Well-seasoned Chicago musicians, The Locals, are anything but new on the music scene, but even after a decade of putting out records the band is keeping things fresh with their latest EP Salt, which will be celebrating its release this Friday, April 30th at the Elbo Room.
The new perspective of the band’s sound on Salt varies from their previous low-key roots rock signature. Now a fully electric powered triad, The Locals take on a style with a little more spunk and sass, falling not too far from the same tree as Pat Benetar, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Pixies.
From the tremor filled croon of front woman Yvonne Doll’s husky vocals in the starry sounding “Amnesia” we get a heavy dose of something reminiscent to 80’s fronted bands like The Bangles, with a steady ebb and flow to its instrumentals akin to something Ben Gibbard would write. In fact, starry guitar parts and percussive builds fill out the entire EP, giving Salt an exulting and positive vibe.
Pretty harmonies and percussive piano accompany Doll’s Gwen Stefani-like belt in “Away From Here”, which once again falls into that category of 80’s girl rock. While the garage band instrumentals are tight and the song is well composed, “Everything Must Go” lost us a little with its vocals, which at some points seem so stuck in the back of our singers throat that they comes across mumbly and inaudible in an Eddie Vedder kind of way.
However, in “Sound it Out” Yvonne really shines, delivering a raspy yelp at the end of lyrics like, “Sound it out, oh fill your eyes/ it just don’t matter there’s nothing good to say/ and drink it down, spit it out,
then look yourself up right there in the eye/
and if you don’t blink there count yourself out lucky to living /
too much to believe in/ so much to be living.” The catchy vocals pair up with a bouncy tempo, undulating bass, and comely harmonies, making it our pick for the best song on this new EP.
The Locals talked with us this week about their upcoming release, what’s been keeping them busy, and their picks for the best venues to play in Chicago.
Reviewsic: Can you give us a quick recap of what the band has been up to as of late?
Yvonne: We’ve been doing a lot of pr for the new ep and touring in the midwest. I think some new press pics are in our near future as well (practicing our very very serious indie rock faces in preparation)
Christy: We’ve been playing a lot lately. Now that the EP is finished, we’ve resumed our normal midwest touring schedule, playing actively around Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, etc.
Kirk: Collecively we’re up to about 17ft, 5 inches, 2 inches over last year at this time. The girls are growing.
Reviewsic: Individually, how did you get your starts in music?
Yvonne: Well, my mom was a music teacher as I was growing up, so that helped really spur it for me. I used to sing into the vaccuum cleaner handle a lot lol. I played the piano from a pretty young age (5) for some reason I really latched onto the John Denver Songbook. I literally drove my family insane by playing “For Baby For Bobby” over and over and over and over and over and over……
Christy: I started playing guitar with my dad when I was about 5 years old. Since then, I’ve always had some sort of instrument glued to my hand. I started playing bass around age 13, as the band I was playing in at the time had a hard time finding a good bass player. I would be in my bedroom for hours, just playing and practicing until my fingers couldnt stand it anymore. I would crank the radio and just play along, learning everything by ear.
Kirk: I loved cats as a child, and so I started playing drums at 8 after buying KISS Alive. I wanted to emulate Peter Criss. Funny, after all this time, I still keep a giant box of kitty litter by the bed. What do you mean he didn’t do that?
Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?
Yvonne: Jeff Buckley, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth
Christy: As a bassist I think…Eric Avery the original bassist from Jane’s Addiction, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, and the simplicity of Kim Deal are really my foundation.
Kirk: Phil Collins, Stewart Copeland and Terry Bozzio…or Dave Weckl, Vinny Coliauta and Dennis Chambers.
Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?
Yvonne: Drums! Drums are a mystery to me, I love to watch drummers. It’s very grrrrrrr and loud and awesome.
Christy: That’s funny, that’s my answer too. As a kid, I always wanted to play drums. I’m so thankful I didnt though, as I am too lazy to carry that much gear.
