A Chat With: Overcoats

Last week, Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell (AKA Overcoats) chatted with me from a cafe in New York City.  “It’s lit in here,” the girls joked before we started our conversation that covered topics like their debut album and upcoming tours, as well as their influences and their fateful meeting in college. For fans of Lucius, Sylvan Esso, and Empress Of, the duo seamlessly fuses elements of electronic and folk music to create a heavenly listening experience.  Find out all about the debut album Young and what else we can expect from Hana and JJ in 2017 by reading our chat with Overcoats:

Photo Credit: Lex Vøight

ANCHR Magazine:  Can you tell me a little bit about how you met and started making music together?

Overcoats: We met about 6 years ago, during our first couple months at college. I think we met...well we lived in the same dorm, and we had a class together.  Pretty soon after that we started singing together, but only in a very informal, kind of like in the bathroom of our dorm, like singing Amy Winehouse or like The Dixie Chicks. Then by the end of freshman year we were in a cappella together, but it wasn’t until our senior year that we tried writing together, like original songs. The first song that we wrote was “Little Memory,” which is the first song that we ever put out on our debut EP, and it’s on our album now. We were like “OK, this is fun, let’s do more” and then it just kind of spun off from there.

Tracklist for Young

AM: Very cool, so speaking of the debut album, you just announced it in the last month. So how are you feeling about finally getting it out into the world and sharing it?

Overcoats: We’re feeling really good. We’ve been working on these songs for a couple years now, and we were deep in the studio recording them from like August to November. We put a lot of work and feelings and time...blood sweat and tears...into the album.  It’s our first album as well so it was very important to us that we have like no regrets with the final product, and that’s what happened.  We’re super excited for it to come out and for people to hear what we’ve been working on. I feel like we’ve been MIA for a while, cause our last release was basically a year ago. We’re just really happy that we finally get to share this project. For so long it was just like the two of us working away like busy bees and now finally everyone is gonna be like “Oh, that’s where they were.”  It’s funny too cause a lot of the songs were written a while ago, like within the past two years, but a lot of them are feeling really relevant again. Like a lot of the songs...[there's] a lot of transitions, a lot about gender and power roles.

AM: Oh wow, it’s like you predicted the future!

Overcoats: Yeah, well we couldn’t have predicted this...but I think it’s nice that the songs still resonate and they can take on meaning with time...maybe create an uplifting message for people. Especially for women growing up.

AM: Yeah, I was going to ask if you could identify an overall theme or concept for the album, but it sounds like it’s transitioning encouraging female strength.

Overcoats: Yeah, the album is about...it’s called Young, and it’s about growing up. More specifically how you grow up with parents and you kind of end up sort of either reacting really strongly against the way you were raised, or you kind of replicate the things you observed when you were younger.  It’s just kind of about observing our fathers go through the world, and our mothers go through the world and learning how to be a woman in this world and kind of seeing the world through the eyes of your parents. Then finally seeing it through your own eyes.

AM: Nice, I can definitely relate to that. So speaking a little bit more about growing up, when did you first really get into singing? I know you said you first started singing together for fun, but growing up, what was your first musical memory?

Overcoats (JJ Speaking): I always used to say to people that I didn’t start singing til college. Which is true in the sense that I didn’t perform or sing with other people until college, but growing up I was like nobody could shut me up. I was literally always singing, like on these 6 hour car rides.  My parents would be like “this is lovely, but could you please be quiet.”  Now looking back, I can’t really live without singing, this is my life. It kind of seemed like off the beaten path for me, like I had no notion of wanting to be a musician until Overcoats started as a project. I was like “oh this is probably the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done”  Hana’s been like very musical her whole life. She’s a talented guitar player and plays piano and always sung. I think that that is a really nice thing about us. I have no training and Hana comes from slightly different musical background.

“ It’s just kind of about observing our fathers go through the world, and our mothers go through the world and learning how to be a woman in this world and kind of seeing the world through the eyes of your parents. Then finally seeing it through your own eyes.”

— Overcoats on their album theme

AM: So who would you consider to be some of your influences?

Overcoats: We love some kind of classic folk and harmonies, like Simon and Garfunkel, The Staves... we love Joseph. We also really love a lot of electronic music, like Sylvan Esso, Chet Faker, Empress Of, Tei Shi, Jamie XX. We also really love really just center field electronic, like Disclosure or Skrillex. We both like really diverse genres. We try to bring everything together.

AM: Yeah, I can definitely hear some of that, like the really beautiful harmonies is really centric to folk, but some of your melodies or beats are more electronic, so I love that contrast. Who produced your album, then?

Overcoats: Going off of our desire to meld different genres together, we had two different, well three essentially work on this album with us. Preliminarily we worked with a friend, Myles Avery who had produced our EP. He does a lot of experimental stuff, and he’s really great to work with in terms of finding unique sounds and basically deciding the pallet that we wanted to work with. Then for actually recording the album, we worked with Nicolas Vernhes and Arthur Ashin [Autre Ne Veut] . Nicolas is very kind of indie rock, so he is super well versed at organic instrumentation and amazing at recording vocals so we wanted to work with him on that aspect. Then Autre Ne Veut is like experimental electronic, so we kind of like went back and forth between their studios, which in retrospect, was very chaotic.  And not normal. But I think that we had to do that to get the exact sound that we wanted, because we did want to mix these two realms. Each of them had a particular skillset that we wanted to tap into. Yeah, it was definitely a challenge figuring out how to collaborate with 2+ producers.

AM: I’m sure it will be really cool though, hearing the finished product.  I also really loved the “Cherry Wine” cover, so what made you choose to cover that song? Anything in particular that drew you to that song, or Hozier specifically?

Overcoats: Yeah, I think Hozier’s been like a big inspiration for us for a while. Especially because we actually lived in Dublin for 3 months right at the beginning of our music careers, right after graduating college, we just up and left and went to Ireland.  I think the live music scene there is super special. It’s super respected and just honest and vulnerable, and I think Hozier really embodies that. The world caught onto that, a vulnerable man singing, amazing harmonies and just beautiful guitar parts. We ended up playing a festival in Ireland that Hozier was headlining. It was really cool to at least pretend we were in part of the same scene as him. I think that that song...I mean, we like all of his music, but that one was a really pretty song for us to sing together. The lyrics, especially, I think he had something different in mind when he wrote the song, but we found the lyrics to be kind of an ode to friendship.  Like the chorus is like “the way she shows me I’m hers and she’s mine, open hand or closed first would be fine,” so it’s kind of like I’ll take you in whatever way. So that was meaningful to us in that sense as well. We were traveling through Ireland and starting a band, and we had each other as our homes. So it’s a song that’s been really important to us.  

AM: Yeah, that’s a cool interpretation of the lyrics.  Talking a little bit more about your tour. You’re touring with Tennis and have some headline dates. Are there any cities you’re especially excited about?

Overcoats[We’re] excited for the whole tour. We’re really excited to go to new cities that we haven’t played yet, and we’re really excited to see old fans that we haven’t seen for a year. We’re excited to say hi and for them to see where we’re at now. That’s really special. The west coast will be cool, we’ve never played the west coast. The days aren’t announced yet.

AM: Cool, and then last question, are there any other new bands you’re listening to? Anything new this year?

Overcoats: Yeah, who are we into right now…? In New York we’ve been seeing a lot of really good music just in local bars around here. Hideout... they’re a small band but I think they’re going places. This is like the hardest question! I feel like I gave them all away already, our influences. Oh, oh, Margaret Glaspy we love. Caroline Smith! Obviously, we played with her [in Chicago].

Young comes out April 21st.  Preorder the debut here.

Chicago, Overcoats will play Thalia Hall with Tennis on March 9th.  For all the rest of their tour dates, head here.

A Chat With: COTE

Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Taryn Randall (AKA COTE) took some time to chat with us this week about her "classic songwriter" influences, her migration to New York City, how she spends her free time in Brooklyn, and what's next for her as far as music and tour. During our conversion, COTE mentioned she's already drawn some comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, which definitely comes across in her latest single "Cruel."  While she's only got four songs out at the moment, each have their own distinct vibe, like the hypnotic and delicate "Golden Hour," or "London,"  with its blend of synths and twangy guitars. Get to know more about this fresh and diverse artist by reading our chat with COTE:

COTE, courtesy of Danger Village. 

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ANCHR Magazine: So do you want to start just by telling me a little about yourself and how you got into making music? All that fun stuff!

COTE: Yeah, totally. So I have been working on music for a long time. I was in a few bands in LA, nothing that ever really took off or even that I really put that much into. I think I’ve been in the process of writing always, really. I did a lot of musical theater in high school, I have a lot of people in my family who are musical. It’s kind of been a part of my life from the beginning. With this album, I kinda started writing when I moved to New York, which was almost five years ago now. I wrote for about four years, started recording. Yeah, it kind of all came together, even though it wasn’t necessarily my original intent. After writing for a while, it just sort of felt like “OK, I have all of these songs” and that sort of became the next step.

AM: Very cool, so did you feel a little bit more inspired after moving to New York?

