Anthology: Behind the Scenes

An Interview with Dan Schwartz of Good Old War

by: Casey Pukl

I still remember the first time I heard the song, “Coney Island” by Philadelphia indie folk/rock trio Good Old War. I had just moved to Nashville, TN, and was just coming home from my first show in town. It was a showcase called, “New Faces” at a tiny venue called The Basement. Of the seven acts that played, there was only one I liked, and I can’t even remember what they were called, but I do remember talking to their lead singer outside while he drunkenly chain-smoked. I told him that I enjoyed the band, we chit chatted for a bit (something about the holy powers of the Leslie), and then I asked him the one question I now ask all musicians I enjoy. “Who are you listening to lately?”

[Insert my drunken iTunes purchase of Good Old War’s song, “Coney Island” here.]

Formed by former members of Days Away, Keith Goodwin (GOOD) and Tim Arnold (OLD), and then adding in Dan Schwartz (WAR, get it?), the trio has been soothing audiences across the country with their three-part harmonies and acoustic charm since 2008. Fans of the band have been waiting for their third full-length album since June of 2010, and fortunately they have recently announced that their latest record has been completed. I had the opportunity to chat with Dan over the phone this afternoon about everything from the new album to driving their beloved van and everything in between!

CP: Tell me about the new record we’ve all been waiting for! Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Brad Barr of The Barr Brothers

by: Casey Pukl

When Brad and Andrew Barr started playing with their band The Barr Brothers, they decided to start recording some of their songs. Over the next three years, they recorded what turned out to be a pretty sweet record that is starting to gain some massive traction in the indie music scene. The band has been getting nods from MTV and Paste Magazine saying, “The Barr Brothers is a name you’ll want to remember.” I got a chance to chat with Brad Barr as they were driving through the Grand Canyon. He gave me the scoop on their recent experience at CMJ, their writing process, and exactly what listeners can expect at their live show.

The Barr Brothers. Photo Credit: Andre Gurette

CP: Tell me about your writing process. Your record is so diverse and it almost feels like it was written by two different people at some points- like “Beggar in the Morning,” and “Give the Devil Back His Heart,” are two completely different worlds. Tell me about this.

BB: Yeah, the record is really diverse, and we actually have a few different writing processes. For songs like, “Beggar in the Morning,” “Old Mythologies,” and, “Let There Be Horses,” I write the lyrics on my own. I really take a lot of time to make sure the feel and the delivery is exactly the way I imagined it. Once it shapes up, I’ll bring it to the band and we’ll flesh it out. Sarah really likes to digest the whole song and feel it out and go from there to add her parts, and same with Andres. We all just get a feel and fill it in.

But then with “Give the Devil Back His Heart,”, it’s more of a body feeling than this cerebral kind of song. Things like that song are born out of riffs we have going or musical ideas and pieces. The lyrics are really secondary in songs like that, and I don’t take as much time really crafting every single word. It’s just a feel.

CP: You guys just came from CMJ where you seemed to get a good bit of attention. Tell me a little about that experience. Read the rest of this entry »

By Mikel Toombs, SDNN

Putting on the annual San Diego IndieFest has meant six years of headaches. And worse.

Four years ago, festival co-founder Alicia Champion “has a grand mal seizure on stage,” fellow performer and organizer Danielle LoPresti recalled, “and has no condition whatsoever that contributed to it. The doctors concluded it was an overdose of good old-fashioned indie-induced stress. I got pneumonia and coughed till my back went out, so that I could not move for five days.”

On the bright side, LoPresti added, “Fishbone was awesome and then proceeded to have sex in the green room. I could go on.”

Fortunately, Champion and LoPresti have gone on, and San Diego IndieFest VI will take place in North Park on March 26 and 27. The Saturday festivities will feature 75 acts on seven stages (one is 21-and-up) and will be headlined by Metric, Far and Nappy Roots. (This Friday, Feb. 26, a fundraiser at Anthology previews the event, with a bill that includes Danielle LoPresti & the Masses.)

The Friday portion of IndieFest is devoted to independent films, a format that suggests an inspiration from the granddaddy of all such happenings, Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW).

“Yes and no,” Champion said. “SXSW is definitely the largest indie-oriented event in the country to date. However, SXSW is a largely a big-scale, major-label industry showcase for indies, which pretty much perpetuates the thinking that in order to be truly extraordinary or successful, one must be in bed with a major entertainment entity.

“San Diego IndieFest is an outright celebration of every artist, band or filmmaker who is making incredible art on their own terms, without any major label backing nor influence. At IndieFest we educate the public on what being ‘indie’ really means on levels that expand far beyond the arts. It’s our endeavor to celebrate and advocate for independent music, film, art, business and thought.”

Not surprising, the sometimes quirky IndieFest (a couple years back, fangirl Champion brought in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” actor-singers James Marsters and Amber Benson) reflects the perspective of the two women who pull it together each year.

“As full-time indie musicians ourselves,” LoPresti said, “we experienced first hand the complex and frustrating set of emotions every time someone would say, ‘Wow, you’re so great, why aren’t you guys famous yet?’”

“There are so many truly remarkable independent musicians and filmmakers out there who deserve to be recognized, who have so much to give, who are so phenomenal at what they do, but simply because they are indie — not represented by a major corporation with serious financial backing and contacts — they are relegated to various levels of obscurity.

“We felt we had two options: become more frustrated and eventually resentful, or pour all our passion into making a larger statement that encompassed the entire issue. So we’ve chosen to do all we can to make something positive out of our experiences.”

What: San Diego IndieFest VI Preview with Nomis, Collective Purpose, Danielle LoPresti & the Masses, Veronica May
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26
Where: Anthology, 1337 India, downtown/Little Italy
Tickets: $10.

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Via SDNN

When the four Massachusettsians making up Fountains of Wayne announced their 2009 tour last month, we were still in the dark about what their motives for the tour were, if they had any at all, and curious about what they’d been working on, if anything at all.

Click here for the full story.

01/24 – San Diego, CA @ Anthology
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