By Measure

The Nothingheads

2012-02-28T12:57:00.002-06:00

facebook

www.myspace.com/thenothingheads
10 year anniversary show at Cole's on March 10th!

You've got a 10 year anniversary coming up. How have you managed to stay together for so long?

Mike: The secret is to barely ever play together and not release any music. We've gone four months between practices before and while we have shared a lot of demo recordings, we technically only have one CD we consider a proper release.

Dave: The time away is pretty useful. When we're not playing together for any length of time we all keep busy with other projects, and I think that gives us a chance to step back and look at what we do from different perspectives. We can collect new ideas and manipulate old ones. I'd say our longevity has a lot to do with always trying to sound interesting to us. Hopefully, we find like-minded listeners.

Do you have anything special planned for this anniversary?

Mike:We'll probably dust off some oldies we don't play anymore. We were going to play wearing nothing but glitter and body paint, but that was before my parents told me they'll be in attendance.

Dave: Maybe someone will make a slide show of us through the years and we can play "My Heart Will Go On" or "Kissed By A Rose" or something to accompany it.

What's your song-writing process?

Mike: Our songs tend to start with me alone in my bedroom. I'll try to find some interesting chords and melodies that work well over the chords. I generally strive to find ways to make the melody a tad disjointed since I find those types of melodies more interesting. Generally the verse comes first, then I build the other parts around that. Once the song is fully structured, I fill in the lyrics. I try to write lyrics a little more impressionistic-ally. They'll relate to something I'm feeling, but are presented in a way where I'll try to be a little more poetic and less like a diary or confessional. Sometimes they're pretty direct and straightforward, though, and they're usually in the second person.

Once the song is done, I'll bring it to the band and tell them ideas I have for their parts. They're way better musicians than I am, so they always take my suggestions and super-size them to make something way cooler. I try to write in ways that play to their strengths, and at this stage we find out if I succeeded or not. We generally know right away if we're going to keep a song or not. For every song we've played live, there are twice as many we've thrown away. Only the best for our listeners! That's the Nothingheads Guarantee™.

How many different spaces have you been in over the years? Do you have a favorite feature of one of your spaces?

Mike: Chris' bedroom was our birthplace. My favorite feature was the collection of X-files action figures. We've had two proper practice spaces since then. The one we use now flaunts a bird-adorned tablecloth nailed to the wall, which I think we'll all agree is our favorite feature.

Dave: I thought they were Star Wars figures and an X Files movie poster. We'll need his mom to verify this. The birds are definitely the prized possession in the space.

Describe the best show you ever played together.

Dave: I can't think of a "best" show, but there are a few that stick out in my mind as some of my favorites. The first time we played Mortville with Percolator was really really fun. And the show we had in Mike's apartment with Sleeping in the Aviary was a blast, too!

Mike: Those shows definitely stick out for me, as well. We also played in a children's library once for a group of children with autism. We gave them all shakers and tom drums and played "Be My Baby." I doubt a similar sound has been heard before or since.

What's the best tactic you've used for self-promotion? (question asked by Daphne)

Dave: We take out personal ads that simply say "Wanna get rocked hard?"

Mike: I wear my own band's t-shirt.

What would you ask the next band or person to be on this blog?

Mike: What album got the most play by your 10-year-old self?

Mike's favorite songs:

(stream these songs at 8tracks.com)

1. Thee Headcoatees - My Boyfriend's Learning Karate "By an mostly or all-female band." Some might find this song annoying, some will call it a bit racist, maybe even a teensy bit sexist. But I think this song is super fun. I love the 60's vibe, and these chicks knew how to tear it up. I can't think of anyone with better guitar tones.

2. Sleeping In the Aviary - Automatic (for Krol) "To dance to." It's impossible for me to remain motionless when hearing this song. Sleeping in the Aviary, based out of Minneapolis, are one the most consistently awesome bands making music today -- 4 records in 5 years, and they're all great.

3. Paleo - An Arrangement in 7/8 "In an odd time signature." Paleo is one guy, David Strackany, and he's a songwriting machine. He's got hundreds of songs, and each one will make you feel something, and likely make you feel it strongly.

4. eyesearsnose - Radical Happiness "From a Chicago artist, or artist from your home town." These Chicagoans have undergone a few line-up changes, and I'm not sure they're even making music as a unit anymore, but this title track from their first album makes me so happy.

5. Young Loves - Trade Secrets "From a lesser-known artist." Wake Up Teenage was one of my favorite albums of 2010, and if you're lucky enough to find a copy of it, I think you'll agree.

6. White Noise - Love Without Sound "From before 1970." 1968 saw a lot of great releases relating to the color white: The Beatles' White Album, Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat, and Beggar's Banquet by the Rolling Stones, which featured a mainly white cover in the style of a formal invitation (recent reissues display the cruder original cover.) Count this debut album by White Noise among them. A few of the contributors worked for the same studio that did sound effects for Dr. Who, and it shows.

7. Barefoot On Bumblebees - A Road is Not a Road, It's a Metaphor... "That you were part of the recording." I recorded an album for these guys and contributed various instrumentation. This song is among my favorites. I play the bowed saw.

8. Best Friends Forever - HWF "Best heard in live performance. " Nothingheads played a show with these guys in an old church back when this album came out and this is the song they opened with. 10 seconds in I knew they were going to be an impossible act to follow, and I was right. I will see these guys live every chance I get, which isn't nearly often enough.

Jeremy Simon, guitarist and singer of Dylan Trees

2012-02-21T12:10:00.003-06:00

dylantrees.com

When did you write your first song? How would you describe it?

It was a broken-hearted country ballad called Balcony Chair, written when I was 18. I wrote it on a balcony looking out over a train line in Shadwell, East London. I had been listening to The Byrds' 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' a lot while drinking cups of tea, so it was a country song in the style of Gram Parsons, with some Kinks thrown in. The band I was guitarist with at the time ended up using it as a secret track at the end of their CD. I was a bit offended - I saw it as more of an album opener.

Is it easier for you to write chords, a melody or lyrics?

None of it comes at all easy. Most songs start as a single lyric or idea, which comes from a personal experience or a news item or something like that. That gets spun and spun like candy floss until it's a fully formed song. The words, melody and underlying chord structure all come from the same single idea. It's a pleasingly organic way of song writing, but it takes a very long time. That's probably why it took 18 years to write my first song. I've sped the process up a bit since then, thankfully.

What about your current practice space do you find most inspiring or useful?

We share the space with two other bands. I love that every time we go into the space we never know what we're going to find. One day there'll be a pair of pajamas and a half-finished bottle of Colt. Another day a Wurlitzer piano and a horse mask. We used to practice in an apartment, when we were a whisper-quiet folk band. It was very tranquil. Now our neighbors in the rehearsal space are a couple of metal bands, so we've had to plug in and turn up. That was the main reason we started playing loudly. Nothing like teenage metal bands to make you raise your game.

Have you ever had a major change or experience that influenced how you write songs?

Moving to America five years ago was the first big amazing thing that happened. London to Los Angeles wasn't so much a culture shock as a culture cataclysm. It unleashed a lot of creativity and ideas. The second big amazing thing was meeting my incredible band. They are the most talented people I have ever worked with, and have allowed me to evolve Dylan Trees from a folk singer alter ego to a full-on psych-rock experience.

What instrument would you like to see disappear from music for ten years? (question asked by Rick)

The ocarina. It's become so over-used in indie music it's practically a cliche. I blame The Strokes.

Would you want to see it make an triumphant comeback ten years later?

Absolutely not. I never want to hear another band break out an ocarina solo as long as I live. It's indulgent and tedious. Come on people, let's move on. Woodstock was 40 years ago.

Jeremy's favorite songs:
(stream these songs over at 8tracks.com)

1. that you were part of the recording: Dylan Trees - Topanga [a cover of a song by Kathy Smith that we recorded for Beat LA: A Benefit for Haiti]

2. from before 1970: The Kinks - Animal Farm
3. classical piece: Frederick Delius - Sea Drift
4. to listen to at high volume: Mercury Rev - Carwash Hair
5. best heard in live performance: The New Pornographers - The Bleeding Heart Show
6. in an odd time signature: Talking Heads - Found a Job
7. that has the sound of jingle bells in it: Blur - For Tomorrow

8. to dance to: The Associates - Party Fears Two

9. for riding bike: Belle and Sebastian - 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light

10. sung in a foreign language: Serge Gainsbourg - Initials BB

11. from a lesser-known artist: Grey Ghost - Hot Mess

Rick Riggs, recording engineer

2012-02-07T11:22:00.003-06:00

handwrittenrecording.com/

Tell us a little about the history of Handwritten Recording.

Handwritten started here on Belmont in 2006 after existing for a handful of years in my basement. After being cooped up in a basement, I knew I wanted to get into a space that had some sort of presence in an area / community, rather than be tucked away on some industrial street behind a steel door. Mainly, I wanted windows. Six years later, we are still humming along helping people make the recordings they want to make.

Have you ever had a difficult client? How did you deal with it?

Only once- like three years ago. It was a producer working with (taking advantage of) a singer / songwriter. He was just really treating everyone involved with the sessions really poorly on both a personal and professional level. Just acting like he knew everything about everything in an attempt to impress the artist he was producing - when in reality it was just a front for his total cluelessness.

I would like to think I dealt with it as anyone else in my position would: Grin and bear it in the moment, did the best possible work for the sake of the recordings / artist, complained about how miserable it was to my friends, then agreed to myself to never work with that person again.

What is your favorite instrument to record?

Either the green upright piano that is in here or Drums. There are just so many sounds you can coax out of either instrument and the ways of capturing those sounds seem to be equally endless.

What is your favorite thing about your studio?

Probably just the regularity of the space. There isn't a ping pong table in the lounge or grain silo where I record vocals, It is just a quiet room where the noises being made are the noises being recorded.

What would you change about your studio if you had a huge budget to work with?

A ping pong table in the lounge. Oh wait, probably a better stocked fridge. The hummus in there from 2009 is starting to weird me out.

Seriously though, I am really not the type to "wish" for something more as far as the space or gear is concerned. I just think it is the task of the bands / artists & myself to make the best possible recordings off of what we have in the moment.

How much of your average day do you estimate is spent thinking or talking about some aspect of your and/or your friends' musical project(s)? (question asked by Eric)

Yikes, at least 8.

What should I ask the next person to be on By Measure?

What instrument would you like to see disappear from music for ten years? Whether or not they would like to see it make an triumphant comeback ten years later can be an optional "follow up".

Rick's favorite songs:

(stream these songs at 8tracks.com)

1. for getting through a tough day at work: Simon and Garfunkel, "Keep the Customer Satisfied".