COTE: Yeah, definitely! For sure, I felt like when I was in LA, I was kind of writing what I thought people wanted to hear. I was a lot more focused on what was going to get a good reaction or if it was “cool enough.” When I moved to New York, it was so much more this therapeutic process, and because I was writing without the intention of anyone ever really hearing these songs, I really just wrote what I wanted to write. That went into melody, that went lyrics, and for me it was this transitional time. That’s what this album ended up being I think because I was a little more free of expectations of other people and what I thought they wanted to hear. I was able to be a lot more honest and write something that really felt like a good picture of myself.

AM: Yeah, it’s always best to stay true to yourself even if it’s hard at first. That’s typically when you’ll feel best about your work!

COTE: Yeah, absolutely!

"London"- COTE 

AM: So do you have any sort of songwriting habits, like is there a certain time that you find yourself writing, or inspiration hits you at random points?

COTE: Yeah you know it’s funny, I almost always start with melody. So that will come to me at really any time. I mean there’s been times where I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, grabbed my phone and just recorded a melody that was in my head. I also constantly forget everything that I come up with, so I have to record everything all the time. I always just start with melody and if something just feels like a natural fit then yeah I’ll put lyrics to it. There’s times when I’m really intentional and I’ll say “I’m going to sit down and write a song” and kind of mess around with some chords, and if I hear something I’ll go from there. But most of the time, it comes from me just doing my day to day life.

AM: Do you draw inspiration from any other art mediums at all, like film?

COTE: Yeah I feel like I’m constantly looking and open to that inspiration, though I don’t know if it’s ever intentional. I don’t feel that I’m seeking it out, but there are things that are always striking me. I feel like so much of my writing inspiration just comes from other music, whatever I’m hearing. Whether that’s current bands, usually it’s older bands. Or just older compositions. I really am just very melody driven, so there will be things from classical [music] or opera that will kind of drive me into a feeling or a mood and then I can kind of write from that place. 

AM: Yeah, very cool. So are there any particular bands that you look to as influences? Either current or older ones?

COTE: Yeah, I love Fleetwood Mac, I know that I get a lot of comparisons there. I think they’re awesome and forever amazing. I love, like lyrically, I really love everything Paul Simon does. I’m a big Paul Simon fan. I listen to a lot of older music, so Springsteen, Neil Young, all of those guys are kinda my jam.

AM: For sure, the classic songwriters!

COTE: Yeah, I think that’s really like the position that I come from. Yes like you said, the classic songwriter place. It’s interesting, there are a lot of bands that I love. I mean current people that I love are Jenny Lewis, War on Drugs, and The National... I love. Just like good rock’n’roll! Whether that’s older or current, those are my biggest...I love all of them. But other than that, I’m not insanely aware of the current music scene. I’m trying to get a lot more into it, but it’s really overwhelming and there’s like 50 thousand genres and directions and there’s a lot more out there now. I just end up reverting back to my old favorites most of the time.

AM: Nothing wrong with that! So what’s the story behind the name of this project [COTE]. I know you mentioned you’ve been in other bands so where did you come to find this name?

COTE: So for COTE, well the French definition of “Cote” is coast, so I really liked that. But I was looking, when I was kind of coming along to that I found that one of the English definitions is “to pass by” and so I felt like the English version kind of fit me better. There’s been a lot of transitions and moving and life changes and career changes and all of these things that were kind of encompassing this whole process of writing for me. This album, all of that, was a big change, and so it felt like that name was appropriate.

AM: Oh yeah that makes so much sense!

COTE: Yeah, there’s always going to be some intent and then there’s also like “Oh, it just kind of sounded good.” You know, it’s gotta be a combination of both.

AM: Yeah, so then is there any other news coming up, like a tour or full length [album] in the works?

COTE: Yeah, so right now we’re gearing up. We’re trying to get a show on the calendar for probably March or April. The album will be out this year. It is done, so there’s a full length. I don’t have word on timing yet...there’s a lot of decisions to be made. Yeah, it’s been such an interesting process for me. Obviously I’ve never really done this before in this capacity so there’s so many people involved and meetings and conversations. We will eventually narrow down everything, and the album will be out so…"this year” is all I have for you. But there’s a show in New York, definitely in the spring. I would assume once the album comes out probably a small tour, probably nothing too big. That’s not totally my vibe, but we’ll be around. We’ll try to get out to the different cities hopefully by the end of the year.

“When I moved to New York, it was so much more this therapeutic process, and because I was writing without the intention of anyone ever really hearing these songs, I really just wrote what I wanted to write. ”

— COTE on her songwriting process

AM: Very cool! So kind of a fun question now, what’s your favorite thing to do in Brooklyn, like your favorite music venues, food spots, shops, etc…?

COTE: Yeah totally! Oh gosh, so I’m a big homebody. I’m always home. I have my local bars that I’m at, kind of all the time. One Stop Beer Shop is the most common one. That’s kind of my local spot. Venues? There’s some good venues. There was one called Manhattan Inn, but it just closed. I loved that vibe. But you know, Music Hall of Williamsburg is great. There’s a lot of good venues around here! Gosh, what else do I do? You know, this is super nerdy, but I’ve been going to those escape rooms. Have you been to any of them?

AM: Yeah, I did one with my work team!

COTE: They’re so fun and hilarious!

AM: I know, it’s always a panic at the end.

COTE: They have one in Greenpoint, which is the neighborhood I’m in. My friends and I have been doing that more than we should, but we’ve been enjoying that.

AM: What’s your favorite escape room theme that you’ve done?

COTE: We just did this one called Murder Mystery and it was terrifying. It was like a haunted house. But we still got out in 40 minutes!

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Keep up with COTE by heading over to her Facebook page for all of the latest news. Also make sure to follow her on Spotify for all the latest music from her.

A Chat With: Ten Fé

London based duo Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan (AKA TEN FÉ) are set to release their debut album, Hit The Light, in just two days. The album feels like a long time coming, as the pair have been making music together for years.  For the past few months, Ben and Leo have been steadily cranking out unique and dynamic earworms, like the single "Twist Your Arm" with its climactic introduction and relatable lyrics, or "Overflow" with its nostalgic synth sounds.  In support of the album, the guys will tour the UK and Europe in the spring, and they've even been announced to play Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee.  Prior to the album release and what's sure to be a great year for TEN FÉ, we chatted with Ben and Leo about their early days of house boats and tube stations, their influences, and some of their favorite bands at the moment. 

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Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan

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ANCHR Magazine: Can you tell me a little bit about how you met and started making music together?

TEN FÉ: We met a long time ago, many, many years ago. We ended up living on a boat together on the Thames for summer. Whilst we were there, we were very poor, so we needed to busk on the underground to make money together. And um, we started busking then and found out it actually made us quite a lot of money. So for a long time, we didn’t really write songs together, we just busked on the underground and played other people’s songs. Old rock n’ roll songs, really, cause we both love that kind of music. Elvis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and early kind of Stones and Beatles stuff. Then after we’d been in relatively quite a lot of separate bands, we just came together and started playing each other our songs and realized that there was something really special going on. We quit the bands that were in and started this one.

It’s taken a fair while, but we’ve kept the faith through out.

AM: Very cool, so what was your favorite tube station to busk in?

TEN FÉ: That’s a good question! We always used to start at this station called Ravenscourt Park.  It’s got a great sort of little waiting room that’s heated during the winter. We’d sort of start strumming in there and kind of warm up, get the fingers moving.  That was always good. We once filmed an acoustic video in that station with a friend of ours for one of our early singles.

Official video for "Elodie" 

AM: Where did the inspiration for your name come from?

TEN FÉ: Um, I think like any band, it’s torture finding a name. But it came to do with what we’d been doing a long time, through thin and thin, through not having much at all. We wanted something to show that, you know, that we’d kept going. The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan, you know that album? There’s a song on there called “Santa Fe.”  We were called Santa Fe for a while, then Fe. We just liked the meaning of having faith. We kept the faith, you know?  [“Ten Fe” translates to “have faith” in Spanish]

“The world’s in such an interesting place at the moment. To have a job that allows you to go out and travel through it is just something else.”

— TEN FÉ on their upcoming tour

AM: Very cool. So who else would you consider your influences? Is it pretty much the bands that you guys would play when you were busking?

TEN FÉ: Yeah, we’ve always...those busking songs, we’ve been playing for so long. And we still play them, so we’ve still got just like you know...we’re quite close to a lot of that music. Even these days. Then there are others. The band was founded probably on a night we spent watching U2 and The Cure live videos on YouTube...a night of passion.

AM: Haha, cool. So talking a little bit about your debut album, which is almost out, so congrats on that! How are you guys feeling now that it’s so close to being out there?

TEN FÉ: We’re feeling really good, really good.  As we say, it’s the product of lots of good, solid work. I mean, what it really means is that we get to tour it...play it live. We get to tour it now for the next few months. That’s really what we live for, that’s our favorite thing.  We’ve got a great band who we play with. It really is well exciting for that reason alone. It’s a bonus, a great bonus, that people seem to like it...the responses have been really positive.

AM: Yeah, I mean I definitely love everything you guys have released so far, so I can’t wait to hear the whole thing. So going into the recording process, did you produce it yourselves and where did you record?

TEN FÉ: Well we wrote all of the songs for the album, the two of us. By kinda working on our recording equipment, [we] made like demos of the songs. Which when we went to record the album, we met up with Ewan Pearson and he basically, he really liked the demos, and was sort of up for kind of taking them as a good basis for what we did with him. So we went and recorded in Berlin [with him].  You know Compact Records?

