This is our weekend to do list. Print it out. Check it off. Enjoy.

–TeaParty

[ ] Feast on a smorgasbord of Boston indie rock (with a side of NYC powerpop)

When Aloud, Flying Machines, The Lights Out, The Everyday Visuals play TT’s

[ ] Dance to the beat of your own… headset

At the Silent Disco at the Milky Way

[ ] Hang with the people who “get it”

At the Creatures Of Habit Record Release Party featuring Runaway at The Good Life

WHERE'S WALDO?

[ ] Tackle some random guy who happens to be wearing stripes and a beanie

and blame it on the Boston-wide Where’s Waldo hunt

[ ] Brave the horror that is Faneuil Hall on a weekend

For MAYDAY at the Hard Rock with The Luxury, Hot Protestants, The Main Drag and The Silent Century

[ ] Come up with clever joke about white rabbits / magic in time for Paradise show

with White Rabbits and Here We Go Magic

SOMERVILLE OPEN STUDIOS

[ ] Go for the art…

at The Fringe Movement during Somerville Open Studios

[ ]…stay for the music

when Sea Monsters hold down their residency at Precinct

Over the course of three measly days, Gab, Jessie and I spent every waking moment running up and down the Bowery, East Houston and Bleecker in hopes of squeezing into the packed venues that hosted the stellar shows of this year’s CMJ Music Marathon.  Given that we were there to pay close attention to the Boston acts billed for CMJ, we made it a point to check out our local favorites first before booking it over to the Bowery Ballroom, the Delancey and other hotspots for national acts that are making some serious blips on our musical radars lately.

We arrived back in Boston last night exhausted and incredibly content, so we have yet to conclude our experience at CMJ with a comprehensive wrap-up post.   Saturday, October 24 will forever be known as the day that Bodega Girls stormed a five-story East Village mansion for a sick dance party and the night where we somehow wound up scarfing burger prepared off a grill in a van in the Bronx, but… that’s a story for another time.  [We'll be writing it up ASAP; stay tuned for more details.]  In the meantime, check out our thoughts and photos on Boston bands playing CMJ on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23.

-Hilary Hughes

3 Girls + 3 Days + 75 Venues + 4786823 Bands: TeaParty Boston at CMJ ‘09, Part I

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3 Girls + 3 Days + 75 Venues + 4786823 Bands: TeaParty Boston at CMJ ‘09, Part II

Our first stop in the CIty was Rockwood Music Hall to check out an acoustic set from the usually hard-rocking, amped-up Aloud. The intimate setting of the small club showcased the duo’s talent for vocal harmonies and their darling on-stage dynamic.

We arrived at Crash Mansion smack in the middle of the usual ruckus that comes along with a set from Bodega Girls. A neon melange of lights, bass, facepaint, tambourine and bodyrockin’ cemented the Girls into the Ones To Watch category– and booked them several more shows this weekend. Stay tuned for more!

A scheduling change meant that we got to inadvertently catch a set from Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Jesse Merchant, known as JBM.  The dashing Canadian captured our attention with his enthralling guitar work and heartbreaking melodies.

The Hush Now delivered all you’re looking for in a Boston band in a Brooklyn bar. Their boyish exuberance and lush sounds took over the small space, leaving our heads swirling along with all those crazy colored lights.

Noise-rockers Ho-Ag exploded out of the Nag Champa-scented nook that the Lit Lounge stuck them in. Guitars, keys, drums, a bullhorn and a beard set the scene for the packed basement show.

The only thing more disarming than the pipes on Mieka Pauly of The Mieka Cannon was the sheer number of diehard fans packed into the tight space of Rockwood Music Hall. Lyrics were sang, requests were shouted, and the band happily obliged by switching up their setlist to pack it with crowd favorites.

Going through interviews we’ve done and shows we’ve covered in the past, we’ve put together a roster of some shows not to be missed by those attending the CMJ Music Marathon this weekend.  We’ll be live-blogging to the best of our ability, providing set reviews and wrap-ups, and tweeting our little hearts out.  (You’ll only get in on the up-to-the-minute action if you’re following us on Twitter, though.)  We don’t plan on sleeping very much given that we’ll be dancing/rocking out/chatting up musician-type folks, so if you’re up for the challenge, join us at the following shows throughout the CMJ Music Marathon or follow our live coverage of Boston bands playing CMJ over the next few days.

