Tag: interview
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The Lovers Key with Vinyl Mag
All too often, music with a retro flair just doesn’t sound… authentic. Whether the artist is trying too hard to conform to a bygone era, or a combination of several influences results in musical chaos, often, it just doesn’t feel right. Enter The Lovers Key, a soulful duo made up of guitarist Christopher Moll and vocalist Maco Monthervil. Though the two create sounds undeniably reminiscent of Sam Cooke or the Temptations, there’s a kind of truthfulness to their approach that many musicians lack – and for good reason. Moll and Monthervil met during a period of desperation in their respective lives. Moll had recently broken off from his former band, the Postmarks, and placed an ad in the paper for a singer; Monthervil had recently been rejected by a producer and only hoped to be a backup vocalist. Fate brought The Lovers Key together, and landed us the interview with them below (not to mention an exclusive song premiere – listen below as you read!).
Vinyl Mag: You clearly have some very retro influences. Who would you say has influenced your sound the most?
Maco: People assume I grew up listening to Motown and all of that, but I only discovered that in my late teens. I was exposed to what all the other kids my age were exposed to; Pop, Hip Hop and R&B. My parents are Haitian, and played French ballads and Haitian folk music, which I loved.
I just remember being four, listening to that stuff, crying, but not knowing why. It was the minor chords. I also grew up in a Haitian church, so singing was more than entertainment. I started forming my own taste when I was about seven.
I remember liking Madonna’s music, Whitney Houston, The Carpenters, Boyz II Men, TLC, The Mamas and Papas, Carole King and James Taylor. Then, I became a teenager and got into Outkast, Missy Elliott, and Neo Soul. I discovered Jazz at the nursing home where my mom worked; that’s what they loved. After high school, I started studying Sarah Vaughan. I fell in love with Jimmy Scott, Esther Phillips and Minnie Riperton, and discovered Motown. Then, I discovered Amy Winehouse; basically, what I’ve learned from her is that a singer can sing a song however they want, as long as they’re mindful of the chord progression. She’s probably my biggest modern influence.
Chris: While I’ll always have my musical influences and personal likes…I don’t often talk about the mood influences and what influences me there either getting the heart pumping or tugging on the heart strings. That’s what turns me on musically!
VM: Your debut album is set to come out this year. What has making the record been like?
Chris: It was a blast. It actually came together very, very quickly. The chemistry was there from the get go with Maco and I writing “Who’s The One You Love?’ and ‘Bright Eyes, Black Soul’ the very first night we met. I’d say that was a good night’s work.
VM: We saw on your website that you’ve been getting funding for the album through donations – has that been successful?
Chris: Yes…better than we thought. This initial round is the closest round of our friends and family and they are all play huge parts in helping us make this happen. It’s the new reality of how the creative world works and if that allows for us to have more flexibility and freedom, that’s great.
VM: Do you have any touring plans for the new album?
Chris: We just put the live version of the band together right before the holidays and it’s been amazing…playing some of the best shows I’ve EVER played in my career so far. I can only hope to take it a little wider and a little farther in the near future. Fingers crossed.
VM: You guys have a pretty interesting story about how you met. Can you give us more details?
Maco: Craigslist, on June 17, 2012. I had been working with another guy…something about a possible record deal. Then, things got called off, and he suggested that I become a background singer. So, there I was on Craigslist, depressed, disillusioned with life, and clicking on Chris’ ad cause it said something about minor chords and vintage organs.
Chris: Again…maybe it was fate. I put an ad on Craigslist…Maco answers and we meet up and “Who’s The One You Love?” and “Bright Eyes, Black Soul” drop out of the heavens. That doesn’t happen all the time.
VM: How do you make sure your old-school sound doesn’t seem outdated? Is there something you do to modernize it?
Maco: I try to make all my influences evident in my singing so as to not sound like a ’60s tribute band. I might be thinking like a jazz singer, but at the same time, I’m trying to ride the beat like a rapper, and emote like a Neo Soul artist. I said “try”. I also write exactly how I speak…so there’s never: “I’m feeling blue” or any of those phrases that people just don’t say anymore. I aim to write so that both the sentiment, and the imagery used to express it transcend time, but I want listeners to know that we’re very-much in 2014, and this is just what we like to make…right now. So, I’m not opposed to a very retro instrumental paired with more modern language…but just like you don’t hear me talk about a record player, but you won’t hear me reference an iPod either.
Chris: With all my music, whether it’s with The Lovers Key or The Postmarks, I just try and write from my heart and make sure that I’m always striving to write in a ‘timeless’ vein. I think that regardless of the sonic dressing, well written timeless music doesn’t age. That’s the goal.
VM: Are there any pros or cons to being a two-piece? Does it ever feel like there aren’t enough ideas or instrumentals?
Maco: the pros are the cons…the cons are the pros. The strengths can also be the shortcomings. You know exactly what you want, and are sure that the other person can help get you that…only, they’ll never want exactly what you want, so, there’s lots of compromising, pride-swallowing, allowing, trying, and eventually, you’ve got the best possible outcome…but that’s how the entire world works, so it’s probably easier with just two people.
Chris: Well…like a scale eventually you reach a balance. That’s the intended scenario…balancing with two during the writing process just makes it a little easier to find that center point. There is still give and take…but that’s what collaboration is about. As for musical ideas…my wells run deep.
VM: You’re from Florida, correct? How’s the music scene down there?
Chris: I’m sure like any other. It’s got its good moments and not so good moments. We do what we do and we’re supportive of the local scene but at the same time, it’s easy to become the big fish in a small pond but that does you no good in the ocean. So the goal is to be supportive and nurturing locally…but to ultimately get your music, ideas and visions out to a wider audience.
VM: If you could play a show with any artist, who would it be?
Maco: Do I have to be realistic, or no? Florence and the Machine…she seems like she’d be an incredibly nice person.
Chris: Van Halen or KISS in the 1970’s. It probably would be more fun off stage then on.
VM: We’re interested, since you clearly have such a love for classic music: what are your favorite albums of all time?
Maco: “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse, is everything I love in one album. There are singers who sing to impress, and there are those who sing to express…she was the latter. Also, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, by Outkast, “After Hours” by Sarah Vaughan, “Come To My Garden” by Minnie Riperton.