2. from before 1970: The Beatles, "Mean Mr Mustard".

3. to listen to at high volume: The Velvet Underground, "I Found a Reason".

4. best heard in live performance: Deerhunter, "Nothing Ever Happened".

5. by an mostly or all-female band: Sleater-Kinney, "Modern Girl".

6. from a Chicago artist: The Ponys, "Get Black".

7. you loved in the 8th grade: Elvis Costello, "Pump it Up".

8. to dance to: Parliament, "Handcuffs".

Annie Reese (a.k.a. Rock Falls), singer, guitarist and ukeleist

2012-01-25T23:21:00.002-06:00

http://rockfalls.tumblr.com/

www.twitter.com/rockfallsmusic

www.myspace.com/rockfalls
Cardboard Sangria Records

Tell me a little about your music-making history.
I had been secretly writing songs for a while with no desire to ever share them with anyone--my motivation wasn't to perform them or anything like that, it was just that I had these things that I so needed to say and sort of purge from my insides. I couldn't find a way to speak the words, writing them in a journal wasn't quite enough, and so I found that singing them was most effective. One night about 5 years ago, some friends threw me a birthday party....after a few glasses of wine (a very effective confidence booster), I got brave and called my two best friends into the other room and played a couple songs for them. One of these two friends is dan schneider, who performs as the singleman affair. Dan's been playing music for years and enthusiastically encouraged me to start playing shows outside of my living room for other folks besides my plants and my cat.

What is your process for writing lyrics?

It all happens in fits and starts. I'm not a prolific songwriter. Only once or twice have I ever written a melody first and then come up with words to move into the space after the fact. Primarily, lyrics are born from some sort of intense emotional reaction to someone/something/an experience. Writing songs is truly a form of communication for me. if I weren't writing songs, there'd be a lot of shit that I'd keep bottled up for, like, ever. So, the process usually starts with one little seed of a line of lyric. Once I get a few lines written, then I'll grab my uke or my guitar and try to give those few lines a melody to swim in. Then the rest of the lyrics/melody just kind of all pour out of me from that point on. I write very few songs, but when I do write a song, it's a very fast, very cathartic process.

Shit. You only asked me about writing lyrics. Sorry about all that melody-uke-guitar yammering.

What is your prized musical possession? Is there anything you're dreaming of acquiring?

I love and prize both my lanikai concert uke and my telecaster equally!

Dream acquisitions: a baby blue 1966 fender mustang without the wammy bar, a waterphone, and a steel drum.

What's the weirdest place/context/time of day you have ever performed music for an audience?

My place of employment....for my good ol' day job i work in a bank, and for the holidays my department threw a big potluck luncheon. One of my coworkers coerced me into performing a short set for everyone (bosses included), and since she's one of the nicest people on the planet I just couldn't tell her no! It was, without a doubt, the most awkward performance I've given to date.

What are your thoughts on Spotify or other streaming services? (asked by Brian of Panda Riot)

I actually had to ask my roommate what spotify was when I first read this question. Now that I know what it is, I can shove this long-winded, rambling response down your throat!

I don't really have a problem with music streaming or file-sharing sites at all. As long as people use the sites and treat the artists with respect, I'm fine with it. if someone were streaming my music on spotify or last.fm, I'd be so fucking jazzed about it. I personally like last.fm the best (it has a great amount of ambient/experimental music). I'd be equally as jazzed if someone were "stealing" my music from a file-sharing site--it means someone's listening to it! Generally, if I find a band/musician that I really enjoy via a streaming site, I will then make the extra effort to go to a record store and buy a physical copy of the album.
My biggest beef isn't necessarily with streaming sites, but rather with the concept of buying/acquiring songs a la carte online in general. When you buy music online, you have the ability to pick and choose only the song(s) that you like. That's all fine, well, and good, unless the artist truly meant for the album to be heard in its entirety and the listener/purchaser isn't respectful of that fact. Another issue I have with online music is that you don't get the cd booklet or record sleeve. Someone out there worked very hard to create artwork for the cover to accompany the music itself, and that person deserves to be honored in the same way that the musician is honored when we listen to the music. Plus all the people who work so hard to help the album get made in the first place, whose names are printed in the liner notes....they deserve to be honored as well. When you don't have the cover art because you've just downloaded the 3 fun party tracks from itunes or whatever, then all those people and their work aren't recognized.

I guess mine is maybe more of a "don't hate the player, hate the game" type of issue here. I buy music online, I use streaming sites. I'm not at all chastising anyone for using these services. But if I really, really like a musician/band or an album, I will get my ass over to the record store to buy it--and if it's not in stock, then I'll place a special order and wait for it to arrive, dadgummit.

I am so very, very sorry for this rant.

What should I ask the next person or band to be on the blog?

What book character do you most identify with, and why?

Annie's favorite songs:

Stream these songs at 8tracks.com

1. for getting through a tough day at work "my baby just cares for me" nina simone
this song always fills my heart with joy. plus, it has my absolute favorite piano solo of all time in it.
2. that you were part of the recording "the dream, the lie" outshine family
recording the album 'galleria de la luz' with matt nicholson, patrick liddell, et al was one of the best, most enjoyable, inspiring experiences of my life.
3. from before 1970 "lonesome town" ricky nelson
my first crush was ricky nelson, i was 4.
4a. to listen to at high volume "sleeping aides and razorblades" the exploding hearts

4b. "the luckiest guy on the lower east side" magnetic fields
both are so much fun to loudly sing along to (the worse you are at singing them, the better) as well as loudly listen to.
5. by a mostly or all-female band "birds" electrelane
"it's not that i can't go on without you" ....sigh. i love how verity sings this line.
6. that has the sound of jingle bells in it "bring it on home to me" britt daniel
i have a little crush on sam cooke and britt daniel, so this is a match made in heaven for me.
7. from a lesser-known artist "kisses" the shivers
incredible musician from new york, his music is so devastatingly honest. some songs are strange/funny/vulgar, and others are pure and beautiful and the vulnerability is palpable.
8. from a Chicago artist or artist from your hometown "r.p. (forget the metaphors)" roommate
this. song. is. brilliant. also, kent lambert is truly one of the nicest people you could ever meet.
9. sung in a foreign language "domino" lucienne delyle
i'm pretty certain that there isn't a problem in the world that listening to lucienne delyle can't fix, she's magnificent.
10. to dance to "take on me" a-ha
fuck yeah.
11. cover song performance "ceremony" pascal babare
gorgeous, utterly gorgeous. if pascal's songs were an actual place, i would live there.

Panda Riot

2011-12-22T12:56:00.001-06:00

www.pandariot.com

www.facebook.com/PandaRiotBand

How long have you been in your space and what is your favorite thing about it?
We’ve been here about 2 1/2 years. Every one in this building is either an artist or a weirdo, so everyone’s cool with us making lots of noise.

What's your process for writing music?
Basically, Brian comes up with the basics of the song: Guitar, Drum Machine. Rebecca then tells Brian if its cool or if it sucks, in which case we trash it and start over. Our drummer Jose listens to the drum machine parts and figures out some new stuff to add to it. He’s like the drum machine whisperer. Then we run through it in practice and it changes a bit more.

What is the most difficult part about finishing a song or recording?
Having the ability to record whenever you want is great, but it also means there’s no division between composition, recording and mixing. A whole song could be recorded and mixed but if we think something should be added, deleted or re-recorded we just do it. Most of the songs that actually get done are vastly different from how they started, to the point that maybe the only thing that has survived between the demo and the master is the song title.

Being in a band is a complex set of relationships. How does Panda Riot navigate writing songs together, touring, and the general ups and downs of staying together as a group?
Ha, we’re all good friends and really enjoy being around each other. Everything is pretty casual really.

Does Panda Riot have any rituals for either rehearsing or performing?
Not really, we sometimes wear warpaint for live shows, if we feel like it, and Jose insists on spray-painting all his drums gold.

Do you have any other creative outlets or side projects?
Brian makes films sometimes. Jose records under SecretWars. Justin is also in a band called Names Divine. Rebecca is in architecture.

Brian's favorite songs:
(stream over here)

1. for getting through a tough day at work: Good Vibrations - BeachBoys
2. that you were part of the recording: Camden Line off our new record
3. from before 1970: Dawn – I'm Afraid They're All Talking About Me
4. classical piece: Debussy - Arabesque 1
5. to listen to at high volume: School of Seven Bells - face to face on high places
6. in an odd time signature: Swirlies - San Cristobal de las Casas
7. by an mostly or all-female band: warpaint - Billie Holiday
8. from a lesser-known artist: Kissing Clouds by Sweet Bulbs
9. from an artist from your hometown of Philadelphia: Trouble Everyday - CodeWord
10. sung in a foreign language: daixiaole - ai ai ai
11. that makes you feel nostalgic: Boards of Canada -Farewell Fire
12. to dance to: Stereolab - One Wild Moment (pastels cover)
13. cover song: My Bloody Valentine – Map Ref 41°N 93°W (wire cover)

Jose's favorite songs:
(stream over here)

1. for getting through a tough day at work: A Tribe Called Quest | Show Business
2. from before 1970: Dizzy Gillespie | Hot House
3. to listen to at high volume: Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band | Do Your Thing
4. best heard in live performance: The Octopus Project
5. from a lesser-known artist: Gray | Dan Asher
6. sung in a foreign language: Antonio Carlos Jobim & Elis Regina | Aguas de Marco
7. that makes you feel nostalgic: The Beach Boys | Vega-Tables
8. to dance to: Renegade Soundwave | Thunder
9. cover song: Why? | Good Friday (Boards of Canada Remix)

Eric Gallippo, guitarist and singer

2011-11-28T11:49:00.002-06:00

Man At Arms:

www.facebook.com/manatarmsmusic

www.manatarmsmusic.bandcamp.com

Fields of Industry

www.fieldsofindustry.com

Congress

www.facebook.com/congressband

Save Me From The Gallup Poll

www.savemefromthegalluppoll.bandcamp.com

The next set of photos is from Ed Golembiewski 's basement, where Fields of Industry and Congress practice.

How do you stay on top of all of your different projects?
Although I have three projects going (or more, depending on how you count), only one has been writing and rehearsing with any regularity. But staying on top of that in the same way I would have even, say, five years ago is a lot of work with a full time job and a full time family - my wife and have a ten-month-old daughter. Since we're still a pretty new band, we did a lot of writing early, but now we're gigging some and focusing on last minute rehearsals to prepare for shows, which means I've got a dozen or so music ideas backlogged for potential songs.

Which music from your childhood has made the most impact on your own writing?

