Band Interviews

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I spoke with Sacramento Indie Rock band Keys and Vices. We chatted about their latest and highly emotional release “Chronic Nostalgia”, songwriting and influences, and music traditions. Check it all out below …

Photo Credit: Jennifer Valdez

Photo Credit: Jennifer Valdez

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Pancakes or Waffles?
ALL: Waffles 100%!

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can you tell us how you guys got started as a band?
KEVIN: We were in a band prior to Keys and Vices so we were already family and synced up with
each other. After the split, Jenn created Keys and Vices as her solo project then slowly pieced it
together by first adding Kris, then reached out to me a while later. We knew we had something
after our first practice as a trio.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can you tell me more about the recording process for this EP “Chronic Nostalgia”?
JENN: I recorded 5 of the songs myself which is where you’ll hear some difference between all 8
of them. The songs I recorded on my own took a lot longer having to write all the parts myself, but the 3 songs recorded with Kris and Kevin were so much faster since we could bounce ideas off each other.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How was the writing process for this EP? Having come from a place heartbreak did you feel this was a cathartic experience?
JENN: Absolutely! Writing music has always been therapeutic and helps me to move on. Sometimes I’ve come to discover things about myself during the writing process that I hadn’t thought of before, and it’s simply because i’m searching for a different way to explain the story.
KRIS: For me it was more on feel. The songs Jenn and I wrote together came from locking ourselves in a room for hours and just playing together till something felt right, and we just knew.

TRB: Being not only musicians but creatives where do you normally draw your inspirations and influences from?
KRIS: I draw inspiration from the talent my bandmates bring to the table. It’s hard not to see and
hear them play and not become inspired to be the best I can be.
JENN: My personal experiences, and collaborating with musicians like Kris and Kevin. Just like Kris said, it’s so much better writing songs with people who know where you’re going with the music before you even get there.

TRB: Do you guys have a lyric that you’ve written that has the most meaning to you or is a favorite?
JENN: Wow that’s a very hard question! I love all the lyrics I write because they all have a lot of
meaning to them. If I had to pick a favorite lyric, I would say one of the lines from the song “Ghost Love”. The lyric, “trying hard to hold back the water in my eyes, I don’t want to show you the wake you’ve left behind”. A way to explain how much you’re hurt that you feel the effect isn’t a small ripple in the water, it’s a wake. I think that’s very relatable for anyone who has been hurt.

TRB: If you had the chance to cover any song and give it the ‘Keys and Vices’ treatment what song would you pick? And why?
JENN: My favorite song to play as a cover is “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. I’ve always loved that song, and now I give it a different feel with the way I sing/play it.
KEVIN: “Won’t back Down” by Tom Petty. I think the song speaks for itself!
KRIS: Any song by Hall and Oates. I loved that band as a kid and I still do.

TRB: Are there any current artists that have been “On Repeat” for you as a band lately? What music have you been digging?
JENN: I listen to a lot of different artists (old and new), but the artists I always have on repeat is Sam Cooke and Elton John’s album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. At my house we have “Sam Cooke Sunday” where we listen to my Sam Cooke vinyl albums every sunday, it’s become a fun
tradition along with cooking a big breakfast. A few months ago I found Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road vinyl album buried in a sea of old vinyls at a shop. I couldn’t believe it was only $3.99, and in amazing condition! It’s one of my favorite albums and every other Friday night
you’ll hear it blaring throughout my house!
KRIS: Lately I’ve been listening to Chris Stapleton’s Traveler album. It’s the perfect mix of blues, and country but it’s also surprisingly soulful too. The man has a great sound.

TRB: If you turn any book into a song what would you choose? And why? KRIS: The Count of Monte Cristo.
The idea of waiting so long to get revenge is crazy and would make for a great song.
TRB: And what’s next for Keys and Vices?
ALL: Although we just released “Chronic Nostalgia”, we have a lot of new music ready to get out there within the next year, and if listeners love our current album, we can’t wait for them to hear the next one!

TRB: Anything else you guys would like to add? 🙂
ALL: Thank you for taking the time to listen to the album! Please hit us up on social media and let us know what you think of the music!

