GET TO KNOW: MAE SIMPSON

Ahead of Mae Simpson’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2019 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday, January 25, we got to ask her a few questions. Read what she had to say below:

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Julia Dunnwald: You’re originally from South Carolina—what brought you to the Twin Cities and/or what attracted you enough to build a life here?
Mae Simpson: I moved to Minneapolis on a weekend whim with my best friend. From that weekend on, I haven’t left. I think it had a lot to do with the opportunity here. To grow not only as an artist, but also as a person. I’m proud to call Minneapolis my home. For the art, culture, and thriving music scene.

JD: When do you find yourself feeling most creative and ready to write? When do you find yourself the opposite, and how do you overcome that?
Mae: I find myself feeling most creative when I’m not thinking about it. It just hits me. A hook, a melody, being overcome with emotion whether it’s due to happiness, heartbreak, or any emotion for that matter. I always know when a song is going the most authentic, because it comes to me with little to no effort. Comparatively, I tend to feel less creative when I am overworking an idea. You can’t force art or genuine emotion. If I stay in one place too long, sometimes it can become difficult to write. I overcome those moments with setting the song to the side for a bit and coming back to it later. If that doesn’t work then it goes in the vault until it FEELS ready to resurface organically.

JD: The Mae Simpson Band is a collective of 7 musicians. That’s quite a large group to have, especially when decisions need to be made. Can you talk about each member’s role, and how the number of contributors influence songs being written/produced?
Mae: Everyone has a role in the band. That being said there are so many things the band members do to make sure we are heading in the same direction. For instance: 
(Me/ Mae) - Band Leader. I have a hand in all things and constantly have something to work on.
Ricardo (percussion) - Website building.
Jorgen (guitar) - Our cool, calm, collective guy. Networks bands and leads our practice schedule.
David (bass) - Sound Engineer.
Paul (bookkeeper). 
Keaton (Saxophone) - Transcribes the music.
Aaron (Website/poster/design).
Bri (friend turned manager) takes the cake for making sure we are all set. She handles a plethora of things that we no longer have to worry about and makes sure we are set up in every way.
With the help of Dani (our booking assistant) and myself, there are so many more things that are being done behind the scenes that take a lot of time and commitment. I am really happy I have a team that really cares about the vision I have. There is a lot of comfort in knowing that. As far as writing goes, I do believe it is a collective endeavor. I encourage the guys to be creative. I often come to them with an idea, an acoustic song, a melody, or lyrics. Sometimes they come to me with a guitar part, or we just decide we are going to make it up on the spot. They write their own parts and add some serious heart and soul. We have this natural instinct of knowing where to take the song. They complement what I am trying to do lyrically and vocally very well.

JD: You are the only woman in said large group. What are some of the challenges you face with this?
Mae: My band mates respect me as a leader, friend, and artist. Momma Mae; you might hear them saying that. I always speak my mind and stand firm for my vision and beliefs, but I also have the same respect and make sure everyone is heard, respected, and treated fairly. That is important to me and I am so thankful to have them with me as supporters, friends, and bandmates. As far as being a woman in the music industry as a whole, I think things are starting to change in the right direction. We—women in the industry, not limited to performers—are taking our music and making it exactly what we want. We are strong and resilient and refuse to back down. It’s really exciting to see as we rise up as artists.

JD: Your band formed around two years ago—where do you hope to see yourselves two years into the future?
Mae: Two years in the future. I don’t think any hope is too big. The Ellen Show?  Bonnaroo? Touring our new EP. Opening up for national artists, being national artists. Waking up each day and my office is the studio, creating what I believe in. I guess my point is in two years I hope we progress more than the year before, and before that. That we stay humble and never stop. And if we do, it’s only to tie our shoes from coming loose, from running head on with our dreams.

