Category: Interviews

Industrious post-punk band Tuff Sunshine sit down with us to talk answering a crowd’s call, making it in NYC and one trick bands. Brooklyn-based and unpretentious, band members John Leitera, Ani Cordero and Turner Stough took over Union Pool Oct. 17 at the CMJ Music Marathon Team Clermont showcase. Tuff Sunshine’s next record, Fire in the Hero Building LP, will be released Oct. 31 — a deal that was made mid-Vinyl Mag interview.

Thanks for chillin with us #tuffsunshine #cmj #cmj2015 #vinylmagcmj #teamclermont

A photo posted by Vinyl Mag (@vinylmag) on Oct 17, 2015 at 6:07pm PDT

Vinyl Mag: Time Out New York described Tuff Sunshine as “emotive indie fare that skillfully fuses funky soul with wiry postpunk” in 2012. Would you say this is still an accurate description?

Turner Stough [bass]: It’s the first thing anyone’s ever written about us.

John Leitera guitar and vocals]: It’s an accurate blurb … we’ve definitely been writing newer stuff and growing. We all listen to a lot of different music; Turner and I used to be in a country band together, and I listen to a lot of soul music, and Ani does her own thing.

VM: Everyone has their hands in different projects. How do you all balance it while still doing kickass, wiry post punk shows in NYC?

JL: I really only have this and the country band. But Ani just recorded in North Carolina.

Ani Cordero [drums, percussion and vocals]: We’re all veteran musicians. It’s not so much about genre, it’s what the song calls for, and we try to provide it.

TS: Definitely.

VM: I’ve read Tuff Sunshine tries to send a specific message with music. Can you elaborate?

JL: There’s not a lot of attitude with this band. We like to do what we like to do. We play what we like to listen to – which doesn’t always mean just one type of music all the time.

VM: You play whatever the music calls for; what is something you’ll normally answer? What did tonight call for?

AC: A live performance is very different than arranging a song. Tonight called for rockin’ out. [laughs] So we did.

TS: Usually when musicians say that … [for example] if you’re a sideman playing for the song, it means you’re thinking of the big picture, and not just technicality of an instrument. It’s in the emotional vibe of the song, as opposed to putting in a hot lick or something to fill.

JL: I bring in the songs as a real rough sketch. Turner and Ani do a lot of the arranging. My songs are usually torn up and edited out a lot, which is good ‘cause I tend to go long.

VM: I know the feeling. I’m a writer.

JL: [Laughs] Oh yeah, very similar.

VM: That brings us to my next question – What’s the dynamic of Tuff Sunshine? You had a guest player tonight, Dave Rubin. Is that normal for y’all?

JL: This was a pretty big show for us. At CMJ, you never know who’s gonna be around. There’s a lot of parts on the record…Dave did a lot of the recording for our EP, and we thought it would be cool to have him cover some of the parts, like the organ.

VM: Would you say it’s tougher to be in a smaller band and cover all the parts?

JL: It’s actually a lot easier.

AC: Three is a great number, actually.

JL: Especially with the stuff we [recently] started writing. The whole goal of this band was to be pared down and raw. And not have a lot of ‘stuff.’ But I tend to like so many types of music … I don’t want to write a song like “Sliding Through My Hands,” the duet from tonight, and just have it be bass drum and guitar. There should be an organ. That’s the feel of it. So trying to cover that stuff live becomes more challenging.

VM: So then what’s your favorite song to perform live?

AC: That’s a three-part question. [laughs] You guys go first… I’m running through the songs, and I can’t pick.

JL: I like playing “I Complied” a lot. Live, Ani is right, we like to do rock…“Dynamite” is fun too.

AC: Come on, I mean it’s hard to pick. I can’t pick.

TS: For me, [it depends on] the room and the night. Sometimes songs just slay, but some nights in certain rooms they’re just OK. There are little x-factors with playing live. Sometimes the magic is all set. And you just fucking hit it out of the park. And sometimes you don’t.

