New Blog

I'm retiring this blog name, and moving to my new blog, The Static Boom.

I'll be posting about music (of course), art, fashion, news, Chicago and more! Expect reviews, interviews, research, gossip and my opinion on random things. I hope you'll check it out!

Thanks,
Tracy :)

New Arcade Fire!

I am SO excited by this news. Apparently, on June 1 (11 days from today) there will be new Arcade Fire music available. We all knew the new tunes were on their way, since the band's slated to be at Lollapalooza this year, we just weren't certain when. Well, now details are emerging that look like we'll be able to hear the first new track June 1, and up to 38 more by July! According to Consequence of Sound, 38 tracks were mixed, meaning we may very well hear enough new Arcade Fire music soon to make up for the 2+ years gap since Neon Bible.

FABulous news. :)

New Black Keys Video

I was definitely excited to hear the new Black Keys music with Danger Mouse involved, and I loved "Tighten Up" when I first heard it. It's only grown on me since. It's the kind of song that I want playing on my iPod while I'm walking in some fierce black heels. So, I was surprised to see a video that wasn't dimly lit, slightly drunk and noticeably sexy (as I had hoped). Instead, humor prevailed, with a multi-generational focus on getting the girl, complete with toy trucks, blood, and half-eaten donuts.

The Black Keys "Tighten Up"

The Black Keys | MySpace Music Videos

Chicago's Reckless Records on Broadway

For all you music lovers outside of Chicago, you've likely heard of Reckless Records but maybe haven't had the chance to visit (yet). Well, this post is most especially for you! :)

There are many great record stores in Chicago, and three of my favorites are definitely the Reckless Record stores. I live really close to the one on Broadway, so I'm in there most often, but I visit the Wicker Park location pretty regularly too.

The Reckless stores are great because the staff is incredibly nice, the selection of new and used CDs seems endless (especially because if they have the item you're looking for at another location, they'll bring it over for you!), and there's WAY more than fabulous music. Especially at the Broadway location, there's ample selection of great movies (VHS and DVD), records, CDs, cassettes, t-shirts, magazines and more. Plus, posters for the latest and greatest local shows always line the entrance.

Within the last year they moved into this location from a much smaller store across the street, and this allowed for an increased supply of goods and space for live shows. So, Chicagoans and non-Chicagoans alike, head to Reckless next time you're nearby, and then maybe to Wilde's for an AMAZING buffalo chicken sandwich and Intelligentsia for an AMAZING cup of coffee... which is pretty much my perfect day. :)

New Francis and the Lights Album

New York

Francis and the Lights first caught my attention on a mixtape from a friend, and I posted his song "LIME" back in February '09. Just recently he started streaming his newest album, It'll Be Better, and it's fabulous. There's a strange, comfortable, uniqueness in his music that will stick with you. It's the smartest dance-pop music I've heard in a long time, and I'm happy to spread the word if you're unfamiliar. Enjoy a listen to the new album below. :)

New Wolf Parade Tunes!

I've posted my love for Wolf Parade's "You are a Runner, but I am my Father's Son" and "Call it a Ritual," so I was pretty excited to see some new tracks from their upcoming album Expo 86 posted today. Definitely a fan on first listen, and I have the intention of playing through them a few more times yet today. Have a listen yourself below.

Montreal, Canada

Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressurebypitchfork
Wolf Parade - What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way)bypitchfork

props to We All Want Someone To Shout For via Pitchfork

Semi Precious Weapons, Verona Red, Nico Vega and The Flavor Savors ROCKED Chicago this Weekend

I had an amazing weekend.