Probably the music I learned taking piano lessons, which I did on and off between, I think, third and fifth grade, which means a lot of simplified standards and that Brian Adams song from "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." Oh, and Scorpions' "Wind of Change."

What is your dream setup in terms of gear?

I thought I was over thinking of this kind of stuff, but this year I've gotten really dorky about music equipment again, looking up guitars and amps and pedals online. I'm pretty happy with what I'm using now - an Epiphone Les Paul '56 reissue with P90 pickups and a Bigsby tremolo arm with a Bassman 50 silverface head through a Vox 212 cab with a handful of pedals. For a while I was accidentally running the Bassman on only one tube and it made the best natural distortion I've ever heard, but I'm told that's not good for the amp. So I'd like to find something that sounds like that but is stable, or maybe something that sounds like my Fender Mini Twin but is loud enough to play out with. Given the chance, I'd probably get another Telecaster or something sharper sounding, too. Maybe an aluminum neck guitar.

Your different bands practice in different spaces. What are the most important elements to have in a practice space?

With Man at Arms it's hard to be choosy, because we're almost always borrowing someone's space. We've had lots of help over the years sustaining this very unsustainable band.
In general, a PA or something to sing through is nice, if not essential. Good, softer lighting is a plus. Maybe a little privacy, or at least sympathetic ears nearby. Being able to avoid loading and unloading gear by keeping it in a space or borrowing someone's is best.

What are 3-5 things one should do when visiting Michigan?

It's a big state, but if you're just checking it out once, you should probably:
1) Visit a beach on Lake Michigan
2) Witness downtown Detroit
3) Eat at a Coney Island
4) Stare into a campfire drinking cheap beer and listening to Top 40 radio somewhere "Up North" (I'm told the Upper Peninsula is cool, but I've never been)
5) Shop at Encore Recordings in Ann Arbor

Have you seen "Under These Great Northern Lights" - it is the documentary of The White Stripes traveling around to every Provence in Canada and performing in these off the wall places like on a barge or in a bowling alley or in an Inuit retirement home -- if you could perform anywhere off the cuff or special, where would it be? (question asked by the Halamays)

I haven't seen the whole thing, but I think I saw a clip or two from it. When Man at Arms first started, there was this very small, abandoned business hut building in Kalamazoo, Mich., where our then bassist lived, and we used to practice that we used to obsess over being way too loud in someday. I can't remember what it was called or what we called it, but it would be cool to finally make good on that. I guess a boat would be cool, too.

What should I ask the next person to be on By Measure?

How much of your average day do you estimate is spent thinking or talking about some aspect of your and/or your friends' musical project(s)? If you were to quit playing music today, how would you use your practice space?

Eric's favorite songs:

(stream on Spotify)

1. Sonic Youth - Hey Joni
2. The Microphones - The Moon
3. Black Eyes – Speaking In Tongues
4. Bombino - Ahoulaguine Akaline (I Greet My Country)
5. R.E.M. - Sitting Still
6. Albert Ayler - Our Prayer
7. Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me
8. Joy Division - Disorder

Daphne Sidor and Joseph Montes of Careful Q

2011-11-11T10:44:00.000-06:00

www.carefulq.com

carefulq.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/carefulq

How long have you been in your current space?
Daphne: 3 and a half years in the building, I think? Gosh. Less than that in the room we have now, because the first one was overrun with weird dust from the walls.

Joseph: We lease our space with three other bands. It's kind of like owing a small apartment with friends.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your space?
Daphne: We had a choice between several different rooms, and I was adamant that there be windows (even though we usually practice at night). I think it has kind of a sunny feel to it, especially since Joseph and some of the other guys we share the space with recently rearranged things.

Joseph: For me, the the empty space is the best part of our space. I hate being pigeoned into standing in one spot when there's too much gear about. I want to be able to jump, feel carpet under my toes (summer only), and stumble awkwardly when my mind is being lazy at deciding where all my limbs are going. It really makes practicing far more enjoyable.

When writing new songs, which element do you tend to start with first
(guitar, lyrics, bass, melody etc?)?
Daphne: I've maintained a fairly busy schedule the last couple of years, so lately a lot of my songs have had their genesis just as scraps of lyrics and melody that I refine when I'm riding my bike around town. I don't know if that's the most successful tactic, though, and I think things tend to come out better when I can sit down with my guitar and let that lead me in interesting directions. When I write songs and send them to the band I often only have vocals and basic guitar done, and let the other members work out their own parts to be reshaped in practice together.

Joseph: Like Daphne, a crucial part of song writing involves riding my bike. The morning sunlight during my commute and the idea that a new day is unfolding gets me singing and humming both in my head or out loud (sorry, fellow bikers). I often use the recorder on my cell phone to catch snippets of lyrics and melody and then come home and try to work music to them on the bass (my strongest instrument) or guitar. But having a new song idea in my head all day that is the best part, like keeping a gold coin in your pocket.

I tend to like my songs less as I move them toward demoing and arranging, especially because my gear and home recording knowledge/capabilities are limited. The audio work station is the place beautiful ideas go to die. Everything feels so exactly what it is, bare and plain. Life doesn't return until the band starts breathing in their own elements. If my faith gets restored, I know it's a good song.

Do you ever suffer from performance anxiety? How do you get through it?
Joseph: When we were first starting out I did. Whole parts of songs would blank out in my mind. But I'm a more competent musician now and I hardly worry about playing well. I worry more for my other bandmates, about how cohesive we are going to sound, and that, if you are watching us, you are going to feel we have a spark together, that we really believe in and care about what we are showing you. Even if our music isn't your thing, I want you to see that. I also worry we are boring people. Attention-holding seems so difficult and precious these days.

Daphne: I'm generally serene as can be until the moment I hit the stage, at which point I feel like I'm about to stop breathing and fall over. It's usually only about halfway through the set that I can start to feel at ease. I get through it by faking all the confidence I can and remembering that I don't have time to stop and correct any mistakes even if I wanted to. As a band we've tossed around the idea of the One Beer Theory, which is that having one beer before performance may make for a better show; further studies need to be conducted to confirm this. I actually try to avoid alcohol before singing, since it's dehydrating, but it does calm me down a little bit.

Do you have any creative outlets beyond making music?

Joseph: I write, as well. i have several long-term projects and still love creating poetry and the occasional short story. I've wanted to start a poetry/flash fiction zine for forever, but need contributions! Sometimes I take videos, do interviews, and write reviews for loudlooppress.com. Like Daphne, I pour most of myself into the band and song writing. When I come home from work, it usually dominates those few spare hours between dinner and sleep. It's really hurting my book and television consumption.

Daphne: For a long time I thought of myself primarily as a writer, and that is my day job, though right now most of my creative energy is devoted to music. I still make poems every so often, and I write longish essays for my rather sporadically updated blog (poorworkethic.blogspot.com). I enjoy drawing, but that's usually for a very tiny audience -- making posters for our shows, or letter-comics to send to friends.

If you could instantly play one instrument (other than your own) like
one artist, what/who would you pick?
Daphne: Drums, Janet Weiss.

Joseph: Drums for me, too. This guy I used to play with, John Ostler, is amazing at using rudiments to add texture to his playing. I think that sort of skill is something missing in this age of cut up samples and polyrhythms. I'd really love to play like him.

What should I ask the next person to be interviewed for By Measure?
Daphne: I always want to know what bands have found to be the best tactic for
self-promotion -- something I'm very bad at.

Daphne's favorite songs:
(listen over here)
1. In a foreign language: Chantal Goya, "Dans la Nuit"
2. To dance to: Stevie Wonder, "Sir Duke"
3. To make you reassess The Monkees: The Monkees, "Randy Scouse Git"
4. To make you nostalgic: The Third Sex, "Lights Out"
5. With a weirdly Ren Fairey vibe that somehow is still good: Mary Timony, "Fire Myself"
6. By a lesser-known artist: Agent Ribbons, "Birds and Bees"
7. That we've covered at a riot grrrl cover band show: Excuse 17, "Watchmaker"
8. That we've covered at a regular show: Velvet Underground, "Stephanie Says"

Joseph's favorite songs:
(listen over here)
1. The Sun a Small Star - The Servants
2. Out of Tune - Real Estate
3. Peripheral Vision - Sea Pinks
4. Wipe Away the Tears - The Hit Parade
5. I Could Be Happy - Altered Images
6. Dear John - Taylor Swift
7. True - Spandau Ballet
8. Pulses - Steve Reich

Chresten Hyde, multi-instrumentalist

2011-11-02T12:31:00.002-05:00

www.chrestenhyde.com

What have you been working on lately (musically)?

I've got a powerhouse soul/r&b band called The New Balance.

An EP with Tim Sheff to be released someday soon...

Electronic pop with singer/songwriter and Circuitree Records' artist Miranda Rae - something will be released soon...

How does your work space help you create new music?

There's something interesting always within arm's reach - It's like creative circuit training.

Have you ever experienced a creative crisis?

Nothing dramatic enough to talk about, honestly. There are definitely hot and cold moments, but I try to keep moderated: pick another style to work on, another song to write, another instrument to play, or go for a walk, or maybe I'll draw a funny looking thing for a while.

You play many instruments. Do you find it easier to play everything on your own when recording, or do you prefer to have a band to play with you?

It's two different experiences, both are great, but they are two very different head-spaces. Playing it all myself is a completely seamless connection from idea to notes (not counting how many times I mess up); which is great. But working with other musicians is amazing - hearing someone else's take on your material is kind of magical and inspiring.

If you could instantly play one instrument (other than your own) like one artist, what/who would you pick? (question asked by Mike)

Trumpet like Louis

What should I ask the next person to be on By Measure?

What does being a successful musician mean to you?

Chresten's Favorite Songs:
(stream these songs at 8tracks.com)
1. That Features the Sleigh Bells - An Airbag Saved My Life - Radiohead

2. To Dance to - Off the Wall - Michael Jackson

3. By two Chicago-born Artists - The Ghetto (Live) - Donny Hathaway

4. To have Heard Live - I Got You (I Feel Good) - Live (1968/Dallas Memorial Auditorium) - James Brown

5. In a Foreign Language - Look-ka Py Py - The Meters

6. To Get Through a Tough Day - I'm Your Puppet - James and Bobby Purify

7. By an Unknown Band - I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles

8. To Play Loud - Come on Up to the House - Tom Waits

Christine and David Wolf, bassist, guitarist and vocalists

2011-10-10T12:21:00.001-05:00

daylightrobbery.bandcamp.com/

daylightrobberychicago.blogspot.com/

How much does the punk aesthetic influence your band? What does it take to be considered punk?