JL: “I Complied” and “Sliding” showcases the band a little bit. I like people knowing that we’re not just a one trick band, that we have depth.

VM: One trick band. Ugh.

AC: Yeah, that’s a thing.

VM: So you all met in Brooklyn – how did you all start playing together? I read that you came out with your EP very shortly after getting together.

TS: Yeah. Right out of the gate.

JL: Turner and I were together looking for a drummer, and we found Ani. I literally put up a Craigslist ad that said, ‘This is a hail mary, this is the last time I’m ever doing this, I know you’re out there.’ And she was the only person who wrote back…we had a rehearsal, and we thought, ‘Let’s do it.’

I started with playing guitar and some little over dubs that I had recorded, and we learned them; then Ani and Turner turned out to work really well together as arrangers, and we kind of just went from there.

I wanted to go into the studio really soon after and capture what was really going on in that moment. Our first record is still one of my favorite things we did … which you will be receiving a free copy of after this interview [laughs].

VM: What are some obstacles you have run into breaking in the NYC music scene?

JL: Finding a drummer wasn’t that hard actually, we just got lucky. [NYC is] tough, but it’s a great place to be, because it’s the center of everything. Going out of town to tour and play shows … you find that people don’t get back as quickly [as NYC], that there’s not as much of a professional element to it like there seems to be here. To me, that’s the good thing about it. I guess what’s not great is that there’s just so many people doing it.

VM: That’s why I love stuff like this – CMJ as opposed to something like Governor’s Ball. It gives musicians a chance to get their names out.

JL: We were really happy to be part of this tonight. Super stoked. I came last year to this showcase, actually, and wished I was playing it.

VM: And here you are.

John steps away.

TS: [At CMJ] you get to hear all these bands that you’d rarely see. Maybe some of them aren’t on the level yet to tour the world regularly, so they come over here. You definitely get some cool vibes with festivals like CMJ, SXSW.

VM: Does Tuff Sunshine have plans for more showcases on the upcoming tour?

TS: We’re not doing any festivals, but we do have a Daytrotter session, which is what we built the tour around. It’s all the way in Iowa, so there and back is a good run. Playing Pittsburgh [John’s hometown] and my hometown, Cincinnati. Some Midwestern action.

VM: Shows will be pretty different on that tour than here at Union Pool. I feel like audiences in NYC just aren’t as impressed as easily.

TS: Yeah, I love playing smaller markets. Some of the best shows I’ve had have been small towns.

AC: In a large market, there could be 20 amazing shows or events [in one night], and you just can’t do it all. But when it’s a smaller market, everyone goes to all the different kind of shows available. It’s less segmented. Everyone goes to see all the cool stuff … and they dance more.

TS: Not everyone in the room is a musician [laughs].

John returns.

JL: So a guy just came over here, and he runs Shorewave Records, and he’s going to release our record on cassette.

VM: It just happened? Congrats!

JL: I honestly don’t know anyone who has a cassette player. [laughs]

AC: I do!

JL: Well we’re going to your house to listen to it … a lot of bands are doing it. It’s a cool boutique label. He’s a good guy who’s been a fan of the band for a while and put out some other stuff. He asked if we’d want to do a cassette, and I said sure. The vinyl release is just us. We have a few people who are somewhat interested.

VM: What would you say is your most significant accomplishment as a band?

JL: Staying together. I mean that. I really mean it. I think it’s really hard to find the right people to work with, to get through all the bullshit that everyone has to put up with. And just be able to keep it together. I’m so thankful for these guys. Personally, the greatest accomplishment is being able to keep it going. If you don’t keep it going, nothing else matters. We’ve had a lot of great things happen here and there, with press and record people, all of that’s really nice, and I’m always flattered and honored to have people pay attention to what we’re doing. But to me, sticking together is the biggest accomplishment.

AC: That’s a great answer.