Blog by Julia Dunnwald (Marketing Intern)

GET TO KNOW: FruitPunchLoverBoy

Ahead of FruitPunchLoverBoy’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2019 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday, January 25, we got to him a few questions. Read what he had to say below:

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Julia Dunnwald: As someone who has changed their stage name before, can you talk about the importance of an artist’s name and what it really represents for their image?
FruitPunchLoverBoy: I think it’s super important to have a name that you really believe in. I think this name stuck because I changed it at the right time, I had just started to step outside more & started meeting people who not only made the name feel good on me but just brought me up as a person. Some might get thrown off by a name till they hear what’s behind it, forget about the ego and make what makes u excited.

JD: Can you describe what it means to you to be nominated as one of the best new MN artists of 2019?
FPLB: It feels really good, there’s so much amazing talent in this state I look up to everyone. I think it’s important to be thankful for opportunities like this because it means someone felt the music enough to put us in this position. It’s gonna be a really cool way to kick off 2020.

JD: Clearly, 2019 was a big year for you. Have you experienced any “growing pains” with this success? Is there a challenge you’re particularly proud to have overcome?
FPLB: 2019 felt like 3 years hahaha, but not due to any “growing pains.” I think everybody is growing, conquering personal battles as they move forward, but when my friends and I are making music or just hanging out it’s like the battles get paused and we put all of the energy into the space we’re in. I’m just proud I found so many great people to surround myself with. Also, we’ve been making an album I’m proud of that too.

JD: If you were to make music in any other genre, which would you choose and why?
FPLB: I think it would be really fun to dive deep into electronic & house music. I enjoy the bounce.

JD: What is your #1 guilty pleasure song?
FPLB: I don’t really have a guilty pleasure song there’s probably some old songs downloaded on my iTunes from like 2010 that would be embarrassing to play out loud but other than that I’m owning it.

Blog by Julia Dunnwald (Marketing Intern)

GET TO KNOW: UNDER VIOLET

Ahead of Under Violet’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2019 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday, January 25, we got to ask Sara Bischoff a few questions. Read what she had to say below:

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Joely Kelzer: What music inspired you as a kid and made you realize you may want to make music yourself someday?
Sara Bischoff: My mom is a musician so it just made sense to play music as part of everyday life. But songwriting-wise it was Bob Dylan & Ani Difranco, I listened to both a lot as a kid.

JK: You have an ethereal and breathy style, similar to Mazzy star, is there a particular song or album that influenced the sound of this LP?
SB: I do love Mazzy Star. Hope Sandoval sings in such a relaxed and simple way—it’s so comforting. I keep bringing up the lullaby thing when I talk about Under Violet but that’s the main idea. There were many other things that influenced the first album, but that’s my main idea with Under Violet as a project.

JK: Besides Mazzy Star, who or what inspires your music?
SB: I think dreams, relationships, nature, animals & memory inspire it.
The song “Crimson & Clover” and the song “Sweet Jane” and the song “Blues Run the Game”. Also Ted Lucus, Sibylle Baier, Vashti Bunyan, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Joni Mitchell, Jackson C. Frank, Stevie Nicks, Arthur Russell, Neil Young, Invisible Boy, Poliça, Julie Byrne, and The Weather Station. Those are some of my favorite songwriters.
Chris Rose (Vampire Hands/Robust Worlds/Web of Sunsets) had a big influence on my music. My songwriting developed a lot from just being in bands with him and observing his approach to songwriting—lyrics, in particular.

JK: You recently released a full-length, self-titled LP. What as the idea or inspiration behind the album?
SB: I think it was more of a coping mechanism than anything else. Music is a good friend to have. I think a lot of the songs are about loss and loneliness and finding a way to comfort yourself when you’re feeling that way.

JK: Being from Minnesota, what is your favorite show you have seen in the First Avenue Mainroom?
SB: Poliça and The Cactus Blossoms are tied.

