Calliope Musicals: AMA!

bfly

bfly

Well-Known Member
howdy again!

hopefully you've had a chance to discover one of your new favorite bands recently with the N&G June 2021 AOTM, Color/Sweat. if not, I highly encourage you to take a moment to visit the thread, give 'em a stream, and pick up their album once they worm their way into your heart.

those alchemists in Calliope Musicals will be joining us here on Monday at 12pm central US time. I am opening the floor now for those in other time zones or with uncertain schedules to post any questions or comments in advance. I think it will be more fun to interact with them, so hold onto your thoughts if you think you can hang out!

abrazos y besos to everyone who has participated 🖤

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Listened to Color/Sweat a few times over the weekend and am really enjoying it. Would love to know how you chose the cover art. The colors pop really nice off the black background and it really fits the music that's contained within. Same goes for the Can You Tell Me single/Between Us EP, as the backgrounds have changed but still compliment the songs.
 
Thanks for joining us here to chat! Thanks @bfly for introducing this great group of musicians!

I have a rather technical question, if you don't know, that's alright. For the vinyl version of Color/Sweat, there are some scribbles in the runouts that I cannot figure out. It kind of looks like a cursive script "All Plum." Do you know what it actually is? And if so does it mean anything? Sometimes the engineers who do the mastering or lacquer cutting scratch their initials in there.

Have you had the chance to get back on stage this year? What are some of your favorite stages to play?
 
Though Color/Sweat touches on conceptual themes throughout, it wouldn't be defined in the traditional sense as a 'concept album'. Have there been any desires to tackle that traditional approach yet, and if so, anything you'd be willing to share?
 
Enaz Fox said:
Listened to Color/Sweat a few times over the weekend and am really enjoying it. Would love to know how you chose the cover art. The colors pop really nice off the black background and it really fits the music that's contained within. Same goes for the Can You Tell Me single/Between Us EP, as the backgrounds have changed but still compliment the songs.
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So cool! I'm happy you're enjoying it :)

We actually had the artist custom build the statue, which now resides in my closet as the keeper of my shoes. Fawna, the artist FKA Gracie Hinojosa came to a show of ours at a museum when they were only 16ish? They added me on instagram (@are_you_party_dog) and i fell in love with their art. I asked if they would make a sculpture for our album cover, featuring this little drug addled puppycat that was recurring in their work. We let them know that we wanted primary colors, and this is what they delivered. We were thrilled, and our bass player's girlfriend shot the piece on a black background. We played with a million different backdrops and ultimately decided the black was the most eye catching!

When we released our new EP, two of the songs were from our Color/Sweat sessions, so using the same art (but in a whole new context) made tons of sense for us. So I just cut the photo to black and white and played with different backgrounds until I landed on what felt right. The EP cover is a photo Josh (my husband /slash our drummer) took at White Sands, and the "Can You Tell Me" photo is of dragon fruit flowers that Josh grew in our backyard!
 
calliopemusicals said:
So cool! I'm happy you're enjoying it :)

We actually had the artist custom build the statue, which now resides in my closet as the keeper of my shoes. Fawna, the artist FKA Gracie Hinojosa came to a show of ours at a museum when they were only 16ish? They added me on instagram (@are_you_party_dog) and i fell in love with their art. I asked if they would make a sculpture for our album cover, featuring this little drug addled puppycat that was recurring in their work. We let them know that we wanted primary colors, and this is what they delivered. We were thrilled, and our bass player's girlfriend shot the piece on a black background. We played with a million different backdrops and ultimately decided the black was the most eye catching!