TS: I think so, too. Everyone here runs different bands, and it’s not easy to keep a project together for a multitude of reasons, most of it is pretty obvious, but it’s a real skill, and John is good at it.

VM: That’s refreshing.

JL: Well, it’s true. Were also very thankful for this as well. I never take for granted that people want to talk to us. It’s very important to say that.

Soulful pop singer Malia Grace is heading to New York this week to perform at CMJ Music Marathon.  The Austin-based singer-songwriter has already made a name for herself in her hometown, between playing local weddings and being invited to perform at South by Southwest.  Now, Malia is set to drop her debut EP on October 29.  We grabbed a few minutes with Malia to talk about the release, having her song shared on Jimmy Fallon, and her week at CMJ.

Vinyl Mag: Your debut EP is dropping in a few weeks (October 29th) – can you tell us a little about that?

It is! I’ve been working on this EP for a year and a half and am very excited to finally get it out. The release is going to be at One2One Bar in Austin, TX and it will be a “Spook-tacular Release!” I figured since it was so close to Halloween, I might as well tell people to wear their costumes and celebrate that too. Who doesn’t love Halloween, right?!

VM: You did crowdfunding through Indiegogo for this album. What made you take that route, and how was the response? Was it surprising at all?

I took this route, because I’d seen my peers do it and be successful with it and I didn’t have the money to fund the album. I was concerned we wouldn’t reach the goal, which is why I made the funding “flexible.” I was very pleasantly and humbly surprised by the response. We hit the goal and even exceeded it!

VM: Your single “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool” was just shared on Fallon (so cool!) – how did that feel?

Oh, my goodness! It was thrilling. I still get butterflies thinking about it. When I got the notification on my phone, my heart started racing. I had to go play a four-hour gig that night, and my hands wouldn’t stop shaking due to the excitement. It really made me feel like my music was worth it and all this time and effort wasn’t wasted. It validated my passion.

VM: You were a Music Business major, and I read in your bio that you turned down other opportunities on the business side of the industry to pursue your music full time. Can you tell us a little bit about that? What led you to decide to take that path?

I was actually interested in becoming an entertainment/copyright attorney. When I graduated college, I planned on taking a gap year, working in a law firm, and studying for the LSATs. My absolutely amazing, supportive parents talked me out of it and encouraged me to follow my passion. It was an interesting juxtaposition of roles. I decided to still work in a law firm as my day job to get to know the field while recording. Nowadays, my music is my day job, which is a blessing in itself. I still may follow the law path later in life, but I hope my music works out and I can continue on this route.

VM: Being a full-time musician is really hard in this day and age. Even huge musicians sometimes have to have a day job when they’re not on the road to pay the bills. How do you make that work?

I have a fabulous 3x/week four to five-hour gig at Truluck’s, an upscale restaurant in Austin, Tx as well as church gigs I play. Having a consistent paying gig helps me to sustain.

VM: Do you have a favorite song to play live?

It changes depending on the gig and my mood. I do always love to play, “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool,” because it changes the energy in the room and people start to dance more. My favorite thing to do is sing my wedding song, “The One,” which is not on this EP, for bride/groom first dances. Watching two people dance while you play them your song to celebrate coming together in union is…well, there are no words.

VM: What can people expect from your live shows?

They can expect a good bit of fun and a little bit of song-therapy. I want my gigs to be cathartic for them. They can also expect to get a good dose of my personality and dry humor. I don’t really change on stage, so what you see up there is pretty much exactly what you’ll get if you talk to me in a grocery store.

VM: Who are you most excited to see at CMJ?

Honestly, I’m most excited to see a bunch of new bands I’ve never seen before. The great thing about CMJ is you can discover new artists you may have never heard of previously. The amount of talent is insane!

VM: Got any advice for attendees?

Sneakers, water, and protein bars. Keep yourself healthy, because a fest like this will take it out of you. Also important: Have fun! Go see some great bands, relax, and find some new music you dig.

VM: Where can we catch your shows this week?