AM: No, actually, I’m not aware of them

TEN FÉ: They’re the electronic dance label that Ewan is signed to, so we were recording a lot of the pre-production in his studio there. Cause we’re not really, we don’t have much experience of electronic music ourselves.  We’re kind of wood and guitar strings, rather than that. That was great meeting those people.

AM: Cool, so talking a little bit more about tour, which you mentioned you’re really excited to do, what are some of the cities that you’re most excited to play in?

TEN FÉ: Anywhere! Absolutely all of them. That’s the reason why we’re musicians...to see the world. All of them really, and we’re not just saying that. We keep going on about how long it’s been, and it hasn’t been that long, but we’ve been looking forward to it for a while.  Everywhere in Europe and obviously America. I mean the world’s in such an interesting place at the moment. To have a job that allows you to go out and travel through it is just something else.

AM: Speaking of America, I saw you’re on the Bonnaroo lineup. Did you get a chance to look at any of the other bands playing, and is there anyone you’re hoping to check out while you’re there?

2017 Bonnaroo Lineup

TEN FÉ: Other than U2 obviously, we noticed that we’re almost within arm’s reach on the line up of a guy that we got really into the last six months, Kevin Morby. Is he from Chicago? He’s from that area...he’s mates with like Twin Peaks. We love all those bands. There’s a lot of bands coming out of Chicago right now!

AM: Yeah, definitely. I’ve been interviewing a lot of up and coming Chicago bands lately.  Have you heard of Post Animal? They’re opening for Twin Peaks for some of their shows.

TEN FÉ: Oh, wicked!

AM: Yeah, check them out. So other than those bands, any bands that you’re really into lately?

TEN FÉ: The Delicate Steve album! That’s wicked.  Do you know Delicate Steve? He’s an American...from New Jersey. He’s wicked, absolutely wicked, you should check him out. He actually did some work with Paul Simon this year. He’s just a guitarist, he hasn’t got any words, and he does a guitar sound exactly like George Harrison. I don’t know how he does it! He’s amazing, and he just released something last week.

AM: Very cool, I will definitely check him out. Other than that anything else you want to say about the album or anything to your fans?

TEN FÉ: Keep listening!

Well, you heard the guys...keep listening to them by checking out their complete Spotify playlist below. You can also pre-order Hit The Light here. UK and Europe folks, make sure you grab tickets to the upcoming gigs, yeah? You can see all of the dates here. 

A Chat With: Shadowgraphs

This past weekend, we chatted to Bryan Olson and Charles Glade (aka Wils), who make up one half of the Charlotte, NC band Shadowgraphs.  Psychedelic rock bands with heavy 60's influence seem to be popping up all over the scene, and Shadowgraphs is one of the groups that has perfectly honed in on this sweet retro sound.  With EPs Return To Zero and Midnight Tea already under their belt, the band have recorded and mixed their first full length, Venomous Blossoms, set to be released in April this year.  Prior to the album release, we talked to Bryan and Wils about their start as a band, their recording techniques, album artwork, and some of their favorite bands.

Shadowgraphs is Charles "Wils" Glade, Bryan Olson, Ethan Ricks, and Cody Hare

ANCHR Magazine:  I read that you were introduced by a mutual friend because you had similar music taste, so can you talk a little bit about how you got into making music and eventually formed the band?

Wils: Bryan used to be in a band called Cement Stars, and I was in a band called Blank Ocean and we kind of, we were just at a point when we were doing our own things. Bryan was really getting into analog gear and starting to collect a bunch of tape machines and mixers and stuff. I was starting, like via the internet, to get into the same kinda shit, but I didn't have it laying around like he did. Then one day one of our friends was like you guys totally need to meet because you both have like a knack for recording styles.  So he came over and I think we worked on an art project, Bryan does collage art. We were working in Photoshop together and then kind of hit it off with music.

Bryan: I think Melody's Echo Chamber was the clicking point. We were both like "I love that record" and that was kind of the click right there.

Wils: And it’s funny cause we have a lot of friends that play music and whatnot around here, and listen to a lot of the same stuff, but I felt like...me and Bryan aren’t originally from Charlotte. It’s very rare to find someone who’s into the exact kind of like music you’re into, even that point in a song when you’re like “oh I love that part.”

AM: Yeah, so you guys just had that connection?

Wils: Yeah it was like Stepbrothers when they found out that they were best friends. 

AM: [laughs] Nice, that’s a good reference! Cool, so who else would you consider to be some of your musical influences? Who did you hear growing up that made you want to make music?

Bryan: I didn’t pick up an instrument until I was 21 years old.  I loved music growing up and my brother’s been drumming since he was 7 years old, so I’d been exposed to music and bands. I definitely think the turning point was obviously getting Beatles records from my stepdad, and just listening to that and loving that. You know, Pink Floyd, all the big bands from the 60s.  When I was in junior high, I didn’t know if I wanted to do anything with [music], but I appreciated it. I would say Bjork, The Beatles, of course a bunch of bands that came up around that time...those are some of my big influences.

Wils: I kind of got into music, and I wanna say Bryan was the same way...we used to skateboard all the time before we got into music, and a lot of those old skateboard videos would have sick soundtracks. I remember always waiting til the end for the credits to see what band it was, and there was one point where it kept happening. I was like “who is this fucking band?” and it ended up being The Beatles. I was probably about 16 or 17. I have a lot of thanking to do to the Skateboard community for introducing me to a lot of great bands at an early age.  

AM: As far as the recording process, I know you mentioned you both have a knack for that and that’s how you hit it off. I read that you have your full length coming out at some point this year, so what was that process like?

Wils: We started writing...we wrote and recorded an EP two years ago now, and we kinda banged that out really quickly over the course of 6 months. We wrote everything and recorded and had it mastered. I think it was right after we put the EP out, in August of 2015, we really were focusing on writing the full length. We had already been writing songs, and ideas were really tossed around for a couple months. So I’d say the beginning of 2016 was when we said hey we need to start recording, and I just kinda fixed up a 24-track analog tape machine for the studio. We were like we’re gonna record to 2" 24 track tape and do this whole analog thing. And we took some songs, I think we started with “Scarlet Tunic.” It’s a song we had been playing out live and we hadn’t recorded at all. We kinda did a piecemeal thing, where we were writing and recording at the same time. Yeah, probably over a 4 month period. So we were just doing everything as we recorded it. We recorded everything here at my house to tape. And then we went down to Athens, GA and had the record mixed at Chase Park Transduction. The guy that mixes, his name is Drew Vandenberg.  He did a bunch of cool records, he did Toro Y Moi Underneath the Pine. He was an assistant engineer for Deerhunter, just a bunch of really cool stuff...Of Montreal. We really like his work and what he contributed to those records and felt like it would be a really good fit. So we went down there for about a week and a half, or a week, and mixed with him. We clicked, and it was a really great experience. We’re super happy with how it all turned out. We kinda did this full analog thing. It was cool this time getting someone else to mix it. We could have mixed it ourselves, but it probably would have taken a lot longer.  It’s also cool having someone who we agree with, with other things that they worked on kinda seeing what they can do with it. Also in terms of a deadline. For the third record that we’ve already kind of started writing, we definitely wanna have a little more time, but it was definitely kinda cool. In December I hit up Drew and made an appointment like alright, here’s what’s happening, we’re gonna be mixing in the summer, we have 4 months, the clock is ticking. Once we did that it was like alright, we’ve gotta finish recording these songs and then come up with these songs. I think the last week before we brought it down, we completely wrote and recorded the last song on the album “Bossa Supernova,” which was a really fun experience. We got a bunch of friends to come out and just kind of improvised. We incorporated instrumentation that we’ve never, either of us, have ever recorded. Like a saxophone, clarinet, and a lot of cool percussion instruments on that last track. It was this cool improvised thing, and it turned out really great. It was a great ending for the recording sessions.  For the next record, we’re definitely shooting to have a little more space and focus a little bit more.

AM: That sounds really cool though. Then you’re pressing it to vinyl, in Portland right?

Wils: Yeah so we took the tapes and it was mastered in Portland, from tape, at Telegraph Mastering. But then the label we’re on, Golden Brown, they’re handling the vinyl pressing through A&Z. I believe that A&Z is in Portland. I don’t know if they’re pressing in Portland, but I know that the whole set up is there.

AM: So did you collaborate yourselves on the album artwork, and then as far as the vinyl itself, will it just be black vinyl?

Wils: Yeah, well I’m a full time graphic designer at an ad agency, and Bryan does a bunch of commissions and collage art. He actually did the album cover to S U R V I V E, they did the score to Stranger Things. So he’s been blowing up a bunch on the art side, outside of music, with his collages. So when it comes down to like art or making band posters, we usually handle most of that. Then the vinyl is actually gonna be like a cream and orange mixture, if you go to the Bandcamp page, we have a preview of the album cover and what it’s gonna look like.

Venomous Blossoms Art. 

AM: Cool, definitely will do. So, how is it transitioning your recorded music to the live sense? How do you take what you wrote in the studio and make it translate to the stage?

