The River City Extension Interview

Every year the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas showcases some of the best music around. Each year at the festival, one or two bands create a really heavy buzz that is potentially career changing. This year one of those buzz-gathering bands was River City Extension. Hailing from Tom’s River, New Jersey, the band released its debut album The Unmistakable Man last year. The eight-piece band plays an invigorating blend of folk and punk—utilizing acoustic instruments such as bass, cello, guitar, and cello—with lyrics that speak of loves many shades. Lucky for us, River City Extension will be playing with another great New Jersey band, Titus Andronicus, on May 5 at the Mandela Room at the Binghamton University Union. And since tickets are $3.00 for students and $5.00 for the general public, this is a super bargain for great music. And these bands are totally worth the drive, even on a Thursday night. Heck, take Friday off and call it a three-day weekend.

Tompkins Weekly: How did the band come together? You have a unique sound and instrumentation.

Joe Michelini: Our band started with a few bored kids in a small town in New Jersey. We kind of set off not knowing what we were looking for, but we all had a will to create. It just so happened we played the instruments we played, and with no fear of being wrong, started a 3-piece cello, acoustic bass, and acoustic guitar (sometimes banjo) group that played a show in my basement. It grew slowly from there, and we eventually met the other members at different shows or parties.

TW: From what I've heard, your live shows are pretty great. How do you approach them?

JM: We approach the live show like a marriage. In reality, it's 50/50. You need the crowd and the crowd needs you. What makes it so special is this blind trust you have. It's weird. It's like you take care of each other. It's your responsibility to put in 110% even when you're getting nothing. The best live shows are a call and response of the heart though. When it stops being about you, or about whoever is watching you, that is when magic happens. That is what we strive for.

TW: You guys really made an impact at SXSW this year. Did you have any expectations going in?

JM: We didn't! I didn't even know we made an impact to be honest. I have no concept of that. No one in the band does. We went there with the mentality that we were going to do what we do, as well as we possibly could, and that's all we could do. At the end of the day, I think everyone felt like we had accomplished what we wanted to, as a band. And hey, if we made an impact, even better.

TW: Also, somewhat along those lines, the band seems to be on an interesting trajectory, playing the Newport Folk Festival, Bonaroo, and the Warped Tour this summer. Does this feel like a comfortable place for the band to be, playing to these diverse audiences?

JM: Definitely. We pass no judgment on our crowd. Music is music. It is universal. I don't care what else is in the catalog of our listeners. I mean I'm curious . . . If our music is able to bring joy and understanding to more than one group of people, maybe it will help bridge the gap of a more serious prejudice in the future. You can only hope.

TW: How do you feel the state of the music business is impacting River City Extension as you start to build an audience and career?

JM: We have a great team of people working with us. We have really come up with our own business model as we've gone along. Not to say that nothing is planned, but everything is changing. It's like being lost in a crowd, but instead of running around looking for your friends, you stay in the same place and wait until they run into you. In a business where nothing is sure, it pays to be sure of yourself and the ground beneath you, otherwise who knows where you might end up.

TW: Who are your influences?

JM: My influences are changing. Lately I've really been into Margot & The Nuclear So and So's, Man Man, Frank Turner, Akron/Family, and Why?

TW: You're playing your upcoming show with Titus Andronicus. How did you connect with them?

JM: We're playing a show with Titus at a college we've played a lot over the past year or so. I'm really happy to be playing with them. I think they're doing something really awesome for music and New Jersey. I have a lot of respect for them.

TW: What bands are you listening to now?

JM: Besides the above, I listen to a lot of local stuff. I also tend to get real into the bands we tour with. I'm real into Brick and Mortar right now. They're a local band that we've played with multiple times, and they're just starting to write a full-length record. The demos are incredibly progressive. It's hard to describe. If there is one band you should be listening to before anyone else does, it's them. They're great.

Interview with Artist Hallie Lee

Local artist Hallie Lee has a show—what she describes as an interactive collaboration— taking place at the Gimme Coffee at 506 West State Street in Ithaca that lasts until the end of April. One of the great elements of this show is its interactive quality. At the opening, viewer/participants engaged in Hallie’s work entitled “Chalk Back.” The hours of the show are from 7 AM until 9 PM. Fortunately, shortly after the opening, I was able to ask Hallie Lee about her show, influences and more.

Tompkins Weekly: What's your background and how did it influence your decision to become an artist?

