Link: http://www.jbm-music.com/

Jesse Marchant (known as JBM, his initials) has never made an album before. He never had any intentions of doing so. His youth led him to become classically trained in guitar, it was his instrument that came first. When the lessons stopped, he kept going, experimenting with different genres and gravitating to the musical styles that he loved while retaining knowledge of the musical pieces that hovered over his youth.

“I still love to play those pieces,” Marchant said. “One of the things I gained from the experience is that I use my right hand a lot to develop my finger picking style. But my tastes are a mix of classical and other things.”

The “other things” extend into the blues and people like Buddy Guy to the more elaborate folk artists like Nick Drake, Neil Young, and M. Ward, the type of people you would expect him to listen to after diving in to Not Even In July (Partisan Records). Spending most of his life looking down at his guitar, this album gave him a chance to get away from the intricacies of the music and add vocal talents to his repertoire, as the two go hand in hand in this case.

“I did play and sing when I was younger, but not so much,” he said. “I was not really into writing songs on my own and developing my vocal style. Playing guitar was my primary focus. Singing came as a consequence to that.”

But here he is, presenting his debut full length. The album represents not just a time in Marchant’s life, but a piece of himself. You feel the cold winter nights from his time growing up in Montreal and the Adirondacks. The summer breeze blows across the lake and surrounds you on songs like “Going Back Home.” And life’s joys and pains haunt him on “Friends For Fireworks.” These are tales from the journey of a man. This is the output of Marchant’s mind and experiences.

“It makes you grow,” he said. “I never even knew I was making this album when I was writing the songs. It effected me in a lot of ways.”

Going from Montreal to Los Angeles, Marchant lived a three-year solitary existence in a city full of people. Retreating back to the mountains and his family’s home, he began to see the realization of his songs and how they could eventually play out.

Unconditionally Marchant’s songs become your songs with his soft and subtle way of making things seem so easy.

“The flow of the songs are what feels easy. I don’t try to make changes or force something out of nothing. That is not easy. They had to sit right with me before they made it on the album. When it is right, it’s right. The songs were written during a period of my life surrounded by elements that are similar. An album has to be consistent as textures and colors are introduced, but they have to feel that they belong together.”

The opener leads us into this frame of mind as the instrumental “Years” prepares us like meditation for what is to come. We don’t actually hear Marchant’s voice until almost two-and-a half minutes later with “Cleo’s Song.” For him, doing that was not deliberate, it’s just how it came out.

“I wrote the instrumental separately, but played these two songs together during my live show and realized how nicely they flowed into one another. It just felt right to keep it that way and help move the piece along. When I recorded it, I had it as one long song, but decided to split it into two songs.”

As Marchant continues to play live and become more comfortable and less self-conscious in this new lifestyle experience, he looks back happy with what he created as heartache and life’s contemplative desire turns to pleasure like a passenger looking out of a window.

“Now that it’s done, it’s like keeping a photograph.”

JBM is currently on tour with A.A. Bondy.

Not merely an opening act any longer, these boys’ amplifying success was far from quick and easy. In the midst of a whirlwind tour schedule, with one of those stops in Indianapolis at the infamous Melody Inn; I was able to speak with Jimmy Russell (Guitars/Vocals) about the band’s roots, the new album, and wrestling cougars.

Link: http://thequickandeasyboys.com/

How did the The Quick & Easy Boys get together?

The Quick & Easy Boys started in Eugene where we all attended the
University of Oregon. We started as a four piece with one other guitar 
player Ben Morse. We built up quite a bit of original material. As well
 as covers; including mostly Rock, Blues, Funk and Honky Tonk while 
playing all of the local venues. We did that for a few years until
school ended and then we moved to Portland. Around that time Morse
quit. Once we became a three piece, we developed into the more
 cohesive and unique group that we are today.

Are you concerned about people Googling your name and getting the wrong idea/website?

Yes, at times. We are careful not to dress like the Village People in 
public to not give the wrong message with a name like The Quick & Easy
Boys.  Yet we figured if music didn’t work out we could parlay our
 name and image into a male escort service; advertising on the back pages 
of weekly’s across the country. This reminds me, we are offering mustache rides after the show for any lucky lady that has $75 or $110 for a FBSM (Full Body Sensual Message). Of course we have a sliding scale. The hotter you are the
 less you pay. And by us, I mean Sean the bass player.

With such a contrast of styles in your music, is there any style(s) influenced by an individual member(s)?

All of us have a wide diversity of influences that shape our
 musical landscape. We were influenced quite heavily in the beginning by 
the Parliament-Funkadelic 1977 Houston performance. As well as all
types of Rock, Pop, Jazz, Soul, and Honky Tonk from the past and
present. Groups whom we may feel akin to are The Band of Gypsies, The 
Minute Men, The James Gang, Sublime, Waylon & Willie and Funkadelic.

How would you describe the Portland, OR area music scene?

Portland is an exciting place to play for us! We have built up a
great draw of fun fans including the young, the old, rockers, hippies,
 hipsters, and hicks. Including anybody who likes to dance and see an
exciting rock show where you never know what is going to happen. There 
are a lot of great bands in the vibrant Portland scene!

What has been your favorite city/memory on this tour thus far?

Every city and night on this tour thus far has been a blast!
 Believe it or not, Lander, Wyoming was the most fun for me! We 
played outside in the sun from 6:30 till midnight. It was a great show 
where we got to stretch out and play anything and everything. We also
 have the artists Vorcan traveling with us, painting all of our shows.
 They sold 10 paintings at that show!

Was there a different approach you were hoping to accomplish when you went into the studio for the new record “Red Light Rabbit” from your first album “Bad Decisions with Good People?”

On the first album “Bad Decisions with Good People” we had a lot of
 guest musician’s playing auxiliary parts in order to create a diverse,
 sonically thick, sounding CD. We kept hearing that people liked the CD very
 much but it was different than what we do live. Having built a
reputation for high energy live shows we wanted to capture that energy
and subsequent performance on our newest release “Red Light Rabbit.”
Although there are few overdubs on “Red Light Rabbit” we kept them to a
minimum and guitars only. There where a lot of keyboards on “Bad
 Decisions.” On this new release, we wanted to make a high energy rock n
roll album! We have plenty of both CD’s for sale at our upcoming shows!

Every catch phrase has a story. Please describe the origin of “Yeah Bud!” being used during live shows.