Wils: So I feel like for the most part, like some of the songs we recorded after we’d been playing them out, so those ones transitioned very well.  The other ones, we have taken a little bit of time, like maybe it’s not going to sound exactly like the recording, but we can do something different and make it even better in the live sense. We’ve definitely gotten to a point where we enjoy doing improvisational transitions between songs, and like extending parts. I know that Bryan and I really loved a lot of Tame Impala live stuff, like they put out a live album with Pitchfork. There was almost like a lot of songs in between a song, where the transition kind of takes on this whole new life live. The last thing we wanna do is be on stage playing the same songs how they were recorded.

Bryan: Yeah, I’d get bored. I’ll play around with even different lyrics and you know people haven’t heard the record yet. When they do, they’ll be like wait this sounds a little bit different, but I always thought that was cool when bands did that. You kinda throw people for a loop, not too much, but you know, get them thinking. There’s instruments that are on the record that we can’t really do live. We’re gonna try for our release show, we’re probably gonna get a couple people up there to play. I would say we translate about 75% of the record.

AM: Very cool, so are there any shows you’re looking forward to doing? Any plans to tour in support of the record?

Wils: We’re looking to play as much as we can as soon as this record’s out. Coming up to the record, we have a couple shows here and there. We’re trying to work out a couple more New York shows...Atlanta, Nashville...Hit a couple of cities on the way before the record releases. Hopefully after the record releases, we’ll hit up as many cities as we can go to. We have some friends on the label that are actually in Montreal that wanna play some shows with us, so we might even hit up Canada this summer.  It’s just little shows in between right now until we really get momentum with the album release. Getting a booking agent and all that is the next step, but I would say we’re pretty dedicated and are really looking forward to getting out and playing, especially the west coast too.

AM: Try to come to Chicago too, that’s where I’m based!

Bryan: I’m actually from Chicago. I moved here when I was 21. I was just up there this September, and it was like perfect weather. I will definitely not be going back during the winter, but I would love to get up there and play too. We will eventually get up there for sure.

AM: Cool, and then what other bands are you listening to at the moment?

Bryan: I really like this band called Vanishing Twin, I think they’re from London. They’re really cool, I really like their visual side as well. Allah-Las, I don’t know if you’ve heard of them. There’s so many. Broncho, I really got into Broncho last year.

Wils: Definitely Chris Cohen. He’s an amazing songwriter. I remember when me and Bryan listened to that recent record that he put out, on repeat. Just some of his transitions and the way he handles verses and choruses, and kinda spins them around is really cool. Sugar Candy Mountain, they just put out a new record, 666, that’s really cool. I mean, we also find ourselves listening to old records. 

Bryan: There’s a really cool website called Office Naps, it’s all rare 45s and 7"s that this guy collects. It’s a lot of really cool 60's and 70's stuff. I’ll get kind of lost on that website, and just get inspired by a lot of this 60's stuff. That too is a big influence as well.

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Venomous Blossoms by Shadowgraphs releases on April 7th.  You can preview the album artwork and preorder it here. Listen to the EP Return to Zero below to get ready for the release, and keep up with all things Shadowgraphs on their Facebook page!

Get To Know: Post Animal

This past Friday night, I caught up with the boys in Post Animal before they headlined night one of Chicago’s Psych Fest at The Hideout. Although the band was down one member, with this weekend being one of the first times they’ve played without guitarist Joe Keery, the remaining five members still had plenty to talk about. Throughout the conversation, I found out all you need to know about this up and coming Chicago band, including news on their upcoming album and tour, stories about their haunted recording space, their influences, and their feelings on a certain Netflix show (which, if you didn’t already know, one of them happens to star in). There’s no doubt about it, 2017 will be an incredible year for Post Animal, so get familiar with them now. 

Post Animal is: Dalton Allison, Jake Hirshland, Joe Keery, Javi Reyes, Wes Toledo
and Matt Williams. Photo by Kristina Pedersen. 

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Their Influences Include Bands like Black Sabbath and The Police, Their Parents... and Mel Gibson

One of the first things I always want to know about musicians is how they got into playing music.  Matt Williams, Javi Reyes, and Wes Toledo all credit their parents for getting them into music at a young age.  “I started playing music when I was like four,” Wes says. “My dad was a musician too, so he just kind of started me at an early age. I started listening to the Police and bands like that, like the Beatles and...my liking of music came from that," he continued on. Matt adds, “My mom was a musician so she kinda forced me to take guitar lessons. She’s a bass player, but she was like ‘you need to learn how to play guitar,’ and then I kinda got forced to…” Javi says his mom also had guitars laying around, and he first started playing the guitar that his brother was given for Christmas one year. “I  learned how to play the James Bond theme,” he recalls.

Dalton Allison says that other bands, like Black Sabbath, inspired him to start making music, while Jake Hirshland admits that his inspiration stems from just wanting to be in a band, saying, “I just wanted to be in a band so bad dude, that I like picked up a guitar and tried to get good enough.” All of the guys also agree that films scores played a big part in influencing them, with Dalton deeming the Jurassic Park score as his favorite.

Oh, and the part about Mel Gibson? That came up while Matt chatted about the early days of guitar lessons, revealing, “The very first lesson I took was so awkward. There’s like these guitar books, I think they’re called Mel Gibson, wait! Not Mel Gibson...those learning books...”  It turns out he was actually talking about Mel Bay guitar books, which we quickly figured out, thanks to a member of another band playing that night.

All Of The Band Members Are Multi-Instrumentalists

If you’ve ever seen Post Animal live, you know they’ve got a lot of guitars on one stage (they also have a lot of hair on one stage, but that’s besides the point). The reason for so many bandmates stems from a few of them originally being substitutes who just never left. Dalton and Matt grew up together as self-proclaimed “bad boys of Danville,” first starting a band in sixth grade. As for the rest of the guys, Matt says,“We just kinda met people through friends and through work, and then someone was like ‘Hey I know this guy who’s a really good drummer, Wes. You should play with him.’ Then we did, and someone was out of town and Javi had just moved into town. So we were like ‘Javi wanna play these couple shows with us?’ And he just never stopped playing with us.”  

“We’ve pretty much just been tacking people on. I moved to Chicago and started playing with these dudes. It was a lot of people going out of town for a while, so we were just subbing people,” Jake chimes in.  The rest of band agreed that they just can’t let anyone go.

Dalton also gives credit to the adaptability of his bandmates, saying “We’re really lucky to have a mutli-talented group. Like Javi can pretty much play anything, Matt can pretty much play anything, Jake can play anything. Wes is one of the best drummers that I’ve ever played with.”  

The Lakehouse They Recorded in Is Haunted

It’s been a minute since Post Animal released their 6 track EP called The Garden Series, but lucky for us, the next album is just about ready. How is this new full-length different than the band’s previous releases? Other than the location where they recorded it, Dalton says,“It’s the first one with all 6 of us on it, so this is the most exciting for sure,” adding on that it should be between 10 and 13 songs. He also says that this new record is more collaborative than their past work, crediting each band member with writing their own parts.  

“Yeah we’re all pumped. Recordings are done and Dalton’s in the cave doing [post] production on it. We’re hoping the spring time,” Jake adds about the progress and planned release of the record.  Continuing on about their recording process, he adds, “I feel like the way we recorded is also...we did a lot of stuff at the same time and we never really used the rooms we were in. Rather than recording it in Dalton’s bedroom like we’ve been doing for the last couple, we actually went to this lakehouse of our good friend and just squatted in the living room and played everything loud...getting all the sound of the space. I think you can tell [it was recorded live].”

While we’re on the subject of the lakehouse, Wes drops the bomb that the place was haunted. Javi and Dalton both attest to strange glitches appearing on their recordings from the lakehouse, while Jake, Wes, and Matt admit to having to sleep in the same room eventually after several scares. Jake recalls one night in which a nightstand flipped over in the room they were sharing, after already being woken up by a ghost. “These old, wrinkly leather hands just tugged me awake. It was bizarre,” Jake says. The rest of the band add that they’re not big on embellishment or really into paranormal activity, with Jake continuing, “Yeah we’re rational at heart, but it was bizarre, I had no explanations for some of the stuff I was feeling and seeing. The table flying over…”

In addition to the ghost scares, coffee got spilled on their computer halfway through recording, causing the band to worry they’d lost all of their work. Despite all of these scares, the band say they still had the time of their lives recording in the house adjoining Paw Paw Lake.

“Rather than recording it in Dalton’s bedroom like we’ve been doing for the last couple, we actually went to this lakehouse of our good friend and just squatted in the living room and played everything loud...getting all the sound of the space”

— Jake on the band's recording process

They’re Really Excited to Play Daytrotter Downs Festival In March

At the moment, the Post Animal boys have only got a string of live dates announced for this year, including some shows in Michigan with Twin Peaks and a slot at Daytrotter Downs Festival in Davenport, IA. However, they let on that they’ve just locked in the first two weeks of an upcoming tour, with Wes adding on that they’ll be out on the road all summer.

Talking more about Daytrotter, Dalton says,“I think that’s the first time that any of us were kinda shocked that someone asked us to play. We really respect what they’ve got going on.” They’re also all excited to check out some of the other bands on the line up, with Jake shouting out NE-HI and Wes and Matt giving nods to Joan of Arc and Gaelynn Lea.  

Daydrotter Downs Lineup Poster

They’re Also Really Excited To See The Country

Before the interview, I noticed that a fan had commented “come to Brazil!” on one of Post Animal’s recent Facebook posts. To me, the summoning to Brazil is a sign you’ve made it. Bringing up this comment, I asked the band where in the world they’d like to tour.  

