At the intersection between rap, indie rock and electro pop, you’ll find Initials B.R. The Boston native released his self-titled LP, “Boo Radley Bruises Badly” in 2006 and admits that since he loves a lot, he does a lot. Since then the multi-talented musician has hunkered down and split his interests between three hyper-productive projects. His opus blends a diverse mix of influences, including everyone from Aesop Rock to Brian Eno to Redman and beyond.

Initials B.R. (AKA Boo Radley) joins resident Cool Ranch DJs King EvRock and Mac Machine of Bodega Girls with a live performance this Wednesday at Middlesex Lounge.

Recently, TPB got the opportunity to pick the articulate mix-master’s brain.

- Lis Owuor

COOL RANCH II from Paul Proulx on Vimeo.

You’ve admitted that your 2006 self-titled LP, “Boo Radley Bruises Badly” was largely a “coping mechanism” for events that happened during 2003. Are you still hurtin’? How comes the coping?

Definitely not hurting anymore. That was a long time ago. Essentially the making of the album was the coping. Once I finished making it, that era was over. Finishing an album is a big challenge not only because I’m a huge perfectionist but because there are a lot of ideas and emotions that you put into the music that don’t exactly come back from the music. It’s beyond you when you release it and that demands something of those ideas and emotions as well. You have to separate. That album could have only existed at that time and it’s music I won’t return to making. Hence, the name change to Initials B.R.

You list diverse, genre-melding influences from everyone like Aesop Rock to Bowie to the Stones to the Walkmen to LL Cool J. You’ve noted that all these competing interests may confuse listeners. Do you believe that’s true or is it possible to produce a cohesive vision from such divergent sources? Does this limit your artistic output or enhance it?

I don’t know that the influences confuse listeners. I think what I did with them on Boo Radley Bruises Badly may confuse people. But diversity is important and a lot of people really embraced the places I was willing to take the music. Categorical genres have eroded a great deal over the last decade but you still need something like a really magnetic personality to make a product you can’t describe succinctly work. I don’t really want to make that model work, anyway. I just wanted to make the music I was impelled to make at that time and I’m not there anymore. I’ve split my work since that album between three genre-specific projects that keep me plenty busy. Initials B.R. is the project devoted exclusively to rap and it has inherited some of the rapping Boo Radley tracks but is mostly new material. Marconi handles indie rock and there’s another electronic/pop project under development. You do what you love and I love a lot. I clearly have a hard time limiting myself. But I’ve found imposing the restrictions of the three projects to be very freeing and productive.

You hail from Boston and toured with Big Digits and remixed their jam “Return to Cocoon Lagoon” on the album “Smoke Machines in Lazervision.” How do you feel about the Boston music scene? Any favorites? Can artists truly make it big here or must they move to NYC or L.A.?

I spent three years in Santa Fe and just moved back in October, so I don’t really feel like I have a handle on what’s happening here anymore.  Pretty & Nice immediately caught me but I’m still learning about the new bands here. And there are friends still playing that I love: Big Digits, Animal Hospital, Neptune, Summerduck, Quoins, etc. I came back with the intention of pursuing the music I had been working on in New Mexico and I had a support group here from the Night Rally/Boo Radley days. So it makes sense to be here now and the unfamiliar elements are exciting. But I learned a lot from being in Night Rally and it’s clear that no one makes it big anywhere if they stay in one town. Boston’s not the biggest stage but it’s a great home base full of great people.

You’ve spoken a lot about the irony of the sample and how some artists feel like a thief for being dependent on others for inspiration. I’d say that striving so hard to attach words like “authentic” or “original” to any work of art is naïve. Would you agree that the creative process is inherently collective?

Anything totally original is going to be without a context and that won’t move people. We exist in time and that’s an essential consideration. So I might say that original art is a simple idea. But I would contend that authenticity is a defining quality of any creation that survives its era. Instead of trying to make something totally original, we should be concerned about making things that appeal to timeless concerns of the human condition. And that’s about transcendent self-awareness, which is absolutely authentic. Of course, we’re political animals, so the collective is a given in anything we do. Community naturally influences and cultivates artists. And a fan base is necessary for success in the music business. But moving music is made in defiance of listeners and collaborators alike because it asks something unexpected of those who encounter it. A lot goes into great art individually and collaboratively, by way of both vision and circumstance. And lucky accidents can help too!

Photos from the last COOL RANCH (Photography by Alipio Hernández)

As the fog rolled in off of Narragansett Bay and onto the main stage of the Newport Folk Festival, Jessie and I found ourselves scurrying up one of the hills contained within the walls of Fort Adams in hot pursuit of Deer Tick and the Ice Cream Man. We met Matt Allen, the big -haired smiley guy responsible for doling out free treats across the country as the host of Bablegum’s Road Trippin’ with the Ice Cream Man video series, when he parked his truck next to the media tent for the duration of the Newport Folk Festival.  Seeing as Jessie and I can’t resist frozen deliciousness, let alone free frozen deliciousness, we knew that we’d become fast friends with the man with the sugar, and the dude’s likability factor only increased when he invited Jessie and I to tag along with the Ice Cream Man crew as they explored Fort Adams with Deer Tick to shoot an exclusive one-song performance on the festival’s second day.

I won’t go into details here as Deer Tick’s impromptu jam is definitely Matt’s story to tell [which he does, here], but the whole point of sharing this little anecdote is just to say this: Jessie and I were thrilled to witness the work of the raw, uninhibited talent on display at George Wein’s 50^th Newport Folk Festival.  Our experience, both as music lovers and aspiring arts & entertainment journalists, was one made up of remarkable little moments, onstage and off, that really drove home the fact that the Newport Folk Festival is a time-honored tradition where some of the most respectable musicians and folk artists in the country come to this gorgeous stretch of seaside to make the most of their time together onstage.

Whether we were chatting up Matt about what kind of ice cream Neko Case opted to snack on or tearing up in the photo pit of the main stage as nearly every act on the bill joined Pete Seeger for the best sing-along ever, we encountered a slew of passionate, pleasant professionals who were as elated to be there for this fiftieth year of celebrating American singers and songwriters as we were.  We’ve compiled a list of our favorite moments at Folk Festival 50, divided up between events which occurred on Saturday, August 1, and Sunday, August 2: They include our jaunt with the Ice Cream Man and Deer Tick in fuller detail, as well as conversations with the timelessly gorgeous Judy Collins, the giddy Josh Ritter and even a heartfelt hug from Seth Avett of the Avett Brothers.  Folk Festival 50 had one of the most exciting indie/folk lineups in the festival’s 50-years-and-counting run, so even though we’re only giving you our favorite few, trust us when we say that each and every minute of our two days spent in Newport was filled with throaty yells, haunting refrains, hearty hooks, melodies chock full o’ raw emotion and a chance to catch generations of this country’s most promising talent in action.

-Hilary Hughes

(and hey! after your done reading up on our Folk Festival 50: Day 1, check out our writeup of Day 2.)

Day 1 of the Newport Folk Festival – August 1, 2009

The Low Anthem Play to High Numbers,  12:40pm

Jessie had her first unpleasant interaction as a concert photographer during The Low Anthem’s set: Shortly after they took the Waterside stage on Saturday afternoon, Jessie tried [politely, I may add] to make her way to the front so that she could score some sick shots… and an uppity fan was essentially really snippy with her.  Pro:  Ben, Jeff and Jocie of The Low Anthem are just as talented as they were the night we saw them play selections from their album, Oh My God Charlie Darwin,  at the Brattle, and clearly they’ve got some die-hard fans who were really looking forward to their performance at Newport.  Con: This woman was just mean for no reason.  She’s gotta take some pictures, lady.  Chill out and she’ll get out of your way in two seconds, geez.  On a more positive note, we were able to catch up with Jeff and pick his brains about becoming one of the newest members of the Newport Folk Festival legacy.

So, how did it feel, playing on the waterfront for hundreds of people?