You can follow Keys and Vices on their social media links below as well as listen to their current release “Chronic Nostalgia” (embedded above).

Facebook: @keysandvicesband
Twitter: @keysandvices
Instagram: @keysandvices
https://www.keysandvices.com/

Like always be sure to hit that follow button or subscribe to my emails to catch the latest and greatest in music, entertainment and pop culture from The Reclusive Blogger.

Until then,
Brittney x
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Host Bodies is a live Electronic duo based in San Francisco comprised of MC/producer James Collector (aka Swoop) and multi-instrumentalist Nick Hess. They have just released a new EP ‘Diamondfruit’ of beautifully chill songs that you’ll be sure to add to at least one or two of your Downtempo or Mood playlists. The seven track EP opens with the track ‘Stories’ the notes are soft and lush. It later picks up in speed bringing in other instruments to the track most notably twangy guitar. We transition to ‘Wildcat Beach’ where nature one of Host Bodies biggest influences starts to become even more evident. Sounds of water and the beach forming the better part of this song. Tracks like ‘Accept’ and ‘Orange Marble’ are two of the more groovier tracks on the EP. Even with ‘Accept’ clocking in 8:36 it’s the standout track with twisting and turning through all of it’s 8:36. On ‘Diamondfruit’ nature and the organic sounds found within it is the basis for the music. That combined with live guitar work, and electronic music elements, Host Bodies create a unique and beautiful soundscape blending two different palettes and it works quite well. It’s a great EP to put on and just mellow out. Therefore allowing yourself to fully feel the melodies created and just escape.

HOST BODIES

Listen to ‘Diamondfruit‘ below!

Stream ‘Diamondfruit‘ elsewhere 
http://hyperurl.co/diamondfruit

FOLLOW:

Website I Facebook I Instagram I Twitter

Until then,
Brittney x

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I got the chance to chat with electronic band Host Bodies about music, their upcoming release ‘Diamondfruit’ (due out February 8th) and much more. The band blends beautiful soundscapes, live instruments and electronic beats to create a sound that is uniquely their own. Their latest song ‘Accept’ is out now and you can check out my interview with them below!

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I always start out with an easy ice breaker question. CD or Vinyl?

HOST BODIES: Vinyl.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I tend to never ask a follow up to this but how big is your Vinyl collection?

NICK HOST BODIES: Ah, it’s growing. We’ve been collecting for years. We’ve got our first record on vinyl and thinking about pressing this new EP on vinyl. Not for the release day, but soon after.

JAMES HOST BODIES: Here’s the reason why vinyl is better. It’s apocalypse proof. Everything goes down and the CD players don’t work anymore. You can turn a crank on some kind of apparatus for your vinyl records.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: See, I never thought of that …. That was a new concept to me. But yeah, I started collecting vinyl recently too. And it’s great.

TRB: So for my readers who don’t know about Host Bodies how did you guys come to be? How did you guys get the band together? Was this something that had just organically come together?

NICK HOST BODIES: James and I had been friends since middle school and then high school. We would play rock and roll and garage band type of stuff. He was the drummer and I was the guitarist. Then we lived together in college and that was the first time we collaborated on more electronic music. James was making a lot of beats and he was inviting me to collaborate on some of the writing and some of the recording and yeah, that’s essentially how Host Bodies got started. It was a name that James had for himself and luckily I was able to become a collaborator on it. And ever since then we’ve been creating songs together and releasing music. We’ve had other collaborators over the years but it’s mainly been this core duo of James and me.

TRB: Were there any bands from the early electronic music days that you guys both bonded over?

HOST BODIES: Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9). Early Tycho and Bonobo.

“You know we live in such a crazy time development and modernization that you’re always sort of seeking an asylum or refuge in nature”

– Host Bodies

TRB: How do you transfer your sound from studio to stage when touring? How is that entire process like?

NICK HOST BODIES: Real instruments are a big part of our recording process so we try to incorporate them on stage as much as possible. Of course, we still use computers, pretty much everybody does these days. But electronic music is almost more of a technique for us than a genre, even though we still identify with the electronic genre. So on stage we have electric guitars, bass, analog synthesizers, stuff that we can touch and play with. James has live rap vocals on the hip-hop style tunes. Then the backing tracks fill in whatever we as two people can’t do live.