“South America would be a dream. It’s gonna be dream to even…. like I’ve never even been to New York City in my life. Every single place we go is gonna be a new place that I’ve never been, so that’s pretty crazy,” Dalton admits.  

Javi agrees with South America, saying “I’ve got family down there, so... Just so you know my name is Javier.” Jake agrees with Dalton’s point that it’ll be crazy to see the country, while Matt says he’s particularly excited to play in the states he hasn’t been to, like the Southeast. “Speaking of the south,” Jake adds,“We might be playing SXSW, but nothing is locked in.”  

They’d also love to eventually play some European dates, so keep your eyes out for that.

They’ve Got a Lot of Love for Fellow Chicago Musicians, Especially Jude Shuma

Post Animal recently headlined The Empty Bottle, with support coming from fellow Chicagoans Lucille Furs and Jude Shuma. Not only was the show entirely epic, but it turns out the Post Animal members all love the other two bands. Wes started the love fest for Jude and also gave props to Lucille Furs by saying,“[Twin] Peaks rocks, Joe Bordernaro. Lucille Furs obviously. Jude Shuma!” Jake recommended also interviewing Jude, with Javi attesting to his great interview skills, calling him a charismatic guy.  (So Jude, if you're reading this, let's set up an interview?) 

The guys have also got a lot of love for Chicago venues, including The Empty Bottle, The Hideout and Thalia Hall. “It was a bit of a dream playing Thalia with Twin Peaks. That was scary,” Jake says about the latter. “I’ve just never even been on a stage like that[with a barrier], but in the crowd it doesn’t look like there’s that much space. But when you’re up there, it’s like a good eight feet of space. It’s just like intimidating being that far away from people,”  he continued.

Dalton agrees that it’s more intimidating being separated, saying “You have to like really try to see how the audience feels when they’re not crammed against the stage.”  

They’re Big Fans of King Gizzard, Ty Segall, The Nude Party...and Dire Straits

Not only are the Post Animal members really into fellow Chicago bands, they’re big music fans in general. When asked what they’re listening to at the moment, Javi says, “This new Ty Segall album that just came out, or it comes out today. It’s been streaming the past week.” Jake says, “Mild High Club has such a special place in my heart,” while also mentioning that the entire band loves King Gizzard [& The Lizard Wizard].  

“I’ve been listening to this fucking sick rapper named Denzel Curry, who is so good,” Wes adds, while Dalton shouts out Vince Staples. Javi calls the band’s music taste eclectic, while Jake admits that they listen to a lot of older material as well. Similarly to the love expressed to Jude Shuma, the band also gushed for a few minutes about their admiration of The Nude Party, a band they recently played with in Milwaukee.  They also went to see NYC band The Lemon Twigs the night before at The Empty Bottle. 

Lastly, Wes chimes in, “Dire Straits is a good band,” joking,“They fucking rock. That better be in the interview by the way. Dire Straits fucking rocks.”  

They’re Happy For Joe’s Success As an Actor, But Please Get Their Name Right

If you weren’t aware, the sixth band member, Joe Keery, was MIA for this interview because he stars in a little known Netflix show called Stranger Things.  Naturally, the insane amount of success that the show has had has brought some new attention to the band over the past several months.  So, are Joe and his bandmates sick of the Stranger Things-driven attention? Not at all, but it does make things a bit more challenging at times.

“It’s hilarious that he’s not here right now,” Dalton says when I asked the question.  “It’s just weird cause there’s like this hesitation...like last year, Matt would be gone so Javi would fill in for Matt. Or like Wes would be gone so Joe would play drums. So originally Wes came into replace Joe. So now it’s like weird cause we wouldn’t really hesitate to play without anyone, but we kind of like have to hesitate to play without Joe. That’s been like the weirdest part... kinda feeling detached from our own project because of all the fame that got brought to it, not necessarily for the wrong reason, but for a different reason.”  

Jake chimes in, “We sort of just decided, actually it was a pretty recent decision, but we decided the only way to do this properly from here on out is to play without...like doing exactly what we would have done before. Like tonight is a great example of a show that Joe couldn’t be at, and we’re just playing a damn show.”  

Dalton does admit that it breaks their heart to play without him, but he credits Joe with doing a great job of handling it all, and coming back when he can. “His life has gone from kinda 0 to 60, so it’s a little hectic. So here and there it’s gonna be without him. [Joe] just flies...he’s so committed to flying back day of," Jake says.  

The band also take all of the attention in a positive light, with Jake saying, “Even the people who come mostly to just meet or be in the presence of Joe, they end up being pretty cool audience members. I think a year ago we would have done almost anything to play these types of shows.”  

With so many band members, the guys also comment that they’re still able to deliver their best performance, but Matt contributes, “People can learn each other’s parts. The big difference is like the presence of a body. The nuances of how they play.” “No one can replace Joe’s stage banter,” Dalton adds in. Luckily, Joe is willing to do all he can to be there for shows, so the crowd won’t miss out on too much banter.  For their recent show at The Empty Bottle, Joe told the crowd he took two planes to get there.

All the guys really ask, is that you get their band name right, and don’t call Joe “Steve.” Javi recalls a time when someone said “give it up for Stranger Things” right after Post Animal performed. While something like that is clearly disrespectful to the entire band, no one was more upset about it than Joe himself.  “It’s kinda like exploitative of him personally. Like when people call him Steve...it’s just like, you don’t even take the time to...They don’t think about the fact that he’s a real person and not the character. We’ve all had these crazy experiences of how people interact with him when we go to a bar or something like that. That’s been like the most hilarious and most disgusting part of it,” Dalton says in defense of his friend.

It’s clear that the guys in Post Animal are all great friends and they’re all supportive of Joe, but they’ve also got a great sense of humor. Wes joked, “Fuck that guy. Off the record, he’s one of my best friends, but on the record, fuck that guy," about Joe.  

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Later on Friday evening, the guys did exactly as they'd promised and delivered a killer performance. Seriously, I picked a terrible night to leave my earplugs at home because they don't hold anything back during their shows.  Throughout the set, they also seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves, which always makes a show more enjoyable from the audience.  Keep up with all of the Post Animal news by checking out their Facebook page.  You can also listen to The Garden Series below:

 

A Chat With: Splashh

Almost every time a writer describes a band, the band's hometown or current location is brought into play (i.e. "the British band" or "the LA-based duo," etc.) Well, with this band, it's difficult to pinpoint an adjective based on their geographic ties, seeing as two members live in London, a couple of them live in NYC, and their newest member resides in Berlin...but they're all from Australia or New Zealand.  Nonetheless, we caught up with the worldly rock group Splashh during their tour with Public Access T.V, while all of the band members resided together in a van currently traveling cross country.  Although it's been over three years since Splashh's debut album Comfort first made waves, the band just recently announced their sophomore album's release on April 14th. We chatted with keyboardist Jaie Gonzalez all about the new album, the recent inauguration, staying sane on tour, and what's to come this year, prior to their show this Thursday at Schubas Tavern. 

ANCHR Magazine: So let's talk a little bit about the new album and how tour is going so far. You kicked off tour the other day, in Washington D.C., right?

Jaie Gonzalez: Our first date was in Boston, and then Washington the day after that.

AM: How crazy was it to be in DC when the inauguration was going on?

JG: I mean, it was an amazing experience.  It was really cool to be there at that time.  We went to the march the next day...The Public Access dudes made a nice little event out of it, smashed a TV...it was good!

AM: Nice! What were some of the best signs that you saw at the march?

JG: Ah, some of the good signs…”Viva La Vulva” was pretty good.  There’s so many good ones!

New single "Rings" from Splashh's new album Waiting a Lifetime

AM: I actually interviewed John from Public Access T.V a couple of weeks ago, and he mentioned that you guys would be doing this tour all together in a van.

JG: Oh yea, we’re in it right now…

AM: So how has that been going so far? Has anyone lost their mind yet?

JG: *laughs* Mostly, sanity is intact.  Eleven boys in a van...it’s pretty calm actually at the moment. There’s been some cabin fever moments, definitely. The driving from Boston to DC was, just cause of all the traffic, a good 12 hours in the van.  There was some loopy moments.  We had a day off yesterday, though.

AM: Did you get up to anything cool on the day off?

JG: It was another long van day.  We ended up at a middle-of-nowhere rest stop in North Carolina or something.

AM: How do you guys usually keep occupied during the long drives? Do you have a good playlist?

JG: Max from PATV has been doing a bulk of the DJing. Toto is making a flyer for our China tour right now.  A lot of people with headphones and their phones.

AM: Nice! Talking a little more about the album now, you guys just announced last week that Waiting a Lifetime is the follow up to 2013’s Comfort. How does it feel to finally be getting a new album out after a few years?

JG: It feels great to have the record done. To just have a finished thing that we can listen to now, and don’t have to think about. We put a lot of love and time into it, so now that it’s finished we’re kicking into touring mode.

AM: Can you talk a little bit about the recording and writing process?

JG: Yea, well we recorded it at Rare Book Room Studios with Nicolas Vernhes. That’s been our first choice of where to make the record for a few years now. It was really great to have the opportunity to work there. Nico...we’d kind of been hassling him for years, getting him to come out to the shows.  I guess we could just never afford him, but then we got this deal with the Cinematic Music Group and we could finally afford Nicolas... and we got him. He made the record that we hoped he would and it came out great.  That’s been his studio for like twenty years, he lives above it...it’s a nice little place in Greenpoint. He made all the Deerhunter records there. A lot of records that we love were made there.