I have an I Heart Radio session at the Z100 Dunkin Donuts on Friday, the 16th at 4pm, a show at Postcrypt Coffeehouse at Columbia University that same day at 9:30pm, and my official CMJ Showcase at the Big Picture Media Showcase Saturday, the 17th at 9:30pm. It’ll be a fun mix.

VM: What is next for Malia Grace?

Releasing the EP at the end of the month and getting my tour together! The Tonight Show activity generated a lot of new interest and we’re thinking through a range of fresh options. Between gigs and private events, the schedule is pretty hectic through the New Year, but I have a lot of energy and am looking for more. Other than that, only time will tell and I can’t wait to find out.

VM: Anything else you want readers to know?

I want to meet all of you!

Mitski Miyawaki, known mononymously as Mitski, is a DIY singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, NY. She released her first record LUSH just three years ago, and her most recent LP bury me at makeout creek didn’t take long to capture the attention of music critics for its raw and unabashed approach to production and songwriting. The record – produced by Patrick Hyland — is a special fusion of post-punk with its squealing guitars, shredding synths and Miyawaki’s melodies. This week, she played several showcases at CMJ Music Marathon in New York and spoke with Vinyl about what exactly DIY is as a genre and the disappearing venues for other DIY musicians.

Vinyl Mag: The classification DIY is often associated in interviews with you, but there’s never a clear definition given. What does it personally mean to you?

Mitski: To some DIY is an aesthetic or musical genre, often associated with punk rock, or alternately soft and sparse folk-y music, but in either case with a “lo-fi” sound. To others DIY is who you hang out with, who you know, who knows you. To still others it’s about playing at or holding DIY spaces, whether they’re people’s houses or small venues that do their best not to directly associate with big businesses, or are non-profits, so that artists without representation or “draw” can still perform. These are all valid definitions, and are all reasons I’ve been associated with DIY in the past. They’re also all reasons I will likely stop being associated with DIY by publications over time, as I grow as an artist and my sound changes, or I start to play bigger venues that do care about “draw” etc. To some I was never DIY, because I see my music as my lifelong career – something that will buy my future house, feed my future children, take care of my parents when they’re older, and let me retire when I’m older – and by their definition music stops being DIY when it becomes a main source of personal income earned within the capitalist system. This is also completely valid.

My DIY has always been a fundamental ethos, that you build something for yourself out of nothing, something sturdy that you can rely on, with your own hands. Growing up, whenever I wanted something and asked my mother for it, or simply talked about how it would be nice if it existed, she’d tell me “Then go make it yourself.” I grew up in multiple countries, often where I don’t understand the language or rules, and with no one around who understood me. So my auto-response to my daily needs became “I don’t know where to find what I need and there’s no one around to give it to me, so I’ll use whatever’s immediately around me and make-shift it for myself.” That’s how my DIY mentality was born. That’s also why I think the most DIY music out there by how I define it is made by pockets of rap communities in the US. They build their own movements, hold their own parties and shows that draw thousands, put out mixtape after mixtape outside of the rules of the whole industry album cycle, and thrive completely by themselves, for themselves, self-sufficiently. I think Prince was DIY in the same way, hosting shows in warehouses and creating a whole musical world that people could inhabit, at times playing every single instrument in his records, and becoming a legend before ever signing with major labels. And even once he did, he always did what he knew was right for his music and fans, regardless of whether the music business itself understood it, or whether it would get him in trouble (remember his “Artist Formerly Known As” phase?). That’s why he’s such an iconic figure, and he’s still active and thriving to this day – because he had a vision, and he built it from the ground to the roof.

VM: Your most recent LP Bury Me at Makeout Creek captured a lot of attention from music publications, were you surprised that it took so long for national publications to find out about you, or did you not expect for this record to be the one that accomplished that?