-Hilary Hughes

ALOUD

Aloud CMJ Sets: Wednesday [October 21], 8pm, The Glasslands Gallery; Thursday [October 22], 2pm, Rockwood Musical Hall

Why You Should Join Us: Gnarly, snarly pop rock and fantastic harmonies keep us coming back for Aloud shows time and time again.  That, and Jen and Henry’s dedication to their music borders their undying infatuation with The Beatles.

ANNIE AND THE BEEKEEPERS

CMJ Set: Thursday [October 22], 9pm, The Living Room

Why You Should Join Us: Annie and the Beekeepers offer up earnest bluegrass, friendly folk and some of the prettiest vocals we’ve ever heard.

BODEGA GIRLS

Bodega Girls CMJ Sets: Wednesday [October 21], 7pm, Piano’s; Thursday [October 22], 6pm, Beyond Race Magazine Party at Crash Mansion

Why You Should Join Us: Kid you not, this is the best hedonistic dance party we have EVER BEEN TO.  Also, sick beats/scandalous lyrics have Bodega Girls sitting pretty atop SPIN’s CMJ Acts to Watch list.

DRUG RUG

Drug Rug CMJ Sets: Friday [October 23], 3pm at Rockwood Music Hall, 9pm at Bowery Ballroom

Why You Should Join Us: Their latest album, Paint The Fence Invisible , has been on heavy rotation for TPB since we attended their CD release party at the Middle East back in August.

THE HUSH NOW

The Hush Now CMJ Set: Thursday [October 22] , 8pm at Bruar Falls

Why You Should Join Us: Ever since the single release party for “Hoping and Waiting,” we’ve been, well, you know, for their sophomore effort: Constellations.

THE LIGHTS OUT

The Lights Out CMJ Set: Tuesday [October 20], 8pm, Alphabet Lounge

Why You Should Join Us: Tracks from The Lights Out’’s month-old Colorshow kept folks enthralled at the CD release party at TT the Bear’s Place, and we wish we could be there to hear tracks from the new release tonight!

THE LOVE LANGUAGE

The Love Language CMJ Sets: Tuesday [October 20], 3:30pm, Piano’s; Wednesday [October 21], 10pm, The Bellhouse; Thursday [October 22], 5pm, Crash Mansion; Friday [October 23], 10pm, The Living Room

Why You Should Join Us: Okay, okay, we know, The Love Language aren’t a Boston band at all and they’re actually from North Carolina, but WE REALLY LIKE THEM and they’ve played some incredible shows in Boston since forming last winter.

THE MAIN DRAG

The Main Drag CMJ Set: Saturday [October 24], 11:45pm, Spike Hill

Why You Should Join Us: We have a soft spot for songs that have lots of interjections in them, especially the “HEY!”-s in “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter.”

THE MIEKA CANON

The Mieka Canon CMJ Set: Thursday [October 22], 11pm, Rockwood Music Hall

Why You Should Join Us: Their latest EP, From The Mouth Of Paris, is a study in poetry set to music: We love the lyrics as much as we love the ferocious intensity of Mieka Pauley’s voice.

ST. HELENA

St. Helena CMJ Set: Tuesday [October 20], 10pm, Alphabet Lounge

Why You Should Join Us: St. Helena is a motley crue of Boston musicians who have done time playing Boston’s favorite stages for years, and their live show is just as exuberant and fun as the personalities that make up the band.

MORE BOSTON BANDS WE’RE STOKED TO SEE AT CMJ:

The New Collisions! (Saturday 10/24, Bowery Poetry Club)

HO-AG! (Thursday 10/22, Lit Lounge )

Hooray For Earth! (Tuesday 10/20, 8pm, Crash Mansion; Friday 10/23, 6pm, Crash Mansion)

Rubblebucket (Tuesday 10/20, 8pm, SOBs)