AM: Oh cool. So what was the songwriting process like, was it kind of spread out?

JG: Yea, the songs on the record are written pretty much over the past three years.  The first single “Rings” was one of the first songs that me and Sasha wrote together.  Basically when Sasha first came over to New York a couple years ago, we started writing songs and we would send them over to London to Toto and kind of bounce them back and forth between New York and London. Then some of the songs were written like a month before we went into the studio, and one was even written on the spot in the studio.  It’s kind of like a greater sense of our past three years of writing.

AM: You just mentioned now that you some of you are based in New York now, and you have someone based in London...and originally you’re all from Australia and New Zealand.  So do you think that the change in locations has had an impact on how you write, or even just your sound?

JG: Oh yeah, big time.  It’s cool, I like that the past few years have kind of turned into a nowhere or an everywhere band.  We’ve got a brand new drummer and he lives in Berlin.  I live in New York, Toto and [Tom]Beal live in London, and Sasha is just a gypsy so he floats in between.  I mean, now that we’re getting so deep into this touring we’re all kind of living together in this van.

AM: So you’ve got a lot of touring booked for this year and the new album...is there any other big news your fans can expect this year?

JG: Anything other than touring the world and putting out a record? Well...maybe. Stay tuned! There’ll be things. We’re gonna play in China, and hopefully Australia, our homeland.  It should be cool. We’re excited to go back to Europe and play.

AM: What places are you most excited to head back to that you’ve already announced?

JG: Well we’re doing a big UK tour, and our London show is gonna be at a pretty interesting place.  Somewhere down in Peckham in South London. I’m excited to play in Paris.

AM: For sure, that’s always a great city to go to! So what are some other bands that you’re listening to at the moment?

JG: Gee, Public Access T.V is pretty good.  Any new records you’re into, Toto?  Oh yeah, Promise Land. Best band in New York City.

AM: Cool, and what was the first concert you ever went to?

JG: The first concert I ever went to was...at 12 years old, my friend and I bought tickets to No Doubt.

AM: That’s an amazing first concert.  Ok what about the last concert you went to, that wasn’t your own?

JG: That wasn’t my own... Hold on, let me think about this one second. I’m gonna say I saw Promise Land actually!

Splashh plays Schubas this Thursday, with the show kicking off at 8PM.  Grab your tickets here to make sure you see this killer show.  If you're feeling lucky, enter our Twitter contest to win a pair, courtesy of Schubas.

CHICAGO! Wanna see @publicaccesstv @TheBritanys and @splashhband for FREE this Thursday? RT & Follow to enter to win a pair of tix!Ends 1/25 pic.twitter.com/6quyZrpEWU

— ANCHR Magazine (@ANCHRmagazine) January 23, 2017

A Chat With: Dream Version

           A few weeks ago, we kicked off the New Year with a post about Chicago's annual multi-venue winter festival, Tomorrow Never Knows. The post included Ezra Furman as one of five most anticipated acts at the festival, and while he delivered an outstanding performance, that night of the festival also stood out because of the excellent support acts.  Kicking off that evening, Chicago's own Dream Version completely won over the crowd, setting the bar high for the rest of the night. Dream Version delivered a nonstop set full of positive vibes, sticky, sing-along choruses, and groovy bass lines.  Naturally, we had to get to know more about the band behind a set so great that even Ezra Furman tweeted about them, so we asked them to be the next band in our Chicago feature.  During our chat, lead singer Alec Jensen spilled all the dirt on the band's start, their influences, their plans for 2017, and of course- their Chicago favorites.

ANCHR Magazine: When did you start playing music, and how did you start playing with the rest of the band?

Alec Jensen: I've played in bands since high school.  Ann Arbor, MI, had this great teen music scene based around a venue called The Neutral Zone.  My friends are I were involved in launching the Neutral Zone's label, Youth-Owned Records.  I kept writing music while I moved to Chicago and got my teaching degree. I got a job at an elementary school and met Eric, Michael, and our former bandmate Ned, all of whom were teachers there.  But it never occurred to us to play music together until we went on strike in 2012. We started spending a lot of time together, and when we all realized we had the instruments for a band, I mentioned that I'd demoed an album worth of songs, but didn't know what to do with them.  The songs were all ready to go.  It was very casual, but turned into this beautiful thing.

AM: What's the story behind your name?

AJ: Initially, the idea was when you describe your dreams and say, "I was at school, but it was, like, a dream version of school."  You know the one; it has an infinite number of hallways and doors and you can never find the room your exam is in.  Eventually, I started thinking of it as an idealized version of something, like there's the real version of your boyfriend and the dream version that only exists in your head. Sometimes the real version comes over and you end up feeling disillusioned. I think that interpretation fits the band as it exists today a bit better.

Dream Version is Eric Brummitt, Alec Jensen, Michael Kunik.  Photo by Ellie Pritts 

AM: Who do you consider your music influences?

AJ: The Beatles and Pavement are so thoroughly ingrained in my DNA that I don't really notice their influence anymore.  When Dream Version recorded our debut album, I was listening to lots of Prince, Fleetwood Mac, and of Montreal, but I doubt much of that comes across.  Our new album's more rough and scrappy.  I tried to avoid thinking about other people's music too much during the process.  I think the Pavement influence will come through.

AM: Can you talk a little bit about the band's writing and recording process? How collaborative is the songwriting typically, and where do you record?

AJ: I usually write the songs and then record a demo to a drum machine. When I get together with Michael and Eric to play the songs, sometimes we play them just like the demo, but sometimes they go through extensive changes.  "Firefighter", the first song on Beginners, went through months and months of revisions and now the demo would be unrecognizable.  A couple of our newer songs are the same way.  We recorded Beginners at Pieholden Suite Sound, but our latest we did at Foxhall Studios in Logan Square.

AM: How was the overall experience playing TNK Fest, and what was your reaction when Ezra Furman tweeted about your band?

AJ: TNK was a real joy for us.  The privilege of just being heard by Ezra Furman's audience was great - they're the kind of people we'd love to discover our band.  Ezra's set really inspired me that night.  The songs never lost momentum, but somehow he found time in each of them to forge this personal connection with the audience.  It was humbling to get attention from him.  Our gut reaction is, "Oh, Ezra, you don't have to say that just to be nice."  But it's definitely brought us some new listeners.

AM: You mentioned that you also teach and try to keep your rock n roll side separate from your teacher side, but do you ever incorporate music into your teaching style?

AJ: Eric is a music teacher for grades K-7.  He gets the kids doing these beautiful choral performances and leads a few a cappella groups.  A few times a year, I reluctantly pick up a guitar and sing with my 8th graders.  It's flattering when the kids show interest in our music, but my response when they bring up the band is usually a deadpan "I don't know what you're talking about."  The last thing I want on my mind when I'm writing a song is, "How would my students respond to this?" That's creative poison.

AM: What will 2017 bring for Dream Version as far as new tunes and tour? 

AJ: Our new album, Fight Fair, is due out in early summer.  We've got big plans for it.  It's leaner, hungrier, and more angry in spirit, but it's still got the melodies and the background vocals people liked on Beginners.  In the spring we'll announce a big summer tour and a release show.  This is gonna be a really meaningful year for us.

AM: Who would be your dream band/artist to work with, either touring or collaborating?

AJ: I'm assuming this doesn't have to be realistic, so I'm gonna say duet with Kate Bush?  More realistically, my high school band opened for of Montreal in 2004 and I'm pretty sure they went out for pizza during our set.  So I'd love to get a second chance at that.

AM: What are some of your favorite fellow Chicago bands?

AJ: I'm in love with Emily Jane Powers, and highly recommend Jellies, Luno, and Richard Album.  We're also big fans of Varsity, In Tall Buidlings, Pool Holograph, and of course, Ezra Furman.

AM: What about favorite Chicago venues?

AJ: It's been unreal playing Lincoln Hall, but we've also really enjoyed playing The Whistler, Subterranean, and Constellation.  Can't forget Cole's, either.  No matter the venue, anything Kickstand Productions puts on has been a great experience for us.

“It’s leaner, hungrier, and more angry in spirit, but it’s still got the melodies and the background vocals people liked on Beginners”

— Alec on the band's new album

AM: Last question...what was the first concert you ever went to, and what was the last show you went to (that wasn’t your own)?

AJ: My dad took me to see the Beach Boys, minus Brian Wilson, in Detroit around 1995.  Lots of Hawaiian shirts onstage.  I think there was very little Pet Sounds, but plenty of "Kokomo" and that song that was on Full House.  I recently saw In Tall Buildings do their TNK performance at Schuba's, and they're always awesome.  They create dense textures, but within these really clean lines.  I think there's a much bigger audience out there waiting for them.

We'll definitely be looking forward to more details on Dream Version's album and summer tour. To make sure you're in the know on all things Dream Version, keep your eye on their social media. You can also listen to Beginners here. 

