And a Happy Easter to you, too. We’re still getting our legs back from Old Indian’s vinyl release party, though as we gather ourselves, check out this photo from the Weinberg’s Americana Fest last weekend. Big Hoax, ye of Frederick Playlist Presents … fame, kicked the whole shebang off, and we have a picture of it. Obviously. A happy Monday to all and to all a goodnight. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
Rozwell Kid performs at SXSW. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Mullinix. For more of her photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/bucketofrock.
You have to love Rozwell Kid, right? Right. Rising from the ashes of Shepherdstown’s The Demon Beat, the quartet released their “Good Graphics EP” last month and rocked and rolled through SXSW (as Cassandra pointed out a couple weeks ago). They’ll be at MacRock this weekend in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and we recently caught up with them via email about receiving praise from Fuse, how SXSW turned out, and their upcoming tour with Superheaven and Diamond Youth. You can check them out on Facebook and Twitter, if you so desire, and if you have the opportunity to see them play, you really ought to take advantage of it – all signs appear to show that these guys are ready to blast off into a world far bigger than Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. So … enjoy!
First and foremost, how was SXSW this year? Did you guys make any notable contacts or play any notable showcases or have any notable stories you might be kind enough to share? It’s always a madhouse, I know, but overall, how do you think it went?
The more removed with time we are from SXSW, the cooler and cooler it gets in retrospect. We were fortunate enough to play some great showcases (Infinity Cat, Exploding In Sound/Stereogum, Do512, The Midgetmen’s Jumpstart Texas) and we met a lot of really cool people. It’s just a logistical nightmare for bands loading in, parking, etc. I woke up with some extreme anxiety the second day of SXSW, but it all worked out. I mean, thousands of bands do it every year, so it can’t be that difficult (that’s what I was telling myself). In the end, it all went smoothly and we made some great friends. Everyone at Do512 is a rock and roll angel.
Likewise, I see Fuse named you guys one of their 10 favorite discoveries at SXSW. That’s pretty amazing. How did you find out about it and what was your initial reaction?
I was ego-surfing on Google and saw it. I was stoked when I found it. At first I thought it wasn’t actually FUSE-Fuse, you know? Once I realized it was actually the music television channel that used to be Much Music, I floated to the ceiling.
Now, for a little background. How did you guys get together? Where? Why? When? If you could, just give us a brief rundown of the beginnings of Rozwell Kid.
We’ve been together for almost four years. We knew each other from playing in other bands in the West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania area. And we all have similar taste in rock and roll music.
Who were some of your biggest influences and why?
We all love rock and roll music because it pumps us up. I draw a lot of influence from Weezer, Ozma, The Shins, Nofx and Green Day. The Beatles, too. I love melody.
You guys are on Broken World Media. What led to you deciding to partner with that label? How did you guys come together?
Derrick, who runs Broken World, approached us about releasing our first record (“The Rozwell Kid LP”) on cassette. Derrick is from West Virginia originally, so that small sliver of connection was cool, even though it turns out we have a lot of mutual friends. I’d never actually met them before we decided to put out the tape, but everything went well and they introduced us to a scene that was entirely new to us. The reception for the cassette was very positive, so we just kept moving forward with new releases.
Have you guys played MacRock before? If so, what’s your perception of the festival?
Yeah, I played MacRock a few times with my old band, The Demon Beat, and Rozwell Kid played last year. It’s always really, really fun. I like the smaller scale of the festival. All the shows feel very intimate and the energy is palpable throughout Harrisonburg. I love it, actually, and I’m really stoked to be back this year!
What’s your perception of the music scene in and around Frederick – over in West Virginia, and the like?
I live about 45 minutes from Fredrick but I’ve only played there a few times over the years, so I’m not really an expert on the subject. It seems like there are some really great bands starting up in town and I’ve heard shows there can be insane.
Can you give us the names of some bands or artists that you think we might not know about, who we should know about? I’m sure you’ve come across some pretty great acts on the road – who are some of the best of the best?
Goodwolf and Bishops are two great West Virginia bands who are really hitting the road and getting out there. Also, the band Neat from Lafayette, Lousiana. We just played with them and they were siiiiick!
What does 2015 hold for Rozwell Kid?
