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Five Questions … with Joshua Epstein of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

September 22nd, 2011


Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott were each playing in different Detroit bands when they met. Soon after, they began recording together in Zott’s suburban basement. It’s a Corporate World, their first LP, which deftly combines harmonies and electronics, came out this past spring, but even prior to that the duo, performing as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., became known for their high-octane performances. And on the heels of playing Austin City Limits last weekend, the band (above, doing “Vocal Chords” live in studio for KEXP FM) comes to The Bowery Ballroom on Saturday. But before that, Epstein exchanged e-mails with The House List in order to answer Five Questions.

You do a killer cover of “God Only Knows.” Are there any other classic-rock covers in your arsenal? And if not yet, do you have anything in mind for the future?
We do an incredible version of “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy at Karaoke. Does that count? We may have some surprises in store for the Bowery show.

What’s the last band you paid to see live?
I paid to see Dr. John last year in Detroit. Damn was it ever worth it. And I paid to see Leonard Cohen at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. Also worth it.

Where do you like to hang out in New York City? And do you ever feel like you could live here?
A few of my friends tend bar there, so usually I’ll go wherever they are working. I have lived in New York for brief spurts and loved it. If the rent were at all comparable with Detroit I’d be there now.

What’s the best part—or what excites you the most—about playing NYC?
It’s the most incredible city in the world. Every inch of it feels electric, so it’s always a new and exciting experience.

Do you have to be depressed to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song? Is a song better when it really happened to you?
I think that there is no substitute for personal experience, however, songwriting is about channeling experiences so that they become transformative and accessible to a wide variety of people. —R. Zizmor

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Five Questions … with Jesse Elliott of These United States

September 7th, 2011


Although These United States formed just five years ago, they’ve already put out four full-length albums. Armed with an increasingly deep catalog, the prolific quintet has toured extensively throughout the US, England and other parts of Europe, gaining a reputation for lively shows that aren’t to be missed. And to make sure you don’t, head to Mercury Lounge tomorrow night to see These United States (above, playing “Pleasure and Pain and Pride and Me” and “Honor Amongst Thieves” in Washington Square Park for Baeble Music) live. In advance of the show frontman Jesse Elliott e-mailed The House List from Fedora to answer Five Questions.

You’ve been putting out an album a year since 2008. Are you guys working on anything new for later this year or in 2012?
Yeah, we’ve been heading back to Lexington[, Ky.,] every few weeks all year long, experimenting more than working this time around, taking our time, maybe realizing finally that most of the best things come fast but a few do come slow. Should have a new litter of beautiful, feral pups to sick on the world by next year. I mean, if not by 2012, then when, post-apocalypse?

What’s the toughest part about playing New York City?
Having to leave the next morning.

What music or song always makes you dance?
LCD Soundsystem. Genius.

Do you have any crutches when writing a song—are there certain words or styles you feel you lean on too much?
If you’ve leaned on a certain set of crutches for a very long time, you can start to develop your very own rhythm on them, you know. You start to hear more subtleties in each click. It starts to be more about the surface you’re traveling on rather than the crutches themselves. You start to travel down different types of surfaces just so you can hear the same set of crutches on them. Your ears get more sensitive to that kind of change. Maybe you get better at what you make or maybe you’re just more sensitive and that’s all.

Do you have to be depressed to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song? Is a song better when it really happened to you?
I have to be really depressed to write any kind of song—sad one, happy one, bittersweet, melancholy, exuberant. I don’t get depressed very often, because the world is a beautiful place even when bad things are happening to you. So when I do find myself in that blessed depressed place, I gotta move very, very quick. I gotta go down to the corner cafe with Miguel, fast as we possibly can, throwing shoes and shirts on fast, order two jalapeños from Annie—again, fast— move through it all like a fast angry bulldozer, merciless, pointed right straight at that song, no regard for life or limb, fantasy or feeling, whether anything at all ever really happens to you alone or whether it happens to everyone all at once. Hopefully the latter. Let’s pray the latter. —R. Zizmor

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Five Questions … with Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav

September 2nd, 2011


Syd Butler is a man of many hats. He’s a devoted father, the bassist for Les Savy Fav, the founder of Frenchkiss Records and last, but definitely not least, a fervent Washington Capitals fan. The band (above, doing “Let’s Get Out of Here” for KEXP FM) played one of the very first shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Les Savy Fav returns, with Oberhofer and Chron Turbine, for the venue’s fourth-anniversary show on 9/6. (It’s worth mentioning drinks will be just $4 each.) Butler, taking time out of his busy schedule, rang up The House List from the back of a cab to answer Five Questions.