Mitski: Bury Me was simply the first record for which I actually worked to promote. My first two records were my junior and senior projects in conservatory, and all I did was put them on bandcamp and post about them on facebook, while I slowly figured out how to “be” a musician. Bury Me was made once I was out of school, and I had to buckle down and make this my job. I sent it to publications, played shows relentlessly, eventually hired management, and I did the work to have it be heard. So it makes sense that it was the first album to reach people who I’m not facebook friends with, though I was also lucky that the work paid off to an extent, because sometimes (often times) it doesn’t in this business, how hard you try.

VM: Your social media is very honest, something that most artists would steer clear of; how do you think that it’s helped you establish a core fanbase?

Mitski: My core fanbase was established by my music, and my music is honest. What good would it do to make my Twitter dishonest?

VM: The record had tinges of punk in it, is that a direction that you see yourself going into or was that just sort of what you were into during the recording process?

Mitski: I may have been referencing punk sounds, but I don’t think punk as we know it exists anymore, or not in the way it did when it was born. As an ethos it will always exist, and as an ethos I hope I will always follow it, but what is punk in ethos today cannot sound like the punk of before. As a specific sound or genre, punk as we recognize it can now only exist as reference, which directly counters the mentality from which the sounds were born. As a sonic aesthetic it was born as a rebellion against the standards of music that existed at the time, in the 70’s and 80’s. There was nothing that sounded so rough, distorted, minimal, and confidently amateurish, and the very point was that it wasn’t referencing anything from the past (or it did its best not to), and that it sounded like the opposite of the majority of sound being consumed in that era. Its whole existence relied on being new and different. So when bands today follow the same musical formats, fashions, and aesthetics of punk from when it was a phenomenon, they will forever be punk cover bands, because the fact that they’re following formats that were made before, already puts them in opposition to why those sounds were made in the first place. Punk as an aesthetic today is continued out of nostalgia, which is not punk.

VM: You recently uploaded a cover of a One Direction song “Fireproof,” a lot of indie musicians would scoff at the idea of covering a boy band, but what was it about the song that really connected with you?

Mitski: I liked the lyrics, I liked the melody, and I felt like I could successfully put my own spin on it. It wasn’t really about who put out the song first. It was written by a host of writers, more than half of whom aren’t even in the band, so without 1D singing on it I was just covering a Payne/Tomlinson/Ryan/Scott/Bunetta song.

VM: Have you performed at CMJ before, and do you think events like these are important?

Mitski: Um, maybe I have? Or maybe I just played a show during CMJ that wasn’t officially part of CMJ? This festival is unique in that it’s in a city that has thousands of shows going on per day anyway, which is also why NY bands and audiences alike tend to stick to what they know and stay in their corner – there’s just so much. So I think the significance of CMJ lies more in its giving bands and audiences incentive or an occasion to go out and be part of something that’s outside their realm, or go out and see acts they wouldn’t normally see.

VM: What’s next for Mitski?

Mitski: A tour through November in the UK, Iceland, and U.S, and a new record next year.

CMJ Shows
10/15 – High Road Touring CMJ Showcase @ Mercury Lounge
10/16 – PORTALS CMJ Showcase @ Lutheran Church of the Messiah

Tour Dates
Mitski with Palehound + PWR BTTM
11/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
11/11 – Washington, DC @ DC 9
11/12 – Charlottesville, NC @ Southern Cafe
11/13 – Durham, NC @ Pinhook
11/14 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
11/16 – Nashville, TN f@ The High Watt
11/17 – Bloomington, IN @ Bishop Bar
11/18 – Madison, WI @ The Frequency
11/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
11/20 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
11/21 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
11/23 – Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha
11/24 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
11/25 – Kingston, NY @ BSP Lounge

Last March, Atlanta based singer-songwriter Sydney Eloise spoke with Vinyl about street style. Nearly a year and a half later, she’s completed her debut record Faces under Sydney Eloise and the Palms due out on September 22 via The Cottage Recording Company.

In our recent conversation with Sydney, we discussed the recording process for the record, growing up as a child of two musicians and what inspired her to keep writing.