Blog by Joely Kelzer (Marketing Intern)

GET TO KNOW: LOKI’S FOLLY

Ahead of Loki Folly’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2019 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday, January 25, we got to ask Annie (guitar, vocals) and Nissa (drums, vocals) a few questions. Read what they had to say below:

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Joely Kelzer: Your bio mentions Lord of the Rings a couple of times, what is the significance of Lord of the Rings to you?
Loki’s Folly: We actually wrote this bio under the influences of sleep deprivation soon before our first show at First Avenue. However, Lord of The Rings does mean a lot to us as we have been watching it forever and we feel really connected to it.

JK: How did you meet each other? How did you decide to start collaborating on music?
LF: Nissa was born on April 3rd, and Annie went to the hospital to meet her baby sister. That is when we met and we’ve been best friends ever since. We both really like music and like sharing it together as sisters which makes it really fun to collaborate and feel like it’s not work. So I guess we decided to collaborate because it was more fun to play together than separately.

JK: Do you have a clear or specific memory related to falling in love with music, and knowing that it is something you would want to pursue yourself?
LF: Nissa can’t remember a time when she wasn’t hitting everything with sticks, even when she got in trouble for it. She was always going to play drums but never thought it would be in front of people. It took Annie a really long time to work up the nerve to play in front of people but as soon as she did, she felt like she found her home.

JK: What was the inspiration behind your breakout single, “The Love Song”?
LF: It is an emotional release in response to not being allowed or knowing how to confront a mean person who won’t leave you alone. We like to use our music for catharsis and support.

Blog by Joely Kelzer (Marketing Intern)

GET TO KNOW: NUR-D

Ahead of Nur-D’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2019 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday, January 25, we got to him a few questions. Read what he had to say below:

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AQ Mohamud: Growing around Minneapolis, how does the city influence your music?
Nur-D: The city influences my music by its very nature. Sometimes, depending on the day or the street you can be in a different atmosphere which allows for different types of musical influences. Also, real talk, the fact that we have such extreme weather on either side of the spectrum will influence stuff. We get that deep, introspective, stuck inside in a blizzard type music and also that hot, party out on the lake, dance-type music too. Then you take how both hip-hop, Americana folk, and Rock & Roll have such interconnected roots here. It just leads to a different writing style that most other places don’t really have I think.

AQ: You’ve mentioned how you want to dismantle toxic masculinity through your music, what is the process to that?
Nur-D: Well if I could give you the foolproof 100 step plan to effectively dismantle toxic masculinity I would be a very rich dude! While I know the concept is pretty massive in scope for the purpose of this or any one interview I think a good way to start is for more male-identifying people to express their feelings of longing. I know that might sound weird but the fact that men have a need to be desired and want to be wanted is so often seen as weakness. The ability to embrace that part of yourself that wants to be seen, held, desired, cared for is not something that every man feels the safety to explore. So often because of that, they lash out in ways that are destructive for everyone in a society so often run by males. If my music can show that being vulnerable in your skin, being gentle, being teachable, and expressing complex emotion is ALSO a “manly” quality I think that helps us move in the right direction.

AQ: Favorite Netflix Original Show?
Nur-D: Oh dang you’re killing me with this one! There are so many good ones. I would say that it’s probably a good 3-way tie for me with Bojack Horseman, Big Mouth, and Black Mirror.

AQ: You love comic books and other stuff that use to be considered “nerdy.” How do you go about showing through your music that that genre is not nerdy at all, but fun and amazing?
Nur-D: See I think that comics, manga, D&D, all that stuff is still profoundly nerdy. I don’t think my music does anything to change the fact those are pretty nerdy things. But I would like to think that my music shows that’s totally awesome! You can be nerdy AND fun AND geeky AND sexy AND weird. Being odd is mainstream now. So I think it’s time to let our freak flag fly a little higher—plus it allows for people to see that you don’t have to be huddled in a dark basement to enjoy these things. You can be a nerd on a stage in front of a thousand people and it’s great.

AQ: Who deserved NBA Kia MVP in 2017? Russ or Harden?
Nur-D: Harden. The states are pretty clear that, overall, he was doing the most. The spots where Russ overtook him weren’t by so much that he should have lost out to him. But Russ is a great player and I can see how he took home the gold.