A Chat With: Aquilo

British duo Aquilo’s debut album Silhouettes has been a long time coming. The pair Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher have been making music together since 2013, honing in on their trademark atmospheric, evocative sound and heartfelt lyrical narratives.  After a handful of EPs and steady stream of singles, as well as a stint of support slots for artists like Oh Wonder and Låpsley throughout the years, Aquilo’s first full length will finally grace our ears in just eight days. Prior to the album’s release on January 27th, we chatted with Tom and Ben about their album's writing and recording process, their influences, and what’s to come in 2017.  

Photo Credit: Morgan Hill Murphy 

ANCHR Magazine: Congratulations on almost having your debut album out into the world.  How are you feeling now that the release date is so soon?

Aquilo: Thank you! We’re just pretty excited to let it go. We’ve been wanting to release an album for the past 3 years so it all feels sort of right. Funnily enough we don’t feel too nervous actually, we probably will do the day before though!

AM: Can you talk a little about the writing and recording process of Silhouettes? Do you have a general process for writing, and where was the album recorded?

Aquilo: We mostly wrote the album and partly produced it back in Silverdale, the village where we grew up. The occasional song was written down here in London but we like to think that home holds the biggest part of the album. The process of writing is pretty simple; if one of us has an idea or a lyric we show the other. We got talking to an Icelandic composer and producer called Ólafur Arnalds. We fell in love with his sound and the way he goes about making music, so we spent some time over in Reykjavik arranging the strings and sonics of it all.

AM: How would you sum up the album in three words?

Aquilo: It’s alright mate

AM: Which songs are you most looking forward to playing live from the new album, and is there any news on tour dates coming soon?

Aquilo: We played a few of the songs off the album on the tour we’ve just done with Låpsley across the states. We haven’t played “Low Light” or “Almost Over” live yet so we’re itching to play it with our band wherever the next tour may be! It looks like we’ll be doing Europe and the UK pretty soon but we can’t confirm any dates. We’re booked to play SXSW in Texas so we’ll see where we go from there.

AM: Speaking of SXSW, that’s a pretty great accomplishment to play there. Are there any other festivals on your bucket list to play as a band?

Aquilo: Yeah, it’s something as kids we’ve always dreamt of going to, not just to play but to watch bands too. We played Glastonbury as like one of our first ever gigs 2/3 years ago on the BBC introducing stage, it’d be amazing if we got to play the John Peel Stage there, would be a dream. We’ve heard that Coachella is meant to be pretty good, same for Lollapalooza. It’d be class to play those.

“We fell in love with his sound and the way he goes about making music, so we spent some time over in Reykjavik arranging the strings and sonics of it all.”

AM: Are there any cities or venues that you’re really hoping to play in 2017?

Aquilo: All the big ones! We just want to see as much of the world as we can. We desperately want to visit Asia and South America and see things we haven’t before.

AM: I loved the video for “You Won't Know Where You Stand.” How involved were you in creating the plot for the video?

Aquilo: We find music videos with a story far more captivating you know, something with a message… We met a man called Eoin Glaister a while back and made a 2 part music video for an EP of ours. When it came round to the album it only felt right to get him on board and work on something a little bigger than the last. He’s done an incredible job so hats off to him.

Aquilo released part II of the Silhouettes Trilogy on January 18th, 2017. 

AM: Who do you consider your musical influences?

Aquilo: Funnily enough we both grew up on rock bands back home. Ben had a real Nirvana and Pearl Jam obsession growing up and Tom was into the likes of Explosions in the Sky and Oceansize.

People like Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, Pink Floyd and Steely Dan have always been pretty important to us too.

AM: What other bands are you listening to at the moment?

Aquilo: We’ve been listening to a lot of The National recently, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Scott Matthews and Nils Frahm. The recent War on Drugs album is a favourite between the band when we’re on the bus.

You can preorder the new album Silhouettes on iTunes or by heading to the band's webstore.  The pair put on a stunning live show, so if you're heading to SXSW in March, make sure to catch one of their sets.  

A Chat With: Public Access T.V

Talking TV drama, studio-hopping, and festival lineups with New York City’s Public Access T.V.  

New York rockers Public Access T.V mix old-school punk vibes with a youthful and refreshing energy that makes them stand out in the crowd. After playing music with other bands, lead singer John Eatherly branched off on his own to form PATV with bandmates Xan Aird, Max Pebbles, and Peter Sustarsic in 2014.  The post punk four piece released their debut album Never Enough on September 30th, 2016. Since then,the album has been steadily gaining traction, proving that kids still do like rock’n’roll, despite the opening lyrics to the band's track “End of an Era.”  In support of the debut album, Public Access T.V will embark on their first US headline tour this month.  Prior to their show at Schubas Tavern in Chicago, John chatted with us about the recording process for the album, life on the road, and what’s in the works for 2017.  

Official video for "End of an Era"

ANCHR Magazine: So first let’s talk about the debut album you released at the end of September.  How did it feel to get that work out there, and what has the response been?

John Eatherly: Well it feels like a great detachment from a lot of accumulated work over many years of songs and writing.  So if anything it just feels good putting your precious babies out there in the world and seeing what happens. We’re about to go on tour in a week, so we’ll see more reactions.  The record was a crazy experience, finally making it to the finish line of it being mixed and done.  It took a lot to get there, so it feels like I’m not so attached to it anymore because it’s out there already.  Like there’s no more old ideas to pick from as far as writing songs.  It’s like a clean slate.

AM: So you mentioned some of these songs have been around for years, and I know you played with other bands and artists before you formed Public Access T.V, so how long have some of the songs been around for, and have any of them evolved and taken on a new meaning since you wrote them?

JE: Maybe some of the songs like “In Love and Alone” and “Careful” I probably made a demo of when I was like 20, in 2010, and then kind of...I don’t know, I wasn’t really making it for any reason other than just to have fun and for myself. I wasn’t ever trying to introduce it to anyone I was playing with or anything like that, I just kind of kept it to myself. Some of them took on a new feeling because some of those songs that were older we ended up playing live as a band when we recorded the record.  So some of the songs that are older definitely have a different energy and drive behind them, just from being a unit playing it all together.  But as far as the span of time, it’s crazy, cause maybe I had a demo that I made five years ago.  Then some of the songs on the record I was recording last minute, while mixing the record. So some of it’s like really, really, really new and some of it is older.  So it’s really like this accumulation of kind of years of trying to figure it out.  That’s why it feels like such a relief.

AM: For sure. So can you talk a little bit about the actual recording process?  I know you mentioned you recorded some songs when you were already mixing, but did you pretty much do the album all in one go? Did you record in one studio?

JE: It was pretty crazy actually.  Our record credits are like movie credits, it’s really long.  So part of it’s recorded in New York, part of it’s recorded in Jersey, one song was recorded in Nashville.  Then like six songs are recorded at two different studios in London.  The reason it was so all over the place is because we were never, we never had uh, the luxury, I guess, knowing that we had two weeks at a studio and going in with that time to complete it.  It was always like two days here and maybe three days here, and then go and bang out as many songs as we could.  And then I’d like two of them, you know?

AM: Yeah, and that’s kind of cool then because the songs take on a different meaning, you know, you’ll associate it like “oh we recorded this in London,” so it’s got that aspect.

JE: Yeah, the stuff that we recorded in London was tracked as a band. Because we had been playing the songs live for quite a few tours.  So some of those ones, like “In Love and Alone,” that version that’s on the record is just like the first take that we did.  It was just a live take, there was no multi-tracking.

AM: Wow so it was just one take as a live band?

JE: Yeah, so some of it’s like that, and then some of it is like the opposite. Like really tracked and-

AM: broken out?

JE: Yeah!

Public Access T.V is John Eatherly Xan Aird, Max Pebbles, and Peter Sustarsic

AM: So talking more about your tour, is there anything you’re planning as a new aspect to the show now that you’re headlining? 

JE: I don’t know...maybe how we think about the setlist might be a little bit different.  I tend to not want to play any slower songs as an opening band.  So it might be a little more dynamic.  But this tour is gonna be real fun because we’re going on tour with our friends, this band called Splashh, and we’re all sharing a van together. It’s gonna be like 12 people crammed into one van. I’ve never been in a van with that many people before, so it’s gonna be real crazy.

AM: Yeah, definitely document that!

JE: Yeah we have a friend coming to film the ridiculousness of it.  

AM: Oh cool! So what cities and venues are you looking forward to playing?

JE: Certainly Chicago.  I’m originally from Tennessee before I moved to New York in like 2008, so we haven’t really played any shows in Nashville- we played one.  We’re gonna go there, so that will be a cool vibe, and maybe some family going to the show. Then, I’m excited to play Bowery Ballroom in New York, and we’re playing Schubas in Chicago...that’ll be really cool.  The bigger cities I guess.

AM: Have you planned anything outside of the gigs, like touristy things at all?

JE: Not really, I think we’ll just kind of see what we get into.  It’s gonna be so many of us together in a confined space, so I’m sure everyone will be really antsy to run around and do things.  We just kind of roam around, probably like in the neighborhood that the venue’s in, and just kind of see what we can find.

AM: You recently were announced to play Shaky Knees Festival.  Are there any other festivals that are on your bucket list to play?

JE: A big one that I always wanted to play was Bonnaroo.  We did that last summer, and that was like a checklist for me because I’d always have friends as a teenager going to Bonnaroo. So that was like a cool way to go. Coachella? I’ve never been.  Festivals are just like insane. Like, I’m not dying to go to any festivals as a festival-goer, but I would certainly love to go and play them.