For the new kids in town just finishing up with fall semester registration, this weekend is an excellent opportunity to receive a proper introduction to the Boston music scene if you’re itching to stumble off campus.  Forget Passion Pit.  Forget the Dropkick Murphys.  Forget anything anyone ever told you about what “Boston music” is, because chances are they’ll direct you to one of these two bands in hopes of defining the city’s sound by going with the most recent Boston bands that have been picked up by major labels.  With incredible indie acts rocking venues all over the city on any given school night, it’s no surprise that a shindig of sorts would come to fruition in hopes of getting the fresh blood of Boston’s students tuned in to the sounds of local bands on the scene.  The folks over at Boston Band Crush, still reeling from the incredible success of One Night Band, have done it again and will be presenting What’s Your Major? on September 18 and 19 at Church.  This “rock lecture” series includes performances by our dear friends The Motion Sick and Aloud, as well as a slew of other talented folks.  We’ll be chatting up The Future Everybody at the event, as well as Brendan Boogie, who’s actually one of the masterminds behind this college-oriented two-night run of rockness.  What’s Brendan looking forward to the most about What’s Your Major?  Surprisingly, it’s not the sick lineup, even though he’s thrilled to be sharing the stage with some of his absolute favorite people: “I’m really looking forward to the comedians we have scheduled to perform, because you don’t get to see them in this environment alot,” Boogie says.

“Basically, the only perimeters are that their routines need to fit the format of a guest lecture and they’ll have subjects for each.  If the comedian gets biology, well, that mean they’re going to be making ten minutes of dick jokes or something.  For me, it’s going to be interesting to see what they do with that little amount of direction and the creativity that thrives in a rock show environment.”

For Boogie’s post-show commentary, check back on TeaParty Boston next week, as we’ve got a pretty silly interview with Mr. Brendan to share with you that’ll go along quite nicely with the ridiculous photo spread we have planned for him regarding his performance at What’s Your Major? tomorrow night.

On top of this rock n’ roll homecoming that’s sure to be an indie interpretation of Animal House, we have two shows, one in Allston and one in Cambridge, that we’ll be paying close attention to as well:  Static of the Gods will be opening for Bad Veins at O’Brien’s on September 18, and the David Wax Museum will be celebrating their CD release at Club Passim in Harvard Square tonight as well.  After hanging out with Static of the Gods at a Ryan’s Smashing Life showcase a few weeks back, we can undoubtedly say that the wiles of Jen Johnson [and the dudes in that band too] have won our hearts and that we can’t wait for their new album to come out this winter.  The David Wax Museum is a band to be excited about as well, as their inspiring, innovative take on Mexican-folk infused Americana will have you clapping along in Passim’s packed listening room.

So, folks, there’s your Friday afternoon weekend roundup from TeaParty Boston!  As you can see, we’ve got a full plate o’ musical goodness in store for us between 5pm today and early Monday morning, and we couldn’t be more excited about that.  Be sure to check out our exclusive interviews with Static of the Gods and David Wax of the David Wax Museum below, and if you’re looking for extra credit we’ve re-posted our interviews with Aloud and The Motion Sick for your reading pleasure.

-Hilary Hughes

New Releases and A Need for the Open Road: What’s Up Next for Static of the Gods

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The Mexicamericana Musical Stylings of the David Wax Museum

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The Search for White Jeans and Other Adventures with Aloud

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Where Play-Doh leads to music, and the music is about Waffle House: Gab and Jessie spend some time with The Motion Sick

This Saturday, August 29th, we’re gonna be running around Boston like chickens with our heads cut off and there’s NO GOOD REASON why you shouldn’t be, too, as this is one EPIC EVENING OF MUSIC!  It doesn’t matter if you’re situated way the hell out in Forest Hills or you’re twiddling your thumbs in the suburbs getting ready to watch your DVR’d episodes of Weeds and Mad Men for for the umpteenth time: Boston’s got a lot going on tomorrow, and we here at TeaParty Boston will be taking it upon ourselves to make sure that you guys get in on what’s sure to be an incredible night.

Unfortunately for us, all three major music events we’ll be following in this city Saturday night are happening simultaneously: While the Boston Band Crush event of the summer, One Night Band, which the Globe referred to as a game of “rock n’ roll musical chairs”, will be raging from 8pm until the wee hours of the morning, the Rex Complex will be celebrating their CD release before they leave Boston for Brooklyn and McAlister Drive will be just warming up before their set at the ‘Dise opening for Michael Bernier + the Uprising.  We’ll be biking/driving/training in between the Middle East, the Lizard Lounge and the Paradise between the hours of 7-God knows when, so if you see a big-haired loudmouth chasing rock stars around with a tape recorder, a chic, willowy-type getting all up onstage for some sick concert photos and a cute lil’ bespectacled girl taking a picture of your sick outfit and double-checking the spelling of your name, well, that’s us.