TRB: Since you guys specifically mentioned that a lot of the EP is inspired by the sounds of California and Colorado. How so? How are the soundscapes used for each state differ from each other?

JAMES HOST BODIES: We try to spend a lot of time outdoors getting out of the city. Getting to the beaches and the mountains. And there’s something about being in nature that is inspiring, that out of that silence, out of just those kind of natural sounds, bird songs, wind, the hushed silence walking on fresh snow or pine needles or rushing water in a river, that really kind of flows into you like a well. And when you get back into the studio and get on an instrument, it passes through you into the sound. So there were definitely specific places in mind in Colorado and California that inspired the music.

TRB: If you could collaborate with any musician? Who would you choose and why?

NICK HOST BODIES: Little Dragon, that’s easy we’re huge, huge fans of them. And Yukimi Nagano especially is one of our favorite female vocalists. She’s magic. She worked with Gorillaz too. And they’re another band that’s all live but in the electronic genre.

TRB: Yeah, I could see that being something that would work. It doesn’t seem like a stretch or where did this collaboration come from?!

TRB: Are there any artists that have been “On Repeat” for you guys lately? What music have you guys been digging?

HOST BODIES: Christopher Willits, Tycho, Snuise, some of our local electronic music makers. At the gym lots of Run The Jewels and Disclosure. And in 2018 Chrome Sparks, DJ Koze, Maribou State and Ólafur Arnalds put out amazing albums.

TRB: Throwing in a fun one here… What’s your favorite ’90s jam?

JAMES HOST BODIES: The Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack, Annie Lennox and the Eurythmics.

NICK HOST BODIES: Fatboy Slim, Chemical Bros, and really early Daft Punk.

TRB: And what’s next for Host Bodies?

JAMES HOST BODIES: Our album release show at a really special venue in San Francisco that I won’t name yet! Also a remix or two.

NICK HOST BODIES: I’m a graphic designer myself so I am really interested in more video stuff for the band.

TRB: Anything else you guys would like to add? Thank you for your time!

NICK HOST BODIES: We’ve been in SF a while and have been looking for this kind of community and family of electronic musicians. We feel lucky that we found some talented peers to play local shows with and they continue to inspire us at the same time.

JAMES HOST BODIES: Also I think we need to mention the EP ‘Diamondfruit’ drops February 8th. It’s really coming from an intention to provide our community and listeners with music that’s a refuge and a healing resource. Whenever they just want to chill out, whenever they want to dive deep into what they have been going through, or reconnect with joy—that’s what the EP is for.

TRB: Congratulations on the upcoming release. I love the album you guys and it was nice talking to you about it.

Listen to Host Bodies below! You can also pre-order ‘Diamondfruit’ as well

Stream Accept on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/hostbodies/accept

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4Kpx2Pi2FtDLv6q5TBcGFV?si=M2dfLg0OS1-x019TsFkmnA

Preorder: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/diamondfruit/1448369221?mt=1&app=music

FOLLOW HOST BODIES:
Website I Facebook I Instagram I Twitter

Until then,

Brittney W. 🙂

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I chatted with Maine singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist, Alice Limoges about music, songwriting, her inspirations as an artist, and her current single “Hungry For A Vice”. Check out the interview and more on her single below ….

THERECLUSIVEBLOGGER: Hi, Alice It’s nice to e-meet you! I always start out with an easy question. Morning Bird or Night Owl?

ALICE LIMOGES: Hello! I am a morning bird at heart, but tend to self sabotage and stay up too late.

THERECLUSIVEBLOGGER: So how did you know you wanted to become a singer and songwriter? What was the earliest song you remember writing?

ALICE LIMOGES: I had an existential crisis in 8th grade when I realized my heart was devoted to this crazy career. I’ve always sung and wrote my first song with chords and a real structure in 6th grade. It was pretty dark. A girl had a horse they won all sorts of competitions until the barn burnt down and the horse died. It started “She is a sad one, she sings a lonely song”. Maybe it was foreshadowing for how a lot of my music now is pretty dark!

TRB: Can you tell me more about the backstory behind your current single “Hungry For A Vice”?

