a fan or group of fans to essentially become an independent record producer. Have you thought about that at all?
BN: Absolutely. The amazing part of the platform is that it turns your fans into your marketing team. I see investors wanting to use their resources and talents to help the bands they are invested in. For example, a videographer could film a music video for a band they invested in, or someone with a recording studio could offer studio time to artists they have invested in as well. It creates an entire new industry of opportunity around music. I always have this dream of an inner city kid taking his $10 and investing it into an artist that he believes in. Then that $10 turns into $20, then $100, etc.. Next thing you know, he is a music curator that people look at to find new bands and he is making a living by finding good music. The possibilities are exciting!
VM: Why stop at records, tours, and merch? In theory, PerDiem could be used to fund things like festivals, benefits, or even music venues where a percentage of proceeds from the events are returned to its investors. Would you want your platform to be used in such a way?
BN: We actually get that question a lot and it’s definitely something that we are interested in. Right now we are focused on fixing what we believe is the biggest problem in the music industry, then using what we have learned to expand into other areas where there is a demand for it. We have a pretty big vision for PerDiem so I wouldn’t be surprised to see it expanding into other areas in the future.
VM: When is it going live and how many artists do you have lined up?
We did a test run with a couple artists to see how people would interact with the concept. In just a few days an artist named Nico Blue raised $1,000 to produce his first original single. So we know that people are willing to invest in music and use the platform. We’ve got some exciting artists in the pipeline and an incredible group of people supporting us. We’re planning to add more artists over the next couple of weeks and continue to build it into a platform that can support the next generation of music.
To find out more about PerDiem, type “perdiem.rocks” into your preferred search field, and stay up to date with their soon to be launched Twitter feed @perdiemmusic.
Superbody x Vinyl Mag
Robert McCurry and Caleb Dills of Superbody recently released their first album, Hades Land. With a deep and dreamy synth pop style, the boys from Chattanooga have made multiple appearances in Athens, Georgia. McCurry and Dills briefly talk about their fateful history and possible upcoming albums with an air of modest humor.
VM: Superbody is a relatively new project for you two and also pretty successful. What are the challenges, if any, of beginning this new duo?
Robert: Hearing the words “success” and “Superbody” in the same sentence makes my head hurt. I would rather not expand upon the details of the achievements or disappointments of this project at this time.
VM: You guys have a lot of help with your music videos from various friends. What is the creative process like when working with other people to get your vision across? “Wings 4 Two” and “Call Me That” really coincide with your experimental style.
Caleb: Yes, the multimedia undertakings of Superbody have so far been aided by extraordinary acquaintances who happen to share our same vision. If I could afford a video camera you would not be asking me this question.
VM: How did you two get together to form Superbody? And how did you come into your own style?
C: We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again. We started making music at Ricky’s Crab House on 5th and Broad. Robert had a tune. I had a beat. The end.
VM: Although you two are from Chattanooga, you play a lot in Athens. Is there a difference between the audience’s responses in the two cities? Is there any particular reason you like to play in Athens, as opposed to Chattanooga?
R: I love my children here in Athens, Georgia. I’ve developed a paternal relationship with the youth of Athens in the past few months. They give. I take.
VM: I noticed at your show in Athens that you were selling tapes of Hades Land? Why that medium? Do you also sell CD’s?
C: One crisp autumn morning, the type that you could take a bite out of if you really wanted, the cassette tapes for Hades Land appeared on our doorstep. I will gladly sell anything with our faces on it for pure profit, especially if that product is a gift. If you have any gifts for us that bear our likeness please do not hesitate to reach us by electronic mail at superbodymusic@gmail.com
VM: You recently released your first full-length album, Hades Land, any talk of upcoming releases and new material?
C: If the stars align and we don’t get drafted into the war, you can expect some new media sometime in the future.
VM: Based on your experience with your first album, is there anything you’d like to improve or change for your next album?
R: First off, we’d like to get this stray pack of dogs out of our studio! If you listen to Hades Land very closely you’ll hear ‘em! Those damned things are a headache and a half!