Friday night I went to see my beloved Semi Precious Weapons at Subterranean. This was my fourth time seeing them in Chicago, and fifth overall. LOVE them. I don't think blogger allows a large and bold enough font to accurately express my positive feelings towards them. Their live show sucker punches everyone else's live show in the face and makes all the other live shows cry. It's full of the most beautiful rock and roll you'll ever see. They're currently on tour with Lady Gaga, which is great for them and ironic since Gaga used to open for them back in the day, so they're leaving the country again for a few months. BUT, next time they're in Chicago and playing a smaller venue (so NOT Chicago Theater w/Gaga), do yourself a favor and check out their show. You'll want to be up front and center for this one, so get there early and wear something fabulous. Below are some clips from their show.
Opening for SPW was LA's Nico Vega. Every once in a while I see a band I'm not familiar with and they blow me away. Ha Ha Tonka did it. Passion Pit did it. Nico Vega did it. They have a live show worthy of opening for SPW, which is a feat in itself that most can't conquer, and I can certainly call myself a fan. After rocking my socks off a few songs in a row, I decided to snap a clip for your viewing pleasure. Check it out below.

Saturday night was Chicago's Verona Red's turn to rock my socks off. They did, and they did it well. I am constantly impressed with their ability to play really great rock and roll with such vigor that people dance, instruments break, and good times are inevitable. Of all the Chicago bands I've seen, they have the best live rock show hands down. They're playing again in Chicago at Subterranean on May 14 with Hurricane Bells from NY and King Sparrow from Chicago, so if you have the desire to be rocked, check them out then. Below is a video of them starting the show with "In the Coat Check."
Model Stranger and The Flavor Savors also played Saturday. Mad props to Model Stranger for such an amazing album release show. "Dreams and Bones" sounded great live, and I'm looking forward to the next show. Also, The Flavor Savors were a blast. I captured a bit of their show below.

MGMT Rocks SNL with "Brian Eno"

While I was rocking out to Verona Red on Saturday night at Cubby Bear, MGMT was busy rocking out at SNL. Thanks to the interweb, I'm able to enjoy and share their performance today. Within my first few listens through MGMT's newest album, Congratulations, "Brian Eno" was one of the songs that caught my attention. I was happy to see it was one of the songs they performed. Check it out on SNL below or with the rest of the album HERE.

New LCD Soundsystem Album Streaming

LCD Soundsystem has a new, and likely final, album called This is my Happening being released on May 17 (EU) and May 18 (US). Apparently, LCD threw a secret show in NY a few days ago where he gave out this new album and asked the crowd not to leak it before the official release. I think there were a few hours before it was found online, so LCD Soundsystem decided to pull an MGMT and stream it themselves (only MGMT's player allows you to select the song you want to hear, where LCD's player starts on song one and plays through, with only play and pause controls available).

As soon as I saw it available yesterday on twitter I did two things: I retweeted it, and I listened. I actually listened for several consecutive hours, and determined myself to be a fan of the new album. It seemed to me that the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. I definitely feel like the whole album as a single piece of artwork has an identifiable sound. Listen for yourself HERE, and then check out all of LCD Soundsystem's upcoming shows, including at Chicago's Metro and Pitchfork.

NY's The Beat Hounds Make Good Rock 'n' Roll

I grew up engulfed in classic rock, and I think The Beat Hounds wrote some really great music that could easily slip into a classic rock station's playlist and no one would complain. The music was written by front-man Matt Lenny during a four-month recovery from a car crash suffered while on tour with Chicago's Oh My God. Props to you, Matt, for making some delicious rock and roll out of a shitty situation.

The Beat Hounds are playing Chicago on May 1 at Quenchers, and I highly suggest you visit their MySpace HERE and check them out.

Disney's Jungle VIPs Make an Appearance in this Remix

The whole video is interesting, fo sho, but I LOVE the Jungle Book cameo.

props to Slice Magazine and Mar's Farce and Melancholy

Spoon and Passion Pit, LIVE

Last Thursday and Friday I attended Spoon and Passion Pit's Chicago shows, and they were each fabulous to varying degrees. I didn't take pictures at Passion Pit, but the pictures and videos I grabbed at Spoon are below.

SPOON was amazing. I first saw them at P4K 2008 and had really only ever heard "I Turn My Camera On." Having said that, I was incredibly impressed and turned on by their awesomeness. I vowed to listen to more Spoon, and I'm happy to say that I followed through on that promise.

