'Portlandia' Star Carrie Brownstein Promises New Music in Season Two

It's a wonder that Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen started a sketch comedy duo instead of a band. Their IFC show 'Portlandia' is crowded with musicians such as Aimee Mann, James Mercer, Colin Meloy, Sarah McLachlan and Brownstein's former Sleater-Kinney bandmate Corin Tucker. On top of that, Brownstein and Armisen, who has played drums in a few bands, have been making some music of their own.

"[Fred and I] do a lot of the incidental music for the show," Brownstein tells Spinner. "We recorded a song for the episode with Kyle MacLachlan [as the mayor of Portland], and we recorded our theme song. We'll do the same thing for the second season. So yeah, we get in the studio sometimes. We have too much going on to really play, but when we get a chance we'd want to make music."

"I had done theater and acting when I was a kid, before music," Brownstein adds. "But it really wasn't until our ThunderAnt sketches online that I got my feet wet with improv. I guess I had five years of Fred Armisen lessons before we started 'Portlandia.'"

Brownstein shared frontwoman roles in Sleater-Kinney with Corin Tucker, who appeared on the show herself this week. Does Tucker have any comedy training as well?

"No," Brownstein says with a laugh. "She doesn't. She puts on sunglasses and then she's fine."

And what about the rather earnest Sarah McLachlan, who may be the show's most surprising cameo of all?

"People think she's overly serious, but actually she had a wonderful sense of humor about herself and how people perceive her," says Brownstein. "She's very down to earth and funny and kind, and she was totally game. We needed somebody of her caliber from that era but also somebody who was willing to poke fun at themselves. Based on the days with her in Portland, I sort of became a fan and thought 'This woman is awesome!'"

Watch a Clip From the 'Portlandia' Season Finale