FEATURE INTERVIEW with Pocket Vinyl

Interview by Corrine Jensen
January 9, 2012

 Pocket Vinyl has certainly evolved over the years. Originally a three-man group based out of New York, going by the name The Series, the band now calls Norwich home and features a married couple performing on stage. Meet Eric Stevenson and Elizabeth Jancewicz, they are Pocket Vinyl and they’re adding a new dimension to New London’s already diverse music (and art) scene. Eric sings and plays the piano as his wife Elizabeth paints original artwork, which is then won, a la silent auction style, to the highest bidder at the end of every show. These two recently took time from touring in support of their newest album, Monsters Talking, to be ridiculously cute together and chat with Wailing City about their music, touring and being the new band in New London.

WC: You’re Pocket Vinyl and the concept of your show is very unique, how did that come together?
Eric: Well, I didn’t want to tour by myself.
Elizabeth: And I’m not musical. What can I do? I’m a painter. I’ll paint because in Cloud Cult they paint. It all accidentally fell together.
Eric: Cloud Cult is one of our favorite bands.   
   
WC: It’s just the two of you on stage and you’re both doing very different things, how do you make sure you’re putting on a good show for people?
Eric: It’s hard to put on a live show for people. Sometimes you see a band that’s been doing it for years and they just know what they’re doing and it’s a great show. We’re always asking how can we make it better? I want to keep it spontaneous and mix up what I say every night but you need a little bit of structure and a style of how you compose yourself. It’s all about creating small moments on stage. On our song "My Brother’s Time", there’s a pause and Elizabeth does a ‘Woo’. She wasn’t in the studio for the album so we recorded her ‘Woo-ing’ over the phone. At the live shows she’ll turn around and let out a big ‘Woo’ and go back to painting and it’s great because a lot of people always smile at that.
Elizabeth: It’s a moment. You need something to stand out in your songs so people remember and it doesn’t all flow together.
Eric: Yeah, I feel like we need to come up with more moments like that.
Elizabeth: I don’t want it to be me doing my own little thing over here and he’s doing his own thing there. We try to somehow have a connection to each other.

WC: How did you two meet and how did you wind up in New London?
Elizabeth: I was born in Norwich but moved to Northern Canada when I was a baby. You drive North for two days to the end of the road and then take a train for a day. I mean, like, really Northern Canada. I moved back here for my last year of high school and went to Norwich Free Academy.
Eric: We met at Houghton College in Houghton, New York and I grew up in the town my entire life. In college I did a lot of stage stuff and there was a variety show every semester and a buddy and me would always make up skits. She kind of knew me from seeing me on stage.
Elizabeth: Yeah, you would be making fun of people and I didn’t want anything to do with you! I thought he was a complete jerk and I didn’t want to get to know him. He graduated the year before me and at my senior year art show he showed up and we clicked. We moved back down here in July 2011 about 2 weeks before our wedding.

WC: What do you think of New London and the local music scene so far?
Elizabeth: We really like New London. It’s way cool. Our first exposure to New London was The Telegraph because as soon as we moved here we needed to find a record store. Immediately we were talking to people in there and we met Daphne (Martin) and Karrie (Bulger).
Eric: We did our CD release show there.
Elizabeth: We’ve been to the co-op and walking up and down the street and…
Eric: Sarge’s! I’ve gotten into comic books recently.
Elizabeth: We saw a few of the films in the summer at the Hygienic. It’s just a nice art community and area. I want to help it and be a part of it as much as we can be.

WC: You’ll be playing at The Bean and Leaf on January 11th again, looking forward to it?
Elizabeth: It’s a cozy little place and they feed us. My grandmother always comes and everyone is always really nice to us.
Eric: This will be our third time at The Bean. We really want to build our local fan base and be a presence in New London and to add to the rich musical community already. I don’t think anyone really knows us yet.
Elizabeth: We’ve had small crowds here because we’re local but nobody really knows us yet. The people we have played to have been super welcoming and nice and want to help us out. I feel like a lot of times we need to prove ourselves so we’ll talk to people and tell them to let us play a show for them and make their own decision but usually people like us.

WC: I heard you guys do house concerts, what is all about?
Elizabeth: House concerts are nice. People invite their friends and they come over to listen to us. It’s a lot of fun. The most important part of any show is getting to know the people we’re playing for, from the audience to the sound guy. I guess some call that ‘networking’ but for me it’s just building relationships and getting to know people and making friends and we don’t really know people here and we want friends, so we play. We’re interested in doing more house concerts, we’re small, it’s just the two of us.

WC: So do you bring your own piano or do they have to provide one?
Eric: I never want to use anyone’s equipment because I like to bang on it and hit it. One time we were playing at The Buttonwood Performing Arts Center in Middletown, CT and they have a grand piano and asked if I wanted to use it. I was like “No, I don’t. I mean, well, I do but I really for sure don’t want to break it!”
Elizabeth: Our stuff it bangs around in the car and we bring it everywhere and we won’t feel as bad if it breaks.

WC: You just came off a 2-month tour all over the East Coast and Midwest, how was that?
Eric: It was "The Synesthesia tour". I feel like we need to bring back naming tours because bands don’t do that enough anymore. I think it romanticizes it a bit. The tour was a good learning experience.
Elizabeth: It was really good to get out there and we received a really good response in some places. We went to parts of the country I’ve never been to and there was a point we kind of just realized that we were so far from home, from anyone we know, out in the middle of the Midwest with fields everywhere.
Eric: The Midwest was tough, we had a lot of great adventures and the road trip was fun but some of the shows were tough. Our 75th show, in Iowa, was our first show where we didn’t sell the painting. It worked out well because we gave that painting to my aunt in Indianapolis who we spent Thanksgiving with. We still met some good people there.
Elizabeth: Also, he got sick 3 times on this pass tour. Every place we went we asked do you have tea or lemon water or something?
Eric: I could hardly sing. At a house concert in Toledo a friend gave me a bottle of Jim Beam and after every song I’d do a shot and keep going and each swig would last for a song. I don’t remember getting too tipsy and at the end of the set I was actually feeling ok.
Elizabeth: Thankfully, we were staying there and didn’t have to drive.