Chris: I always feel guilty, but it’s still my standard list. “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys. “Revolver” by The Beatles. “The Queen is Dead” by The Smiths. A guilty pleasure…I still have a soft spot for the first A-Ha album. I actually think outside of the dated 80’s production…there are some well written tunes on there. I feel better I admitted that.
Junior Prom x Vinyl Mag
After making waves last fall at CMJ, just fresh off of tour supporting Panic at the Disco, an EP released a couple of weeks ago (Feb. 4), working on their full length, and preparing for SXSW, Mark Solomich and Erik Ratensperger are two very busy individuals. Mark and Erik formed the Brooklyn-based music duo Junior Prom after grinding in bands, rehearsal spaces, and venue halls across the city. Their single “Sheila Put the Knife Down” and the 2013-2014 ESPN College Basketball anthem “International” are both included on their debut Junior Prom EP.
With so much going on, we’re grateful these two took time out of their busy schedule to talk about their EP, the Panic at the Disco tour, and their enjoyment of pop music- no guilty pleasures here!
Check out the interview below, right after you check out their newest video for “Sheila Put the Knife Down” here!
Vinyl Mag: I’d love to start off and hear about your creative process for this EP.
Mark Solomich: In essence when we started, it was about a year of writing and playing together before we ever played a show, before we played for anybody really. So it took us a long time, trying different things and experimenting. Over the course of that time we made a whole album and scratched it, and then we made this EP. We made this EP after having written and recorded almost thirty songs. It really was a process of trial and error until we finally came across a sound we liked. We were trying to do something new, but really it was a matter of playing in rehearsal space, taking it home and trying different things on the computer, and really experimenting with the sounds; trying to make the guitars not sound as hard and some vocals not sound like vocals. It was a lot of fun and it was free because at the time we did not have a label yet, and we hadn’t booked a show yet.
Erik Ratensperger: And on top of that it was just us instead of a traditional band. It was just the two of us working on this and trying to figure it out. We both come from bands, we’ve played in bands all our lives, and we’ve arrived at this point where we decided to take things in this direction and this presented new challenges for us on both the live and the production end.
VM: “Sheila Put The Knife Down” and “International” are getting a lot of recognition, I’m a big fan of “Run Around The Back,” I think it’s a great song- Do you guys have any tracks you are particularly proud of or tracks that are your favorites?
MS: When you play songs live, you feel like “I know this one really brings out people.” So that kind of makes you enjoy that song more, but I think like the song “Big Timer” people really react to that song because it’s neat and just the vibe of it. And that wasn’t my favorite track before we started playing out live, but it might be now, but it really changes day to day.
ER: I feel the same way, it does change from day to day. Like Mark said, I don’t really think we expected “Big Timer” to be a stand out live song, but we noticed over just playing it live that people are reacting to that one. It’s a song you can just bounce around to. I think “Run Around The Back” is also a really natural jam. I think it’s hard choosing a favorite. I feel like I look at the EP as a whole as representation and a culmination of what we have been up to for the past two years; just laboring over these songs and now we’re to the point where we can kind of see how other people are responding, and that’s exciting.
VM: Do you think the city and Brooklyn have an influence on the music you are producing?
MS: Yeah, it does. Maybe not in an overt way where we’re trying to write songs that appeal to people in New York only. I think [being in the city] it can help with the multiculturalism and just what you hear when you walk into a bodega or hear what someone is pumping on their stereo on the street; you’re going to hear different things. So I think it definitely has influence, subconsciously more than overtly.
ER: I think that holds true for any environment or any city that you are in; it has an effect on what your music is, whether instrumentally or lyrically. As Mark said, I think being in a crazy multicultural city, that would definitely have an influence on sound. You know the stigma that comes with being a Brooklyn based band and I don’t think we ever deliberately set out to be positioned like that type of band.
VM: Who would you say are some of your biggest musical influences, who did you grow up listening to, and what are you listening to now?
MS: I think we have a common thread on what we grew up on. We definitely come from rock and we like punk music and played in punk bands as kids. That’s the bedrock of it. Really, ultimately it is the great songwriters, like The Beatles; we love great songwriting. As far as nowadays, I really don’t even listen to rock anymore, I pretty much listen to reggae, like Bobby Womack and Freddie McGregor, and a lot of funk.
ER: I’m on the same kick. I think that’s one of the reasons why Junior Prom works because of our creative collaboration. I think Mark and I listen to a lot of similar music and that streamlines the flow of our songwriting. And I’m sure we’re both familiar with every song on pop radio and what is very popular right now – and I enjoy it too. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures and I’m enjoying pop music. I think it’s a really interesting time to be an artist when there are people topping the charts who aren’t cookie cutter.
VM: I’d love to hear how touring with Panic at the Disco manifested.
MS: It’s a little bit of a murky thing, but from what I believe their management put us up for it, so it worked out well.
ER: I know their management is in New York and they might have seen us a couple of times. We got emails from our booking agent saying “Do you want to go on tour with Panic at the Disco…” Obviously, yes. We had not idea what to expect and we knew it would be big shows, but we didn’t realize that every night playing in front of 2,500 people would turn into just meeting an overwhelming amount of people who were there just for the music and who genuinely just wanted to enjoy themselves, see live music, and have no judgement or anything. Their crowd and their fan base is incredible and we were very lucky to play for them.
VM: You guys have definitely made a splash playing on tour with Panic at the Disco and you were a hit last fall at CMJ, do you guys have any plans for SXSW this year?
MS: We’ll be there but we just don’t know our schedule yet. We’ll definitely be playing some shows down there. We’re excited and we love Austin. We were just there a week ago and it’s hard to leave every time.
VM: What can we expect from Junior Prom in the next year or so?
MS: Definitely expect more show dates and we’re working on our full length right now. We don’t know exactly when it will come out, but we’re hoping the full length will be out by the end of the year, and of course more touring surrounding that. More online- we’re always trying to get stuff out for people to get into online, but the main focus right now for us is to do more touring and to wrap up this full length that we’ve been working on.
Words with Crushed Stars’ Todd Gautreau
Todd Gautreau has been a force in the music industry for years, and his current project, Crushed Stars, proves exactly why. With his newest album, Farewell Young Lovers, we not only feel the dreamlike ambiance of the record, but also sense a true, wizened passion for music. We talked with Gautreau and got the scoop on the new album, his influences, and even his feelings about Spotify.
Vinyl Mag: Your new album, Farewell Young Lovers, just came out on the 21st. What kind of response has it gotten so far?
