Chicago – There’s no thieving to be had here. The Ballroom Thieves aren’t taking, just giving. The Boston trio is set to deliver a heavy dose of fabulous folk rock with their debut album, A Wolf In The Doorway… which may, in fact, steal your heart, so there may actually be a bit of thievery. The Ballroom Thieves is comprised of guitarist Martin Earley, percussionist Devin Mauch, and cellist Calin “Callie” Peters. The three-piece blends an array of sounds, including blues and gospel, into their folk and roots music. Mauch’s percussion is globally inspired, while Peter’s cello adds an elegance that only a bowed string instrument can do. Earley’s rich, passionate voice brings his dynamic lyrics to life, but the beauty of The Ballroom Thieves often lies in the exquisite harmonizing between the threesome.
Best New Bands recently spoke with Devin Mauch about The Ballroom Thieves’ debut LP, how his interesting mix of percussion came about, and tackling the beast known as South By Southwest.
You’ll soon be releasing your debut LP. Tell us a bit about the making of A Wolf In The Doorway!
We recorded the record last year, in June, at Dimension Sound Studios, in Jamaica Plains, just outside of Boston, and we had been writing the songs and working on them for several months. We went in for, I think, three weeks in the studio, because we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time. We recorded a whole bunch of songs and came out with a 12-song LP that we’re pretty excited about.
When it comes to writing lyrics and composing songs, is it a collaborative effort between all three of you or does someone tend to take the lead?
Martin, who plays guitar and sings lead vocals, he’s our primary songwriter… He writes the songs and then Callie and I write our harmonies, the cello parts, the drums parts, and we really operate under “we’ll try anything once.” If somebody has an idea to change something, anything to develop the song, we always check it out. It’s definitely collaborative, a team effort.
Well, then I don’t know if you’ll be able to answer my next question about “Wild Woman.” (laughs) I was wondering if there was a particular woman who inspired this song?
(laughs) Such an interesting question! I think all of our songs are inspired by real people and real events, so yeah, I think that [song] should be taken by the listener as a personal experience.
Are there any tracks on the album that you’re particularly fond of or enjoy playing live?
I am very fond of playing “Oars To The Sea,” and also I love playing “Here I Stand.” Those are two songs that really haven’t been released to the public… We’ve been playing them live quite a bit, but I’m really excited to get those out.
I saw The Ballroom Thieves perform at Space in Evanston, IL. You guys blew me away with songs like “Archers” and “Coward’s Son,” but Devin you especially amazed me with your creative use of percussion!
Oh wow, word! Thank you!
What inspired your mix of drums and bells? And do you always perform without shoes?
(laughs) Umm, sometimes I wear shoes. Martin and I have started to wear moccasin slippers a lot, but it’s more for just comfort. The drum kit was originally inspired by the inconvenience of a dorm room. Martin and I started out making music together when we were in college, and you know, it was difficult to have a full drum kit. I was taking hand-drumming classes, and it was definitely an alcohol-influenced decision to start hitting it with sticks. The drum kit slowly developed, and I think I found a lot of inspiration from bands like Frightened Rabbit and other bands that just kind of tap into the heart beat, you know what I mean? Nothing too fancy, nothing that distracts from the music, but something that supports the listener during their experience. It’s been a pretty cool journey. It’s constantly developing. I feel like, maybe like every six months to a year we’re adding one or two little things to the percussion. It’s really fun for all of us. Both Callie and Martin are trained on percussion. Martin’s original instrument was drums, and Callie played drums in high school concert band. It’s a pretty cool collection of ideas and thoughts when it comes to the rhythm section for the band. I think we try to keep it as organic and animalistic as possible.
I hear a lot of different influences in your music, from Americana to folk and rock to pop. What artists have influenced you as a musician? And do the tastes between the three of you vary or do you guys tend to be on the same page?
We have a lot of musical inspirations. We each have our own niches that we grew up on, but there’s also a lot in common. One band that we’re pretty obsessed with is a Scottish rock band called Frightened Rabbit. We listen to alternative rock, stuff like that, to…umm…I just had Fleetwood Mac in the CD player. We’ve got the new Beck record. We listen to a lot of our friends who are in a similar position as us career wise, still trying to build. Bands like Tall Heights, Darlingside, The Ghost of Paul Revere. These are all New England-based bands that we play with and are great friends with at this point. We find a lot of inspiration in some of our peers who are going through the same struggles and growing at a similar pace and time that we are.
You’re playing South By Southwest this year. Have you played SXSW before?
Yeah, last year we went down. That was our first time there and a really cool experience. It was a wild time! Honestly, we learned a lot. We went in and very much had a first-timer’s experience. There were really great moments and there were moments where we knew we could improve on our experience, but we came away with valuable experience so we can improve upon our experience for this year. We’re really excited to go back again… not just for the 70 degree weather, but to take another stab at the beast that is South By Southwest.
You can catch The Ballroom Thieves at SXSW and on tour this spring, before they hit up the Boston Calling Music Festival this summer. For a list of tour dates, head over to The Ballroom Thieves’ facebook page. A Wolf In The Doorway is set for release on April 21 via Blue Corn Music. You can pre-order the album on iTunes or purchase it on CD or vinyl by clicking HERE.
Photo Credit: One Love Photo
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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