On Thursday's show at the Aragon, I was so excited to see them up close and indoors. When Britt Daniel came out on stage with his guitar, you could clearly see his excitement too. But after a few songs it became obvious that they were a bit "off." It didn't seem like they were drunk, so I was beginning to get confused, but then Britt first addressed the sound. Apparently, the monitors sucked, and Spoon couldn't hear themselves, despite me hearing them just fine. I saw the band go from confusion, to frustration, to anger, to frustration, to anger, to frustration, etc. Britt spent half the night playing to the floor, ear pressed to the monitor, while Rob kept facing Jim on drums, apparently unable to hear the tempo otherwise.

While Britt still showed bursts of the excitement he had when he first came on stage, those moments were sporadically placed between his blatant disappointment and missed entrances. It's not like they were HORRIBLE - I could still see what incredibly talented musicians they are - but it didn't make my "best live shows" list. Britt felt bad, and kept thanking us for not leaving and for clapping.

(above: Britt and Aragon's sound guy, checking out the monitors mid-song)

PASSION PIT has only gotten better since when I first saw them in January 2009 at Schubas. They're more polished, bigger, louder, and more creative. Besides the fact that I was surrounded by drunk, sweaty 12 year olds, it was an awesome dance party similar to Lollapalooza's last summer. While I can appreciate burning some calories to great live music in a crowd of enthusiasts, and while I'm certainly happy Passion Pit is able to pay their bills, I definitely loved their Schubas show way more. That show had just as much dancing, only it had less annoying chaches and more sophisticated hand-clapping.

Some Upcoming Music to be Excited About

So, this time the lovely folks at Pitchfork put together a list of Spring releases, and I captured some of my favorites below. Click HERE to see the full list.

4/6
Doves: The Places Between: The Best of Doves
Dr. Dog: Shame, Shame

4/13
Arctic Monkeys: My Propeller 10"
Four Tet: Sing 12"
Freelance Whales: Weathervanes
MGMT: Congratulations

4/17 - RECORD STORE DAY
Beach House: Zebra 12"
Bloc Party: Silent Alarm
Bon Iver/Peter Gabriel: Split 7"
Bright Eyes: Fevers and Mirrors
CocoRosie: "Lemonade" b/w "Surfer Girl"
Crystal Castles: "Doe Deer" 12"
Deerhoof: Apple O'
Deerhoof: Green Cosmos
Modest Mouse: The Moon and Antarctica
The Mountain Goats: The Life of the World to Come
Pavement: Quarantine the Past
Simian Mobile Disco: Attack Decay Sustain Release
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4/20
The Apples in Stereo: Travellers in Time and SpacePlants and Animals: La La Land

4/26
The Dead Weather: "Die by the Drop"

4/27
Frightened Rabbit: Nothing Like You 7"

5/4
Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record
The Hold Steady: Heaven Is Whenever
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: I Learned the Hard Way

5/11
CocoRosie: Grey Oceans
The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards
Sleigh Bells: Treats

5/18
The Black Keys: BrothersThe Depreciation Guild: Spirit Youth
LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening

6/8
The Chemical Brothers: Further
Deer Tick: The Black Dirt Sessions
Delorean: Subiza
Here We Go Magic: PigeonsNada Surf: If I Had a Hi-Fi
Rooney: Eureka
Sia: We Are Born
Tokyo Police Club: Champ

3/25 @ Empty Bottle = Zoos of Berlin are Officially Great

When I first listened to Zoos of Berlin I liked them. As they started making regular appearances on my shuffled playlists, I discovered I really liked them. In preparation for yesterday's show, I played through Taxis many times and I realized I loved them. So, heading into yesterday's show I had high expectations based on the recorded material, and I was slightly worried that their live show might not be as impressive as the album. I've now seen them live, and can say that I am a believer. These guys are incredibly talented and have a very cohesive and polished live sound. I definitely believe Zoos of Berlin is going places, and I certainly encourage you to check them out. Head HERE for their MySpace, or to any of these shows if you can:

Zoos of Berlin

(the head bang)

Q&A with Detroit's Zoos of Berlin, Creators of Good Music

I first heard about Zoos of Berlin from Zoos of Berlin. Keyboardist Will Yates emailed me through this blog with some music on their newest release, Taxis. I was typically behind and it took me a while to play it through, but I'm really glad I did! Their music is very upbeat and slightly chaotic in structure (which is nice for my A.D.D.) and the rounded, laid-back vocals pull everything together just perfectly. It's a polished and sophisticated sound, and I am a fan. Head to their MySpace page HERE to check them out.