Todd Gautreau: The response has been very positive; it’s some of the best press we have received so far.
VM: Do you have any touring plans for Farewell Young Lovers?
TG: Nothing extensive. just some occasional dates. I’ve always believed Crushed Stars is best experienced on record.
VM: You’ve worked with Stuart Sikes, someone that works with some pretty big names (White Stripes, Modest Mouse, etc.). What has that experience been like? How did that connection come about?
TG: My drummer, Jeff Ryan, introduced us a few years ago. Usually I will record most of the parts in my home studio, and I will bring to Stuart to record the drums, mix and apply the finishing touches.
VM: You haven’t released a new album in a few years. What has made this album take so long?
TG: In between Crushed Stars records, I usually do a Sonogram record. The last one, How We Saw Tomorrow, came out last spring, then I started Farewell Young Lovers, which took about three months to record.
VM: Who are your greatest musical heroes?
TG: I admire the way Steve Kilbey has been so prolific, both with The Church and his various collaborative projects. Brian Eno has also been more influential than most people will ever realize.I admire artists who’s longevity can be attributed to their constant evolution and exploration, something you don’t see as much of in the music industry today. Most things now have a shorter shelf life. Instead of nurturing artists, labels just sign whatever’s hot at the moment then move onto to the next thing.
VM: We’ve seen that you’re very anti-Spotify. Can you tell us more about your opinion on that issue?
TG: I realize many people will disagree with me, but in my opinion streaming is very damaging to indie artists, because it is replacing record sales and providing a fraction of the royalty rate in its place. Last year, CD sales continued to fall across the industry, but for the first time digital sales also dropped significantly, largely attributed to the rise in streaming services, primarily Spotify.
I understand a $10 a month subscription for unlimited on demand music is, for many people, an offer that is too good to refuse. I have heard the rationalizations used – ‘Oh, I use Spotify to discover new music, then if i like it i buy it.’
But last year’s drop in sales suggests this is the exception rather than the rule. A streaming service removes any incentive to actually purchase music, since you have unfettered access to it any time you want, why buy it? And let’s be honest, in this digital age it is easy enough to discover new music without using a streaming service.
Another excuse is, ‘Well I may not buy the record, but if the band comes to town I may go see them and I may buy a t-shirt.’
Most indie bands tour one to three months per year. The last two indie shows I went to were artists with a significantly larger following than myself, and there were maybe 30 people in the audience. When you factor in the costs of touring, playing to small crowds even if they all buy t-shirts is not going to replace the lost revenue from the decline in record sales due to streaming. There are several articles online, most notably by David Lowery and Damon Krakowski of Galaxy 500, which delve deeper into the math.
Others blame the labels for the unfair royalty allocation to the artist. There is some truth to this, but as a label owner I can attest to the fact that even when you factor in the label portion, streaming revenue is minuscule for indie music.
This concerns me not only as an artist not a music fan. With lower revenues, ultimately labels will sign fewer acts and retain only the ones that are most profitable. This is already happening and it will result in less variety and fewer choices for listeners.
I don’t agree with a pay-per-use model for music. You don’t buy a book and pay the author only on the days you read it. You don’t buy a jacket and pay the designer only on the days you wear it. So you shouldn’t expect to pay a fraction of a penny each time you listen to a song. Artists won’t be able to survive. Your favorite band may be able to struggle through releasing 2 or 3 records in their 20s, but at some point they will have to earn a living and do something else.
I understand there is little we can do to stem the tide of streaming’s popularity. It’s too easy for someone to pull up a song on Youtube, Pandora or Spotify, why pay a dollar for a download? We can only try to change people’s attitudes towards the value they place on the music they listen to.
As an artist, all I can do is keep my music off of Spotify to retain a modicum of self-respect. I would rather give my music away for free than have a company like Spotify profit from my loss.
VM: Where do you see yourself musically in 5 years?
TG: There are a couple of things I want to do musically that fall outside of the Crushed Stars or Sonogram umbrellas, so new projects will be hatching soon. Hopefully, I can continue to juggle them all.
A Roadside Chat with The Grahams
Pulled over on the side of a dirt road somewhere south of the Georgia gnat line, I got the chance to speak with Alyssa and Doug Graham of NYC-based Americana band The Grahams (yes, they are a couple. Yes, we find that to be pretty awesome). While this situation may scream of poor planning, I ask you to reserve your judgment for a moment and consider just how fittingly Folk the atmosphere was for my interview with The Grahams, who just so happened to be driving through a snowstorm in Missouri. With nothing but the dirt road and the South Georgia woods in sight, I spoke with The Grahams about music, the road, their album Riverman’s Daughter, and Huck Finn. So, how’s that for poor planning?
Vinyl Mag: So, how has the tour been?
Alyssa: The tour has been fantastic. Even though the record didn’t come out until September we’ve pretty much been touring since March. South By Southwest was the first gig on the tour, and we’ve been pretty much living in this ’71 Chevy since then. We’ve only had a few days off here and there, and this is like the last leg at the end of the year until late January or February, but it’s really been great.
VM: Is it a little bittersweet that it’s coming to an end, or are you both ready for a little holiday break?
Alyssa: Yeah, I mean we’re ready for a little holiday break, but then we’re gonna get right back on the road and bring the music to more people. We love it. That’s not to say we don’t love our days off, but we live to play music, and touring is part of what makes it so much fun.
VM: You mentioned playing South By Southwest. How was that?
Alyssa: It was great! We’ve played in Austin many times, but this was the first year that we did SXSW. It was so much fun! We met a lot of great people and heard a lot of great music. Some of our favorite musicians and singer/songwriters live in that town. There’s always great music and it’s a great party town, so it was really fun.
VM: Other than SXSW, was there a particular stop on the tour or a single show that sticks out as one of your most memorable?
Alyssa: Well, I mean we’ve had a lot of great stops on the tour, but one of our favorite places is McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Los Angeles. That’s a really great place – well to buy instruments if you’re in the market, but it’s also pretty fun to perform there. They have a great stage and audience. But it’s funny that you ask this question, because we just played one of my favorite gigs in a very long time at a place called the Ignition Music Garage in Goshen, Indiana.
VM: Goshen, Indiana?
Alyssa: It was surprisingly the coolest little town. The greatest venue I’ve been to in a long time. Just the nicest people. It was a huge surprise. We just came from there a few days ago, but it was such a blast.