“Yeah, Bud!” is a chant in the Dionysian tradition that came from the
 Pleiades. It started 11 years ago. My friend Mike Macias
was drunk and wrestling a tire in a ditch screaming “Subaru” at the
 top of his lungs. Subaru is Japanese for the
 Pleiades. Over the course of many years “Subaroooooo” turned 
into “Not Yoooooou” into “Not Yooooouuu Bud” into ” See Ya Bud” and
 finally into “Yeah Bud” which seemed to stick. At shows people yell it 
in an expression of belligerent unity.

Your music can cater to a lot of personalities. In your own words, what is your idea of the ideal Quick & Easy Boys fan?

Our fans base has truly extended to include as many different types
and musical cultures as you could shake a stick at in all parts of 
the country. Anybody who likes to dance or likes fat bass lines,
dirty drum beats, blistering guitar licks, and catchy vocal 
harmonies ranging from The Band, Sam and Dave and the Bee Gees; will 
like us! Even people who normally wouldn’t like our type of music have
 expressed enjoying our shows because of the high energy and antics.

What would you say to those who call your live shows simply ‘drinking music’? Is that you intention?

I can understand how some people may label us drinking music. We
started in bars and have many friends and fans whom like to drink,
 including ourselves on occasion. Yet we don’t want to be considered a
‘drinking music’ band, in that we take our musicianship seriously and
know that most of our fans come for the music. Of course, they will be
 drinking at the show while listening; but away from our shows we would
 like to assume our fans are mountain climbing, skydiving or
 wrestling cougars while listening to our CD’s.

Have you ever been to Indianapolis? What do you expect when it pertains to Indianapolis?

We have never been to Indianapolis. We don’t know what to expect!
 We are very excited to be afforded the opportunity to play some of
 these uncharted territories in the east.

How do you envision the future of The Quick & Easy Boys in the coming years?

We are dedicated to playing together. Hopefully in the future,
we can build a  large enough fan base across the country to afford us 
the opportunity to quit our days jobs and travel around playing
music permanently. Every musician’s dream! Indianapolis here we come!
 Yeah bud!!!

Growing up, Russell spent his youth around legendary songwriters like his grandfather Bob Russell (who wrote songs for Duke Ellington, The Hollies, Harold Spina, and others) and great uncle Bud Green (who collaborated with Les Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Raymond Scott, and others). Russell formed his first band called The Bootheels with Jakob Dylan.

It’s been a while since Repair hit the public eye, and Russell has had time to construct ideas and compositions for a new album. We get a taste of what’s to come with his 45 “Good Music” and the recently released EP Motorbike.

Russell talks about how it all began and what’s to come.

Link: http://lutherrussell.com/

It’s been three years since you released an album. Why an EP, and why now?

Um…Its pretty much time because I’m readying my new record The Invisible Audience, which is the length of a double album and a lot of information. So I thought I’d dort of ramp up to it. First with the 45 last year and now with the Motorbike EP. Both contain mostly tracks from the new one.

Does this mean that we are due for a Luther Russell album in the near future?

See above. I hope to have it out before year’s end. It’s actually being mastered as we speak.

Tell me about Motorbike and what it means to you musically and personally (which could be one in the same)?

Musically it was a chance to do something different in drop-D tuning. Also, it was cut in Portland at my friend Larry Crane’s studio Jackpot and so I just used whatever was lying around. In this case that meant a sitar-guitar, decent drum kit, piano, etc. Personally, it’s abstractly based on impressions of a close friend who was the first person I played music with and the first real death in my life (I was 16).

Spare Change was a different type of album for you, as was Repair. How is the band continually trying to change and grow?

Well the band is just me, but I do my best to grow in a way the new record is so epic because I wanted to get out all the different styles I’ve explored over the years so I could move on to something entirely new in the future. Also most of the key people that play with me are somehow involved with the new record.

You have had music in your family and have been surrounded by it your entire life that you could write a book on it and the musician and celebrities you have associated with and been around. What was it like to have that kind of childhood and what does it mean to you now?

I really appreciate it. It wasn’t glitzy or glamorous. My grandfather was a professional lyricist, as was my great uncle. They were craftsmen of another era. It was business as usual around the house growing up around the music business in Los Angeles. It was nothing special for that time and place. Now I’m really proud of my family’s background. I have an older cousin who is no longer with us who I was really close to. She sang on all the Bacharach/Warwick stuff. It’s amazing, and I learned a lot from her for instance. Things they don’t teach elsewhere.

When did you become aware that you would become a musician yourself and how did that develop in your own personal life?

My parents scored me a Ludwig Drumkit. When I was five — that would be in 1975 — I just had to play drums, I guess. It must have been obvious. Then I started making little songs all the time. My first was called “Down With The Waves,” which I wrote in 1977. I used that line on a song in “Spare Change.”

Doing this for so long, what matters most to you as a musician? What gives you satisfaction?

What give me satisfaction is making music with other people who I love to hang out with. And if it makes a great track or record, that’s even better. That matters to me most is when people take great care with what they want to say in a song and how they say it. It’s very cool to get into someone’s special world, lyrically speaking. When it works, it works.

You also are producing albums now. What have your learned from that, and how has that helped you in your own work?

I wish I could say I learned a lot that could help my own work, but it barely translates because it’s very hard to produce one’s self. Even for this new record, I relied on a lot of opinions I trust, and it took extra long. The music isn’t belabored, that’s what actually takes more time: getting takes that aren’t over-wrought.

You have been an important part in the Portland music scene. How do you see that scene today and where it’s heading?

Not really sure, because I moved from there in 2002 and now I live in New York. But I always imagine it will kind of have it’s own thing, as it always has. I’m actually doing a show there at the end of month…very excited about that.

What is up next for Luther Russell? What all do you have planned for 2010 and beyond?

I don’t really make plans. I just do stuff and hope it works out. My goal is to bring this Invisible Audience record out, and it would be gratifying if people got it and liked it and stuff.

Kaiser Cartel will be playing Radio Radio in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 15. For more information, please go to the Radio Radio website: http://www.futureshock.net/radioframeset.html

Kaiser Cartel has much love for Indianapolis as it holds a long-standing place in Courtney Kaiser’s heart. Kaiser was born in Indianapolis and spent her academic career at the Indiana University in Bloomington studying opera and world music vocals. Kaiser joined up with John Mellencamp to lend backing vocals to the band. Later meeting Benjamin Cartel in New York City, the two took shape and became a mid-2000s Brooklyn fixture.

Since then they recorded and released the critically acclaimed March Forth (Megaforce) which some of the songs later received treatment for a few television shows: HBO’s Bored To Death and Private Practice. The two has also been heard in the MTV show Exiled and the Discovery Channel’s Alter-Aco. Later in 2008 after the release of March Forth, they teamed up with other Indiana musical fixture Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s to tour.