Saint Pé x Vinyl Mag: “Eat, Shit, Sleep, Breathe Rock ‘n’ Roll”
“The wheel ain’t broken. You don’t need to fix it, just trying to put some new rims on it.”
At CMJ this year, the first band on my must-interview list was Saint Pé, the newest project formed by Black Lips alum and current Diamond Rugs guitarist/vocalist Ian Saint Pé.
Backstory
As a not-born-but-bred Georgian, I’ve been a Black Lips fan since I switched Jack Rogers for Converse and mini skirts for skinny jeans back in the 9th grade. And then came college and post-college life in Athens, Georgia, where I was introduced to part-local supergroup Diamond Rugs. Dudes. This band is my joint, and I have been helplessly addicted since the release of their latest album Cosmetics back in February. Yes, that is nine full months that I have had D.Rugs in my constant rotation, and I’m nowhere near over it.
That being said, if Ian Saint Pé is involved with a band, I’m an instant convert. So when word reached my ears that he was forming a new band under his name, I was all kinds of psyched. And when I found out that the band was coming to CMJ, I snagged myself an interview with them so I could let my fan flag fly.
The Interview
We all sat down on the rooftop of Our Wicked Lady in Brooklyn before the band’s last of three shows at the fest, and as soon as the mic was on, Ian dove in, intro’ing us with our new slogan: “Vinyl Mag CMJ 2015. Pro gear, pro attitudes.” This turned out to be the first of countless ad-libbed one-liners throughout the interview, which he attributed to having a “lot of time in a van to think about things.”
When asked about his new direction away from the band that had built his career and on to a new self-titled project, Ian explained to me that sometimes, even the bands you love get a little stale (my nine-month Diamond Rugs binge might indicate that I have a higher tolerance than most for this phenomenon), and that after 10 years in the same band, things inevitably get a little redundant.
“I’d say after 10 years … honestly, The Rolling Stones—that’s my favorite band, and there’s a good reason why—but I don’t even want to hear them for more than an hour, you know? And that’s a super good band. I mean, ’cause how much more can you say in that amount of time? So with that statement, I’m gonna move it on to records. I did seven records in 10 years. What more can I say? It was time to change it up. Love the guys, but I got more to say. I love them, and I love the records, but I’m ready to birth new children with new people.”
And so, Saint Pé was born. The band came together the way all bands do, through the local music scene—in this case, the scene of Atlanta, mainly. Most of the band members are based and/or met in A-Town, with the exception of “ivory tickler” (a.k.a. keyboardist) Paul Wierdak, who is based in Chicago. Ian, who had lived in Atlanta for 15 years, credits the bulk of his musical career to the city, saying, “It ain’t New York, but it was my New York. And no regrets, because unlike New York and L.A., I could have half a job and spend all my time playing music–and did it–rather than having to have three jobs and maybe play music … if you have a fall back plan, you’ll fall back.”
So what does Saint Pé have to say that hasn’t been said in any of Ian’s other projects?
“It’s always been eat, shit, sleep, breathe rock and roll,” Ian told me. “The wheel ain’t broken. You don’t need to fix it, just trying to put some new rims on it.”
The rims are fresh indeed. Though it was Saint Pé’s oh-so-familiar moniker that originally grabbed my attention, it was the refreshingly upbeat track “Street Lights” that made me a believer in the band. Premiered via Noisey back in April, “Street Lights” is one of four tracks off the band’s debut Secular Music EP.
“It’s just my story of never worrying about what could have been, because I always knew what was,” Ian said of the song. “And that was to play music. ‘Street Lights’ is basically the adaptation of my novel I haven’t written and the movie that hasn’t been made yet … because late at night, with the white line fever, the only thing that comes to your head is the lights, physically. That’s powerful to the eye, the light … basically about being on the road and getting something. [The line] ‘Got a country house, quiet as a mouse’—you know, I was able to get everything I wanted … that’s what ‘Street Lights’ is about. Just everything I was striving for, I got–which wasn’t much, but just to be happy and do artistic shit on my terms.”