To prep yourselves for tomorrow night’s musical marathon of awesome, we’ve got two shiny brand new interviews.  The first one on the list below with The Rex Complex is probably our most hilarious “WTF?!”-inducing interview yet, and we’re gonna be sad to see these fellas go when they leave their beloved Cambridge/Somerville scene behind for a chance at breaking it big in Brooklyn.  Our second interview, which took place in the pool room at TT’s with Aloud before their awesome show on August 6th, gives us the back-story of one of Boston’s most exciting bands to watch as they prep for an upcoming album and gush about The Beatles.  Also, we’ve got McAlister Drive photos up the wazoo over in the TeaParty Boston Gallery, so if you want to see Christoph work  it in white skinny jeans while belting out some good ol’ fashioned pop/rock, check it out.

After that, we figured we’d remind you that we have some of the silliest interviews on record with dudes of The Luxury and The Motion Sick.  Reps from both bands will be joining Jen and Henry onstage for One Night Band, so brush up on why exactly Travis of The Motion Sick broke into a rendition of a NKOTB hit mid-interview and learn how Justin Day changed the meaning of Gaiking forever.

-Hilary Hughes

“I WANT TO SQUEEEZE YOU!”: A Candlelit Conversation with The Rex Complex

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The Search for White Jeans and Other Adventures with Aloud

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Where Play-Doh leads to music, and the music is about Waffle House: Gab and Jessie spend some time with The Motion Sick

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The Luxury TPB Interview: Girly Drinks, Gaiking Tattoos and All “In The Wake of What Won’t Change”

What’s not to love about a boy and girl-fronted Boston indie outfit with screamingly good vocals, rock n’ roll uniforms and choruses you couldn’t get the hell out of your head if you tried?  Aloud is one such band, and we here at TeaParty Boston have had the distinct pleasure of seeing them perform twice this summer.  Aloud played The Luxury’s CD release at the Paradise back in July, which continues to be one of the most talked about Boston events of 2009, and Jessie and I recently caught up with them after their sound check at TT the Bear’s Place before their high-impact show on August 6th with The Lights Out.  Henry Beguiristain and Jen de la Osa, the pair behind all things Aloud, left Miami for Boston nearly ten years ago in order to capitalize on their artistic enthusiasm and mutual appreciation for meticulously crafted lyrics and songwriting.  They haven’t looked back since.  With a handful of self-released albums behind them and a new record in the works, the duo will continue to write and rock side by side as a Boston band.

Both Jen and Henry will be participating in Boston Band Crush’s One Night Band tomorrow, August 29th, and they’ll be just two members of a 40-person roster of some of the areas most prolific musicians.  The trademark belts and yells of Jen and Henry are reason enough to go alone, so head Downstairs at the Middle East to see these black-and-white-and-red all over rock stars do what they do best.

-Hilary Hughes

THE OPENING ACT: ALOUD AND THE TEAPARTY TEN

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?

Jen: Cheerios! Multigrain!

Henry: I normally hate cereal because my dad would feed me Corn Pops every day, but the blander the better, I guess.  I’ll do Trix.  I’ll turn tricks for Trix.  What?

Who would you rather punch in the face: Long Duk Dong from “Sixteen Candles”, or Mouth from “The Goonies”?

H: Since John Hughes died, in memoriam, I will refrain from punching Long Duk Dong in the face.

J: Yeah.  Let’s go for one of the Goonies.  I’m like the only person I know who hates that movie, so I’ll punch ‘em ALL in the face.

If you were a kitchen appliance, what would you be?

J: A can opener.

H: A wok!  It’s a funny word.  And it’s useful.

You go to bed, wake up, walk into the bathroom to brush your teeth, and you look in the mirror and you realize that you’ve turned into one of Jim Henson’s Muppets overnight.  Which Muppet are you?

J: That stoner, bass-playing girl Janice is pretty cool.

H: Which is the one that hangs out with Beeker all the time?  Bunson?  I’d be Bunson Honeydew.  I can kind of do his voice.

Say you have a crazy night, you black out, and you wake up feeling like crap the next morning and you realize… you got a tattoo.  When you were under the influence of SOMEthing.  What’d you get inked?

H: I don’t have any tattoos and I don’t plan on getting any tattoos, so I’d probably get something really dumb.  It would be “MASTER SHAKE” on my ass, as a joke, and then I’ll sober up in the morning and be like “…….Fuuuuuuuuck.”