VM: Has the crowd been pretty great like that for most stops?
Alyssa: Yeah, the crowd everywhere has been pretty great. We toured a bunch before the record came out and – whoa, sorry. We are driving through a snowstorm and this giant truck just passed us.
VM: A snowstorm?
Alyssa: Yeah, normally I would put you on speakerphone so Doug could answer some questions too, but he’s driving very carefully – whoa. Sorry, more big trucks. But we toured a bunch before the record came out so little by little we’ve been bringing in bigger crowds. I feel like we’re up there telling our stories and people are really listening. It’s great to play music, but to really get people on the boat with us and listen to the stories that we experienced driving down the Mississippi is just such a joy for us.
VM: I feel like so many of your songs tell such great stories – do you guys tend to go into the writing process with a story in mind?
Alyssa: I think that particularly for this record we really harnessed the inspiration we got from characters and people that we met along the Mississippi. So, I think a lot of these songs we did, in fact, go into writing them with a character in mind. That’s not to say that we don’t develop the characters or change them as we get further into writing the song. One of the things that Doug always says that’s very true is that we like to create legends based on the people we’ve met and the stories we’ve heard. Like the song “Marnie Hawkins” on the record is based on a childhood experience that Doug and I had growing up in the same town. We took this character that neither of us had ever met and tried to develop her into this frightening legend of the creepy old lady. There’s also another song that actually didn’t make the record called “Tender Annabelle” that’s written about the Great North Woods, and we play that in our live shows. That’s also us just going on an inspiration of a character we met on the road and turning it into a modern day legend of sorts.
VM: Do you get to play a lot of songs live that didn’t make the record?
Alyssa: Doug and I have this philosophy where we like to go into the studio with about double the amount of songs that we know will actually make the record. So, we usually don’t even go into the studio until we have about twenty songs, and then we record as many as we have time for. For Riverman’s Daughter we wound up recording sixteen songs, and then ended up putting twelve songs plus a bonus track on the actual record. All the songs that we’ve written we play live, but at the end of the day we sit back and look at everything we’ve recorded and what goes together as a body of work and what will help the story be best told from beginning to end. We come from the vinyl generation where we like people to actually be able to sit down and go on a journey. I know that’s not necessarily how it works these days, but we like it to all seem like one continuous story in a way. That’s pretty much the process, and the songs that get cut, well, we play them and maybe they’ll make the next record.
VM: I read somewhere that you guys kind of packed everything up and lit out on a trip down the Mississippi River. Do you feel like the desire for a linear journey in the record was influenced by your travels down The Great River Road?
Alyssa: That’s a good question. That was definitely a linear journey. I’m not sure that I view the record as a strict linear story. I mean, there are characters that are actually attached to each other, so it’s a little circuitous in a way. For instance, “Marnie Hawkins” and “Heaven Forbid” are stories that grew out of one another.
VM: Can you tell me a little about your travels on The Great River Road?
Alyssa: Doug and I were basically sitting in our apartment in New York City and wrote the song “Riverman’s Daughter,” and decided this is the direction we want to go in. This is what feels like home to us. We wanted to do the kind of stuff that we were doing when we were kids together, singing harmonies and playing acoustic guitars to tell stories. We decided that, in order to do that better, we needed to get out on the river and live on the Mississippi as much as we could. We started in the Minneapolis area and followed The Great River Road, which is a very small road that follows the Mississippi directly. We just spent the better part of a year playing in small clubs and local dives and talking to the local people and playing with local musicians before we ended up in the Atchafalaya Swamp on a houseboat. Once we were there we sort of stockpiled our stories and lived there as we wrote the record. The journey was very linear, but the boat gave us a chance to revisit lots of places in our minds, which gave the record somewhat of a circular motion.
VM: So… how many times did you reread Adventures of Huckleberry Finn while you were travelling the road?
Alyssa: It’s so funny – not only did we read it, but we also bought the audio book and listened to it a few times during the drive. Of course, that was actually a catalyst. We were writing the song “Riverman’s Daughter,” and both of us were harkening back to our childhood of reading Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. The original idea was to get on a boat on the northern Mississippi and ride it all the way down to Louisiana, but we did all of this research and they won’t actually let you do that without a Captain. So, what we did was just follow The Great River Road and tour down the river as we drove. Every day we would go out kayaking on the Mississippi or take a steamboat or do whatever we could to actually get out on the river though.
VM: That’s so awesome. Huck Finn is one of my favorites.
Alyssa: Yeah, it’s great. The whole culture on the Mississippi is pretty fascinating. We got to go to Hanibal, Missouri, which is where Mark Twain grew up and where all of the myths come to life. We saw a lot of the landmarks that Twain drew from in his writing. It was pretty fascinating… We also went to the birthplace of Popeye, but that wasn’t quite as factual.
VM: Still equally as incredible. You can’t beat Popeye.
Alyssa: Popeye is great. He wasn’t quite as big a part of our story though.
VM: Fair enough. Do you think that being together for so long makes writing songs and telling stories easier?
Alyssa: That’s a really good question. It’s hard for me to answer, because Doug and I have always written songs together. We haven’t really written with anyone else. I think that it’s never easy. It’s like a marriage – I mean, we are married, but it’s a different kind of marriage, writing and playing music together. We fight and negotiate all the time when we’re writing together. I’ll come to him sometimes like “this is the greatest song I’ve ever written!” and he’s like “eh, not so much.” Sometimes I do the same thing to him, and even though it pisses both of us off, it challenges us to write something better, and we’re really grateful that we have each other to write with. I feel like if I was writing with a stranger at a publishing company or something, I wouldn’t trust them enough to tell me where I need to go. Doug and I know each other so well that we can trust one another. We complete each other’s thoughts at times. I think being in love helps us get a blend that hopefully sounds organic.
VM: Other than Huck and Popeye, who are some of your biggest influences?
Alyssa: I think Doug and I would both agree that our greatest influences and one of our biggest bonds growing up was Neil Young. We both had every piece of vinyl that Neil Young ever made. We knew all of his songs and would harmonize to him growing up. Also, Bob Dylan and The Band. As we got older we went back and looked at music that really influenced the musicians that we listened to growing up. We went back in history to the real early Folk stuff like The Carter Family and Woody Guthrie and Bill Monroe and that sort of stuff. It all sort of stems from the same Folk movement that came to America from Scotland and England. We are just really fascinated with great storytellers. Someone who tells a great story is more important to us than the sonic aspect. People who wrote great Folk music really speak to us.
