Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Sept. 2011
Haley Bonar is one of the most captivating singer-songwriters in the Twin Cities. With four albums, three EPs, two Minnesota Music Awards, extensive touring and appearances with the likes of Mason Jennings and Andrew Bird, plus a side punk rock project called Gramma’s Boyfriend under her belt, Bonar is experienced well beyond her 28 years.
Bonar’s childlike innocence and wise insight collide on her latest album, “Golder.” The lush vocals and glittering instrumentation lend an almost fairytale-like quality to a collection of songs that are cutthroat in their emotional honesty. Though initially funded through Kickstarter and released in April, “Golder” is being re-issued on vinyl nationally through Graveface Records next month. As for Bonar’s next big project? It isn’t musical; it’s maternal. She welcomes her first baby, a girl, in October.
I sat down with Bonar at one of her fave hangouts, Kopplin’s Coffee in St. Paul, the city she now calls home.
Most interviews about your new album “Golder” begin with the question about why you moved away to Portland for a year.
Haley Bonar: You’re not going to ask me that, are you?
No.
HB: Good. I’ve been back for a year-and-a-half! It doesn’t matter. That must be a Minnesota thing. I understand that people here are proud of their community and their artists, but I’m not from here. I didn’t grow up here. There’s nothing weird about leaving and coming back. The relevance of that time in my life and this record is small.
Aside from the Portland story, though, there isn't much about you "out there." If cyberspace is any indication, you're a very private person. Have you always been that way or is this a result of what you do?
HB: When I’m researching artists I like, I find the less I know about their personal life, the more intriguing they are. I’m not trying to build some mystique about myself but I’m not posting stupid status updates on Facebook, either. I don't do interviews often. There are just some things that people don’t need to know. I think the focus should be my music because I work really hard at it.
What is your songwriting process like? Is there a certain mood you have to be in?
HB: I don’t know how or when it happens. I guess it depends how much inspiration I’ve had. If there’s a movie or book or records that have captured my attention, I’m more prone to pick up on it and sit down with an instrument and work.
In the past, I used to get freaked out by the process. I would write all the time. I was so diligent. Every morning I would record something, even if they were crappy songs. Then I stopped and I wondered what was wrong with me.
Now I know that inspiration is very sporadic. I’ll work really hard on a chunk of songs, release an album, go on tour and then I’ll go into a creative and physical hibernation. I’m not writing all the time. I need time to soak it all up. I need to have my sponge period. I need to take it easy, to live, to gain perspective.
I haven’t written a lot since I got pregnant. Everyone told me that I’d be so inspired but... [Shrugs] I’m still waiting. It might take a year or two for the songs to come, but when they do, there will be like 20 of them, and I’ll pick out which ones I like best.
You write a lot about men and relationships. Is each song a story about a specific person or are they a collage of different people?
HB: As much as I want to be specific on my perspective in a song, I try to keep the experience as broad as possible. I used to write more story songs because it’s easy to write fiction when you don’t have experience. Now I’m older, so I write about my own experiences without being too personal. I like to present a pallet of things so people can take away what they want from it rather than telling them, “This is the color and the mood of this song.”
Has anyone from your past contacted you about a song that they thought was written about them?
HB: Oh, sure, I’ve gotten nasty emails from an ex, but I think it’s stupid. Even if he knows the song is about him, nobody else does. There’s also that “You’re so vain, you think this song is about you” thing. I’m not the first one to write a song about someone in particular. I’ve had songs written about me and I think it’s cool that I inspired someone.
Are there any experiences you won’t write about?
HB: My songs are pretty open book. You can’t read my human history directly from them, but they’re pretty raw. I don’t know how to be anything else. But I won’t write a song about labor. Nobody wants to hear that.
If anyone could pull off a song about giving birth that wasn’t too grotesque or offensive to people, it’d be you.
HB: Actually, that would be interesting. Maybe I will write a song about it and make it really grotesque! [Singing] Giving birth is haaaard…
Some of the songs on “Golder” aren’t new, per se. What made them relevant now?
HB: I wrote “Rattlesnake” the winter before I moved to Portland and “Silver Zephyr” is actually the oldest song on the album. I wrote that when I was 21. A friend of my emailed me out of the blue and said she’d found a demo of it, so I dug it out and rewrote some of the lyrics. If it weren’t for her, that song would’ve been dead and buried. The rest of them were written in a pod.
Talk about the decision to put two instrument-only tunes on “Golder.”
HB: I did an EP before “Golder” that was all instrumentation, so I’d been wanting to do that for a while, but I just didn’t have the right songs. With “Golder,” those songs are like the glue for the record. They round it out and showcase the musicianship. When you’re presenting an emotion, you don’t need to have the vocals.
What does “Golder” represent as a whole for you?
HB: It’s the end of a period of time in my life and the beginning of another. It’s saying goodbye to my early 20’s and growing up and reflecting on that. In the past, I’ve written and recorded without thinking about what the group of songs meant. With this album, I viewed it more as “These songs go together. How do they go together?” They’re my diary for a period of six or seven years. Though I was writing and recording other albums during that time, it wasn’t until I went to the West Coast (Portland) and had time alone with my thoughts that it came together.
Tell us how your band (Jake Hanson, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Mike Lewis and Luke Anderson) influenced the songs on “Golder.” Did you have their parts in mind before you went into the studio or did they bring their own ideas about what the album should sound like?