If you take the punk aesthetic broadly to be hand-made, collaged, grainy, high contrast, abrasive, bleak, with a healthy dose of orthodoxy and nostalgia in this latter day age; then I would definitely say we draw heavily from those characteristics. If it narrowly means skulls, birds, mohawks and bullet belts, then forget it. Punk, and music subcultures in general now, are awash in a sea of postmodern relativism where everyone has their own pet definition and agenda. I don't think this is necessarily bad or avoidable. It just means that we can only say what we like about punk and use in our band, and not expect to hold anyone else to that standard or point of view. To us, it means sticking as much as possible to DIY principles in writing, recording, releasing records, touring, etc. Not that we do everything alone, but that we keep it in the community of bands/venues/labels we know and share principles with, and away from insidious corporate fronts posing as "punk" venues, labels, promoters, etc. Not that these big-money interests have any interest in us! They make it easy to stick to our values.

When you're in a slow phase, what do you do to motivate yourselves? Do you find playing shows to be a good motivator?

David: How did you know we are in a rut? ha. I think stepping away from writing when you're getting nowhere, is healthy to a point. Forcing ourselves to do anything quickly has never worked out too well. We tend to be more inspired when we have a lot of shows to work towards. It's also great that we have labels asking us to work with them, because it gives us a sense of what the songs are for.

Christine: Still trying to figure this one out, but playing shows does seem to help. Especially when you are working on new material. The best test is to play a new song out live.

Why do you release your music only on vinyl (besides bandcamp)?

That's what our label, Residue Records, wants to release. They are what people who want physical copies of albums are buying, at least in our microcosm of the music scene. We have had maybe a dozen people ask for CDs from us, and they are generally fine with downloading our music. It's also the medium we all most prefer to listen to. ipods are great for in the car, or wallpaper at a party. But if you're trying to really listen to music, you gotta flip those platters.

You seem to be very particular about your gear. How does that effect the style and sound of your music?

David: I like to have several guitars around, which seems indulgent sometimes. But I think that they all do different things well and it helps me come up with new ideas to switch between instruments regularly. I am much more married to my amp than any one guitar. I have found what works and I don't have much interest in changing that part of the formula.

Christine: I just like to keep it simple. I love the sound of my Sun head and my bass has been very reliable and is easy for me to play. I have explored pedals in the past, but have never been happy with how they muddy up the bass.

You've had your gear stolen in the past. Do you have any advice on how to avoid theft or recovering lost gear? How did that experience influence your material?

David: We were lucky to have insurance that covered what was stolen. But we had to do a lot of work to get our documentation together. I would say the biggest piece of advice we have is to keep records of everything- take pictures from multiple angles of every instrument, amp, pedal, mic, what have you... and keep them in a safe place in a different location from your gear. Keep receipts and serial numbers too. It may help people ID your stuff if it turns up in a pawn shop (none of our stuff was recovered), but more importantly it will make the insurance process go a lot easier if you can prove what you lost. Also, come up with reasonable and effective safeguards (locks, alarms, window bars, whatever you think you are comfortable with and capable of doing) and always use them. Come up with a system that works, and don't blow it off. If you get lax, then you will only be relying on luck, which is in short supply. Know that thieves will find a way, if they really want to rip you off. Make it as hard as possible for them.

What is your favorite supernatural and/or paranormal topic/noun/phenomena? (question asked by Nicholas)

David: Sulphur ghosts.

Christine: There are a lot of ghost stories about the office I work in. I've yet to encounter anything, but I don't like to be in the office alone.

What should I ask the next band/person to be on By Measure?

David: What's the weirdest place/context/time of day you have ever performed music for an audience?

Christine: What is your process for writing music?

Favorite songs for listening in the van while on tour:

(listen to these songs for free over here)

1. Wait A Minute - Wipers

2. Kids of the Black Hole - Adolescents

3. Which Way To Go - Eddy Current Suppression Ring

4. Food Fight - Village People

5. Gates of Steel - Devo

6. State of Decay - The Observers

7. Coldbeat - The Sound

8. Royal Headache - Eloise

Eliza Bangert and Mike Sherry, flutist and guitarist

2011-09-19T11:55:00.002-05:00

Ham Siobam

msherry.tumblr.com

www.etsy.com/shop/estarr

www.myspace.com/sixtyfivedeathflowers

Tell me a little bit about your current projects.

Eliza:Starting in September, I'll be playing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, so that'll keep me pretty busy. Taking orchestra auditions is an ongoing "project" of mine, as well. I also perform in a flute and guitar duo with Ben McMunn (see this video). We've been playing together since we were both students at DePaul, and we're working on putting together a full recital of flute and guitar works sometime in the near future.

Occasionally I moonlight with Mike's band, Ham Siobam, on concertina, auxiliary percussion, and flute & piccolo. Oh, and my non-musical project is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/estarr. In December I'm giving a workshop for teenagers on how to make duct tape wallets!

Mike: My main focus right now is writing songs for my new band Ham Siobam, a folk/rock group consisting of me, my sister (Juli), her boyfriend (Dan), and our friend Bonnie who has also been my dependable open mic night partner for the past few years. We should have an album's worth of songs ready by the middle or end of August at which point I'd like to record them and play some shows.

Non-musically, I'm studying for the GRE, occasionally posting comics at http://msherry.tumblr.com, messing around with electronics projects, reading as much as possible and hanging out with Eliza from time to time.

You recently moved into your current space. What do you like about the new place? What would you like to change?

Eliza: I love how much space we have. I used to live with three other people in a pretty large duplex, but it was still quite crowded. We also have a great little backyard with a deck. One annoying thing is that the furnace is built into a little closet right next to my desk, and I would probably practice in this room more if it wasn't right there. It's pretty loud and kind of distracting. I like my little "practice room"/guest bedroom, but it's nice to not practice in exactly the same room all the time. So when we're not running the air conditioning or heat, I'll play in the larger room.

Mike: At my last place I had to work at the kitchen table which meant setting up and breaking down a lot of gear if it was needed for another project, a game night or, you know, eating. I like that we have a work room now where we both have desks set up. I like to call it the dorm because it's basically a bunk bed and a 13" tv short of being my freshman dorm room, only a lot cleaner.
That said, we could still probably use another work room so that Eliza doesn't have to practice in the guest bedroom and I can set up my recording gear, amps and other toys I have stored in the closet. Maybe work space is one of those things you can never really have enough of. Also, I'd really like our landlord to fix the dishwasher.

What is the best time of day for you to practice?

Eliza: I really like practicing in the morning and early afternoon. Unfortunately, I often have to work during those times, although my jobs are pretty flexible, so sometimes I can arrange my work around my practice schedule. I've always been a morning person... I seem to have the most mental energy during the beginning of the day. When I practice at night, my mind tends to wander a lot more.

Mike: I don't get much of a choice in the matter due to my 9-5 work schedule. I tend to practice late at night after my brain has gotten too tired to do anything else. I'm not sure if this is the best time, but I have learned to work with it. I think it lets my subconscious take over and I come up with something good from time to time. With lyrics writing, though, it's the opposite. Mornings are the best time. I send myself a lot of emails from work with lyric ideas and then I tie things together and polish them up on Saturday or Sunday mornings.

Have you ever experienced synethesia (experiencing colors as sounds, for example)?

Eliza: No, but I think that is awesome and I wish I could experience it.

Mike: I have, but, unfortunately, not with sound. To me, numbers have shapes and they fit together in certain ways mathematically like puzzle pieces. Maybe that's why I went into engineering. I remember thinking that numbers had colors when I was young, but I've lost that part of it now.

Where is your favorite place to perform? (question asked by Lucas)

Eliza: I really miss performing in the concert hall at the University of Northern Iowa, where I did my undergrad. It was opened just a year before I started there, and it's a great space. Other than that, I have really enjoyed playing shows with Classical Revolution in dive bars, because no one expects to walk into a dive bar and hear a woodwind quintet. People are always very receptive to what we're doing because it's so unexpected.

Mike: My first band, Quarters Only, used to play this show on a beach in Michigan City, IN every summer. There was a nice big stage, the audience was always great, and we got to lay around on the beach all day before we played. It doesn't get much better than that. Oh, also, there was a Steak and Shake nearby, so a milkshake for the ride back was a must.

What should I ask the next person/band to be on the By Measure?

Eliza: Do you have a recurring earworm (a song that gets stuck in your head)? If so, what is it?

Mike: If you could instantly play one instrument (other than your own) like one artist, what/who would you pick?

Eliza's favorite songs:

(stream these songs over here)

1. Gravel Road - William Elliott Whitmore

2. This Little Ukulele - Stephin Merritt

3. Revolution I - The Beatles

4. Oh My Stars - A Weather

5. July, July! - The Decemberists

6. Spelunking - Laura Veirs

7. My Head in Front of Your Head - Best Friends Forever

8. Something - The Beatles

9. Symphony No. 9, movement 3: Rondo. Burleske - Gustav Mahler

10. Symphony No. 5, movement 3: Largo - Dmitri Shostakovich

11. Sonata in E Major, BWV 1035, movement 1: Adagio ma non tanto - Johann Sebastian Bach

12. Sonata in D Major, Op. 94, movement IV: Allegro con brio - Sergei Prokofiev

Mike's favorite songs:

(stream these songs over here)

1) Vine St - Harry Nilsson

2) The Execution of All Things - Rilo Kiley

3) Life on Mars? - David Bowie

4) Magnetized - Laura Veirs

5) Eight Eyes - Dan Potthast

6) Hands in Pockets - Laura Gibson

7) Fergus Falls - Conrad Plymouth

8) Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello & the Attractions

9) Uber Legitimate - Mates of State

10) Frank's 2000" TV - Weird Al

11) Doing the Wrong Thing - Kaki King

12) The Engine Driver - The Decemberists

13) Dayton, Ohio 1903 - Randy Newman

Todd Tue, filmmaker

2011-09-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

www.milkproductsmedia.com

www.stillrattlinthedevilscage.com - Charlie Louvin: Still Rattlin' The Devil's Cage

www.facebook.com/milkproducts

www.twitter.com/milkmedia

What is your favorite thing about your work space?
Recently, that it has an air conditioner. In general, that it's three times the size of my old work space. It's also in my home so it's nice being close to my family even though I'm pretty sure they get tired of having to hear the day's business as it unfolds or watching rough cuts of projects all day.

What projects are you working on at the moment? How do you stay on top of all the different things you're working on?

We're in the final stretch of editing Charlie Louvin: Still Rattlin' The Devil's Cage. This is our documentary about recently passed Country Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin. For this project we partnered with JuddFilms, Neltner Creative, and photographer Brian Steege to create Devil's Cage Productions and we're looking to have the film ready by late summer/early fall.