J: Instantly, I kind of thought of the Superman logo for some reason.  Or maybe “Faulkner”. I’d get something equally stupid.  Actually, you know what I’d get?  I’d get the logo from Fan the Fury.

Would you rather be a rodeo clown or a sumo wrestler?

J: Rodeo clown!

H: Yeah, a rodeo clown.  I saw a King of the Hill episode where Bobby was a rodeo clown and it was really funny.

If you were a particular style of facial hair, what would you be?

H: I would be any kind of facial hair because I’m incapable of growing it.  It’s all patchy and then I look like Billy Corgan on a good day.

J: A pedophile mustache.  Haaaaaaa.

If you were a type of cheese, which cheese would you be?

J: Camembert.  Or MANCHEGO!

H: Cheddar is awesome.

What’s your favorite word?

H: Appalling.

J: Putrid.  That’s also a great word.

What’s your quintessential “I’M GONNA DANCE AROUND MY APARTMENT IN MY SKIVVIES AND LOVE LIFE!” song?

H: “Immigrant Song.” That song can go well with anything.  My backup choice would be “Thriller”.

J: It would have to be anything by Diana Ross and the Supremes.  “Love Child” would probably be my go-to track.  And I’ve been caught dancing and singing to this song like a foolish idiot to this song with my sister.

THE MAIN EVENT: THE ALOUD TPB INTERVIEW

Hi, Aloud!  Can we get some background info for the record?

J: I’m Jen de la Osa, and I’m 27.

H: I’m Henry, and I’m also 27.

Are you from here originally?

J: Miami, actually.

So, what brought you guys to Boston?

H: Miami sucks!

J: (Laughs) Yeah! Miami brought us to Boston.  There’s no scene there.  We were kind of like the black sheep, period.  Whatever we were into, nobody was into, or not into it enough.  It was like, “Oh yeah, the Beatles are alright, but I love Limp Bizkit.” Fuck!

H: We actually went on tour, when was that, this past February?  We went to play Miami for the first time in nine years, trying to book the gig and find bands and all that stuff.  It was such a hassle and a reminder, like, “Right. We made a good decision in leaving.”  We did find an excellent band there called Ex Norwegian, though.

J: There was no scene and we felt like outsiders the whole time we were living there.  We didn’t really connect with any of it.  Miami is the kind of place that sort of strangles art in general.  That’s why everybody moves to Miami Beach.

H: Yeah, we also got a lot of unsolicited musical advice which I just looooved (laughs).

What kind of musical advice are we talkin’?

H: “You guys should play more reggaeton.  You know, good music!” (Laughs).  We were actually down in Fort Lauderdale this past weekend and it was funny because my parents had the radio on, and it’s like in a time freeze right now.  The playlist hasn’t changed in fifteen years.  I’m hearing the same things I heard in high school down there, which was great then, but not so much now.

How did you guys meet?  Were you friends first, and how did you come to make music together?  What’s Aloud’s back-story?

J: I was living under a bridge in Miami and Henry gave me some change and that’s how we met. (Laughs)

H: Our grandmothers knew each other-

J: – On the island. [Cuba.]  Our families have known each other from a long way back.  They all came over from Havana to Miami.  I didn’t meet Henry until my sophomore year in high school: His grandmother was at my grandparents’ fortieth anniversary, and my grandfather always made me play Beatles songs for him on the piano, and he always loved hearing “Ob-la-di Ob-la-da” so I had to play it for him, and then his grandmother heard that and was like, “Oh! That grandson of ours loves Beatles tunes!” And it was just like, “YES! Someone else digs this!”

H: It was a miracle, too, because I was obsessed with the Beatles for so long.  I would just spend hours listening to stuff over and over again learning it.  My grandmother was just like, “When are you gonna get a haircut?  When are you gonna be a doctor?”  She’s still that way actually… But anyway, she met Jen and she was playing that song, “Twist and Shout” and “Hey Jude”.

J: I was going through my Oasis phase then, too, which was huge.  That band, to me, is like, everything about being in a band.  They’re the band’s band.   So then Henry and I played “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”

H: Starting from there, we just started hanging out and learning Oasis songs.  That was just a solid month of just, “Oh! Do you know ___?” “Yeah, yeah…”

J: What impressed me the most is I knew these tunes and I played them, and Henry didn’t know them and he’d just play along to them.  It was just like, “Whoa, you fooled me!  You’re actually a great guitar player.”