Sounds good to me.
“Nothing’s changed,” Ian clarified. “I’m 38, still bleed 17. I want to continue to play music with friends of mine. The other Black Lips guys are still my friends, but I just want to change it up … I had to take two steps back to go five steps forward, and I have a bunch of my friends from Atlanta and Chicago that are participating in this project. I’ve got nothing but great expectations. I did six continents, but I haven’t done seven. This band will do seven.”
The Future
Saint Pé is Ian Saint Pé (vocalist/guitarist), Matt McCalvin (bassist), Ian “Mickey D” McDonald (guitarist), Paul Weirdak (keyboardist), and John Restivo Jr. (drums). They are currently on tour, set to play shows with Natural Child and T. Hardy Morris. Check out their tour dates below, and keep an eye out for more dates coming in January. These guys won’t be slowing down any time soon. Parting words from Ian: “Ain’t gonna stop ’til it’s broken, and I don’t plan on being broken.”
Tour Dates:
Thursday, November 12 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA w/ Natural Child
Saturday, November 14 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA w/ Natural Child
Saturday, December 5 – JJ’s Bohemia – Chattanooga, TN w/ T. Hardy Morris
Sunday, December 6 – The Basement – Nashville, TN w/ T. Hardy Morris
Thursday, December 10 – Isis Restaurant and Music Hall – Asheville, GA w/ T. Hardy Morris and Roadkill Ghost Choir
Friday, December 11 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA w/ T. Hardy Morris
Saturday, December 12 – Saturn – Birmingham, AL w/ T. Hardy Morris and Duquette Johnston
CMJ 2015: Quaildogs x Vinyl VIDEO
Atlanta six-piece Quaildogs just released their first LP, The Getting Old Factory, back in September, but they’d already made a name for themselves prior to the release. The alt-country band has opened for the likes of Moon Taxi, Roadkill Ghost Choir, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and they recently played multiple shows at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. We caught up with them at their show at Leftfield NYC to chat about their record, studio time (shout-out to mutual friend and Glow in the Dark Studios audio engineer, Ben Etter), and how they unknowingly ended up in Counting Crows’ Adam Durtiz’ house.
Gretchen and the Pickpockets x Vinyl Mag: The New Soul of Music
Once in a while, a person will walk into a bar, hear a live band, and fall in love instantaneously. For the lucky crowd at New York City’s Parkside Lounge on October 24, this was exactly what happened when Gretchen and the Pickpockets stole their hearts.
The lights are present only on stage and a twinkling disco ball spins overhead, centering Gretchen perfectly at the microphone. She steps up and with a steady inhale, dives into the first phrase of “Sweet, Sweet Love,” a Gretchen and the Pickpockets original. Her voice is clear and rich with an alto tone that cuts through the center of the room. She glides from note to note and her sound bounces off the rat-a-tat-tat of the drums and swoon of the horn. The blend makes its way to the deep and full bodied sound of the base and rounds off with the metallic strum and pluck of the guitar.
The band of five – singer Gretchen Klempa, bassist and brother of Gretchen, Mike Klempa, Tom O’Connell on drums, Richie Smith on guitar, and Ryan O’Connell on trumpet – calls the New Hampshire seacoast their home base but have no problem taking the New York music scene by storm. Their sound is original, refreshing and – in the endless circling of synthetic pop songs in modern music – a welcome chance to revisit the real heart and soul of music.
Described by band members as “alternative rock with jazz” the G&P sound is one that leans heavily on the wails of smooth jazz trumpet paired perfectly with the pep of classic rock guitar. Their songs, such as the signature “Sweet, Sweet Love” and “Break a Sweat” offer lighthearted energetic beats while “Confident,” “Don’t Let Go,” and “Swimmin’ In The Sea” show a more mellow side of the group, treading in lower tones and building to mid-song breakout crescendos.
Kick-starting their music career three years ago, the then group of University of New Hampshire students found common ground in their dorm building’s common room where they would gather to cover their favorite songs. Eventually covering turned to writing and the common room turned into a stage.