We're also finishing up a short documentary for the Chicago Public Art Group about the construction of their new piece up on Osterman Beach. The project paired the lead and assistant artists with some Chicago youth artists who built it over their spring break. That'll be coming out in the next few weeks or so.

We also produce Small Chicago on an ongoing basis.
In regards to staying on top of everything, I write a lot of things down and then post them in places where I'll see them over and over. Otherwise, I remember nothing.

What's been the most interesting thing about Small Chicago for you so far?
I guess the obvious, in that it's really great to meet more and more Chicago bands, hear lots of great live music and we also get to work with our friends at Boldt Collective who take stills for each episode. Milk Products also consists of some notoriously bad musicians that occasionally forget that and this is a good way to remind us why these people are the ones playing and we're the ones filming.

If you were in a band, which instrument would you play and what would your band sound like?
Which ever one was cheapest and easiest to carry or whatever I may already own-- like a beginner accordion. We would be sort of an east coast trip-hop glitch-core thing or we would sound exactly like Roscoe Holcomb. Exactly like Roscoe Holcomb.

Do you like ice cream? What kind is your favorite? How about cereal? (question asked by Juli)
I was unaware that there were other things to eat besides ice cream. I hate to give away all my moves, but, take your favorite ice cream (so long as it's not mint) and cover it in natural peanut butter. Your life will improve. And if you're into your ice cream being handheld, the recently-available-in-the-U.S. Magnum ice cream bar will blow your face off.

What should I ask the next person to be on By Measure?
What's the single most important item for a long journey? (the answer is dry socks)

Todd's favorite songs:

(stream this entire playlist over at 8tracks.com)

1. All the Difference - Black Jake and the Carnies

2. Cold and Blind - Possessed by Paul James

3. Riches and Wonders - Mountain Goats

4. Throwing Your Voice - Damien Jurado

5. Terra - Coltrain Motion

6. Painting and Kissing - Hefner

7. Get Down Tonight - Stereo Total

8. Shake a Tail Feather - The Five Du-Tones

9. Baby You Crazy - Nick Curran and the Lowflies

10. Rocks - Primal Scream

11. Love me or Hate Me (remix) - Lady Sovereign Feat. Missy Elliott

12. From Long Beach 2 Brick City - Snoop Dogg

13. Shake Your Money Maker - Ludacris

14. Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem

Katie and Patrick Watkins of The Halamays

2011-08-27T13:03:00.002-05:00

www.thehalamays.com

www.thehalamays.bandcamp.com

www.thehalamays.tumblr.com

Watch The Halamays new video for This Boring Party

You used to be known as Katie and Pat, what encouraged the name change to The Halamays?

When we first starting playing together we were just two college kids that played acoustic guitar in coffee shops and at open mics in bars -- we had this one gig where they offered us money to fill a 3 hour show, so in order to kill time we just played some songs together. People really responded to that. The next thing we knew, we were playing together all of the time and we needed a name. That was that. We kind of did the whole "band" process backwards. As we have grown together as musicians and continued to learn new instruments and experiment with different stylistic elements in songwriting, we started to realize that Katie & Pat was one thing, and what we were doing now was something completely different - that is when The Halamays came to be. At that point a "re-branding" was a must.

Where did you record your new album? What was your favorite part of recording there?

Katie: We have our own little studio in our apartment where we record, and my (Katie) favorite part is that I can wear my pajamas when I record. I also like not having to work around someone else's schedule.

Patrick: I enjoy working at home. I'm currently in a big self education phase. Slowly building our studio is what has really helped to shape our new sound and our live set up. Without it, we might not be The Halamays.

Since you both switch instruments frequently, do you prefer to have brighter lights when performing?

Katie: We are always excited when there are lights, period. We like lights. They help us to see.

Patrick: I don't actually. Bright lights mean sweat to me. Of course I need to see, but performing in super bright light or outdoors in the sun, actually makes it harder to read the screen of my MPC 500, which is super important to the show. I could trigger the wrong sample or mute an important track at the wrong moment. Eeep!

Do you collect anything?

Katie: I would like to start a collection of cats, but Patrick would not allow that. We do, however, collect movies and music on Vinyl/CD. I have a small stuffed animal collection and I also collect keepsakes from important moments in time.

Patrick: I don't really have any particular collections. I do like Horror movies though, and a large part of our DVD selection is made up of both classic and modern horrror.

Do you enjoy it when musicians talk in between songs? When is it necessary? When does it get annoying? (question asked by Michael)

Katie: This is a great question for us as it has been the subject of much debate. It can be charming when musicians talk between songs. I don't think it is necessary for bands to be chit-chatty -- I think it just depends on the individual and the "feeling" the band wants to give to the audience. I personally feel that breaking that wall creates a special connection and bond with the audience that I enjoy. When it's me up there on stage and the crowd responds to something I say, I feel like they are on our side.

Patrick: I think it depends on how much I've had to drink. But, I generally try not to say too much. It all depends on what is being said and why.

What should I ask the next person to be on the blog?

Katie's favorite songs:

(click here to stream them at 8tracks.com)
1. for getting through a tough day at work: "So Many Ways" - Mates of State
2. that you were part of the recording: "I Heard My Mobile" - The Halamays
3. from before 1970: "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" - The Monkees
4. to listen to at high volume: "My Girls" - Animal Collective
6. best heard in live performance: "Rebellion (Lies)" - Arcade Fire
7. in an odd time signature: "All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles
8. by an mostly or all-female band: "Double Knots" - The Living Sisters
9. that has the sound of jingle bells in it: "Maple Leaves (EP Version)" - Jens Lekman
10. from a lesser-known artist: "Book Song" - Sally Seltmann
11. from a Chicago artist: "Sally" - Tiger Cry
12. you loved in the 8th grade: "Spiderwebs" - No Doubt
13. to dance to: "Rock Lobster" - The B52's
14. for riding bike: "Walk In The Park" - Oh No! Oh My!

Patrick's favorite songs:

(click here to stream them at 8tracks.com)
1. for getting through a tough day at work - putting the dog to sleep - the antlers

2. to listen to at high volume - daft punk is playing at my house - lcd soundsystem

3. best heard in live performance - norway - beach house

4. in an odd time signature - snare hangar - battles

5. by an mostly or all-female band - what's mine is yours - sleeter kinney

6. from a lesser-known artist - mazes - moon dou

7. sung in a foreign language - staralfur - sigur ros

8. you loved in the 8th grade - streat spirit (fade out) - radiohead

9. to dance to - call your girlfriend - robyn

10. for riding bike - um, that's unsafe, wear your helmet and watch the road

Nicholas Davis, multi-instrumentalist

2011-08-10T13:00:00.002-05:00

You are in such a big, beautiful space. How many people use the space and what are all of their projects?

Mainly eight people use the space, but there are a couple of other groups of people that use the space more or less monthly. Here are the main eight:

Julian Chin - Member of the band "Capillary Action", Teaching Artist at After School Matters, avid musical improviser.
http://capillaryaction.bandcamp.com - 'Cap Act' (less syllables are the future)
http://capillaryaction.tumblr.com/ - Cap Act blog

Teddy Rankin-Parker - Free lance cellist, member of the Chicago Sinfonietta, avid musical improviser, hobo sheik, song writer.
http://soundcloud.com/teddy-rankin-parker - Solo music.
http://www.vimeo.com/23280816 - Cello demonstration for Meineke Stringed Instruments.
http://operacabal.blogspot.com/ - Involved in an experimental theater production collective.

Ben McFadden - Musical Director at Baby Wants Candy, avid musical improviser, song writer.
http://mcfabulous.bandcamp.com/ - Solo music.
http://babywantscandy.com/ - BWC official website.

Nicholas Davis - Sit in member of the musical group "L'éternèbre", avid musical improviser, aspiring circuit bender, song writer, avid sonic experimentalist.
http://soundcloud.com/passerby - Solo Music
http://soundcloud.com/leternebre/sets/aneveningwithfriends/ - An improvised set with L'éternèbre.

Rebecca Elliott - Currently in the MFA program for creative writing at SAIC, poet/creative writer, visual artist, co-founding member of the Chicago Writer's House Project.
http://www.chicagowritershouse.org/ - CWHP official website.
http://furtherexperiments.com/ - Main artist web page.
http://www.fremontuniverse.com/2009/07/04/winning-poem-read-at-lenin-statue/ - A poem.
http://thediagram.com/11_1/elliott.html - Poems.

Jais Gossman - Writer, performance artists, film artist, musician, visual artist, word artist, artist-artist
http://wn.com/jaisgossman - Video art and cinematographic works.
http://www.youtube.com/user/jaisgossman - Youtube account.
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=97472 - Photos of performances & photo art.

Zivi Krieger & Kelsey Tucker - Vagabonds, Musicians, collaborative and solo photographers/videographers, Zivi is also a music studio producer and a song writer.
http://photographersmusic.com/weare - A band they collaborated with and produced.
http://www.describethefauna.com/ - Main web page.
http://vimeo.com/describethefauna - Vimeo account.
http://twitter.com/#!/dtftweets - Twitter account.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/describethefauna - Flickr account.

Also, almost everyone I listed plus many more participates or has participated in our free-form, improvisational sonic 'group therapy' - http://outsideforces.tumblr.com

How does sharing a space with many different artists influence your creative process?
Since there is little privacy, getting into one's process as if no one else is around is not really an option. Frankly, the reason why everyone here wants to live and work in this space is exactly to share creative process & learn from/teach each other. You know, team building games, faith falls, cry circles, it's a very circumstantial place; we refer to it as a primordial ooze of a sort. When someone is playing, practicing, or working on a project and another person is interested in what's happening, the other pipes in, for better or worse. Although we mainly have a systematic schedule for signing the space out for things like rehearsals, recording sessions, authentic movement sessions, yoga/meditation, photography studio time, etcetera.

Are there any visual artists that you feel particularly connected to?
Salvador Dali, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sol LeWitt, William Blake, Frida Kahlo, Hieronymus Bosch, Shaina Hoffman (Chicago, Flat Iron Arts building). So, so many good ones... it's hard to pinpoint.

Your place has a huge selection of instruments and pedals. Do you share them communally or is it better not to touch equipment that is not your own?
We have all gone through a lot of shared equipment dynamics and situations in our lives, thus a grave understanding of making sure that an individuals belongings are still theirs when we all separate. Because of this we are very comfortable with sharing all for all.

Do you have any hidden talents?
Teddy can be in New York and Chicago at the same time; maybe he's in touch with one of his dopplegangers. Also Teddy is a excellent yo-yoist and unicyclist (imagine those two at the same time?!?!). Jais walks on hot coals. Kelsey can whoop anyone's ass at Super Mario Kart 64. The rest of us aren't telling. <,<.