WC: You’re starting "The Sister Tour 2012", what else is going on for Pocket Vinyl?
Elizabeth: We’re going to take half of February off so I can work on art but we’ll probably still do a few local shows.
Eric: We’ve played with some great bands and I’m trying right now to make a charity album with them. I always thought about maybe doing this when we became bigger and have more fans but then I thought ‘Why can’t I do that now? What’s stopping me?’ I hope to get 10-15 tracks and put it together for the charity WarChild.Org. They’ve put out several compilations themselves with a bunch of huge bands on them and I always bought those albums and liked them. We’ll release it digitally on bandcamp and it should be coming out pretty soon.
Elizabeth: We definitely wanted to focus on a charity that was kid centered. I grew up with a lot of foster brothers and sisters and it’s really on our hearts a lot because kids can’t stand up for themselves.

WC: What do you hope for Pocket Vinyl?
Elizabeth: Biggest goal would be that we could live off this and have a steady income and pay our bills and fill our gas tank. We don’t need to be famous. We just want to do art and music full time and continue to constantly enjoy doing it.

WC: Last question, any advice for bands, musicians, artists just starting?
Elizabeth: Definitely be grateful for every little blessing you get. Savior it.
Eric: Yeah, if someone buys a CD, be thankful because they really didn’t have to or even come out to your show.
Elizabeth: And be a nice person. I’ve talked to so many bands on our level that are grumpy and I don’t want to talk to them. Remember that people came out to see you so be nice and friendly and make them want to keep talking to you and come out and see you again. It’s funny to realize that in this business, there really aren’t big breaks and no one is going to find you and make you. It’s really just so much more talking to people and then they talk and then they talk. I feel like I just realized recently it’s really the people at shows talking to their friends. It’s hard work and a whole network of friends.

More at:
http://www.pocketvinyl.com/

CD Review: The Suicide Dolls - Prayers In Parking Lots

Published December 7, 2011
By Adam Wujtewicz

Having been raised on a steady diet of classic rock and having forged my own musical identity with the grunge movement of the 90’s I have come to miss rock and roll.  I feel like I’ve been forgotten.  There is just something missing in a lot of bands today.  Perhaps it’s the fact that genres like “classic rock”, “grunge” and “alternative” don’t actually have anything to do with the sound of the music. They are all just flowery ways of saying ROCK.  In a day and age where bands have pigeonholed themselves into super specific genre’s, bands like The Suicide Dolls are now having to cope with being called rock bands. Prayer’s in Parking Lots revels in the fact that you can’t stick it in a box but never lowers it to being a “genre crossing” experiment.  The punk rock clang bass gives the songs speed and movement, the drums range from a hardcore thump to psychedelic cymbal wash and guitars soar over the rhythm section covering the whole thing in a blanket of buzz saws and dope smoke.  There is an unmistakable intensity and paranoia to the sound of this record.  Prayer’s in Parking Lots is a wild animal that has been backed into a corner which has forced it to lash out.  The guitars at the end of “Drive” go from a melodic single note melody to crushing chords on the verge of massive feedback that are only accented by the near constant crack of the snare drum.  The noise soaked bridge section of “Smash” builds to out of control only to recoil perfectly back into the verse readying to strike at you again.  The explosions of sound you hear on this album do not come from an artsy abstract place but from the hands of people that feel looked over and are trying to grab a hold of your attention at all costs, even if they have to be loud and mean.

Through all this the Suicide Dolls never alienate their audience.  The chorus’s are prevalent and hooky which always gives the listener an anchor when they feel like the song might leave them stranded.  There isn’t a single scream on the album either.  While the singing sometimes goes more towards talking or reciting and isn’t the most melodic part of a song the vocals wouldn’t be considered offensive.  These are things that keep Prayer’s in Parking Lots from being pigeonholed as a “noise rock” or “post hardcore” record.  It may not be pop sensitive in style or subject but it is a pop sensitive structure that they’re building from.

The Suicide Dolls draw from a lot of bands that people now take for granted; The Pixies, Joy Division and Sonic Youth are the first 3 that come to mind.  These bands that once saturated the hearts and minds of rockers everywhere are now going extinct.  Prayers in Parking Lots will force you to remember what it was that drew you to these bands.  Not because it sounds like them, but because it has the same quality you can’t quite put your finger on... because it’s something that can’t be summed up in a 2 word genre.

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CD Review: Skobie Won - Bedlam and Squalor

Published December 1, 2011
By Adam Wujtewicz

Is "space rap" a genre?  If it's not then I am coining it and putting Skobie Won in there.  If it is a genre... than Bedlam and Squalor should be one of its shining stars.  Categorized by a sound that’s bright and vast, it allows you to sink into the album as a whole, but with enough thumps and cracks to blow up a star destroyer.  The balance between a slowly rising tide of synth sounds and drum beats that sound like over clocked Rock'em Sock'em robots is what elevates Bedlam and Squalor above the heard.