“It kind of just happened,” said Gretchen. “It was me and Mike’s idea to start the band and then we kind of like rang in these hooligans,” motioning over to the rest of the guys.
“We wrote some crappy songs and then Ryan came in and fixed them,” added Mike.
There’s a playfulness and ease to the group that shows through in their presence on stage and can be heard directly influencing the sound they seem to so effortlessly create.
Their sound, something fans would be hard pressed to find anywhere else, is pulled from a smorgasbord of inspirations, ranging from punk rock, hip-hop (both 90s and modern) and jazz, to name a few. The proclaimed favorite as far as other bands are concerned is D’Angelo and the common ground for favorite genre is soul music and R&B.
“It’s just a culmination of everything that we like, you know, we all have different backgrounds,” said Richie. “It’s so hard to pinpoint exactly where this comes from because we all have so many different interests.”
“We even had a keyboard at one point,” he added.
“Yeah … for like a week,” Gretchen tacks on with a hint of wit.
Something that stuck a bit more permanently than the keyboard, however, is the band’s name. Keeping on track with originality Gretchen and the Pickpockets as a phrase is just as catchy and unforgettable as Gretchen and the Pickpockets as a tune. The name can be attributed to Gretchen and Mike’s upbringing on Pickpocket Road where they held band practice and their father’s persistence when he heard a good thing.
“For like a year their dad was like, ‘You should be The Pickpockets,’” said Ryan.
Three years later, and here they are.
The future of Gretchen and the Pickpockets is one that, just like the range of inspirations, fans and notes in their songs, has no limits. According to the band, their sound will continue to develop and their reach will continue to grow.
As for the sound, Ryan has high hopes to “experiment with bigger horns sections.”
“In some of our locals shows our friends will just jump up on stage with us and we’ll have like a six part horn section and it sounds really cool,” he said.
“We would just bring, at first cover songs we all liked then we kind of figured out what kind of music we wanted to play,” said Mike.
As for location, the group is hoping to do a Southern tour in the near future but for now is content with their native region of New England.
“I think you can make it big wherever you are if you have talent and know the right person. It doesn’t really matter where you are, to me. We want our hometown to be Boston,” said Gretchen.
The band currently holds the title for “Best Band in New Hampshire” and it’s inevitable that this is just the beginning.
“It’s like you know being in this band, I feel so lucky. Like, these are cool people, and they’re kick-ass musicians so like, you know, you couldn’t ask for a better way to be creative, said Richie, “I’m just happy to be in this group. I think what’s cool about being in this band is since we all really dig jazz and that sort of thing, there’s a lot of room to improvise but even though we have our set song forms, we can push it a little bit. If we want to change tempo a little bit, we go into a different harmony, everyone’s really good at listening and really goes with it.”
“We’ve all invested a lot of time the last few years and we’re all ready to invest a lot more time too,” added Mike.
The hard work is in no doubt paying off. With fans in New Hampshire, Boston, New York and even a “small cult following in Milwaukee” (Richie would like to give a shout-out to Reggie), there’s nowhere for this down to earth band to go but up.
“I think we sort of go by the mantra of, you know…don’t be a jerk” said, Mike. “Be nice and don’t suck.”
To top it all off, G&P are avid food lovers, with a specialty in tacos. As if it couldn’t get any better, fans can follow the band’s food escapades on their website and Instagram.
And so, tacos in tow, G&P left New York for the New England soundscapes once again. On Nov. 5, they will open for Low Cut Connie at Great Scott in Allston MA and plans for a full album are in the works.
For Gretchen and the Pickpockets, there are no signs of slowing down. We couldn’t be happier.
To catch Gretchen and the Pickpockets, check out their upcoming show dates and venues:
Nov. 6 – Thirsty Moose, Portsmouth NH
Nov. 7 – Blue Mermaid, Portsmouth NH
Nov. 25 – Zorba Room, Lowell MA
Nov. 27 – Press Room, Portsmouth NH
Marian Hill x Vinyl Mag
Marian Hill are a jazzy synthpop duo from Philly who introduced themselves to the world with their debut single “Whiskey” in 2013, leading up to the release of their excellent Sway EP earlier this year. Touring, writing, and recording all along the way, the band are picking up steam and readying their full-length for early 2016.
