Chicago – Childhood friends Alex Caplow and Sam Vanderhoop Lee have been making music together since grade school. The two have upgraded from playing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on plastic recorders to making “triumphant synth rock” with their Bostonian quintet. A few summers ago, Alex and Sam started writing songs during time off from toiling away on organic farms in France. Their project blossomed into Magic Man – named after a magician they met while working at a circus – and upon return to the States, eventually grew into a five-piece with Alex on vocals, Sam on guitars and keyboard, Justine Bowe on keyboards, Gabe Goodman on bass, and Joey Sulkowski on drums. Since releasing their EP proper, You Are Here, the Neon Gold / Columbia act has been compared to Passion Pit and toured with Grouplove and New Politics. This past weekend, Alex and Sam graciously took a break from all the fun at Firefly Fest to chat with me about their debut album Before The Waves, their travels in France, comedy on the road, and Yello Sno.
Sarah Hess: Let’s talk about your album Before The Waves. Explain the title to me.
Sam: The title comes from a lyric from our song “Waves.” When we were coming up with a ton of different title options and trying to figure out what to call the record, Alex put that out there. Immediately it felt right, really appropriate.
Alex: I liked the idea of the calm before the storm.
Sarah Hess: What is “Paris” about?
Alex: “Paris” is a song that I wrote after I got back from living in Paris for about six months during my junior year of college. It was basically just about the transition of leaving the life I had in Paris and trying to re-adjust to ‘normal’ life back home, leaving relationships in Paris, all sorts of moving forward, and trying not to look back.
SH: When was the last time you visited the “City of Lights?”
Alex: You know, I think the last time was my junior year of college! I used to go every summer because my mother is French. Sam and I also started the band in France, so I definitely have a special connection to France. It’s been a couple of years now. I’ll try to make it there again, hopefully in the Fall.
SH: As a Chicagoan, I must inquire about “Chicagoland.” Tell me all about this song!
Sam: “Chicagoland” is actually the name of a DIY venue in Providence. It’s sort of a warehouse venue. It’s called Chicagoland. I’m not sure where they got the name from, but we wrote it about the venue. There are a lot of great shows and parties that come out of there.
Alex: When we first moved to Providence after school was over, we started working on the album, and we didn’t know anyone. Chicagoland was a place where we first started making friends, so it really started out our lives in Providence. I’ve had some special nights there, in an old run down warehouse. (chuckles)
SH: I just watched your video for “Out of Mind,” which was shot in Tulsa. What were most people’s reactions to you filming?
Alex: (laughs) It was a very strange day. We had a day off in Tulsa after some shows there, and we thought we’d make a little video in some classic Tulsa spots. We were a little nervous for some [scenes], like at the biker bar. We thought maybe people wouldn’t be that friendly, but everyone we met ended up being super friendly and wanted to help in anyway they could. People wanted to show off their motorcycles and be in the background. We ended up meeting a lot of really interesting characters.
SH: How did you end up in a cattle house?
Alex: We were just driving by and saw cows on the side of the road. We thought, lets get some shots.
Sam: Let’s shoot some cows! (laughs)
Alex: And an actual cowgirl, on horse, walked up and was like, “Can I help you?” She was very friendly. She was like okay but don’t be too long because I have to round up some cattle. (laughs)
SH: In “It All Starts Here,” you sing, “We’ve got fire. It’s in our blood.” When did you first discover your fiery passion for music?
Alex: At a very young age, I would say. In third grade we discovered our passion for the recorder, which was an instrument we had to play.
Sam: (laughs) I think I just pretended to play most of the time. We had a recorder ensemble during elementary school, and it must have been the most shrill and painful thing for parents to listen to.
Alex: And then in fourth grade, we got to pick out own instruments. I picked the saxophone. Sam picked oboe. I still really had a strong connection to the recorder, but then in fifth grade my dad got me a guitar. That’s when I really found my instrument. Sam also picked up the guitar, and we had the same teacher. We started writing songs together and jamming for hours. We formed this band called Yello Sno with no W – Yello Sno (laughs) – in middle school. Then we got slightly better with instrumental music in high school. We really hit our stride when we first started writing songs as Magic Man, with more electronic beats and synths. We found our sound.
SH: Yello Sno! (laughs)
Alex: Before we ever wrote any songs for Yello Sno, we actually had a website, we had t-shirts, we had branding. We were all about the logo and the name. We all liked the idea of being in a band, but we never actually practiced. (laughs) We later realized you actually have to PLAY music!
SH: You guys started working on this album while traveling through France. What inspired you to hoof it abroad and how did your experiences over seas influence your writing?
Sam: We love to travel. Traveling through France was something we had been planning for awhile. We were both really excited. I was studying French at the time, in college, and Alex is French, so it just made sense. In terms of inspiring the writing, we went to a lot of great and interesting places. One of the farms we stayed at while we were there had this circus festival… [There were a lot of] people doing creative things: a lot of musicians, performers, jugglers, acrobats, and all that good stuff. We started writing because during the middle of the day, a lot of times it was too hot to work, so we had a lot of free time. I think enjoying the beautiful countryside and being with cool people is definitely a creative environment.
SH: You’re developing a reputation for putting on incredible live shows. What musicians have you been wowed by in concert?
Sam: One of the first shows I remember being really impressed with was Sigur Rós. Alex and I went to see them during freshman year of high school… it was so emotional and beautiful. They were just so in control, but at the same time, they just totally let loose. The singer plays the guitar with a bow, like a cello bow, and he just shreds the bow by the end of the performance. So much energy and intensity!
Alex: Explosions in the Sky was a good show. You also just learn so much from bands that you work with, like New Politics – we just watched a show of theirs today – and they have extreme control over their instruments and musicianship, showmanship skills, excellent dance moves. I admire them a lot.
SH: You guys are kicking off your tour now and you’ll soon be joining Panic! At the Disco for The Gospel Tour. Do have any music you love to listen to while on tour?
Sam: A lot of times on the road it’s actually nice to listen to stuff other than music, like podcasts – This American Life, comedy – we’re around music so much, it’s nice to have a little break.
Alex: We love John Mulaney, Bill Cosby…
Sam: The new Bill Cosby is hilarious! And Hannibal Buress.
Alex: Yes, Hannibal Buress. Love him!
You can catch Magic Man on tour throughout the summer. Be sure to check out their facebook for tour dates near you. Before The Waves is set for release on July 8, 2014. You can pre-order it on iTunes and instantly receive a handful of early release tracks.
Photo Credit: Gavin Thomas
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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