We are doing a North American tour supporting Superheaven and Diamond Youth from May 15 through June 21. Then, we have a split 7″ with The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die coming out in June. It’s called “Fourteen Minute Mile.” After that, we are going to tour as much as possible and write and record a new record.
And finally, what can we expect from your set at MacRock?
We are going to do our best to perform our original material with a delicate balance of passion and reckless abandon.
Hey, did you know that Macrock was going down this weekend? We know, we know. We’re all ready to go for Old Indian, Time Columns, Heavy Lights and Wish List at The Faux School, too. But let’s say you live in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and you don’t feel like making the drive to Frederick. Well, if that’s the case, you’ll have Rozwell Kid rocking your face off. Thus, this video. We’ll be back in a little bit with a Q&A with the band as they get ready for this weekend’s festival. So much rock. So little Internet.
Well, business has picked up, as the people like to say. There’s oh, so much going on this weekend here in Frederick (and surrounding areas) and there isn’t a single good reason that you should be missing out on any of it. We’ve been showcasing the many different aspects of Americana Fest all week, and it finally comes to fruition tomorrow night as our most recent Frederick Playlist Presents … artist, Big Hoax (above), kicks things off. Another super-neat thing going down is what they have happening at Cafe Nola each night. The official afterparty for the fest Friday and Saturday will feature a handful of great artists including (but not limited to) Christopher Paul Stelling and Katie Powderly. It’s all Americana, all the time. Elsewhere, Freekbass, he of Q&A fame earlier today, is going to be at The Opera House in Shepherdstown, and you certainly wouldn’t want to miss that. The Secondhand Ramblers are pulling double duty, appearing at Isabella’s tonight and then Bushwallers on Saturday. There are two jazz events this evening. Two open mics as well. There’s Sticktime. There’s Drunk Naked Pirates. There’s C-9. There’s Girl On Top Band. There’s Recently Vacated Graves (gotta love that name). And then, of course, Sheep Shifter. Stay safe this weekend, friends. It’s going to be jam packed with great sounds and great times. Don’t be the one to sit home, missing out. Why? Because you’ll regret it. Times a million. Duh. All right, April: Here we come!
THURSDAY
Who: Monocacy Jazz Quartet
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Thursday Jazz Jam
Where: Le Parc Bistro
When: 6:30 p.m.
Who: Bluegrass with Eric Knowles and Friends
Where: Beans In the Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Secondhand Ramblers
Where: Isabella’s Tavern
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: The Blue Sky Bar And Grill
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: Bushwallers
When: Sign-up begins at 9 p.m.; play begins at 10 p.m.
Who: Abysmal Dawn, Enfold Darkness, March To Victory, Hydra Kyll, Awaken The Hive, Recently Vacated Graves, Operation: Death
Where: Cafe 611
When: 7 p.m.
Who: The Dad Horse Experience
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
Who: The Americana Fest Featuring Big Hoax, Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line and The Steel Wheels
Where: The Weinberg Center For The Arts
When: 7:30 p.m.
Who: The Official Americana Fest After-Party Featuring Israel Creek and Christopher Paul Stelling
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Tim Kirkner
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Willie Barry and his Chaperones
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Local Yokel Vocal Band
Where: Milkhouse Farm Brewery
When: 7 p.m.
Who: C-9
Where: The Main Cup
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: Girl On Top Band
Where: Hard Times Cafe
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Tommy Gann Duo
Where: Buwshallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Sticktime
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 10 p.m.
SATURDAY
Who: Tom O’ Donnell
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Sound of Sleat
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Todd C. Walker
Where: Red Shedman Farm Brewery
When: 4 p.m.
Who: Sun Dog Ritual Band
Where: Hard Times Cafe
When: 9 p.m.
Who: The Few
Where: Olde Towne Tavern
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Secondhand Ramblers
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Drunk Naked Pirates
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 10 p.m.
Who: The Americana Fest, Featuring The Hello Strangers, Knox Hamilton and Delta Rae
Where: The Weinberg Center For The Arts
When: 7:30 p.m.
Who: The Official Americana Fest After-Party Featuring Joe’s Truck Stop and Katie Powderly and The Unconditional Lovers
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Backyard Band, ICC
Where: Cafe 611
When: 9 p.m.