AM: For sure! If you could pick any 3-5 bands to headline a festival, dead or alive, who would you want?

JE: David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, John Lennon...and Public Access!

AM: Sounds like a great festival! Do you have any other goals or resolutions for this year?

JE: Just hopefully staying busy and recording more.  Just trying to stay as busy as we can working on being a band and being friends.

AM: Are there any other bands that you’re really into at the moment?

JE: I’ve been listening a lot to the band Sparks from LA.  I don’t know...I’m always kind of like- I don’t really know what I’m listening to.  I’m in a phase where I’m not really listening to too much of anything, other than like background music.I’m not feeling particularly in tune.

AM: Yeah, I’m sure it’s hard when you’re invested in your own music to get into other stuff.  Last question- not related to your music at all, but since you’re called Public Access T.V, what’s your favorite TV show at the moment?

JE: Well I don’t have a TV or cable, but my favorite TV that I recently have been watching, is a very dramatic show called Nashville.  It’s kind of like a soap opera.  It’s jam packed with all the drama you could ever need in your life.

Public Access TV will be at Schubas on Thursday, January 26th.  Grab your tickets here, and listen to Never Enough here!

A Chat With: Campdogzz

The Chicago band chat with us prior to their TNK Fest performance.

Chicago is home to some of the greatest bands and musicians around at the moment.  One of our favorite Chicago bands, Campdogzz, will be playing at Schubas Tavern tomorrow as part of Tomorrow Never Knows Festival.  Before their performance as part of the annual multi-venue, 5-day fest, we chatted with Jess Price and Mike Russell of Campdogzz about their start as a band, appearing in a Netflix show, their Chicago favorites, and goals for 2017.  

ANCHR Magazine: How did you all meet and start making music together, and what’s the story behind your name?

Jess Price: Mikey was in a band called Suns out of Chicago. For a couple years, I traveled with them, working on a documentary more or less about independent American touring bands (still working on it).  We became friends in that time and eventually I started showing him demos. He grabbed onto it and helped me get them recorded. From there we decided to make a record together. Mikey chose the name. It made sense with our demeanor and lifestyle at the time...couple of dirtbags hanging around the fire. 


AM: Who are some of your musical influences, either in terms of your sound/songwriting or who inspired you to start making music?

Campdogzz: Jason Molina is a huge one. Really we could scrap that whole answer above and just insert his name in there. He is the reason we started this band.  Early influences were gospel, folk, a lot from the church. Later, [we were] heavily inspired by soundscapes in film.
 

Photo by Randy P Martin

AM: How did the opportunity to appear on Netflix’s Easy come up, and how was the experience? 

Campdogzz: After a long tour (our first), we dreaded getting out of the bus, so we decided to go see some parks in SW and travel around for a while with a couple friends. We got an email about the opportunity. A friend had previously shared our record with the person responsible for sourcing the music in Easy.  We flew back for the filming at Sub T in November.  It was great.  The set was relaxed.  It was fun for us to watch them work.  Seemed like a bunch of old friends getting together. Shooting was pretty seamless and fast.  We are very grateful to have been included. 

"The Well" appeared on Season 1, Episode 2 of the Netflix series Easy

AM: What are your favorite Chicago venues?

Campdogzz: Hideout, [Empty] Bottle, Burlington, Whistler, Constellation, Elastic Arts...to name a few. We are fortunate for great venues here, if nothing else.

“We’ve spent a lot of time with these songs and a lot of time with ourselves last year. A lot of personal and collective growth. It will be very fulfilling to actualize them. ”

AM: Who are some of your favorite fellow Chicago bands and musicians at the moment?

Mike Russell: RIBBONHEAD, Bow&Spear, Melkbelly, Tinkerbelles, Negative Scanner, Paper Mice

Jess Price: Wet Mouth, Gia Margaret, Hydrofoil, Meat Wave, Joan of Arc, Spencer Tweedy (I keep trying to adopt him--he won't respond)

AM: What have you been listening to lately, and what album releases are you looking forward to in 2017?

Mike Russell: The Upsetters Super Ape, Arthur Russell Love is Overtaking Me

Jess Price: A lot of the above, Frank Oceans Blonde, Broadcast, Daniel Bachman, Luzmila Carpio, Talk West. 2017 Releases...Joan of Arc's He's Got The Whole This Land is Your Land in His Hands

Campdogzz at Sofar Sounds Chicago 

AM: What are your goals for 2017? Any plans for touring or new music? 

Campdogzz: Our biggest goal is finishing our second record.  We've spent a lot of time with these songs and a lot of time with ourselves last year. A lot of personal and collective growth. It will be very fulfilling to actualize them. We will no doubt be out and about when we have something new to share. As soon as the weather turns, we'll go get our bus and get to work!

Individual tickets for Campdogzz's show with Hoops, Sam Evian, and Big Thief have now sold out, but you can still get your 5 day TNK Fest Pass here.

Stay tuned for our next Chicago band feature on Lucille Furs, coming next week! 

A Chat With: Deaf Havana

English rock band Deaf Havana chat about the new album All These Countless Nights

After a wildly successful 2013 album Old Souls, The UK rock band Deaf Havana are back this month with the album All These Countless Nights. The new album stems from a songwriting stint from lead singer James Veck-Gilodi that happened when the band was close to calling it quits.  Prior to the album's release on January 27th, we chatted with lead guitarist and James’ brother Matt Veck-Gilodi about the writing and recording process of the new album, their influences, and touring.

ANCHR Magazine: How did you all meet and get into making music together?

Matt Veck-Gilodi: Well James and Lee met at High School and then they met Tom and Chris (our ex-guitarist) at college. To be honest it all started because we come from Norfolk in England and there really isn’t a lot to do growing up around there and getting together and playing in a band was a way to have fun, hang out and get drunk with each other.

AM: How did the writing and recording process for All These Countless Nights vary from your past albums? What are some of the biggest thematic and sonic differences you notice between this album and others?

MVG: It was different in that we were allowed a lot of time to gather together demos and refine them into album worthy songs. With our previous records we’d pretty much get the 12 or so demos written that could fill an album and then just rush straight into the studio to record them, without doing any pre-production or changing the songs very much at all. Whereas with this record we worked very closely with our producer Adam Noble (who’s absolutely excellent) and he really honed the songs, helped us rewrite and rethink them and turn them into the best songs they could possibly be. He also got us to record the basis of every song together as a live band, whereas we would’ve previously recorded the drums and then add the bass and then some guitars etc., but this album came together very organically as a result. Well soniclally I’d say it’s a much more expansive record than we’ve had before. It’s not so thick as Old Souls is throughout, it ebbs and flows and is much more diverse - which artistically is very gratifying. Thematically the lyrics are relatively similar to James’ previous work in that they’re very personal and introspective, but on this record there’s a lot more positivity and hope present - even if it’s not obvious at first. 

Album Artwork for All These Countless Nights

“Thematically the lyrics are relatively similar to James’ previous work in that they’re very personal and introspective, but on this record there’s a lot more positivity and hope present - even if it’s not obvious at first.”

AM: What can your fans expect from the live shows this year? Will the sets be mostly new material or a good mix of both old and new?

MVG: They can expect a set full of bangers and a great time - we can’t wait to get back out on the road playing shows! Well with a new record we obviously love playing the new songs as they feel more exciting because they’re fresher, but it’s important to have a real mix between the old and the new I think. I’m personally really excited to tour because now we’ll have a pretty substantial back catalogue to craft a set from so we’ll really think about it and make something very special for our audiences.

AM:  What’s your favorite way to pass time on the road?

MVG: I’d have to say having a few beers, listening to or playing music and then watching The Office. We’re all such good friends we tend to do all of these things together rather than go in our own separate ways.

AM: James has mentioned Bruce Springsteen as a musical influence, but who are some of your other musical influences?

MVG: We have a few to be honest. To give a selection I’d have to say Kings of Leon, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Placebo, Oasis, Ryan Adams - we like a lot!

AM: Do you draw songwriting inspiration from any other mediums (i.e films, art, etc..)?

MVG: For sure. I know that James takes a lot of inspiration in his lyrics from the author Charles Bukowski - for his straight up and uncompromising approach to writing literature. It’s never wrapped in metaphor, it’s honest and straightforward, which is something that seems to chime with the way James writes songs.

Video for "Trigger" from the upcoming album 

AM: What other bands and artists are you listening to at the moment?

MVG: We all listen to quite a varied mix but for me personally I can’t stop listening to anything Mark Kozelek does. I’m also hammering the new Nine Inch Nails EP but as well as that the new Strand of Oaks song “Radio Kids” is one of the finest from last year,  and of course the new Ryan Adams stuff sounds incredible. I also absolutely love this band called Pinegrove, give them a listen!

AM: Have you guys got any New Year's resolutions for 2017?

MVG: Just to get out and play as many shows as possible, to as many people as possible. To be a proper touring band again and to have a hell of a lot of fun.

Deaf Havana will tour the UK and Europe from February- April of this year. Check out the dates and grab tickets here.  You can also pre-order the album on iTunes and instantly get the tracks “Trigger,” “St. Paul’s,” “Sing,” and “Cassiopeia.”  You can also grab the physical album here.  

Lastly get ready for the release by watching the video for "Sing."