#punkcakes

Grand Lake Islands is a band with heart on its sleeve and soul in its voice, and a sincere nostalgia. Singer-songwriter Erik Emanuelson creates a sound all his own with a combination of raw chords and harmonics, mixed with familiarities in his DylanYoung-esque howls and that bare-boned daunting, antique folk sound keeping us up nights. He grew up in a small suburban town, driving around and getting lost while singing Saves The Day - a memory most of us can look fondly back on as the nights we fall in love with music and meaning- and that nostalgia comes through beautifully in his songs. Grand Lake Islands' debut album, "Wake of Waking" shows glimpses of bands such as A.A Bondy, Sufjan Stevens, Ray LaMontage, and even a few Beach House-y vibes in "Old Soul"- and a beautiful heaviness all its own. Check it out on their bandcamp site and download the album (for free! What!?)

Q. Give us a brief history lesson on Grand Lake Islands. Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Erik, and I play guitar and sing. I grew up in a pastoral suburban nowhere town in northern Connecticut. Music has always been a cornerstone of my life in one way or the next. I think it started when I found my parents old records and started playing the ones with cool covers, thus explaining my early Jethro Tull fascination. As soon as I got my drivers license a few friends and I would make a past time of getting lost on dirt roads at night while screaming along to Saves the Day or something. Soon after, I found myself a guitar and started plugging away. Eventually I moved to Brooklyn and started being in bands. All of these bands great fun, yet short-lived and unfocused.  At a certain point I felt confident enough to start a project that centered solely on my songs. That project grew into Grand Lake Islands.

Q. What convinced you that playing and creating music is what you wanted to do with your life?

You know, that's a relatively recent decision. I think that it has always been a bit of a pipe dream for me. When I was younger I found myself knee deep in idol worship. I would look at musicians I admired and dream of doing what they were doing. Embarrassingly, I would imagine myself writing and performing some of my favorite songs to a captivated audience.  That being said, I also really tried to write my own songs and for the longest time failed miserably, at least in my eyes. However, sometime in the not too distant past, something clicked and it felt natural. When that happened, I started working towards taking music more seriously. There are a lot of big "life" decisions that I am in the process of sorting out that are making me realize just how important making and playing music is to me. We'll see how that all works out. I am also constantly inspired by seeing my friends play. It makes me smile for them. Seeing that we share the same passions reaffirms my love of creating music. 

Q.  What influences your music? Who are your own musical heroes?

 I have always been attracted to anything that sounds genuine. For me, Neil Young is the epitome of genuine. Nothing he says ever sounds contrived. If it's a simple line, you can be sure that he meant it, so it doesn't matter. Jeff Tweedy from Wilco has the same ability. Because of this, I don't think that it is a coincidence that the first Dylan album I became obsessed with was Blood on the Tracks; its far and away more confessional than most of his other work, though I love his other work too. I am also really into Conor Oberst, A.A. Bondy, and Okkervil River; they all keep it real and honest.

Q. I, personally, really love your lyrics: "Old Soul" is gorgeous, and Patricia, too, is a beautifully written song - the emotion comes out in your voice so hauntingly. How important are lyrics when it comes to songwriting? Are you ever weary of putting too much out there, or feel you need to hold back?

Thanks! The lyrics are always the make or break. I am always writing things down and playing guitar, but I think I am a ridiculously slow song writer. It takes me a long time to hone in on exactly what I am trying to say. If it don't know that, I end up just feeling like I am writing filler, which is something that drives me crazy. Therefore, its an incredibly slow, yet ultimately rewarding process. I used to write songs a lot faster, and they generally unremarkable. As far as putting too much out there, yeah, it can be rough initially, but it's ultimately cathartic. 

Q. You’re releasing your debut album, “Wake of Waking” – what does this record mean to you?

My life got turned on its ear when I moved to New York a few years ago. I was forced to grow in so many ways. Relationships had gone awry and all my comforts and crutches were taken away. These songs are snapshots of that growth. I also have a track record of being hasty, but I took my time with this album. That means a lot to me, and I think it paid off. 

Q. What are you looking forward to most with its release?

Honestly, as much as I love playing shows, its a real bummer to not have any recordings you are happy with to give to people after you play. I am looking forward to being able to have something to share. 

Q. You’re playing a show, April 5th at the Rock Shop to debut your album. Are there other shows in the works, or a tour perhaps…!?