AQ: Here in Minneapolis, is it safe to say that at your live shows the majority of the audience is white? Assuming yes, how does that make you feel? 
Nur-D: I can say that the audience of shows that I book myself often look different then shows I find myself being booked on. 
As far as how I feel about shows where the audience is mostly white…most of my time in school was in Rosemount, MN a majority white town, in a majority white school district, with majority white classmates. Every theater, choir, football game, etc. was filled with a majority of white people paying to be entertained. It’s nothing new for me when I look to see a majority of white faces in a crowd. 
I could probably go on for a long time about all the different factors that make this happen. But to focus on one of the positives I can genuinely say that I am so happy that my music can bring peoples from multiple cultures together under the umbrella of shared interests and fun tunes.
When I look out and see all types of people woven together I kinda feel like I am doing my part to break down the barriers that so often keep us from growing as a society.

Blog by AQ Mohamud (Marketing Intern)

GET TO KNOW: GREEN/BLUE

Ahead of Green/Blue’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2019 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday, January 25, we got to ask guitarist Annie Sparrows a few questions. Read what Annie had to say below:

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Olivia Riggins: After being involved with other successful projects around the area, how did you decide to meet up and form Green/Blue?
Annie Sparrows: Jim was dropping some art off for me last year when we got to talking and I found out he had been writing and recording a bunch of new songs (playing and singing all the parts himself) at his house. I asked if I could hear some of it, and loved every song. I had some ideas to add here and there and we started playing guitars together in Jim’s basement. Hideo and Jim had been talking about being in a band together for a while too so Hideo came in on bass and Danny, who I’ve been playing with since 2002 was a perfect fit for drums. Those songs that Jim had recorded will come out on the first Green/Blue LP in March, and since then we’ve been writing, recording, and playing shows pretty much nonstop.

OR: How is Green/Blue’s sound different from your previous work?
AS: It’s more melodic and artful than most of the projects we’ve been a part of in the past. The hooks and songwriting take a front seat while still being really danceable and sounding slightly dangerous.

OR: I’ve heard Green/Blue described as “the Belle and Sebastian of psych-rock”—do you feel like that’s accurate, or how would you describe your sound? AS: That’s something our friend said to us at one of our first shows - he also asked if we had “singing practice” haha - and it was all kind of a joke that we thought was clever.  It’s sort of accurate in that the songs are more than just a sound or “music” - they have a tendency to evoke emotion from the people who hear them more so than a lot of other tunes that would fall under an “alternative” or “garage” banner. I think Belle and Sebastian does that - but I think we are offering something just a little edgier, that’s its own thing.

OR: I’ve read that an album may be in the works. What themes or messages are you interested in exploring in future releases?
AS: The first Green/Blue album comes out on Slovenly Recordings in March - our record release show is in the 7th St Entry (more info TBD) with one of our favorite punk bands from here called I.V., and a new band called Snake Whips that you will surely be hearing a lot about this summer as they start playing live shows.

OR: What’s the next step for Green/Blue as a band?
AS: We have some shows both in and out of town brewing this spring and summer, and we’ll keep working on writing and recording.

OR: What are you looking forward to in 2020?
AS: Seeing how the band will continue to evolve!

Blog by Olivia Riggins (Marketing Intern)

GET TO KNOW: MUUN BATO

Ahead of Muun Bato’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2019 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday, January 25, we got to ask guitarist/vocalist Joe Werner a few questions. Read what he had to say below:

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Olivia Riggins: Your first album came out this October—what inspired that album, and what was the experience like releasing your debut?
Joe Werner: The first album was inspired by so many different things. Mostly by bands like Broadcast, Stereolab, Pink Floyd, and Connan Mockasin, to name a few. But mostly I was just trying to write a body of work that you couldn’t just pigeon hole into one category, or sound. I wanted a colorful, and eclectic collection of songs. One criticism that I have of a lot of new “psych-rock”, is that so many bands have only one kind of song, and they repeat that formula ad nauseam on their records, and it makes for a very one-dimensional listening experience.

