SMOOSH ARE BLOWING UP
*Noise Pop Special Report*
Bands are getting younger and younger these days. Smoosh is two sisters from
Seattle who are ten and twelve years old. Their names are Asya and Chloe. With
their combined ages, they are still younger than Joanna Newsom. The music is
just as amazing. Asya sings and plays keyboards. Chloe plays drums. ROCKRGRL
talks about Smoosh in this way: "Imagine a stripped-down version of the first
side of Pet Sounds (before Brian Wilson gets cynical) and you have some clue to
Smoosh's sound. Musically they more than hold their own." Their effortless
talent and imagination is astounding. This is a band that relies on instinct and
plays music because it is fun. They are unaffected by the demands of indie
cool. They are precocious and make most bands look lazy and contrived.
The music of Smoosh seems to be a quick digest of punk rock, rap music,
ballads, and no wave. They are like Kate Bush or Cat Power if they had done a
multi-genre record in their pre-teens. Smoosh is living the dream of any teenager
who banged on a Casio and had dreams of playing support with Pearl Jam. Not
only has Smoosh played with Pearl Jam, Cat Power, but also with Death Cab For
Cutie, Sleater-Kinney and Rilo Kiley.
Smoosh started about four years ago, when Chloe's drum teacher, Jason McGerr,
the drummer of Death Cab for Cutie, suggested that she start playing along
with others, the better to understand the role of the instrument in a rock band.
Her sister just happened to have some songs and energy. Years later their
demo got around and was played on the radio station KEXP. Soon they were signed
to record label Pattern 25. Their album came out in September 2004. I spoke to
them on the phone during a lull before touring and recording their second
album. I had to call them at 4pm because they didn't get home from school before
then.
Their album, She Like Electric is out now. There have been rave reviews in
Blender, Tigerbeat, and Alt Press. Their album was The Village Voice's #1 most
overlooked record of 2004. Look for the band on the cover of magazines and TV
this Spring. They are going to be on CNN with Wolf Blitzer very soon. I spoke
to Asya and Chloe right before their big tour with Mates of State and high
profile gig at Noise Pop 2005, in San Francisco.
* * * * * *
AL: Hello.
Asya: Hello.
AL: I am Alexander. Who's this?
Asya: Asya.
AL: I am calling from Los Angeles.
Asya: Alright. Cool.
AL: I bought your CD a few weeks ago, loved it, and that's why I am calling
you.
Asya: Thanks.
AL: How long have you been playing together?
Asya: Probably about four years. I have been writing songs all my life. I
started when I was about five years old. Chloe got her drum set when she was six.
She started to get better and she needed to play with another person. So that
was the earliest time we started playing together.
AL: Did you take piano lessons before that?
Asya: No. I never took any piano lessons. I learned to play on my own. But
after a while I tried to learn how to read music so I could take lessons. But I
quit taking lessons with a teacher after a month each time because it wasn't
very fun.
AL: You write all the songs in Smoosh?
Asya: I write all the lyrics and piano parts. After I do that Chloe kind of
makes up her piano parts. We both contribute to every song.
AL: What are your songs about?
Asya: I never write songs about a person that I know. That has never
happened. I just write about things that are around me. I write about going out and
not being afraid to try stuff. That is what the song "Rad" is about. Some songs
are sort of sad, like "About A Picture."
AL: Is that just because it's a ballad and it sounds more serious?
Asya: Yeah.
AL: What other bands have you played with?
Asya: Let's see. We have played Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie, and
Sleater-Kinney.
AL: I heard that Cat Power was dancing around onstage and lip-synching one of
your songs.
Asya: That was last year. She was dancing around to "Rad."
AL: Did you see it?
Asya: No I heard about though.
AL: Did you meet Chan Marshall?
Asya: Yeah. She was pretty cool. She was really nice. I like her.
AL: Where do you live?
Asya: We live in Seattle by the University.
AL: How many shows have you played?
Asya: I don't know. I have never counted.
AL: Maybe twenty.
Asya: Maybe more than that. Probably more than twenty.
AL: Is there some club that you play a lot?
Asya: We like to play at the Showbox. That is our favorite place to play.
AL: At some of those clubs you have to be 21 to go into.
Asya: Yeah. We have played at some bars. We have also played at some all ages
clubs. When we play at the adult clubs we have to stay backstage the whole
time while the other bands play. At all ages gigs sometimes we stay around a
little bit and watch the other bands. We don't stay up too late.
AL: Do you know the Trachtenburg Family? There is a girl in the band and I
think she is nine or ten years old now.
Asya: Yeah. We know her. She probably wouldn't remember me. She used to go to
the same drum school in Seattle as us.
AL: What do you think of their record?
Asya: They are pretty cool. It's a different style of music. It's not what I
would listen to.
AL: There are not a lot of people who have done a record who are your age.
Bjork did a folk record in Iceland when she was ten. There is the girl in the
Trachtenburg Family. Do you know of other bands?
Asya: Yeah. There is a band called The Black Peppercorns. They are from
Oregon. There is a high school band called Capitol Basement.
AL: So you are in the Seventh Grade and Chloe is in Fifth Grade. What do
people you go to school with think of the band Smoosh?
Asya: Some people think it is really cool. My friends ask me about it all the
time. I try to not talk about it a lot or brag. Some people are not
interested and act like they don't care. Some people don't like the band.