A tour would be amazing. For the immediate time being, I am a teacher by day, which makes touring difficult. I will be all over the place this summer, hopefully playing some shows in California and Oregon. In the more immediate future, I am playing at Roots Cafe in South Park Slope on April 27th. 

Q. If you could give any piece of advice to young and aspiring musicians trying to get their sound heard, what would it be?

Boy, if this is a question you ask frequently, I am going to have to meticulously read every interview you have done, because I am nowhere near figuring that out! However, as I said before, I have learned that being overly impetuous never works out. Work steadily, but not hastily. 

Q. The obligatory Punkcakes question –what is your favorite dessert?

Ice cream from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Sadly, they don't have peanut butter cup, so I have to settle for butter pecan, but it's still ridiculously good.

All good things must come to an end… but with every end comes a new beginning… a future… a Future Of The Party – a New Jersey bred pop punk band consisting of, but not limited to, members from former NJ local legends Paulson and Houston Calls. Future of the Party is a successful succession of danceable rhythms, belt out lyrics, and an overwhelming sense of passion for playing music. They recently released their debut EP, Future of the Party, available here… fo’ freeeee! I talked with Alex Burton, formerly of Paulson, about the past, present, and future of Future of the Party:

Q. Can you give us a brief history lesson on Future of the Party… who are you and what do you do?

I started doing demos for this band a long time ago – probably around 2008. I spent a long time trying to find the right people to work with, and also trying to figure out what I wanted to do musically. Now that the people are in place and we’ve got some songs under our belt, we’re just a handful of musicians who might be jaded on the business, but are still in love with playing and recording music.

Q. Explain Future of the Party in 5 words… GO!

Blood, Sweat, Tears, more Blood.

Q. Alex, you were formally in Paulson … how does your past musical history lend itself to what you’re doing now?

Paulson is very special to me. It taught me a lot about who I am and what I love and where I want to go. But we did it pretty much all on our own, and when you’re young and thrust into that sort of a situation it’s easy to lose sight of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Starting over with a new project like Future of the Party is bittersweet – it marks a definitive switch in priorities in my life from one band to another, but at the same time now we can just do whatever we want without answering to anybody, and that makes the whole musical process really liberating.

Q. How is it different?

Inevitably there will be similarities and differences, We’re both danceable indie rock with keyboards and lots of harmonies, but ultimately we’re still exploring where we want to go. I think it’s probably too early in the process to really compare and contrast the two bands.

Q. What inspires you guys as a band/songwriters?

I can’t really speak for anyone else, but I find myself being inspired by places I’ve been, people I’ve known, and things I’ve done in my life. Looking inward and reconciling my past has been more difficult than I expected, but it’s definitely given me more inspiration than I could have anticipated. That being said, certain bands really get me excited, like The Antlers, Friendly Fires, M83…

Q. You guys recently released your debut EP Future of the Party, what are you most stoked on with its release?

We recorded that thing on and off over the course of a year. To be honest, I’m just glad to have it done and available to the public so we can start playing it for people. We’re all really excited to get back to playing shows again!

Q. What does the EP mean to you?

It’s the first step in what I hope is a long, long journey. A building block. A foundation from which to grow. It reminds me that the future is wide open, and we can make what we want out of it.

Q. After the break up of Paulson, what made you want to keep playing music? What do you love about what you do?

As hard as we worked in Paulson, I really loved every second of it. Continuing on seemed natural to me. I took some time off, toured with some other bands, had a serious moment of self-realization while traveling through Iceland, and then went to work on what would become Future of the Party. At the end of the day I just love connecting with people through music.

Q. Any shows in the New Jersey/New York area planned?

Right now – December 10th at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick. Connect with us on Facebook (Facebook.com/futureoftheparty) and Twitter (twitter.com/future_of_party) to find out about future shows. There will be many!

Q. What piece of advice can you give to young musicians/bands?

Be realistic. You’re probably not going to make it. That doesn’t mean don’t try, but you should have a backup plan.

Q. Obligatory Punkcakes question … What is your favorite dessert?

Brooklyn’s very own The Go Round has been my go to Autumn band of choice, leaving my ears warm and nostalgic with their Dylan, Nelson, and Young inspired sound. The Go Round brings something new to folk rock, and it totally works. I mean, who can hate anything when a banjo, mandolin, and fiddle are involved?