Have a read below to learn more about their DIY production and release methods, childhood influences, their take on today's music industry, some of their favorite bands in Detroit, and more.

This classy, lounge-pop act is heading to the Empty Bottle on Thursday, March 25. Hopefully I will see you there!

Music Per Diem: Zoos of Berlin have a uniquely familiar sound. There's no one direction I could point someone when trying to describe your music; however, I believe mentioning the likes of Bowie, Jens Lekman, Sufjan Stevens and Of Montreal should give someone a relatively close place to start. It's a big-band, lounge-pop sound that feels like receiving a long hug in the warm sun while slightly intoxicated. In an interview with Motor City Rocks, keyboardist Will Yates mentioned that ZOB tries to keep the sound "weird and fresh without getting too far away from being a pop band." Who did you all listen to growing up that likely influenced today's ZOB sound? I love that there's a trumpet in your songs, how did that instrument get involved? I hear you're writing new music, how different is the sound you're making now from Taxis?

COLLIN: (drums) I grew up on the classic and prog rock of the 60s, 70s and 80s since I had a mother who was quite young when she had me and loved to listen to rock and roll loud and dance around. Stuff like Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Beatles, Elton John, The Who, Bowie. Then when I got older I got into crazy metal bands like Slayer and hardcore punk like the Dead Kennedys and Bad Brains. But over the last twenty years my tastes have evolved from working on many records with a diverse range of artists, including Carl Craig, Denaun Porter and Erase Errata.

DANIEL: (vocals, bass) My taste in music was formed by listening to my father's record collection, which ranged from the familiar to the obscure. As a kid I listened most to the Beatles and classical recordings. The decision to start making my own music was made chiefly under the influence of Guided by Voices, however much my methods now differ from Robert Pollard's. His example showed me where to start.

TREVOR: (vocals, guitar) My father used to sing me to sleep by playing Cat Stevens songs on an acoustic guitar. My parents had a record collection stacked tightly on a low shelf and I remember having access to Mason Williams, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, the 2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack. TV music was a big influence as well. My father loved PBS and science fiction and I'd get a thrill from the intro to "Doctor Who." I think it's still one of my all-time favorite pieces of music. "Magic Shadows" was another one. (Along with the music, the artwork in the intro was visually influential for me.)

WILL: (keyboards) I grew up playing classical piano. As a young child I absolutely loved (still do) Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet, and then later on I got heavily into playing Debussy on the piano. I got into rock listening to the radio in middle school, and I fell head over heels in love with Smashing Pumpkins' "Siamese Dream" album, and then Radiohead's "OK Computer". Some other major influences for me were the pop-rock of Sloan, Elliott Smith and Ben Folds Five, and some abstract electronic stuff like Autechre and Plastikman.

DANIEL: I might hazard the guess that our new material will be somewhat sparser and darker, but it's hard to say how it will all turn out. We spent many years tightening our playing before we recorded "Taxis." Our new studio allows us to be more spontaneous, and I think the songs will sound much fresher, more cohesive. We won't be covering the same ground again.

TREVOR: The new record... there's a feeling of confidence and joy that's going into the music.

MPD: I really admire the effort put into self-recording and releasing your album, Taxis. The album sounds amazing, and the promotional support has certainly captured people’s attention. It obviously helps having a recording engineer in the band, drummer Collin Dupuis, but I’d like to understand more of how the self-recording process went. Did Collin manage all the recording process, or did other members contribute specific skills? What were the band’s priorities in terms of sound quality? I read in a previous interview with Real Detroit Weekly that some of these songs originated six years ago – how much did the songs change from creation to recording? How much are you able to replicate your recorded sound in your live performances?