When we released our new EP, two of the songs were from our Color/Sweat sessions, so using the same art (but in a whole new context) made tons of sense for us. So I just cut the photo to black and white and played with different backgrounds until I landed on what felt right. The EP cover is a photo Josh (my husband /slash our drummer) took at White Sands, and the "Can You Tell Me" photo is of dragon fruit flowers that Josh grew in our backyard!
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Thank you so much for the insight on this. Really cool to know how much thought went into this aspect of the projects. The visual side of albums has always interested me and it's nice to hear the from a band that nails it. Appreciate the response and for you taking the time to stop by and hang with us. Thanks @bfly for putting this together.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
Q: You're a band whose write-ups seem to invariably mention the energy of your live performances as a signature characteristic. Do you think of yourselves as performers first and recording artists second? Do you try to pack the intensity and connection of a live show into one of your records, or do you approach shows & albums as different types of experiences for your audience?
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hi :) it kinda depends, and obviously recording an album of brand new material during a pandemic has added a whole new element to my answer.

i would say that i am a performer first. i've always felt most relaxed in a stage setting, and when i was a recording baby, the studio seemed like a stressful place where you had to create your epic legacy that people would remember you by and don't fail or you'll regret it!!!!! now that i have more experience and found the kind of creators who are fun to create with, i have a whole new love for the studio and the endless opportunities a studio setting creates for music. it's so magical!!!!

with Time Owes You Nothing, our producer convinced us that live and album were to be kept separate at all times.

to an extent, i respect that: you can't always record exactly how you play live, and expect that to make a compelling recording. the listener is missing so many elements--the crowd they are standing in, sweat, a visual of the artists you're listening to, the drink dripping in your hand, the loud ass system, me running up to you midshow and screaming my head off lol--

with TOYN we committed to not trying to recreate our live show, and to focus on making a record that someone would hear and love free of context. there are parts of that that really worked, but by the time we started work on C/S we knew that the record needed a bit more chaos and color. Our producer for that record, Frenchie, met us in a live context and was committed to creating a recording that would teleport people to our show. so sweaty cups and shoulder to shoulder crowds had their absence filled with hidden tones and heavier effects that people wouldn't necessarily hear in a listen, but that would kinda fill in the blanks left behind by live show elements.

of course now, we are recording in a totally new context, making music that we have never once performed live, and it's kind of freeing to be focusing on a recording without having a live show framework to live up to.

the older i get and the more music i make, the more i realize that there are almost no wrong answers when it comes to art and creativity. if you like shit like all this, David Byrne's book "How Music Works" is a dope read!!!!
 
cul8er said:
Thanks for joining us here to chat! Thanks @bfly for introducing this great group of musicians!

I have a rather technical question, if you don't know, that's alright. For the vinyl version of Color/Sweat, there are some scribbles in the runouts that I cannot figure out. It kind of looks like a cursive script "All Plum." Do you know what it actually is? And if so does it mean anything? Sometimes the engineers who do the mastering or lacquer cutting scratch their initials in there.

Have you had the chance to get back on stage this year? What are some of your favorite stages to play?
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oooo! fun! idk what that scribble is--i just looked at one of my copies and see what you're referring to. i'll say, our label was in charge of the C/S pressing, so they might have better insight on that, although, i'm not gonna reach out and ask haha :)

we played a show for about 50 folks on our deck in our backyard and it was paradise.

i have lots of favorite stages--in Austin I love Cheer Up Charlie's, it's more the vibe there that i love...OKC has this amazing venue called Tower Theater which is massively cool and sounds amazing and the folks are really kind. i love a festival stage--namely this wild fest in Canada called Evolve and Joshua Tree Music Festival and Utopia Fest. I'll say the people and audience tend to make the stage for me. We had this house called the Glitter Pit, and we did house shows there and that was my favorite stage for a while.
 
Hello... When I listened at first I noticed a bit of similarity to music like "what would the odd do" by guerrilla toss.. what kind of modern acts do you feel either inspire you or just would be great if you like this album
 
debianlinux said:
Q: On average, how many hours of music do you listen to in a given week? Do you lean more towards discovery or replays?
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oh wow, it definitely varies. i've actually been finding myself in silence a lot lately. i think i'm losing it maybe?! i am very bad at time, and i couldn't even give you an educated guess.

i LOVE a new discovery, but then i quickly listen to it repeatedly, so it morphs v quickly into replays. this is kinda a boring answer, so i'll include what i've been listening to lately.

laurie anderson - big science (just rereleased on vinyl)
radiant children - there's only being yourself
annette peacock - i'm the one
madonna - music (only god can judge me)
david byrne - everything that happens will happen today
carole king - tapestry
celine dion's greatest hits (for singing at the top of my lungs)
 
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