VM: I feel like all of the old Folk singers like The Carter Family were very influenced by Gospel music. There seems to be that same sort of Gospel influence in your music when it comes to songs like “Revival Time” and “If You’re In New York.” Do you feel like Gospel music has influenced you at all?
Alyssa: Yeah, I love that kind of stuff. We grew up listening to a lot of Aretha Franklin. There’s definitely an African American gospel and soul influence on the record that we really appreciate. We listen to a lot of Gospel and try to take in as much as we can. Certainly “Revival Time” is a song that took that direction.
VM: Only one more question… If you had to choose, would you be Huck or Tom?
Alyssa: Can I be Bessie?
VM: Of course!
Alyssa: Yes! Let me get Doug to answer this one too.
Doug: Easily Huck Finn. He’s wilder and crazier!
*So be sure to check out Riverman’s Daughter, and be sure to catch The Grahams on tour.
Tour Dates
December 11 – The High Watt – Nashville, TN
December 13 – Palmetto – Charleston, SC
December 14 – Kirk Avenue Music Hall, – Roanoke, VA – (with Underhill Rose)
An Interview with Lowbanks
Fresh out of Atlanta comes garage-rock group Lowbanks, the grungy brain child of John Graffo, Christian Self and Grey Duddleston. With the release of their single “TREATZ”, we experience a drugged-up, early punk revival, simultaneously calling to mind Dead Kennedys and Blink-182. Will the rest of the new EP have the same modern-yet-nostalgic feel? We catch up with the trio to find out.
Vinyl Mag: You’ve all been part of several bands before forming Lowbanks. What made you come together as this particular group?
John Graffo (Guitar/Vocals): Grey and I both played in a couple of metalcore bands back when we were in high school and actually played at least one show together. Those bands both sort of fizzled out and then me and Grey became friends in college. We both had outgrown the metalcore stages of our lives but really missed playing music. Eventually, we ended up living together and writing songs in our free time and that eventually became Lowbanks.
VM: How would you describe your sound?
JG: I’d say the direction we’re moving towards is garage-punk. We’ve definitely been incorporating more punk influences recently.
VM: You all hail from Atlanta. What are some of your favorite Atlanta bands?
JG: As soon as I saw that question I had about 15 bands pop into my head but I’ll limit myself. Concord America are great dudes making great music. Freezerburn is awesome. I’ve been listening to loads of Turf War for the last six or seven months.
Grey Duddleston (Drums): In addition to Johns, I always fall back to Hello Ocho, Kelsi Grammar, and Slowriter.
VM: You released your debut EP, Lowbanks Forever, in April. How have you guys evolved since then?
JG: That release, while maybe not being the strongest collection of songs, was a pretty big point for us. Before that, we’d only played about three shows in like, a year. Pretty much all of our development as a group happened after that – we started consistently playing shows, we started exploring new influences, and we started working a lot harder to make the music we want to make.
VM: Since you’re a fairly new band, we have to ask: how’d you come up with the name Lowbanks?
JG: Lowbanks was something I just thought up one day. I honestly, don’t even remember where it came from! But we wanted something that didn’t have any other meaning – something that wasn’t a common phrase or anything, something that would only represent our music. Of course, a couple months later we found out Lowbanks is a city in Ontario, but what are you gonna do? Haha.
VM: We’ve heard you cycled through a few guitarists before deciding to just be a trio. What made you decide to drop any fourth members?
JG: I guess we just work better as a trio. After we lost our old guitarist David, we were actually playing as a trio while we waited to find someone to replace him. It was only after a load of practices and a few shows that we finally said “Damn, this works, let’s just be a trio”
GD: Yea David was one of the best musicians I’ve ever played with. He had that awesome combination of talent and commitment that we still aspire to have – But him leaving allowed for such a different sound and we’re all really happy with the changes.
VM: What’s your songwriting dynamic like? Does one of you primarily write lyrics?
JG: Usually I’ll write out a guitar part and bring that to the guys at our space, and we’ll jam on that and see where it takes us. Sometimes I have ideas for full band arrangements, but usually we just jam over and over until we’re satisfied. As for lyrics, I write some, Christian has written some, Grey’s even written a few – it’s pretty collaborative.
VM: Tell us about the inspiration behind “TREATZ”. What’s it all about?
JG: “TREATZ” was written for a special lady in my life. It’s about being in love, but compares that feeling to the feeling of being drunk. So it works as a love song and a “party” song I suppose.
GD: Also, dancing. It’s about dancing.
VM: Any touring plans for the coming months?
JG: Hopefully! Grey and I are finishing up school at the moment, but even still we’re trying to get some things planned for our days off and for next Summer. We definitely have some local Atlanta/Athens shows coming up though!
VM: What’s next in terms of recording? When can we pick up your full-length album?
JG: We’re currently writing the rest of our full-length. We’ve got a bit more to go on it, but our tentative goal is to be in the studio by March 2014. As for when it’ll come out, we’d like to see a summer release, but if it takes us a little longer to make the best record we can then so be it.
*Atlanta readers! Be sure to catch Lowbanks at their show at 529 tomorrow (Dec. 11) if you know what’s good for you!
On the Bus with Less Than Jake
Oh you know. Just hanging out on the tour bus with Roger Manganelli of Less Than Jake. I really don’t hate my job. Watch us talk about their new album See The Light, tour, and upcoming plans! Enjoy.
And don’t you dare forget to check out their new album See The Light, out now!
Catching up with Lydia
Leighton Antelman of Arizona-based band Lydia is arguably one the most talented (and ridiculously good looking) singer/songwriter/musicians in the indie scene right now. Lydia was formed in 2003, and has since created musical masterpieces like nobody’s business. Lydia released their latest album, Devil, back in March of 2013 with great fan response. Devil Deluxe (B-side edition) was released mid-October while the band was on tour with The Maine and Anberlin. We got to catch up with Leighton at their show in Jacksonville during their last week of the tour. If you’re now thinking to yourself, “I wonder if he’s just as friendly and amazing as I’d imagine him being”, quell your curiosity and take my word for it- he is. If, like us, you’re interested in what exactly Leighton had to say about the past, present, and future of Lydia, check the interview below to find out, and then head over to iTunes and download Devil Deluxe (neither of which will leave you disappointed).
VM: How is the tour going so far? Tonight marks a new ‘leg’ of the tour, correct?