During the preparation for their upcoming release Secret Transit (Daniel), the duo joined up with Pledge Music, an online resource that raises money directly from fans in order to release albums or fund tours, in order to bypass the label process. The band asked fans to help them release the album, offering gifts to those who pledged. In addition, 15 percent of the pledge money went to support Art Of Conservation, an organization that works with villages in Rwanda and teaches children the importance of conservation.

Secret Transit presents a mysterious yet more unified transition for the group, and the opportunity for the two to work more closely together both in composition and song-writing, a feeling that the two further expand on.

Link: http://www.kaisercartel.com/

With your upcoming visit to Indianapolis and Radio Radio, tell me a little bit about Secret Transit and what these songs mean to you, and how this album stands within the gamut of your career as musicians?

Benjamin Cartel: Many of the songs on Secret Transit are about our experiences on the road over the last few years. Most of the material comes from our own real life experiences with the people and places we have encountered on the road. In some cases the songs are autobiographical, in other cases there are songs about friends, and there are even songs about friends of friends.  The last album, March Forth, contained some songs that were written together and written separately. On this album, all songs were written together. Secret Transit represents a departure from the things we’ve done as solo artists.  We now approach all of our song writing as a team.

Courtney Kaiser: It’s hard to say what this set of songs mean to us. Some of the subject matter is personal, others are metaphorical. Everything we write has meaning for us. At times, I don’t really know what something means or even what it’s about until much later.  Our subconscious makes little messages within the music, but their meaning isn’t realized until after the fact. As far as where the record stands within our music career…well we are both really proud of it. We have toured more in this band than any other project we have been involved in.  Both Ben and I have worked really hard and have been extremely focused on not only the creative side but the business side, especially now that we are putting it out ourselves.  We are just getting started.

How do you feel these songs will transfer to a live setting, and as a duo on stage, how do you like to interpret them on the spot?

BC: I feel that we write a lot of songs with the attitude that if it’s a great song, you can make it sound great by singing, playing guitar and drums. Our interaction on instruments and the harmonizing of our two voices is at the heart of what we do…always. Our audiences hear these songs as they are meant to be performed…played and sung by Kaiser and Cartel.

CK: The songs from Secret Transit late translate well to the live show because that is their original format.  When we write new songs, we add them to the set immediately.  That way we get to know them really well.  When we record we tend to add keyboards or other sounds because we can, not because its needed.

Courtney is no stranger to the ties of Indiana as people may or may not know about the back up gig with Mellencamp. What does it mean for you to get the chance to visit and play here in the city?

CK: I was born in Indianapolis, moved to Bloomington for college to study opera and world music vocal styles. I bought a house in Bloomington after graduating while I was in the Mellencamp band so it’s coming home for me. I always look forward to being in Indianapolis or Bloomington.  I am very proud of the music scene I grew up in.

Tell me how you two met and what led you to both to start playing music together and form Kaiser Cartel?

CK: We met at a gig in NYC. We liked each other’s song writing and musicianship, so we teamed up for a short tour in the midwest.  It was a very stripped down version of our individual solo stuff.  Two guitars, a snare drum, and a child’s xylophone. People really responded, so we never stopped.

How has the musical relationship changed from then to now? What do you feel like  you have learned from each other especially since the two of you have to rely on each other and have trust.

BC: In the beginning we were two solo artists playing on each other’s songs. By the time we recorded March Forth, we knew were becoming more of a true song-writing / song-producing team. We’ve learned a lot about each other’s strengths and weaknesses – in writing, in music and within our own personalities. We’ve learned to trust those strengths more and more. I think we both feel that we are always learning new things about each other when it comes to writing, and creating songs.  We keep the door open when it comes to allowing new influences in, and that has always helped our writing, and helped to keep our spirits up.

Do you feel that Secret Transit is more varied in style than March Forth? Or do you see the similarities, and if so, what do you find that compliments the two?

CK: Secret Transit seems a bit darker to me.  The song may sound upbeat, but the lyrical content is super sad. I like having the dark and light balance. The two records are similar in that the songs could fit into various genres.

BC: I think the vibe and the lyrical stories of Secret Transit are different than March Forth. We’re looking at life from a different perspective. It may be Secret Transit is less whimsical and upbeat than March Forth. As far as being more ‘varied in style’ goes, yes I think we’ve learned a few new songwriting/playing/singing tricks and you can hear that on this new album new album. What remains the same on this album, as compared to March Forth, is our love of telling stories in our songs, our capacity for being both positive in our message/lyrics on some songs / melancholy on others, and our love of vocal harmony which is totally key and central to what we do. All of that has carried over on this album.

What attracts you to the duo aspect of the band?

CK: It is certainly easier to have just two people to worry about. I like the simplicity of two as well as the challenge. We make a big sound with little effort.  Sometimes we want another guitar player or cellist, but we travel in a Prius and that can be a bit tight with three. We had Anni Rossi in the car with us for a tour as well as our manager Patrice before. When we buy that veggie powered airstream I’ve been wanting forever, then we will add a couple of folks. It would be awesome to have someone help drive or sell merch. What a luxury!

BC: I enjoy knowing I that can come up with ideas that can be improved upon. And I like that I can add to a song idea, and help to construct it by putting in my 50 cents. My voice adds something to Courtney’s vocals, and vice versa. With two, you have the option of 3 personalities being represented; male, female, and the collective – the duo – as an individual.

Your songs have been getting more attention in the television circuit. What led to contributing your songs to “Bored To Death” and “Private Practice.” How does it feel to see them used in that context?

CK: Glenn from Bar None was our link to Bored to Death. He sent the March Forth record to his friend Michael Hill who happened to be the music supervisor for Bored To Death. We love the show, and being from Brooklyn, its extra special for us to be involved.  Both Ben and I are visual people and have been inspired by film to write some of our songs, so its awesome to see a scene with our music being the under tone.  We love it!
BC: We enjoyed the attention and exposure we’ve gotten from Bored to Death and Private Practice. I always felt that there is a lot of potential for our songs and our music to serve as a soundtrack for TV and movies. Our experience with TV thus far, gives me hope for more music in TV and Film in the future.

Why contribute to the Art of Conservation? What did that mean for the two of you?

BC: Art of Conservation came about, by chance, because of correspondences with a good friend, who turned out to be the director of this program. There is a personal connection involved here.  We enjoy having as many opportunities to use our music to help communicate positive messages.  This opportunity allows us to assist in educating children of Rwanda, many whom come from remarkably difficult, war-torn, poverty stricken situations.  It  is truly incredible.