I sat down with Jeremy and Samantha after their 12:00pm set on Sunday at ACL Weekend 2 in the Austin summer heat (shaded area, thankfully) and talked about pros and cons of big festivals, their roots as a band, and how far they’ve come in such a short time.
Michelle King: Thanks for taking the time to talk; I know you guys probably have a busy schedule this weekend. I also know you weren’t here last weekend, but did you come straight in from Philly?
Jeremy Lloyd: We’re in the middle of a tour, so we played Dallas last night and we’re playing Phoenix in a couple days with ACL right in the middle.
Samantha Gongol: We had to drive straight here, so we only got like two hours of sleep.
MK: And then a daytime show after that, that’s gotta be tough for you guys.
JL: Yeah it’s been a crazy day.
MK: Have you gotten to see anything since you finished your set?
JL: No, haha. We went straight to a radio set and then to eat some lunch, and now we’re here.
MK: So staying busy then!
(both): Yeah.
MK: Are you planning on seeing anything else while you’re here?
JL: Yeah, I’m very excited for a few bands later today. We’re going to try and catch Chance the Rapper, alt-j, The Decemberists.
SG: I’d like to catch Halsey.
MK: So you’re on tour right now; have there been any stand out shows?
JL: I mean the stand out for me on tour is just that every show has been such big, excited crowds.
SG: We’re playing to bigger rooms.
JL: We’re selling merch for the first time, and we’re just having a lot more fan interaction than we’re used to. Every show we’re out there for an hour after meeting people, taking pictures, signing autographs.
MK: That’s awesome! So the reaction has been significantly better than it was last time you toured?
JL: Yeah, it’s been another level. It’s really had an escalation from the last tour which is really cool.
MK: And you just put out your first EP this year; what were you doing before that? When did you start touring as a band?
JL: We put out our first song ‘Whiskey” in July 2013, and at that point it was the only song we had written together. And then people got excited about it on the internet, and were like “great, so what else are you guys working with?” and then we were sort of building everything else up. We played our first live show in February 2014, we put out a little independent EP around the same time, and since then we’ve been playing one-offs and writing more and more and we signed and put out the official EP, the Sway EP. We’ve been touring and writing our album since, and now the album’s ready to go and we’re just waiting on the release and everything.
MK: About your first song “Whiskey,” I read that the way you introduced it to the world was emailing cold-emailing 60 blogs… what did that email say?
JL: Haha! Ohhh, I was actually pretty careful about it. I got the blogs because I went on Hype Machine and looked at songs like ours and looked at blogs that posted them and found the contact info and made a big spreadsheet. And then in each email I found a song that each blog had posted that I liked, and personalized the email saying “I found this artist through you guys, so I wanted to share this song with you” and then there’s a little blurb about Marian Hill and the track.
MK: That’s smart, you should be a publicist!
JL: Noooo, but it worked! We got picked up by three amazing blogs and the rest is history.
MK: Have you guys played Austin before?
SG: We did SXSW.
MK: How do you feel that ACL compares to SXSW? I know they’re completely different animals, but…
SG: I’d have to say, I mean SXSW has a lot of shows, a lot of smaller shows. You know, it’s a city festival and this feels very much like Firefly, you know, just bigger stages. It’s great.
MK: What are some of the best things about playing a bigger festival like this?
JL: I think the opportunity to see other bands, because as a band we’re always playing shows, we never get to go to shows. It’s really cool to be like “oh wow, Chance the Rapper is playing today, I’ve been wanting to see him, let’s just go!”
SG: And also for a band like us that are still sort of up-and-coming, the stages are bigger, the crowds are bigger.
JL: You get a lot of walk-ups, you get a lot of people that haven’t heard of you and we were the only band playing at noon so we have a lot of people walking over as they hear it, and those are new fans.