AL: Sure! I’d quit smoking and kept feeling a tickle in the back of my mind desiring something self destructive. Soon thereafter, I ended a really awful relationship and now when I sing it, my ex has become the missing vice.

TRB: Being both singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, where do you draw a lot of your inspirations and influences from? In particularly on the song “Hungry For A Vice”?

AL: I have a lot of influences. Musically, I listen to a really wide range of things from jazz to Gamelan to Debussy. And of course a lot of singer-songwriters and bands like Bob Dylan, Sufjan Stevens, and Mitski. Lyrically, I draw a lot from my own life.

TRB: Looking over and listening to your music are themes of love and loss something that you as an artist feel the most comfortable telling? Or is it just human relationships overall? Be it good or bad.

AL: I struggled a lot for most of my life with bipolar, so a lot of my songs on my last album The Space Between are about that (specifically Save My Soul, Dog Is Barking, and Winter Nights). Those songs also all span relationships and the interplay of the isolation of mental health battles and trying to connect with other people. For some reason, darkness has always moved me the most, so even on songs that aren’t about me, I’ve tended to lean towards the dark, like on Red Cigar and Aleppo. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot better and am gearing up to release some new stuff which is a bit lighter, so stay tuned.

TRB: Let’s talk about the album art … How do you feel the album art for “Hungry For A Vice” connects to the lyrical nature of the song?

AL: I made the art myself actually! The picture of the face with crazy makeup is based on a still from the music video, where I walk through this crazy old theater with all of these strange doll-people. I guess it connects because it’s about masking your identity and throwing yourself into chaos? Mostly I just like how it looks though.

TRB: If you had the chance to cover any song and give it the ‘Alice Limoges’ treatment what song would you pick?

AL: I’m dying to do Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean!

TRB: What lyric have you written means the most to you?

AL: The lyric that means the most to me is probably in my song Daydreams, which we’ll release later this year. The starting line is “There’s someone else inside my head, my worst and closest friend” and it’s about mental illness. It’s a really difficult song to work on in the studio because it’s always really triggering though.

TRB: Are there any artists that have been “On Repeat” for you lately? What music have you been digging?

AL: Lately it’s been a lot of Fiona Apple and Hiatus Kaiyote!

TRB: A fun one … Do you have a dream concert venue to play at?

AL: Governor’s Ball or Bonnaroo!

TRB: Anything else you would like to add? Thank you for your time Alice! 🙂

AL: Thanks for inviting me to do this interview! I am working on a bunch of new material in the studio that I can’t wait to share, so I hope readers will stick around for it all.

https://youtu.be/n_tf0X2t2Ec

Alice Limoges Socials:

Until then,
Brittney W. 🙂 x

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In the basement bar of Music Hall of Williamsburg a couple days ago, I got the chance to sit down and chat with the indie band Wilderado. We chatted about all things ranging from the start of the band to their first ever album. The band later performed an unbelievable show as an opener for the psychedelic, eccentric band Sure, Sure. Read below to hear more about what Wilderado band told us about their past, present and future.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Can you guys start off by telling me how Wilderado came together as a band?
Yeah! Three of us went to college together [total of 4 members]. Two of us are from Texas and two of us are from Oklahoma. We all started out in LA. We all ended up out there and started playing music [together] and next thing you know we were recording songs up at a house in Malibu. Now three of us are married, two of us are back in LA while two of us are back in Tulsa and we’re just writing and touring pretty constantly.

Where did you guys go to college in Texas?
Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Three of us attended that school.

You guys have been touring with Sure Sure for a little bit now, is there a connection between the two of you guys that made you two want to tour together?
Our agencies just linked us up. It’s pretty unromantic. But there’s a lot of connection going on between us now. We really love those dudes. Very, very beautiful people. Quite honestly, it has been one of the more fun trips just because of them. I think we’ve had a lot of fun just getting to know them. They’re sweet guys and easy to work with. So yeah, we’ve really enjoyed it.

Do you see a collaboration?
Oh man, I would. If they ever wanted to collaborate on something I would say yes pretty fast.