HB: In the beginning, a drummer friend in Portland helped me because I was so far away from the guys. I knew what the band would sound like and what they had to work with, so I bossed his drumming around until it sounded like what I wanted. I used synth to mock the sound and put fake strings where the song should swell. Then I came back to Minnesota and recorded it with the band at Pachyderm.
Studio time is usually about putting the music under a microscope and I can’t do that. I get really bored scrutinizing. I chose these guys because I trust their instincts. That’s what makes the album seem so alive. They know what I like and they accompany the song. They don’t come in and demand to play a certain way. The band has this simpatico.
We recorded the album live—vocals, too—and that was difficult for me. There were times the instrumentation was right on but there was a mistake—or what I saw as a mistake—on the vocals. It was good for me to have opinionated people around during that process because the band would tell me, “It sounds great!” and if it felt good, I figured they were probably right. It was a lesson in vibe over matter. It wasn’t perfect…and that’s what makes it special.
This was quite the summer to go on tour; with the heat and the pregnancy, how did you get through?
HB: I don’t know. It was getting crazy. We were away for two months and at the end of the East Coast tour, I was exhausted, we had to cancel the shows on the West Coast. I don’t like to be weak. I don’t like to be “resting.” It’s hard for me, but I had to set a cutoff of Oct. 1 so I can go into hibernation and learn how to be a mom.
What was the peak of the tour?
HB: Our last show on the East Coast part of the tour was in Chicago at the Hideout. In the middle of the second song, a horrible high-pitched sound came out of the speakers. The board actually blew up! The sound guy was freaking out. He said that hadn’t happened in ten years!
My non-pregnant self would’ve freaked out, but since I’ve been pregnant, I feel like I’m high all the time, so I said, “Well, whatever,” and unplugged. I came up to the edge of the stage and did some of the songs acoustic until they brought an old soundboard up. We got four songs in at the end with the full band. That was special because it was unexpected and I think we were all getting burnt out playing the songs as we had been up to that point. It was one of those happy disasters you couldn’t have planned. The crowd loved it because it made for a memorable show.
Gramma’s Boyfriend. What the fuck?
HB: “What the fuck?” is right. That’s exactly the reaction we were going for. I named the band before it came to fruition. One day in the studio with the guys, I just starting screaming and being strange; it was so much fun, we said, “Let’s do this again. Let’s do this onstage!” It’s kind of embarrassing but at the same time it’s fucking liberating to do that, to completely expose yourself as a weirdo. We all know how to play and write songs, but it’s fun to be a freak. Nobody sees that side of me. My friends see Gramma’s Boyfriend and they say, “It’s you!” Because that is me. I’m a nerd. I’m a goofball. It’s my playtime. People dance and that makes me happy. We just had our final show at the Entry and I dressed up as an old lady. A pregnant old lady. [Giggles] That band is so fun for all of us.
Are you thinking about your next album yet?
HB: No. The way I’m feeling right now, it will probably be really stripped down or really rock.
Haley Bonar’s final appearance before maternity leave is Sat. Oct. 1 at the Dakota Jazz Club. If you’ve yet to experience her effervescent presence firsthand, don’t miss this show!
Q&A: BRIAN MOEN OF PETER WOLF CRIER AND LAARKS
Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Sept. 2011
The drummer is often the most overlooked member in any given band. Brian Moen, however, is impossible to ignore. Though he may appear straight-laced and reserved when he sits down behind the kit, once the beat starts, Moen’s energy turns explosive. This drummer bangs away with such vigor he looks like he might launch right out of his seat and into the stratosphere.
A veteran of many Midwestern line-ups, Moen is best known for his role in Wisconsin-based Laarks and Twin Cities rock duo Peter Wolf Crier (with Peter Pisano). The latter's debut album, “Inter-Be,” was released in 2009 and earned Peter Wolf Crier national acclaim. Pisano and Moen were soon signed to indie label Jagjaguwar (home of Bon Iver and GAYNGS), wowed audiences at SXSW and played 100 shows in a six-month span.
Now the boys are back with “Garden of Arms.” Peter Wolf Crier's sophomore effort is far from a slump; rather, the duo's once sparse sound has evolved into a more complex, confident collection of songs while maintaining the cryptically poetic, restless spirit that makes Peter Wolf Crier's music so irresistible.
I talked to Moen about the process of making the album as well as how this two-man band will translate their beautiful noise to a live setting.
Tell me how you came to be half of Peter Wolf Crier. It was something of an accident, correct?
Brian Moen: More or less. Peter wanted me to record a solo album for him. After recording the guitar and vocals, he said, “Hey, put some drums on some of these songs.” I ended up putting drums on all of the songs.
Describe your dynamic with Peter. Would you say you’re the grounding force or the propulsive force behind the music?
BM: I’m the grounding force. Peter is a great ideas person. He’ll come up with 100 ideas and it’s my job to filter them. Then we come to an agreement on what’s best for the song.
Are you the more experienced member of the group? You seem to have been “broken in” by the music scene in a way that Peter hasn’t.
BM: I’ve been in a lot of bands, yeah, and I’ve toured before. When we went on the road with Peter Wolf Crier, it was Peter’s first time touring.
What is the meaning behind the title of Peter Wolf Crier's new album "Garden of Arms"?
BM: [Laughs] That’s a tough one. I’m not entirely sure. Peter has a better grasp on that. The title is sort of vague but it has a more specific meaning for him. It’s from the lyrics of the first song on the album and that’s just how the words came out of his mouth. They can mean different things to different people, which is what we were going for.
