Chicago – Last year, Midwest four-piece Vinyl Theatre started to make some noise online with their indie-electronica single “I Need You Here” and the EP Gold. After Billboard took notice of the twentysomethings, music lovers from Brazil to Malaysia blew up their Soundcloud. In August Vinyl Theatre announced they had signed with Fueled By Ramen and have just released their major label debut Electrogram. Since then, these Milwaukee men have been working hard, having fun making music, and touring with fellow label-mates Twenty One Pilots. Talk about keeping busy!
Best New Bands chatted with guitarist and vocalist Keegan Calmes, keyboardist Chris Senner, bassist Josh Pothier, and drummer Nick Cesarz the day they released Electrogram. These humble and dedicated guys revealed some tidbits about the album and their formation and development as a band. And of course, we talked vinyl records and cheese!
Sarah Hess: You guys are from Milwaukee. Are you all originally from Wisconsin? How did you guys meet?
Keegan Calmes: Yeah we’re all from Milwaukee, and we all met through our keyboard player. He’s kind of the glue of the band.
Chris Senner: I met our bass player at a friend’s house, growing up. I met our singer slash guitar player at a cross-country meet in high school, and then our drummer actually studied music theory with me [in college].
SH: You signed with Fueled By Ramen pretty early in your career as a band. What was that like?
Nick Cesarz: We signed really early and we’re really excited about it! They really welcomed us with open arms and took us under their wings. Even the other bands on the label have been really great! It’s been awesome to be on [Fueled By Ramen].
KC: We had built a following online with Soundcloud and stuff. It grew online, and that’s how we got the attention of the label. But I think they also just genuinely liked the songs, so that got them on our side.
SH: Today you released your major label debut, Electrogram. First of all, congrats! Secondly, how are you feeling right about now and what are you doing to celebrate?
KC: Thanks! Well, my birthday is on Friday, so I think we’re gonna wait to do any big celebrating until then, make it a whole day thing, but for now, I think the biggest celebration we can do this tour is do justice to these songs, showing everyone how good we are live, and proving that Fueled By Ramen did right by signing us. I think really the celebration comes down to the work we love doing.
SH: What was the recording process like?
Josh Pothier: We actually went back to the same producer we had been using for years, Joel Wanasek at JTW Studios in Hubertus, Wisconsin. It’s just some little studio, but Joel’s an extremely talented guy. Even the label wanted us to go back to him because they loved the sound we were able to get on some of our previous EPs. We always love recording with Joel.
SH: I’m sure every song on Electrogram is your pride and joy, but which ones stick out as your ‘babies?’
KC: If I had to pick a song that lyrically stood for what we stand for, I’d pick “Gold.” If I had to pick a sing that overall takes the energy of us and puts it into a recorded setting from our live setting, I’d say either “If You Say So” or “Shine On.” They are really, really great for that. “Gold” definitely lyrically defines us as people and as a band. It’s really neat to have a song that we can look to every time and say, “Hey, if you want to know more about us, just listen to the lyrics of that song!”
SH: Let’s talk about your single “Breaking Up My Bones.” Who wrote it, and what inspired it?
JP: The cool thing about our band is we write everything collectively, so it’s cool that everyone can answer these kinds of questions… Originally, we came to this band with the idea of a song that spoke about frustration with creating something unique in a world where there’s so much music, there’s so many stories out there, so how do you create something unique? At the end of the day, you throw out all of those insecurities of not being able to create something unique. You throw it out and say, “I don’t even care to try!” [We] just create something that’s unique to us, and no matter what anyone says, we know that we’ve done the right thing for ourselves by creating a song that we believe in and that’s true to our sound.
SH: And what’s “If You Say So” about?
KC: This is actually a unique one. (laughs) Chris came to the band with the original idea for this one. We like people to have their own meaning for this song. Some people say it sounds like a love song, it sounds like this, it sounds like that, but really it actually came form a dream Chris had. The song just developed from there.
SH: I really love the song “Summer.” What do you guys typically do for fun around Milwaukee in the summer, besides blacking out? (laughs)
KC: Besides blacking out! (laughs) That’s a good question. I like to run a lot. So in the summer I like to get a lot of sun and run. What do you like to do Chris?
CS: Play some tennis, go to the beach. Definitely, I think we all just like to relax, too. A big Wisconsin thing is to just go outside, cook out, and have a few beers.
SH: What types of music did you listen to growing up?
NC: I used to listen to all kinds of classic bands. I mean, the first band my dad ever showed me was called The Guess Who, but I think a lot of influence for me came from The Police, Rush, and newer bands like The Killers. Most recently, my favorite band is Bad Suns. Their album is incredible! But my music taste is all over.
JP: For me, I kind of started out listening to late 90s, early 2000s alternative like Blink 182, Sum 41, Green Day, stuff like that. Then I kind of moved over to more indie stuff, you know Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins, The Postal Service, you know stuff along those lines, and that definitely played a big influence in the music we’re writing now. I think a lot of those early to mid-2000s indie bands have been a big influence on us.
KC: Yeah, coming back to The Killers, I think that’s a huge one for us. And Bad Suns are one of my favorites right now. Of course, Twenty One Pilots has been a huge influence!
CS: I listened to a lot of Supertramp and Pink Floyd when I was growing up, and of course The Killers big time!
SH: I heard that you named yourselves Vinyl Theatre partly for when you really love a band enough to go buy their album on vinyl. So I must ask what some of your top vinyl scores are?
KC: Oh, that’s a tough one!
JP: Radiohead In Rainbows on vinyl is absolutely incredible. I pretty much love anything Radiohead, but that album in particular just comes off so well on vinyl. The Shins Port of Morrow is also really, really good on vinyl. That’s one of my favorites.
NC: I actually have a vinyl copy of Dark Side of the Moon, which I like to put on sometimes. It’s just a cool thing to have, vinyl. It’s kind of different to hear the sound of vinyl, too, just the scratching and imperfections.
SH: Okay, time for some silly questions! Being a Wisconsin band, I have to ask, what’s your favorite cheese?
NC: I seriously like all cheese. It’s kind of weird.
KC: He’s lactose intolerant though! (laughs)
NC: But cheese is alright! (laughs)
KC: Cheese is okay apparently. (laughs)
SH: There’s no such thing as lactose intolerant in Wisconsin! (laughs)
NC: No, yeah they actually take you out the state immediately! (laughs)
JP: I’m a big cheesehead! I’ll eat any cheese. Blue cheese, brie, all kinds. I’m all about the cheese.
SH: Pabst or Miller?
JP: Pabst.
NC: Is there a neither option? (everyone laughs)
SH: Totally! But when you think of Milwaukee, those are the big beers.
NC: I’ve been drinking a lot of craft beers and trying to get away from the big ones.
SH: And finally, Baraboo Circus World Museum or the Dells DUCKS Tour?
KC: Oh, the DUCKS tour! (everyone screams DUCKS) Everyone agrees, the DUCKS tour! (laughs)
If you’re not from the Midwest and are completely confused as to what the heck DUCKS are, click HERE! And click HERE to purchase Electrogram by Vinyl Theatre! Chris, Keegan, Josh, and Nick are currently on the Quiet Is Violent Tour with Twenty One Pilots and MisterWives. Look for our review soon and check out their facebook for tour dates.
Top Photo By Kelsea McCulloch – Live Photo Uncredited – Slider Photo By Lindsey Byrnes
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
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