Is / Is are three young women from a heated up music scene in Minneapolis, signed to Guilt Ridden Pop. Quite how they found their way into my consciousness all the way over here in the UK is a long story, but I’m pretty darned glad that they did. They’ve become a constant on the stereo, their music simply demanding that the volume is turned up to LOUD. I’m sorry to even mention their youth or their sex, but they play with the self-assurance of pros with 25 years in the business. Their sound is crashing cymbal heavy with fuzzy vocals that just some of the time sound like they’re sliding over the back of the stage. They’ve currently got just an EP and a single to their name but are part way to getting their first album in the can. Judging by what they’ve done so far, and a sneaky listen to another unfinished track, I can hardly wait to see what they come up with. Singer / guitar player Sarah Rose answered a few questions for me:

Mike Hughes - How's it going?

Sarah Rose - Hey Mike! Geeezzzz it’s been a pretty busy summer for us so far!

MH - Do you want to introduce the band?

SR - I'm Sarah Rose, guitarist & vocalist of Is/Is. Sarah Nienaber plays bass & we are currently in between drummers for the third time this year so I'm not exactly sure how to introduce our drummer. Mara Appel is our original drummer who relocated to Portland but she was around to record on both the EP & 7" we have released so far.

MH - Just to explain, I'm a Brit, living in London. From where I'm sitting, and knowing nothing about it, Minnesota looks to have a hugely active music scene. There seem to be lots of inter-connections between bands, with perhaps one of the interstices being your label, Guilt Ridden Pop. Any comment on what it's like to be part of?

SR - The Minneapolis music scene has always been good to us! It's very supportive & I feel that all bands get a chance to be recognized & heard. There is definitely some inter-connections between bands, I think because of the fact that new bands are constantly being noticed the musicians in the scene are sort of eager to start new bands with each other to see what it can turn into. Is/Is started as a "just for fun" band, with the idea that we would play a few basement shows every now & then but the response after our first few shows was so positive I was immediately motivated to see how far we could take it.

MH - I understand you've all got musical pedigree if I can say that - in fact it was Gospel Gossip (Sarah Nienaber’s ‘other’ band) that got me here, so do you want to tell us about where you've come from? Is Is/Is where it's at right now, or do you all have other projects running at the same time?

SR - I started out playing bass in the band First Communion Afterparty around six years ago which just recently called it quits. I just started working on a new project solely because I miss playing bass but it is really a side project so far, Is/Is is definitely my main focus. Gospel Gossip is pretty busy right now & is actually doing a lot of the same things Is/Is is working on. New albums, tours & we've been getting a lot of the same show offers lately which surprisingly hasn't happened at all so far.

MH - I'm sorry if I've got this wrong, but I read somewhere that you started the project as possibly light hearted and were surprised by how it took off? It sounds like you've had pretty amazing reactions.

SR - Yea, Sarah Nienaber & I had been sort of talking about playing music together for a while. She got asked to do a solo show & asked me if I'd do it with her. I showed her some songs that I'd been sitting on for years & they were sounding pretty cool with the two of us but we knew a drummer would tie it all together which is where Mara came in. So really Sarah N's first solo show turned into Is/Is's debut show.

MH - It could be just because I'm an old fart, but I was knocked sideways by you all being youngsters, girls to boot, and yet your sound is so drenched. Don't get me wrong, you're a long way from retro, but the first thing it put me in mind of was early 70's British bands like the Groundhogs, who used to regularly blow out their amps and speakers. I can only describe it as h-e-a-v-y. Where did that noise emanate from? Was it a deliberate thing or did it come about organically?

SR - We've never had a specific sound in mind. I write all the songs on my acoustic & when we all get together it just ends up being heavy & loud. A few of the songs on "This Happening" I wrote when I was 14 & never imagined they would end up sounding how they do now. Is/Is has helped me grow as a song writer & lately I can sit down with my guitar & work on something with more of a sound in mind but it's all very natural the way things turn out, I never try to force the songs to be anything that they're not.

MH - The new record - 'Vowel Movements / Blackest Beats' goes even further in that direction. What do you think it is about that fuzzy wall of squalling loudness that makes it so comforting to our ears and souls?

SR - Hahaha… it just feels good right? It creates a huge wall of sound, feels kind of warm & inviting don't you think?

I then wanted to check out my theory about Sarah Nienaber being the lead guitarist in her other band and playing bass in Is / Is – whether she thought this made her a different kind of bassist. Sarah Rose texted her to find out the answer

SR – She doesn't know how haha.. Can I chime in? I think watching her learn to play bass & then go play a Gospel Gossip show the opposite has happened, playing bass lines has helped her become a better lead guitarist.