Having reviewed 2 Erik Lamb albums, both of which are heavily produced by Skobie Won, I feel like I'm familiar with Skobie's work.  There's a dance music vibe to the beats.  The sounds are reminiscent of Nintendo noise only rounder and clearer.  Listen to it on headphones and you'll be much more captivated by the panning.  Whether it's Bedlam and Squalor or Shoot Everything (Erik Lamb) all three of those statements are true.  Bedlam and Squalor just sounds bigger.  It surrounds you in a ball of neon glowing circuitry and bounces you around a room made completely of subwoofers.

Purposeful is the first word I would use to describe the vocals on this album.  There is a quiet anger in Skobie's voice.  He speaks as if yelling would be too cheap.  He annunciates like he was smacking you with syllables.  There are no tricks in his cadence; it’s the steady barrage that keeps you on your toes.

The beats being what they are Skobie could load his songs with short simple choruses to anesthetize a crowd and keep them moving.  That would be too easy.  Skobie jams lyrics between shout along phrases in his choruses and keeps them spread out so they don't become monotonous.  He also likes to throw Tom Waits references in his lyrics.  If you were to drink a shot of Bourbon for every lyrical reference and sample you’d be good and drunk by the end of the album.

Bedlam and Squalor is enough of beats you know from previous Skobie Won productions to feed your craving but enough improvement on previous techniques to keep from being stagnant.  The strings and guitar sounds in the title track are plenty of evidence of that.  If you keep your ears open you’ll hear things that you wouldn’t expect but will end up falling in love with.





FEATURE INTERVIEW with Sean Spellman of Quiet Life

Interview by Corrine Jensen
November 22, 2011

Quiet Life emerged onto the New London music scene in 2004 and soon became a local favorite. In 2009, the then quartet packed up and moved to the other side of the country where they’ve been living, creating, and performing up and down the West Coast.
Over the years, the group has featured a variety of talented musicians with it’s current line-up featuring original members Sean Spellman (vocals, lead guitar), Ryan Spellman (drums), and Craig ‘The Rupe’ Rupert (guitar), now joined by Thor Jensen (guitar, bass) and Jesse ‘The Ozark’ Bates (steel guitar, bass).

Quiet Life is in the middle of a jam-packed tour (17 states in 33 days!) in support of their latest album Big Green and they’re doing it all gasoline free in a converted Ford Diesel Van appropriately named 'Greasy Pete'. The local rockers will be home in Connecticut later this week with multiple shows throughout the area and two in New London.
Somewhere outside Chattanooga, TN., easy-going front man Sean Spellman charmed WailingCity.com while talking about Quiet Life’s "ultimate road trip", going gas-free as an economical choice and his memories of New London.

WC: You grew up in New London. Tell me about the music scene from back then. Any memorable stories? Bands? Shows?
Sean: Yeah, actually, I used to work at the El ‘N’ Gee when I was about 17. Yeah. (Laughing) It was great. I was the runner. I was the dude who went and bought all the all the energy drinks and backstage food, like veggie lasagna, for the bands. It was cool. I got to go into all the shows for free and I hung out with all of my favorite bands at the time. There were a ton of emo, punk and hard-core bands. I saw a ton of hard-core shows there. I also used to work at The Oasis. I bartended and my brother, Ryan, used to work the door. We were there all the time and one of my favorite shows there was definitely the Justin Townes Earle show. One of the best shows at the Oasis.

WC: In 2009, the whole band decided to move out to the West Coast and now live in Portland, OR. How has the music scene been for you guys out there?
Sean: It’s been great. There are a lot of bands and a lot of places to play. There are a lot of great bands. Some of my favorite bands that are well known all over the country live in Portland and we get to be a part of that whole music area which is really inspiring. It pushes us to do more and be more productive and work harder so that’s the most beneficial thing about living there. There’s always room to grow.

WC:  Now you’re on a pretty intense tour with some very talented bands in support of Big Green. How’s that going? Enjoy being on the road and playing and seeing the country?
Sean: Yeah, we’re opening for a few bands. We did 2 weeks with Dr. Dog and then rode up to Philly and met up with Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside for a few shows with her. Now we’re doing about a week of shows on our own before meeting up with Cotton Jones for a few days. It’s kind of a hodge-podge of bands for the tour. Being on the road has been pretty great. Just getting to see places is the added bonus to getting to play music every night. Discovering new bars and restaurants and meeting people in different towns that want to show us the things that they enjoy about their city because they know we’re out of towners, it’s like the ultimate road trip really.

WC: Let’s talk about why your band decided to convert your tour van to run on used vegetable oil vice gasoline?
Sean: We’ve been trying to do the conversion, running on grease, for a long time. Really, it’s the only way we can actually tour because it’s unaffordable to pay for gas. We’ve only spent $160 bucks on diesel so far on this tour and we’ve been out for 3 weeks and driven from Portland to Cleveland, down to New Orleans, over to Charleston and back up to Tennessee, we’ve been all over the place. We actually just filled up. We got 60 gallons of used vegetable oil here in Chattanooga and that’s probably gonna get us up to Philly.