OR: You all came from various projects/local bands (Driftwood Pyre, First Communion Afterparty, Bridge Club, Flavor Crystals) before beginning Muun Bato. How do your experiences in the local music scene and your experiences in these other bands influence Muun Bato’s sound?
JW: I would say my experience in the local music scene didn’t have much to do with the sound of Muun Bato. I didn’t want it to sound like anything else I had been in before, it has an overall way more mellow sound than a lot of other projects I’ve been in. But I guess a little bleed-through of the past is inevitable. And the other members all bring their own influences, and nuisances with them, which definitely has an obvious outcome on the sound. 

OR: The album art/design and t-shirts for Muun Bato have a fun correlation to the sound you have as a band. Does someone in the band do the design work for Muun Bato?
JW: The person who does all the design work is a really old friend of mine, Sheraton Green of Charles S Anderson Design. We’ve known each other for about 20yrs, and he just gets the aesthetic we’re going for. He has the ability to interpret the sound visually, in the most amazing way. A true master of his craft.

OR: What’s your favorite song to perform live?
JW: “Planet of the Children” is our favorite song to perform I think. It’s the last song on the album, and it’s the last song in our set too. It’s an apocalyptic epic, with operatic highs, and lows, and also seems to be a crowd favorite.

OR: What comes next for you all as a band?
JW: We are playing Off the Record on Radio K on Friday, January 17th, along with a number of local shows TBA soon, and a west coast tour this spring. Also, we’ve begun recording our second album, which I have written about %90 of already. 

OR: What’s your favorite artist/album of the past year?
JW: Vanishing Twin!!! They’re a fantastic band from the UK. Very avant-garde, art-rock stuff. Their newest album “Age of Immunology” is absolutely stellar.

Blog by Olivia Riggins (Marketing Intern)

Get To Know: Briston Maroney

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After spending a childhood and adolescence shuffling through Tennessee and Florida, and soaking in the sounds, 21-year-old Briston Maroney has now settled in Nashville developing a style grounded in the scrappy, authentic sounds of the city’s DIY house parties. Having won over Nashville fans and fans across the country, Briston Maroney is ready to win you over on November 18 here in the 7th St Entry. We had the pleasure of speaking with Briston Maroney to get to know him a little before the show! 

Joely: You just released a two-song EP last week, what was your inspiration for these songs?
Briston: The first track was written a year ago and the second was written the day we recorded it! These songs were inspired by the label asking us to record an EP :) they have now become an awesome snapshot of where I was emotionally at that period of time in life!


Joely: You recently toured with Wallows, what’s a favorite memory you have from that tour?
Briston: The first show of that tour was insane! It was our first European show ever, and one of the most full rooms I have ever been able to play in. The show was fantastic and we got to stand by the merch table and sign some kids shoes after the set, it was an honor!


Joely: Do you have a clear or specific memory related to falling in love with music, and knowing that it is something you would want to pursue yourself?
Briston: My earliest memory of falling in love with music was either finding a CD copy of “White Album” in my dad’s cd collection or hearing Ben Folds Five open up for John Mayer on the “Continuum” tour! Both of these experiences pushed me to want to make my own music for me!


Joely: Being from Florida and Tennessee, and now living in Nashville, how has your music been inspired by these different locations?
Briston: All of these places were full of different memories and cast of important people in my life, and those memories and people shape the sounds I hear and songs I write immensely! 


Joely: This is your first time playing at First Avenue, what are you most excited to do or see during your time in Minneapolis?
Briston: I don’t know much about Minneapolis at all, but I know it’s very cold. I hope to run into some arctic wildlife like a polar bear or something. That would be really special for me. 


A special thanks for Briston Maroney for taking the time for this, and make sure to check out the new EP, as well as the show at 7th St Entry this upcoming weekend!

