Chaotic, cute, and catchy are all words that come to mind when trying to describe Chicago musicians Glittermouse. Formed in 2007 through the collaboration of friends and past projects, this rock/powerpop-plus-so-much-more pack of players delivers music not far off the same stream of sound that Boy Least Likely To and The Flaming Lips give us, with heavier elements from their individual influences of bands the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Muse.
Having grown up and matured musically from their initial ooey-gooeyness, Glittermouse has begun churning out songs with even more technicalities and proof of the serious musical chops that exists between their members. Around this time last year Telegram Sam reviewed their EP Super-Tactical Turbo Ultrascope, when the band was existing as a larger unit of multimedia performances and accompanied their main vocals with a pair of female crooners. The band still delivers an enthusiastic and interactive live show, as well as a male-female vocal combination, but the circus that once was Glittermouse has been whittled down to seven as the band continues to assert their own sound.
Recently they’ve been hard at work putting together another EP, music from which was recently featured on Local Q101 along with an interview between the band and Chris Payne, and continuing to play out as much as they can. Fans of the radiant rodents can look forward to the release of these songs in the coming year, as well as seeing the band hit the road on tour. But more immediately, they can check them out tonight at The Boiler Room alongside an eclectic collection of Chicago talent.
Glittermouse Online:
Glittermouse.com
Download Super-Tactical Turbo Ultrascope FREE
Myspace
YouTube
Glittermouse took some time out this week to answer a few questions for us, about their musical history, major influences, and just why you should come out to their show tonight.
T.S: How did you get you personally get your start in music, and what’s the story behind the band’s formation?
Jeremy: I started playing in grade school, I picked up a bass and started teaching myself. I just fell in love with performing and creating my own techniques. Michael and I started playing together in this group called “Soft Soft Silver Bang”, after some creative conflicts with the other members, Michael and I decided to start something we could really have fun with. We recruited Rob who we had actually just met weeks before, and a bunch of friends we knew from previous projects. The band has evolved into a very professional group all while trying desperately with success to keep it fun and exciting for us and the crowd- That’s the short of it.
Michael: My first band formed in middle school, and I was in several subsequent bands, the first one that played out was in high school. Once I moved to the city, I formed Glittermouse with a friend I’d played with in a band previously. We decided to just start playing music heavily dependent on the audience. It started just trying to put something together that would make for a fun gig.
Rob: I’ve always wanted to play music, but i didn’t start listening to music regularly until 7th grade, after that I’d wanted to be in a band ever since.
Emily: I was born into a family that embraced music, with my father being a bass player and a working musician. Since birth, I’ve been going to his gigs and eventually grew interested in the performance aspect. At a young age, I learned that playing an instrument was not what I was interested in, but singing was. So, I took vocals lessons and eventually became interested in the local music scene back in my hometown, where I also got into the business side of music. Now, I collaborate with both mediums.
Danny: Well I wasn’t involved in Glittermouse the whole way through, but when I lost all hope in music, Michael found me and dusted off my shoulders and I am completely in love with Glittermouse.
T.S: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands/musicians, past or present, who would they be and why?
Michael: …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead ,The Cell Phone, Oingo Boingo. All of them are bands I love to listen to/watch perform. I think the mentality toward the music is similar with all of these bands as with us. I don’t really feel like music has to be the same type or even genre, I think what’s important is having a similar regard for the music and the performance. Plus I just wanna tour with Danny Elfman.
Rob: Trail of Dead, Cell Phones, Queen
Jeremy: I’d love to tour with the flaming lips because the shows would always be extremely fun. I’ve always wanted to tour with Prince, just because… it’s Prince! The Red Hot Chili Peppers would be a lot of fun as well. I guess it all boils down to who would be the most fun to watch 32 times in a row.
Emily: Muse/Save Ferris/Lady Gaga
Danny: Man Man, because they put on the BEST BEST shows, the drummer actually finds time to put a cymbal on his head during a song and finds time to hit it! Against Me! they have such catchy tunes and beautiful harmonies and a song that I can really connect to, and Nation of Ulysses, they had the best frontman in the united states, a dude who can scream while flipping is an A+ is my book.
