Parlor in the Round Returns to Fairbanks

ST: Thanks!

PH: So I listen to a lot of music on Spotify these days, and I’ve kind of lost track of record labels. But in leading up to this conversation, I was excited to see that you were on the renowned punk label Hopeless Records. One of my favorite bands growing up was The Weakerthans and they were on Hopeless, so I used to buy all the Hopelessly Devoted to You punk compilations and was familiar with basically every band that was on that label from the inception to maybe 2010.

And you’re about to embark on a UK tour with one of the biggest punk bands of the last decade or so, PUP, so you’ve got a ton of punk rock cred—but you’ve also worked with some really big, more mainstream artists on the production side. Is that a challenge to drift across that boundary? Maybe it’s not the case anymore, but it used to seem almost like there was a firewall between working on the independent side versus the mainstream music side.

ST: Yeah, I’ve always found that every indie band or punk band… Well, not every punk band—punk is a little bit of its own thing, and the hardcore scene has sort of exploded in the last few years—but so many bands that are rock bands come in and are like, how do we make a pop record? They want to expand and grow their audience and be on the radio. And in so many pop sessions that I’ve worked on, the artist comes in and is like, how do we make this cooler, how do we make this more like A, B, and C indie rock artists, how do we make it grittier and more lo-fi?

And so I feel like everybody sort of wants what they don’t yet have, but I find that a lot of bands now just want to reach the crowd—save for some O.G. DIY people that stay in that space. Pretty much, I think the goal of putting out music is to grow your fanbase and serve the fans you already have. So I don’t know—I mean, especially with PUP, those guys are so pop-forward and really have tried to break through from punk into the bigger rock atmosphere. And I think that their music is extremely catchy, and has grown into this pop-forward thing while still being true to their sound.

PH: Yeah, it’s funny, the only time I’ve ever been able to catch PUP was at Sasquatch [Festival] and Alex Lahey was there and Jeff Rosenstock was there, and they were the three punk acts that made the bill. So there are some artists that have crossed that threshold pretty well.

Okay, so Emily, you’ve remained really vitally involved in not only Fairbanks but in the greater Alaska music scene, despite moving way down south. And in fact, you were just here for a music conference, the Alaska Music Summit, in February. Can you talk about what you’re doing with MusicAlaska and what the goal was for that effort?

EA: I am really excited about the work that MusicAlaska has been doing. It was formerly under the umbrella of AKIMI, or the Alaska Independent Musicians Initiative, and they rebranded to MusicAlaska, which sounds more like what it is. They are a nonprofit music advocacy group with the goal to elevate the Alaska music scene, offer support for Alaskan artists, and also connect Alaskan artists with [the outside]—export them to other festivals, maybe offer cultural exchanges with other states or cities.

We’re really looking to see what MusicPortland is doing, what Music Seattle is doing, even what Iceland is doing with how they can support their local economies and artists. So it’s a win-win for the tourism industry, for Alaskan artists, and just a way to connect Alaskan artists across the state—because it can be a really isolating place to live, and it can kind of feel like an island. So the aim of MusicAlaska is to connect all of us and use all of our energies together to improve life in Alaska.

PH: It’s a noble goal and I was excited to see it. The scope of it was really cool because we’re not just talking about bands, vocalists, singer-songwriters, but also music teachers, and what are we doing to kind of build the bench and get younger people involved. It was very cool. So you’ve released a number of really lovely singles over the past couple of years since Salt and Water. And I think maybe you had a Christmas-themed side project?

EA: Yes, I did.

PH: Very cool. Are you coming out with anything new in the near future and, also, do you think you’ll have any of those power pop rippers that you had on Salt and Water?

EA: Yeah, I am working on the third record and I’m actually going to be working with Sarah on some of the songs, which I’m really excited about. It’s a slow process, making a record, but we should be done tracking by the end of the summer and then I’ll start rolling out singles as soon as I can.

PH: Awesome. Have we seen any of the singles or are the songs you’ve released recently all standalone songs?

EA: Maybe… I have to decide. Maybe Sarah will help me decide. [laughing]

PH: And Sarah, you just had Power come out in August, which is another great one for the illuminati hotties. Huge hooks on songs like “Can’t Be Still” and “Didn’t”—those songs have been on rotation for me for quite some time now. But you already have a new single out? Is it called “triple seven” or is it “seven seven seven”?

ST: Yeah! “Seven seven seven.”

PH: Anything upcoming either for illuminati hotties—is that single the first shot on another record?—or is there anything you’re producing?

ST: You know, there’s more songs coming—it’s not a full-length, but there should be some music coming in the next couple weeks, I think. There’s a bunch of stuff that I’m really excited about, but I feel like that is a little tricky to reveal at the moment, but it will all be revealed very soon.