Do you write any lyrics or is your contribution to the band purely instrumental?
BM: Just instrumental. Peter Wolf Crier is a singer-songwriter project where Peter brings the lyrics and the melodies and I add the percussion and the textures. He writes the songs and I shape the sound.
What instruments other than drums do you play on “Garden of Arms”?
BM: Vibraphone, bass pedals, auxiliary percussion and tambourines.
The appeal of Peter Wolf Crier for a lot of listeners is in the nuances of those sounds and “Garden of Arms” could almost be called a headphone album. How do you translate that to a live show? Are there some songs you just can’t play because those details get lost in the space?
BM: Deciding what to play live is going to be similar to our first album. It’s always a matter of finding what the core of a song is, finding those essential pieces and doing what we can with two people onstage.
We always go in trying not to limit ourselves. We make the strongest album we can in the studio, knowing the live shows will be a very different experience. Live, there’s the visual aspect of watching us perform and the energy. On an album, you want to texture the songs so that you can listen to the same recording over and over and hear new things, like a guitar line, every time.
For the live shows with this album, a third person (Kyle Slater, of Laarks) will be joining us onstage to add those textures.
Speaking of Laarks, do you have anything new in the works?
BM: We just recorded a new album. It’s not mixed yet. I’m going to mix it. I hope to have it done before Peter Wolf Crier goes on tour.
Do you and Peter still have day jobs? When Metromix last interviewed Peter, he was a science teacher on the side.
BM: Peter is no longer teaching full-time, but he’s subbed for some classes. We were on the road for seven months, so we had to have that time for the band. I used to be an Art Director at a magazine in Eau Claire but I wanted to be able to tour. Now I do freelance design. That’s about 20% of my time.
You’re having a listening party for “Garden of Arms” at the Aster Café. What was behind the decision to do that?
BM: We did a listening party for our last album, but it was a re-release and those songs had been streaming on our Bandcamp for a month straight, so people were sort of familiar with the songs already. What’s exciting about this time is that we haven’t been playing these songs live. Most people haven’t heard anything from the album yet. It’s a great way to get people together and get them excited about the release.
Peter Wolf Crier’s album release show takes place at the Cedar Cultural Center on Sept. 23. “Garden of Arms” drops on Sept. 6. The album can be pre-ordered now through the band’s official website.
Erica Rivera's video of Moen killing it on the drums with Laarks.
Q&A: CHASTITY BROWN
Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Nov. 2011
Southern transplant Chastity Brown has captivated audiences all over the country with her soulful folk compositions. Her tight instrumentation and bittersweet lyrics evoke the struggles of the working class and only occasionally traverse the more popular relationship territory of her peers. Following two solo releases, including "Sankofa" (2009), Brown brought in band mates Michael X. (percussion), Adam Wozniak (upright bass) and Nikki Schultz (backing vocals) for "High Noon Teeth" (2010), a powerful collection of toe-tapping tunes that blended rhythm & blues with Americana style rock.
I met up with Chastity Brown at Common Roots Café in Uptown, where Peter Sieve of Rogue Valley happened to take Brown's order for espresso and a glass of wine.
Let's start from the beginning of your story. How did you get into music and what brought you to Minnesota?
Chastity Brown: I started playing saxophone at an early age. I lived in a super country, country town outside of Memphis. I always hated it but I play the music I play because I lived there. I didn't play out until I was 20, in Knoxville. Six years ago, a friend of mine was moving up here and I tagged along. I looked at City Pages to get an idea of what the scene was like and started gathering people.
How would you describe your sound? A lot of reviewers seem to throw the word "jazz" around when they talk about your music and that's the last genre I'd put you in.
CB: I don't mind it because the labels "jazz" or even "classical" imply a certain amount of respect for the musicians that play that kind of music. The musicians I play with are jazz musicians and we can lean that way, but we don't. So it's super flattering to call my music "jazz" but it's not completely accurate.
Not that you have to categorize you music at all...
CB: No, but this comes up a lot. I've been polling people who've seen my shows. Some hear banjo and say I'm straight-up Americana. If you ask the blues lovers, they say, "She bleeds the Blues." Some would compare it to the kind of rock that my peers are putting out, like The National, but my music isn't as layered in metaphor as indie rock is. I don't know exactly how to peg it. What the fuck am I? Appalachian Neo Soul? Americana Soul? I definitely don't want to be dumped into the "chick with a guitar" category. The label I'm working with doesn't know how to categorize me, either. I started working with them on a dance remix for "Strong Enough" to be released in Europe. We were jamming one day in the studio on a Blues tune and the tape happened to be rolling. When the label heard it, they said, "We want you to do what you do." So we did that instead. I just finished recording the new album and it's a huge step up, creatively and artistically, from what we did on "High Noon Teeth." It's more produced, detailed, nuanced.
What inspired the shift?
CB: Going on the road. It made me aware that I'm not the only one who really loves what we're doing.
Did you doubt that?
CB: I didn't doubt it, but we're grassroots, we're connected to the local community and it was just a really cool feeling to see it abroad. Working with a producer was also a huge influence. At first, it freaked me out, because I felt like, "This dude is fucking with my shit." I'm used to playing seven, eight, nine minute songs. I could sing the same line for a minute-and-a-half, but he showed me that it wasn't really necessary. It's like a writer working with an editor; you have to edit your writing and I had never edited my songs. We spent two weeks working on two or three songs, making sure every second was as strong as it could be.