CK: We feel strongly about the importance of education, especially in the arts.  We also feel strongly about being environmentally conscious (hence why we tour in a Prius). The goal of Art of Conservation is to teach the importance of the environment through art and music.  Some of the music we have written have been just like any Kaiser Cartel songs would be written. Others have been crafted using traditional Rwandan song structure, rhythm patterns, and instrumentation. We really enjoy writing songs for them and feel so grateful that the villagers trust us enough to share their music with us. Being able to watch videos of them dancing and singing is an ethnomusicologists dream. This is music you can’t get on itunes. It’s extremely special to us.  Also, my degree from the IU School of Music was in World Vocal Music.  I spent a fair amount of time studying southern African folk music and the mbira.  So, in some ways I get to use some of my previous education in what I am doing now.  I love singing in other languages and kri kri is quite a challenge!

New album, new tour, what other plans do you have cooked up for the rest of 2010?

CK: We plan to tour equally as much in Europe as in the US in 2010 and 2011. We are also already thinking of where to record the next record and what music will be on it.

BC: We’re planning on making more videos with the video team known as Grizlet (they did the videos for Okay and Blue Sky on March Forth).

CK: We would also really like to go to Rwanda to meet the villagers that have been singing the Art of Conservation songs!

The band takes some time to answer questions about the new album and what they are doing with it.

I want to start off talking about one of my favorite songs on your album “What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here.” “Small Change” is not just a fantastic song, but also a little different than the rest of the album. Can you dissect the reasoning behind creating “Small Change,” and how it does fit into the context of the album?

Peter Fedofsky- First and foremost, thank you! Small Change is a track that really bridges the gap between our first album and this one. I wrote the song originally on acoustic guitar, and it had a much more psychedelic feel to it. The demo had lots of nonsense vocals in the backgorund, and echo-laden guitars and such. When we started rehearsing it, the feel was dropped entirely in favor of this kind of burlesque-show feel that we have
now. We did record another studio version at one point, which was heavily influenced by The Seeger Sessions from Springsteen. We did this huge drum sound with a pile of room mics, and I played a bit on a newer upright
piano. Something just wasn’t clicking, and those sessions were swept under the carpet. It always packed a punch live, so we lumped it in with the recording of What a Lovely Surprise. Boy, I’m glad we did.

One the surface “What A Lovely Surprise” is such an upbeat album to listen to, while in context it’s very realistic, the ideal construct to pop music. How did this develop when creating an album like this and what did it mean to you to take this approach?

Fedofsky – Matt and I always seem to write these catchy tunes about the end of the world, disasters, relationships turned sour, and such. There’s something sly about writing gritty and real lyrics to something that ends
up being a toe-tapper. I guess living in the gray and dreary Pacific Northwest lends itself to writing in this mode. It always cracks me up when people think of the band as super poppy and upbeat, as all we sing about is death and despair and the like…

Matt Gervais:  I was on a family road-trip and I think my sister pointed out a line from Crocodile Rock that was full of this hidden sadness.  It was, “never knew me a better time and I guess I never will.”  It’s full of apprehension and doubt, but is sung in this loveable and carefree voice. I liked the idea of being able to express a very real, melancholic
sentiment and to still be able to have fun doing it.  I suppose it’s in our mission statement.

Even in the Seattle scene, Curtains For You is a different kind of band than we come to expect from the Northwest. How did the band come about and how did the sound develop into what we know of now?

Gervais:  Well, when we started out, we sort of took an inventory of each other’s past catalogue and found that there were a lot of places where our styles overlapped.  Among other styles was this common affinity for ragtime and 60’s pop and we just went with it.  Our first performances were frequently compared to jug-bands as we had no drummer and we were playing this almost un-intentionally old-timey stuff.  We were George Formby without having heard much George Formby.  We’ve changed a lot since then, but have tried to keep the same spirit and reconcile it with the modern world.

Not just the musicianship, but your vocals and harmonies are outstanding and refreshing to hear such a well-blended vocal sound on an indie album. What is the background behind that? How important was it for you as the band developed and would you say you are lucky to have such rich vocal talent within the band?

Fedofsky – Thanks again. I think that we all have gravitated toward vocal harmony groups in our own record collections, and that helps. Anything from the Four Freshmen to the Beach Boys to Nilsson is fair game for us. Speaking for myself, I simply cannot demo anything without about 20 of me singing at once to cover my vocal failures, so somewhere along the way, I learned how to write harmonies to flesh out any musical situation. Matt’s writing is similar, so I know that it was important for us to be working with a band that was not afraid to hit the mic and ooh and ah as much as possible. As far as being lucky, I would say hell yes! It is refreshing to work with a band that not only tries to pull off what I hear when I write/demo a song, but they exceed my ideas and improve it dramatically.

Gervais -  Thanks a lot!  The harmony thing is kind of like crack.  Once you’ve immersed yourself in it, it is damn near impossible to escape.  You just keep learning more about how it works and wanting to one-up yourself with
new arrangements.  Pete is onto something when he says it’s also good for covering up vocal failures.  There is a comfort in having your own voice supported by three other singers.  The pressure is off all-of-a sudden and
you end up singing better than if you were all alone.  As the primary singer, it is priceless to have three other guys to go to when the going gets tough.

The album was recorded live. How did the production elements go and what obstacles did you have to face in order to accomplish this. What aspects to the recording do you think really pushed this album?

Gervais -  Going into it we unanimously agreed that it had to be done live. Especially coming off a debut album that was done in a very piecemeal fashion, we needed to capture the vibrancy of our live shows.  It’s a
time-tested formula.  I’d say instead of presenting obstacles this approach actually removed obstacles.  It becomes much more natural and less of a head-game.  Recordings can very easily be over-thunk.

Each of you contributes multiple instruments to the album. How does this convert live and still maintain the momentum?

Fedofsky – Sheesh, I always yell rotate in the middle of the set at one point or another. We are pretty quick at transitions, and would rather have ten seconds of shuffling around to have that euphonium and sax out instead of
leaving it out.

When listening to your music, I have a gut feeling that you guys had a lot of fun creating it and playing the music. The music just contains that underlying feeling? What was it really like making an album like this?

Fedofsky – We did and continue to have fun playing and recording together, and it shows for sure in our music and live shows. Recording this record was a fantastic experience. Our engineer at London Bridge, Geoff Ott, was
amazing! He literally became the 6th member of the band, and was as goofy and ridiculous as the rest of us. That set the tone, and made for some great sessions. We’re a fun-loving bunch, but we work really really hard. When the light is on, we give it everything we have, and then some. I’ve been in a lot of bands that involved drinking and smoking punctuated with some music now and again, if you know what I mean. We’re suprememly focused when we’re playing. Bringing that into the studio AND being wildly insane at the same time is a skill that we ended up with somehow.