MH - Was it putting two fingers up to the internet to call yourselves Is / Is? Even your MySpace address is virtually indecipherable.

SR - I think I was just trying to be annoying, its fun to hear people say
"Is/Is is…" but it slightly backfired on me haha, it's really hard to direct people to find us online.

MH - Where are you up to as a band? Releases? Gigging? And what plans do you have?

SR - I'm actually listening to our rough mixes right now! We are working on a full length & are pretty close to being done with it! It's been hard to keep up with ourselves because I’ve had so many ideas & when we have to step back & teach new drummers old songs it puts things on hold. We've got a handful of shows coming up in Minneapolis & I'm really trying to get another tour together for this fall & hopefully have our new album out by then!

MH - Is there any band at the moment you'd point to at the moment and say "yup, they're doing it right"? Anyone you'd recommend me to listen to, either from Minneapolis or elsewhere?

SR - Our friends Brute Heart from Minneapolis are doing a really good job right now; they just got back from a tour with their new album which is really killer. We are getting the violist Jackie to come in & record on some of the new Is/Is songs next week!

MH - I'm certain you don't want to answer questions like 'where did you get your name' and 'what's it like being in all girl trio' - what should I be asking to find out what makes you tick?

SR - I think we enjoy talking about our friendship with each other, especially when Mara is in the mix. We really challenge each other & work so well together, the friendship aspect is nearly as important as the music. Even with the drummer changes it’s hard to say Mara isn’t in the band because she is so important to us. We've got our own language the three of us, its been really hard to replace her in Minneapolis.


MH - What the most ridiculous rock'n'roll thing you've done so far?

SR - Almost everything we do on tour is ridiculous but I don't know how much of it qualifies as "rock & roll". We are just doing our best to make this our life even if that means sleeping in the van & eating condiments. This is all we want to do & that is never going to change. We just gotta keep on keeping on & hopefully someday it will be more sustainable & less of a struggle. I’m thankful for the support we've had so far & can't wait to show everyone what else we've got!

Thanks Sarah!

To save you hours of fruitless googling, here’s a couple of links. They’ve got dates coming up, although sadly only in the Mpls area for the moment. Here’s hoping!

Attention everyone: Phantom Tails, bringing you the weirdest but coolest electro-psych-rock (or, in their words, "Deep Space Doom Funk") out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has created a YouTube channel, PhantomTailsTV, and uploaded a new, grossly-awesomely-strange video for their single "All Good Things" (posted above).   The band is planning on releasing more new stuff on this channel as well, including their "horrific gothic masterpiece for 'Gimme the Light of the World'.  Their goal is to put out high quality footage and avoid crappy quality cell-phone videos.  Amen (Other bands, please take note).

I can admit that when I heard The Anytime's EP, Crave, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I didn't even know who they were before I was offered a copy of it. But I quickly learned that these four buddies out of Ames, Iowa are dedicated to making their special brand of hip-hop inspired rock big. Andrew Gates, Matt Dery, Caleb Wiggins and Tyler Higdon are The Anytime, and they will do anything to gain your loyalty.

I got to speak to vocalist Andrew about his relatively young band (they began playing in 2009), his musical inspirations, the lyrical content of the new EP and The Anytime's desire to go wherever they have to go to gain respect and new fans.

Kristina Villarini: I listened to your EP, Crave and the first thing I thought was that there are some obvious nods to hip-hop. Intentional?

Andrew Gates: That's so crazy that you noticed that, people usually take longer. But, it definitely was. When we first started the band, that wasn't where we were at all. I grew up on R&B and hip-hop, and I eventually realized it's okay to draw from that place. It's kind of like, just growing up. When I started listening to music, I was in the suburbs of Minneapolis, and the things that I heard listening to music wasn't really where I was at, but it was what I was feeling. I wanted to tap into it.

KV: Some artists prefer to shy away from that, though.

AG: I can see why, but that's not me. I would LOVE to bring more of a hip-hop sound into our music. If I could have Ludacris come in and rap on all of our tunes, that would be great!

Minneapolis does it again, this time responsible for the futuristic one-man band Hastings 3000.  I have to believe Joe Hastings, the single man behind the act, has some impressively ambidextrous brain capabilities--he plays the guitar while operating his feet on separate kick-drums and singing at the same time--all while sound pretty darn good. And if it's widely believed and well known that loneliness leads to madness, Hastings takes this madness and embraces it.  He plays up his image and sound with an imagined, almost insane, overly-industrial-and-mechanized portrayal of the future (he often wears a gas mask), so much to the point where it's as if he is living in the future now, and the rest of us are the crazy ones. Maybe he's right.  Regardless, his sound is ironically old-school, especially on "Speed of Light," with Ramones-esque vocals and a gritty driving force behind his tempo and song structure.  Furthermore, his responses to the interview questions are minimal, carefully chosen and totally weird, which makes for a curious, strange, and hilarious picture of this man in a different time.