WC: So, what does it smell like?
Sean: Right now it smells like a mix between garbage, egg rolls and french fries. (Laughing) We got some stinky grease a week ago and it still smells a little funky. I think we all get used to it though.
WC: I read that you guys are taking donations. Are there restrictions or a minimum? Sean: We’re just looking for used vegetable oil that’s golden and clean and doesn’t have a bunch of sediment in it. We’re trading people tickets into shows for some fuel. It’s cool. We’ve had people in different states come up to us and give us grease and it’s working out pretty nicely. We’re hoping people will continue to do that so that we don’t have to search everyday for hours. It’s nice to get about 5 gallons but there’s no minimum. What we’re really hoping for is somebody will say "Oh, I work at this restaurant" or "My friend owns or manages this place and they have a grease trap and you should come get our grease" that means we can get a lot of grease. We are trying to spread the word so that people can get in touch with us. They can email us at quietlifeband@gmail.com

WC: So this week you’ll be back home in New London. Are you excited? 
Sean: I’m stoked about that. We’re doing two shows in New London and I don’t think we’ve done that since... I don’t even know when? We’re playing The Bank Street Café on Thanksgiving and then we’re playing The Oasis the next night. We’re going to get to see a bunch of old friends. It’s going to be great.

WC: This is where it all started for you guys 7 years ago; you have to have a good Quiet Life and New London story from back then.
Sean: Basically, what happened was Quiet Life needed to book a show with this band called The Only Children from Lawrence, Kansas and we had booked the gig at this place called Heroes, which is this old bar on Golden St., but it actually closed down and we wound up doing the show at the Oasis. From then on out, Sean Murray pretty much started working as the promoter at the Oasis, I got a bartending job and my brother started working at the door and we had such a great little scene happening. There were so many local bands coming out at the time and we booked as many shows as we could and had as many out of town bands come through as we could. I think it was great for all the local bands, especially for us, to play with them. It was just a really awesome time. I think New London’s definitely changed a little bit but I think hopefully there’s a new breed of younger bands that are going to do that because that’s what it takes. It takes people like Sean Murray to book the shows and bands to get out and play the shows.

WC: What is Quiet Life going to do after the tour is all over?
Sean: Oh, we’re going to relax for a little bit and then we’re going to hit the road again in February. We’ll go home and try to finish the record in January and we’re still trying to figure out the tours but ultimately we’ll do a full U.S.

WC: Last question, do you have any advice for singers, bands, or musicians out there who want to get into the business or are just starting to emerge?
Sean: Work your ass off and play as much as you can. Play wherever you can and keep doing it. We’ve been a band for almost 7 years and we’ve played at all sorts of places, everywhere from H.S. football fields to bars that fit literally 15 people. We just played as much as we could and I think you just have to do that. Have the motivation to play wherever you can because if one person likes your band and that one person buys a CD, then it’s worth it and it’s a step up.




FEATURE INTERVIEW with Barefoot Truth

Interview by Corrine Jensen 
November 20, 2011

First performing as an acoustic duo, Barefoot Truth was born on the summer beaches of Mystic, CT., and has grown over the years into a dynamic 5-man multi-instrumented line up led by co-founders Will Evans (Lead Vocals, Drums, Guitar, Didgeridoo) and Jay Driscoll (Weissenborn Lap Guitar, Acoustic & Electric Guitars), and joined by Andy Wrba (Electric & Upright Bass) Garrett Duffy (Harmonica,) and John “Wayno” Waynelovich (Pianos, Organs).
 
Together they’ve created a distinct sound that is a blend of root-rock, jazz, folk and reggae. Their shows are high energy and filled with fans singing and dancing to catchy songs filled with lyrics that are both meaningful and uplifting because as Evans puts it "People have enough to deal with in their lives. When they go out to a show, let them be happy."
 
Barefoot Truth remains an independent band that continues to take a grassroots approach to the music scene. Through hard work, planning and the strength of their music they’ve created an impressive resume: their latest album Carry Us On shot to #10 on the iTunes rock album chart, they recently hit over 8 million plays on Pandora Radio, and their song "Threads" was featured in the game ‘Rock Band’.
 
Recently these 5 guys, who refer to each other as "brothers" and are as close as family, took time out of their busy touring schedule to speak with WailingCity.com.


WC: Will, you grew up in the area, how did that influence you getting into music and what experiences did you have here?
Will: I grew up in Mystic but for a few years my family moved to Burlington, VT and I went to a very liberal school where music was very encouraged. We moved back to Mystic and I went to Cutler Middle School where I started playing trumpet in Jazz, which was actually my first instrument. I was also in choir, where I was the only boy.

WC: I bet you got all the girls...
Will: Far from it! (Laughing). But then I went to Fitch and I continued in Jazz, but to be in Jazz you also had to be in Marching Band and ultimately I didn’t like the structure of it all and it was stifling creatively, so I quit. But in the summers I would go to Esker Point Beach with my friends for the concerts and I remember watching all the great shows like The Sugar Daddy Band and I really liked watching the drummers and would think ‘I can do that.’ So, during my sophomore year I picked up my dad’s guitar and he and I kind of taught me how to play. That’s also when I started playing the drums. I played in a rock and roll cover band called Overdrive for a while but that got frustrating and I wanted the freedom to express myself musically. That’s kind of the time I met Jay and we started jammin’ together.

WC: Jay, you grew up in Massachusetts but met Will down in Connecticut, what brought you to the area?
Jay: I have cousins who live in Groton Long Point and I spent every summer there. I still have lots of family in the area and it’s basically a second home for me. Will and I were introduced through a mutual friend the summer between High School and College and I remember going out and watching him perform in Overdrive. During college we kept in touch and visited each other and kept making music.
 Will: I remember going to UMASS, where Jay went to school, and we would jam in the stairwell of his dorm and it was about 26 floors and all cement. It had great acoustics. We then played casually in some bars along the Connecticut shoreline and in Rhode Island as a duo.