AL: They are jealous?
Asya: Yeah. I don't think about it too much.
AL: Do you plan on doing a lot of records?
Asya: Yeah. I want to.
AL: Some people in Junior High might think that since Smoosh already has a CD
out, they better start hurrying up and get their own band together.
Asya: Yeah. It's possible.
AL: You have two other younger sisters?
Asya: I have three sisters including Chloe. One is a small baby. The other
one plays bass guitar. Her name is Maya.
AL: Does she want to be in the band?
Asya: I think that she wants to be in a band. Maya doesn't always play the
bass guitar. She does other things.
AL: You don't write love songs? What's up with that?
Asya: I don't feel comfortable writing about that. Some people might get the
wrong idea. We are little kids. If I wrote a song about that people would be
asking about it.
AL: You are playing a bunch of West Coast shows with Mates of State. Is this
the first tour you done?
Asya: It will be the first real tour. We did play two shows with Rilo Kiley.
That wasn't a tour, but that was the end of a longer tour fro them.
AL: Have you played anywhere else besides Seattle?
Asya: We have played in New York and in Los Angeles.
AL: Okay. So I have a few questions for Chloe.
(hands phone to Chloe)
Chloe: Hello.
AL: I was reading something about Smoosh in an article. It said that you had
a Hilary Duff poster on the wall or something like that. So who do you like
better: Hilary Duff or Lindsay Lohan?
Chloe: I am not sure. They are kind of the same. If I had to choose I would
probably pick Lindsay.
AL: What do you think of their music?
Chloe: I have never heard Lindsay's music before.
AL: What bands do you like?
Chloe: I like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie, Interpol, Smashing
Pumpkins, and Arcade Fire. Bands like that.
AL: Do you like Rap Music? Because some of your songs like "Rad" and
"Bottlenose" seem like Rap inspired.
Chloe: I like all types of music except country. I am not a big fan of
country.
AL: Why is the song called "Pygmy Motorcycle?"
Chloe: The title has nothing to do with the song. Asya was thinking about a
song name after we recorded it. In school they were learning about animals that
week. So when the recording guy, Jason, asked what the title of the song was,
she said "Pygmy Marmoset." And Jason said "Pygmy Motorcycle? Okay."
AL: Why is this song called "La Pump?"
Chloe: We have a CD by this band called La Pump Group. They are funny.
There's a guy with bushy purple hair and this girl. We were so into it that we
decided to call our song "La Pump."
AL: What songs do you play live?
Chloe: We play "Massive Cure," "Pygmy Motorcycle," "Make It Through,"
"About The Picture," "La Pump." We have a new song we call "Rock Song." We
don't have a real title for it yet. Our Dad calls it "Rock Song." He wrote it
down. Asya said just call it that so we can remember it.
AL: What do you think of Meg White of The White Stripes? Do you like her
drumming?
Chloe: Yeah. I like a lot of drummers. My favorite girl drummer would be
Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney. I like Jason from Death Cab For Cutie. I like the
drummer in the Presidents of the United States.
AL: What do you think of George Bush, the real president now?
Chloe: I don't like to mean but I think that he has some really strange
thoughts that are not really good.
AL: What is your favorite part of being in a band?
Chloe: I don't think it's amazing. I think it's normal. It's just want we
do. I don't think it's a big deal that we are kids and there are adults
playing. All that matters is that you are playing music. It doesn't matter how old
you are.
AL: Well, people might go see Death Cab For Cutie or Mates of State, and they
don't know Smoosh is opening for that band. They see you and wonder about
these two girls who are ten and twelve. They might think it's a curiosity.
Chloe: I don't like it when people are walking around at a show. They see us
playing and go "Those are kids!?"
AL: I was listening to a bunch of CDs last night. These are records with no
musical talent and the people can't even sing. Smoosh is a lot better than
these people who are twice your age. (laughs)
Chloe: Thanks.
AL: So it should matter what age you are. It's all about present the music
and having fun.
Chloe: Yeah. If you are not having fun doing music, you shouldn't do it. You
shouldn't do it for money either.
AL: How many records do you think you will do?
Chloe: We are getting ready to do our second one. Well, I don't know. I hope
that people like our newer songs. There are a lot of bands whose first album
is good and they are really popular and then they are not popular anymore.
AL: What do you think you will be doing in twenty years? Do you think that
you will still be doing music?
Chloe: I am not sure. I'll be kind of old. I am not sure if our music will be
popular anymore.
AL: Do you think about the future?
Chloe: I do. I will still be in a band in ten years. In twenty years I will
just be staying around.
AL: You'll be old. Have you traveled a lot?
Chloe: Yeah. We have been around the United States. Our Mom is Swedish. We go
to Sweden every year. We have a lot of fun there. I like it but the ants are
big and they will sting you.
AL: Do you like any Swedish band?
Chloe: I like Abba.
AL: There have been some bands since then.
Chloe: There was a band in the newspaper from Sweden.
AL: We have been talking a while. That is pretty much all the question I have.
Chloe: Cool.
AL: Thanks for talking with me.
Chloe: Bye.
Downloadable Smoosh photos and mp3s
Live video up at pattern25.com
Noise Pop: www.noisepop.com
