Q&A:
Little Green Cars
The Dublin
folk rock act dubbed Little Green Cars has been a long time coming. Bassist
Donagh Seaver O’Leary and guitarist Adam O’Regan befriended one another in
primary school; guitarist/vocalist Stevie Appleby, vocalist Faye O’Rourke, and drummer
Dylan Lynch joined the circle of friends in high school. The band now complete,
their trademark sound—a catchy mélange of recklessness and vulnerability oft
compared to the likes of Fleetwood Mac and R.E.M.—began to emerge.
A devastating loss at a battle of
the bands competition in 2008 forced the fivesome to buckle down and get even
more serious about their music making. In 2010, the band was approached and
offered representation by still-obscure manager Daniel Ryan. The quintet—all
still in their early 20s—decided to abandon their undergrad education in favor
of a chance at fame. The leap of faith paid off when the band was signed to
Glassnote Records in 2011.
Little Green Cars’ debut studio
album “Absolute Zero” has been described as “five years’ worth of backyard
Garage Band tracks” and was released in May. Since then, the Irish lads—and
lady—have been touring full speed ahead, barely stopping to take a breath.
We spoke to O’Regan in anticipation
of the band’s return to First Avenue
on Tuesday.
Q: You and the other band members gave up college to
pursue music and it has clearly worked out for you. Would you recommend that
path to other young musicians?
A: I don’t know if I would recommend it to everybody.
I wouldn’t want to be putting that message out there. When the band started, we
were all 16, and all through school we really, really worked at music and that
was always our passion. When it came time to go into college, we were at a
point with the band where felt like we had an identity. It was the right thing
for us at the time.
Q: How has your music or creative process changed
since you signed to Glassnote?
A: It hasn’t changed, although since we signed to
Glassnote, we recorded the album, released the album, and we’ve been on the
road. We haven’t had a whole lot of opportunity to flesh out new ideas. We’re
in a constant state of transit, so it’s difficult.
Q: Is it necessary to be off tour to write?
A: Yeah, in a way. We’re always writing when we can.
To flesh out ideas with a full band and create some in-depth work, we need to
be at home.
Q: There are several references to Charles Bukowski
on “Absolute Zero”. How do other literary works influence your music?
A: We’re all big readers. I don’t know if that directly
influences us, but certainly subconsciously it finds its way into our writing.
Q: What has been the most surprising or unexpected
thing about being on tour in the United States ?
A: Every single place we go to is unexpected and
surprising. It’s our third tour here this year and we love coming back.
Q: Have you considered relocating to the United
States or are you all staying in Ireland ?
A: No, I think we’ll always go home to Dublin .
It’s very good, I feel, to go out and then come back and go out and come back.
It’s grounding for us.
Q: You mentioned during a session on KEXP that the
band was in search of the best burger in the U.S.
Did you find a winner?
A: We’ve tried so many burgers! The one that was
crowned the king is in Portland. It’s called Boogie’s. It’s an unbelievable
burger. Before we came away, I became a vegetarian, and even now, it’s the best
vegetarian burger I’ve ever had, so that’s saying something.
Q: What is your drink of choice while on the road?
A: Some gas stations here in America still serve the
Mexican Coca-Cola, which is made with cane sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup,
and it’s served in a glass bottle and it tastes so good. We have to look after
our voices so we can’t be drinking. We are Irish, but we can’t be partying hard
every night.
Originally published on Vita.mn in Oct. 2013.
Originally published on Vita.mn in Oct. 2013.