Did you do storytelling songs on the new record and if so, are the stories autobiographical or fictional?
CB: Fictional. I'm singing from my personal perspective but these songs are not as obviously about me as they were before. "Sankofa" was an album of deeply personal songs I'd never sing again. (Laughs.) It was shit I needed to write about, but "High Noon Teeth" was not as personal and with the new album, I'm moving even farther away from that. The new album is more...imaginative. An interesting thing happened on this record where two or three songs came out in one fell swoop, while we were recording. It's kind of freaky, which is what you hope for.
Jeremy Messersmith (whom Brown is opening for at the Cedar Cultural Center on Nov. 23) recently wrote a song inspired by the Occupy Minnesota protest. Has an event like that ever prompted you to write a song?
CB: I think it's appalling how misguided the regular Joe Blow is who thinks these rich mother fuckers have their best interests in mind...but I don't write that blatantly about events. A chunk of my songs are about bleeding hearts, about how we will speak up for ourselves, about the belief that we will make it through this somehow. I've been reading about the Occupy Wall Street movement and I'm sure the more I read, the more enraged I'll become and will probably be moved to respond to it.
Let's talk about your local collaborations. You've performed with the improv collective Coloring Time. What was that experience like?
CB: Joe Horton, who is at the helm of that project, is one of my closest guy friends so he can talk me into anything. I have so much respect for everyone in Coloring Time; there are so many bad-asses involved. It's a kids' play pen. If I don't feel like singing, I don't sing. It's a nice little treat. It's so hard to get people to come out to a show here, but with Coloring Time, there's no work involved in promotion, no head space. I can just kick it.
Is it harder to promote shows here than it is in the South?
CB: I learned how to promote here. Down South they say, "I'll pay you $25" or "I'll give you a meal" to play and you say "Okay." Knoxville musicians take pride in not seeming ambitious. There's a stigma attached to taking yourself seriously. In Minneapolis, if you don't take yourself seriously, good fucking luck, bud! There are professionals here and you need certain skills to navigate the system. I'm lucky that I have a partner who is very methodical and I have friends like Joe (Horton) and Alexei (Casselle) who I can call on for advice. As country as I am and as laid back as I am, I'll never be a bulldog. I'm not slow, I just take my time and that's not how the business works.
Speaking of Alexei, when you had your release show for "High Noon Teeth," Roma di Luna (the former husband-wife duo of Alexei and Channy Casselle) opened for you. Are you as sad about their recent split as I am?
CB: There's the music side and there's the friend side... (Pauses.) Overall, yes it's sad, but viewing them as artists, they are both incredibly dynamic in their own right. When I met Alexei, I only knew him in the Roma di Luna context. Then I saw a Kill the Vultures performance and he was a completely different person. I yelled something at him during that show and he looked right at me in a way I'd never seen before and it was the scariest shit. What Channy's doing with her new project (Polica) is great, too. (Pauses.) It's sad and it's not at the same time. As a friend, that's as much as I can say.
Do you ever see yourself making a radical change in your music like that or are you comfortable with where you're at?
CB: I have been pulling on the coattails of different friends. I'd like to do something with an alter ego where neither of our names would be immediately associated with our other projects. Alexei and I are both interested in historical music, so I was talking to him about doing something super-gritty, uncovering some old tunes. Bobby (Mulrennan) and I also have 15 songs that we've written and nobody's heard. We love the songs but they don't work with what we're doing on the new album. (Pauses.) Maybe they're just things that keep us writing and we don't have to share them...or maybe someone will read this and want to collaborate! (Pauses.) These are really good questions, by the way.
Thanks. It's a challenge to avoid asking the same questions as everyone else.
CB: I appreciate you not asking about my hair. Interviewers always say something about my hair. The last thing I want to talk about is the way I look. I mean, I get it, I don't look Minnesotan; I don't sound Minnesotan. Then there's Jeremy Messersmith, who looks just like his music sounds. I look like a punk city girl and I'm way more country than I let on.
What sorts of mannerisms would tell us that you're country?
CB: I have a different internal rhythm. Down South, there's not as much urgency as there is in the Midwest and certainly not as much as on the East Coast. Even the business meetings are relaxed. Up North, we operate indoors. Down South, we spend ten months of the year sittin' on the porch, hangin' out, doing nothin'. Everything down South happens on the porches.
So what is your porch here?
CB: My backyard. I have a vegetable garden. I have perennials. I hang out in the woods and camp as much as possible.
But the snow!
CB: Yeah...I don't see myself settling down here by any means, but there is something about this town... (Pauses.) I think because it took so long to make friends and get into the local music scene, I spent a lot of time with myself and that's how I came to accept who I am, how I sound, how I sing. I had a big growth spurt in this town. I hope that when I leave, Minneapolis knows that I created in the way I have from being here. Minnesota has legitimate job opportunities for artists and a school system that lets you talk to students about protests songs. The public here acknowledges that you've developed a craft. That doesn't happen down South...well...maybe in Nashville...but that's a different world. I can understand how some artists don't want anything to do with it. When I release an album, I think, "This will bring us new work." I can't think beyond that. I don't think, "Maybe this will be the next big hit!"
Does anyone aspire to that anymore?