J: We didn’t know what to expect because there are three stages here and we were booked on the smallest one, so we thought, “Oh, no one’s gonna see us, especially because we’re playing at the same time slot as Gillian Welch!  Man, WE want to go to Gillian Welch, and we’d choose Gillian over us!”  (Laughs) We thought that we wouldn’t see anybody, but we were happy that so many of our friends and people we knew from Providence could come out, and I think that the music was well received, so I can say on record, don’t worry if you get booked on the small stage, it’s still great!

Being a Rhode Island band, how does it feel to be reppin’ the state at such a significant festival with such a fantastic history?

J: We’ve been living in Providence for eight years and we love Providence, but our connection is more to that city.  Since we didn’t grow up here and spend our time traveling around outside the city, we do a lot of playing and working within the city, and not so much on the state level.  To play this festival, from our perspective, what’s great is that so many of our friends from Providence could come and see us here, whereas usually if we’re playing a major festival in Chicago or New York, they can’t make the trip.  I think it’s great.  And hey, maybe one of these days Boston can have a major festival!

How does it feel to be a part of the Newport Folk Festival’s legacy?  You guys seem pretty thrilled to be here, especially during Pete Seeger’s sing-along when everyone was up onstage.

J: I’d like to believe that this means that we’re accepted into the community.  It probably does in some way, but really, the relationships build from artists knowing each other and telling each other that so-and-so is a good musician.  Like, the old times, it’s by word of mouth and recommendations.  It’s a little weird; I was standing next to, say, Gillian Welch, and I don’t know Gillian Welch, and I wish I did, and maybe in the coming years I’ll get to meet her and we’ll become friends, but it was kind of forced because it was kind of like, “Hey! Everyone come up here.”  I’ve never met Pete Seeger, so it was like, I can’t say, “Yes!  The initiation is complete!”-

You don’t feel like you’re varsity folk yet, basically.

J: (Laughs) Yeah!  But it was an amazing experience, and I think that in the years to come I’ll look back on it fondly and I’ll be like, “Remember that time I was standing next to these great musicians and I was so nervous?”  It was a big deal for my father because he grew up listening to Pete Seeger, and when he saw me up there standing next to him it was a very emotional experience for him.

On the topic of initiation and meeting new artists within your musical community that you respect, do you think that your performance at the Newport Folk Festival is a kind of a new beginning for The Low Anthem?

J:  When we were booked it was definitely a significant event.  It was the same day we were booked at Bonnaroo, too, so can you imagine that day? (Laughs)  When that happened and we knew that some people were enjoying our music and gonna take a chance on us, it was great.  It was like a minor league baseball player getting a chance to play in the big leagues: Maybe he gets an at-bat in the big leagues and he’s sitting on the bench next to Manny Ramirez and Big Papi, and he’s still a rookie, but he gets his chance and he gets his cuts, that’s kind of how we feel right now.  We’re finally getting the chance to take a few cuts, and it feels good.

An Intimate Harborstage Serenade with Iron & Wine, 4:55pm

An enraptured audience swayed from side to side and sang along and half the bands on Day 1’s roster, including Ben Kweller and Tom Morello, looked to the stage as the voice of Samuel Beam, aka Iron & Wine, soared over the chorus of his cover of the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights”.  Though each and every one of the performances seen at the Newport Folk Festival this year had their intimate, heartfelt instances of beauty in song, it was Sam who delivered a sincerely touching set that had many a festival-goer wiping tears from their eyes before its conclusion.

[Editor’s note: Naturally, I couldn’t just sit in awe like the rest of the crowd at the Harbor Stage and enjoy the music of Iron & Wine, no way.  I was standing backstage and away from the tent’s protection and I had the distinct pleasure of having one of the dudes from Fleet Foxes tell me that a seagull had chosen a most inopportune moment to relieve itself on my arm.  And leather purse.  And sunglasses.  So much for sentimentality, Mr. Seagull.]

A Spinning Bass and Stomping Feet from the Avett Brothers,  1:20pm:

Between their heel-hammering/banjo-strumming/bass-thumping/octave-soaring/tight harmonizing/chord-picking skills and the resonating melancholy of their poetic lyrics, the Avett Brothers were a tough act to follow on the first day of the Newport Folk Festival.  They played a few fan favorites from their 2007 hit, Emotionalism, as well as material from their highly anticipated I And Love And You, which is scheduled for a September 29^th release.  [Editor’s note: Of all the acts on the bill for Folk Festival 50, the Avett Brothers were the band to beat for me: Emotionalism and Four Thieves Gone are two of my favorite albums of all time and “The Ballad of Love and Hate” is the only song that can move me to tears.] The Avett Brothers will be hitting Boston on October 18^th touring in support of I And Love And You, and if the roar of the crowd in Newport that day was any indication of the  imminent success of the Avett Brothers, you’ll want to suck it up and pay the LiveNation service fee now to secure your spot at the House of Blues.

The Decemberists and their Reenactment of Bob Dylan Going Electric, approx. 6pm

The Decemberists have been good to New England this summer in that they’ve shown up in and around Boston multiple times since Memorial Day.  With that said, they blew Newport out of the water on August 1, and it surely was due in part to the fact that they were thrilled to be performing with a little help from their friends (like Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond).  Starting off the set with “The Crane Wife III” [which also happens to be my favorite song of theirs, original, I know], The Decemberists plowed through some favorites in addition to entertaining the crowd with a hilarious theatrical interpretation of a moment at the Newport Folk Festival fifty years ago when Bob Dylan plugged in his guitar and shocked the crowd.  The audience ate it up, and it’s no wonder why as the Decemberists offered up one of the most enthusiastic sets of the day.

The Most Epic of Folk/Rock/American Music Sing-Alongs led by the One and Only PETE SEEGER!, 7pm

The sun was sinking into the bay in the background, the crowd was on their feet, and the stage was chock full of the most influential folk artists along with some indie, folk and rock acts who were directly influenced by their work, and TeaParty Boston was there to see it all.  Pete Seeger, who recently celebrated his ninetieth birthday, led the festival-wide sing-along with his grandson, Tao Seeger, and had thousands of people belting out the chorus of “This Land Is Your Land”, “If I Had a Hammer” and “This Little Light Of Mine.”   What more could any music lover ask for, honestly?  We were standing in the photo pit gazing up at Ben Kweller, the Fleet Foxes, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, the Low Anthem, Gillian Welch, and nearly every other artist on the bill for Newport’s Folk Festival 50, and George Wein, the man who’s responsible for creating such a monumental musical tradition, was in the wings and singing along as well.  You can’t blame us for getting a little misty-eyed during this one.  With guitar-wielding artists across the country raising their voices today because men like Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie and women like Judy Collins and Joan Baez took  a stand through the use of their lyrics and steel strings, it was nothing short of amazing to see some of the most influential and innovative musicians on the scene sharing the stage with the artists who are partially responsible for the cultivation of their creativity.  The fiftieth incarnation of George Wein’s Newport Folk Festival was an event that celebrated the excitement of new talent while honoring the timeless, classic music of American singers and songwriters, and there wasn’t one person, onstage or off, in Newport that day who didn’t leave Fort Adams feeling as though they were the part of something much, much bigger than themselves.

There is something so infectious about the music of White Rabbits. Their songs seem to creep into the crevices of the brain and fester. Ever since their 2007 release, Fort Nightly, waited with bated breath for their next album. 2009’s, It’s Frightening, delivers an evolved White Rabbits. The album provides a complex simplicity with a dark sophistication that would make any indie rock lover’s heart thump with pure bliss, and hey, it’s hard to have a bad album when Spoon’s Britt Daniel is producing it.

Needless to say, I had high expectations for the NYC transplant band’s live set at Middle East Downstairs on June 4^th. White Rabbits served up their signature cyclical drumming, soulful piano pounding, and well-crafted vocals. While their high energy was contagious, there was very little band/audience interaction and this halted the showing-through of any personality. Regardless, this six-piece band was born to play together, and I can’t wait until they come through Boston again.