Gervais: It’s really true.  If fun wasn’t the number one priority I don’t think we’d have even gotten this far.  The primary tracking was just insanely fun, but I suppose there is inevitably a lot of detail work that could be
construed as tedious.  I think we all get a charge out of getting into the details and fleshing things out.  The surgical stuff is sometimes the most gratifying.  Plus there is inevitably excitement and sheer joy in the act
of collaborating and creating something with your some of your best friends.  It’s impossible to not have fun.

Between solo work and members of the band doing other projects, is that a complication at all or does that benefit what you guys do together?

Fedofsky – It’s a benefit. How could it not be? Anything that we write is fair game, and having a pile of songs to craft a record from helps greatly. We never have to worry about lacking material for the band, which is a great
side effect of our “solo” careers. Because of this, Matt and I are competitive to the end, but in the friendliest possible way. We trade demos and sit at the piano showcasing our stuff to each other regularly. We don’t write together, but  learn from each other a lot. Right from the start, we were huge fans of each other’s work, and that continues to this
day. To be honest, we both write like dynamos, and it’s a bit hard to fit all of our output into Curtains records. Between Matt and I, I think we wrote at least 4-5 albums worth of material in 2009, and that is
impossible to bring to the band all at once. Aside from Matt and I, both Nick and Mikey are phenomenal songwriters to boot. Dave writes songs, but refuses to let us hear them. Something tells me that he’s the best writer
in the band, but we may never know!

Gervais:  Solo work right now is really a personal thing but is always in the context of, hmmmmmmmmmm, how would this sound if the band was playing it? Inevitably there will be songs that don’t fit for one reason or another,
but it does not interfere at all with the band’s productivity.  Like Pete said, it actually helps quite a bit.  With all of the excess material, the pressure is off, and you can just go to town with what you’ve chosen for
the band.

Talking so much on this album, I want to put things into perspective and ask what it is that you feel you did differently than on “Heaven’s Waiting” and what the latest release contains that you feel made the band
progress?

Fedofsky – Heaven’s Waiting was a great record for what it was, but Surprise really felt like our true debut record. We threw out click tracks and technical hoohah for this record, and just played it as we really sound in the studio. We wanted to strip it down to our live setup, and then overdub a bit of extra stuff as long as we needed it. I love the last record dearly, but it is not very representative of what we do live, so it sounds a bit strange to my ears. As far as progress, we really came together and captured what it sounds like to play in this band. The album sounds like
what we are going for every time that we step up on stage… minus the goofy vocal mixes, feedback, and normal three Stooges mayhem that comes with live shows.

Gervais – I think the songs on What A Lovely Surprise stand by themselves a lot better than the tunes on Heaven’s Waiting. In fact, that was one of the goals this time around.  We were caught up in creating this sonically rich
and diverse album with Heaven’s Waiting, but songwriting wise I think we upped the ante with the new album.  It’s seems like a natural progression. We learned that a few of our beliefs about album-making had to be
unlearned in order to find a new path for ourselves.  That is a trajectory that we’ll hopefully continue to follow.  I hope we surprise ourselves at every juncture.

And speaking of progression, what is in store for the band and what are you doing to keep the momentum alive?

Gervais:  We just got back from a West Coast Tour and are conceptualizing the next one.  We’re psyched to be opening for The Posies coming up in April as they have been big inspirations for us, and we’ll also be doing a lot
of festivals over the Summer months in the Seattle area.  Uhhhmm.  Oh yeah and impatient as we are, we’ve begun work on a follow-up to What a Lovely Surprise to Wake Up Here. Hoping for the best!

FINN RIGGINS WILL BE PLAYING THE VOLLRATH ON MAY 5 WITH CHRISTIAN TAYLOR & HOMESCHOOL AND HOLY GHOST CANYON. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT THE VOLLRATH’S WEBSITE: http://www.vollrathindy.com/

The joyous celebration of playing together, the good vibrations between members of the band during the recording process, the appetites for catchy melodies; sonic evidence of all of these are present on Vs. Wilderness. Idaho noisemakers Finn Riggins jump in and splash around wildly on their fourth album, and third with Portland label Tender Loving Empire—Cameron Bouiss, Lisa Simpson, and Eric Gilbert currently touring with this late-2009 release in their arsenal.

Amid their journey down the Californian coast to play a show at the Soda Bar in San Diego, Eric took a moment to answer a few questions for us regarding the new album, the music scene in Boise, and life on the road.

Vs. Wilderness is such an invigorating and gratifying listen. Unfortunately, I had to stumble upon it rather than it being delivered to my doorstep. How can we get the word out on the streets about Finn Riggins?

Thanks! Certainly can use all the help we can get. I’d say this is a good start. Appreciate you taking the time. Glad you stumbled upon us. I see you’re in Indianapolis. We’re playing at Vollrath Tavern on May 5th toward the end of this tour. Hopefully, by then Indy will know we’re coming.

It’s evident in the sound of the album that the band was having a blast during the recording sessions. Describe the process of translating the written material to studio tracks?

It’s true, we had a blast. We really enjoy the music we play and I’m glad it shows. Most of this record was written and refined during a very busy touring schedule in 2008 and in the spring of 2009, and really is a pretty honest snapshot of our live sound and where the band was at that time. We tracked Vs Wilderness, mostly, live over a three day stretch in between shows last May at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City, ID. It’s a big open room and we were able to get good isolation for the drums and really play these songs like we were used to ripping them at shows. We honed some of the arrangements down for the recordings, but made most of those adjustments on the fly. We did do a decent amount of layering some parts over the top in the mixing process at AudioLab to help capture the energy of our live show. We had our hands in all aspects of the recording process, and although it was a whirlwind three weeks, we most definitely had a blast recording this album.

There is a lovely stop-animation video that was shot for the infectious track, “Wake (Keep This Town Alive)”. What does this song mean to you?

This song was the first song we wrote upon moving to Boise in January [of] 2009 and [it] was during the bottom of this current recession. There were all these questions hovering about how much harder things were gonna get. This song, to me, is about doing what you love regardless of how poor you may be in the midst of it all. It’s about being rewarded with the joys of community and the common causes that bind us together through hard times. It’s about valuing the little things in life. It’s about local underground music and art and the spiritual backbone it provides to small and big towns all over. It’s about dancing with your friends.

Built To Spill is the only other band that I can think of from Idaho. What was it like growing up and playing music in what is, historically, such a musically-devoid scene?