PH: Shucks!

ST: It’s not really a secret. It’s just sort of like, I don’t really know, I guess, if it is or not. [laughing] And I just got back from North Carolina. I was tracking an artist named Eliza McLamb, whose first album, an EP, I did with her, and so we’re working on her second album right now. It was really fun to be out of town for that and do a bunch of tracking, and now I’m back home and in my space for fixing everything and getting it all together.

PH: Cool. Yeah, after the Boygenius album, I was wondering what comes after that? That’s such a big pinnacle and then I assume other people will come seeking your services.

ST: I don’t know what’s next. Well, this month I also worked on a country album with Julien from Boygenius. Julien did it as a collaborative album with this artist called Torres, so that I think should be coming out anytime now. Yeah, that was a crazy one to do.

EA: And Julien did a collab with Medium Build.

PH: Really? That’s very cool.

EA: Yeah, it’s called “Yoke.” It’s really good.

PH: Oh my gosh, I gotta check that out for sure. All right, so, speaking of a country album—good segue to Parlor. I think one of the things that I really liked about Parlor in the Round—my first experience was last year—you had Rachel DeTemple, who is not exactly on the same musical wavelength as Alex, so maybe that doesn’t work on paper, but the format gives artists that opportunity to venture across sonic boundaries, and I think that group worked really well.

Now in Fairbanks this time, you’re going to be playing with Steve Brown, who plays this Americana mashup of honky-tonk, bluegrass, and a sort of alt-country rock like Wilco. That’s going to be pretty cool. How did it come to be that Steve was the guy? Do you pick the lineup? And what do you think about how the pieces will fit?

EA: I asked Steve. I love doing shows with Steve. And Kevin [Worrell], the producer of the show, was just like, who do you recommend? And, luckily, he trusted me with both of these choices. So I’m delighted. I’m really excited. Steve Brown has been one of my favorite Fairbanks musicians for ages now, and same with Rachel [DeTemple]. I just feel really lucky that they trust me!

PH: And Sarah, have you heard any Steve Brown [music]? Are you ready for this?

ST: I’m ready! I’ve not had a chance to do my research just yet, but that’s my plan for the next seven days—to dive in.

PH: All right, perfect. So Sarah, I was looking back at some old interviews and I saw there was this picture in one of your interviews where you were wearing an Alaska sweatshirt. So I was wondering, have you ever been here before?

ST: No, I’ve never been! I have that sweatshirt—I was actually telling Emily earlier—my parents, I think, visited before I was born for an anniversary or something. Yeah, I just stole it from my mom’s closet in high school and I’ve just sort of had it lying around, but I love that sweatshirt.

EA: You gotta bring it.

ST: Yeah, I should bring it!

PH: Legitimize it! That’s awesome. Are you going to have any time to do any Alaska stuff here? Any sites that you’re going to bring Sarah to see in Fairbanks or elsewhere?

EA: Oh gosh… I want to do so many things—we’re going to have to see what the details of the schedule are going to be. But yeah, if the Ice Park is open… I would love to show her the reindeer or the musk ox, Santa! [laughing] Unfortunately, we only have like one day in each of the places except Kodiak—we have to fly in a day early because of the weather, which I think is very wise. But we’re going to have a little bit more time there, which will be really great. Because I’ve never been there and I’ve always wanted to go, and my grandfather actually lived there in the ’40s.

So, he and my grandmother met, I think in Juneau in the early ’40s, and the guitar that he passed down to me has this beautiful case that he hand-painted and it says “Kodiak 1942.” He got it at a pawn shop there, so I’m very stoked to go to Kodiak.

PH: Kodiak’s beautiful and you know, that’s World War II era and they’ve got Fort Abercrombie there, which has a bunch of the World War II battle fortifications still standing.

EA: He worked on those. My grandpa did. He worked for a military contractor because they wouldn’t let him in the military because he had flat feet. But he wanted to do his part, and so he worked for a contractor.

PH: That’s awesome. Well, I hope you get to see that. Up here in Fairbanks, it was ten degrees this morning, so make sure you dress warm! It’s super exciting, Emily, that you’re coming back, and Sarah, that you’re coming for the first time. And we hope maybe to see illuminati hotties make a stop in Fairbanks—one day, some day, maybe…

EA: I have that dream.

ST: I hope I can bring everyone with me.

EA: We’ll make it happen. I don’t know how, but we’ll make it happen. [laughing]

ST: University of [Alaska] Fairbanks?

PH: Hey, they might be looking for bands next school year… Any final thoughts before you begin your journey to the far north?

EA: I’m so excited for Fairbanks to get to meet Sarah and for Alaska to get to meet Sarah. I think they’re gonna love her.

ST: I’m excited.

PH: Thank you for taking the time, and I hope you have a great trip up here!