COLLIN: Yes, I did most of the engineering. Since I have been making records professionally for a while, it made sense to delegate the engineering stuff to me. Plus we used all of my equipment so I know it better than anyone. Sound quality is always important to us but not to the point where it gets in the way of experimentation. I do like lo-fi sounds used in the middle of really good sounding recordings. I love distortion but blended in so that it is not completely obvious that you are listening to a distorted sound.

DAN: Collin deserves much of the credit for the recordings, but we're all detail-oriented, perfectionist types with a surplus of opinions - finding a way to incorporate the input of every member has sometimes slowed us down, but that has always been the aim of the band. With "Taxis," we strove for a sound that was both polished and natural, but the performances were those we'd spent years honing in concert. With our new record, we may find ourselves learning to play songs after having written and recorded them.

MPD: I understand that Zoos of Berlin also took a DIY strategy to releasing the music. As someone who sends and receives a good deal of press releases and music samples, I can understand the amount of work sometimes required to get attention. In an interview with Motor City Rocks, Will mentions he actually enjoys the work involved in releasing and promoting the music. What types of things do Will and the band do themselves to spread the music? Are there any aspects of the release process you outsourced? Your efforts successfully attracted the attention of Pitchfork and Brooklyn Vegan, what promotion would you consider the most influential to date? Your upcoming Chicago show is part of tour covering 18 cities, was the tour logistics handled in-house by Zoos of Berlin too? Lastly, you released a music video for “Black in the Sun Room,” what role did the band play in the concept and visual creation?

WILL: I started working on promoting this band a couple years ago, when we released our first EP. I had never tried doing promo before, but I've been really enjoying it. I started just with our Detroit networks, talking to musicians we knew and writers who had covered them, and I've built up my Rolodex from there. We've done almost everything ourselves, but we did use the promo company AAM for mailing "Taxis" CDs out to college radio, just to get our foot in some doors. They mailed the CDs, and I did all the follow-ups.

Our upcoming tour is with another Detroit band called Child Bite. Shawn from Child Bite and I put together this tour for the most part, but Shawn gets most of the credit.

For the "Black in the Sun Room" video, Trevor (our de facto art director) found a video director (Chicago-based Adam Lonczynski) he liked whose style meshes well with ours, and we let Adam take it from there.

MPD: Something I love hearing from artists is their opinion on how to best release new music in today’s environment. There are so many variables to consider, and I don’t think we’ve discovered the hands-down best strategy yet. What are your thoughts on releasing music for free, versus for a price? As a physical CD or digital format? Should music be released in a full-length, EP or single format? On a label or independently distributed? Personally, I believe in general that releasing free content regularly is one of the best things an artist can do – whether it be blog posts, video diaries, pictures, tweets or new music. As an artist, where do you see the industry heading?

TREVOR: Art, on the internet, is like sand. It slips so easily through the hands of those that try to control it. It's an infinite place and there are always people who will find a way to be smarter and faster than the corporations/controllers... they'll get what they want for free and with no hassle. There's a beauty to that kind of freedom and access. On the other hand, I am a major fan of album art and I am concerned that it could go away. I need that physical object. But ultimately, I just want people to hear everything without a limit or a price tag. Truthfully, I was really happy to see "Taxis" leak on Rapidshare and Megaupload.

WILL: There's no question that to be a musician these days you've got to be OK with giving your music away for free. It's not the 90s anymore. On the other hand, we do actually see sales on online services like iTunes, despite the fact that you could find our album for free somewhere if you tried hard enough, so that's heartening.

Now that cassettes have become cool again I think it's only a matter of time before the CD gets an ironic revival, haha. But seriously, we have CDs because people still buy them, and they seem to still be the standard when it comes to doing promo. Personally I still buy CDs because the quality is still better than your average download.