TeaParty was lucky enough to speak with one of the drummers of White Rabbits, Matt Clark, about the band’s backstory, creative process and future.

–Gabrielle Petraglia

Photo: Gabrielle Petraglia

In your own words, what’s the back-story on White Rabbits?  How did you all meet, and how long have you been playing music together?

We met through associations from Colombia, Missouri. The intricacies are too vast for me to go into here, but I will say we have known each other for a very long time. We have been playing together as White Rabbits for about 6 years.

Who are your musical influences?

Really too many to list; I’m sure that sounds cliché, but it’s the truth. I think we tend to go for “spirit” as opposed to trying to sound like someone else. For example we looked to The Clash among others for a feeling they portray more than the actual sounds or composition of their music.

If we were to swap iPods right now, what bands/artists would we find on your “Favorites” or “Recently Added” playlists?

I really like The Horrors’ new album, Primary Colours.

How would you put your creative process into words?  Does one member of the band write the majority of the lyrics and compositions, or is songwriting more of a collaborative process for White Rabbits?

The songwriting process really runs the gamut for us: One person may bring an idea to the group, or it might be something we all came up with together. But in the end it never sounds like the original idea that was presented.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Nope. Maybe have a drink or two.

Photo: Gabrielle Petraglia

What’s your favorite song to perform live?  Are there any songs in the White Rabbits catalogue that you feel particularly connected to or that you prefer to play more than other songs?

I enjoy them all. And we all are part of the song writing, so I feel that everybody has a connection to the songs. If we lost any connection to a song, we don’t play it.

What are your favorite cities to hit on tour, and what are your favorite venues in those cities?

Every city we’ve been to has treated us pretty well. It was really surprising and great to travel across the country and see people come to your shows. I’ll never get over that. But if I were to pick a venue it would be the Bottletree in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s a great room with the nicest people running it. They also have an old Airstream camper as the green room.

Where did you play your first “big” gig in Boston?

We’ve only played the Middle East, so this one coming up hopefully will be the biggest!

What’s your favorite Boston venue to play at?

The Middle East.

Do you have a favorite venue in Boston for watching live acts?  If so, what sets it apart from other venues in town?

Middle East! They have pretty good food also, if I can remember correctly. I like venues that have food, as long as the food and music aren’t in the same room.

Have you had the chance to check out any Boston bands?  Who are some of your favorite local bands, and why?

I’m sure I have. I tend not to look at where a band is from, but I’ll keep an eye out.

What are some of your favorite memories from the tour to date?  Do you have any crazy tales from the tour bus, so to speak?

What happens on tour stays on tour. Or at least until I can remember something. It really becomes a blur after a couple years.

You recently released It’s Frightening. Do you have another album in the works?

Not yet. But we are always working on songs individually.

What’s in store for White Rabbits a month from now?  Six months from now?  A year from now?

Tour.  Tour.  Tour.

Photo: Gabrielle Petraglia

Photo: Gabrielle Petraglia

Sitting powwow style on the deck at Great Scott (frontman Joe D’Agostino and I sat on the floor because the chairs were all chained together. Ah, Allston.), TeaParty got to joke around with Staten Island-based up-and-comers Cymbals Eat Guitars. They’re an eclectic bunch, between Matt Miller, the slightly withdrawn boy-nextdoorish drummer and keyboardist Brian Hamilton who looks like many an Allston-dweller (think glasses, partial mullet and jean cut-offs). Then there’s Joe, the mastermind behind this outfit who can keep the crowd enraptured at an age where he still has to sport big sharpied Xes on his hands. In contrast, Neil Berenholz, who rounds out the quartet, is of an apparently embarrassingly advanced age (MySpace says he’s 32…) and, at the time of the interview, wearing a bright turquoise deep V-neck.

The energy on the deck was frenetic, but the mood was light. These guys have plenty to be excited about: A new, well-received record and months of international touring ahead of them. And, if the cult-like group of fans pressed up against the stage at Great Scott was of any indication (“We love everything you do!”), they aren’t going to be slowing down anytime soon.

– Jessie Rogers

Photo: Gabrielle Petraglia

OK well let’s get some introductions…

N: I’m Neil. I play bass. I’ve been playing with the band since last April. I saw Cymbals Eat Guitars perform before I was actually in it and one thing lead to another and now I’m in the band. Awesome!

J: He’s a usurper.

N: I didn’t usurp anything.

J: Yeah you did.

B: I’m the usurper.

J: Brian’s been in the band, like, three weeks.

B: Thanks for telling my story. So…yeah my name’s Brian and I play keyboards and I’ve been in the band for three weeks. Or, like, a month. I was dragged kicking and screaming. And here I am now.

J: He’s a hired gun, you know.

M: I’m Matt. I’m from Jersey. I’ve been playing with different bands with Joe since about 10^th grade. We’ve been together ever since.

J: My name’s Joe. I play the guitar and sing. And…same as Matt. We’ve been playing together forever.

You’ve been playing together forever…how did Cymbals Eat Guitars happen?

M: Cymbals Eat Guitars is just the newer formation of all the bands we’ve been in before. Just the next step, I guess.

J: We had a project for a while when we were both seniors in high school called Joseph Ferocious and it evolved from that. We were recording stuff on my poor 12-track in my room and I guess Cymbals Eat Guitars started when we did the demos.

So you guys are going to London soon.

N: The 7^th to the 10^th of July.

J: The Rough Trade Shops Night at the ICA. On the 7^th.

N: We fly in that day.

J: We literally get there, Brian has to learn how to drive stick left handed…

B: I have to learn how to drive left-handed manual and I’ve never driven in London before. It’s going to be an amazing experience.

J: We’re going to have to find a parking lot for him to practice in.

Annnd you’re playing Pitchfork.

J: We’re the first band on Saturday, on the main stage. So that’s scary. Terrifying.

B: Everyone’s going to be tired from the Jesus Lizard by request…Built to Spill by request. The night before.

J: I wish we could be there for that day.

You have been compared to Built to Spill a lot. And early Modest Mouse. Is that what you guys are still listening to?

M: Well not now. Back in the day.

J: Definitely during our formative stages.

What else?

M: Lots of stuff. Harvey Danger, Weezer, Long Winters.

J: I like Bedhead a lot.

N: Beards and plaid.

J: Bedhead is totally beards and plaid band. What else went into this…what other influences?

N: I think we all have different influences. I don’t know if that’s…

B: Your chocolate’s in my peanut butter.

J: Your chocolate’s in my peanut butter.

N: Your chocolate’s about to be in my peanut butter.

In terms of creative process, does one person kind of come in with framework? Or is it more of a collaborative effort?

M: This is mostly Joe’s music. Lately writing has been more collaborative. They are your lyrics and your melodies and we all enjoy playing them very much.

J: Awww

N: I love you guys! I love all you guys.

J: Yeah?

Well what little special something do you each bring to the table in terms of making music?

N: I grew up on the radio of the 1980s. A lot of that kind of music…

B: Hall and Oates.

N: Yeah Hall and Oates, the Police. There was that token punk rocker that lived on my block who had like Bauhaus records or Iggy Pop—that’s how I discovered Iggy Pop and Elvis Costello. Then I got into bands like the Replacements. Joe Jackson was a little bit later. What else?

J: Me and Brian. That whole jazz thing. Talk about that.

N: Talk about your jazz hands.

B: I mean…I do this a lot while I play [jazz hands]. It’s true. But I don’t know if that really influences my playing. Probably more so that, in the last few years, I’ve gotten into more psychedelic stuff. I’ve always been into really ambient music and I think that influences my personal playing. I mean, you know, I drop the clouds.

J: You bring out music out of the dirt.

B: Well you guys drag it in the dirt. And I just bring some clouds.

Well what’s coming out right now that you guys are really excited about?

J: Brian likes Grizzly Bear.

