Boston Calling Recap (con't)
- by Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn) and Paul Jordan Talbot

Krill started things off on Saturday with a short, straightforward set. At just around twenty-five minutes, the band looked very unassuming as they moved through their songs. Sonically, they brought their tight rhythms and freaky vocals out in full force, but the band seemed skeptical of the oversized venue. The awkwardness was summed up by bassist/lead vocalist Jonah Furman’s comment, “Thanks for watching, Tenacious D is up next”, just before they walked off stage. From someone familiar with their natural habitat of dive bars and DIY house shows, it was a bit like watching a fish out of water. Audience/band chemistry aside, they were one of the only down and dirty rock band’s to play a very pop dominated festival, and I like to think the Pixies would name them their pick of the festival.

The Ballroom Thieves opened up the final day of the festivities and were immediately welcomed with cheers and a large crowd singing along to most of their set. I was most impressed at how tight their songs were--starts, stops, changes in dynamics, rich vocal harmonies, everything was executed smoothly and deliberately. There were several moments throughout the set where it was quite obvious the band was genuinely enjoying being a part of such a high -profile event. Smiling out at the crowd (and back at one another), it was nice to see a band enthusiastic about performing (and listening to their harmonies wasn’t bad, either).
 

The day before their set, the band was kind enough to offer me a cup of whiskey and talk a little bit about their upcoming performance and recent tour. When asked about their reaction to being added to the Boston Calling lineup, drummer Devin Mauch remarked “[w]e have a very loyal team, built from the ground-up, that have helped to lay the right tracks. We’re really honored [to play Boston Calling].” Lead vocalist/guitarist Martin Earley echoed Mauch’s thoughts. “The [Boston] music scene is so loyal,” says, Earley, “[so many] people will support you.”

The band unanimously agreed that their most recent tour was by far their most successful. “It’s nice to see organic word of mouth pay off”, says cellist/bassist/vocalist Calin Peters. In the past, according to the band, lots of tour stops would have fairly low turnout, but this time around, attendance has increased. “At this point as a band, we’re vulnerable,” says Mauch, “it’s nice to have that support.”

Photo credit: Brendan Bowen (@BrendanBowen)

Deli: How did you guys land the opening gig at Boston Calling?

Jonah Furman: “They just emailed us with like one sentence & we were like ‘ok’. When I heard Tenacious D was playing, I was sold.”

D: Did you guys immediately accept, or did you deliberate about it at all? I know it's much more of a "corporate gig" than most of what the local Boston scene usually gets involved with.

JF:  “Yeah, it's definitely a little different for us...we just yeah accepted because it seemed fun and weird... we've played like over 250 shows at this point, so anything different is a big draw, for me at least. I mentally categorize this gig on par with playing at the Phoenix Hard Rock Cafe -- weird as f*** and fun & weird.”

D: When you first started playing, were you trying to achieve some success like this, or were you just trying to have a good time?

-JF: “Clueless as to the answer here. The only goal I remember having is wanting to play Great Scott & tour to California. We did both of those within like 6 months. so now it's all bonus points. I guess personally, I just wanna keep having varied (though hopefully positive) experiences.”

D: You've been over to Europe quite a bit recently--favorite part of any of those shows/travel? Any plans to return in the near future?

JF: “It was cool! I mean, talk about checkin something off the list. Never been over to most of those places, so it was cool to see that stuff. The Berlin Wall and all that. I assume we'll be back there at some point, but no plans at the moment. It was nice to see that the world is big & there are a butt load of people who are not you or anyone you know. Driving around America's prettier, though.”


D: 3 things you always need to bring with you on tour?

JF: “I personally travel real light. Have eliminated towel & sleeping bag. Trying to up my snack game on this next one. Become less of a lump. Would like to get more games for the gameboy, too. Oh, and a book I never read.”

D: Best place you've stopped for food on tour?

JF: “Flavor twists just taste better in Mississippi.”

D: Your new record, A Distant Fist Unclenching, has gotten a ton of great press recently--was releasing it around the time of the Boston Calling gig planned, or did the Boston Calling thing come up after the release date was decided? You guys must be excited to have all of your touring, the record and the Boston Calling gig coming together at the same time.

JF: “Uh, I think it was totally unrelated? I can't remember right now. Yeah, it's cool! I mean, it's funny with the band stuff because you just plan it all so far in advance...there's like this smiling parabola of excitement where getting the email is really exciting and then you forget about whatever it is for like 4 months and then the date approaches and you get excited again. What'd Tom Petty say? The waiiiiting is the boringest part. But yeah, glad to harvest these fruits this May.”

D: Have you noticed any increase in support for the band as a result of your recent successes? Has your Boston fanbase been receptive to you guys getting bigger/having to now  "share you" with the rest of the world? I know your release show back in March sold out at Great Scott, so I'm assuming Boston is wicked excited for you guys.

JF: “Oh yeah, I mean, internet sh** & more people interested and all that, it's really nice. Really grateful. I know there are bands that are way better than us that don't get the kind of external validation that we've gotten, so it just feels lucky and nice. & I think because it's been a reasonable and rapid-but-not-excessive ascent (or whatever), everyone's kept their heads and there's been no real backlash. Or maybe people are just polite or maybe I'm just oblivious. But I think everyone's just kind of jazzed on the idea of a local band getting a little bit of help & attention from the outside world. Boston loves its exports.”

D: Coke or Pepsi?

JF:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Dimensional_Man#Consumerism_as_a_form_of_social_control