CB: In Nashville they do. You talk to people in the music biz and they want to be the next Shania Twain, Faith Hill or Garth Brooks. When people tell me that, I say, "Sorry. We can't hang out." (Laughs.) That's the hardcore folkie in me, because goals like that remove us from what music is: a platform for us to hang out. Music is what keeps us connected.
Chastity Brown will debut a few new tunes when she opens for Jeremy Messersmith on Nov. 23 at the Cedar Cultural Center. She'll also celebrate the release of her new (still untitled) album at the Cedar on Mar. 24. Her official website is: www.chastitybrownmusic.com.
Q&A: OWL CITY
Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Dec. 2011
Owl City is the electro-synth-pop project of Adam Young. Raised in Owatonna, this Minnesotan musician shot to fame with 2009’s hit single “Fireflies.” Now, at age 24, Young has proven himself capable of more than one-hit-wonder status with three major label albums and extensive international touring under his belt.
I talked with Young in anticipation of his free performance, exclusively for college students, at the University of Minnesota’s Field House.
I talked with Young in anticipation of his free performance, exclusively for college students, at the University of Minnesota’s Field House.
Your bedroom and your basement come up a lot in interviews. Does that weird you out? Are there any other rooms of your house that deserve a shout-out?
Adam Young: [Laughs] It does come up a lot. The funny thing is that my bedroom was in my parent’s basement and that’s where I was banished from the time I was 16, 17, 18. There was only one room in the unfinished basement. Now I have my own place but I still work, sleep and live in the basement. The studio is basically taking over this big house. The rooms are like my children and I’m the parent.
What’s the most surreal experience you’ve had as a result of your fame? Is there a particular pinch-me moment that stands out most in your memory?
AY: Yeah, the first time I flew out of the country, it was to Hong Kong, China. I was halfway through the show and I had this moment where it hit me that here I was, nobody from nowhere, and these people who lived a million miles away from me, who probably didn’t even speak English, knew all the words to my songs. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
When you go onstage now and see the enormity of the response to your music, do you still get the rush or have you come to expect it?
AY: I still get the rush. The rush and butterflies. If either went away, I think the magic would stop. Despite the inevitable, mundane, routine that is part of touring—because touring is a repetitive thing, you’re doing the same thing night after night—I try to take time to recognize what an incredible blessing this is. I think of it as I get to do music; I don’t have to do it as a job.
Do you have a rider on your contract? What’s on it?
AY: Yeah, we do. It’s typical, boring stuff…a lot of hummus. Tortilla chips. Mild salsa. I’m not hard core with the hot salsa. Guacamole gets on there sometimes—no runny, store-bought guacamole. Sandwich stuff, ham, lunch meat, Diet Coke. I’m actually Kidney Stone man now. [Laughs] Yeah, I get kidney stones—which are one of the most painful things, by the way—and the doctor said I should drink lemonade like nobody’s business because the acidity eats away at the calcium...so lemonade has made more of an appearance on there.
What are your strategies for dealing with negative press?
AY: I’m like a tortoise in his shell. I enjoy not reading what’s being said about my music, good or bad. If I read the good, I’d probably have a big head and be a prideful bro; if I read the bad, I’d probably kill myself. Apathy is my strategy.
You’re playing at the U of M tomorrow. Did you go to college?
AY: I went to a humble college in Owatonna called Riverland.
What did you study?
AY: I went for general education...but I was told one-and-a-half semesters in that I was on academic probation because my grades were so bad.
If Owl City ended tomorrow and you were Adam Young, starting over again, would you go back to school?
AY: Probably not. I'm sure I’d have to take a test to get in and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t do it. [Laughs] I was apathetic in high school. I couldn’t do math. I was always in the refresher math course. My brain is small when it comes to figures. I can’t make things connect. So if Owl City was all over tomorrow, I’d probably go fill out an application to load trucks.
While I was Twitter stalking you, I noticed you bought a new car. Would you like to take this opportunity to brag?
AY: [Laughs] I’m such a bro. I’ve never been a car guy. My Dad is a car guy and he was always looking over my shoulder, like, “You’re doing this all wrong. Why are you doing the music thing?” There was always this tiny thread of tension about why I wasn’t into cars, ‘cause I’m his first and only son. I’ve never had nice cars; I’ve always driven old minivans, but now I have the means, so I bought the total bro car, a Mustang. I went all out. I feel guilty and...I kind of don’t. [Laughs] In a small Midwestern town, that’s the thing; you drive a car like that and people stop and stare.
Are you growing a ‘stache for Movember?
AY: [Laughs] These are amazing questions! I just haven’t shaved for two or three weeks. I’ve been on tour since June and I just got tired of shaving. I hadn’t thought about Movember, but it’s been 17 days…so, yeah, I guess I am participating. [Laughs]
Q&A: QUIETDRIVE
Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Dec. 2011
Quietdrive is a band comprised of five of the Twin Cities’ finest young musicians: Kevin Truckenmiller, Brandon Lanier, Will Casesar, Justin Bonhiver and Brice Niehaus. Formed in 2002 and later discovered and signed by Epic Records, they released their debut “When All That’s Left Is You” in 2006. The band’s follow-up, “Deliverance,” was recorded and released in 2008 with the Militia Group. A year later, Quietdrive released their EP “Close Your Eyes” through their own label, Sneaker 2 Bomb Records. A third, self-titled full-length dropped in 2010. I talked to front man Kevin Truckenmiller in anticipation of Quietdrive's annual holiday show at the Varsity Theater.