B: I do like Grizzly Bear.

J: We saw Dirty Projectors in February. They were sweet live.

B: I do like Fleet Foxes a lot too.

M: Brian recently introduced us to his friend’s band in Chicago, Sybris.

All: Sybris!

M: They are amazing.

B: So good. We’re actually going to play with them at the Bottom Lounge for the Pitchfork afterparty.

N: The day of the show. So we play at 1PM and then we play at midnight. So that should be an interesting day.

Try to get a nap in.

J: Oooh yeah.

N: I don’t think it will be a problem for you guys.

J: Matt and I are always the ones asleep on top of each other in the back. And they’re like…

B: …Mom and dad.

N: And Brian’s trying to, like, put Matt in the Scorpion.

B: It’s a patented move from my wrestling days.

J: We’re giving you such useless information.

Well we want to talk to you about your connection with Boston, even though you aren’t from here.

N: Well I lived here for about 8 years. A lot of my friends still live here.

B: And I six years. I have a huge connection to the city.

Do you see a difference in the crowd you play to here versus at home?

J: Well we’ve only played here once, thus far. At the Middle East Downstairs.

N: That was great.

B: Very different crowds in Boston and New York. I used to play in Bon Savants, for about a year, and a couple other bands. We played lots of shows around here.

Are there any other bands that…

J: I was in Passion Pit. OK, no. But they’re cool.

There are a lot of great up-and-coming bands in the city, are you fans of any of them specifically?

B: My friend’s band Mystery Roar, they might not even be playing shows yet, is made up of members of other bands. Members of Bon Savants and members of Cassette, which was formerly known as Fantasy Mirrors. You should look out for them.

What venues do you like going to, to see live music?

B: I’ve always liked going to Great Scott. I like the Middle East because the food is good and Central Square is a really unique area. I feel like Boston is kind of relaxed somewhat. In terms of venues there are a few good ones, in terms of rock, who are very reputable and have consistently good music. I think Great Scott and the Middle East are the main ones.

N: TT the Bear’s also. And when I was here, the Rat was still around and I went to some…

B: Don’t tell them your age.

N: Whatever…I went to some insane hardcore shows where I thought I was going to get killed. There would be ambulances lined up in Kenmore. It’s funny to be here now. This was back when Mr. Butch would be hanging out by the Rat. I used to see Mr. Butch everyday.

J: I wish I was in on your Bostonian lore.

B: Use your imagination.

So you guys are touring until October pretty much?

M: Little spurts between now and then, yeah.

N: In September I think we’re doing something like 27 shows in 30 days.

Are you guys recording as well? What’s you schedule looking like for the next six months or so?

J: We’ll probably record a couple covers and things. Just to keep people interested. We did just record a new song that’s being release in the UK as a double a-side for “And The Hazy Sea,” the first single off our record. But we have new material that we’ve been working on—we’ll be playing some of it tonight.

Photo: Gabrielle Petraglia

“So, what’s in the notebook?”

The three of us were sitting in the back of Shay’s in Harvard Square facing three members of the band formerly known as Baker, and a bright blue spiral notebook was on the counter next to Steve’s sweating glass.  After cracking jokes about how the stack of paper revealed the answers they had prepared for our impending interview, the reality was that Conan, Steve and Andy were gathering that night to come up with a new name for their band, and a list of potential names took up a few of the notebook’s pages.  Baker, a band whose sound is familiar to the ears of Bostonians with an indie kick, is no longer the five-piece band that nailed 2007’s Bike Ride, which wound up in the good graces of several rock/pop critics in town.  Today, Conan Skyrme, Steve Lord and Andy Casey continue to make music together but of a more-rock-less-pop persuasion.  And for that reason, this new band comprised of members of a group formerly known as Baker needs a new name.

We shouldered up the back bar with pints in hand, and amidst the blare of classic and mid-90s radio standards over the speakers of Shays, we got down to business and started talking shop. Why did Baker break up?  What’s so different about the band’s sound now as opposed to before, and what are their fans going to think?  Does the band identify as a Boston band through and through, and what kind of a connection do they have with this city that’s a hotbed for musical creativity and talent?  Before we dispersed on that dreary Tuesday evening, we realized that we were incredibly lucky to catch up this talented band transitioning from one exciting stage in their careers to the next, and that their future endeavors are definitely reason enough to keep tabs on them in the coming months.  Read on to see what Steve, Conan and Andy are up to now, what they’ve been working on, and what’s on deck for the shifting shape of one of Boston’s most beloved local talents.

-Hilary Hughes

OPENING ACT: THE TEAPARTY 10

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?

C: Fruit Brute.  I’ve never had it but I want it.  It’s in a bunch of Tarantino movies.

A: NUTRIGRAIN BARS.

S: Cookie Crisp.

A: What’s your favorite cereal?

Hil:  Um… cheerios with orange juice.

S: I wish I came up with a better answer.

Gab: I like Cornflakes.

Jessie:  Um… since the only store within walking distance to me is Whole Foods, I’m big on Puffins and Kashi…  Especially if you mix them together.

G:  Yeah that’s fiber heaven. [Gab looks at Hil suggestively to imply that she’s thinking about pooping.]

Who would you rather punch in the face-

S: CONAN SKRYME!

C: What?!  Not cool, dude.

S: Sorry.  I didn’t wait for the whole question.

… It’s okay.  Who would you rather punch in the face: Long Duk Dong from “Sixteen Candles” or Mouth from “The Goonies”?

C: Long Duk Dong because I’m racist.  That’s of course a joke, but I would punch him because he’s irritating.  I’d punch myself in the face and save Long Duk Dong and Mouth simultaneously.

A: We’d all punch Conan in the place, too.

S: I completely agree.  I would save the other two instead.

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

S: Egg timer. For sure. Because they come in all shapes and sizes.

A: Oven!

S: Because I would time him.

C: An automatic cake-icer, and I’d give it to Steve for his birthday.

You go to bed, wake up the next morning, go to brush your teeth… and you realize that you’ve morphed into one of Jim Henson’s Muppets overnight.  Which Muppet are you?

S: DUH. ANIMAL.

A: Kermit.

S: And Conan’s Miss Piggy.  Next question.

C: I gained a few pounds this year, Steve!  Relax! Actually, Rolf is a great pianist.  He’s a massive pianist.

[Jessie giggles.]

After a raucous night out, you wake up at some point the next day and you realize that in your fit of crazy you got inked.  What tattoo did you wake up with?

S: I need more time [to answer this question]!

C: What, has this actually happened?  Have you actually been tattooed in your sleep?

S: No.

C: I would get one of the KISS faces, but permanently.  I’d be Gene Simmons, but –

S: Permanently?! That’s a GREAT answer.  I would get the Union Jack tattooed on my face for absolutely no reason.

C: I had a friend who got his eyebrows shaved off in his face once… so I would get a tattoo of my friend right here [Conan pounds on his left pec.]

S: And then he’d get my face tattooed on the other side.

C: No, I’d get Steve and Andy in bed together Bert and Ernie style tattooed on the other side.

S: I’m going to answer for Andy.  He’d get a tattoo of his cat, Champ.

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

S: Sumo wrestler.

A: Sumo wrestler.

C: Rodeo clown.  You can’t really have a life outside of sumo wrestling.

S: No, your life IS a clown when you’re a clown.

C: What? No, you don’t have to wear the makeup all the time and you have to be a big fat dude wearing a nappy if you’re a sumo wrestler.

S: The clown makeup is tattooed on your face.

C: No it’s not!

A: Yes it is!

S: Dude.

C: … I’d be a Gene Simmons rodeo clown.

If you had to be a kind of cheese, which cheese would you be?

C: Winsleydale with cranberries.

S: Cheez Wiz, for sure.

A: I’d be yellow Kraft cheese, the kind that’s in the packet.  Definitely yellow.  That stuff’s nasty.

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

S: What if you CAN’T grow facial hair?