Blog by Joely Kelzer (Marketing Intern)

Reblog to win tickets for you (+ and three friends!) for Indigo Crew presents In Motion with DJ Michel.Be, DJ Lady Em, queenDuin, and TaliaKnight at the Fine Line this Friday, January 11.

🎧 Listen here for a preview of the beats that will be S L A P P I N G ✨

We are a movement, We are an atmosphere, We are INDIGO. We invite you to move your body and vibe with us. Spinning indigo vibes of house, electronica, reggaeton, old school funk&soul, Latin trap, 80s, hip hop, cumbia, rap, , reggae, dancehall. DJ Michel.Be, DJ Lady Em, TaliaKnight, queenDuin

More show info here. 

Source: Spotify

Get To Know: Static Panic

Ahead of Static Panic’s performance at First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2018 in the First Avenue Mainroom on Friday, January 4, we got to ask Ro, Eli, and Keston a few questions. Read what they had to say below:

Sophie Stephens: Your EP Chrome gives an honest look into self-discovery and sexuality. Would you say that this theme is influenced by the political atmosphere of today?
Ro: It’s certainly hard to ignore, the current political climate. However, I think that a lot of my inspiration at the moment comes from an introspective place, as I learn and grow, make mistakes, get messy… it’s all in good fun.
Eli: No, music is a means by which we study and express ourselves as honestly as possible. Our expression of sexuality and self-discovery is simply an honest look at our collective experience. While the current political atmosphere hasn’t prompted this theme, it has made it more relevant.
Keston: We are influenced by our lives. The challenges we face in this world as individuals. We don’t try to strike controversy, we just try to be our true selves. it just so happens that what we embody and what we find to true ourselves, and the communities which we associate ourselves with, are tangled in political strife.

Sophie Stephens: How do you know when a song is finished?
Ro: Never feels like it is, honestly. You chisel away at each song like it’s your Magnum Opus, and you pray that it lands the way it looks in your head; on stage and at home. It’s a good feeling to be excited about our own body of work, and share my emotions with people willing to listen, with a strong backbeat. When I feel I can accomplish that in a four-minute song, it’s done. 
Eli: My natural inclination is to keep adding more to a song and fill as much space as possible. Recently, we’ve been taking a slightly more minimalistic approach and focusing on the use of empty space. Our songs are never truly finished. They’re constantly changing and evolving as we continue to play them.
Keston: If I feel like I’ve said what I needed to say, I’ll stop trying to add and focus more on what I need to “fill” when it comes to instrumentals. However, the life of these songs goes as long as we play them. They will forever be in a flux and change as long as we keep them in the live shows. 

Sophie Stephens: In the past, you have played in the 7th St Entry and the Fine Line. How is the group feeling about hitting the Mainroom stage?
Ro: It’s a powerful feeling. There’s so much energy and history to that room, and the folx at First Ave really know how to put on a show. It’s such a dream, seeing artists you feel connected to, there…being able to say you’ve experienced that stage on both sides of the guardrail is a lifetime achievement.
Eli:  We’re beyond excited to be playing the Mainroom. After years of watching our favorite musicians perform there, following in their footsteps is surreal.
Keston: We’ve played 7th street entry countless times, as a group and as individuals. Mainstage is lit. we gon’ f*** it up.

Sophie Stephens: What do you admire most about the other bands that will be a part of the Best of New Bands showcase?
Ro: I’ve realized recently that each and every one of the bands in the showcase are bands that I heard about from either similar bills, or from friends as local acts to check out. It’s so cool and inspiring to see other groups making moves at a similar pace and trajectory, knowing how much work goes into it, respect for sticking with it. Keep up the hard work, y’all, we got this.
Eli: I admire their dedication. All of these bands have put in really hard work over the last year to get here.
Keston: These bands are the real deal. They well represent a level playing field for the future of music.

Blog by Sophie Stephens (Marketing Intern)

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