Hallie Lee: When I was in high school, I was always involved with music and the arts. My parents encouraged creativity throughout my life, which eventually led me to audition for several university theater programs. After being accepted to SUNY New Paltz as a theater major, it only took me a semester to realize that I didn't quite have a skin that was thick enough for the business. But I needed to channel my creative energy into something. Two years later I took a trip to Europe with a friend. Eight countries and a handful of museums later, I felt I had rediscovered my true passion in life—art. But instead of majoring in Fine Arts, I decided to take a different approach. I felt that by majoring in Art History, I would have a better understanding of the art that had come before me. Ultimately, my study of the history of art and artists shaped who I am as an artist. I moved back to Ithaca about two years ago and started devoting my free time to making art, for myself. Then, I volunteered my exhibition design skills to Corks and More, where I started bringing local artists' work to display. I began to meet other local artists who inspired me to keep creating art, but also showing it to the world. I had also just begun to experiment with spray paint as a medium and it seemed to suit me. The rest is history.

TW: Who do you count as your influences, not only art but music and literature as well?

HL: My biggest influences are Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Bruce Nauman. I love vivid colors and simple line work. I have always liked the way comic books look and I think my work sometimes conveys this. I also love to laugh, so anything silly or funny amuses me. I'm influenced by so much music, all the time. I listen to it constantly; in fact, I'm listening to Vampire Weekend right now.

TW: Where did the idea for your current show, Chalk Back, come from?

HL: I'm also a graffiti artist. Yes, I know it's illegal in New York. It's a form of vandalism. To me, this is ridiculous. Since we, as artists and human beings, have the capabilities to contribute to the beauty in this world, than we should have the right. With this said, my idea for the show, Chalk Back, developed when I decided I wanted to bridge the gap between fine art (hung in a public space) and graffiti (illegally "hung" artwork). By having canvases hung on the wall with my own art, where I am encouraging participation, the new artist and I have created a form of public graffiti. The reason why I chose to make it temporary (using chalkboards and chalk) is because graffiti changes so regularly. There is always one artist adding to or covering up another artist's creation. This is what happens with chalk.

I also wanted the show to allow for a dialogue between the viewer and myself. I give my contribution and then he/she can respond to it in whatever way they would like. Haven't you ever gone to a museum or a gallery and wanted to paint or draw all over the work? Maybe that's just me, but it's a good thing I have a tremendous amount of respect for art and the other artists of the world, otherwise, I probably would have already drawn on something. Banksy is one of my biggest heroes! There is a lot of interactive art in my home. My roommate is always coming home to something new that he can draw on, adding his own creative contribution to the space.

TW: You also work with spray paint as one of your major mediums. What lead you to spray paint? I think with this form, there's often a stereotype that the work is going to be graffiti like.

HL: Spray paint is my main medium. I like the sleek finish of the work, but also the puffy aspect caused by an aerosol can. I can control exactly how I want the stencil to look, then spray it on. I also use plants and scrap metal to create patterns within my work.

TW: What's it like to be a practicing artist, especially in Ithaca?

HL: I think anyone can be a practicing artist in any town if they just put themselves out there. But it's hard work. You have to motivate yourself to be creating work on a regular basis, promote your work as well as your name, and work another job to support your art. I believe in doing what makes me happy, and without art, I wouldn't be living a truly fulfilling life.

All photos are courtesy and copyright of Mark Anbinder. Additional photos can be viewed here.

Best Music (and More) of 2011

Albums

• Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart
• The Decemberists, The King Is Dead
• Kronos Quartet, Uniko
• TV On The Radio, Nine Types Of Light
• Gretchen Parloto, Lost and Found
• The Joy Formidable, The Big Roar
• Jessica Lea Mayfield, Tell Me
• Frank Turner, England Keep My Bones
• Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, Rome
• The Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
• Moby, Destroyed
• Bon Iver, Bon Iver 
• Rose Buds, Loud Planes Fly Low

Songs:

• "Will Do," TV On The Radio from  Nine Types Of Light
• "Rivers and Roads," The Head and the Heart from The Head and the Heart
• "Holding Back The Years," Gretchen Parlato from Lost and Found
• "Rise To Me," Decemberists from The King Is Dead 
• "Make Some Noise," The Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
• "Season's Trees," Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi, Rome
• "The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie," The Joy Formidable, The Big Roar
• "Holocene,"  Bon Iver, Bon Iver 
• "Blue Skies," Jessica Lea Mayfield, Tell Me
• "Never Quite Free," The Mountain Goats, All Eternals Deck

Concerts:

• The Head and the Heart at Castaways--February 22, 2011
• Jessica Lea Mayfield at Delilah’s on Cayuga--August 12, 2011
  

Books:
The Passage, Justin Cronin

TV On The Radio's New Album Drops Tomorrow!

Here's a live preview from SXSW. Can't wait for the album.