C: What if we grew one big beard between the three of us that’s all connected?

S: It’d be a Beard Collective.  BAND NAME!

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

S: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

A: … Is that off the record?

S: No, that’s ON the record. That’s a great tune.

C: I really like that song, “Girl You Want” by Devo.

A: That’s not a guilty pleasure!

C: I have terrible in taste in music.  The fact that I like the Eagles was on our website for ages.

What’s your favorite word?

C: Commitment.

A: Teamwork!

S: Teen Wolf.

THE MAIN EVENT: THE FROSTY PINES TPB INTERVIEW

Normally the three of us can never get together for an interview, so this is really cool for us.

Steve: Oh, okay!

Can we get the back-story on Baker?  How did you guys meet and come to make music together?

Conan: Actually, as a side note: Baker was a five-piece:  We had Nicole Boudreau and she played keyboards, and then we had James who played bass.  Steve plays drums, I play bass now and Andy plays guitar, but I used to play guitar.

S: We’ve lost two members.

C: I had been in another band when I first arrived called Baker, and we had played a few shows, and we played with the band that Steve and James were in before.  We ended up playing shows together, the two bands, and it was just good because there was a little music scene going on which was nice and a bunch of bands from Andover – it was like the Apollo Sunshine crew.

S: The Animal Closet was another one.  That’s what brought us together.  [Steve puts his hand on Conan’s shoulder.]

Awww.  You found love in the Animal Closet.

C: That sounds weird.

Where did this all happen?  Did this all happen in Boston?

C: I moved here about five years ago.  My wife’s from here; I wasn’t married at the time, we got married, she’s from Winchester.  So I moved here, and I had a bag of songs when I came here, put a band together with a drummer from Berklee and a guy I studied with in Italy, but he’s left.  All these people have left town, and then through playing with that band I met Steve’s band.  Then we formed Baker, and then Steve moved to France for three months, and then we broke up, and when he got back we started playing a few shows under “Baker” but we felt weird about it-

S: Every show, people thought we were Baker but we weren’t; every show we had a different name.  The first show we played when we came back was especially weird. Baker fans came and then they saw that it was just the three of us onstage, and it was just-

Are we talking about Bike Ride-era Baker? So this has all been a really recent happening, huh?

C: Yeah.  We’re like a power trio now, except we’re evolving.  I’ve been writing a lot, especially since Steve went away, so we’ve got a lot of songs, and for the future the band is going to have this slightly harder less poppy-rock feel than Baker.  We’ve got a whole lot of horn players coming in, so it’ll have a retro feel. I’ve always wanted that idea of a power trio with jazzy horns, but it’s still rock pop music.

I’m interested in the evolution of Baker, where you stood, what people know… I want to get into where you guys are now and why you’ve decided to keep the name or why you’re not entirely comfortable with keeping it.

C: We’ve played under three different names for our last few shows.

A: Hey.  What’s our band name?  (Laughs)

C: Yeah, we were thinking of the Bipolar Express.  This is just getting ridiculous.

Where did the name Baker come from?

C: I didn’t live on THE Baker Street, but I lived on A Baker Street in my town in the UK and I started the band with my brother.  The band’s been through three incarnations and the last one was the longest.

I feel like you go through transformations with bands and yourself – I feel like my friends always want to change the name for their next projects because musically they’ve evolved.

C: It was different, actually; some of the songs carried over, but they changed completely, especially having five people.  In the UK it was a four-piece, and it was different; it was kind of quicker… it had more of an edge to it I think.  The second incarnation had more of an edge but it was only a three-piece set so it was a sparse sound.  And then with five-piece Baker, everyone was playing all the time so we had to carefully arrange all the songs.  I found it difficult that it ended up sort of poppy, and when we got to The [WBCN] Rumble and stuff we had a few more people listen to our stuff.  We played with Doctor Dog a few times-

Gabby LOVES them.

C: They’re AWESOME.  Great guys.  We’ve played some really good shows with them.  After that, they toured with Apollo Sunshine, who are really good guys.

So, back to this notebook… is this seriously a list of band names right now?

S: No.  It’s a script for the interview.  No, really, it is a list of band names.

C: The reason why I kept the name Baker is because there was a Baker website, a Baker email, a Baker mailing list, so keeping it was an easy thing to do.  It was a logistical thing and before with the previous two bands half the songs stayed the same so it was easy, but now, this stuff’s so different it’s hard to justify keeping the band name. We’re literally fishing around for names right now.  We’re really excited about this new band.

S: Let’s do the name RIGHT NOW.  (Laughs)

C: By the end of tonight we’ll have a name for you.

So what have the Frosty Pines been working on currently in terms of writing and recording and getting things down?  When do you plan on releasing something from this new project?

C: End of the summer.

S: Yeah, end of the summer for sure.

C: An EP, probably: We have enough material for a full album, but I think we’re going to go with an EP.

S: Yeah, an EP is a better tease.

C: We made an EP with Baker, which we never released, and I feel like it was the best that Baker’s ever been and we never released it!

S: Yeah.

C: We’ll play a couple of tunes from that EP, but that’s the only legacy from the old Baker. We’ll be playing a song called Dynamite.

It’s interesting: when we’re talking about EPs I feel like there are expectations where the audience is absolutely expecting a “this is what we’re working on” kind of piece that isn’t necessarily cohesive but that keeps them in the know of what you’re working on.

S: Yeah, just to give an update on what’s going on.

Well, you’re last big album, Bike Ride, came out a couple of years ago, right?

C, S: Yeah.

Then that’s great.

C: That was like a double release: We released it and then we got signed with a label.

There are a lot of acts that are from here but who prefer to record in Brooklyn or New York.  It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.  Are you recording it here in Boston?

C: We might record in Western Massachusetts with Justin Pizzaforato.  He’s engineered pretty much everything that Baker ever did and he did all the new Dinosaur Jr. stuff.  Awesome dude.  Young guy, he’s like 27.  He’s good at having that- Dinosaur Jr. is perfect for him because it’s got that early nineties indie rock sensibility about it.

Let’s talk creative process, in terms of writing, in the studio… Does one of you guys do the majority of the writing or is it a collaborative effort to write the album?

S: With this project it’s more Conan with the lyrics, because in Baker before we had everyone kind of doing harmonies and background vocals and this is just mainly one mic and Conan.

A: Conan and two fellas.

S: Conan and two guys in the back!

What are the changes you’re welcoming with the writing process for the Frosty Pines compared to the writing process for Baker?

S: With Baker it was always tastes colliding.  We always liked different things, so everyone had their two cents about things that didn’t really work.

A: There were too many cooks in the kitchen.  This band’s a little more intuitive musically, because Conan can take stuff that we’ve been jamming with and go home and fine tune it a little bit and come back and it seems a little easier that way, whereas before everybody was talking at the same time.

C: Before, we were just feeling good and hanging out and there’s nothing wrong with that, it was a great experience, but you realize where it gets you and it gets you to like, doing okay and getting by.  If you want to take it a bit more seriously, it’s kind of like having a director on a film, I think.  It’s nice to just have one person giving administrative advice as well as being practical and correcting things.  If you’ve got one guy with an idea, something might happen.  I mean, we’ll jam everything out: I’ll bring something to these guys and we’ll play it out together.  It’s not just me going “This is the way it’s going to be!”

S: Yeah, we jam a lot.

A: I think it’s easier that way, and it sounds less gimmicky because of that.  The songs seem more…

C: Cohesive?  Yeah.  It’s paying off.  We’ve had three shows that’ve been awesome and one of them was TERRIBLE.

S: It was the worst show that ever happened.

What happened?!

S: Everything that could’ve gone wrong happened.

A: I like, forgot all the songs, and then my amp didn’t work-

C: -Yeah, it went to hell-

S: It was at the Plough and Stars, which isn’t really meant for rock shows.

A: It was really weird afterwards, too.  We couldn’t even look each other in the eye.