I think indie bands are best served by releasing full-lengths, since that's what their fans are generally most interested in. For mainstream pop though, I think it would be awesome if they just gave up on albums and switched back to the business model where artists had to have a hit single every month instead of a hit album every four years.

I think no one is really sure where the music industry is headed, but personally I'm excited about what the future holds for Zoos of Berlin. We're happy to just hang out in our studio and record ourselves, so anything else that comes along -- e.g., a tour, this interview -- is just icing on the cake.

MPD: For everyone who has yet to experience a Zoos of Berlin show, including myself, how would you describe the live experience? Do you have any superstitions or routines before each show? How different is the crowd reaction in Detroit versus when you’re on the road? What is your favorite part of your live show?

DAN: The rare moments when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

TREVOR: When I see us smiling, when I hear us really clicking, then I know it's all worth it. Will does some great headbanging during one song.

MPD: Name three things you’re loyal to (i.e. a brand of vodka, a coffee shop, a sports team, recycling, etc)

COLLIN: Family, friends, and music.

MPD: Let’s play word association.

DAN:
Broken: String
Spring:Tiger
Chicago: Wind Hand
Sleep: Blue Hotel
The Beatles: Alpha and Omega

MPD: Tell me about the Detroit music scene. What bands do you recommend checking out? What are your favorite venues to play? To see a live show? How has the Detroit scene changed since when you first started writing Taxis songs six years ago? Outside of Detroit, what are some of your favorite cities to play in?

TREVOR: Bands or artists to see: Aran Ruth, Outrageous Cherry, Oscillating Fan Club, Computer Perfection. Venues: CAID, Crofoot, Majestic Cafe. Detroit is a freer spirit now, less bogged down by the garage fever. NYC is a favorite city.

WILL: I agree with Trevor. My favorite Detroit acts are Great Lakes Myth Society, Lightning Love, Javelins and Child Bite.

MPD: If you could build your dream line-up, who would be on it and at what venue?

WILL: We opened for Field Music in Ann Arbor last week, and I'd say they were definitely on our short list of bands to play with. We'd love to open for Broadcast someday. Longer shots would include Radiohead, Portishead, and Stereolab.

Zoos of Berlin are playing at Chicago's Empty Bottle on Thursday, 3/25, with Child Bite, Old Fake, and Dylan Posa & Three Cheers for One Dead Man.
I will be there.

Archie Bronson Outfit Makes More Good Music

"Sharks Tooth," the second track of their new album Coconut, is awesome. I love the overall vibe and sound, and I'm really excited to listen to the full album. Coconut debuted on March 1, and this song was released February 22, and I completely missed them both. I don't know how they got by me, but I wanted to share this with you all asap, in case they passed you by too.


While I anticipate the whole album will be fabulous, I can't vouch for it yet. I'll let you know though. Until then, enjoy "Sharks Tooth" HERE and check out my previous Archie Bronson Outfit posts HERE.

props to LHB

3/15/10 @ Empty Bottle = My Gold Mask Love & the Discovery of Common Loon

I attended My Gold Mask's FREE show last night at the Empty Bottle, and am completely happy I decided to forgo those few extra hours of sleep. Not only was MGM's performance my absolute favorite kind of performance - high energy and full of dancing - I also discovered Champaign's Common Loon.

Common Loon was direct support for My Gold Mask and, despite the crowded room, failed to capture the attention [I believe] they deserved. Their music is calm and strategically built, and yet somehow they still brought the rock-and-roll vibes.

They start a 15-day tour on April 8 in Indianapolis in support of their first full-length album, The Long Dream of Birds. They stop back in Chicago on April 11 at Ronny's.
I absolutely loved My Gold Mask, as did the many other people who came out to send them off to SXSW. And you could tell MGM loved us back.

Before the show, I read that MGM's live performance wasn't disappointing. It isn't. Their energy is just as raw and exciting as you might expect after hearing their tracks, and the crowd reacted warmly to it. I very much look forward to their next Chicago show, which as far as I know isn't on the calendars just yet.