MK: Great exposure, yeah. What are some challenges of playing the bigger shows?
SG: The heat.
JL: Playing in the daytime is always freaking gross, not only because we have very night-time vibes but because my controller uses a lot of light and if there’s sun shining on it I can’t read it, so we have to construct shade so that I can see what’s going on. Festivals, book us at night!
MK: I heard that you met in middle school doing a play together. How did you reconnect after all that time?
JL: I mean we were always kind of connected, we were always in the same friend group, and we both started writing songs on our own around the same time and we were kind of aware of each other and sharing stuff and trading tips and stuff like that. When we would catch up over breaks, as you would do with old friends, and in college we would write stuff, and that’s how “Whiskey” came around.
MK: And how do you guys share songwriting duties?
SG: Jeremy handles production, and we write melody and lyrics together.
MK: What would you say inspires your music?
SG: I’d say relationships are a big thing.
JL: I mean definitely other artists, and music in general. I always think that I’m making the music I want to hear, and I’ll get into the slumps where “I don’t like anything!” and that’s a lot of where the impulses are coming from. I also love Drake, and he’s a huge inspiration.
SG: And I grew up on jazz so…
MK: Yeah I can definitely hear a lot of that in your music. And you have a live sax on stage!
JL: I grew up on hip-hop and she grew up on pop and you kind of bring the two together.
MK: So you pull a whole lot of elements into your music.
JL: Yeah, a lot of it’s about bringing old and new together. Making electronic music still feel live and human and exciting. Because it’s easy now that everything’s so electronic to make stuff that’s just completely canned.
SG: And the nice thing about “Whiskey” is just that sort of organic, really simple evolution. We didn’t have any designs, we didn’t set out to make the song in a particular style.
JL: We aren’t trying to be anyone else. So when “Whiskey” worked, we were just like “Woah, what is this? Let’s be like this.”
MK: And you said you’re putting together a full-length now?
JL: Yeah, it’s together! I’ve got it on my phone!
MK: How would you say it compares to Sway?
JL: I think it’s a greater expansion. It’s like Sway we were defining our sound and on the new album we’re totally fleshing it out. It’s a lot broader, we explored the different places we can go emotionally, musically, sonically.
MK: When’s it coming out?
JL: Early next year.
SG: Early 2016!
MK: And you guys are just going to keep touring and hustling in the meantime?
SG: Yes! We finish at the end of October, and then we’ll have a couple one-off dates. And from there we’ll see! During the holidays things kind of shut down and then after the new year we’re back!
MK: Looking forward to it! Is there anything else you guys want to add?
SG: First time at ACL and we loved it!
MK: Well we’re glad you’re here, it was an awesome show!
CMJ 2015: Slow Down Molasses x Vinyl Mag
Slow Down Molasses is a quintet hailing from Saskatoon, Canada. And I’m newly obsessed with them. Reminding me of another Vinyl favorite, PacificUV, SDM is a shoegaze pop dream, and their recent album, Burnt Black Cars, definitely can’t be listened to just once. The band is made up of members Tyson McShane, Jeanette Stewart, Chrix Morin, Levi Soulodre, and Aaron Scholz.
Post-CMJ madness, we grabbed a few minutes with Tyson to talk about the festival madness as well as future plans for the band. Read on, and then go listen immediately.
Vinyl Mag: How was your CMJ? Did you get to see any other shows?
Tyson McShane: We had fun. It’s always great to get a chance to get to New York City, and as we always do at these types of festivals, we definitely made sure to catch some other bands. A personal highlight for me was seeing Mercury Rev and Ezra Furman at the Bella Union showcase. The Rev were stunning as usual, and Ezra fantastically delivered on all the hype I’d be hearing for him and his band. Otherwise, we played four shows, a couple of which were really great fun. You never know who’s around at these festivals, so it’s always a bit of a mystery as to whether the shows were a success or not, but we love to play, so no matter what, we enjoy playing the shows, and people to seemed to appreciate them.