What should I ask the next person to be on By Measure?
"What is your favorite supernatural and/or paranormal topic/noun/phenomena?"

Nicholas's favorite songs:

(stream the playlist here)

1. Phillip Jeck - Wholesome

2. Ensemble Pirin - Ei Mori Roujke
3. Paper Mice - Fresh Hair (Chicago)
4. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
5. Le Sang Song - Death vs the Rich (Seattle)
6. John Fahey - Some Summer Day
7. Ry Cooder - Fool For a Cigarette/Feelin' Good
8. The Zombies - Care of Cell 44

Juli Sherry, bassist and crafter

2011-08-03T14:18:00.003-05:00

cordinated.etsy.com

twitter.com/cordinated

www.facebook.com/cordinated

facebook.com/catchatiger

Ham Siobam site coming soon.

How did you get the idea to make your own cables?

It was really just the fact that Dan made me a cable and I had a lot of yarn and wanted the cable to look nicer. I was inspired!

What sounds are you working on for your new pedals?

Stereo Tremolo, Phaser are almost done. There are a lot more that are just ideas but nothing is set in stone yet.

How do you stay motivated to practice/write songs/create?
The best way to keep writing is have band mates who adhere to a set practice time! haha. If people show up to play music it's hard for us to say no. :)

You've been in your spaces for about 5 years. How has it changed over time?

We thought a lot about which room would hold all of our instruments and it's pretty much been the same since we moved in. We have rearranged a few times to make things more efficient for our bandmates coming in. We've also acquired more gear which required us to make space for it. We like to keep the amps and guitars that we use at practice in the main room while additional gear or bandmates gear stays in the hallway and only comes out when we need it.

Feet or hands? (question asked by Jack)

Totally hands. Because they can make stuff. Feet are bad at that.

What should I ask the next person or band to participate in By Measure?
Do you like ice cream? What kind is your favorite? How about cereal?

Juli's favorite songs:

(stream the playlist here)

1. that you were part of the recording: Catch A tiger - Bird Social Hour

2. from before 1970: The Velvet Underground - After Hours
3. to listen to at high volume: Weezer- My Name is Jonas

4. in an odd time signature: The Dismemberment Plan - Gyroscope

5. that has the sound of jingle bells in it: Death Cab - You Can Do Better Than Me
6. from a lesser-known artist: Doctor Manette - Under Over

7. from a Chicago artist or artist from your hometown: Absinthe & The Dirty Floors - Identify

8. sung in a foreign language: Marshamllow - IU (video)

9. you loved in the 8th grade: The Toadies - Possum Kingdom

10. to dance to: Junior Senior - Go Junior Go Senior

Emma Dayhuff, bassist

2011-07-19T10:59:00.003-05:00

www.emmadayhuff.com

www.markshuldiner.com

www.myspace.com/fuzzzchicago

www.groundspeedbg.com/

What's your earliest music memory?

I think my earliest music memory is watching my mom alternate touching her forefingers to her thumbs while she sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider".

How does your practice space influence your writing or playing?

At the apartment, I really enjoy having such large windows in the living room. It makes practicing scales and arpeggios that much less tedious and playing Bach incredibly pleasant. In the funk band's practice space, we'll usually practice with the main lights off and just our little colored lamp which, perhaps in a tiny way, recreates a club atmosphere for us to get down.

How come you have so many harpsichords in your apartment?

My boyfriend Mark Shuldiner is a professional harpsichordist in Chicago, and in addition to playing, he is apprenticing with harpsichord builder Paul Y. Irvin. So, we currently have his personal harpsichord, a gutted harpsichord he's in the middle of refinishing, a small spinnet he's fixing up to sell, as well as a clavichord we're housing for David Schrader.

If you were going to start your own jazz group, which instruments would you want to include?

I usually like smaller groups: Bass, Hand Percussion, and Voice, Piano Trio, Bass and Guitar. I like the harmonic and rhythmic freedom that a bass player suddenly has when there are fewer instruments in a group. But, that said, there's nothing like the energy of a really good big band.

Any advice for transporting an upright bass around the city?

First, get a wheel. Second, get a stationwagon. Because so many buses stop running at midnight in Chicago, as a jazz bass player, unfortunately there are few alternatives to driving.

Where should I eat dinner tonight? (question asked by Matthew)

There's a very small sushi restaurant near the corner of Lincoln and California called Tam Po Po that always has amazing salmon and reasonable prices. I'm a sucker for sushi.

Emma's favorite songs:
(stream this playlist here)
1. Moldavian Folk Song - Alfonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitane
2. I Can't Help It - Gretchen Parlato
3. Daylight - Alison Kraus & Union Station
4. Porgy (I Loves You, Porgy) - Bill Evans
5. La Ciel Dans Une Chambre - Carla Bruni
6. Embraceable You - Charlie Parker Quintet
7. My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis
8. The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
9. Hide and Seek - Joshua Redman
10. Anthony - Nickel Creek
11. Love Song #1 - Me'Shell Ndegeocello
12. Wake Up - The Arcade Fire
13. Bright Size Life - Pat Metheny

Lucas Hollow, guitarist and singer

2011-07-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

myspace.com/hospitalgarden

facebook.com/hospital-garden

hospitalgarden@gmail.com

This might look like a photo of the band, but it's actually just the friendly folks who were hanging out with Lucas the day I came over to take photos.

What is your favorite song on the upcoming Hospital Garden album?
My favorite song on the upcoming album is probably Sarah's contribution, "Cobwebs." It's got some cool melodies and she delivers it really well.

What about your current space do you find the most inspiring or useful?
My current space is useful because I live there. I'm way to busy to travel across town and work on songs elsewhere.

Do you also rent a practice space somewhere else in the city?
I don't rent a space anywhere, but Hospital Garden practices at Eric Rasmussen's Observatory Studio. It's perfect to practice in, and we recorded the new album there.

What do you do when you get in a creative rut?
When I get in a creative rut I honestly don't do much about it. I just do other things that are not song writing. I work on other projects, practice the songs we already have, book shows, etc. I don't try to rush it, as I certainly don't have any musical deadlines to meet. The creativity comes back eventually and I write songs again.

With gas prices being what they are, how do you go about making enough money to get to the next town while on tour? (question asked by Cloud Mouth)
We don't tour outside of the Midwest as of now. When we do, we usually make enough money at the show through the cover charge or merchandise sales to get home. There have been a few trips where we have lost a little money, but we don't mind.

What should I ask the next person to be on By Measure?
You should ask the next participant where their favorite place to perform is. If it's a visual artist, maybe ask the best place to display their work.

Lucas's favorite songs:
(click here to stream the playlist at 8tracks.com)
1. Midway (demo) by Hospital Garden
2. Girl About Town by Helen Love
3. Apples by Long Whisker
4. Meet me in Minnesota by The Canoes
5. Holocaust by Big Star
6. Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper
7. I'm a Ram by Al Green
8. Why Don't You Love Me by Hank Williams
9. Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks
10. Barstool Blues by Neil Young
11. Marie Provost by Nick Lowe
12. If You Knew/Let It Be Me by Nina Simone
13. She's All Right by Otis Redding
14. Danny Says by The Ramones
15. Remember Today by The Thermals

Elsewhere...

2011-07-13T20:14:00.002-05:00

Everyone who's been on this little blog made a playlist for you to listen to.

They are up for your listening pleasure over on 8tracks.com/bymeasure.

You can also follow on Facebook and Twitter @bymeasure if you're into that sort of thing.

New post coming tomorrow...

Patrick Liddell, composer and multi-instrumentalist

2011-06-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

www.ontologist.us
www.vimeo.com/ontologist
www.youtube.com/canzona

What was the most memorable performance you've been a part of?

The trouble with answering this question is that I have been a part of performances of such disparate genres that it barely makes sense to even compare the experiences. I'll list two: I remember a particularly awesome gig I did with the reggae/ska outfit I played in, 2001, The Zvooks, we had the fortune of touring middle Europe for a month. In the town of Laizise, Italy, we performed one night at a summer festival. The venue was a castle, around 1500 years old, which had been refurbished in recent times to open up onto a beach on the Adriatic Sea. It was outdoors, a perfect summer night, a few hundred Italians sitting in this pavilion-like ancient castle on a beach, listening to Midwestern USA traditional ska. I seem to remember they enjoyed it too. Another time, in 2007 I think, Function Ensemble (lead by Aussie Matt Nicholson, now Outshine Family) was touring the East Coast, we played at Issue Project Room in NYC. The lineup for this concert was really amazing, and while we had a great time performing (I was doing keys, laptop, trombone, and visuals), performances from The No-Neck Blues Band, Gamelan Son-Of-Lion, and Coach Fingers really made that night incredible. Still other performances of art music and gamelan music have left just as deep impressions on me, too many to list!

What was the most memorable performance you've experienced as an audience member?

Whoa, way too many to choose from here. I remember a particularly stunning performance of DJ Shadow I was in the audience for, at Bonnoroo; his music was good but it was his VJ (visualist) Ben Stokes that really blew me away -- ever since that performance I have been a VJ myself, in fact in terms of performing I do far more of that these days than making audible art. I also really loved the performance of Stravinsky's Symphony Of Psalms that the CSO did a few years ago. I cried!

Do you have a routine when it comes to composing?

No, fortunately it happens pretty spontaneously. I do have to set time aside for it though, i.e. "today I need to compose for 4 hours" or whatever. There needs to be minimum 30 minutes or so for me to be creative though, if I need to leave in 20 minutes I'll do something else rather than compose in that time. Because then I get into it and I'm late to wherever I'm supposed to go.

What are your three most favorite objects in your space?

(1) My computer, the most important tool I use.

(2) The gamelan instrument, called a gender. I practice almost every day, it's a bit like learning jazz piano.

(3) My headphones/monitor speakers. They aren't irreplaceable, but I can' compose without decent sound.

How did you get into making visual art even though you started out as a musician?

I've always been into drawing, I took a lot of classes as a kid. I probably would have played with video then too if there was any access to it, only in the last few years has it become an option to me. Now I do a lot of doodling, and I have been making stencil art, along with VJing.

What is the worst music you've ever heard and why? Name names. (question asked by Christopher)

I've always hated Offspring. There is something particularly ugly, boring, and cheap about their music. I also hate Blink182. When it comes down to it, I can't stand posers. If you are sincere about the music you make, and want to enrich people's lives with it, then I don't think you can make 'bad' music. But when you're in it for the fame or the money or whatever -- using music as a tool to expand your ego or libido -- then fuck right off. I think Eric Witacre sort of sucks. I don't really like Snoop Dogg. Justin Bieber. Pierre Boulez. Kenny G. Zac Brown Band. Nickelback. Michael Daugherty. You get the idea.

