"Kickball" Katy Goodman, the bass player for Vivian Girls, took some time out from preparing for her tour to answer some questions about her new band La Sera and debut album "Never Come Around". The album drops February 18th.
CT- Can you tell us a little about the name of your band La Sera?Translation in In Italian I think Sera means “evening”? It also means “the will” in French. Which seems to fit your drive to produce music and involve yourself with many projects. Is there any connection to either of those translations?
KK- Vivian Girls was in Italy over the summer, and I heard someone use the phrase "la sera" and I thought it was beautiful. I liked the meaning, "Evening", and that is the mood I wanted to set with the music.
CT- How did you become interested in 1950’s pop music? Was this something you discovered on your own or was it played around the house a lot as a child?
KK- 50's and 60's pop music was constantly played in my household while I was growing up, and it's the first kind of music I became really attached to. It definitely inspires me a lot when I'm writing.
CT- Who are some of your favorite artists from that time period?
KK- When I was younger, The Shirelles, The Mamas and the Papas, and The Drifters were my favorites. These days, I really love The Shangri-Las and Roy Orbison.
CT- You seem to have a gift for combining melancholy subjects with an upbeat sound on a lot of your songs. Is this intentional or do you think that has more to do with the 50’s inspiration?
KK- I definitely tend to write happy sounding music, but my main lyrical inspirations are generally anger and heartbreak. I've actually written two happy love songs, and they are both the slowest, saddest sounding songs on the album!
CT- Your cover of “Dedicated to the One I Love” is beautiful and flows perfectly with the vibe of the album. The song has been covered by many bands, including The Mama and The Papa’s. Do you have a favorite version?
KK- I think my favorite version of the song is the Shirelles version, because it's the one I grew up listening to. However, the Mamas and Papas cover is also amazing, and it definitely inspired my version. Only recently did I hear the original by the Five Royales, and I think it's also really good.
CT- Will you be doing any other covers on tour?
KK- Nope! However, I did turn in a Guided by Voices cover for a comp that should be coming out soon.
CT- I would think this genre is the perfect opportunity to do a cover album of 50’s female pop music, is this a possibility for the future?
KK-That would be fun to do, but I don't think I would be able to find the time to do something like that! Vivian Girls keeps me pretty busy, and I use all my spare time writing original songs for La Sera.
CT- What do you have planned for this upcoming tour?
KK- I have two different bands backing me up on my tours in February and March, so it's been pretty hectic teaching a lot of new people the songs.
CT- How many musicians are you bringing with you?
KK- In the February line up, when we tour Europe, I am playing bass, Scott Shannon is on guitar, Jessie Clavin is on 2nd guitar, and Jonathan Weinberg is on drums. For the US tour in March, Scott and I are still in the band, but Devon Williams will be on 2nd guitar and Allen Bleyle will be playing drums. I think the La Sera lineup will be slightly different every time I tour, I think it's fun to keep it as a rotating cast of friends.
CT- Are you finding a lot of support and encouragement from your band-mates from Vivian Girls?
KK- Yes, definitely. Cassie has her other band, The Babies, and Fiona has another band called Coasting, so we are all keeping busy with our own side projects. During this downtime before the next Vivian Girls album is released in April, it is fun to explore other musical outlets.
CT- Can you explain to your new fans how you got the nickname “Kickball Katy”?
KK- When I was 17, I was a member of a super secret kickball society, and that's all I can say about that.
CT- Who is your favorite:
Lyricist? Morrissey
Bass Player? Kim Deal
Artist? Cassie Ramone
Author? Richard Dawkins
Here are some questions submitted by fans:
FQ- You are touring with Tennis, Dum Dum Girls and Screaming Females, which is pretty awesome. I cannot wait to see your show. Who would be your ultimate dream band or musician to open for?
KK- I think going on tour with The Breeders or The Vaselines would be a dream come true. But we've already been super fortunate to get to tour with No Joy, Jenny and Johnny, and soon Tennis.
FQ- Do you have any guilty pleasures music wise? Bands like NKOTB or something like that?
KK- When I'm in the car, I only listen to pop radio (100.3 fm usually)
FQ- What was the first CD you ever bought and how old were you?
KK- I was 10 and I bought TLC - Crazy Sexy Cool. Everyone I know bought that album when they were around 10, and that seems pretty inappropriate because the songs are pretty sexy!
FQ- Do you have any unusual rituals you do before each show; prayer, dance, etc?
KK- Before every show, I put on chapstick and then one earplug. I only ever wear one ear plug.
Thanks so much to Katy for answering our questions. La Sera will be on tour in Europe from February 1-20, then she'll be bringing it home to the States from March 2-15. Check here for tour dates.
Also check out La Sera's cool Dexteresque video for "Never Come Around" right here.
Follow Katy on Twitter @iamkatygoodman (she gives good tweets)
Follow La Sera on MySpace
For more music and video's of your favorite female indie artist visit The+V+Moan.
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