T.S: What are your top three musical influences?
Michael: My problems, my audience, and Smashing Pumpkins
Rob: Muse, Led Zeppelin, Papar
Jeremy: Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse as a whole, Prince.
Danny: Thomas Erak from the Fall of Troy, The old singer Ben from Evil Empire (crazy, crazy man), Chris Conley from Saves the Day (the old band I was in used a lot of chords from the Sound the Alarm album)
Emily: Muse/Monique Powell from Save Ferris/Sufjan Stevens
T.S: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?
Michael: Piano! I feel like the piano is consistently the only instrument that doesn’t beckon for accompaniment.
Rob: Banjo.
Danny: The violin and the drums!
Jeremy: I wish I were a concert pianist.
Emily: All of them? I play the vocal chords; therefore, being multi-talented would be that much better.
T.S: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?
Michael: O.G. Original Gangster - Ice-T, A Tale of Two Cities - Mr Hudson & the Library, Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb - Tripping Daisy
Rob: Them Crooked Vultures, Embryonic by the Flaming Lips, Bjork Songs from the Volta Tour
Jeremy: Yes ’90125′ / Jamiroquai ‘Traveling without moving’ / Blond Redhead ‘Misery is a butterfly
Danny: Small Black, DD/MM/YYYY, Kiss Kiss (forever)
Emily: Them Crooked Vultures/MuteMath/Chromeo
T.S: If you could collaborate with one band/musician who would it be and why?
Michael: Rob Zombie! I feel like he knows how to make a good tune. He’s got a very strong grasp of how to manipulate something into being his own without alienating what it is to begin with. Especially in the realm of covers.
Rob: Silversun Pickups
Jeremy: Muse. It would be the most epic experience anyone would ever have. For certain.
Emily: Monique Powell because she has been an influence for me for most of my singing career. Not to mention, her intense stage presence combined with her immense vocals would be a great combo for me.
Danny: Chris Sutter from Truman and his Trophy all the way. But that could happen, so I’d have to say Eric Nally from Foxy Shazam.
T.S: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?
Michael: I went to Lollapalooza in ’03. That was Jane’s Addiction, Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, Jurassic 5, The Donnas and Rooney.
Rob: Papar
Jeremy: Not sure… can’t keep track. I went to a lot of local shows growing up, of bands I didn’t know about until after they played.
Emily: My dad’s band – Hiline. If were talking real bands (no offense Dad), Hanson.
Danny: The Offspring, and I met Dexter! and didn’t care because I was 13, such a shame.
T.S: Who are three of your favorite local bands (past or present)?
Michael: The Cell Phones.The Locals.Sorry Sailor.
Emily: Elsinore/I Fight Dragons/Daniel Knox
Danny: Well, I love a lot of local bands, but I gotta say Hey the Maker right now, I always enjoy Bust! always always always. and I was completely in love with Victorian Halls when Johnny Shotwell was part of it.
Jeremy: Piglet / Dr. Manhattan / The Bullet conscience
Rob: Sorry Sailor, Cell Phones, The Locals
T.S: If you were to put together an album of cover songs, what are three songs you would just have to include?
Michael: Wasting Time by Zwan, Tuesday’s Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty
Rob: Peaches - “Suckin on my Titties”, Scorpions - “The Sails of Charon”, Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Michel Legrand - “What are you doing the rest of your life?”
Jeremy: Muse ‘Hysteria’ / Prince ‘Fury’ / Placebo ‘Bruise Pristine’
Emily: “The Way” by Fastball/”Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” by The Flaming Lips/”Butterflies and Hurricanes” by Muse
Danny: I Still Love you Julie- Against Me!, Paparazzi- Lady Gaga, O Holy Kings- Truman and his Trophy
T.S: What would you say to someone who is on the fence about coming to the show this Friday?
Michael: There are too many fantastic bands at this show to miss it! And it’s only $6!
Rob: Get off the fence!
Emily: For all who know us well, this is the time to get your full first dose of Glittermouse! For those who have yet to experience Glittermouse, you will be missing out on a handful of Chicago’s finest. Not to mention, we have Danny – his favorite thing is to create chaos on stage and in the audience for your entertainment.
