The Pistola Press

Phoenix and Chairlift played to a sold out crowd last night at the Electric Factory. First up was Brooklyn’s Chairlift, who sound more intriguing live than they do on their record. Caroline Polachel, the lone female of the band, brought all the energy to their performance. French indie rockers Phoenix headlined the show and they absolutely killed it. Lead singer Thomas Mars jumped into the crowd during “1901″ and  made his way through the crowd to the back of the venue. It was quite a feat getting through the packed crowd. Photos and setlists below.

Philadelphia’s Toy Soldiers are a unique bunch. Their music has a folky, bluesy style to it with a touch of soul. The live shows are one big celebration especially this past Saturday. The band celebrated the release of their debut album Whisper Down The Lane at The Fire. Toy Soldiers will play a handful of dates around the Philadelphia area. Ron Gallo, one of the founding members of the band, dropped by for a quick conversation.

How did all of you come together? I know a few of you weren’t there in the beginning. How long did it take for you to become the band you are today?

The title Whisper Down the Lane is sort of symbolic of how this records and this band came to be, it was literally me seeking out friends who I had endless amounts of musical respect and trust in and just basically telling them, “come into the studio, take a listen, write parts, lay them down”.  Oddly enough it was my first time meeting some of the people in the band the day that they came into the studio. These people being Vinchelle Woods and Josiah Wise (the back-up singers).  The way I came to meet them and got them involved was through Kate Foust, who was hands down the first person that came to mind when it came to having singers.  I knew I wanted her voice all over this record and I knew she was a great writer so I asked her to do all of the backup vocal arrangements and choose her ensemble as well. Dan King was a long-time unofficial member of Toy Soldiers; our bands used to play together all the time and he would come up and take a solo on “Myself: Repeated”, so when album time came he was unquestionably the lead guitarist.  Pete Veloski, the trumpet player, had recorded on previous Toy Soldiers tracks and through both Pete and Dan we contacted Noah Skaroff to play sax.  Along with his great sax playing came this great sense of interest, enthusiasm and just downright brilliance that has made Noah a crucial member of this band.  Zach Poyatt who played the role of multi-instrumentalist on the album (mainly the keys) was a friend since sophomore year of college, our bands played together for years and I see zach as total musical genius, so he sort of pounded through every track somehow playing perfect parts in all of them.  The rest is practically history.  Garrett had always come to shows and was a great friend to all of us, he has such a vibrant personality and just brings large amounts of positivity to the table so she started banging on a tambourine, then got a baby drumset and washboard.  Tom Cladek replaced the original drummer around the time of finishing the record, he was recommended to us by a friend of Kate and Vinchelle from UArts.

Where’d the name, Toy Soldiers, come from? Did you have a fascination with the little green and green army guys?

The name toy soldiers came from a painting in the Philadelphia art museum.  There wasn’t anything particularly interesting about it but it caught my eye.  It was a painting of a kid holding some small toy soldiers and it was titled “Toy Soldiers.”  It had a ring to it so I remembered it as a good name for a band, especially a band that I didn’t think would one day become a serious thing, as we started off as a joke duo.  Then!… a few days later these two guys came into my work and told me I looked like the subject of this painting they saw at an exhibit recently, and it happened to be a different painting but it had the same title and also was a kid holding toy soldiers. The resemblance wasn’t present in the first one I saw but could see what they were saying in the second one.  For reference the painting is by Antonio Mancini.  Weird connections but that’s where it all came from.

What was the recording process like for the first record? Was it a collective writing process? Did anyone/group of people in particular help you guys out a lot?

The recording process was like a group efforted Jackson Pollock painting. Everyone came in and casted their strokes, freely and with grace.  The writing process has recently become more collaborative but for the record the songs were written in my room with a guitar or in the basement.  Sort of I would write a song, bring it to the band they’d learn it rework it and polish it then it was done.  The Fire (Derek Dorsey, Dan McShane and Dino Leonetti) made this record possible.  They lent us their space, Dino one of the sound guys there engineered and produced the record and they really made it all happen.

This past summer you spent about two weeks on the road. How was your guys first experience on the road? Anything crazy happen? I’ve heard a few stories…”jay” walking?

