We turn the spotlight to local homegrown faves. With Mom on their side, these up-and-comers share their favorite music, thoughts on touring and stage style. The stage is a sanctuary for harnessing energy, and contemplating weighty issues like pandemic viruses. 1 What do you think about when you’re onstage? 2 What does your mom think about what you’re doing? 3 What’s your favorite aspect of touring? 4 Worst thing about touring? 5 What is your favorite thing to wear onstage? 6 What are you currently listening to? Photographs by Chris Girard and Colin Carroll
Angelina Moysov of Persephone’s Bees
1 When there’s too much energy going back and forth between the band and people, I think, “Wow, there’s nothing better than this in life, not even sex.” 2 She loves every moment of it. She doesn’t know it, but she’s a pure punk, and the fact that she has no idea what she is makes her even more punk rock. 3 Being on the road, living the life of a gypsy. Changing clothes in front of complete strangers becomes a normal thing. After all, we were all born naked.
4 Bad food – fried, full of hormones and other horrible ingredients. 5 Something that is completely see-through with nothing underneath, or something that completely covers my body. 6 Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention and HAL
Marijke Jorritsma of Eats Tapes
1 I am pretty much just thinking about playing music and making sure all my gear is working. 2 She thinks it’s very creative. 3 My favorite part about touring is when you become so close to the material that you come to know it and interact with it in a completely different way than you would in the studio or just playing local shows. 4 In the United States it’s the food – veggie Subway sandwiches don’t cut it – and in Europe it’s the cigarette smoke. 5 Brightly colored sweaters with psychedelic patterns and no shoes. 6 DJ Elephant Power, Extreme Animals, the Bro Zone comp put out by States Rights Records, Lucky Dragons, DAT Politics, Turkish Psych and This American Life.
Krayg Burton of Film School
1 If the audience is singing along, I’m trying not to mess up the lyrics. If it’s a small stage, I try not to fall off while jumping around. 2 She likes it. Her and my dad came to a show at Bottom of the Hill a few months ago and stayed till close. Eventually I had to tell them to go home. 3 Meeting fans in different cities. 4 Getting gear stolen. When you get all your gear stolen it’s almost numbing. Musicians are some of the poorest people on the planet and many times their instruments took years to find and are specific to their sound. When we had all our gear stolen this past U.S. tour it was devastating. 5 Hats. Especially big ones with lots of feathers and fruit. 6 The Rogers Sisters’ The Invisible Deck
Tim Cohen of Black Fiction
1 I don’t allow myself to think much onstage, just muscle memory and awareness and anticipation. Lyrics are easy to remember, in many cases they’re just made up. I form my voice into the melodies, the songs are already a part of me. 2 A few months ago she came out from Virginia to see me perform for the first time and said something to the effect of, onstage, she saw who I truly was, and it made her really proud. 3 Sometimes happily unexpected things happen when you just do what you love. 4 I hate asking people for money or anything, probably because I’m not good at it. 5 Pretty much the same thing I wore the day of the show. But maybe I should say sweat. 6 White Noise, Velvet Underground and Color War.
Austin Barber of Saviours
1 Saviours. 2 She’s stoked. 3 Raging and hanging with my bros. 4 Waking up and getting on with the day. 5 A Gibson Explorer. 6 Motörhead, Deep Purple, Human Instinct, Pink Floyd, Blues Creation, Witch, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Ozzy, Earthless, Destruction, Tapiman, Slayer, Om, Edgar Broughton Band, King Diamond, the Invaders compilation.
Mike Patton
1 These days I’ve been thinking a lot about the bird flu and whether anyone in the crowd has been infected with it, and if I’m going to be responsible for spreading this disease around the world. 2 Shhh. She still thinks I’m one of Michael Jackson’s backup dancers. But as long as I keep her drunk and driving Caddies, she will never ask questions. 3 I’d have to be honest and say the money. I do enjoy finding cool restaurants when I have the time. 4 The smell, clubs. The sleep. The interviews. 5 Everything given to me by the product placement whores prowling around backstage. I wish Björk would lend me her swan outfit though. 6 The engine of the tour bus and snoring of bandmates distorting the sweet sounds of Sigur Rós.