Idaho has never really felt musically-devoid to me. We all met going to school in Moscow, ID, up in the panhandle (northern Idaho), and it was and still is a very vibrant college town with free-form college radio and all kinds of touring and local musicians playing in town several days a week. Granted, a lot of our friends from the scene, when we were there, have moved to Portland, OR and elsewhere to further pursue music careers. But, there definitely wasn’t a lack of creative music being made around us. Idaho does lack much representation in the music industry though, and that can be problematic trying to work in to the national scene. A lot of musicians tend to move to bigger markets because of it, but we’ve been able to cover some ground in the industry thanks to our relentless touring schedule and playing those larger markets on a regular basis. We’re also thankful to have stumbled upon an amazing relationship with Tender Loving Empire–our Portland, OR based label–as they’ve helped us be fairly well-tied into the vibrant Portland scene and we often get mistaken for a Portland band. Rightfully so, though, as we definitely feel like we’re part of that scene as well, despite not storing our household goods there.

With so many performances under your belt, you’ve played with a plethora of up-and-coming bands. Tell us about some of those bands and the experiences you’ve had while sharing the stage with them.

Wow. Where to start? Definitely one of the biggest rewards with playing so many shows all over the country the last several years has been playing with and seeing so many other great bands in different scenes and following them as they develop as well. We get asked about our influences all the time, and although there might not be any direct aural similarities, we all certainly feel that we’re mostly influenced by our peers at this point in our history–on many levels. We love touring with other bands when we get that chance, seeing them night after night and comparing notes along the way. More the merrier tends to hold true in most cases. Some of our favorites: Tartufi, Low Red Land, Jared Mees & The Grown Children, Orem The Sink, The Globes, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Woven, Hosannas, Sister Suvi, Tune-Yards, Nat Baldwin, We Vs The Shark, Man/Miracle, The Dont’s, World’s Greatest Ghosts, Le Fleur, Built To Spill, Mike Watt & The Missingmen, Disco Doom, Wildlife Refugees, Ponchos, Appomattox, Yeah Great Fine, Talkdemonic, And And And, The Mutineers, Hello Shark, Love That Dress, Council of Lions, Rooftops, Test Audiences, Asher In The Rye, America Owns The Moon, and many many many more.

You have this small cabin up in the mountains. I’m sure it’s beautiful up there—a pleasant escape from the weariness on the road. What does the band do when they’re not playing or recording music? Any avid hobbies or pasttimes?

We’ve technically moved out of the small cabin in the mountains and down in to the “big city” of Boise. It was nice coming home to the solitude of the small mountain town, but it’s been nice coming home to a more vibrant music and art scene now. I like to play basketball when I get the chance. When we were up in the mountains, I enjoyed hiking and fishing when I got some free time. Cam’s an avid skier and definitely does that as much as he can. On the road, we travel with a bocce ball set and try [to] play whenever possible. Frisbee too. Lisa’s the crafty one of the bunch and does a lot of sewing.

Finn Riggins seems like fun-loving people. I’m sure you get around to making conversation with some of the fans that attend the performances. What was the most supportive thing someone said to you after a show? Any good tour stories?

Definitely get a lot of time to hang with friends and [make] new friends at shows–certainly one of the joys of this endeavor. Really fun to meet like-minded folks all over this country and hear their take on their community and music, and always interesting to watch and hear how they react to what we’re doing. People say a lot of kind things to us… most supportive thing though? A lot of them are too embarrassing to say. Someone that saw us recently emailed us afterward and said that we’d renewed his faith in modern music and that he was going to start DJing at his community radio station again because of it. Little nuggets like that never fail to inspire us forward. Lots of good tour stories, unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to share the juicy ones. We played in a yurt once. Coziest dance party ever. It was amazing. We’re playing a party on a boat next Tuesday in Austin, we’re really excited about that one.

Indie rock concert-goers will always have their presumptions. What was the most indeliberately insulting thing said to you after a show?

“Idaho’s that state right above Kentucky, right?” Nah, not easily insulted in general. Even if someone makes an association with a band that I don’t like that much, I’m usually excited they found a way to connect to our music. And, I just think it’s hilarious that so many people don’t know that Idaho is in the [northwest]; that it has lots of mountains, and that it’s a beautiful place to live.

You’re currently on a massive U.S. tour this spring; almost seventy dates, if I counted correctly. What are your plans after things finish up in late-May? Might you be ready to head to the studio to lay down some new material?

The plan is to spend the summer and fall writing and working on a new album, while remaining open to regional opportunities and any support tours that might be offered to us. We’re really excited to get to work on new material–lots of ideas being thrown around. We’ll have a new practice space in Boise when we get back and all kinds of inspiration built up over the course of this three month tour. There’s been talk of trying to whip up something new while on this tour with the acoustic instruments we brought with us… maybe have it ready to play by our May 5th Indianapolis show? We’ll see…

Link: http://www.earlgreyhound.com/

Confined to a van heading out of New York City, Kamara Thomas warns me on the phone that she may have to call back as they were getting ready to go through a tunnel. You can imagine the three members of Earl Greyhound being surrounded by gear, clothes and instruments, off to experience a ritual that is increasingly becoming less and less popular in American society — the infamous road trip. Their destination was Montreal, Canada, and a scheduled video shoot for a song off of their sophomore release Suspicious Package (Hawk Race Records). Before getting the opportunity to ask about her thoughts on the preservation of an American past time or something you conceptualize in your mind like a ’70s road film, I hear nothing but silence. We were disconnected. True to her word though, moments later, the phone rang. At least I had a second opportunity to talk about the preservation of another past time — the classic elements of rock and roll and their role within it, especially on Suspicious Package.

It’s a topic they have spent all day on the phone with various people talking about as well as talking up the latest album.

“We want to connect and communicate with people,” said Thomas. “We are definitely an in-your-face band that wants to find you and find common ground with the audience.”

Already waist deep in a U.S. tour, the band is bringing their in-your-face approach to The Earth House in Indianapolis on April 21.

They admit, it has not been easy for Earl Greyhound as they have held on tight through the roller coaster ride of their career, including the sudden exit of original drummer Chris Bear after the release of their debut album Soft Targets. But for the band, survival has only made them stronger.

“We have been through it all,” said Thomas talking about her enduring friendship with co-songwriter Matt Whyte. “We have been friends, we have fought, and we have made up. Matt and I have grown up being in this band. Through our ups and downs, this record helped us come into the light.”

Where their debut album was a glitter-eyed testament to how the band could tame the classic rock sound and simply become a band, Suspicious Package is a bolder, more daring and experimental approach. The tone on Suspicious Package is darker and the mood within the band’s songwriting is deeper.