LA: We just finished the last show with The Maine and Anberlin last night in Orlando, and now we’re just playing and headlining 5 more shows on our way back home. It’s not really a tour; it’s kind of just fall headlining shows.
VM: Is there anyone that makes this tour more special than the last (aside from a stop in Jacksonville this time)?
LA: Haha, yeah that’s true. I mean, this is the first show, so I can’t really say anything special about it…..so far. Maybe tonight it will be super special. We’ve been playing 30 minute sets for the past month and a few days, so we get to play new songs finally, which is cool. We usually play the same set, but we get to play 6 or 7 more songs now.
VM: Let’s take it back a bit- what happened in between the decision to do the Farewell Tour and the release of ‘Paint It Golden’?
LA: The guy who started the band and I had started parting ways, and that was the reason that we did the Farewell Tour. About a week before we left for the tour, he just…disappeared. We didn’t know what happened to him. Our relationship was the only reason I wanted to stop the band. We still did the Farewell Tour, and I had planned to hold to my word about stopping Lydia, but about 6-8 months after the Farewell tour, [the band] convinced me that we really should keep playing music. I really enjoy playing music with those guys and I didn’t really ever want to stop, it was kind of just a one-person thing. After all of that was gone, we all still wanted to play music together. It was kind of just a sketchy thing that happened, and I wish it had never had to happen, but it is what it is.
VM: Will any of the songs off of the very first demo ever surface again, or are those just dead songs?
LA: Wait, which songs?
VM: Oh you know, the ones literally titled “Demo One” and “Demo Two” that were really terrific…
LA: Haha, nah, those were just…demos. I don’t know how they made it on the internet.
VM: Well, they’re terrific and I’m glad they found their way on the internet.
LA: Come on, they weren’t terrific. Some of the parts were cool. They never were meant to make it on the internet, but they did and I guess they’re there forever.
VM: What’s currently on your personal playlist?
LA: Lately in the van we’ve been jamming a whole lot of country mixes.
VM: Like what?
LA: Like Zach Brown Band.
VM: Is it because you’re in the south and you feel like you should?
LA: No, no, the whole tour! It’s just been a thing that we’ve all been into on this tour; kind of along the lines of Top 40 country. I can’t really do the honky-tonk stuff, though.
VM: Is the band still in contact with Mindy White? Has the set list decision process seem to have been affected since her absence?
LA: I’m absolutely in contact with Mindy- we talk on the reg. And I guess it affects it a little bit; some of the songs she sang too much on, so it’d be weird to play those particular songs. At this point we have enough songs so it’s not hard to fill a set. We’re definitely still friends though- she’s a great gal.
VM: Have you ever felt intimidated by the pedestal that so many people seem have to put ‘Illuminate’ on when it comes to writing new music?
LA: Eh, I would say no just because I won’t let myself do that. It’s just a terrible thing to do if you’re trying to be creative and artistic. I feel like you should always be trying move forward and create new and exciting things. It just seems like a weird way to go about creating something- holding yourself to a thing you did in the past. I already did that, I don’t want to do that again. And then there are those people who are like “Oh, it’s not as good as Illuminate” or “It’s better than Illuminate”; I’ve learned to not let the affect how I want to write the next album. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just…I guess I don’t care. And you shouldn’t care, really.
VM: With that said, have you been pleased with the fans response to ‘Devil’?
LA: Absolutely. I’ve been very impressed with the response. I’ve had so many people tell me that it’s their favorite record, which is cool because I don’t want to be that band that keeps putting out shittier and shittier records.
VM: Will there be another Holiday cover release this Christmas?
LA: I haven’t thought about it, to be honest. Did you really enjoy the last one?
VM: I did! I made this little video montage of my family at our Christmas festivities and I used that track as the background music.
LA: Yeah? Thank you! I just really have always loved that song. I love Holiday music; there’s some that is too much, but there so many good Holiday songs. I might need to do another one.
VM: Have your band members supported your endeavors in regards to The Cinema, and is there anything new coming from that in the near future?
LA: Yes, absolutely. They all love it, as well. We are about 90% done with a new album, and about a week and a half after we get back home I’m going to fly out to Atlanta to put the finishing touches on the record. It’s going to be out probably in January.
VM: My past experiences at your shows have proven to get rather intimate- would you consider doing a house show tour to keep the intimacy a real thing for Lydia shows?
LA: We’ve talked about doing a house tour before. To be perfectly honest, I’m not really sure why it hasn’t gone through. There’s definitely been talk about it because it’s a really cool concept. A lot of my close friends have done house tours, and it just sounds like a really good time. A lot of bands seem to be going that route, and I can understand- they don’t have to pay anybody, all of their fans can get in, they don’t have to deal with a venue. We’ve definitely talked about it, and we’ll probably do one, I just couldn’t tell you when.
VM: Right on! If you want to come to Georgia I’m sure we could make something available for you.
LA: Yeah, totally. If we do the house tour it’s going to be a nationwide thing, we just don’t have it in the works right now. I’m glad you brought that up, though, because I’m going to bring that up again.
VM: What’s your favorite venue that you’ve ever played?
LA: We played it on this tour, but in general it’s the House of Blues in Chicago. It’s just really cool. It’s like this three-tiered thing and its right on this river that goes right through downtown Chicago. It’s really old, but not in a bad way. It may not be my absolute favorite, but it’s definitely one of them.
VM: What’s the next plan of action for Lydia when tour wraps?
LA: We’re probably just going to take a month or so off, and then we’re doing another headlining tour in April.
VM: Will that be in the states or no?
LA: Yeah, in the states, and probably the UK, as well. It’s all still in the works, but we’ll definitely be back through the states in the spring.
On the Line with Zach Lind of Jimmy Eat World
It finally happened. I got the chance to interview Zach Lind from Jimmy Eat World. There is really no way for me to write as anything but an obsessive fan on this one, so I’m going to make it short and sweet.
Those of you who have been long-time readers – or new readers who have traveled back to our very first post – know that Jimmy Eat World is one of my favorite bands of all time. So you know that I was having one of those #bucketlist #icandienow #thatjusthappened #isthisreallife moments during this entire interview.
Amidst my obvious gushing and fangirling during my phone chat with Zach Lind, I managed to get the deets (can’t believe I just said ‘the deets’) about JEW’s new album, Damage, as well as their current tour, Zach’s drum inspiration, and how they manage to keep things fresh after 20 years as a band. Enjoy. I’m going to go call everyone I know.