Who: DisFunkShun
Where: JoJo’s Tap House
When: 9 p.m.
Who: The Dan McGuire Band
Where: The Cellar Door
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Freekbass
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Moon Tooth, Sheep Shifter, Cheshi, Stone’s Throw
Where: Guido’s Speakeasy
When: 8 p.m.
Tomorrow night — what are you doing? You know. It’s a nice, springtime Friday night. The birds will be chirping. The weather will be the weather. The End Of March will be the End Of March. The Weinberg Center for the Arts will be hosting the Americana Fest through the weekend and Big Hoax is going to be kicking things off at 7:30 p.m.
Luke Alexander, the group’s leader, stopped by the super secret Frederick Playlist offices recently to play a handful of tunes as part of our Frederick Playlist Presents … series. Above, you’ll find his “Cafe On Market Street” and below you’ll find “Over And Over,” which also happened to be the song that the band submitted in the recent NPR Tiny Desk Concert competition. Both, as you can imagine, are fabulous.
If you dig what you hear, you can check Luke and his band out tomorrow night at the Weinberg along with Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line and The Steel Wheels. Saturday brings The Hello Strangers, Knox Hamilton and Delta Rae to town. It’s going to be one hell of a weekend, friends. You surely won’t want to miss it.
Hey, did you check out our Q&A with Americana Fest artists The Hello Strangers? We love those gals. They’ll be taking the Weinberg stage this weekend, and you really ought to get there early to check them out. Delta Rae? They’re the headliners on the same night (Saturday). Thus today’s video. We’ll be back later today with another Frederick Playlist Presents … session featuring yet another Americana Fest artist. So much Americana. So little weekend.
The Hello Strangers will be performing Saturday night as part of the Weinberg Center’s Americana Fest (remember, you can enter to win tickets here). Hailing from just across the border in Pennsylvania, the band had a breakout year in 2014, releasing a self-titled set produced by Steve Ivey, working with Jim Lauderdale, and touring the country. We caught up with them right before their very busy trip to South By Southwest last week and talked about what to expect from their Americana Fest set, what it was like to record in Nashville, and what’s next for the Sisters Chace.
You ladies have had a hell of a year, it seems. Can you talk a little about what you’ve been up to and how well the record has been doing?
2014 was indeed a banner year for us, with the release of the album and subsequent PR and radio promotions, and touring to support it. This is our debut national release, with a great team of promoters behind it, so it’s been a dream come true to see our album and name as fledgling artists start to gain some traction in the industry at large. The album has gained a great response from the press (CMT Edge, Billboard, No Depression) as well as radio, remaining in the top 40 on the Americana chart for 8 weeks, and No. 17 on the Roots Music Report for 2014. Thanks to these successes, we have started to see higher profile gigs coming our way, such as the Bluebird Cafe and Music City Roots (performing onstage with Jim Lauderdale) in Nashville. Now we’re headed down to Austin for nine shows during South By Southwest. We’ve always wanted to build a sustainable music career with this project, and thanks to this album, we are finally seeing a path to that success. It’s been so rewarding.
What was it like to record in Nashville and subsequently get to play with so many amazing musicians in the process?
There is a certain aura and awe around the idea of recording in Nashville. We won a record deal contest through AirPlay Direct in 2012, which teamed us up with producer Steve Ivey at Sound Kitchen Studios in Nashville. We had no idea what to expect and had only talked with Steve over the phone before we went down there for three days in the studio with him. The experience far exceeded our expectations, and was a dream come true. From learning about the other musicians Steve had playing on the album and their vast array of experience in the music industry, to having Jim Lauderdale come in and sing on his (and John Leventhal’s) song, “What You Don’t Know,” it was all so amazing for us starry-eyed sisters. Steve was such an amazing producer, and really pushed us and directed us to do our very best. We consider him a dear friend now. It’s been such a great experience, and has opened up so many doors for us. Coming from a small town and working to see progress with our music for many years, we feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to truly galvanize our music career. It’s definitely been a domino effect, and we hope it continues along that trajectory.
You guys are heading to SXSW this year. Is this your first time? If so, how did you guys get the gig? What are you looking forward to the most in Austin and why?
