09/04/09
Text: Kee Chang
Who produced Tear Ourselves Away and what was the producer search process like?
Ann: Last year, when we were on our producer search, each of us made a list of different people that we wanted to work with ranging from producers no one’s ever heard of to Rich Costey who produced for Interpol and Blonde Redhead. Rich, if you’re listening to this right now, we want to work with you! [Laughs] We chose Bill Racine. He worked on albums for Mates of State, Rogue Wave, Longwave and Bon Savants. It was definitely a time-consuming search.
You guys play a lot of shows. Do you have a favorite venue?
Ann: I think the El Rey in L.A. is pretty awesome. The theater is just so beautiful. The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco is amazing. I just love the Victorian, old theater architecture. It has a cool vibe. The Record Bar in Kansas City is cool because it’s a small, intimate setting with an amazing stage. They have great hospitality and everyone is super friendly there. I think there’s a cool place in every single city that we’ve played. We played at a place called The Boot in Norfolk, Virginia and that was an all ages, gourmet-restaurant-turned-venue-at-night kind of place. Our waitress made the night amazing, she took great care of us. All the kids that came out to the show were so enthusiastic and had been looking forward to the show. They were in this magical awe and it made the energy of the room so awesome. The High Dive in Denver is cool too. It’s really encouraging to go from city to city and have that one really cool place.
When you’re up on stage pouring your soul out to a crowd of people, do you feel vulnerable or invincible?
Ann: We played a show last night and the sound system was god-awful. It wasn’t really meant to be a venue, so it was just like, set up and go! We borrowed amps from the other band. But despite all of this, I personally felt invincible because there was a really good energy and everyone was really getting into it.
David: I think that the more people that are there, the more invincible I feel. The more energy in the room that’s being fed back from the audience to the band...
Ann: I could imagine that if there was a room full of people who were cold, I would feel very vulnerable. I’ve seen it happen. When there’s a huge band playing at The Fillmore and there’s an opening act that’s also fairly huge, but you can tell that the people are only interested in seeing the headliner. You can just see the vulnerability that creates. Sometimes when we’re on tour, we’ll play somewhere in the middle of nowhere to people who have never heard of us. You’re constantly up for judgment. It’s not like someone going out to get food, stuff they really need. They can choose whether to like you or not. It’s not even about who you are. It’s strictly based on, “Do you like what I’m doing creatively or not?” It’s instant. They’re right there in front of you. That makes me very vulnerable because we’ve spent so much time working on these songs. The songs are personal snippets of journal entries from my life. It’s like the worst blind date scenario ever.
What does it mean for you to be in a female-fronted band?
Ann: When we were first starting out, I hated that. I just hated being put into any category. You start to get all these reviews that say “female-fronted.” It was almost like a curse word to me. But then I’m like, “Okay, I guess that is who we are. We’re a female-fronted rock band. It’s not a curse word. It’s not derogatory or a negative thing. That’s just who we are.” [Laughs] I just hope that it doesn’t become the identity of the music. It’s who we are, yes, but you don’t ever hear “male-fronted.” It’s weird. I wish we could just be a band. The music will speak for itself and whatever feelings you get from the song is due to the delivery of the music and not because it happens to be a girl’s voice singing it. I’m sure there are people out there who won’t listen to our music because we’re female-fronted and others who’ll listen because of it. It can go both ways. It’s like “Oh, it’s a girl singing on this song,” and that’s one level of judgment and then it’s “Do I like the music?” There are two levels of judgment.
What about the third level of judgment for an Asian female-fronted band?
Ann: Yeah, definitely. I’ve seen several articles where they say, “How does a voice like that come out of such a tiny person?” It’s always stuff like that. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I’m Asian and a female... and small in size. [Laughs] People write about that and I guess that’s interesting, it’s their point of interest. It’s me being Korean and playing in this band. It might be refreshing for people that aren’t used to it. I don’t know what it is. I wish there were more examples of bands like us. There just doesn’t seem to be, right now at least.
Hypothetical scenario: If you were somehow handed the opportunity to build the spirit of a person through the power of music, what five songs would you choose?
1. Nina Simone, “Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues”
This song channels so much introspection and vulnerability. My person would have the beauty and soul of this song glowing from them.
2. Ambulance Ltd., “Straight A's”
This song really hits home for me. It reminds me of my high school days and the sweet innocence and nostalgia that I think every person needs to channel throughout their life.
3. Arcade Fire, “Wake Up”
I would channel spirit and energy through this song. Every time I listen to this, it makes me want to start an army and walk down the street chanting. I never get sick of this song. If a person had this kind of energy and spirit, it would be totally infectious.
4. Magnetic Fields, “Take Ecstasy With Me”
A person needs love and this song would be it for me. It's about love in pain, love in nostalgia, and love in all its beauty.
5. Patsy Cline, “Crazy”
This song has so much soul, it's insane. I think her voice channels it most and I've always been a huge Patsy Cline fan because of her special voice. I think if a person had even an ounce of her soul, they would be so beautiful.