H: Bullshittin’ my way through and still doing it! (Laughs)

Henry, do you have relative pitch or something?

J: Henry’s got a great fuckin’ ear.

H: It’s annoying.

J: He can tell you the key of a tune and what the chords are.

H: Yeah.  The phone’s dial tone is like, C# or something.

In terms of playing music, before you met, when did your musical educations start? Jen, you had mentioned that you were playing piano, and Henry, you were on the guitar…

J: It was all really- I was into music since forever and I’ve been singing in the shower since I was a little kid.  I always know the lyrics to songs and it would always infuriate me when my mother would screw up the lyrics to a song when we were singing in the car and I’d be like, “THAT’S THE RIGHT FUCKIN’ LYRIC!” Actually, I wouldn’t say “fuckin’” as I was like, three years old…

H: “It’s KISS THE SKY, not KISS THIS GUY!”

J: So, there was always music everywhere.  My grandma used to teach piano.  I used to pick it all up by ear and then I started taking lessons, and I was like, “I need a guitar!  I need to be in a rock band!”  I got my first guitar when I was thirteen after begging and begging and begging.  It was like, out of a Sears catalog or something, and the guitar didn’t even have a brand name.  The first song I learned on it was “Wonderwall” and I took those three chords and I just wrote songs based along those chords.  So, I started doing that, and of course when you start writing you write thirty songs in a week because you suck, so, you know, it’s great because it’s that first romance with music and lyrics, like when you’re sitting in class and you should really be paying attention to an algebra problem, but you’re like, “I’ve got this idea and I’m writing in my notebook and it has nothing to do with what’s happening in front of me but it’s what I wanna do right now!”  It’s an amazing thing that no one can ever take away from you.

H: I don’t know why, but I was in a physics class, and this was around the time we started playing, and I was struggling in that class because I spent most of the time writing lyrics.  It was a weird sort of crossroads because, like, the first show we played together, my longtime girlfriend dumped me, so it was like, “I have a band!  I have something to write songs about now!”  and I wrote thirty of the shittiest songs.  We’re still friends which is even weirder, and she’s asked me many times, like, “Can I see them?” and I’m like, “FUCK NO. Nobody can.”

J: She’s our merch girl now!

H: Even stranger – we’re going to her wedding this year, and out of pure serendipity it lands on the same day of me and Jen’s first gig and the day she dumped me. And it’s her wedding day.

J: Anyways, we had a four-track tape machine, so we used to do our recordings and we had like, you know, a band that was just the two of us, so we had a five song EP… we were sixteen and seventeen and we had all these ideas that we just wanted to get out.  We started writing together after we put out that first recording of ours, I guess it’s sort of like a thing we did-

H: It just started out like that when we’d exchange songs and ideas, and eventually it was just like –I don’t know why it took us as long as it did for us to start writing together.  We’re dumb.  Also, the whole two-singer thing worked out that way.

J: Well, Henry didn’t sing before, and I was just kind of like, “You should sing!  Let’s split these songs up and just do this!”  And now we do.

Back to the Boston thing: There are a lot of different places to go after Miami that are also very, very different from Miami.  Why did Boston become Aloud’s new home?

J: A shot in the dark!

H: It kind of was.  We were like, “Well, we could go to New York, but New York is expensive so let’s go to Boston.”  It kind of made sense.

J: When we started seriously talking about it, it was that sort of thing, but the way it actually happened, though?  We threw a party and we were playing at this party, and the place was a mess, and we were looking at this mess, and the sun was rising, and I think there was a globe somewhere in the room, so I was looking at it and the idea of leaving was probably popping in my mind.  My whole deal before I met Henry was that I was going to leave the country: I was going to go to London and get a band over there and do that, because I was a child and I thought it was cool.  So, I thought, “Well, England seems far… and I have to get a passport… but NEW England, I don’t need a passport, and it’s closer… Boston?  Sure!  That works out.”  I just remember turning to him surrounded by this mess, with the sun coming up, and I asked him, “Hey, you wanna go to Boston?”  And he said, “Yes.”

H: Sleep deprivation will do that to you. (Laughs)   I’m glad we came here, though.  With all the traveling we’ve done, Boston, per capita, just has the best bands and stuff with just like, local talent.  We picked a good city to cut our teeth on.

Where did you guys first settle in the city, when you moved here back in 2001?