Danny: “Damnit Brandon L. Kerns, pulled pork and board games isn’t worth it!”
Jeremy: It’s a stacked line up in a very intimate venue, with your best friends, first show of the new year! Going to be awesome. ALSO it’s only $6.
T.S: What goes into your writing process? What drew you to the style of music you play?
Danny: The image of a grizzly bear with frosted tips flashes in my head. But I mostly take my anger and sadness and happiness plus emotions into my music. That’s right, I said that.
Michael: We usually start with an idea of a song. Not even music. Something like ‘We need a song that makes people pump their fist.’ And then we write it. I think our style is a hybrid of playing songs we have fun with and songs people can have fun hearing.
Rob: Time, a lot of time and trial and error. My influences and the influences of my bandmates.
Jeremy: We didn’t want to use traditional song writing forms or influences when we write, we generally like to mash up everyone’s strengths to create something we all believe in and has unexpected sounds. We don’t try to fit into a genre, and we explore many different styles throughout our songs, sometimes throughout different parts of each song. We generally have one or two members concept the song, then bring it in, we all contribute some ideas, then it goes back for some structure, then back to polish it up. Writing this way sometimes leads to dead songs, but we progress leaps and bounds over writing in a traditional sense.
Emily: The style of music we play as a band comes from everyone’s musical backgrounds and interests, and you can even tell who throws in which influences. As an example, Rob is a huge Muse fan, and incorporates a lot of Muse-esque solos into his parts.
T.S: What are your top three favorite places to play? Does that change in terms of playing a show versus seeing one?
Michael: In order, it’s Metro, Subterranean, and South Union Arts (sadly it’s closed now). And yeah, I love seeing shows at the Metro, but I think my favourite venues are the bigger ones, Aragon for example.
Danny: In all honesty, I love playing shows in people’s basements the most, because they always have ice cold sodas prepared, like Dr. Pepper, a mixture of a whole bunch of unforgettable flavors which tickle my whole body from the trip of the tip of my tongue to the pit of my gullet which is why Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda.
Rob: South Union Arts, The Metro, SubT, I don’t know what it’s like to play the venues I like seeing shows in.
Jeremy: Metro / House of Blues / Sub-T. Playing shows and going to shows are completely different. When I play a show I generally like a large stage, good crews, and good sound. When I go to shows I look for a place I can experience the band the best. Sometimes it requires different things. I tell myself every time I go to a show that “This is the last show I will be on this side of the stage” I truly enjoy being a part of the work instead of the crowd, but then again I find myself going to concerts all the time.
Emily: Metro/Schubas/Subterranean – Would still choose these as my top three as far as seeing a show.
T.S: What are the best and worst music moments so far in your career?
Michael: The best moment was when we played the Metro last November. That show was just a lot of fun and it was our first with Danny. I think the worst was the gig that followed, our drummer was sick as a dog and couldn’t even sit up straight to play. But he’s a troopa.
Rob: Playing the Metro was the best, having been a part of the song “Dot Dah” was the worst.
Jeremy: Best: last metro show, glittermouse had an awesome time and we could literally feel how great the crowd was enjoying it. It’s the best feeling in the world to see a sea of people caught up in your music/performance.
Worst: a combination of mishaps and broken equipment makes it difficult to perform, and puts a damper on my performance. Luckily we have the best fans in the world who step up and enjoy the show regardless. Those days would be really hard if it weren’t for them.
Emily: In terms of Glittermouse: The best moment was walking out onto the Metro stage with 100+ people chanting our name and screaming in excitement for us to play. I have never felt so good before. The worst moment was during one of our first performances at Clearwater Theater, when my mic went completely dead for an entire two songs before I had even realized it, among various other technical errors.
Danny: When I was playing in Sorry Sailor, I beat my head with the neck of my guitar, it was so bloody and the best moment. The worst moment was having a bassist break 2 strings during our first show in Dekalb, then when he was given another bands bass, he broke a string before we could get into another song.. longest ten minutes on stage ever.
Tags: Free Music, Interview, Upcoming Show, Video
February 26, 2010 at 1:20 am |
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