WC: So, then you went from 2 to 5. How did each of you guys (Andy, Garrett and Wayno) join Barefoot Truth?
Andy:  Before I knew who they were, I was at a Jurassic 5 concert and a mutual friend told me they were looking for a bassist. I contacted them (Will and Jay) and we talked but we were all busy and things didn’t work out. A few months later I went to one of their shows and I liked their sound and introduced myself and shortly after I was part of Barefoot Truth.
Garrett: I met Will in college (St. Michael's) and wanted to jam with him and other friends so I started playing the Harmonica because no one else did and also, because my older brother used to play it. I remember my first official show was at the Coast Guard Academy in New London in 2006.
Wayno: Andy and I were in Jazz Studies together at Westfield State and I was incredibly intimidated because he was such a monster on the bass. At his final Jazz Studies recital he transformed the Barefoot Truth song "Reelin" into this huge 18-piece jazz composition and all the guys from the band were there and I was played piano for it. Later, I played on two songs for their Walk Softly CD. It was an interesting time because I would play some shows with them but I still had 2 years of college left and the guys were already out there doing their own thing. I grew up listening to and playing Dixie and Swing and I’m super proud of that but I’m most proud of what I’ve done with Barefoot Truth. These guys already had their own sound, their own product, and I had to figure out my place in all that.
  
WC: So you’re not only the newest but you’re also the youngest, how’s that?
Wayno: I do feel like the youngest but we’re all equal. I’m a little more different, from my hobbies to what I eat, but being with these guys has opened me to so many interesting things and ideas. It’s neat. 
Jay:  Wayno is an oddball.

WC:  Barefoot Truth was officially born in Mystic, Ct what experiences have you guys had living and performing in the area?
Garrett: We lived in Mystic, as a band, for 3 years and we hung out when we could. There’s not a lot of our style, our sound, in the area but we’ve played locally at places like The Bean and Leaf and The Hygienic Art Park, which was a great show and we had a great response.
Andy: I remember the Hygienic. We were playing outdoors and it was just a beautiful night.
Wayno: I only lived in Mystic with the guys for a year but it was a great place to be a band and create music and provided a solid home base to come home to. I love that area. It’s where we met Raise the Rent and allowed us to play with them and other bands.
Garrett: We love Raise the Rent, they’re cool!

WC: Barefoot Truth is playing at The Garde Arts Center Thanksgiving weekend on November 26th. How does it feel to be playing such a large venue so close to home?
Andy: We love playing there. Will and Jay both have family in the area and it’s nice to catch up and when you can incorporate that love into a show, that’s always a good thing.
Jay: It’s really special to come back and play for friends and family. When we see how excited they are at our growth as a band, it keeps us excited.
Will: Yeah, there’s always a thrill when playing big venues like The Garde but there’s also something special about playing small venues or even in a barn like here (Holcomb Farms), it’s so vintage. But we’re definitely looking forward to the show because we appreciate local shows and it is a Homecoming for us.
Garrett: It’s more or less home for us because that’s where everything started.
  
WC: You guys have been called the ‘symbol of independent music success’, how do you feel about that label and why are you unsigned?
Jay: That really is a big title and it’s amazing, sometimes we’re blown away from it. As for why we’re not signed? It has never been a priority for us. If that’s why you’re in it, then you’re probably in it for the wrong reasons.

WC: What do you guys do outside of Barefoot Truth?
Will: I’ve been doing some solo shows on the Cape, where I live now, and it’s liberating because there’s no set list and I just play off of the vibe of the crowd. But playing with the guys, there is the warmth of a family behind you. It’s nice to have when you’re having a tough night. It’s nice to know you can rely on your brothers.
Andy: I do some funk/jazz jammin’ on Monday nights with a rotating group of musicians in Pittsfield, Ma. It’s a little more song base and loose and intimate. I’m also big on family and I spend time working on my family’s orchard (Riiska Brook Orchard) whenever I can.
Wayno: I’m currently training for a marathon and eating lots of candy. Yep! I’m also a musical theatre geek and occassionally do a production in my town with my family who owns a performing arts building. I also try to keep busy musically. (Check Wayno out on Raise the Rent’s album Dig & Be Dug)
Jay: Today I was actually helping Wayno’s family build a set for a performance. Other than that I keep busy with Barefoot Truth and friends and family.
Garrett: I’m an avid practitioner of Yoga and I do many other outdoor activities. I’ve also started to write and compose songs.

WC: What advice do you have for musicians/singers/bands trying to make it?
Will: We’re still trying to figure it out! We’re still very much grassroots but I would say it’s all about balance. You gotta find the happy medium of not driving yourself crazy on the road. Play less shows but make them better shows. It’s easy to burn yourself out trying to play everywhere. Picking when to play and where is important. Be cautious and smart with touring.
Andy: It’s hard work. I would say practice and persistence. And practice doesn’t necessarily mean shredding the bass, it could mean actively listening to music or studying music theory. It helps to set realistic goals and learn about yourself and what you want.
Jay: If you’re playing in a band it’s more important to base it on friendship and not to let music get in the way of that. Play with people you like.
Wayno: I have a lot of respect for these guys. It’s amazing. I’ve made four best friends.

FEATURE INTERVIEW with Samantha Urbani of Friends

Interview by Corrine Jensen
November 17, 2011

Friends are a playful indie-cool band with an old school Brooklyn vibe infused in their sound, music videos, live performances, and in each one of them. Comprised of real-life friends Samantha Urbani (Vocals), Lesley Hann (Bass, Percussion, Backing Vocals), Oliver Duncan (Drums), Nikki Shapiro (Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion), and Matthew Molnar (Keyboards, Percussion, Bass), the rhythm heavy dance-loving quintet has been generating lots of attention on sites like Spin and Stereogum.
The band is currently on a globe-trotting tour that kicked off in Amsterdam this past weekend and will end in the Midwest shortly before Christmas, but mesmerizing front woman and former Mystic resident, Samantha Urbani took time to talk to WailingCity.com about Friends, Music, and New London.