Vinyl Mag: Hey, Sydney! It’s been awhile since you’ve talked to Vinyl. Last time we talked about your fashion, and this time you’ve got something even bigger in the works. What’s happened in the last year and a half since we last caught up?

Sydney Eloise: About the time we last spoke I had just gotten together with Damon Moon and Chandler Galloway, and we decided to record a song just for fun. Damon and Chandler are two of the three owners of a recording studio in East Atlanta called the Cottage, so after Chandler and I would get off work, we’d go to the studio after hours and just work on songs. Before you know it, we had three or four songs, and then we decided it should be a band.

VM: So, where did the idea of completing a fully completed album stem from?

SE: Well, putting out a 7” EP was our first idea, but we kept recording, and then we had enough material for an actual full length, so we changed our minds. It was really some friends coming together and feeling it out.

VM: That’s a very organic development. Often we see artists come out after the release of their album, and admit that they wish things would’ve been different with the finished product.

SE: It can feel very forced, and that was my experience before this project. It wasn’t fun for me past a certain point, and a lot of it began to feel contrived and sterile. I couldn’t write for almost a whole year, and I was depressed about that. I’m so happy to have these talented people in my life now who are also my best friends. We still spend every day together even when we’re not creating music. It feels like fun again, and it’s something we should be doing.

VM: I’m really happy to hear things are looking up for you. Now, I have to ask about the album. We got a review copy, and I’ve noticed the genre of each song is noticeably different. What made you decide to pursue that artistic direction in the album instead of sticking to just one style?

SE: We wanted to approach each song differently, and I felt by being a singer/songwriter and playing by myself for such a long time that it needed to be different each time to stand on its own. In the end, it still ended up being a cohesive piece of work. Everything was very dependent on our mood for the day or artists we had been listening to earlier like Paul Simon, George Harrison, or Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound productions.

VM: I’m glad that you mentioned Paul Simon, because I saw that you recently had a gig with the Atlanta Collective where you did a cover show of Paul Simon’s Graceland album. He’s a major influence on you, so I’d like to know what some of your favorite albums are?

SE: There are SO MANY!  For me, records remind me of specific time periods in my life. I always go back to Joni Mitchell, because that was the first artist my mother introduced me to when I was young. She was so innovative, to the point, and honest with her music. So I would say her album Blue, but Carole King’s Tapestry is another that will always be close to my heart, too. I used to think my mom was her for a long time, because she is also a singer and would sing King’s songs.

VM: So with your mother being also being a musician, do you discuss everything you’re working on with her, or does she just get to hear the finished products?

SE: Well, since my parents are both musicians, they do attend most of my shows and try to guide me along. However, I’m doing something a little different from them. At times I share things with my mother when I’m trying to flesh out a song or an idea. She loves to hear anything new I’m working on so she can know what I’ve been going through or where a song is coming from.

VM: Earlier, you said each song is different in its own way, but the entire record works as a whole. With that in mind, do you think you could pick a favorite song from the record?

SE: That’s a great question. A part of me has a fondness for “Always Sailing” because it was the first song that started this whole project and new direction with us. That one is particularly special to me, but they really all are because they’re all like children to me.

VM: With the album process completely finished and the release coming in a little over a month, what do you think the most challenging part of the entire process was for you?

SE: To be honest, most of it was a lot of fun. It was the environment and people that made it fun, but I think the time in between some of the sessions was difficult for me personally due to scheduling. Some days I would just want to finish something.

VM: Following the release of the album, are you currently working on anything for the future in terms of shows or new shows?

SE: Yes! Once the record is out, we are headed out on the road to support the record. We’ll be on tour in October. We’ll be doing the East coast in the beginning and then some regional weekend runs. We’ll also continue to write for the next album, because I know we’re already having withdrawals.

We can’t wait to see Sydney Eloise and the Palms on tour, so be sure to keep an eye out for dates, and check out Faces on September 22!