H: It was on the corner of Beacon and Park Drive off the Fenway, Audubon Circle.  It was a cool little one-bedroom apartment, and we were writing songs every week-

J: That was awesome, actually.  When we first came up, just like, we’re by ourselves, we’re in our apartment, we’re adults now!  We could just sit around all day and play guitar and sing and whatever, and so you just write.  We’d write about two songs per week, one of his, one of mine, we’d do, we’d finish those up and that’s actually how we met our manager Annie.  The way we got out of Miami with support, financial and otherwise, was because we told them we’d go to school, so we went to Berklee for a semester before dropping out, and it was during the summer so it was pretty ‘lax anyway.

H: We met Annie there because she had this thing called the Songwriter’s Forum, and we’d pop by and basically it became a thing every week where she’d be like, “Oh, Jen and Henry!  You guys should write another song.”  It got us into the habit of writing songs every week and we got rid of most of them but it was good exercise.

J: The thing is, it hooked us up with Annie, which is great.  She’s one of the first people we knew in town and now she’s our manager.

We’ve talked about the Beatles and Oasis, but who else has helped cultivate you as a musician, influence wise?

H: U2, The Who, The Clash-

J: The Clash!  The Clash, The Clash, The Clash!  Fan the Fury was like that Dirty Pretty Things record – I could tell you tracks and which songs I got inspiration from.  The Arcade Fire’s records?  That band blows me away!  Such a good band.

H: Yeah.  I like music. (Laughs)

In terms of creative process, you mentioned that you both would write songs each week, but how has that evolved now that it’s just the two of you?  Is it more collaborative and do other people contribute to Aloud’s creative process?

J: It’s a little weird because we had two guys who were with us for five or six years, whatever it was, for a very long time.  Once me and Henry started writing together we had those tunes, they were our songs, and you know, we had these songs and with the two guys who stayed with us for a long time, we did the second record with them they would help with arrangements and everything but the meat and bones of it was all ours.  With Fan the Fury we tried to bring them into the process earlier.  Certain songs where people- one of them made a big effort and made a big difference in the song, but the time we brought it in, but by the time we’re charged we’ve got the verse and stuff.  When we’d sit to actually solidify the parts, it would still be Henry and me in the corner doing that.

H: Basically, since the end of last year we put the record out and did a couple of tours, and each one of them sort of dropped out and lost interest, so that’s where we’re at now and we’re just kind of working on some new stuff in the studio and we’re going backwards with it: We’ll write the song, but instead of having parts we’ll just have the chords ready and once we go into the studio we’ll put down a vocal and something basic and add drums after it.  Before, it was like, “Drums on all the songs!  Bass on all the songs!”  Now, it’s flowing a little freer.

J: It’s a little more creative, too.  To me, a song is what you sing and the chords.  It’s the melody and it’s the chords.  That’s the song at the end of the day.  So, we’re just trying to put that down first.  Anything else comes on after, and we have to sit in the studio and think about what it’s gonna sound like rather than work with the band in the space.

H: Although since the song is so bare bones, every song we bring into the studio, I’m like, “This could be a dance track if we wanted it to be!”  It can be anything.

I feel like when people get really creative in the studio sometimes that the recorded product doesn’t necessarily it to the stage all the time.

H: We’re still trying to figure it out as we haven’t performed any of the new songs yet.

J: We’ve only gone in and done two tracks.  We’ve been writing since the beginning of the year, and we will have something out fairly soon, but we’re still kind of doing that.  We’re gonna record again at the end of the month and then go back in September to do some serious work.

H: We’re gonna stop dickin’ around!  (Laughs)

Are you recording the album in Boston?

J: We are, actually!  It’s the first time we’re doing in Boston, as all the other records were done when we were out of town- we did Fan the Fury in New York and Leave Your Light On in Connecticut.

Where are you recording?

H: We’re working with Dan Jaskevich, he’s worked with Ryan Lee and Hallelujah the Hills, I think he recorded some Bon Savants stuff, too.  He has an immaculately put together studio in Somerville.  It’s really cool because we have a really good process now – we have the Beatles thing in common.  I know it comes up a lot and everybody names the fucking Beatles as an influence, but-

J: The Beatles are a band about the songs.  Period.  That’s the most important thing in the world.  With them it’s not about wanking off on your guitar; it’s about the song.  That’s what’s so great, and what you can do with it in the studio?  That’s the really artsy, creative bit of it.