WC: Friends have been playing together for just over a year but in that time you’ve created a fresh sound with fun songs and funky beats. What inspires you musically?
SU: I can feel inspired by other music but I don’t necessarily feel directly influenced by it. Things I am influenced by are all kinds of sensory things and when I am making music I think about visual art and stimuli. I’m usually inspired by relationships I have with people in my life and myself and nature and my sense of reality.

WC: The music videos, ‘Friend Crush’ and ‘I’m His Girl’, in which you were either co-editor or director for, are very artistic. Did you take the same approach when making them?
SU: Yeah, I definitely like a certain type of aesthetics and production quality. I don’t like the sound or look of things being produced right now. It’s very over polished and kind of a hyper-reality that doesn’t sound or look like real life; it’s an HD version. I think it’s more interesting when you’re creating a piece of art. For the ‘Friend Crush’ and ‘I’m His Girl’ videos I was thinking of a 70’s playboy photo shoot/80’s home video look and it worked out and I really like both videos.

WC: You’ve been getting attention not only here in the states but overseas as well. You’ve played in the UK and also, this past weekend at the London Calling Festival in Amsterdam and there is a Europe Tour scheduled this February. How does it feel to be going international? Surreal?
SU: It’s very surreal. It’s hard to have any perspective on it right now. Two years ago, seeing my life, I would have been really excited and impressed and blown away but the way that things have progressed it just seems natural and it’s hard to suddenly realize I’m doing what I’m doing and what I’ve always wanted to do. I think the world feels smaller, a lot of people probably realize that feeling, especially with having access to the Internet and being able to communicate with each other. Now, traveling and playing for thousands of different people from different places and easily being able to reach out, kind of proves that everything is connected.


WC: Ok, but there’s still no place like home and this Friday you’ll be playing at The Oasis Pub in New London, CT.... growing up in Mystic, this must definitely feel like a homecoming show for you. Are you excited? Nervous?
SU: I’m excited because I don’t get to come home that often anymore and see all my old friends. I love to play in New London and I have been hanging out at The Oasis since I was way too young to hang out there. Ha, hopefully no one gets in trouble! It was definitely a home base for me before I moved to New York and I’ve seen a bunch of really cool shows there. To someone who didn’t grow up in New London, maybe The Oasis just looks like a regular, small-fries bar but to me it’s infamous and tons of people in New London still feel like hometown celebrities. It always feels really good to come home and have everyone be really excited about what I’m doing and not only about my music but about me, personally. Everyone there really inspired me and I really appreciate that they gave a shit enough to have a ton of touring bands come thru the area and have shows all week and didn’t kick me out of the bar.

WC: Hilarious! So, tell me about the New London music scene that you remember, any bands or musicians that stand out?
SU: When I was younger there was a punk scene and all these cool bands. Specifically, I used to hang out with The Electric Noise Act when I was 18 or 19. It was with some of my best friends, these guys named Jared and Michael... and Randy who died a few years ago. Hanging out with those guys was kind of the high point for me. There was also Fatal Film, I love those guys and they’re really good friends of mine, and Brava Spectre, those kids always have a million different products going on but they’re great, and, of course, The Royale Brothers. But another thing that’s hard for me is a few of my favorite people from New London have died over the last few years so it’s a bittersweet feeling coming back because I miss those guys and it’s never going to be the same as it was. But I have faith that New London is going to continue to survive because there’s always people there who really, really care about and are trying to bring the city up and they’ll keep doing what they’re doing. It’s kind of an amazing place.

WC: You’ve been writing songs your whole life and now you’re lead vocals for a band that’s on the cusp of something big, what advice do you have for those bands/singers/musicians out there who are just getting starting or wanting to start?
SU: I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to “know” how to do something to do it. You don’t have to be taught. You can do it intuitively and if you’re passionate about it and it makes sense to you creatively and it works in a way that you want it to work, make it happen. Also, it’s really, really important to go on tour and expose yourself. If you have a band and some songs, don’t wait around until it feels perfect, just get out there and do it because it’s never going to feel perfect. Don’t be scared ever. Make music in your room until you’re not scared anymore and then play it for real. Do it. And living in New York doesn’t hurt either. As much as I love New London and I totally support smaller cities and their scene, I can’t lie, it’s way easier to get attention from labels and booking agents or other bands and network in a bigger community. It’s in no way a put down to a smaller city like New London but it doesn’t hurt to move. Once you feel like you need to get to the next level and you’re really serious about having a band, you need to figure out if you need to stay or go.

WC: Alright, so tell us, what can we expect from Friends in the future?
SU: We’re going to put out our full-length album in the spring of 2012 and go on tour in Europe and in the U.S. around that time too. I just think, ‘don’t have any expectations, we could do anything’. I don’t know what we’re going to do in the future just like I didn’t have any idea what we were going to do when we started the band. My whole life’s philosophy has sort of been to take things as they come and recognize opportunities. Everything is fluid, just go with it and see what happens. This is all I can really say about what we’re going to do next because I don’t really know. Hopefully it will make a positive impact in some way.



CD Review: Raise The Rent - Dig and Be Dug

Published October 29, 2011
By Adam Wujtewicz

There is a certain amount of struggle between modernizing a style of music in order to evolve the genre and staying true to the roots and original intention of it.  This struggle is especially true when you’re playing Jazz, Country and or Folk. There are Jazz purists that would call the music of Cecil Taylor noise, Country purists that say Hank III is a disgrace to the family name and Folk purists that still curse the name Bob Dylan.  With Dig & Be Dug, Daphne Lee Martin & Raise the Rent have made it clear that they have no intentions to playing to the purists.