VM: What was your favorite moment of the week?
TM: The end of our last show of the festival, a 1:15am set at Arlene’s Grocery, was really fun. We’re all big Sonic Youth fans, so we figured we’re playing New York’s Lower East Side, let’s end the set with a nicely destructive cover of their song “100%.” It was a nice, cathartic way to end our time at the festival. We then went straight from the venue to the airport and flew home.
VM: What was your favorite show that you played?
TM: The first show we played was easily our favorite. It was a show for #ImagineOct20th, put on by a bunch of Canadians in New York to motivate people to get out and vote out (our then) Prime Minster, Stephen Harper. The Canadian federal election was October 19th, and unfortunately we’ve had a very cynical, mean-spirited man as a Prime Minster for the last decade, and we were really happy to get to play a show to do our small part to encourage Canadians to get out and vote him out. The show was wonderfully fun to play, and it was great to connect with some fellow Canadians right as soon as we landed in New York. Also, I’m happy to say Stephen Harper was voted out, and I’m cautiously optimistic about the new Prime Minister, so I’d say the show was a success!
VM: How did working with Jace Lasek come about for Burnt Black Cars?
TM: Working with Jace was fantastic. We couldn’t afford to fly out and mix it with him, but it was a very easy process. We love the way his records sound, so we basically told him to do what comes naturally, and as a result the mixing was quite painless. Some songs on the record are his first attempt at a mix, with no revisions from us. It’s sort of incredible to start to learn how much of specific sound and personality the person mixer can have, and Jace has a pretty specific sound that we quite love.
VM: Do you have a favorite track from the album?
TM: Overall I’m really happy with every track on the album, but for me personally, “Resurrection Blues” was really exciting to do. I had not played that song for the band, as I had a pretty specific vision for it and I had all the parts laid out, but I’m pretty useless with recording myself and demo’ing things, so I’d never actually heard all the parts played at the same time. I was a bit nervous that it would sound like utter crap and we’d end up having to re-write the song or cut it altogether. Fortunately that was not the case, other than some minor editing that Jace did and tiny bit of glockenspiel that Ryan [drummer] added, it’s all the parts I had bouncing around my head.
VM: What is the writing process like for you guys?
TM: This album was a big change for us. Previously I’d write most of the songs and bring them to the band in a fairly finished state. This album we collaborated a lot more, either with me bringing in more skeletal ideas, or all of us being in the same room improvising around little ideas. So in general it is much more a band album. As a result I spend much less time just playing rhythm guitar, instead of playing more interesting bits to support the songs. It also meant the songs were a lot more refined going into the studio, so we all played a lot less on each song, but I think ended up with much stronger songs and a much better sounding album.
VM: Are there any collaborations that you’re dying to do?
TM: Despite touring in support of Burnt Black Cars, we’ve been writing a lot lately, so we’ve been pretty inward focused on that side of things. That said, I always have the in the back of my mind that I want to take a lot of the songs in a noisier direction and leave opportunities for the songs to go more out there. For something like that it would be amazing to collaborate with someone like (Swedish saxophonist) Mats Gustafson or the Dirty Three’s Warren Ellis, or some of the guys from Oneida. I’ve been really indulging in my love of more avant garde, improv based music the last couple years, so I could see that creeping in to some of what we do in the next while.
VM: What is next for Slow Down Molasses?
TM: We are heading back into the studio soon. We have a bunch of new songs, and we started recording a few of them at the end of August at our friend Barrett Ross’s studio. As I mentioned, we’ve been writing a lot lately as well, so I’m excited to get working on arrangements and get a few songs tracked, then figure out what we are doing for mixing them. We’ve got a few ideas on that.
Cardiknox x Vinyl Mag
New York electro-pop duo Lonnie Angle and Thomas Dutton got their start in a pretty unusual way—they met while working on a musical. After dabbling with their sound in the studio on the side, they decided to really put all their effort into making music, and Cardiknox was born. We sat down with the duo as they returned to NYC to talk inspiration, songwriting and plans for the future.
