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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Q&A

Q&A: Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper

Posted by Chris Parker on Wed, May 30, 2012 at 10:03 AM

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Eric Earley is now into his 12th year leading Blitzen Trapper. The band spent the first half of its life mired in Portland's local indie-music ghetto. Struggling with his father's death and his own indifference, Earley wound up homeless for a while before pouring his energy into late-night recordings in the band's practice space. Those sessions produced Blitzen Trapper's critically acclaimed third album, 2007's Wild Mountain Nation and its Sub Pop debut, Furr, which were recorded concurrently. They were followed with 2010's Destroyer of the Void and last year's American Goldwing, which blends a ‘70s classic-rock mien with Earley's rootsy swagger, and lyrics that express longing for another time or place, or just somewhere to call home. The Pitch recently caught up with Earley in Portland, where he was preparing to leave on tour. (The Kansas City stop is Thursday, May 31, at the Riot Room.)

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Q&A

Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast on California, influences, and Drew Barrymore

Posted by Kyle Eustice on Fri, May 25, 2012 at 8:16 AM

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It wasn't too long ago that Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast was a normal 22-year-old woman living in California, sorting through the emotional ups and downs of everyday life. The singer-songwriter/guitarist has since joined forces with multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno and started banging out 1960s surf-rock-influenced numbers as Best Coast. With its simple lyrics revolving around Cosentino's personal relationship experiences and the dreamy pop aesthetic provided by the duo, the Best Coast debut album was an ideal soundtrack to an endless summer. The Pitch caught up with Cosentino amidst Best Coast's nationwide tour in support of its sophomore effort, The Only Place, to talk musical influences, California, and Drew Barrymore.

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Q&A

Erika Wennerstrom on Austin, influences, and Heartless Bastards' latest, Arrow

Posted by Abbie Stutzer on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 7:47 AM

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Erika Wennerstrom is the backbone, heart and creator of blues-garage act Heartless Bastards, and her vocals have a fierce, feminine grit uncommon in modern-day frontwomen. She started writing songs on the piano at the age of 13 and learned how to play the guitar by writing original material. Wennerstrom and the band have been through some flux and turmoil over the years, but the Austin, Texas, group's most recent album, Arrow, is filled with dusty, Americana rock that plays cool and confident. We recently spoke with Wennerstrom and asked her what sparked her love for songwriting and what inspired Arrow‘s lyrics. The band is at the Granada in Lawrence this coming Tuesday, May 29.

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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Q&A

Luke Top of Fool's Gold on global music and recording Leave No Trace; show tonight at Riot Room

Posted by Abbie Stutzer on Wed, May 23, 2012 at 6:05 AM

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Fool's Gold is back on the road, touring in support of the band's August 2011 release, Leave No Trace. Since the L.A. band's first album, the two core members (Lewis Pesakov and Luke Top) have trimmed the band down to a five-piece. We recently chatted with Top via e-mail and found out how the band's recent supporting tour went, what global influences inspire its music, and what they've got planned for the future.

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Monday, May 21, 2012

Q&A

Joey Balls of Old Man Markley on the intersection of punk and folk

Old Man Markley takes the stage at the Bottleneck tonight.

Posted by Nick Spacek on Mon, May 21, 2012 at 7:19 AM

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  • Fred Morledge
Fat Wreck Chords' Old Man Markley falls in line with a long tradition of folk-punk artists, going all the way back to the Pogues. The band's sound - lots of fiddle, banjo and washtub bass - is a fun time, communing as it does the energy of a punk show with the chops of a well-oiled bluegrass band (unsurprisingly, really, given that the band counts members of Youth Brigade and other SoCal punk acts among its ranks). The band plays the Bottleneck this Tuesday, May 22, with Street Dogs, the Aggrolites, and local pop punks the Rackatees. We chatted with OMM's upright washtub bass player Joey Balls about the band's influences and live show.

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  • Old Man Markley takes the stage at the Bottleneck tonight.
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Friday, May 18, 2012

Q&A

Jane Siberry on k.d. lang, life on the road, and HuffPo

Singer-songwriter Jane Siberry opens for k.d. lang at the Lied Center.

Posted by Nick Spacek on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 8:25 AM

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Singer-songwriter Jane Siberry is probably best-known for "It Can't Rain All of the Time," her contribution to The Crow soundtrack. But the Canadian musician's string of hits goes all the way back to 1984's "Mimi on the Beach." Siberry's music is at times folky, arty or spiritual, but always intriguing. She's opening for k.d. lang this Sunday, May 20, at the Lied Center, and was kind enough to spend part of her Tuesday afternoon speaking with us by phone about the current tour with lang and being inspired on the road.

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  • Singer-songwriter Jane Siberry opens for k.d. lang at the Lied Center.
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Q&A

Deer Tick's John McCauley on Occupy, true crime, and recording with Steve Berlin

Posted by Saby Reyes-Kulkarni on Tue, May 15, 2012 at 9:32 AM

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Stumbling in the footsteps of legendary booze-hound acts like the Replacements and Guided By Voices, Providence quintet Deer Tick professes its love for alcohol pretty much every chance it gets. But judging from Deer Tick's work - most recently, the 2011 full-length Divine Providence and the new EP Tim, which contains leftover songs from the same sessions - the social aspect of drinking matters to the band as much as the buzz. Deer Tick's rollicking live show arguably does for the bar, pub and tavern what gospel music has done for the church. Bandleader John McCauley spoke to The Pitch by phone while on a van ride with his compatriots in late April, just as their 2012 presidential campaign-themed road trip was getting under way. Local residents can expect the band to arrive at the Granada in Lawrence tonight, May 15, with a supply of Deer Tick 2012 yard signs in tow. As if to underscore the profundity of his band's message to the people, McCauley opened our discussion by urinating into a water bottle.

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Friday, May 11, 2012

Q&A

Joe Pug on touring, giving music away, and becoming an adult

Posted by Abbie Stutzer on Fri, May 11, 2012 at 8:19 AM

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  • Todd Roeth
In April, we highlighted Joe Pug's Daytrotter session, and mentioned how the singer-songwriter broke into the music scene by giving away his tunes to people at his shows. We recently spoke to Pug and asked him about that free music model, how he approaches songwriting, and what inspired him to write the content on his new album, the Great Despiser.

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Q&A

Jonah Qwerty on the horror musical ‘Femme Assassin Guy'; shows at the Bottleneck this weekend

Posted by Abbie Stutzer on Fri, May 11, 2012 at 7:55 AM

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One of Kansas' own is trying his hand at the rock musical genre and making a rather bloody splash. The project: Femme Assassin Guy. The story is about a musical sensation who uploads perfect-pitch murders to YouTube. We recently e-mailed with Jonah Qwerty, the maliciously delicious character known as Femme Assassin Guy, to find out about the show, and Qwerty's trials and tribulations. (You can see the madness of Qwerty at the Bottleneck on May 10, 11, and 12, at 8 p.m.. The 18-plus show is $11-$13.)

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Q&A

The Rumblejetts' Jud Kite on drums, art and the band's latest, Motor Honey

Posted by Nick Spacek on Wed, May 9, 2012 at 8:08 AM

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Long-running KC rockabilly road warriors the Rumblejetts have seen their share of lineup changes since they formed in 1997. Drummer Jud Kite has been behind the kit for nine years now. In addition to pounding the skins, he does the majority of the artwork for the band. It's his work you see adorning the cover to the Rumblejetts' latest album, Motor Honey. The release party for the disc is a free show Thursday, May 9 tonight, Wednesday, May 8, at Knuckleheads. We took a minute to speak with Kite about the band and his artwork.

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