Claire Gallagher: So who are you?

Joe Hastings: Joe Hastings is Hastings 3000, and my band is as follows--Left foot (Snare, Hi-hat, tambourine) Right foot (Kick Drum) Left hand (String manipulation-pedal pusher) Right hand (Strummer and the leader of the band) Head (Voice and screams)

I have a really big crush on Minneapolis right now.  I get butterflies in my stomach thinking of Twin Cities acts such as Atmosphere, The Goondas (check them out on bestnewbands.com), Zoo Animal, and, now, up-and-comers Phantom Tails.  Phantom Tails’ influences cover basically the entire spectrum of music and then some—from Chopin to Kanye West to whale songs (nope, that’s not some super obscure band; I’m literally talking about the underwater songs that whales sing), they’ve got some seriously varied tastes which helps in making some seriously interesting music. With this song, All Good Things, the band packs a punch of energy thanks to their tasty musical recipe: a little We Are Scientists, a hint of Of Montreal, plus an extra dose of electronic sugar. The result is a vibrant, artfully electrified track, rich with beats that I imagine would make for an insanely awesome and sweaty live show.

Claire Gallagher: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc?

Logan Kerkhof: Makes beats on an MPC-2000 drum machine named The 24 Karat Nightmare.

Sergio Hernandez: Plays 2 synthesizers, collectively known as The Balanced Scale.

Dave Dorman: Plays a bass guitar called Ricky Stallion

Orion Treon: Plays a guitar called Deeep Purple.

Smoky Midnight: The van.

In the wake of featuring The Goondas on BNBTV Spotlight, I stumbled easily from link to link on to a ton of bands playing on the Minneapolis/Minnesota music scene.  One of these bands was the glowing Gold Motel (actually from Chicago), who in this video prove their knowledge and mastery of a perfect pop sound.   If anything, talking with this band and hearing this song, "Safe in LA", has helped me gain a much clearer perspective on the building blocks of pop.  First, you can definitely hear the pop influences of The Beach Boys, and the song has a honey-sweet melody with enough hook to reel in the most cold-blooded of music sharks.  When I first heard this song, I immediately had a dorky grin slapped on my face, was head-bobbing like it was the Night at the Roxbury, and was flapping my elbows and snapping like I had just heard “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” for the first time.  And if that’s not a good enough visual for you, take a listen, and you’ll see what I mean (However, even if it is a good enough visual, you still should to listen.).

Claire Gallagher: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc?

Greta Morgan - keys / vocals

Eric Hehr - Guitar

Adam Coldhouse - drums

Matt Minx - Bass

Dan  D - Guitars / Vocals

Remember the days when rock n' roll was really rock n' roll? When it was largely feared by the masses, when reeling guitars caused echoing screams, and lead singers shook and convulsed on stage like madmen, scaring but captivating mindblown audiences?  Before bands like Linkin Park turned everyone around you into a Hot-Topic-frequenting idiot whining into internet threads with a screenname like LnknPrk4EvA. Before your mom wanted to go with you to see The Foo Fighters play a show.  When rock n' roll was rebellious and gritty. When it was hid from authority figures and was in many ways a gateway drug to the vast amounts of awesome music in the world.  

Well, welcome back.  The Goondas immediately take you back to the late 60s, when Mick Jagger was sexing up the world with his dangerous tunes, and when subcultural rock was just grabbing hold with its greasy palms and shaking a showered society to its core.  The Goondas have that old sound feel and an old school mentality.  They maintain the image of a reckless band who shows up (most of the time) to make some honest, awesome music. And in a modern context, this creates a sense of ironic purity amidst the corporate machine.

Claire Gallagher: Ok, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc?

Jackson Atkins: Guitar
Brenden Green: Vocals
Andy Meuwissen: Bass
Josh Miller: Drums

The Minneapolis based band Cloud Cult broke indie ground by hitting Billboard charts this past week with their newest album “Light Chasers.” I resonate with the song ‘Running with the Wolves’ and can’t stop hitting play on my ipod. The hauntingly beautiful music and profound lyrics will make anyone want to get up out of their cubicle and run away with the wolves.

It's time for us to go.
Left all our clothes.
With the car left by the road.