Vinyl Mag: Tell us about your single, “Doors.” Where did you get the inspiration for this song?
Lonnie Angle: “Doors” actually started as a dream. All songwriters have had this happen. They wake up in the middle of the night after dreaming of what seems like the world’s greatest melody. They fumble for their iPhone and record a sleepy, mumbled version of the melody, and go back to sleep. Usually, though, when you listen back in the morning, it’s a horrible melody that makes no sense. Not with “Doors,” though!
The initial dream also saw the song as more of a hip-hop song. On the production side, Thomas is hugely inspired by the simplistic power carried by a Drake or Kanye beat. So we tried to keep the music really simple and anthemic. Lyrically, it’s all about perseverance. Not losing self-confidence in the face of adversity. Believing in the outcome.
VM: What is your greatest accomplishment as a band so far?
LA: We just finished a few weeks of touring in Europe, which was a dream come true. Belgium, Amsterdam, Paris, and all over England. We didn’t know quite was to expect, but the shows were incredible. The kids at these festivals go nuts! It was so fun to play for crowds who have so much energy. It makes the performance so easy, because you’re just feeding off them.
VM: How was playing a festival like CMJ different than playing small clubs on a regular night?
LA: CMJ is always a whirlwind. In the best possible way. As long as you go in knowing that everything is going to be a bit of a mess, then you’ll be fine! There’s always twice as many bands on the bills, and there isn’t always a strong connection in the overall sound of the lineup — it’s a bit more random. But unlike playing a normal show, the whole city feels alive and electric (even more than normal). There’s this buzzing in the air, and you’re running around from show to show, not getting any sleep. It’s the best! Though I’m glad it’s only a few days every year…
VM: What was your favorite moment of your CMJ week?
LA: We haven’t played NYC in a hot second, so seeing all the familiar faces and all our friends come out was pure joy for us. We got to play some of our favorite spots, too — Webster and Brooklyn Bowl. Mmm their fried chicken… so good. Honestly I don’t know if there’s one singular moment that sticks out. It was just so great to be back in NYC, in full swing. Such a magical place.
VM: Any upcoming releases?
LA: Yes! Our next single, “On My Way” … [released October 30!] We’re really excited about releasing this song. We’re shooting the music video for it in a few weeks, too. We’ve been putting a ton of work and energy into the video, so we’re really stoked for that as well.
VM: If you could play any venue in the world, where would it be?
LA: Well, a few months ago I would have said The Gorge, up in Washington, but we got to play there at Sasquatch Festival. On second thought, that’s definitely up there on our list of biggest accomplishments. Thomas and I grew up in Seattle, so playing The Gorge has always been a dream.
Other venues on our bucket list are Red Rocks and Madison Square Garden. Hopefully someday soon!
VM: What is your songwriting process like? Do you draw inspiration from any other artists?
LA: We normally start with a certain lyric or concept that we want to write about. That’s often the hook and we’ll build a simple progression around it on the guitar. From there, sometimes we write the verse or pre-chorus and create a full skeleton of the song. Once the song is written, Thomas builds a beat around it, and starts creating the soundscape. Obviously it’s not always that linear. You never know when or where inspiration is going to strike.
VM: Do you prefer to play live shows or be in the studio working on something new?
LA: I love performing. It makes me feel completely alive and uninhibited. There’s something magic that happens when I step on stage—all my fears and anxieties about the world … all of the noise and chaos just falls away and it’s a kind of bliss.
VM: What artist would you most like to collaborate with?
LA: Thomas would probably say Drake. I’m pretty obsessed with Christine and the Queens. I’d love to collab with her in some way.
VM: If you could describe your sound in a single catchphrase, what would it be?
LA: As addictive as truffle fries.
VM: Do you have any pre-show routines or rituals?
LA: I always have a whiskey and jump up and down for about five minutes to get the blood moving. Thomas gets quiet and introspective … mapping out the show in his head.
VM: What is next for Cardiknox?
LA: World domination. J
VM: Anything else you want Vinyl Mag readers to know?
LA: We <3 u!