Chords for Slothrust - Interview with Julie Kramer (The RadioBDC Sessions)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [N] Leah from Slothrust. _
So, your other two bandmates, where are they?
Lurking about somewhere.
Yeah, Kyle got stuck in New York [D] because of the trailer that we're attaching to our new van.
_ [Db] Will is stuck in Wellesley for the day.
_ So you're a local gal, Brookline.
[E] Yes.
And you went to Sarah Lawrence.
Is that where you all got together?
Yes, we started playing in bands together there,
mostly blues groups [F] and some more R&B stuff, some funk [Ab] stuff.
When you went to Sarah Lawrence, [B] did you study jazz?
Is that what I read?
Yeah.
Were [F] you all in a jazz band or [Bm] something?
I was in a jazz improv group with Will and a jazz vocal group, I think also with Will,
but he was playing drums in both of those and I was playing guitar, accompanying other vocalists.
[N] And is Will from here too?
Will is from Wellesley.
That's why he's stuck in Wellesley.
_ And so you kick off the tour tomorrow, Brighton Music Hall.
Yes.
And then you're out and about for, I don't know, it looks like a few weeks.
About a month or so.
You know, give or take.
And then are you going to Europe or do you know what's what or are you sort of up in the air?
I think we are probably going to Europe later this year, but you know, announce later sort of thing.
Kind of crazy.
Yeah, we'll make moves.
_ And then maybe do like the festival circuit over there or something like for summer would be cool.
Yeah, that'd be great.
You know, just being on the road and getting out of here would be cool.
For sure.
Now, you all live in New York.
And then did I hear you move into L.A.?
Yeah, we all moved to L.A. actually.
I moved there _ _ with my girl sitting over there.
And _ I guess around August and then Will moved there in September and then Kyle just [Eb] got a place recently.
So now we can all be in the same city again.
Right.
Well, is [C] it hard to make music together when you're not in the same city?
I guess [A] modern technology you can kind of, I don't know, maybe Skype it or something.
I don't know.
Well, having band practice is definitely impossible, but we all play independently.
I've been working on some [Dm] piano stuff.
Kyle also works on piano.
Will plays guitar.
[Abm] And then when you get together, you sort of just [Bm] figure it out?
Yeah.
Are you always making new [Eb] tunes?
Are you always creating new tunes I guess is better to say?
Yeah, I'm pretty consistently always writing music.
And sometimes it's stuff for the band and sometimes it's stuff that I think would be better for different artists
or just writing in general, instrumental stuff also, just trying to keep it [D] going.
Just kind of keep busy and keep your mind [Eb] writing.
Sure.
I read that somebody compared you to, and it was in your something that I read,
a cross between Nirvana and Wynton Marsalis, which I found pretty hysterical.
What do you think about that?
I like that.
I think that's someone who hears that we've definitely listened to and care about jazz
and _ _ _ _ what's behind it and the nature of improv,
which is something that all three of us are really into and I think makes for [G] creating music
that is more present and open and having that room to grow.
But also we play heavy stuff.
[E] There's lots of distortion going on, lots of different dynamics.
What did you listen to growing up?
_ Growing up I listened to a lot of Destiny's Child.
I was a big fan of that.
I liked musicals a lot.
_ _ Hence the Annie that you were going to give us an audition of.
Were you in plays and musicals when you were a kid and stuff?
Yeah, I was.
I stopped when I was about [D] 14.
I realized it wasn't for me, that type of pressure doesn't work for my brain.
But yeah, as I got older I got more into the rock stuff.
I'm a really big John Fahey fan, the folk guitarist, [Eb] which is all instrumental stuff,
but he's always _ spoke to me.
So this was the first [Ab] time you've actually played this [N] guitar in a setting,
I guess outside of whatever, your room.
How did it go?
It sounded beautiful.
Thank you.
Yeah, this is the first time.
I've played it alone in my house a couple times and that's really it.
So I'm glad that it sounded good to you.
So as we wrap up, tell me what does sloth rust mean? _
_ _ _ Less than you'd think.
We like the way the word sounds and the way the word looks.
When I was younger I was very obsessed with sloths
and I like rust and this idea of time passing.
So sloth rust, it's like a [G] time passing sloth.
Yeah, you could think of it that way.
[F] Okay.
I just didn't know if there was something else behind it,
but _ I'm glad that I was thinking it was bigger than maybe just that.
All right.
Thank you, Leah.
No problem.
All right.
It's another Radio BDC session.
Thanks to Shocktop and to Rental Beast. _ _