Patrick's favorite songs:

(listen over here)

1. for getting through a tough day at work: Bob Marley - Small Axe

2. that you were part of the recording: Get Laid Like An Egg - Outshine Family

3. from before 1870: Absolon Fili Mi, Jospuin DePrez

4. classical piece: Symphony No. 1 - Glenn Branca

5. to listen to at high volume: Tank! - Yoko Kanno

6. from a lesser-known artist: Down Here - Van Hunt

7. you loved in the 8th grade: For You - The Outfield

8. to dance to: Canned Heat - Jamroquai

Rich Fessler, bassist, drummer, singer

2011-06-16T16:56:00.000-05:00

bearclawrock.com

mayorforlife.blogspot.com

How do you stay on top of all of your different projects?

I usually try to have a pretty rigid practice schedule but it doesn't always work out that way because so many people have so many things going on. Bear Claw is now on hold right now because our drummer Scott moved to Germany for work. While he's gone Rob and I are going to try to start writing some new songs and then send him what we come up with, we've never done anything like this so it should be interesting if we get the motivation to follow through with that thought.
Mayor For Life usually practices once a week but we haven't been able to get together yet since I've been back from tour because our drummer Dan is getting ready to record with his other band Sequoia.
The newer band that some friends and I have started is still in the infant stages and hopefully we'll be playing shows later this summer. This band I play drums in instead of bass and I'm very excited not only because I've always wanted to play drums in a band but also because I don't have to sing in another band.
My fourth project is also just forming and will be an ambient/noise project with a Cellist by the name of Bailey Doyle. We might try to do a few freeform shows soon but I'm hoping to have more structure in the project as things move along. Both of us are in a lot of bands so we don't have any goals in mind except to have fun with the project.

Would you rather lose your phone or your wallet?

For the most part I hate cell phones and I just recently bought one after being stubborn for years but I think I would rather lose my wallet because I'm usually broke and there's nothing of importance in it. The phone has more personal stuff, contacts, messages, etc.

What was the best place you slept while on your European tour with Bear Claw? (Question asked by Jason.)

The best place I slept was at my friend Massimo's apartment in Bologna. It was nice to finally visit the town he lives in and have him share his home. We split up in two groups that night and the other group slept at Sergio's apartment, they are band-mates in Three Second Kiss.

Name some bands/singers/anything you've been listening to lately.
For the most part I don't listen to much music because after practicing with so many bands and working at a guitar shop, my head just wants peace and quiet. I usually just play music at work. I prefer live music over albums, too.

Michael Mroz, composer and multi-instrumentalist

2011-06-13T12:30:00.001-05:00

http://michaelmroz.blogspot.com/

Did you start playing music or writing music first?

Definitely playing. At the age of 10, I really became fascinated with my Dad's interest in music. The fact that he had all of these "weird" records, and could play guitar quite well, always seemed to keep my attention. When he began teaching me, I didn't really put two and two together, that I could actually use what I was taught to write my own music. At the time, I was just so enthralled that what I was playing sounded vaguely like something I had heard on a record.

What are some things you like to have around you when you're composing?

I don't really need any superfluous items around me to get creative - just the bare essentials, really. If I'm writing "written music" as a "composer," just a keyboard, staff paper, and my laptop. If I'm writing music as a collaborative effort with one or more other people, then all I really need are the instruments we're going to use, and their brilliant ideas. It may sound boring, but I generally don't have any composing rituals or environments I must be immersed in, to be creative.

What would your dream studio be like?

Not being much of a gear guy, I certainly don't have a laundry list of pedals, synths, or software that usually tends to accompany an ideal studio experience. I suppose my dream studio would simply be space where great musicians could work on music, record their ideas, and time would be of very little concern, ha.

What are three places in your hometown that any tourist should visit?

Hmm...um...there aren't very many "must sees" in my hometown. Interestingly though, it's one of the few towns in America that took its name from the first and last names of a living person.

What is the worst music you've ever heard, and why? (question asked by Christopher)

I suppose the worst music to me is music without "soul" or sincerity. Similarly, music that was created more with the use of a software program, than ones own ability to really think about what they're doing, play decently well, or follow through with a cohesive idea until the end. This is not to say that music has to be serious or artful all the time, though. Not in the least. Moreover, as a listener, it's almost impossible to discern whether or not a songwriter/composer/performer is being objectively sincere or honest. I guess my own intuition just seems to make that judgement. It's just a feeling I get. Paying close attention to how an artist talks about their work, and how they carry themselves when they're performing, can actually have a profound affect on whether or not I end up liking music. So, if I had to name names just off the top of my head, Creed would be the list, the 90's boy band movement, and maybe Jersey Shore-esque club music. I think a vast majority of us can agree on disliking those, right?

What should I ask the next person?

Do you enjoy it when musicians or bands talk in between songs? When is it necessary? When does it get annoying?

Michael's favorite songs:

(listen over here)

1. for getting through a tough day at work - July - Michael Torke

2. from before 1975 - Loveland - Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

3. classical piece - Beethoven String Quartet No.16 op. 135 III. Lento assai - Quartetto Italiano

4. to listen to at high volume - Videte Miraculum - Thomas Tallis

5. in an odd time signature - Unsquare Dance - Dave Brubeck

6. from a lesser known artst - Baby, Let Your Heart Out - Royal City

7. with great lyrics - The Very Thought of You - Etta James

8. for meditating - Untitled Piece for Yamaha Disklavier Prototype Italia Modena Electric - Keith Fullerton Whitman (use John Cage 4'33, if you want to tell a nerdy joke...)

Ornery Little Darlings

2011-05-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

coming soon... www.ornerylittledarlings.com

ornerylittledarlings.bandcamp.com/

www.facebook.com/OrneryDarlings

Ornery Little Darlings are in the process of recording their first full length album

in the E.P. Theater in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.

How did Ornery Little Darlings come to be?
Us boys were with a strange Greek man named Mitchell in the studio one day recording love songs and in walked Emmi off the street. Bleeding. Angry. Ornery.

Do you come into the studio with a set plan or do you leave room for experimentation?
It's all experimentation. None of the songs were written before we came in. We've also been experimenting with mic placement since this is such a large and unusual space. We've been getting lots of interesting sounds by putting mics far, far away from the actual instruments.

How do you define success as a band? (asked by Spektral Quartet)
Not getting 1-800 calls on tour. Money wise. Money wise? Did you make 'em sweat?

Would you rather trip and fall or have equipment malfunction during a live show?
Equipment. That's not your fault.

What should I ask the next person?
Where is the best place you've slept while on tour?

Jason's favorite song:
(listen over here)
1. from before 1970 - Frim Fram Sauce / Nat King Cole
2. classical piece - Symphonie Fantastique / Berloiz
3. to listen to at high volume - The Plague / Scott Walker
4. best heard in live performance - Back in Time / Huey Lewis and the News
5. in an odd time signature - Bears / Loneliest Monk
6. by an mostly or all-female band - This Just In / The Juliets
7. that has the sound of jingle bells in it - White Christmas / Bing Crosby
8. for mellowing out - Walk on the Wild Side / Lou Reed

Cloud Mouth

2011-05-23T13:40:00.001-05:00

www.mouthintheclouds.blogspot.com

www.toohightodie.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com

How would you describe Cloud Mouth's aesthetic?

hmmmm. i don't think this band puts a lot of forethought into their aesthetic, either sonically or visually. as far as the music goes, we all bring stuff to rehearsal. we then jam on it, give it shape, argue about it, agree on it, begin to dislike it, sob uncontrollably, scrap it, think about it, jam on it, stop thinking about it, play it, and finally it usually ends up in the form of a two to three minute grunge song. as far as our visual aesthetic, we've either always done it ourselves, or been lucky enough to befriend some pretty talented people who seem to be able to take something away from those said grunge songs, and are able to represent them visually. either that, or we steal iconic images and use them.

You perform a lot. Do you have any suggestions for DIY bands looking to book their own shows or tours?

i think that since the inception of this band, it was agreed that more than anything else we wanted to play as much as we could. there is something to be said for really honing your sound and working to really make everything perfect, but we really wanted to just get out there and start playing shows. that being said, we'd suggest getting off the internet. go practice. write songs. sing with your friends. go to shows. set up shows for other bands. work hard. the web has made it entirely too easy to make things happen for bands, and entirely too easy to get distracted and caught up in things that don't matter. finally, once you're ready to play out, develop thick skin, smile nice, and be ready to hear no a lot.

Does songwriting happen continuously for you, or do you have to set aside time and really work on it to come up with new material?

Beyond involving a lot of crying, writing has proven difficult for us at one time or another. i think that a lot of it has to do with how much we play out. you get going on playing shows and touring, and sometimes i think its hard to come back and get settled and get writing again. and, no one person in the band writes the material, so fleshing out a song can sometimes take several practices and/or beers.

Is there any music that any member of the band has banned from the van while you're on the road?

Our radio broke on our very first tour, so apparently all music has been banned in from the van. two and a half years with no tunes. no ipods allowed. we just sit. and stare at each other. in silence. its how we get psyched up for gigs.

What is your favorite color? (question asked by Sarah)

black, the only color that matters.

What should I ask the next band?
With gas prices being what they are, how do you go about making enough money to get to the next town while on tour?

Matt's favorite songs:
(listen over here)
1. for a tough day at work: i hate myself and want to die - nirvana
2. by a mostly female band: typical girls - the slits
3. to listen to at high volume: sweet leaf - black sabbath
4. in a weird time signature: nosferatu man - slint
5. from before 1970: frustration - mystic tide
6. to listen to while running from the cops: sabotage - beastie boys
7. to listen to on a night bike ride: color me once - violent femmes
8. for saturday night: this boy is exhausted - the wrens

Spektral Quartet

2011-05-11T13:28:00.003-05:00

spektralquartet.com

The Spektral Quartet rehearses at three of its member's homes.

Doyle Armbrust, violist:

Russell Rolen, cellist:

Aurelien Fort Pederzoli, violinist:

Spektral Quartet's other violinist has also been on By Measure. See Austin's space here.

How did the name, Spektral Quartet, come about?
A quartet can be seen as a kind of sonic prism. We have black notes on white pages in front of us, and it is our artistic endeavor to transmit the "colors" the composer conceived to the audience. So the root "spectrum" is the primary inspiration for our name. That the term "spectral" has a phantasmic connotation was appealing as well, and the Germanic spelling helps to sublimate this to some extent, favoring the "spectrum" angle.