There are 4 Tom Waits-esque songs that land somewhere between The Heart of Saturday Night and Blue Valentine that set up the framework for the album.  They have a loungey vibe but with an electric and more lush instrumentation.  The intricate mix takes the songs out of the smoky basement bar and puts them on the silver screen.  It's not so much about the authenticity of the sound as it is using the sound to tell a story with grand, vivid images.  The other songs on Dig & Be Dug run the gamut between the southern swing pop of "Pull My Daisy" to the New Orleans trumpeting of "In Lieu of Flowers" and floating country ballad "Saratoga Rain".

Confused on how these sounds all fit together?  The simple answer is Daphne Lee Martin.  Her voice and charisma pull you through the album easing your mind about the different sounds and structures you're hearing behind her.  There is a full range of emotion on the album but Daphne never loses composure and allows a boisterous chorus to pull her out of her range or a somber verse to dull her to whisper, she shows control rather than restraint.

The work ethic of both Daphne and her orchestra of Americana musicians shine like a beacon to those wondering how to make a good album.  The sounds on Dig & Be Dug are not a shot in the dark.  These are the sounds of effort, vision and drive.





FEATURE INTERVIEW with Daphne Lee Martin

Interview by Corrine Jensen
October 26, 2011
Daphne Lee Martin, of Raise the Rent, is a free spirit harboring a wise soul and a genuine smile for everyone she greets. Her lyrics and voice have been enchanting folks all over the country and New London is no exception. Recently, the lovely Daphne took time out of her busy life to answer a few questions for WailingCity.com.

WC: So let’s talk about Daphne Lee Martin. You grew up in a very musical family and you even performed together. What was that dynamic like?
DLM: I was lucky enough to have parents who were both musically inclined, and there were instruments and records around all the time. When I was 8, my mom caught me singing along to "Chapel of Love" and I had just intuitively started singing harmonies without really knowing what they were. We started singing together, old country and folk songs and when my sister was old enough, she joined in as well. We did that off and on up until I was in my early 20s, but we all grew up and moved apart, it's tough to keep a group together from 900 miles away. We still have a good time singing songs on those rare occasions when we're all in the same place; it holds a really neat nostalgia for us, almost weepy at moments. And now that I have a baby nephew, the whole family is surrounding him with music. He'll probably blow us all out of the water!

WC: You were born in Ohio and wound up traveling all over the country performing but obviously made New London your home. What is it about NL that drew you to ultimately stay?
DLM: I moved to Brooklyn in my teens and started performing at open mics, in the subway, at folk clubs and doing living history interpretation for South Street Seaport Museum. I was really star struck by the boats and maritime music, it was all so romantic that I signed up and ended up working for over three years on various schooners, teaching environmental education based on Pete Seeger's Clearwater program. It was a nice hand-in-hand adventure with some music mixed in. I ended up on all 4 coasts of the US for chunks of time, playing sporadically, but I never got to develop anything or work in an ensemble and eventually I really ached to get myself into a place where I could knuckle down and do music more seriously. I'd had friends here in Connecticut at Mystic Seaport who had been a big part of my life through the maritime music community and a few of the schooners I'd worked on had stopped through New London for OPSAIL and Boats, Books, & Brushes. The crew had stumbled into the Dutch Tavern and checked out places like the Hygienic and the town seemed to have the most beautiful potential. Then I saw my house, and I couldn't sign the papers fast enough. Some people look their whole lives for that place they can really call "home", whether or not they were raised there, and New London is it, it's home for me.

WC: I’m sure New London, having such an amazing and diverse music scene, didn’t hurt. What have you observed about it in your years here?
DLM: New London is absolutely chock full of brilliant artists: visual, performance, con... errr... ha ha! The music scene is of the caliber of a city like Omaha, Portland, even Austin, a real music destination. Our biggest problem as a scene is that we're all far too comfortable here, and we seldom get our acts on national tour routes to help spread the gospel of New London to the rest of the country. We like playing in our back yard, and though the enthusiasm in the scene has ebbed and flowed over the years, I've seen a huge sea change over the last couple of years with bands beginning to look at music as their business, as an actual career rather than a side project. Bands are developing websites, producing albums, and reaching out for more recognition in ways they hadn't in years before. And if that keeps growing the way it has and we get some bands on the road, New London will be a household name across the land in no time. That's one of the most unique things about the scene; we really are all in it for the community. And more and more, acts that might never have mixed are collaborating to innovate some sounds that I think will make us an even more interesting group of musicians. I have a remix coming out with my western swing album that leans on dub and includes Erik Lamb rapping; it doesn't get any more collaborative than that!

WC: That sounds so interesting and I can’t wait to hear it! Ok, are there any local groups/singers that you're digging right now?
DLM: I'm really into those rappers at the moment; their energy is so fresh and positive. Their lyrics are really well thought out, the music is hypnotic and fun, and they're the hardest working promoters around. I hope the rest of the scene takes note of these cats: Erik Lamb, Skobie Won, Poe Swayzie, Camacho, and their crews. On the Americana side of the scene, I'm really impressed with what John Fries has been up to. He's not only working hard, but I think he's finally shaped his sound and his band into one of the tightest, most pro acts in town. And of course, my two favorite songwriting mentors endlessly amaze me: Jim Carpenter & Chris Castle. My one request: more chicks! Anybody want to start a girl rock band with me?

