This is fine.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve gotten to know Dan Francia’s new Come Back to Life album pretty well; I’ve written about several of the tracks on the site, hoping you’d take a listen. Well, even better is we reached to Dan with a few questions and he kindly took the time to respond. Plus! You can stream the entirety of Come Back to Life below. Read more
I was a big fan of the Hairs, the indiepop act starring Mr. Kevin Hairs, so when we thought about posting the stream of his new EP, I reached out to toss a couple of quick questions his way. Don’t forget to stream the new EP…out today via
ATH: You’ve been working with the name The Hairs for nearly a decade, so why the change to Kevin Hairs? Any particular reason?
KH: I got tired of playing behind a band name and working with that expectation. I felt like I was getting to that point where I just wanted to write and make music by myself and have something that was more intimate. I wanted to play out more with ease. Getting a band around town and practicing…. it’s too much stress. I love the idea of “Kevin Hairs” being flexible and playing by myself or with a bit of a band or a drum machine. It seemed easier and fun. I’m just at that age… but essentially, it’s easier to play by yourself and being a solo artist seems cool to me now.
ATH: How does Freak in the Streets fit in to your catalog? For you, do you see it as a continued progression from While I Hated Life, Barbarian?
KH: “Freak in the Streets” feels like when I started to be myself. It feels like a continuation of the Hairs, but now I feel like I can just get a lil’ deeper with the songs.
ATH: If you can think back to the recording of this EP, what was the one band or album that you were listening to on your own that might have seeped into the sound subconsciously?
KH: I really love “Crab Day” by Cate Le Bon. The way she sings. The music is batshit crazy at first. The lyrics are just bizarre and psychedelic and like free association. She feels like a modern day Syd Barrett. I’m just attracted to that kind of vibe.
ATH: You and I have talked about this a bit…but where do you see physical media going in regards to smaller artists? If you had a preference, where would you like to see it go? Any ideas on how to shake it all up?
KH: Mmmmm – all of my musical listening is streaming. If there would be physical media, I’d prefer it to be useful like shirts (clothing) with a download code attached. Maybe a postcard can be good…to hang on your wall. That band Rocketship was selling postcards with great art on it and a download code. I thought that was beautiful. I find myself being anti-stuff. I don’t like having things. I like the essentials. I think it would make going to shows more necessary. Streaming should be more shared. That’s about it.
ATH: Did Kevin ever get a dog or find something to believe in?
KH: I used to have a dog when I was a tween into my young adult life, she passed away years ago. HAVING SAID THAT…..I think I found something to believe in. Haha. I believe in focusing on positive things. External things come and go. So I think I’ve learned to just focus on how I feel.
ATH: An EP is sometimes thought of as a stop-gap between album cycles…can we expect a Kevin Hairs full length in the near future?
KH: To be honest, I haven’t really thought too far out about Kevin Hairs. I certainly want to make more songs and eventually another short album / long EP. I’m having fun doing what I’m doing. Honestly, I find music to be fun again and I don’t wanna burden myself thinking like that. I’m sure there’ll be other songs and stuff. But I don’t know.
Your friendly neighborhood ATH staff members have emerged from SXSW week and I think we’re all finally ready to reminiscence on what transpired. As we’ve done in the past, it seems like a perfect time to hand out some awards for the festival with superlatives that we made up like 5 minutes ago. Keep in mind we saw a lot of bands, had a bit to drink, and ventured out to more venues than we can possibly remember. So buckle up, hit the jump and see who we deemed worthy and deserving of our very prestigious awards.
Who is awake this morning? Not this guy. Myself and the entire ATH crew have emerged from the week of madness known as SXSW and are somehow all working today. It was hella fun, but this is surely the worst Monday of the year. As always, we will be recapping our week here soon, but before that, I have one more interview to run which somehow slipped through the cracks last week. This last one comes from Brigitte Naggar and her Montreal based project known as Common Holly. Hit the jump to read more.
SXSW is in full swing down here in Austin, and we’ve got another interview to drop with you today, hoping you might get out and see Mimicking Birds. We caught up with Nate from the band, and gave him our little set of questions.
Looks like we’ve got one final interview for you before you all venture into Austin. This round, we’ve got an insight into songwriter, Haux, dwelling in the land where electronica and folk unite in a pop format. We even threw in a nice little tune at the bottom for you to sample. Enjoy and be good to each other.
We’re almost there folks, but why not meet another artist coming into town. Below you’ll find answers to our SXSW Interviews from Yoke Lore. He’s about to venture off on a large tour through April/May, but he’s planning on coming to Austin to grab some BBQ and take it all in. We’ve also included a new hit that just dropped yesterday, so you can have a taste of what he’s all about; think Rostam, with a touch more pop grandiosity.
One of the great things about SXSW is that folks come from all over the world. We’ve had interviews from South Korea and Germany, and now we’ve got Australian artist Hoodlem on the line with a quick interview before she crosses the great pond. She’s got a brand new Teenager EP coming later this Spring, and we’ve got the title track streaming down below.
Jacksonville-based project LANNDS may not be a household name just yet, but someone has to be a “break out” artists at SXSW, right? We caught up with the duo before they headed our way; they’ll likely be playing several tunes off their forthcoming EP, and you can sample one of those singles below. They take the stage at Sidewinder on March 15th.
Cali artist Evalyn released her Sandcastle EP, a blend of pop, R&B and soul. She’s headed to Austin for SXSW and we got in touch to have her answer our questions. I’m a bit surprised at her pick of Gryffindor to win the World Cup, as Slytherin are definitely the team to beat out there. Check out her hit “Filthy Rich” beneath the interview. She plays at Thursday, March 16th at Palm Door (10:10).