The song the average listener associates with Quietdrive is your cover of “Time After Time.” How did you decide to cover that song and why do you think it blew up the way it did?
Kevin Truckenmiller: It was a spur of the moment thing. We love that song, so we did a version of it and it turned really well; it surpassed our expectations. We did it for fun and didn't think the label would push it but they did a bunch of crazy testing and it tested off the charts. As for the success...I don't really know how to explain it. It surpassed our expectations.
Over the past nine years, you've been on a couple of different labels and now you're on your own, working independently, correct?
KT: We've been producing and putting out music through a label in Japan and in the U.S. we've been releasing on our own. We're trying to make connections with other countries so we can get into those markets, too.
Does being on your own label allow you more creative freedom?
KT: Absolutely. On a label, there are certain constraints that you have to abide by. There is creative control involved. On our own label, we get to do what we want as far as our sound and our songs go.
You recently tweeted about starting an Oasis cover band. How’s that working out for you?
KT: [Laughs] I posted that half-heartedly but I do really want to do it. I have four brothers, so growing up we had a five-piece, stereotypical garage band and one of my brothers said, "Dude, we have to do an Oasis cover band!" We love Oasis. I think they're better than the Beatles. I love the attitude. I love the songwriting. It would be fun to mimic them onstage and wear costumes.
Quietdrive did a tour of Iraq last year. What were the highlights and were there any terrifying moments while you were there?
KT: When we went to Iraq, they considered us VIP class, so they treated us really well. They almost protected us too much, more than the soldiers. There was not a point where we felt unsafe. It was kind of crazy, though, because we'd fly in Blackhawks from base to base and I had never been in a helicopter before that. Flying in a helicopter is absolutely frightening because you feel like helicopters shouldn't be able to fly, but they do. Then you notice there are machine guns all around and there's this sense of, "What could happen?" When you fly in a plane, you have that sense, too, but it's more like, "Oh, turbulence." When you're in the middle of a desert, it's rockets! [Laughs]
As five young, attractive, talented guys who are in the public eye a lot, you must get hit on all the time. How do you stay Minnesota Nice and keep from getting into trouble?
KT: There's always that awkward moment where you have to distance yourself from it, whether it's getting hit on or being asked out to lunch, but the important thing is to make time for your family. You can't always be doing work. I try to separate the two. It's a balance between keeping plans with the family and going to the bar with fans. Sometimes it can be crazy. Sometimes it's like, "Let's just keep this professional" and other times it's "Yeah, let's hang out." It depends on how bored you are, I guess.
You guys get really sweaty onstage. Do you hit the showers as soon as you get offstage or do you change? And who ends up doing all that laundry?
KT: We work really hard onstage. We've always been a sweaty band. [Laughs] We always carry a wardrobe with us. We change all the time. We don't wash our pants every day because...well, no one washes their pants every day, do they? We do wash our undergarments as much as possible. And venues always have socks for us. It'd be weird to ask a venue to give us underwear, but we do ask for socks.
According to your Twitter feed, "Breaking Bad," tater tots and scotch are among your favorite things. Anything else you'd like to add to that list?
KT: "Breaking Bad" is my favorite show on television right now. Tater tots...I don't know where that came from. I do like scotch. I'll tell you what I don't like: Johnny Walker. I think it's overrated. I like P.D. My Dad makes scotch so he gives a couple bottles every now and then. I think one thing the general public doesn't know about me is that I'm a huge nerd. I love technology. When we're in the studio, we use the computer as much as possible. I love using technology to connect people with our music. It keeps us close to our fans.
Where do you like to hang out when you're in Minnesota?
KT: I go where the crowd goes, usually, though lately I try to stay out of the crowd. If I go out, it's during the week; I let the city have the weekends. I used to go to the Uptown area a lot...and downtown...though me and my friend got jumped a while back, so it kind of scarred me. If I go out now, I try to avoid the scoundrel hour at two in the morning. [Laughs] You have no good reason to be out at that hour.
Your annual holiday show at the Varsity Theater is coming up. What are the Christmas songs that you never get sick of?
KT: "Carol of the Bells" is one of those songs nobody gets sick of. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is a favorite. I've been thinking we should do a version of "O Holy Night." I think that's an Eric Cartman thing. It'd be cool to do a symphonic rendition of that song; not along the lines of Michael Bublé, but more like Muse. I love how they incorporate symphony into their songs.
Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Dec. 2011
Quietdrive is a band comprised of five of the Twin Cities’ finest young musicians: Kevin Truckenmiller, Brandon Lanier, Will Casesar, Justin Bonhiver and Brice Niehaus. Formed in 2002 and later discovered and signed by Epic Records, they released their debut “When All That’s Left Is You” in 2006. The band’s follow-up, “Deliverance,” was recorded and released in 2008 with the Militia Group. A year later, Quietdrive released their EP “Close Your Eyes” through their own label, Sneaker 2 Bomb Records. A third, self-titled full-length dropped in 2010. I talked to front man Kevin Truckenmiller in anticipation of Quietdrive's annual holiday show at the Varsity Theater.
The song the average listener associates with Quietdrive is your cover of “Time After Time.” How did you decide to cover that song and why do you think it blew up the way it did?
Kevin Truckenmiller: It was a spur of the moment thing. We love that song, so we did a version of it and it turned really well; it surpassed our expectations. We did it for fun and didn't think the label would push it but they did a bunch of crazy testing and it tested off the charts. As for the success...I don't really know how to explain it. It surpassed our expectations.