She & Him Head to Millennium Park this Summer

At this point, I think I'm a bigger fan of their first album than their second, but either way I'm excited about this show.

On Monday, June 7, they'll play a FREE show at Chicago's own Millenium Park. She & Him made their first appearance on this blog on November 26, 2008, with "You Really Got a Hold on Me" as my Recommended Song of the Day.


Of course, there's a facebook event for this occasion. You can choose to attend the show HERE if you're like me and need a reminder closer to the show.

props to LLP

Before SXSW, Chicago's My Gold Mask Offers a FREE Empty Bottle Show & Some Conversation

I am a fan of My Gold Mask's music. I first heard them on January 6, and have listened to their latest EP A Thousand Voices countless times since. I was incredibly excited to learn that before this Chicago duo heads to SXSW, they're playing a FREE show at Empty Bottle on Monday, March 15. Assuming your hangover from the weekend's St. Patrick's Day festivities has subsided, I strongly encourage you to attend the show. It'll be a great way to burn all those alcoholic calories.

Over the past few months, My Gold Mask music has spread like wildfire. They have an electronically tribal sound, with a driving energy that encourages dancing. The lyrics are deep and fleeting, accompanied by a single guitar and a minimalist use of percussion. Many bloggers, including myself, are calling My Gold Mask a top Chicago act to watch in 2010.

My incessant googling lead to several questions, and MGM welcomed my invitation to share some conversation online. As a music lover and promoter, my questions ebb and flow between random points of interest. Read on to hear what Jack and Gretta from My Gold Mask have to say about SXSW, their dream line-up, and releasing new music.

Music Per Diem: I admire your approach to making music. In past interviews you expressed a desire to continuously challenge yourself, and to have your music be a product of your abilities and not your influences. In January to the Chicagoist, Gretta mentioned that adding a cymbal to more songs is one way she plans to challenge herself in 2010, but I’m curious to know what’s next. How do you plan to keep the process new? Do you see any other instruments on the horizon? Any collaborations? Do you think My Gold Mask will ever make the conscious decision to head in a completely new direction?

J: As you said, we're all for challenging ourselves and keeping things interesting to us. We basically have no set rules. We may add more, we may not. Our philosophy is to let the music, the songs, decide where we go next.

G: Well, since the Chicagoist interview, I've already added a cymbal. As for what's next? I don't know, I'd like to learn Braille. It doesn't necessarily have to be added instrumentation. It can be a language, or how to sew. When I was 13, I learned Morse Code for no reason other than it seemed interesting.

MPD: Music is certainly my favorite form of art. While I respect your choice to write in seclusion, purposefully avoiding any form of outside influence, I usually like the concept of artistic influences. The idea that one person’s art is responsible for the outcome of another person’s art is exciting to me, and seems slightly inevitable. Recently, your music was used by two other artists, Chicago musician The Hood Internet "Bitches," and fashion designer Phillip Lim used “Violet Eyes” and “Your Coo Ka Choo” in his Fall/Winter 2010/2011 fashion show. As an artist trying to avoid all influences, how do you feel when other artists integrate your work into theirs? Do you think you’ll ever hear someone else’s music and choose to integrate it into your work? Do other forms of art influence your sound?

J: Well, it's not so much that I'm trying to "avoid all influence", we of course have influences. It's more like an effort to leave those influences in the subconscious while we write songs. As far as other artists integrating our work that's always a thrill as well because it causes you to look at your own art in a different way.

G: And we have integrated someone else's music, in a way. We covered "Betty Davis Eyes" last year. We integrate all forms of art when it comes to music. It would be hard not to. We are sponges to the vibrations of all kinds of art and I hope that comes across in our music.

J: Though, when it comes to doing a cover song, it's only interesting to us if we feel like we do something different with it.

MPD: Up next for MGM is SXSW. If I were in a band offered to play SXSW, I’d be beyond fantastically excited. On a scale of 1 to 10, how fantastically excited are you? What part of the SXSW experience are you most looking forward to? Who tops your list of must-see shows? Was there a specific event that put MGM on SXSW’s radar, or would you accredit a broader situation?