Kirk: Guys, my drum set is sitting at your house. What are you waiting for? I’ll give you lessons - I’ll even throw in a group discount. You don’t even have to carry it. I wish I played guitar.
Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?
Yvonne: I’m really addicted to Muse right now. Been listening to some old Smashing Pumpkins (Meloncholy and the infinite sadness) and Silver Sun Pickups
Christy: Spoon - Gimme Fiction, Silversun Pickups - Swoon, The Whigs - Mission Control
Kirk: Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden; Cocteau Twins - Tiny Dynamine; Radiohead - In Ribbions.
Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?
Yvonne: PJ Harvey, she just seems like she’d be super interesting to be around. I’d love to just hang around her and absorb!
Christy: Yvonne and I actually share a brain sometimes…I would love to sit and jam with PJ Harvey. It think she’s incredibly creative and is always pushing her music with each new release. Good or bad, she does something different with each album, never really repeating herself. That’s the kind of musician I aspire to be.
Kirk: Niles Godrich probably (producer). I’d love to see how his brain works - he’s a genius.
Reviewsic: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?
Yvonne: James Taylor
Christy: I’m not sure what this says about me, but 11 years old….Jethro Tull. Enough said. I refuse to answer any other questions on the subject.
Kirk: So, I saw Musical Youth. Shut up Christy.
Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?
Yvonne: Glittermouse, Cyclesomething, Paid Pilots.
Christy: Chicago has some really great bands. I love Cyclesomething, those guys have been great friends of ours for years and I love playing with them. I Fight Dragons is a great power pop group doing some interesting stuff with Nintendo game gear, and while they are no longer together, I think Verbow was one of the best bands to come out of Chicago. Jason Narducy is a great song writer and I love the combination of guitar rock meets cello.
Kirk: I agree - they’re all really great. Netherfriends is awesome too.
Reviewsic:. What’s the back-story on how the band came to be what it is today?
Yvonne: Well we’ve been together for over 10 years, (Wow, that seems like a long time) in one form or another. Christy and I formed The Locals together after I released my solo cd “Bliss”. I started out solo/acoustic, and got totally hooked on having a band after recording the cd with one. But my tastes were always sort of leaning toward harder music, you know? We had a good run as an acoustic, jam band kinda thing with violin, drums, bass, acoustic guitar, and when that line up broke up, Christy and I wanted to do something LOUDER, and harder. We’re both into super tight, electric guitar driven three pieces like The Whigs, etc. So that’s what we did. I am in love with this current line up of The Locals!!
Christy: It has to keep evolving. That’s what keeps it interesting.
Kirk: Frankly, the girls had a great thing going on, but they just needed someone to bring the bat and balls. I brought the balls, but I lost the bat somewhere in Indianapolis.
Reviewsic: Tell us about your EP- is there a particular concept/creative direction behind it? What was the process of making the album like for you?
Yvonne: Well first off we were really excited to work with Steven Gillis again over at Transient Sound. He is an amazing producer, we did our last full-length disc with Steve and now we’ve got a really great working rhythm with him. On SALT we were really trying to push our sound into some new areas. We took a lot of time to really create a rich pallate of sounds and flavors for each song.
Christy: We wanted to push ourselves and do things we hadn’t done on the last album. We worked with additional instrumentation, using horns, synths, piano, etc.
Kirk: I loved using different instrumentation and bringing in different musicians to add color. I think it worked out really well.
Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at this point as opposed to when you first began playing together?
Yvonne: Oh wow, well “back in the day” (lol) I was strictly playing rhythm acoustic guitar - always very percussive, always hearing lead parts in my head. It was hard at first when I switched to electric, it’s a totally different playing style, but I friggin love it now. I mean I totally love to geek out over new amps and pedals and explore the range of emotion on the electric. I play more melody than I used to, it’s really fun to be able to add that layer in. So far as this line up of the band, we have totally hit that amazing point where you can just read each other on stage that is really fun. It’s helpful cause I tend to …ummm… re-arrange songs live on stage- it keeps poor Kirk and Christy on their toes for sure. LOL!