Does the quartet have any rituals for either rehearsing or performing?
Prior to moving rehearsals to the morning hourse, we had a ritual of bringing a 6-pack of craft beer (Dogfish Head 60 min IPA, Raging Bitch by Flying Dog, and Three Floyds Alpha King for example). Now that concert dates are arriving at shorter intervals, the ritual has fallen to the wayside somewhat, but evening rehearsals are still fair game.
Given that this is a man-tastic quartet, the pre-concert ritual involves a confluence of right-hand fists being bumped and raised to the cadence of "Go big or go home!" Reminding ourselves to take artistic risks rather than playing carefully is central to our performances.

What is the best advice you've gotten from a mentor?
Shmuel Ashkenasi, the first violinist of the Vermeer String Quartet said, "It's easy to make something poor, great but it's hard to make something great, perfect."

What's the coldest environment(s) you've ever played in, how long? (asked by Erik)
On occasion, the quartet will take a wedding gig to replenish the war chest. In a stroke of contracting brilliance, our cellist, Russ, agreed to an outdoor ceremony...in October. There was a restaurant-style heat lamp which did an effective job of warming the sky just above us, and fingers were cut off gloves in an attempt to keep digits from succumbing to hypothermia. Instruments (irreplaceable ones) were endangered. Musicians were cranky. Russ was made to sit in the back seat on the way home.

What should I ask the next person?
What does success look like for your group?

Aurelien and Doyle's favorite songs:

(listen over here)

1. classical piece - "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Part

2. to listen to at high volume - "Turn It Out" by Death From Above 1979

3. in an odd time signature - "Arcadiana: Et...(tango mortale)" by Thomas Ades

4. from a Chicago artist - "Ut" by Chicago composer Marcos Balter

5. to dance to - "Robot Rock_Oh Yeah" by Daft Punk (live)

6. for mellowing out - "Threnody" by Goldmund7. to listen to before 6am - Mozart's String Quartet in G Major, KV 387, "Spring", Finale

8. that is nostalgic - Angeles by Elliott Smith (In 2007, I was living in between France and the US, traveling throughout Europe with my best friend, Cory. My dad gave me Smith's fourth album, "XO", and I could not stop listening to it. This album means weird places in Spain and foggy roads in the Netherlands. It means being lost in every sense of the word. --Aurelien)

Jack Mayer, filmmaker

2011-05-06T10:46:00.003-05:00

livingroomsongs.com

jacklawrencemayer.com

How did Living Room Songs come to be?

Like a lot of things in my life, it all started over a girl. I remember it was late October and I was sitting in front of my computer late at night on a Friday. I'd just gotten home from a really weird and difficult break up in a playground. My roommates were all out of the house, and I was listening to some sad song that my sister had recommended to me and, I'm being totally factual here, crying into a gin and tonic.

All of a sudden this image popped in my head of a girl sitting on a couch and playing guitar while singing the old Townes Vand Zandt song, "No Place To Fall." I started running through actresses I knew who were also musicians, planning the shots out, trying to figure out what kind of narrative this scene could be fit into, visualizing a whole short film based around a girl playing a song on a couch. But the only really poignant thing I had was the image of the intimate performance in the private space. And I decided to strip it down. The song would be without context. It would just be.

And I started thinking, then, about the musicians I knew, about how I could do a couple or even a whole handful of these types of things. About an hour later the idea for Couch Potatoes//Living Room Songs was formed and I was feeling a lot better.

Have you made other music videos or films before?

Yep. And almost all of my projects have had a whole lot of music in them.

In college, I made this omnibus film called, "Terminus," which was set in Atlanta and followed a wannabe musician. We cast the Atlanta singer/songwriter Victor B. Bicycle in the lead, and he wrote some songs for the film. I think overall there were about a half dozen live musical performances in the movie (including what I'd call now my first living room song) and probably upwards of twenty songs on the soundtrack.

My last film, "A Girl Named Clyde," focused on a confused post-grad in a crappy band that did lo-fi harmonium renditions of old Christian Hymns (one of these is on my playlist, the only song I ever really helped record and you can tell).

Probably my favorite piece so far is a short I did recently called, "Waltz Across," which was just a 6 minute conversation between two people dancing to an Alex Chilton cover of "Waltz Across Texas."

What is your favorite thing about your work space?

I like the big window to my right, especially in the spring. I like the color of my chair.

If you started your own band, what would the instrumentation be?

Oh lord. Probably drums, piano and electric guitar. If I ever started a band, it'd probably be a twee Dead Milkmen thing.

What is your favorite color? (question from Sarah)

Red.

What should I ask the next person?

Feet or hands?

Jack's favorite songs:

(listen over here)

1. by an mostly or all-female band - Coral Toucher by Dayna Evans

2. to listen to at high volume - Uncomplicated by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3. for mellowing out - Gimme a Pigfoot by Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns

4. for getting through a tough day at work - Get What's Coming by The Defibulators

5. you loved in the 8th grade - King For A Day by Green Day

6. in an odd time signature - B.O.B. by Outkast

7. to dance to - Girl After Girl by Alex Chilton (Elvis Presley Cover)

8. that you were part of the recording - How Great Thou Art by Malcolm Campbell and Sydney Slotkin

Brendan Finucane, cellist

2011-04-27T10:27:00.001-05:00

http://www.soapboxchicago.com

http://www.hemlockrecords.com/

http://redthreat.wordpress.com/

http://groups.google.com/group/diychicollective.

http://www.rockthecello.com

When did you start playing music?
I started playing music on my fisher price record player pretty much as soon as I realized that the colorful plastic 'records' stored in a tray at the bottom weren't food. I was upgraded to the white and orange record player with the beige lid a year or two later. I remember it had two super-simple controls. I began playing cello when I was 8 years old.

What's your average day like?
On my average day I drink a lot of coffee, teach two string group string classes, have a couple private cello lessons with 4th - 8th grade kids, waste a bunch of time on the internet, go to a rehearsal and then come home and brew some decaf and tinker in my bike room. When Soapbox Music had an hourly rehearsal studio I used to spend a bunch of time there recording electric cello stuff and messing around with Audiomulch. Now that our co-op members are taking charge of the space, I'm not there as much.

What piece of equipment would be most useful to you right now?
A custom tube amp would be nice, for cello. So would a macbook, though I hate to say it. I'd love a laptop that doesn't hiccup when it records and plays back audio. Alternatively I just need to destroy my computer and get back to basics. On that note, I need a set of bongos for a go-go band I'm trying to put together. Gotta rep DC!

Are there any current trends in music that you don't care for?
I don't care for bands and venues that play everything waaay too loud. Aggro shit should be be loud for sure, and so should dance music. But not everything. I guess I kinda sound like a curmudgeonly old dude haha.

Do you collect anything?
I collect tapes for my car's cassette player. I also collect vintage lugged bicycles. And half-finished to-do lists.

Have you had any recent breakthroughs or paradigm-shifts in your playing or writing? (question asked by Alex.)
Recently I've been thinking about the difference between communicating a thought or an emotion via music, or art or text or whatever, and evoking emotions. For a long time I thought of these were the same thing. Now I realize they are very different. For example it's a lot easier for me to be creative and stop the self-censorship if I just think 'I like this sound', and have that be enough, rather than worrying about getting you to like it too.

What should I ask the next person?
I think it would be cool to go more in depth into the creative processes of the musicians you interview. There are all these spaces, and what happens there? Do the musicians have a routine? Is there something that gets them 'into the mood'? It's interesting and it feels good to hear about how other people deal creatively with creativity.

Brendan's favorite songs:
(listen over here)
1. Me And Lazarus- Iron & Wine
2. No One's Gonna Love You- Band Of Horses
3. High Together- Siriusmo
4. Paper Scissors Stone- Portico Quartet
5. Bake A Cake- Tommy Largo
6. Far In Time- Mother Mother
7. Aeon- Antony & the Johnsons
8. Bury Us Alive- Starfucker

Christopher Dee, guitarist

2011-04-20T14:06:00.002-05:00

theconformists.com
sounds.theconformists.com

How did you get started playing music?

Music's always been a big part of my life; other interests have come and gone, but music has been a constant obsession. I started playing guitar in 1995, when I was sixteen. A year later I formed The Conformists with a high school friend, and the band's been active ever since.

What has been inspiring you recently?

"Incarnations of Burned Children" by David Foster Wallace; Bill Orcutt's return to music; the enthusiasm of Julien Fernandez, who runs the wonderful European record label AFRICANTAPE; "Le Yachting" by Erik Satie (played nice and slow and creepy, not fast and whimsical like almost every version you'll find); the ongoing projects collectively dreamed-up-and-realized by members of the Electrical Audio forum; attending a live performance of Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" in Chicago last February; early '80s St. Louis band The Janitors; this video of Lhasa de Sela; I could go on and on...

Do you prefer to record or play shows?

They're both fun for different reasons, but at the moment I'll pick recording -- if only because I regularly play shows, but only get to record in a studio every couple years or so.

What are the best and worst things about performing live?

Best: interacting with an audience; filling a room with sound; spectacularly fucking-up a song.

Worst: disgruntled or "light show/mix-happy" live sound engineers; spectacularly fucking-up a song.

What are three places one should definitely visit while in St. Louis?

City Museum: a multi-level playground for drunk adults and, legally, probably the closest thing St. Louis has ever had to New Jersey's infamous Action Park. It blows my mind that this place hasn't been shut down or sued out of existence. Last time I was there, I actually thought I shattered a kneecap coming down the 10-story spiral slide. It was awesome.

The Record Exchange: a massive, overwhelming record store housed in an ex-library. I've never been in a music store that carried as many different formats as this place... LPs, 45s, CDs, cassettes, 8-track, reel-to-reel, Laserdisc, MiniDisc, DVDs, VHS -- and they also have weird shit that you won't find anywhere else, like 16" and Direct-to-Disc vinyl.

Pappy's Smokehouse: fantastic Memphis-style BBQ. Only a certain amount of food is cooked each day and when it's gone, they close. They make the best ribs I've ever had. If you're a vegetarian, let this be the place where you lapse.

What should I ask the next person?

"What is the worst music you've ever heard, and why? Name names."

Christopher's favorite songs

(listen over here)

1. in an odd time signature: Cheer-Accident - "Await"

2. that you were part of the recording: Grandpa's Ghost - "Squeezer"

3. best heard in live performance: U.S. Maple - "Breeze, It's Your High School"

4. from before 1970: Duke Ellington - "Fleurette Africaine"

5. to listen to at high volume: Rapeman - "Hated Chinee"

6. classical piece: Béla Bartók - "Suite for Opus 14, Pt. IV (Sostenuto)"

7. from a St. Louis artist: Corbeta Corbata - "87 Octane"

8. with great lyrics: Nina Nastasia - "Wakes"