Correatown Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 15th 2010 1:00PM by Nikki Metzgar
Comments

Folk-rock band Correatown has had their music featured on 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Brothers and Sisters.' Since forming in 2007, the California-based band has become a mainstay in the local L.A. music scene, releasing their full-length debut, 'Spark. Burn. Fade.,' in August 2009. This year marks the band's third time at SXSW. Spinner spoke with lead singer Angela Correa about her band and the evolution of her musical tastes.

How would you describe your sound?

Our sound is a sort of dreamy indie rock with female vocals. I think we fall into similar places as St. Vincent, PJ Harvey, School of Seven Bells and Camera Obscura. Comparisons are hard. We're making the music that pleases us. I write songs with different moods, themes, ideas, and then we dream up parts that best capture the sound we want.

How did you form your band?

We formed in Los Angeles through the suggestion of mutual friends. I was working on a new album at the time that had a much more filled-out sound, and it seemed natural to explore creating that live. Over the years, the sound has grown and developed with new members in the band and the musical tastes they brought to the mix when arranging and working out parts to our newer songs. Everyone contributes to the overall tone of our live shows.

What are your musical influences?

Originally, folk and early rock n' roll were big influences, and they still factor into my songwriting. Honestly, listening to pop as a kid growing up has probably shaped what my ears like to hear when I write. Over the years, bands like Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, PJ Harvey and Radiohead have all been influential. Production-wise, lately I'm really into less organic soundscapes and the kinds of textures that can be layered into a recording like Stars of the Lid, or composers like Clint Mansell or Phillip Glass.

How did you choose your band name?

My group of friends used to say things with "town" attached to the end, like "sassytown," or "sleepytown." Once someone called me "Correatown," and it just fit.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Oregonal -- a super-concentrated oregano oil. This stuff is magic! We take a few drops every day, or a couple times a week, and it really supports our overall sense of well-being. A great place in Silverlake called Naturewell sells "Face Melter shots," with oregano oil, ginger, lemon and cayenne, and sometimes we take our own mix of Face Melters on the road to combat fatigue. Oh, and lots of water!

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I love '80s songs -- anything by the Go-Go's, B-52s or Til Tuesday. I had a 45 of 'Gloria' by Laura Branigan as a kid, and if it comes on the radio I can't help but sing every word.

What are your thoughts on the state of Texas?

Before I ever played SXSW I came a couple times as a music fan with friends, and we ran around listening to music all day and night. Of course we left thinking "What a grand place to live!" and daydreamed for years about moving to Austin. I'm a big foodie and so I'm really into the great food available in Texas -- especially BBQ and migas. I always look forward to going to Magnolia at least a couple times per trip in Austin. The Magmud there kills it, in the best way.

Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift?

Um, neither? Maybe Taylor Swift of the two. She at least seems to have sincerity on her side. The pulsing Euro-club synths in Lady Gaga's songs make me feel like I want to crawl into a pit of despair and die. A friend of mine with really great taste in music has recently become a fan of the 'Bad Romance' video, and he sat me down and made me watch it. It took a lot of willpower to reign in my snarky quips.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

A couple years ago I was on a solo tour with [singer-songwriter] Daniel Ahearn. The night we played Salt Lake City, at about midnight, we looked up and realized if we didn't get out of town at that moment, we would be snowed in for days and miss the rest of our dates. So we basically outraced a snowstorm through Utah and Nevada overnight. At one point we were on a sheer mountain cliff road in between two semi-trucks that started to jackknife in the snow. I imagined us pulling over and having snow cover our car, freezing into human ice blocks, and being discovered by the sheriff a few days later. Lesson learned -- never book a driving tour in January through wintry states!

Nikki Metzgar is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.