The Sour Notes Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 13th 2010 8:30AM by Jackson Michael
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The Sour Notes formed in Austin three years ago. Since then, they have released three full albums, an EP and a 45. Spinner caught up with vocalist/guitarist Jared Boulanger to discuss their sound, and the upcoming SXSW festival.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We try to have a dancey, rock kind of sound that's really pop sensible, really catchy. We're really focused on the craft of songwriting. I think that we're writing pop songs that have a really experimental or outside-the-box approach to it, but I would call it pop music definitely.

How did your band form?

We formed almost three years ago, when I moved to Austin from Houston. I moved here to start the band and I recorded our first album, 'The Meat of the Fruit,' by myself alone. It was just kind of a solo project. Then I moved to Austin and moved in with my friend Chris (Page), who plays keyboards in the band. So, we started the band and started recording the next album, added two new members and kept recording. We're working on our fifth release in three years. We're really feeling productive and really like the pace we've set so far.

What are your musical influences?

I have a real punk rock background. The real defining moments in my musical life and getting interested in music would be bands like Jawbreaker and Chisel, mid-90s punk bands. That doesn't translate at all to our sounds, but when I think about writing songs I get focused on the arrangement and things like that. I try to do that Beach Boys, Beatles kind of production value, only with a Brian Eno or Velvet Underground kind of twist. A refined polished sound with a little seediness to it.

How did you come up with the name The Sour Notes?

I used to have a journal that I would write myself little notes in all the time to try and tell myself to be a better person or not to do this or that and I used to call them my sour notes. I also thought the name was funny because it's a play on words. Nobody wants to hit a sour note or hear a sour note.

What is your biggest vice?

I definitely don't have a drinking problem. I think my biggest vice is eating myself into drunkenness.I get really excited about food.

Being from Austin, what do you love about SXSW?

I don't know any other cities that are that dedicated to shutting down for a couple of weeks and just totally promoting itself to music, film and the interactive festival. I don't know any other city that does it on this large of a scale. It's a one-of-a-kind thing. When people think about Austin, they think about SXSW, and to be a part of that is a real honor. This is our first year being accepted by SXSW, so just having the official title next to our name is really rewarding, and to be able to play with some of the best bands that come to Texas from other states.

What are your musical guilty pleasures?

I like a lot of French pop stars. Even new French pop stars. I really like that girl Yell. Old sixties French pop like Francoise Hardy and France Gall. I think a lot of those songs are really larger than life, and they all have that 60's catchiness to it. Everyone was super cool in the 60's and wore their sunglasses at night and their hip dresses. They were really chic. I have a real weakness especially for girls who dress like that.

Beatles or Stones?

I would put them both equally, although I would say that I'm always in the mood for the Stones. The Stones, you can just put them on, wash the dishes, and you're going to shake your ass a little bit. I find when I listen to the Beatles, it's a lot more of an introspective experience.

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

Two tours ago, we were playing with a band in North Carolina that invited us to stay at their house afterwards. They had a house out in the woods, ten miles away from town. Our bass player at the time decided to invite someone from the bar back for a little after party. But they ended up getting into a huge fight at the party. So we had to kick the guy out, and he had to walk ten miles through the woods back to the town. It was in January in North Carolina and freezing. We don't know what happened to him.

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