S: We didn’t even shake hands.  We just departed.

C: We pulled up at the same traffic light at one point – I was giving Andy a ride home and Steve and I just looked across and we just kind of made eye contact and then turned away.

A: “I was like, ‘I wonder if I’ll ever see Steve again.’”

C: It was seriously depressing because it’s an awesome venue and the sound’s amazing.

S: We’ll get ‘em next time.

What’s your favorite venue to play in Boston?

C: Middle East, Downstairs.

S: Yeah, Middle East Downstairs.

Any particular reason?

S: Because there’s a backstage!

C: Yeah, it’s nice that there’s a backstage, and usually with beer.

A: I like Upstairs, too.

S: Yeah, except it doesn’t have a backstage.  I like to feel like a rock star!

C: We had one of our shows as THIS band Upstairs.

It’s interesting:  People talk about the differences between the bands playing Upstairs and Downstairs and the vibes they’re going for.

A: The good thing about Upstairs too is that if you want to get the hell out of there you can just go and get a beer.

C: Yeah, you can have a beer there and see some people onstage doing some crazy shit on the TVs at the bar, and then you get curious and pay for a ticket and go check out the band.

What about TT’s?

C: I like it a lot.  That’s where I played my first show when I was new to the States, with the three-piece I played with when I first got here.

How do Boston venues differ compared to venues in other cities and what you’ve experienced on the corporate side of things? How does the business side of the music business change between cities, in your experience as a band?

S: New York is really, really tough-

C: In terms of payment, and stuff.

S: New York, especially at the door for guests, they ask who you’re there to see – that doesn’t happen in Boston so much, I think there may be a few venues that do it here – but they say they’re there to see your band, you get a share of what the door costs.  Here, it’s all split up amongst the bands pretty evenly, but there it’s all determinant on who comes there to see you, for the most part.

C: They usually give you an ultimatum, yeah.  Sometimes we’d drive all the way down there to make, like, eight bucks.  Sometimes less.

And you’re saying that you don’t find that to be the case in Boston or that you haven’t dealt with that as much?

S: No, not at all.

C: Most of that is because when you’re in the town you’re from and you’re playing, it’s gonna be easier because you’re always gonna have your friends around to come and see you.  In terms of the way clubs treat you it’s fairly simple.  You have a massive range of clubs in New York, and you have a pretty healthy range in Boston.  I think Boston’s a tough town to do well in long-term in some ways because in New York there’s more labels than there are in Boston, so people from Boston will wind up going down to New York every other weekend, which is what we did with Baker for awhile.

How would you describe the demographic of your fans and where it falls?  Would you say you have older fans, or that younger kids are listening to your music now?  Do you think it’ll change between the fans you had when Baker was as it was and what you’re doing now?

C: A little bit.

S: I feel like “old Baker” was way more listener-friendly, I guess.

C: It was popular, so we had a pretty tame-ish crowd.  When we had our first show, it was a different kind of person that was coming up and raving about our music than fans of old Baker.  It was more… mid to late twenties full of hipster dudes rather than family-friendly audiences.

Boston’s not really a friendly city for 18+ shows.  How has that impacted you?

C: It’s a shame that they don’t have more all-ages places in Boston, but the downside is that when those places exist the earlier shows open.  All-ages shows are fun to play because it’s not the same atmosphere.

S: At ALL.

C: Some of these places manage to conjure up a similar feel even though you can’t drink.  Did you guys used to go to all-ages shows around here?

The Worcester Palladium, mostly; I was a big ska/punk fiend in high school.

S: Yeah!

C: Nice.

So, what’s your view on the Boston music community?  Are there cliques?  Is it all-inclusive?

S: I don’t feel that it’s all-inclusive.  I definitely think there are cliques.  I mean, lots of different bands who play the same kind of music become friends.  Like, us with the Self Righteous Brothers: We play shows with them almost every show in Boston.

Would you say that it’s for geographic reasons or because of genre?  Obviously, there are Andover bands, and Cambridge bands –

C: I think it’s a big geographic thing.  If you’re playing around the country with other bands, I think it’s a Massachusetts thing where bands from Boston love to stick together.

I think it’s really interesting hearing what bands have to say in Boston as opposed to that in other cities like Nashville where the community is so thick.  I feel like coming here, it’s –

S: More cliquey?  I’ve never been to Nashville, but I feel the same.  It’s not unfriendly here, but there’s so many bands who play with so many bands and I think some of the bands come off where they have this tough guy shtick and they don’t really care.

What about patronage? I don’t know, sometimes I feel like there should be an effort on the part of the people who come out to the shows on a regular basis.

S: It depends, that kind of goes back to the ages.  If venues were all-ages, it’d be a different story.  I guess that you have a big working class crowd in Boston where if it’s a show on a Wednesday night, I mean, even myself, Wednesday I have to be at work early the next day, it may be a great band but I don’t know if I can make it.

C: There are few venues where it’s easy to mingle, physically.  I like the Middle East because there are three venues and bar areas and it’s easy for bands playing different shows at that spot in particular, on that corner in Central Square. I think that corner with TT’s is great because usually these venues are spaced enough where you just finish a show and go home.  I’ve run into people there and sometimes – bands kind of stick together.  They like certain types of music and their friends are friends with certain bands, so I don’t know.

Do you have anything to add about the discussion on the Boston community and how bands affiliating with other bands affect the scene?

A: I don’t really think about stuff like that.  I don’t think it really effects what WE do; we just kind of go and do a room some where and figure out what sounds good, not like, “Gee, do you think the guys in MidAtlantic are gonna like this?”

C: When I used to write songs I used to sort of wonder how it would be received by the guys you always end up playing with because you know their taste a bit better.  When it’s some random band you’re playing with, they either like your stuff or don’t, it doesn’t mean as much.

A: Most of the bands we end up doing shows with are bands that we don’t have too much in common with but who we’re friendly with.  A few personalities mix well.  I don’t know if it’s “cliquey”; It’s more social, I guess.

C: I mean, people move to New York and LA to get signed, to make a career of it.  And Nashville, as well, it’s where all the guys at the labels are based.

The competition is so much harder when you move to those places.  Your music should be heard.  I know that it’s timing and place and everything else, but sometimes if you’re like in a place like Boston and you’re an amazing band things should work out, you know?  That’s how I think of it.  It’s idealistic, but –

C: There’s a lot of guys who go to Berklee and you know, people who come here who are quite driven, and they all end up in New York.  Boston’s got that thing where there’s a core of people who are invested in the music scene because they’re either here for jobs or family or whatever it is that’s keeping them here.  But then there’s dudes that are flying through – I’ve played with a ton of people who’ve gone to Berklee, and often they’ll pass through and end up in New York.  [Boston] is a tough city because it’s so close to New York; if you were in Columbus, Ohio, there’d be less of an issue of people leaving all the time.  I also think the good thing is, because of the big student population, you have a big audience.  If you have a good band and you’re able to market it somehow and do it the indie way, you can become known and some bands have done that quite successfully.  It’s harder because the university venues, which host quite a lot of talent, use their booking agents, so it’s almost an illusion most of the time.  When I came here we tried to play on university radio stations and at university venues and to play a big – to play to most people at the university you already have to be on the radio.

You have to pay your dues, absolutely.

S: Yeah.

C: You’d be closer going to New York and working for a label than you would be at the university gates being like, “I’m right here! And no one is coming to see me!”  It’s difficult, but no one in bands here is driven commercially, so there are a lot of bands that happen upon sounds that are unique because they’re not trying to market themselves.  There’s more humor in Boston bands that are a lot more realistic and not posing all the time onstage, you know, doing their hair immaculately before they go on.  We’ve played with some New York bands who were cool and some who have been the most ridiculous people we’ve met in our lives and who we wouldn’t want to play with.  It’s difficult when we play on a bill with some of these bands, it’s a huge city, so, they’re quite driven.  There’s no “scene”.