Q. Who and what is The Go Round? 

Brandon: The Go Round is a folk-pop-rock-country thing out of Brooklyn, NY comprised of Brandon Whightsel and Richard Duke on vocals/guitar/banjo/mandolin etc with Theodora Prunoske on Fiddle and Scott Townsend on drums.

 Q. What are your musical backgrounds?

Brandon: We are all pretty much self taught troubadours except for Theo who has been studying violin since she was in the womb. Scott can hold his own on most any instrument, and me and Richard mess around the best we can.

 Q. If you could give The Go Round a catch phrase or slogan, what would it be?

Brandon: “Awe horseshit!” seems to be a phrase that comes up a lot lately, but I think that’s because we are currently motoring through Montana in a station wagon.

 Q. With that comforting and familiar folk sound you guys do so brilliantly, what musicians influence your songwriting?

Brandon: Besides the trifecta of Dylan, Neil Young, and Willie Nelson you can probably pick up on some Elliott Smith, Townes Van Zandt,  Jeff Tweedy, Gillian Welch, Malkmus…

Rich: the three Bs. Beck, Biggie, Buddy (holly)

Q. What else influence your music?

Brandon: A lot of current events. We try to reference at least one periodical in every song. Poetry is a great source of raw material because no one reads it anymore. You can basically sample TS Elliott or Gary Snyder verbatim but then you end up with songs about crabs and buddah.

Rich: I like to go backpacking. John Muir trail, appalachian trail, the Tahoe rim trail. They all influenced my songwriting. I can’t think straight when I’m in the city.

 Q. Being from Brooklyn, are there any spots you guys particularly love to write at or feel inspired by? 

Brandon: Oh sure. The Badlands, South Dakota aren’t bad. We wrote a song about a cave in Kentucky.

Rich: Yea. Brandon’s got a big closet in his apartment. We hide out there to parse things out …

 Q. Speaking of Brooklyn… September 20th saw the release of Eastern Parkway. What are you guys particularly stoked on with its release?

Brandon: Ah a chance for some sincerity! We are really excited about this release because it was so fun to make. We did it ourselves by converting Rich’s apartment into a big recording studio and we recorded the whole thing live which was so much better than all the overdubbing we did previously. It just let’s the sound breathe in a big, full, and natural way. Also, it goes so much faster so you still like the record when it comes out.

Rich: Scott said it well the other day. We recorded eastern parkway when we all had a lot changing in our lives. The band was changing, we were all moving, our personal lives were in flux. Those four songs were something we could all center ourselves on for a weekend.

 Q. What do you hope Eastern Parkway says about you guys as a band? What’s the message?

Brandon: Besides the narrative of the songs which is always important to us, there is a kind of subtext that it’s just an affirmative and optimistic thing to make music or any kind of art these days. We hope that comes through on the recording because we feel it when we play.

Rich: Yea they may not be the most affirmative songs, but we feel communal singing them. What’s that Gillian Welch lyric? …Stick together, that’s how you make a crowd… Something like that

 Q. What’s in the future for The Go Round?

Brandon: We are currently about 1/4 of the way through our first national tour which is amazing. When we get back home we’ll spend a couple weeks fulfilling all our kickstarter rewards (if the project is successful – fingers crossed), then well start planning the recording of our 2nd full length record which will start in January.

 Q. You guys are now on tour promoting Eastern Parkway, what is your favorite part about playing live shows?

Brandon: Making the venues color sort all the M&Ms. Each band member likes a different color. Nobody will eat the yellow ones. Seriously though, playing live is where it’s at for us. Nothing compares to thrill of a new town and new venue and connecting with strangers. Just one person coming up after to say they dug it is worth a 10 hour drive.

 Q. If you could give any piece of advice to young musicians struggling to get their sound heard, what would it be?

Brandon: Man. If we knew we’d tell you. We aren’t as young as we used to be but it’s still a struggle. The important thing us to be as creative and flexible in your promotional thinking as you are with your music. There is no right way to do it. There is no formula. Just exploit every angle technology wise and try not to be a dick.

Rich: I think it’s important not to get caught up trying to get heard too fast.  We’ve played hundreds of shows and we still learn something about sound, about the industry, about our equipment, and about our songs, every time we play. There’s no hurry with this kind of thing.

 Q. Obligatory Punkcakes question… What is your favorite dessert? 

Brandon: Just took a quick band survey and couldn’t form a consensus, so try and imagine a mint chocolate chip ice-cream sundae with nutter butters, sprinkles, peanut butter, fresh chocolate chip cookies, bacon and bourbon.