Our first road experience had to have been the best a first road experience could be.  It was a share of ups and downs but entirely a success.  We encountered amazing hospitality, which has probably spoiled us, great shows and responses and all around just a fun trip.  All of the downsides of the trip we’re like teases, they could have been potentially bad but we’re quickly and efficiently solved.  For example, Garrett got arrested in Lower East Side Manhattan two minutes before our set for illegally parallel parking his herd of rabid antelope (who happened to be minors) in a bus only lane.  They couldn’t tow them (obviously) so he spent a hot minute in a cell, missed the set that night, but magically appeared an hour later and went completely charge-free because of his charm and neighborliness and rubarbian team spirit.

What’s your favorite city that you played in?

I think collectively our favorite city was Burlington, VT.  Just wade through Lake Champlain and you’ll see what we mean.

Would you rather have an owl follow you around 24/7, that randomly dives and attacks you or to break your arm everyday, each day you break it a different time and way, at night it heals only for it to happen again..?

Hands down, be followed by the owl.  First because owls are vunderful goot, perdy creatures.  Secondly, I’m sure we could find a way to incorporate the “hoo’s” into a song. Thirdly, we could all use some wisdom at times.  And lastly and most importantly they will sleep the entire day away so attack would only happen at night, where due to their HUGE pinnas, if we happened to be playing the show the sound would be unbearable and we would keep them in their place with our music.

What are your plans for the next 6 months? I see that you have a good amount of shows coming up around Philly. Any plans to travel outside of the city?

The next six months will be a process of letting the album grow, just like any child.  We’re going to play as much as possible and try and weasel our way onto some really great shows.  Do Philly once or twice a month and try and spread outwards into the surrounding cities.  In January, we’re going to do a two week southern tour.  And when we return, a few of us will have graduated, so probably start working on album number two, and maintain a steady, constant growing pace because we can’t stop, won’t stop, can’t stop, won’t stop.

Listen to “When I Tripped Into You”

The first time I heard Sharon Van Etten’s voice was on The Antlers‘ record Hospice. Her solo material displays her hauntingly, beautiful voice and folky guitar. She’s currently on tour with the Great Lake Swimmers and hits the road with Kyp Malone’s Rain Machine in a few weeks.

Sharon Van Etten – Photo by Cat Stevens

What’s it like living in Brooklyn? It’s as if every new musician/band comes from there. I remember walking  into my friends apartment building in Bushwick and it seemed like there was different kinds of music coming from every which way.

New York is a crazy place.  Brooklyn is more affordable than Manhattan so there are more artists living in Brooklyn, for sure…There is so much to see and hear. I live in Bushwick, it’s a mix of neighborhood and industrial. It’s quiet, with a low hum. There are new neighbors every week.  New businesses popping up all the time. Art spaces and locally run restaurants and DIY performance rooms. Still exploring, still discovering. It’s a pretty exciting time right now.

Have you always lived there? If not, how did you end up there? Why did you decide to move to BK?

I am originally from NJ. I lived in TN for a bit, then moved back to NJ with my parents in my early 20s and saved up money to live in NY, which has been a dream of mine since I was a kid.  I have a couple friends who have lived in Brooklyn for years and they showed me different neighborhoods and introduced me to some of their favorte venues… and all of my favorite places seem to all be in Brooklyn.  It is affordabe, and there are lots of god venues – how could I NOT live there right now…

What was it like working with The Antlers on Hospice? Your part on ‘Thirteen‘ is beautiful. It fits so well with the album, it’s fantastic.

I feel really lucky to have been a part of it.  Peter (Silberman) is a genius. The first time I heard his voice, I thought “this is someone I want to know”. I only sang what belonged there.  He did all the writing. It IS a beautiful record. I am so proud of those guys!  They deserve all the praise in the world.

Would you rather get eaten by a grizzly bear or a great white shark? You no have chance… either way, you’re becoming dinner.

Which one would be wearing a hat?

Who influences you musically?

Everyone.  ha. I listen to a wide range of music… But the singers that have changed my life are Diane Cluck, Meg Baird, Vashti Bunyan, Jana Hunter, Jessica Larrabee (from She Keeps Bees), and Leah Hayes (from Scary Mansion)

Who or what inspires you while writing?