I know you came out with Root for Ruin last year, and I was wondering if you’re working on anything new—a full album, an EP, new songs or anything like that?
We actually just dedicated this year to touring as much as possible. And this will be the final cycle of that. We went to Europe twice, maybe three times. We went to Australia and New Zealand. So we’ve been pretty active. Actually, not so much in the US, weirdly enough. But pretty active outside of the US since the record came out. But, no, members of the band have kids and newborn babies, and Harrison, the drummer, wants to finish his grad program. He took a year off for this tour. But that’s what our plans are at the moment.

Which do you think is more difficult, to make it as a band or as a record label in New York City? Or in your case, does one go hand-in-hand with the other?
For us, for a long time, it definitely went hand in hand because Les Savy Fav was out there on tour. So we could say, “Frenchkiss, Frenchkiss, Frenchkiss.” But with the success of Local Natives and the success of the Antlers and the Dodos, I think Frenchkiss has hopefully carved out its own little nook in this business. But the two are very, very different. I always thought they were a lot closer, but they’re actually a completely different left-brain, right-brain kind of thing.

Which band have you seen play the most, not counting any you’ve toured with?
I’ve seen Modest Mouse probably a bajillion times. Oh, you know what it is? I have an answer for you: It’s probably a tie between Built to Spill—they’re sort of like my Grateful Dead band—and Arcade Fire as well.

Which NYC musician, past or present, would you most want to play with?
I would love to play with David Bowie, but that doesn’t really count. A born-and-bred musician?
Well, he’s been here for decades.
I would love to play with David Bowie or to introduce myself. I met David Byrne a couple times, which has been awesome, and I’m sure I’d love to play with David Byrne if he hopped up onstage at a Les Savy Fav show.

Do you have any crutches when writing a song? Are there certain words or styles you feel you lean on too much?
I definitely hang on to certain patterns on my bass way too often. It drives me crazy when that happens, because every song I write or am a part of writing, I try to branch out and change my style a little bit. But when I’m feeling insecure I come back to a comfort zone. —R. Zizmor

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Cut Copy Urges You to Move

August 12th, 2011

Cut Copy – Prospect Park Bandshell – August 11, 2011


Cut Copy lead singer Dan Whitford’s arms are perhaps the most expressive limbs in all of live music. With fists pumping and outstretched, open palms, his gesticulations closely resemble his lyrics. Take, for example, the chorus to “Hearts on Fire.” Onstage with his fellow bandmates, Whitford grasped for the crowd while crooning, “With hearts on fire I reach out to you tonight.” If the words didn’t move you, the music and dancing certainly would.

And so it was that on Thursday night at the Prospect Park Bandshell, Cut Copy along with openers Foster the People and Midnight Magic closed this summer’s Celebrate Brooklyn! series. The choice, while not obvious, positioned the Australian dance rockers as the final act to a lineup of talent that opened with Andrew Bird and included diverse bands ranging from the Books to the Heavy.

From the onset, Cut Copy wove new songs from the recently released album Zonoscope with older favorites. “Take Me Over” led to In Ghost Colours standout “Feel the Love.” And, while live the band mostly conjured a sound similar to its studio albums, “Where I’m Going” and “Pharaohs & Pyramids” are still best heard when fleshed out in concert. The samples and synths have a way of infecting the brain with an urge to move. And on a perfect late summer night, you couldn’t ask for a better compulsion. —Jared Levy

Photos courtesy of Diana Wong | DianaWongPhoto.com

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Contest

Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Heartless Bastards on 7/23-24

July 19th, 2011

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Heartless Bastards are coming to town to play two sold-out shows at Mercury Lounge on 7/23 and 7/24. And since it’s so hot and humid, The House List wants to give you some cool music, which means we’re giving away two tickets to each show. Want to go? Try to Grow a Pair. Just fill out the form below, including your full name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Heartless Bastards, 7/23 or 7/24) and a brief message explaining what you like about acoustic music. Eddie Bruiser, a surefire acoustic fan, will notify the winners by Friday. Good luck.

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Five Questions with … John McCauley

March 2nd, 2011


A fantastic musical revue is coming our way this weekend. Middle Brother, comprised of the frontmen of three talented bands—John McCauley (Deer Tick), Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit) and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes)—plays Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday and The Bowery Ballroom on Sunday. Each night will packed with great music, featuring sets by Middle Brother (above, doing “Me Me Me”), Deer Tick and Dawes. It’s sure to be a blast, but be aware that Saturday’s show is already sold out and Sunday’s show could, too. So act fast! In the meantime, McCauley was kind enough to answer Five Questions for The House List.

What’s the last band you paid to see live?
Oh man, I haven’t paid for a show in a long time…. Maybe Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons; one of my favorite bands. They’re out of Providence.

What’s the toughest part of playing New York City?
Not being able to smoke indoors.