First, I just wanted to know – are you excited to be back on tour?
Yeah. We were home for a few days, and now we’re out again. We have a show tonight in California.
How has the audience response been to the new album?
I feel like it’s been really positive. The response seems like it’s been growing.
How do you choose the set list? I’ve noticed you’ve been adding older songs you haven’t played much before.
That was something we wanted to try for this album – throwing in older songs that we haven’t done. It’s sort of a tricky balance. You want a good mix of songs that people haven’t heard and also the songs that people want to hear. You also have to throw new songs in there as well, so it’s a tricky balance.
Do you have a favorite song to play?
Right now, I really enjoy playing “Appreciation”, with the ups and downs.
Is that your favorite song off Damage?
Not necessarily; it’s just a fun song to play. There’s just something about that song I like a lot. My favorite song would change depending on my mood.
What was the recording process like? Is it a piece of cake by now or do you still have difficulties getting it to sound like you want it to?
I think every album is a challenge. I think as we get older and more experienced, it makes certain aspects easier. But we also start discussing things we didn’t when we were younger. When we were younger, we just went to the recording studio and just kind of made a record and whatever. But now, we pay attention to the little details that go into it. We try to use our experience to make each song as good as it can be. Some songs are easy and some songs are really hard, it just kind of depends on the record. Every record is a challenge.
Do you guys do any recording yourselves when you make an album?
The last few albums we’ve done on our own. There are some good aspects to recording on your own. This record, though, we went to LA; we had a gut feeling that we wanted to get out of town and go somewhere else to have someone else man the reigns. We felt really great about the process and the experience.
What is the most satisfying aspect of being in a band?
I think primarily, for us, the most important element of what we do is making records. The most satisfying thing is seeing a record come together and feeling good about what you’ve done. There’s a certain amount of banging your head against the walls in order to get the record and get the songs to sound the way you want them to. Of course, touring is great and playing for our fans is fun. But at least for me personally I think making a record, and the feeling of being done with a record you’re really proud, of is probably most important.
Is there a certain tone or ambience you try and create on your records or in your live shows?
I think for us, it’s sort of a song-by-song basis. For each song, there is a tone you want to achieve and an overall vibe you want to create. I think for us, we approach it song by song. For live shows, we try to put together a set list our fans will like. We don’t talk too much during a set, we just keep it simple and that’s it.
Jim said he went back to Clarity for influence on the sound and structure of Damage. Did you do the same thing? Or did you look somewhere else for influence?
I can see that; Jim is sort of the grand catalyst in what we do. More times than not, when we start working on a song, it’s something Jim has sort of structuralized. I can see that, and that’s how we make some songs. The sort of logistics of it, how we tracked it, but this is definitely a different record. I think this is more stripped down and natural throughout.
I feel like a lot of Jimmy Eat World songs are drum-based or drum-driven. When do you bring the drums in?
It depends. Sometimes a song can start with drums, and sometimes it can start with acoustic guitar. Every song is a little different.
Do you have full creative control with drums?
Yeah, it’s a group effort when we make records. If someone thinks something doesn’t fit, I’m always up for trying different stuff and making sure what we’re playing makes sense with the song. For the most part, each of us is open to taking suggestions from the other guys. I think we have a really good working relationship in that way.
Does anyone ever come in with a Garage Band drum machine and say, ‘do that’ or do you just come up with everything?
No, no it’s not like that at all. There are some times where Jim will have a drum idea, and I think that’s kind of cool. I’m just trying to find the thing that works best for the song. If Jim just sort of conceptualizes the song in his head, and hears a certain kind of drum beat, that helps me. Even if I don’t end up playing that drum beat, it helps me to know where he’s coming from and know what his initial thought is. Sometimes I’ll just scratch the idea and not use it at all. There’s actually a song on Invented…the title track, “Invented” – Jim played drums for the first half of the song, and I played the second half. That was sort of my suggestion, and it worked out really cool.
I read that your label didn’t even hear Damage until you turned it into mix. Have you always had complete creative control?
Well, we didn’t have a label until we were done making the record. So Damage was already done and we tried to find a label. Yeah, we can do whatever we want, and there’s never really anyone telling us we can’t do that.
You’ve been doing this for 20 years now, and you’re still delivering really fresh, original material. You’re also staying true to the classic Jimmy Eat World sound. I feel like a lot of the bands that started when you did – and are still around – seem to have sacrificed their sound to cater to new audiences. Are you guys consciously avoiding that pitfall, or does it just naturally come out that way?
I think it’s sort of conscious. The way we work is, for the most part, not trying to attach ourselves to these outcomes that we can’t control. We just want to make it interesting to us. What interests us has changed a little over the course of 20 years. We don’t go into a record saying, ‘We’re gonna make an album that’s more electronic,’ or, ‘We’re gonna make an album that’s more hard rock.’ We sort of write a bunch of songs, then pick the best ones, and those go on the record. It’s pretty simple and we keep it like that. That’s how our process is.
So there’s no Jimmy Eat World dubstep album coming out?
[Laughs} No, I don’t think so…I feel like there’s a Jimmy Eat World song for everything that has happened to me in my life. I have had people ask me what band would be the soundtrack to my life, and I have always said Jimmy Eat World. Do you listen to your own music or feel that way about your own music?
I guess it’s a little different, but every album sort of represents an era of our band’s history. It’s not in a soundtrack to my life sort of way, but more of a, ‘if you could describe every three years of your life and what you were doing at that time and what your interests were’ way. Every album sort of represents a different period of time with the band. I honestly don’t listen to our music that much apart from playing shows.
Do you have any artists that you would consider the soundtrack to your life?
Oh yeah – U2 and REM are bands that I would see that way.
*Be sure to hit them up on their current tour, and don’t forget to grab your copy of Damage, out now!
Catching Up with Sirah
So you all remember the interview with our girl Sirah back at SXSW in March? Yeah, well…lucky us, we got to catch up with her AGAIN for a quick phone chat to see what she’s been up to since then. Turns out, it’s a lot. Read below to learn about her new EP, her current tour, and her fashion inspiration (she’s a goddess, as we all know).
Here we are just a couple of months later, and you have your EP release and your currently on tour, Let’s start off by talking about your very recently released EP Inhale… What do you hope listeners of the EP will take away in regards to you as an artist?