H: It’s not about emulating the Beatles sonically; it’s the attitude.  So, the guy who engineered most of the Beatles’ sessions wrote a book, and it was more intense in following the studio stuff, so we have this new understanding of doing a lot with a little space.

J: With Dan, we just get along really well, so it’s kind of like the easiest relationship we’ve had with someone we’ve worked with in the studio.  It’s a great relief and it’s easy and it really is a lot of fun.

What Boston bands are you guys currently listening to?

J: Hallelujah the Hills, man.  That band… they’re so very good.

H: There are so many great bands here.  The Motion Sick, The Bon Savants, Hallelujah the Hills, Gene Dante and the Future Starlets, The Luxury… and Harris.  RIP, Harris.  We’ve sort of stolen Rob from Harris as our drummer and we’re borrowing Matt [Girard] of The Motion Sick for bass. Sorryyyyy.  That’s how it goes right now for Aloud.

J: We like playing with Rob and Matt and so far they’re on for all of the gigs we’ve got, including CMJ.

H: We like Televandals and The Lights Out, too.  We were actually introduced to Nico when we first moved up here before I knew he was in Televandals.  Stellar guy, stellar band.  After about a year of hearing about them I finally listened to Passion Pit and I was kind of like, “Meh?”  Not really my thing.  I heard they got nominated for a VMA though, and you know what?  Good fuckin’ job, guys.  That’s great.  Seriously!

What are your favorite Boston venues?  If you had to pick a venue for an important Aloud event, like a CD release or something, which venue would you love to have it at?

H: I guess I’d say Great Scott because we’ve had three CD releases there.  It’s a good room.  We love the Middle East and TT’s.

J: We had a blast playing the Paradise Rock Club last month for The Luxury’s CD release, too.

When it comes to the Aloud catalog, do you have any songs that you feel particularly connected to or that you love playing live?

H: I mean, it’s weird; obviously, you feel connected to all of them because you wrote ‘em, but basically the stuff on Fan the Fury is my favorite hands down as it’s the nearest and dearest material.  Just writing the lyrics on that, I felt like we were really, really focused.  “Release” is one of my favorites.  On Leave Your Light On, it was like, being in a different place, singing them every night… meh…

J: I love the last three songs in our set.  The big rock trinity at the end: “You’ve Got Me Wrong”, “Battle of Love”, and “Ants.”  It’s always there when the energy kicks up again, especially like during “Battle of Love”, I can’t help kicking my heels and that sort of thing and moving around from one side of the stage to another.  That’s an immediate physical reaction onstage.

Real quick: The wardrobe.  How did the black and white and red come about?

H: I don’t know!  We just like it.  I went to Catholic high school and I can put a tie on in two seconds, but for years I was never wearing a tie.

J: When we put out the record we were kind of like, “Okay, well, rock and roll primary colors: Black, white and red.”  I had this red leather jacket and it was in so many shots because it was my go-to jacket and it just looked fuckin’ cool!  I picked up a white belt, and we just started putting things together and again, I started grabbing shirts and painting things on them.  Like, this shirt: The title of a book of poetry by José Martí is written on it, and then we were messing around with the sheriff badges and stuff…

What’s the name of the Martí book, in Spanish?

J: I don’t know it in Spanish, but it’s “Come, Come, My Boiling Blood”.  It’s a collection of poetry.

H: Back in the day, this is like, 2004, we just had the Beatles at Shea Stadium thing, and we did that six months longer than we should’ve.  I fuckin’ hated it.  Again, Catholic school.  Now, it’s less uniform-y and it’s more fun.

J: The record is themed, and it was made and put out during the election year, and it’s about this almost militant feeling, so with the clothes, I mean, we do the all light for all the big shows.

Have you ever got any “Hey! Y’all look like the White Stripes!”-type comments?

H: Well, no… although my hair was long and I wore the hat and I was trying to grow facial hair.

J: He looked JUST like Jack White.

H: Yeah, if someone would say that I’d just shrug.

J: Well, so now, we do all black for all the other shows with accents of red.

H: Also, I really like this vest that I’m wearing.  Marshalls!  $15! Fuck it!  I’m gonna wear this thing to sleep!

J: Yeah.  Marshall’s is the only place where I could find white jeans.  The search for white clothes… You would think there would be white shirts and stuff… (laughs)