Where do you like to hang out in NYC? And do you ever feel like you could live here?
I love Red Hook. I did live in New York for a bit, but it wasn’t for me.

What music or song always makes you dance?
“Jump Jive an’ Wail” by the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Your after-party is at a bar with a great jukebox, and The House List gives you a buck. Which three songs are you playing?
AC/DC’s “T.N.T.,” the Beatles’ “Dig a Pony” and the Replacements’ “I Won’t.” —R. Zizmor

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Five Questions with…Yellow Ostrich

January 10th, 2011
(From left, Andrew Schaaf and Michael Tapper)

(From left: Andrew Schaaf and Michael Tapper)

Yellow Ostrich is the brainchild of New York City-by-way-of-Wisconsin-resident Alex Schaaf. In 2010, with little more than a floor tom, his voice and a guitar, Schaaf created The Mistress, a sneakily impressive album currently only available here. The band played Mercury Lounge last week, and in the deep recesses of the venue, Schaaf and drummer Michael Tapper were nice enough to answer Five Questions for The House List.

Michael, you’ve been playing in bands now for a while, right? I know Bishop Allen from [frontman Justin Rice's performance in] mumblecore movies. Is that an aspiration?
I don’t think anyone aspires to be in anything called mumblecore. One of the definitions tends to be a lack of aspiration. It would be weird. I’ve only seen a couple, but I think the genre tends to be: I went to college, now what? I guess I’m, like, in a band or maybe I’ll bake cookies?

Your sound seems to invite more musicians. Do you plan to add any more instrumentalists?
AS: It’s something to take into consideration. On The Mistress, I kind of tried to do it with only, like, a few tools—floor tom, guitar and voice basically—just to see, because I think that is more interesting sometimes than having, like, 20 instruments. You can get a bigger sound but it’s not as interesting because you’re not doing creative things with it. So, yeah, we have two people but we have to do way more crazy, creative stuff compared to what I’ve done with a full band in the past. Live, I think we sound like at least four people or three people. We want to keep it small, relatively, because it’s an interesting aesthetic. Forces you to do things you wouldn’t do.
MT: Putting constraints on yourself forces you to be more creative: In the film The Five Obstructions, Lars von Trier asks his mentor, Jørgen Leth, to remake his film The Perfect Human. But he tells him here are your constraints and you have to do it five times. Like, OK, you only made movies in Sweden, well you have to make it in a place you’ve never been. Each time you think, with the constraints, this is impossible. But he overcomes it with creativity. It’s awesome.

Do you go to a lot of shows in New York City?
AS: When I first got here, I went to a show a week—not like Wisconsin. There are shows around the block now. I’m going to Sharon Van Etten at The Bowery Ballroom this weekend (note: Yellow Ostrich’s cover of Sharon Van Etten’s “Love More” is available for download). I go to a show a month because we usually have one every couple of weeks. I try to go as much as I can.

What bands or musicians do you see as being your contemporaries?
AS: I don’t know. I mean it’s hard to think of contemporaries. I think of bands I’d want to be or totally respect where they are, like Dirty Projectors or Grizzly Bear, bands that sound-wise, we’ve been compared to.

What bands did you listen to growing up?
AS: For me, growing up it was a lot of melodic pop. Ben Folds Five and an embarrassingly long phase of Dave Matthews…. But now, in the last few years, it’s been less mainstream stuff—’70s Bowie and Talking Heads. Now I listen to way more older music. How about you [To Michael]?
MT: I wasn’t allowed to listen to music.
AS: That sounds like a more interesting story. [Laughs] —Jared Levy

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Five Questions with…Aziz Ansari

September 14th, 2010

Aziz Ansari came to New York City for college. While attending NYU, he got into stand-up comedy, which eventually led to Human Giant, a sketch-comedy show on MTV, and other acting roles. He’s perhaps best known for playing the lewd Raaaaaaaandy in Funny People (“It was an amalgam of stuff I’d see kill at comedy clubs that I thought was terrible”) and the lovelorn Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. To work on the show, Ansari had to move out to L.A., and once there, he “had to get used to a much higher intake of delicious tacos.” With such success at a young age, it would be easy to rest on his laurels, but that’s clearly not the case: The South Carolina native released his debut CD/DVD, Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, in January; he hosted the 2010 MTV Movie Awards in June; and he comes to The Wellmont Theatre tomorrow. But first, Aziz Ansari answered Five Questions for The House List.

What band/music is your guilty pleasure to listen to?
Weirdly enough, just since this past weekend I’ve been heavily rocking “All That She Wants” by Ace of Base. Then yesterday, I saw they are doing a comeback and they replaced the two ladies with younger girls! That is brutal. Could you imagine being the girls in Ace of Base? Girls: “Yeah! A reunion is a great idea!” Dudes: “Hahahaha! Are you fucking kidding me?! You’re way too old to be in Ace of Base!”