Over the past nine years, you've been on a couple of different labels and now you're on your own, working independently, correct?
KT: We've been producing and putting out music through a label in Japan and in the U.S. we've been releasing on our own. We're trying to make connections with other countries so we can get into those markets, too.
Does being on your own label allow you more creative freedom?
KT: Absolutely. On a label, there are certain constraints that you have to abide by. There is creative control involved. On our own label, we get to do what we want as far as our sound and our songs go.
You recently tweeted about starting an Oasis cover band. How’s that working out for you?
KT: [Laughs] I posted that half-heartedly but I do really want to do it. I have four brothers, so growing up we had a five-piece, stereotypical garage band and one of my brothers said, "Dude, we have to do an Oasis cover band!" We love Oasis. I think they're better than the Beatles. I love the attitude. I love the songwriting. It would be fun to mimic them onstage and wear costumes.
Quietdrive did a tour of Iraq last year. What were the highlights and were there any terrifying moments while you were there?
KT: When we went to Iraq, they considered us VIP class, so they treated us really well. They almost protected us too much, more than the soldiers. There was not a point where we felt unsafe. It was kind of crazy, though, because we'd fly in Blackhawks from base to base and I had never been in a helicopter before that. Flying in a helicopter is absolutely frightening because you feel like helicopters shouldn't be able to fly, but they do. Then you notice there are machine guns all around and there's this sense of, "What could happen?" When you fly in a plane, you have that sense, too, but it's more like, "Oh, turbulence." When you're in the middle of a desert, it's rockets! [Laughs]
As five young, attractive, talented guys who are in the public eye a lot, you must get hit on all the time. How do you stay Minnesota Nice and keep from getting into trouble?
KT: There's always that awkward moment where you have to distance yourself from it, whether it's getting hit on or being asked out to lunch, but the important thing is to make time for your family. You can't always be doing work. I try to separate the two. It's a balance between keeping plans with the family and going to the bar with fans. Sometimes it can be crazy. Sometimes it's like, "Let's just keep this professional" and other times it's "Yeah, let's hang out." It depends on how bored you are, I guess.
You guys get really sweaty onstage. Do you hit the showers as soon as you get offstage or do you change? And who ends up doing all that laundry?
KT: We work really hard onstage. We've always been a sweaty band. [Laughs] We always carry a wardrobe with us. We change all the time. We don't wash our pants every day because...well, no one washes their pants every day, do they? We do wash our undergarments as much as possible. And venues always have socks for us. It'd be weird to ask a venue to give us underwear, but we do ask for socks.
According to your Twitter feed, "Breaking Bad," tater tots and scotch are among your favorite things. Anything else you'd like to add to that list?
KT: "Breaking Bad" is my favorite show on television right now. Tater tots...I don't know where that came from. I do like scotch. I'll tell you what I don't like: Johnny Walker. I think it's overrated. I like P.D. My Dad makes scotch so he gives a couple bottles every now and then. I think one thing the general public doesn't know about me is that I'm a huge nerd. I love technology. When we're in the studio, we use the computer as much as possible. I love using technology to connect people with our music. It keeps us close to our fans.
Where do you like to hang out when you're in Minnesota?
KT: I go where the crowd goes, usually, though lately I try to stay out of the crowd. If I go out, it's during the week; I let the city have the weekends. I used to go to the Uptown area a lot...and downtown...though me and my friend got jumped a while back, so it kind of scarred me. If I go out now, I try to avoid the scoundrel hour at two in the morning. [Laughs] You have no good reason to be out at that hour.
Your annual holiday show at the Varsity Theater is coming up. What are the Christmas songs that you never get sick of?
KT: "Carol of the Bells" is one of those songs nobody gets sick of. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is a favorite. I've been thinking we should do a version of "O Holy Night." I think that's an Eric Cartman thing. It'd be cool to do a symphonic rendition of that song; not along the lines of Michael Bublé, but more like Muse. I love how they incorporate symphony into their songs.
Q&A: READYGOES
Published on KFAI's "Live From Studio 5!" blog in Feb. 2012
Bryan Shackle, Tyler Jorenby, Patrick Gibbs, George Hadfield, and Mo are ReadyGoes, a rambunctious pop band of 20-somethings determined to get your booty moving on the dance floor. I spoke to Bryan Shackle, the frontman of the quintent, in anticipation of the group’s EP release show at the Varsity Theater on Feb. 25.
Give me the spiel about how ReadyGoes got started.
Bryan Shackle: It started four years ago, though we’d all played in different bands before that. Tyler and I were approached by a publishing company to work on some songs for TV shows. We created a make-believe band and make-believe songs, but we ended up really liking them. Half of the songs were used for the shows and we kept half. We actually booked our first show at the Fine Line before we had enough band members to play the show.
And now you’re preparing to release a new EP, Like A Bomb. What kind of sound and themes can fans expect to hear on it?
BS: The sound is still us—dance pop—and it’s big. We’re not apologetic about it or worried about what other people think. It’s unlike anything else that the Twin Cities is making right now, which is a lot of chill, cool stuff. These six new songs are monstrously big and sexy. They are songs we feel good playing and we think fans will appreciate them and react to them well.
So your goal is to see the crowd dancing and going crazy during a show?
BS: Going crazy—yes, that’s a reaction we want! Hands in the air, anything. The worst would be people or critics being neutral to our music. I want them going crazy or hating it. Some kind of reaction.