This will be our second time playing during SXSW. We are playing the same series of gigs we played before through 3rd Coast Music. Those gigs make up a majority of the nine shows we are playing. Thanks to our management team, who work in both radio and PR, and our album’s success on the charts, we also have quite a few radio performances and events that are going on during the week, as well as quite a few networking parties. We have so many more contacts these days than we did the last time we played there in 2011, so we are excited to see that we have progressed in that way since then. We used to live in Austin from 2003-07, so going back is always very special for us. We are excited to catch up with good friends and to have so many great performance and networking opportunities.
For each sister, which is your favorite song on the latest record and why?
Both of us have the same favorite: “What You Don’t Know.” It’s not one of our originals, and there are certainly plenty of other favorites for us, but this is, hands down, our favorite. Having the opportunity to arrange Jim Lauderdale and John Leventhal’s song in our own way was very special for us. Having Jim sing on the recording with us was amazing, and performing it on stage with him at Music City Roots back in January brought everything full circle for us. Additionally, we love Steve Ivey’s production on this song. He truly captured our essence and sound, while still paying homage to the original version that Jim recorded in the early 1990s. We’re very proud of it.
What are some of your career’s favorite, most accomplished memories so far?
Listening to the final cuts of our album with Steve and seeing everything come to fruition through PR and radio promotions were career favorites so far. Also, in terms of live performances, the sold out show we played at the Birchmere in D.C. with the Bumper Jacksons and the Seldom Scene on New Years Eve, and performing with Jim Lauderdale at Music City Roots in January were dreams come true. We hope to continue to have more great opportunities like these.
Who were some of your biggest influences and why?
Neko Case has been one of our biggest influences, as well as Texas balladeers such as Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. The Fabulous Ginn Sisters out of Austin were one of our first inspirations to start a sister band. And dancing in the Austin honky-tonks like The Broken Spoke, and the Austin scene in general, have been very influential on our music and sound.
Through all your travels so far, can you give us some names of some musicians/artists who we might not already know of, who we should keep an eye on?
The Honey Dewdrops, The Bumper Jacksons, Caleb Stine, Arty Hill and the Long Gone Daddy’s, No Good Sister, Drymill Road, Jake Lewis and the Clergy.
What does 2015 hold for The Hello Strangers?
We are already talking about a follow-up album to our 2014 release. But we are certainly only in the preliminary stages of planning. We are also about to release a music video in celebration of Doris Day’s birthday in early April for our version of “Que Sera, Sera,” which we recorded as a tribute to our Grandfather and Doris, who sang together during their tenure with Les Brown’s Big Band back in the 1940s. Also, continued focus on touring and getting our name out there.
And finally, what can we expect from your set at Americana Fest?
We will be performing a brand new song or two, as well as our tried and true repertoire blending darker tales, cheeky humor, and sister harmonies.
Hey, did you see our live stream of “The Voice”‘s Paul Pfau yesterday?! That was pretty fun. You can still watch an archived version of his performance if you just click play, so you ought to check it out. Speaking of video, we’ll have video of Big Hoax up later this week. And speaking of Big Hoax, they will be at the Americana Fest this weekend. And speaking of the Americana Fest this weekend … The Hello Strangers will be there, too! Whew. That was a lot of dots to connect. Remember: There’s still time for you to enter to win free tickets for the event at the Weinberg. There will be so much greatness. You will not want to sit it out.
Hey, did you know that we are giving away some tickets to this weekend’s Americana Festival? We are. All you have to do is sign up. Among the fabulous acts you’ll see are The Steel Wheels, whose video for “Red Wing” you can check out above. We’ll be back throughout the week with some exclusive videos and Q&As with other artists set to appear at the Weinberg Center this weekend. The excitement, of course, is mounting.
Whew. Did you catch our live stream of Big Hoax on Friday? Hopefully. If you didn’t, we’ll have some videos ready to post this week. In the meantime (and in between time), check out the official poster for this year’s Americana Fest. The festivities kick off Friday night with … you guessed it … Big Hoax, at the Weinberg Center. We’ll be giving away some tickets this week, so don’t be afraid to come on back, now, yah hear?