That’s really puzzling to us when we’re talking about why Boston is different and what makes it so.

C: That’s what I really like, is that there isn’t really a scene and in a way it’s good, like people are just doing whatever they do and they just happen to live here.  It’s kind of cool because you have a mix of bands that are – so there’s no real competition, because it’s like, “Oh, you’re trying to do music? So am I!”  It’s not like, “You’re not trying to do that style? You ripped off my way of playing eighth notes!”  That’s the way the industry works: I mean, bands like Passion Pit are always gonna do well because their machinery is already there, they’re just waiting for a band who they think they’ll tour with and their electronic sound is very now.

A: Bands like that are always gonna get picked up and thrown out into the mainstream because like you said, there’s always kids who will go to shows because they’re the only people who will go out and buy a t-shirt.  People from around here, when they go to shows they’re not gonna buy three t-shirts, a pin, a pair o’ fuckin’ socks…

Wait.   You guys could make SOCKS?

A: Steve probably could.

S: I WILL make socks.  Actually, socks would be brilliant.

Hey, everyone needs socks.

A: That would be so much cooler than t-shirts.

C: They go so well when you’re sweating at our show.

How do you guys feel about the crowd in Boston?

C: It’s cool.  In terms of the scale there’s a lot of other stuff going on: You’re close to New York, there’s enough other entertainment that people probably – I mean, kids mostly go to show that they know about, like the Jonas Brothers will breeze through town or whatever-

S: I’ll go!

Do you have anything that it’s your catalogue specifically, be it songs you play currently as the former Baker or the band’s latest reincarnation that you feel particularly connected to?

C: There are a couple we play a lot, “Here come the lads”, which is one of the first ones I brought to THIS band, and there’s this new song “Radar” that’s fun to play live.

S: Yeah, those are my two faves, and “Dynamite” is the one we’ve kept around since Baker.

A: The song we open our set with, I like to play that one.

S: Which one is that?

C: “Tornado.”  Like, we played that song, that guy Dave Barr was like, “Oh! They’re like the Strokes” when he was talking about our straight tempo and rock riffs on that song.

A: My girlfriend likes the Supergrass song, too, the one that sounds like Supergrass.

C: “Turning Sinister.”

A: It’s song #5 on the set list.

What are you guys listening to right now?  What’s on your iPod or playing in your car at the moment?

S: I’m listening to Tallest Man on Earth.  I just saw him a few weeks ago at the Middle East with John Vanderslice.  I was so sold on Tallest Man on Earth; he’s like, top of the charts for me, and the Avett Brothers.  Those two guys have been in my CD player forever.

“The Ballad of Love and Hate” is just… ahhhh! [Editor’s note: Hil has a borderline unhealthy obsession with the Avett Brothers.  She’s a total fangirl about them.]

A: I don’t have an iPod.  I got this record, this band, the Chameleons; I have a bunch of their b-sides and stuff.  This band called Video, and Thop, an electronic band, I think they’re from London, actually.  I got that Bob Dylan bootleg series, that’s pretty good.

C: I’ve been listening to the Rockford Files theme song on repeat for so long.  I think it’s a great theme tune.  In terms of … I was obsessed with TV themes when I was younger, and I used to have a band that was just theme tunes every time we opened.  All the bands from the Sixties I love.  I’ve been listening to a lot more classical music in the last three years.  I used to hate listening to classical music, but I’ve found a lot of more modern stuff, Zorsky and Bartok, those guys are amazing.  They just give you a lot more than a pop song.  I love pop but in terms of inspiration you can’t quite get it because you’re hearing the same chords again and again, so classical music inadvertently helps you when you write.  I like Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear, they’ve got good shit, but I haven’t bought any of their albums recently, I just listen on YouTube.

Antlers frontman Peter Silberman (photo: Jessie Rogers)

There’s no denying it: The Antlers are indie darlings and have been since the release of their first album, Hospice, this past March.  The band may be based in Brooklyn, but Pete, Mike and Darby have hardly spent any time recently in New York’s hipster haven: When we caught up with them before their Sunday set Upstairs at the Middle East a couple of weeks ago, Jessie and I were faced with three content, though slightly bewildered, guys who were making the last stop on a memorable jaunt about the country.  The Antlers covered the United States of America pretty extensively before hitting Boston on their way back to Brooklyn, and the shows they played everywhere from North Carolina to the Northern California coast were met with happy audiences who propel the high praise Hospice has been receiving.

Before the close of this summer, the Antlers will be playing the Pitchfork Festival alongside many of the other indie acts to watch whose records can also be found on several “Albums of the Year” lists.  Pete, Mike and Darby are honored to share the bill with some of their favorite bands, and they’re just as stoked to see the rest acts on deck at Pitchfork as they are to play for thousands of people in Chicago’s Millenium Park.  Grounded, inspired and ready to rock out a new record, the Brooklyn trio are eager to get back in the studio, and if Hospice is any indication of their longevity and success then it’s sure to be the second of many good things to come for the Antlers.

-Hilary Hughes

OPENING ACT: THE TEAPARTY 10

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?

Peter: Rice Krispie Treats cereal.  Keep in mind my favorite is from when I was about nine years old.

Mike: I like Grape Nuts.  Darby’s not usually awake for breakfast.

Darby: I like a lot of cereal, especially cornflakes, though.  That’s gotta be the most boring, lame cereal ever.

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

M: I don’t remember the dude from “The Goonies” so I’d punch him.

P: I’m kind of a wise-ass like Mouth, so I’ll go with the other guy.  Long Duk Dong.

D: I’d punch ‘em both and then whoever’s not angry I’ll be happy to punch again.

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

M: An electric cake mixer.

P: George Foreman grill.

D: I’d be a can opener.  It’s totally the coolest to watch.

M: I thought you’d be a bottle opener?

D: Nah, I’d just use my teeth.

You go to bed, wake up the next morning, go to brush your teeth… and you realize that you’ve morphed into one of Jim Henson’s Muppets overnight.  Which Muppet are you?

P: FOZZIE.  Absolutely. 100%.

M: Animal’s too obvious for me, so I’ll go with Grover.

D: The Swedish Chef.

After a raucous night out, you wake up at some point the next day and you realize that in your fit of crazy you got inked.  What tattoo did you wake up with?

P: Fozzie Bear tattoo, on my chest.  Or I’d tattoo his face on my face.

M: I’d get huge angel wings on my back.

D: I’d get the dancing Mexican girl from Pete and Pete, Petunia.

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

D: Totally a rodeo clown.

M: Yup.

P: Yeah, rodeo clown all around.

If you had to be a kind of cheese, which cheese would you be?

P: Cheese that’s not your own, like NACHO CHEESE.

Haaaaa.

M: I’d be baby Swiss.  It’s kind of like Jarlsberg.  Actually, I’ll go with Jarlsberg.

P: Actually, I’ll be American cheese.

D: I’ll go with smoked Gouda.

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

M: Soul patch.

P: No!

D: Fu Manchu.

P: I’ll take “beard without mustache.”

M: Oh, an Amish beard.  Nice.

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

D: Au Revoir Simone’s “Horse Racing Song/Night Majestic.”  I did that yesterday.

M: I’ll say “Since You Been Gone”, Kelly Clarkson.

P: “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, Michael Jackson.

What’s your favorite word?

M: Incorrigible.

D: Bulbous.

P: Occidental.  Wait, is that a word or a college?  I’ve always liked that word but I’m not sure… yeah.  Occidental.

THE MAIN EVENT: THE ANTLERS TPB INTERVIEW

Hey guys!

Peter, Mike and Darby: Hi!

Tell me what you’ve been up to, in terms of touring, recording and what-not.

Peter: We’ve been working on playing a lot of shows and not getting tired of playing every night.  I think we’re doing an okay job.

Mike: This has been a really awesome tour.  This is actually the last day of the tour, so we’re kind of sad.  It’s been a really fun tour: We got to head out west and play our first shows in L.A. and San Francisco, so it’s been totally awesome.