Talk about the band’s look. Is it something that happens naturally or do you purposefully plan it? Are you into fashion?
BS: I wish we had the money to hire a stylist to plan it out. For now, it’s natural. I mean, before a photo shoot, we’ll say to one another, “Let’s not wear pink” or “Maybe iron your shirt” but that’s it.
And yet you went as zombies to Rock The Cause’s Phantasmagoria. Not exactly heartthrob attire.
BS: [Laughs.] Of course we planned that. It was so much fun.
Photo by Mike Minehart
Has ReadyGoes played many shows for charity?
BS: We haven’t and that’s because this album has been all-consuming for over two years. We’ve been through the ringer with management and going between Nashville L.A. Minneapolis
But you did offer yourselves up for a bowling date for your Kickstarter campaign…
BS: We’d been talking about what would be an interesting way to promote on Twitter and Mo, our guitar player, said, “Dude, let’s go bowling!” We did a contest based on re-tweets. A girl won and that’s coming up, so we’ll see how that goes…
In ten years, do you anticipate ReadyGoes will still be making the same kind of music or do you think it will morph into something else?
BS: It’s always going to morph or we’d get super bored. We’ll still be making music together in five years, ten years, but it will change. ReadyGoes has already changed. At first, Tyler and I were the ones doing the songwriting. The rest of the guys help with the writing now; there are multiple hands involved. George had a heavy hand in the six songs on the EP, and there’s hip-hop in his background, so that's a new influence.
Who would be your dream band to open for?
BS: To open for? I don’t know. Who sounds like us? Who do you think?
I wouldn’t want to insult you.
BS: It’s okay. I know we play chick pop.
It’d probably someone you’d hear on KDWB.
BS: I don’t know what they play on KDWB well enough to even name anyone. The bands we like don’t sound like us. I don’t think Ryan Adams would have us on. Butch Walker
Are there any legal substances that you guys rely on to get riled up before a show?
BS: We’re whiskey men. There’s usually a bottle of Jack Daniels or Jim Beam in the back. Aside from that, it’d be jumping around, battle rapping, or wrestling tigers.
Q&A: DAVE SIMONETT OF TRAMPLED BY TURTLES AND DEAD MAN WINTER
Published on KFAI's "Live From Studio 5!" blog in Feb. 2012
Dead Man Winter, a local outfit fronted by Dave Simonett of Trampled by Turtles, is a quaint and quirky combination of bluegrass, rock, roots, andAmericana sounds
Dave Simonett: I haven’t answered it before because I don’t have an answer. It just popped into my head. It’s probably from years of freezing inDuluth
DS: It probably did, but it was not conscious.
DS: A little of both. I hesitate to say it’s a departure because it’s not so different from Trampled By Turtles, but it's not hip-hop either. It’s a continuation as far as song writing goes. If it’s a departure, it would be of instrumentation. Trampled By Turtles is string instruments and Dead Man Winter is electric guitar and amp.
DS: I lived inDuluth Minneapolis Minneapolis Duluth
DS: That depends on what we’re talking about. Dead Man Winter hasn’t really gone anywhere. We went toColorado Alaska Colorado
DS: I’m really digging Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps. We also just played The Current’s birthday party with Night Moves and I’d like to hear more from them.
DS: [Laughs.] That’s a good question. What do I do for fun? I try to keep my one-year-old daughter from hurting herself.
Your next opportunity to be blown over by Dead Man Winter is on Feb. 23 at theCedar Cultural Center
Q&A: DAVE SIMONETT OF TRAMPLED BY TURTLES AND DEAD MAN WINTER
Published on KFAI's "Live From Studio 5!" blog in Feb. 2012
Dead Man Winter, a local outfit fronted by Dave Simonett of Trampled by Turtles, is a quaint and quirky combination of bluegrass, rock, roots, and
DMW, while relatively new on the scene, is quickly gaining cred with the in-crowd, as evidenced by their much-lauded performance at The Current’s 7th birthday party last weekend.
I spoke to Simonett on an unusually balmy afternoon in what should have been the dead of winter.
My first question is one you’ve probably answered several times before: where did the name Dead Man Winter come from?
Dave Simonett: I haven’t answered it before because I don’t have an answer. It just popped into my head. It’s probably from years of freezing in
I figured it had something to do with the Minnesotan obsession with weather.
DS: It probably did, but it was not conscious.
Is Dead Man Winter a continuation of, or a departure from, the music you were making with Trampled By Turtles?
DS: A little of both. I hesitate to say it’s a departure because it’s not so different from Trampled By Turtles, but it's not hip-hop either. It’s a continuation as far as song writing goes. If it’s a departure, it would be of instrumentation. Trampled By Turtles is string instruments and Dead Man Winter is electric guitar and amp.
For those who aren’t familiar with Duluth
DS: I lived in
Outside of Minnesota
DS: That depends on what we’re talking about. Dead Man Winter hasn’t really gone anywhere. We went to
Who are you excited to hear more from on the local scene?
DS: I’m really digging Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps. We also just played The Current’s birthday party with Night Moves and I’d like to hear more from them.
When you’re not making music, what do you do to entertain yourself?
DS: [Laughs.] That’s a good question. What do I do for fun? I try to keep my one-year-old daughter from hurting herself.
Your next opportunity to be blown over by Dead Man Winter is on Feb. 23 at the