“We came out of the cloud of everything that was going on to make this record,” she said.

Not only is the “palette of influences” different on this album, the two also threw now drummer Ricc Sheridan into the lion’s den and directly into this album. And with this, it enabled the band to take things to the next level. With both Whyte and Thomas serving as primary songwriters, they have spent years channeling each other’s energy and strengths that both show within songs like “Oye Vaya,” “Ghost And The Witness,” as well as the two-part album opener “The Eyes of Cassandra.”

“We approached ‘Eyes of Cassandra’ specifically,” she said. “Matt and I agreed that the song served some bigger idea to just have it as one song. The lyrics expressed in the song leads up to that intensity. We were following our musical instincts, and it ended in a two parter.

“We thought that ‘Cassandra’ had the most dramatic intro to be more surprising especially if you are expecting a certain sound from us.”

The sound you hear at the beginning of Suspicious Package is one of mystery, contemplating and sparse. And as “Part II” of the same song begins, the mystery explodes into an atmosphere of notes as they ponder divine law to explore human and moral nature through the eyes of Cassandra.

As poignant and important as that song represents the change that took place within the band, they balance their existence between progressivism and the ideology of classical rock and roll philosophy. What that entails is not only something different from one song to the next — whether it is raging guitar muscle or sincere balladry — but something fresh and  new within the boundaries of the band.

“We like a little bit of drama,” Thomas said. “We sequenced the album to serve each song and for it to be a great listening experience for everything and everyone.”

That may be the ultimate goal for any hard-working band to achieve, the pleasure of that connection between band in listener. But when you hear the three of these musicians come together in a song like “Ghost And The Witness,” it’s blatantly obvious how well this band has achieved that.

As far as I can tell, there is only one over-21 venue in New Brunswick, New Jersey. As a result, an underground, under-age scene reminiscent of the old school CBGB days has formed. The scene belongs to the kids who love their hard core punk rock & roll and you can find a show on almost every night of the week and they’re almost all in basements.  This is where Screaming Females (not THE Screaming Females, by the way) comes in.

Jarrett Dougherty plays bass, King Mike plays drums, and yes, there is only one female in the group: singer and lead guitar player, Marissa Paternoster who has been wailing on her G&L Stratocaster since she was 15.
Back to the NJ underground scene:
Jarrett recalls, “The cops don’t like the punks having shows, even though they are run really well and provide a safe space for a lot of misfits. The cops didn’t seem to have a problem with the frat houses.”  Jarrett also makes a good point regarding punk’s misconception by the way it is misrepresented by advertisers. “Most people think of punk as a historic music style, or the shit style of music that Warped Tour and Hot Topic have co-opted the name to sell clothes to confused and angry teens.”
Even though SF is known for bearing the DIY torch along side many legendary DIY bands that came before them, don’t let their new signed status with Don Giovanni records fool you.

Judging by the size of their tour dates and a ton of new exposure they are happy with the way the label has handled their band’s business side of things.
The band is also currently celebrating their fifth anniversary, which has Jarrett thinking about their tenth anniversary: “We are also going to hit our 500th show mark this year, which made me think about our 1000th show. Screaming Females is the longest relationship I’ve been in.”
The first two self released EPs received wild reviews by fans and when it comes to the new experience of recording with a label’s support, they stick to their roots and the ironic twist behind the actual type of music they are producing.  As far as the recording progress goes in the studio, nothing has changed.

“We record to analog tape and mixed down to analog tape which makes the record have a different sound, and also makes you think about the recording process differently. It sounds like rock and roll.”  Dougherty notes.  “Songs usually begin their conception when someone plays a riff and the other two start playing along. We’ve all become very good at listening to suggestions.”

The songwriting process between the musicians is entirely a collaborative process. Dougherty continues, “We’ve all become very good at listening to suggestions from each other.”  Its Marissa’s guitar playing that adds the essence of interlude and integration this band’s sound has to offer the world. Learning to play when she was 14 years old and introduced to a Fender/Music Master, she indulged in old school punk rock. Although initially influenced by The Pixies, Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, PJ Harvey and Pavement, it was Billy Corgan and John Fahey who became her real guitar heroes.

Marissa plays Screaming Females sets with a G&L Stratocaster her cousin introduced to her at 15. Her collection of guitars ranges from a 59 Gibson Melody Maker, Silvertone semi-hollow body, 69 telecaster reissue and a fender duo. Oh, and she has a guitar shaped like a shark that she bought off the internet.
This past year the band toured with the Arctic Monkeys. Their most memorable tour moment happened one night while sleeping on someone’s apartment floor. Mike remembers “At 8 am in Huston, Texas two guys walked into the apartment. First they got really excited about the colors of all of the seven sleeping bags then started blasting Frank Sinatra and eating psychedelic mushrooms and maple syrup. That was about the time we left.”

Screaming Females music is absolutely enlighteningly engaging in all of the punk rock riffs and attitude that punk rockers love and live by.  Marissa’s guitar playing is phenomenal. She plays as if she had a 50 year career behind her. When asked if when would consider herself a role model, she answers with a humble, “Gee I feel way too young to be a role model, ask me in ten years.”

When asked who she would like to collaborate with Screaming Females in the future she mentioned how she has; “Always wanted the Vienna Boy’s Choir to do some backups”.  They are proud to be part of the huge DIY current that continues to flow across world.  Jarrett notes. “There are hundreds of people all across the country that open their houses and run DIY show spaces just to allow bands to be able to tour through their towns. Punk is an arm of American folk music. It has included The Minutemen, Beat Happening, Fugazi, and This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb. I definitely feel like this is part of who we are as a band.”

What made you want to deviate from Black Moth Super Rainbow and construct the type of sound that you hear in Seven Fields of Aphelion? What did you personally get out of this album?

It’s kind of the other way around. I was writing this kind of music before I joined up with Black Moth Super Rainbow. BMSR has always been Tobacco’s creation, and the rest of us mostly just help to bring those songs to life in a live setting. So this album is a true representation of my sound, rather than a deviation from it. Some of these songs were started as long as five years ago and I’ve always kept them to myself. After awhile, I felt like they were cluttering up my mind – like I couldn’t move forward and work on new stuff until I let these go. So putting this album out there was really a way to help clean out my head and move on.

How did the idea for Seven Fields and the album begin? What brought you to this place?

I’ve played the piano since I was a very young, but it never occurred to me that I could write music. I just never thought that was something I would be able to do. So I never really gave it a try until I was in college and I had to write a song for a grade. I found a state of mind that worked – locked myself in a dark room with a piano – and essentially forgot about myself until something else was able to get through. After that first song, I just never stopped. I have notebooks upon notebooks of songs and I finally felt like I had to let some of them go to make room for more.