So you made it from LA all the way to here, huh?

P: It’s and interesting route: I won’t go through the whole route because it’ll remind me of the lots of driving we did, but we went from New York down to the Midwest, down to Texas, and then we were in Texas playing for a little while, then along the border basically, on to Arizona, then up the California coast and then way the fuck across the country to the Southeast, and then up the East coast.

Darby: We had to do the drive from San Francisco to North Carolina in two days, so-

P: It was two tours meeting up and all shows had to be played, so it was me flying, playing a show by myself, then all of us meeting in Chapel Hill, so there’s like this weird lost weekend of two days where everyone was in different places in the country and not sleeping. (Laughs.)

M: Yeah.  I was driving.

D: Yeah, we won’t do that again.

Well, Hospice came out in March, right?

P: Yeah, we self-produced it in March and it’s going to come out again in August.

How has the whirlwind been surrounding this tour and your new album?  It all sounds very exciting.  And fast.

M: Yes.  It seems like every time we get used to what’s happening a whole bunch of new input makes us all chaotic and scrambled at one time while we’re trying to traverse the waters, but it’s all exciting.  We’ve been lucky with a lot of good shows and a lot of good response from the people at the shows.

Yeah, you guys are already on a lot of “Album of the Year” lists.

M: Honestly, I have to say, there’s a lot of records that we really like that are on that list, and we’re like, “Gee, really?!”

P: We don’t really feel like we deserve to be there because-

D: I mean, those are some of our favorite bands! (Laughs)

M: It’s very flattering and kind of daunting.

What are some of these bands that you love that you’re also seeing on these “Album of the Year” lists?

D: Animal Collective, the Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear…

P: On this tour, a lot of the towns we were going through – You’re always aware of competing shows, even though it’s not a competition, but sometimes some people come up to you like, “Oh! More people would’ve been here, if Grizzly Bear wasn’t in town.”  There was always Grizzly Bear or Animal Collective that was in the same town as us (laughs).

You guys are based in Brooklyn, right?  What part?

D: I live in Fort Greene.  Our studio’s there and we rehearse there.

M: Peter and I live in Greenpoint.  Not together, though.

A really good friend of mine just moved to Greenpoint.  He was living in Astoria for the past few years.

M: Yeah, Greenpoint is very popular right now.  It’s like Williamsburg expanded.

P: Yeah, but it’s not as hectic and crazy.

M: Well, the North Side is a little much.

Did you guys see the Hipster piece that recently came out in the New York Times?

M: Yeah, if it had come out like, 10 years ago, maybe it would’ve been relevant.

Can we get some basic back-story?  Where do you come from, and how did you guys come to make music together?

P: It’s a pretty small biography; there’s not a whole lot to report on, I guess.  The name is kind of mysterious as far as where it came from goes, it just kind of happened.  The way we came together sort of just happened as a result of friends of friends and things, and we just started playing together, and different, you know, me playing solo, then expanding it into a band, then getting it into a big band with four or five people, and shrinking down just as a matter of a couple of people not being able to commit to things.  Then the three of us just clicked, and it felt right, and we’ve been doing that since August.  That’s about the time we started touring, and playing a lot more, and getting the record finished, so, the band as the three of us is only since August.  Our record started longer ago than that; that probably started getting made in the summer of 2007.

Did you write the majority of the record, Peter, or is the creative process for The Antlers more collaborative in nature?

P: It’s definitely a collaborative process, with everybody writing his own part.

Is it the same way in the studio, too?  Does someone make the majority of the artistic decisions or do you all play a part in putting the record together?

D: Back when we were recording the album it was a totally different thing because there were five people in the band.  Peter will usually bring us instrumental songs and the lyrics won’t be done; I just sort of add stuff to instrumental tracks and I just try to sculpt it that way.

M: Since we’ve been on the road, we’ve spent a lot more time together as a band and everything is going to change when we sit down and start recording new material just for that reason alone, that we’re that much more comfortable bouncing ideas around and off of each other.  Before, it was a little more on paper, and now it’s a little more real.

P: This record was sort of transitioning away from being a solo project, so it’s partly a solo thing, partly a band thing.  The way it was written was a little backwards and the way it was recorded was a little backwards.  The next record, we’re all going to be working on it together, and in our heads we’re already working on it together and doing our research.

What are you really looking forward to about the new record, in terms of differences between your previous recordings and this one?

P: I’m looking forward to spending a lot of time getting it ready in our studio, recording in apartments and stuff.

D: We have a big studio, and back then we were in a rehearsal space we’d rent by the hour, so we didn’t really have the time to play as much as we do now.  While touring we got really close and tight, so recording the new stuff as a band gives us so many more options and opens up so many possibilities.

P: The collaboration is probably what I’m most excited about, just 100% everybody working together.

Are there any songs in the Antlers catalogue that you feel really connected to, or that you really especially love to play live for people?

P: Playing live? Um…

I know it’s kind of like choosing between children.

D: Well, we don’t have any children (laughs.)

M: I really enjoy “Bear.”

P: Yeah, me too.  We just started playing it recently.  It’s been how we’ve been closing the show, and it’s a fun way to do it.

In terms of Boston: You guys had mentioned that [Peter] had played here solo before.  How long have you guys been here, a couple of hours?

M: Yeah, we rolled in around 6:00 p.m. and did sound check.  I have to say the food here is amazing which is a nice benefit.

Yeah, Shalimar around the corner is a big favorite with people who roll through here to play, usually…

M: Oh no, I eat here [at the Middle East]!  I won’t eat anywhere but here.  It’s good.

We’re big fans of the falafel sandwich.

P: We had the couscous.

D: The couscous was delicious.

M: Every time we roll in town it’s the same thing: We come to the venue, we do the sound check, do the show, leave… There’s not a whole lot of sightseeing.

Do you guys have any crazy stories from the road? Did anything bonkers happen throughout your national gallivanting?

M: I don’t know.  It’s been pretty PG-13.

D: Nobody got arrested.

M: We had some… you know, a couple of parties, yeah.

P: It’s not crazy, but we had a couple of days off in Austin and we went to Barton Springs, which is this natural swimming pool I guess, and that was really great.  I had a lot of fun staying up all night in San Francisco before my flight.  We just kind of stayed up all night and wandered around on the beach until I had to get my flight at seven in the morning.

Where are you guys from originally?

M: Peter and I are from two separate towns outside of the city that aren’t too far from each other.

D: I’m from Alabama.

Nice.  What brought you to New York, Darby?

D: Actually, it was theatre.  I was an actor for a long time, and it was either New York or L.A., so I chose New York and got into the music, and now I’m in the band.

So, what are your deep dark secrets that you’d like to share with your Boston fans?

P: We’re very transparent!  Darby’s hair isn’t real.

D: … It’s real.  What are you talking about?

In terms of the next couple of months and what you have on your official agenda, what do fans of the Antlers really have to look forward to in the near future? What’s next?

P: We’re doing some more touring in the next couple of weeks.  We’re going to be heading out to the Midwest to do the Pitchfork festival.  I don’t think that’s sunk in yet.  We’re playing Saturday and then we have Sunday off from our tour, so we’re going to watch all our favorite bands.  And then after Pitchfork, we’re going to go to Canada and then come back around.  Then we’re off for a couple of weeks, and then we’re gonna keep touring and touring and touring.  I think we’re gonna go to Europe soon, and in whatever off time we have, we’re going to try to work on a new album.

Who really inspires you musically?  Who’s on your “Favorites” list on your iPod?

P: It’s been changing a lot recently.  I listen to a lot of post-rock ambient stuff.

D: I listen to a lot of dub and reggae.  Most of the tour, our satellite radio was on a station called “Soultown”.

P: Yeah, the Temptations especially.

M: The person who’s influenced me the most isn’t an artist on my iPod; He’s a teacher I used to have called Yusef Latif, a jazz saxophone player.  You should check him out.