And you’re just touring the US on this leg of tour?
Just the states but we are going all over the place. We started in San Diego and going as far as Boston and then end in LA. We will be hitting 23/24 towns. It’s cool to see new places. In 30 days.

You guys are embarking on a tour across the United States, do you have favorite locations? Is there a specific reason as to why?
Ah, New York for sure. We have a pretty good draw here. We have a sort of romantic connection with it. It was kind of one of the first things we did, we came to new york. There is also kind of this buzz around coming to this city with a purpose so it feels cool to be coming to this city to be playing a show. You know, like this world class, world famous city, putting on a show is pretty fun to do here. It feels like a bit of an honor. To be coming all the way up here [from Oklahoma and California] to be playing a show is special.

What have you guys enjoyed most so far on this leg of tour?
This leg, like where we are right now, I mean this is the part of the tour where the set start to really feel good, you start feeling confident, reactionary rather than trying to remember your parts. I’ll say it over and over again but, honestly, the best part of this tour so far has just been hanging out with this band [Sure Sure]. It’s just been fun to watch them, they’ve been cool and it’s fun to watch them, learn from them, hear them. Their music is just really sophisticated.

You guys don’t have an album out yet, correct me if I am wrong here.
No, we just have EP’s.

Can we expect an album sometime soon from you guys?
Yeah, I mean it’s something we are working on but we don’t just want to put out a record to just put out a record for its own sake. I think right now we are really just collecting songs, and writing, and touring but for sure that’s the idea. We are all very romantic about it, we want Wilderado LP 1 very badly, it’s a huge goal.

Who are your musical influences?
I think for the band it’s a lot of Third Eye Blind, Kings of Leon, and real early Coldplay. Crosby Stills and Nash. It’s a lot of thing honestly.

If you collaborate with any artist dead or alive to write a song who would it be and why?
Max:
Miley Cyrus! I wanna sing with Miley, I wanna know what it’s like. I’m dead serious. I think she’s awesome.
Tyler:
I may be saying this because we just saw Paul McCartney, but I think George Harrison. I’ve always liked his solo stuff and the way he told stories about himself. I think he had a lot of influences on the guitar melodies and guitar lines we’ve wrote.
Colton:
Since you brought up The Beatles, I think Paul.
Justin [Drums]:
I’m just gonna agree there with The Beatles!

– Sabrina A.

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I got a chance to interview Southern California Punk Band WANK recently. I talked with frontman Bobby Amodeo on music, Foo Fighters, and the future of WANK …

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I always start out with an easy and quick question. An icebreaker … So CD or Vinyl?

WANK: VINYL

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: And for my readers who don’t know who is WANK and how did you guys come to be?

WANK: We’re the unsigned rock band that KROQ in LA added to rotation. We are the band that Mike Ness of Social Distortion and Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighter produced. Check us out.

TRB: Can you tell us about the first song you guys wrote together as band?

WANK: Fearless from Get a Grip – Generation X meets The Boss.

TRB: What musicians have you guys admired or learned from over the years?

WANK: I’d have to say Mike Ness, Joe Strummer, The Beatles and Elvis Costello. Yes they’re all legendary but they all brought the tunes and lasting stage presence.

TRB: Can you tell me more about your bands’ typical creative, recording and writing process and what goes on behind that?

WANK: Danny presents an idea, we refine it and arrange it as a band, we take it to the studio and track it with a producer.

TRB: Speaking of that … Let’s talk about your new single “Salvation” which was produced by Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett. What was it like working with him?

WANK: Awesome!

TRB: How do you think he added to the track?

WANK: Chris was a blast to work with. He came in very focused – his vision elevated our tune on all levels.

TRB: Here’s a fun one … What’s your favorite Foo Fighters track?

WANK: That’s a hard one! So many great songs but if I had to pick one I’d say LEARN TO FLY.

TRB: Are there any current artists that have been “On Repeat” for you guys lately? What music have you been digging?

WANK: Been really digging THE INTERRUPTERS as of late. Great style and cool tunes.

TRB: And what’s next for WANK?

WANK: We have a full length coming out this December which we’re stoked about! Really our plans involve lots of gigging and getting our new music heard.

TRB: Anything else you would like to add?

WANK: Thank you.

Until then,
Brittney W. 🙂