I think people shy away from touching on a lot of things [topics], but when it’s [the music] real and to be compelled towards different genres and different subjects, I hope people take away the fact that it is multi faceted. So whether it’s happy music or dark, they aren’t different it all comes from the same place. I think that a lot of the time people limit their selves and artists limit themselves.
I want people to get to know me with Inhale. I have moments where it’s really happy and light and fun, and talking about falling in love and the naivety of being a teenager. There are things like “First Impressions” and you know you want it where there’s true real life situations that are happening there. But basically, the light doesn’t diminish the dark side of a person, it can all come from the same place.
What was the creative process for the EP like, specifically with the writing of songs and recording it?
I think it really depends, I pretty much write everyday and sometimes, “Inhale”, the actual title track to the EP came to me and wrote it in just a few minutes. The same thing with “First Impressions,” there are some pieces where you can just hear what is going on. A lot of those songs come to me. And then there’s songs like “Icarus” that I sat down with this idea that I had and that I wanted to recreate and I try to make it real. If I get stuck somewhere I’ll generally just look at other people’s art or read a book or go out and run into actual human beings.
What are some of your favorite songs off of the EP?
I think it would have to be a toss up between “Inhale” and “Icarus” for me personally. It’s tough, it feels like having kids almost, even though I don’t have kids, I love them all, but you know what I mean. All the songs are pieces of me so it’s kind of hard to be like “This is my favorite and this is why I like it the best”.
Many people, before the release of Inhale, may only know you for your collaborations with Skrillex, can we expect some more collaborations with Sonny in the future or is there anyone else you would love to collaborate with?
I think me and Sonny will definitely work on something in the future. It’s kind of one of those things where when I didn’t expect things to come out it did. When we got into the studio to record things it never comes out the way we want, but when I send it to him from my bedroom or we do it on the USB mic in a hotel that’s something else. I don’t know what will happen with that, but right now we’re working on each others music, so I don’t really know what to expect. There’s definitely things in the works and in terms of collaborations beyond that…
I’m not really sure, I love making music so I get excited about people whether they are big or small, or sometimes I have beats sent my way and after I check them out I’ll end up working with the artist.
You’re currently on tour with Icona Pop & K. Flay- what has life on the road been like with 3 other strong female artists?
It’s awesome, girl power up in here! I love K. Flay and her camp, they are incredible. I think it’s one of those situations where you’re living on a bus together and you can’t really imagine it going that well because it sounds like some Real World type shit, but it’s been awesome and Icona Pop is just so sweet and it’s cool. We’ll all play and then we’ll all end up dancing together through their set, and I crowed surfed the other night in Atlanta- things like that. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a fierce line-up.
We only have a couple minutes left, but your fashion sense is incredible, can you talk about what inspires your outfits and how you go about choosing some of your clothes?
Growing up in poverty will make you mad crafty. I just wear what I like whether it’s high fashion stuff or even, I was getting down in Wal-Mart the other day – they have the whole line-up of Fubu Gear, so it’s real out there. I kind of just pull things I like, and I think that depending on how I’m feeling I wouldn’t wear anything that wouldn’t express what’s going on with me, just like music.
Thank you so much for your time and we all at Vinyl Mag wish nothing but the best and success for you!
Words with Andrew Cedermark
Andrew Cedermark has just released his sophomore album, Home Life, a follow-up to 2010’s major success Moon Deluxe. In celebration of his recent release (the album came out July 11), as well as his current tour, we decided to ask Andrew a couple of questions. Check out our conversation below!
Vinyl Mag: Why did you leave Titus Andronicus — when did you decide to do a solo project?
Andrew Cedermark: I left Titus more than four years ago for the same reason people leave a lot of touring bands: I wanted to try my luck living a life in one place, and not always in a car. We toured a lot, and it didn’t agree with me. It wasn’t my music. I was tired of my body smelling like yogurt and wanted to experiment with things like gardening and laundry. On this, my first tour supporting my own music, however, I find myself having a really good time
VM: Tell me about your new album, Home Life — there are some very personal, honest lyrics- what is your writing process? How long did it take you to write the LP?
AC: I suppose my process is to not simply go with the first, second or third idea that comes, but to compile all ideas that I perceive to be good into songs in whatever way seems most compelling. That obviously happens with varying degrees of success. Writing the lyrics, I spent a lot of time at the library trying to come up with things that I hoped would not be meaningless or pointless.
VM: What was the inspiration behind “Canis Minor” and “Canis Major”?
AC: Directly, these songs are named after a pair of constellations, and I suppose that’s a kind of inspiration. When writing lyrics, all you have to do is write down what you think or feel, make it more vague, then make it more grand, research when people have said something similar to what you are trying to say, incorporate that, and hope that that process offers each listener her own way into the life of that song. Given that, anyone’s guess is as good as mine.
VM: You got a solid review in Pitchfork for Moon Deluxe — they compared you to Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel – high praise! How do you feel about that comparison?
AC: The truth is that when I see a good review I tend to think about the better reviews some of my friends have received. As for Jeff Mangum, it is a far-too-generous comparison, probably one that the writer came up with when struggling against a deadline. That is the reality: you can say anything on the Internet. Overblown sentiments flourish where content is king. If I really had anything in common with Jeff Mangum, I’d likely be a beloved and famous rock-and-roller, but as things go we made $50 last night in Baltimore. To answer your question directly, of course it feels great to be compared to one of the indie rock’s genuine marquee talents. But is the indie-rock pantheon holding a place for me? No! As for reviews, all are welcome.
VM: I’m noticing a lot of bands releasing songs on cassette tapes now — what inspired you to release your split on cassette?
AC: Over the course of several years during which I was recording an enormous amount of music, it just happened that not having released any of it began to make me sad. So I wanted to handmake a product that reflected the care I believed I had put into the music. By this time in history it was coming to be widely agreed upon that CDs were just MP3s plus waste, and I couldn’t afford to press my own record, so … tapes. And I made a box to go with them and sold them over the Internet with color-printed booklets of photographs I had taken, with lyrics handwritten all around. That was really my first release, “Two EPs.” I realize now that this isn’t the tape release you asked about though. A label in Charlottesville run by some friends asked about the possibility of releasing a split tape with a band featuring some friends in the almighty Charlottesville revue Drunk Tigers, and I said yes. The same logic was at work here as above.
VM: What is next for you?
AC: Cleveland!