Christy: I think I’m finally learning the art of simplicity. When you are in a 3 piece band, sometimes the initial reaction or approach to a song is to fill the space because there are only 3 of you, but some of the coolest grooves are based on the open spaces of what is not being played.
Kirk: We all rehearse to a click track. It’s really helped tighten up the band. I’ve been starting to push myself a bit during rehearsal as well. I am always interested in taking a slightly different view of a song depending on how I feel. That way if anything cool comes out, I can incorporate it.
Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite Chicago venues to play?
Yvonne: Schubas, Martrys, Elbo Room are pretty great.
Christy: Subterranean is also pretty great
Kirk: Everywhere I’ve played here, I’ve played with them, but I can add Red Line Tap.
Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?
Yvonne: WORST- playing a 3 hour gig with 102 degree fever and tonsilitis, BEST- Having two people so “into” one of our songs that they started doing it on the floor right in front of me, in fact, there wasnt really a stage, so they kept rolling closer and closer to me to where they were pretty much having sex on my feet. This could actually be filed in both the best and worst category! LOL.
Christy: For me I think the worst gig was the one where I was electrocuted. We were playing this outdoor street festival and it was blazing hot. By the end of the gig I was drenched in sweat. When I went to go unplug my bass amp I was sweating so hard that sweat must have dripped into the power outlet and I got electrocuted. It was so bad that my hand siezed up and I couldnt let go of the power cord. I could feel the electricity shoot up through my arm to the right side of my face, I almost passed out. Some of the best band moments for me are when we are all piled in the van on the way to an out of town show and just how stupidly silly we all get. Once we spent 2 hours making up mock commercials for a product we found at a truck stop, “Heater Meals”.
Kirk: I had a gig in a strictly summer vacation town on an island off of Long Island one year. It was a 3+ hour trip from where I lived in CT involving a lot of driving, a boat, and a train. I met my guitar player to drive down together and loaded my gear in his car. It wasn’t until I went to put the cymbals on that I realized I had left them in the trunk of my car — waaaay back in CT. There was nothing on the island and it was Labor Day, so the frantic calls to the mainland music stores went unanswered. Bribing friends to make the trip didn’t work either. I ended up playing the gig with a steamer basket from a lobster pot filled with change, a rusty metal birdhouse and a 4ft long pipe.
Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Yvonne: Silver Sun Pickups - I just love what they do, and their fans are very cool, The Whigs- ditto, just love em, and David Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust years- that just seems like it would be totally trippy! LOL.
Christy: I would love to tour with Sonic Youth, you dont get much cooler than Sonic Youth. I think they are evil genius. It would be great to play with The Pixies, great music and I think I’d like to sit around and drink beer with Kim Deal. Lastly, GWAR, but just for make-up tips.
Kirk: Tough question! I think Fleetwood Mac circa “Rumors” would be fun - mostly because of the craziness of the 70′s, and of them. The Smiths would have been incredible just to hang around and watch every night. Of the newer bands, Phoenix is doing really great stuff, plus since they’re based in Versailles we could probably hang with Air too.
Reviewsic: What are three words you’d use to describe your music to someone who’s never heard it?
Yvonne: Sumptuous, Driving, Asparagus
Christy: Guitar heavy rock
Kirk: Ear porn. Wait, no that’s gross. Rock for Asparagus. No. How about: Passionate, head-shakingrock.
Reviewsic: What would you say to someone currently on the fence about attending the show on the 30th in order to entice him or her to check it out?
Yvonne: Well, we hand picked the other bands on this bill (Cyclesomething, The Powwows, Earth Program), so it’s going to be a GREAT night of music! And we always seem to “bring it” at The Elbo Room so, yeah come come come.
Christy: Who is this person on the fence? Just give me their address; I’ll make sure they attend.
Kirk: Who is this person on the fence? Just give Christy their address; she’ll make sure they attend.
Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?
Yvonne: Touring, Touring, Touring and maybe some more recording toward the end of the year — another e.p……..!!!