Were you much of a sitcom fan before joining Parks and Rec? And if so, what are some of your favorites?
Definitely. I love(d) Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office (U.K. and U.S.), Extras, Eastbound and Down and Delocated. When I first sat down with Mike Schur and Greg Daniels, the executive producers on Parks, I thought the U.S. Office was the best network sitcom on TV (which they also produced), so signing up to work with them was an easy decision.

Does Nick Offerman ever offer you any facial-hair grooming tips?
Nick Offerman is the nicest, sweetest dude ever. We’re off for the summer and I really miss that dude and his mustache. When we wrapped I wanted him to shave his mustache and sell it for charity, but something happened and he had to shave it off real quick for an acting role and we couldn’t do it. Wait, that makes no sense, I don’t know what role would be like, “Nick, shave that thing NOW!” Anyway, something happened and he couldn’t preserve it.

When you do stand-up, you’re responsible for everything. And on Human Giant, it seems like the four of you did a lot of work. How is it being a supporting player on a TV show considering you don’t have as many responsibilities?
It is a fucking breeze! I come in, pretend to be a parks-department employee for a bit, and the rest of the time I’m watching Dexter in my trailer. I’m only slightly joking. The truth is I’m so lucky to be on a show like Parks where there are so many talented writers, producers and actors that I can just play a small part of a bigger entity. With something like Human Giant, my stand-up or hosting the MTV Movie Awards, a lot of more of it is on my shoulders. With Parks, I really trust our producers to make the show really funny. It’s great having one project where I have less responsibility but can still count on it to be something I’m proud of.

Where do you like to hang out in NYC? And do you ever think about living here again?
I’ve been filming a movie in Michigan this summer and escaping to New York when I can. I really miss living there. Some places I love are Momofuku Ssäm Bar, PDT, Bowery Ballroom (probably my favorite venue in NYC), Luke’s Lobster Roll, Shake Shack, Turntable Lab, Strand Bookstore, Bowery Hotel, Ace Hotel, Union Hall, Other Music, Cones, and Kim’s Music and Video (R.I.P. St. Mark’s location). I know I listed a lot of restaurants, but you have to understand a lot of my New York-trip itineraries are food-centric. I ABSOLUTELY think about moving back. L.A. is great and unfairly demonized, but New York on a nice day beats EVERYWHERE. I’ve thought about coming back and just working on stand-up and movie scripts for a few months, but things always pop up to derail plans of that nature. —R. Zizmor

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Five Questions with…Chris “Critter” Eldridge

June 22nd, 2010
(Photo: C. Taylor Crothers)

Punch Brothers Photo by C. Taylor Crothers

After the breakup of Nickel Creek, mandolin badass Chris Thile gathered some seriously talented musicians, Chris “Critter” Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo) and Gabe Witcher (violin), and formed the progressive-bluegrass outfit Punch Brothers. Their first album, Punch, came out two years ago while their second disc, Antifogmatic, is just a week old, and its accompanying tour brings Punch Brothers—below, playing “This Is the Song (Good Luck),”—to Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow night. Expect original material with some cool covers (think: Radiohead and the Strokes) in the mix. Ahead of this show, Brooklyn resident Critter (pictured, above far right) e-mailed The House List to answer Five Questions.

Which band have you seen play live the most often (excluding bands you’ve toured with)?
It’s hard to say, but when I lived in Nashville I used to always go to the Station Inn to see the Time Jumpers, an old-school Western swing/classic country group. I am convinced that they are one of the greatest bands in the world.

Which bands that you listened to growing up do you still listen to?
Since both of my parents are banjo players, bluegrass is the music that I was surrounded by during my childhood. Probably because of that, I wanted nothing to do with it for years. However, lately I feel that I can learn a lot by hearing how direct really good bluegrass, like Bill Monroe or the Stanley Brothers, can be.

What’s the toughest part of playing New York City?
This city has been one of the world’s epicenters of great art and music for a long time, which can be intimidating. But ultimately it is actually a good thing because it absolutely demands that you dig deep and pull the very best out of yourself. A disproportionate number of best shows that I’ve been a part of have taken place here.

Do you have any crutches when writing a song—are there certain words or styles you feel you lean on too much?
I do have a crutch in that I have four great musical minds that I get to develop musical ideas with. If ever I have an idea that seems worthwhile but I can’t figure out how to proceed, they always have a good solution.

Your after-party is at Hi-Fi, the Avenue A bar known for its endless jukebox, and The House List gives you a buck. Which three songs are you playing?
“Move It on Over” by Hank Williams Sr., “The Curse” by Josh Ritter and, finally, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” by the Band. —R. Zizmor

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