On “Periphery,” you use vintage equipment to build the structure to the songs within. Can you tell me what were some of your favorite things about using this equipment and how it got the sounds you wanted?

I let the sound drive the songwriting. If I’m not into the sound completely, I won’t be able to come up with anything. There’s something very raw and unpredictable about the sound of an analog synth – almost as if it’s alive and breathing and has its own will. And I love those moments where the instrument falters – the tuning wobbles – and you have no control over it.

You are a photographer, as well. What attracts you to still images, and how did it affect making this album?

I prefer to shoot on film, rather than digitally, and I really enjoy not being able to see the result until it’s too late to change it. It’s another exercise in the knowledge of not knowing – becoming invisible – I have to give up control and let the subject speak for itself. So I think the process of writing music and taking photos is a very similar thing for me. Leaving certain aspects to chance because I know that I do not know best.

What is it about Pittsburgh that keeps you motivated and inspired to create the music that you create?

I am obsessed with maps and getting lost and finding those little hidden places that I never knew about. Pittsburgh has the craziest roads – they really make no sense at all – there’s no grid system here and so many of the roads just twist around or end suddenly. There’s so many hills that have great views and creepy stretches of industry along the river. I just never run out of places to explore here. And for some reason, finding these places is always a spark for me.

I know you have to have an image in your head of where the song will take you, but how do you want your vision to translate to the listener (and not to say that I want you to answer how the listener should perceive your music) and in what context does that relationship transcend, which to me seems like a satisfyingly personal feeling?

It’s strange…I really don’t have a vision or idea in mind when I sit down to write. A lot of people probably start with a melody in mind or some sort of vision, but I don’t work that way. I try to let the instrument speak for itself. For me, it’s more like translating something rather than coming up with an idea or writing a song for the sake of writing a song. So if a listener can listen in a similar way – rather than coming to it with all of these ideas of how they want it to sound or how they think it should sound – then I think it would be more meaningful for them. I’m not attempting to write a certain style of music or attempting to please a certain audience, so it would be ideal if someone can hear it as it is, rather than listen with an agenda or over-analyze it. Because that’s not how I do it.

With the titles to a lot of your songs (“Wildflower Wood,” “Lake Feet,” “Starlight Aquatic,” for example), you concentrate on an environment. Even with “Michigan Icarus” you deal with the nature of the natural setting and the modern world within the video you created and the album cover. How do the two blend, and what is the purpose for your focus on these types of elements?

(I can’t take credit for the name ‘Lake Feet’ – that song is a BMSR cover.)

I think those types of places are my favorite to discover – the places that are left to decay. The places we push to the periphery and choose not to focus on, even when they’re in clear view. I have a recurring dream of this abandoned factory tucked in a valley and in this dream, I know the terrain so well. I have the whole map memorized. There’s a mountain lion that lives there in the tall grasses and there are trees growing out of the broken windows. I’m always looking for this place – and sometimes finding this place – in my waking life.

When you are working on a song, how does that idea become a song for you? What’s the process involved? How much experimentation is involved until you get the right textures that please you?

I have to clear my mind completely and almost become invisible. I have to shut off that constant voice inside and just become silent so that I can listen. I feel like if I try to dictate exactly how things should be, then I’m limiting the possibilities of what could be… That I’m shutting something out. I want to be transparent instead, to let the light in.

What makes you keep doing what you do? How does the idea of “discovery” play into the creation of your songs?

I guess it’s not a decision to do this – it’s just something I do whether anyone is listening (or looking) or not. When I don’t feel moved to write, I simply don’t. So I’m not sure exactly what drives me, and I’m certainly not always driven. But as long as I can wrap my head in silence, I think I’ll be able to hear.

Is this a project you want to continue and expand on?

I will be continuing, but I can’t promise that I’ll always be sharing it publicly. I’ll be writing more, but I really don’t want deadlines and planning and that sort of stuff to get in the way. I’ll have to see when it’s time whether I’ll let the songs go or keep them close. I’m not really sure that it’s entirely up to me…

Photo by Harper Smith.

It’s a good day to drive. Cruising through Midwestern landscapes, the four members of the Postelles left New York City to embark on their first North American tour. Now deep into a series of shows — the destination of their road trip started out by traveling to Minneapolis — this tour has them going places they have always wanted to experience, yet never had the opportunity until now.

Hearing chatter and laughing in the background during a conversation with Daniel Balk, lead vocals and rhythm guitarist, the band was in good spirits. It could be the general excitement of adventure as much as it is good friends sharing good times with each other.

“We are really excited to get out there,” said Balk. “We have been playing this material for a while, we made some adjustments to the music, and now we have this extended energy to paint a pretty accurate depiction of the songs live.”

This is early tour talk as Balk says they will continue feeling out the songs and “find out what songs will work and what songs will not.” This is a band that is focused and committed to what they do.

A group of high school buddies, Balk, along with David Dargahi (vocals/lead guitars), John Speyer (bass), and Billy Cadden (percussion),  joined together over the love of music. With a fond appreciation for the New York scene both past and present and ‘50s and ‘60s rock and roll — from Buddy Holly to Sam Cooke — they began going from talking about music to playing it.

The move to play live led them to a chance encounter with Stroke’s member Albert Hammond, Jr. Running into him on the street, Balk asked him to check out their show at the Sidewalk Cafe. Hammond, Jr. came back and saw the performance. It was an impression that led to a friendship with the band and to recording “123 Stop” in his living room.

The band took a back burner when three of the members went on to college. Even separated and in other cities, the band would try to re-unite to play as often as possible.

“During this time, we grew a lot as a band,” Balk said.

They realized that it was The Postelles’ name they needed to make full-time. After a year, they made that dream happen and began working on their debut, the White Nights EP.

“We re-recorded songs from our demo, like ‘White Night and ‘123 Stop,” he said. “It gave new light to these songs, and it allowed us to play them just how we wanted to. I love the sound that we captured. It sounds like we are all playing in a room, which is what we did.”

What resulted was a group of songs that emits a feel-good vibe through conventional rock and roll. Little computer trickery is involved as the band shines best in the moment of their own image, bringing the past and the present together in a bundle of guitar rock imagery.

And now that the band is on a roll, playing shows all the way into June and beyond, The Postelles don’t plan to put the brakes on the rock and roll train.

“We are continually writing songs and playing them live as they develop. We are already prepping for a new album. For now, we will continue playing live and learn a lot about the songs before getting back to New York and back into the studio.”