WC: So, you happen to be married to Mr. Rich Martin who has been a vital part in helping to grow and promote New London’s music scene through out the years and is a highly talented musician in his own right (Low-Beam, Brazen Hussy), what kind of role has he played in the creation of ‘Dig & Be Dug’?
DLM: Well, from inspiring songs to tweaking art files for the replication company to helping nail down PR and radio campaigns, he's been there for it all. There's no way this scene would be what it is today without him and his ventures (Hygienic Art, The Telegraph Recording Company, T.A.Z.) and a few other key folks in town, especially Sean Murray (The Oasis Pub, I AM Festival, Whalie Awards) and Meghan Killimade (WailingCity.com) trumpeting the art that the whole town produces. I could say clichéd stuff like 'thank goodness he keeps my head on straight' and 'I couldn't do it without him', but honestly, none of us could! He really kicks ass.

WC: What can fans expect from ‘Dig & Be Dug?’ What kind of inspirations were you feeling when you wrote most of the songs on the record?
DLM: The songs came from all over, some from the old days, and you can still hear some of Phil Agins' influence on how I wrote them. There's a lot of nostalgia on this record, childhood memories and family members appear in a bunch of places. Especially my grandfather, Carlo. My mom's dad was quite a character, rough around the edges and full of folk wisdom. He's become my favorite muse and “Saratoga Rain”, which is based on a Langston Hughes short story, is all for him. Most of my songs grow out of some kind of literary reference, I read fanatically. “Me & My Boots” is based loosely on James Thurber's ‘Is Sex Necessary?’ “Pull My Daisy” is something of a schoolyard rhyme run through the beatnik ringer. I've always wanted to cull down some of the old forms, to re-invent traditional music so that it stays alive in new shapes.

This being the first real record we've put out, we fell into the trap of spending way too much time in the studio working out arrangements. But at the end of the day, going about it that way forced us to all look very hard at the sound we were trying to create and it wound up being pretty unique. I always knew I would want it to be a cross-over record- appealing to both roots music lovers as well and more pop minded people. It was mostly our producer, Jim Carpenter's vision that whittled down a lot of wild ideas into a cohesive album. But needless to say, I can't wait to get cranking on the next album.

WC: We have to mention Raise the Rent’s Kickstarter campaign. How did it feel to have so many of your family and friends and fans go online and donate money to support you guys to have this CD made because they love your music?
DLM: It's a pretty amazing feeling to have that much support after really only ever-playing live shows for these guys. They believe in it enough to chip in to be part of our first recording. Usually what happens is that people fall in love with music they've listened to over and over on a CD in their car or their iPod, but we've never been able to offer people that before and still I have people come up to me and sing me back my choruses- people are paying attention to the live shows. It's the best feeling in the world, and we're so grateful. That's why we're developing so much more media to go along with this album, to thank you everybody for showing us so much love. There'll be that remix with “Sexual Healing”, Hatch Show Print posters, tees, and a series of music videos as well as a special mixtape of songs by other members of the band (we're almost all songwriters) to give everybody some fun stuff to dig on while we work on the next one. Not to mention vinyl! Blue vinyl at that! Big thanks to everyone that made it happen!

WC: Ok, so very last question, to all the singers and bands and musicians out there who want to make it in this town, any words of advice for them from one of New London’s finest…
DLM:  Believe in what you do enough to work as hard as it takes. Think of it as a business, one that needs your constant care and attention, reasonable goals and pure motives. Be ego-less and realize that the only way to "make it" is to make it happen a little more and a little better every day because you believe in your art. None of us are going to make a million dollars at this, and none of us are any more valid than the others. Remember that it's our job to be the storytellers, the dreamers of dreams if you will. Music is what makes bad situations bearable, helps us fall in love, gets us through our workdays and our tragedies, reminds us of things that are true, and things that aren't. We're the vessels; we're here to make everybody else's lives better. It's a tough way to make a living, but it's one of the most beautiful ways to spend your life.


For more info on Daphne Lee Martin:




CD Review: DeafDisco - Purple Noise


Published October 16, 2011
By Adam Wujtewicz

After a cursory listen Purple Noise gives you a sort of Hollywood car chase feeling.  The songs portray movement and have a rhythmic nature that would allow for cuts between drivers and different camera angles. Even as I write this I realize that is probably also why this makes good dance music.  What else, besides movement and rhythm, could you ask for in a dance song?  Not being much of a dancer myself I'm much more inclined to judge this on its sonic merits.

The album starts with what sounds like bad cell phone reception and static over a steady kick drum rhythm and low end synth line.  The static cuts away and other interlocking synths enter along with some... "porno noise" I guess is the best way to describe it.  You then get a pretty constant build until the song is cut to nothing but 15 seconds of a singular ascending note and then you're blasted   back to full volume.  The ups and downs for songs under or around 3 minutes are pretty impressive.  I didn't expect a lot of dynamic changes in a dance record but Purple Noise is brimming over with them.


The synth sounds all have a familiarity to them.  If you're looking for off the wall electronic noise this is probably the wrong genre for you anyway.  "Zombie Swagger" my personal favorite song on the EP, has the weirdest sounds but still nothing obnoxious just a little spacier.  The reason I like it the most though is the half time sections.  Equivalent to a hardcore breakdown this is right up my alley and a truly pleasant surprise.

I suppose what most people think makes a good dance record is how much it makes people want to dance.  A steady bass rhythm and high end bleeps and bloops will make a bunch of drunken kids get off their barstools.  Purple Noise is more substantial than that.  It's danceable for sure but the intermingling of sounds rhythms within these 4 songs is in a higher class than most.



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