My friends and old lovers. People I get to connect with at shows. A rainy day. (I sound so cheesey!) but it’s true.

Do you dabble into any other types of art?

I paint sometimes. I draw terribly. I dabble in sewing. I like cutting hair. I play piano. I am a hobby person who never learns anything very well.

After you get done tour with Great Lake Swimmers, you’re heading out on tour with Kyp Malone/Rain Machine. How did you get hooked up with him?

I met Kyp in New York. I went to see Celebration play (who are amazing) and Kyp was opening for them at the time. He looked so familiar. I looked at the show bill again and realized I went to High School with his brother and introduced myself. His brother was a huge influence on me musically in high school. After that, he took me under his wing. We have played a couple shows together, but this is our first tour. I am so excited. His new songs are so good. I can’t wait to play with them every night!

What are your plans for when you get done touring?

I am hoping to settle back in at home and write and prepare my self to record a new album.  We will see, though. I tend to get distracted…

Sufjan Stevens played his second of two sold out shows at Philadelphia’s Johnny Brendas last night. The performance was phenomenal. It truly was a magical moment witnessed by the some 300 people in attendance. The rest of the tour is completely sold out and has been for a while now. No tickets were mailed out, everyone who bought tickets had to pick them up at will call. For those of you who have tickets, get ready for a fantastic evening and for those of you who don’t….maybe next time.

The Walkmen just started their headlining tour with Here We Go Magic. They had a killer year so far with more to come. They make in stop at the TLA in Philadelphia tomorrow and tickets are still available. Go check them out. What else are you going to do on a Wednesday night? Matt Barrick, The Walkmen’s drummer, dropped by The Pistola Press to answer a few questions.

The Walkmen – Photo by Nick Ray McCann

The first time I ever heard of The Walkmen, I was like in 7th grade and I saw Saturn car commercial that featured “We’ve Been Had”.  I remember I memorized a few lyrics and looked it up on the computer. That was right when you guys were getting started. How did the commercial come about? How’d they find your music?

We’re not sure how it that works but someone who worked on the ad approached us about using that song. It was quite unexpected.

What was it like working with Chris Zane on You & Me? Was it different compared to your previous records?

We randomly ended up working with Chris Zane because he works at the studio affiliated with the label that put out You & Me, Gigantic, and we were very pleasantly surprised. In the past, it has always been a struggle in the studio getting things to sound how we want them and with Zane, he was able to do this very quickly. He’s very good at capturing how we sound playing live which is more difficult than it would seem.

How do you go about incorporating horns into your songs? They’re in a few tracks on You & Me. Do you write the songs with the horns in mind?

Paul (Maroon) took up the trumpet a few years ago and started adding them to our eight track recordings. The parts became more involved along the way and he had to get Pro Tools just to have enough tracks for the parts. In the studio, we generally get professional horn players to play the parts, though sometimes Paul does them.

It’s been a little over a year since You & Me’s release. Have you guys started to work on anything new?

We just finished another session with Chris Zane in which we recorded thirteen new songs and we are working on writing some more since they all probably won’t make it on the record. so things are moving faster than they ever have.

A lot of great new music came out so far in 2009, are there any artists/albums that have really caught your attention?

We are big fans of Thee Oh Sees.

You’ve had the opportunity to play in large arenas with Kings Of Leon and headline smaller venues like the TLA and 930 Club What kind of tour do you like more? The small intimate venues or the 20,000-seat arena?

We enjoy playing smaller venues for fans of our music, rather than arenas where people could care less, though we did enjoy playing at the Spectrum in Philly.

Imagine life on Earth was no longer inhabitable; the air became toxic. Would you rather live in a bubble under the sea or on a space station?

Bubble

If you could be any cartoon character, who would you be?

Foghorn Leghorn

Last record you bought:

Thee Oh Sees, Hounds Of Foggy Notion

Last drink you had:

Root beer

Last musical instrument you bought/acquired:

Washboard

Last good advice someone gave you

Get in the left lane (driving in Ireland)

Last time you felt like a kid again

Yesterday

What’s one song you wish you wrote?

Moon River