Once concertgoers get over the fact that Larson has ovaries rather than testicles, they tend to quickly notice that she wields a fierce guitar. Her three-piece Austin band is heavy and has progressed into heavier territory (to Larson's delight) since the band recruited its new drummer last year. The Pitch recently spoke with Larson and found how she inspires young women to rock in Austin, how she decided to stick with music rather than pursue a doctorate, and how Ume's sound has changed over the years.
The Pitch: How's the tour going so far?
Larson: It's been amazing so far. We've played several sold-out shows. We did an awesome show last night {February 22} for the Noise Pop Festival. That was a lot of fun. The crowd has been really receptive. We're having a blast.
A lot of the reviews I've read often say, "She looks so innocent!" It's like people think you have to look a certain way to be a female rocker. Does that get overwhelming at times, or has that initial press shock died down?
My goal is always to take the stage and for no one to be surprised it's me playing there. You know, it is kind of frustrating for people to still be surprised to see a woman onstage. It doesn't fit the typical paradigm of what a woman should do, sound like, look a certain way. But at the same time, I like to shatter expectations. It is a fun thing. But ultimately, I want it to be about the music and for people to just enjoy the show.
How'd you get involved with Girls Rock in Austin?
I reached out. When I was in grad school, I had read about Girls Rock in Portland. And I thought, 'Wow. I really wish i had that when I was a young girl' because I started playing in bands when I was 14 years old, and I really didn't have any female role models. I was into a lot of punk rock and underground music, but I was playing in bands with a bunch of older guys. I teach guitar and I'm also a band coach.
I've still been doing it every year. A lot of new girls will come in, and they'll be super shy, just like I was. I used to be terrified to speak into a microphone, and I still have some anxiety between songs, talking into the mic. I remember when I was working with a girl, I was like, 'This is what I did. I was really shy and scared, too, but we just screamed at the top of our lungs.' And she did it, and she was free. She would do anything then. The girls, they're scared to turn up their guitars. They put them at zero and one, and I say, 'Hey, let's turn it up loud and just have fun.' The main thing there is just having them find a way to express their voice. To let go and let them get confident about their music.
You went away to grad school and were working toward a Ph.D., correct? What brought you back to music?
Yeah. For me, I was kind of always torn between writing papers and then running to the basement to play my guitar. I was still doing music at the time. I was like, I can do both. Be an academic and be a musician. But I really found that essentially what allowed me to express myself — or what am I the most passionate about — I realized it was music. That was able to take me to a different part of myself. And it's a lot more fun. So when I had that chance to go to Austin, I was still kind of trying to write my dissertation long distance and get that started. And when I went to music full time, I got involved with more nonprofit work, I got more involved in the community. And that's really my passion.
So, I assume this is a full-time gig for everyone in the band now?
Actually, Eric, he still has a day job. He works on the computer in the van. He's a computer programmer. So when we're on the road, we've got a wireless router we take that's mobile.
How have you changed since your punk days? Is everything a bit more thought out and rehearsed?
I would hope we've just became better songwriters and bring in more melodies, and that we've become better players. And we got a new drummer last year. But I think if people see our live show, there's still a very visceral element and physical element, there's something very raw about it. We still try to hold nothing back at our live show. And a lot of it is growing up seeing bands. We saw At the Drive In play to two people once before they blew up. And they still put themselves completely into the show and were completely freaking out just like they did when they were playing huge shows. Just growing up around bands like that has really been an inspiration to us. There's still some of those early-day elements to it, but it's more melodic.
Are you guys thinking about a new album?
On our time off, we're writing like crazy. So this will be our first record with our new drummer, so there will be more rhythmic intensity to it. I think some of the songs we just demoed are probably some of the heaviest stuff we've ever written. And then I also ended up doing an acoustic stripped-down song for a friend that actually recently was murdered on New Year's Day. We donated the money we raised (from the recorded song} to her family. So I guess there are two really opposite extremes.
See Ume open for Cursive Friday at RecordBar. Virgin Islands support. Doors open at 9 p.m. Show is 18-and-older and costs $15.