G: We are very excited! Neither of us have ever been to SXSW, and we feel extremely lucky to get to play 3 amazing showcases with tons of amazing new bands. I just want to slip into it and ride the wave until someone tells me it's time to leave.

J: As to what led us to this....I don't really know if there was a specific event that led to us playing, I think it's just been about a few nice people who appreciate our music and are giving us a chance to share with even more people. That's what it's all about.

MPD: When describing your writing process, the words organic, collaborative and emotion often come up. For MGM, you’ve explained that a song generally starts with Jack exploring guitar riffs and Gretta throwing lyrics around, followed by adding drums and the occasional cymbal. It doesn’t seem like there’s a point where you decide to “create an album,” but rather once a few songs are penned, performed and polished you release them to the world. Is that accurate? Was there any conversation regarding how MGM is going to release music?

I find this discussion particularly interesting as the hands-down best strategy to release music hasn’t been determined yet. The jury’s still out on whether or not music today should be released for free or at a price? As a physical CD or digital format? Should the release be full-length or an EP? On a label or independently distributed? Personally, I believe in general that releasing free content regularly is one of the best things an artist can do – whether it be blog posts, video diaries, pictures, tweets or new music. As an artist, where do you see the industry heading?

G: I guess our only plan on how we release music is that when we have something finished, we just get it out there. It can be an EP or full length or just a single, it doesn't matter. It's whatever we feel like.

J: But, we will always have free mp3's out there because really, we just want people to hear our music. And that's the easiest way to get people to listen. And we will still make physical copies for people who like to hold something in their hands too. We would love to do a vinyl next.

MPD: In previous interviews you stated that MGM just “puts the music out there” and hopes people like it. From a business perspective, I’m curious where you “put it.” MySpace? Bandcamp? Where else? What medium provided your first traffic surge? What outlet has helped you best maintain the momentum this far? What types of things, if any, have you done proactively to get on someone’s radar? Based on your experiences thus far, what is your top recommendation to other artists?

J: Well, as an unsigned musician, sites like Bandcamp have been very helpful. It's easy to use and people can download straight from the site. It's also nice because you can embed the MP3's with your art, info, etc. I'm sort of a freak about having artwork attached to my mp3's. I actually have artwork on everything in my iPod. So, it drives me crazy when I download something and it's like "track 1" and has no art attached.

G: Our advice to another band would be, just give some songs away, don't be too possessive.

MPD: Name three things you’re loyal to (ie a brand of vodka, a Chicago coffee shop, a sports team, recycling, etc)

J: Comic Books, My Pug, Making music

G: Same for me, except switch comics for chocolate

MPD: Let’s play word association.

• Conan O’Brien - rad
• Lo-fi - warm
• The Midwest - cold
• MySpace - necessary evil
• History - repeats

MPD: Last November, MGM was featured on a Pretty Much Amazing podcast with some pretty amazing artists, including Yeasayer, Girls, Hot Chip, Junior Boys, Department of Eagles, Sia and Four Tet. How does it feel to see your song Violet Eyes featured with that crowd? Of all the artists on the playlist, included below, who is your favorite? Beyond that list, who are some of your favorite artists today?

Artists on pmaCAST #21 include Four Tet, Karen O and the Kids, Ellie Goulding, Bloodgroup, Sia, The xx, Fyfe Dangerfield, Girls, Yeasayer, Maps, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Department of Eagles, Junior Boys, Peter Bjorn and John, and Hot Chip.

J: It's kinda weird to see our song next to all those names. But good weird! Some new stuff I'm digging lately: Shapers, Hussle Club, Cloud Nothings.

G: Well, the new Charlotte Gainsbourg record is amazing.

MPD: If you could build your dream line-up, who would be on it and at what venue?

Line up: Klaus Nomi, Run DMC, The Ramones, US

Venue: Saturn

My Gold Mask is playing Monday, March 15, at Empty Bottle. The show is FREE, 21+, and begins at 9pm.

I will see you there.