The
iOs
uh
oh, here come the iOs
by
Stephanie R. Myers
The Ios (Chris Punsalan, Autumn Proemm, Chris Brocco,
Paul Mauceri and CJ Amodeo) are ready to roll. Quite
literally. And it’s all thanks to their new
van. (Yes, yes, bad joke, I know, but I’ll excuse
your groaning.)
The gang’ll be kicking out the jams in said
van (a Ford Windstar) to promote their album “In
Sunday Songs” along with Autumn’s cat
Squalkers, who in addition to band-managing, has been
deemed the unofficial -- and, as a bonus, rarely drinking--
driver.
“It's a full-fledged soccer mom van,”
The Ios told us. “We're going to put a Rammstein
sticker on it though, to assert our rock cred. The
best part is the TV screen in the back, which makes
long trips much more tolerable. It's pretty tricked
out. We're saving up for diamond-studded hub cabs.
We hope to take it on tour this fall, and maybe we'll
even buy The Thornbirds on DVD for those really long
trips. Chamberlain rules!”
Transportation aside, “In Sunday Songs”
has received rave reviews from publications ranging
from big guns like the New York Times and Time Out
New York to indie darlings Pitchfork and Stereoactive,
and the group’s swelling harmonies have garnered
comparisons to The Beach Boys and The Mamas and the
Papas. Moreover and more importantly, it’s slightly
to highly probable that they will steal your cold
little hipster heart if you’re not careful.
Mark my words. And proceed with caution, because if
melodies themselves could somehow ever be classified
as cute, these would be the ones. It’s the kind
of stuff that’s guaranteed to sway your hypothetical
musical banana hammock to and fro just in time for
summer.
They have something else going for them as well –
they’re actually really, really good songwriters,
proven once and for all after I finally gave
The Ios the ubiquitous Mp3 Player Test. This test
involves listening to the band on my mp3 player on
the way to the bodega, on the subway and any other
general outings and then checking my personal level
of happiness/satisfaction. I’m pleased to report
that they weathered the test and received high scores
across the board.
The Ios very kindly graced The Deli with their presence,
interview-style, before they become so phenomenally
huge that they forget all about our ilk. And in the
course of the interview, we found (amongst other fun
facts) that they will even make you a summer mix CD
that features Asia, Jan Hammer, Abba and David Bowie.
God love ‘em. (You‘re sold, aren’t
you? You don’t need any more reasons to get
into these guys, do you? No. You don’t.)
So you guys signed with Kanine
Records earlier this year. How did that come about?
We met Lio at a CMJ battle of the
bands in Coney Island a while ago. Squalkers and Hbear
struck up an instant friendship and we eventually
signed with Kanine early this year.
Chris and Autumn, you’re
the founding members --how did you meet?
We became friends when we were both
working for music publishing companies. We bonded
over our love for synth pop and vocal harmonies. Eventually,
we started playing shows together and gradually added
band members over the years.
Tell me about recording
“In Sunday Songs.”
It was recorded in the basement of
our house in Gowanus, where we also practice. It was
both good and bad having the recording studio right
there. We were able to take our time with it, but
there is such a thing as taking too much time; which
is where our producer usually steps in.
The album was produced by our friend
Sean Donovan. He added more experimental sounds and
kept us from chasing our own tails. He's a very unique
person who works in an almost Buddhist fashion. Drawing
esoteric diagrams and letting you find your own answer
instead of telling you how it should be.
How was the Pianos residency?
Did you get a new demographic of fans in the process?
It was fun to get really comfortable
playing at the same club each week. And there are
always so many other great bands playing you're bound
to snag a few new fans.
The New York Times compared
you to Stars. Are you influenced by them? Who/what
else are you listening to at the moment?
They do have a similar approach to
vocals with the boy/girl harmonies and trade off.
Lately, we've been listening to The World Without
Magic EP, The A-sides and David Bowie's "Lodger."
You even got Pitchfork to
sing your praises too, and said they heard some 80s
references. Are you musical fans of the era? Who are
your favs?
We grew up during that time so we
definitely appreciate that era. Catchy keyboard hooks
and great pop melodies were really showcased back
then, and we try to bring those things to our songs.
But it's important to come up with something new;
we don't want to just re-create an old sound. Some
of our favorites would be Madonna, the Police and
of course the Cure.
I see that you guys cite
summer camp as a touchstone. (I think I only did day
camp.) Any musical memories from those tender years?
Most of us were making music in some
form or another. The boys were all in various bands
and Autumn studied classical piano and clarinet (and
even attended music camp!).
Ever have to get your cat mascot
Squalkers to put the smackdown on unruly fans?
When he's not busy terrorizing Chris,
he may rough up the occasional fan. He's quite large.
I’m at your show and
am considering buying a CD. Will it hold me over for
the summer?
Hopefully longer than that! A lot
of the pop songs are pretty accessible but then there
is a darker side, which will grow on you more gradually.
And we can't wait to record our new songs, so once
you've worn out this CD, we should be ready with the
next one.
Give me your top songs for
a potentially awesome summer mix CD.
Boys Keep Swinging - Bowie
What Will You Do When Your Suntan Fades? - Beulah
In the Sun - Blondie
Saints - The Breeders
Carnival (puck version) - The Cardigans
Hot Liquid Fireworks - Tincantelephone
Heat of the Moment - Asia
California - Phantom Planet
I'm Shakin' - Rooney
This Job Sucks - The Baghdaddios
Rum Cay - Jan Hammer
Ocean City Girl - Ivy
Our Last Summer - Abba
Anything else?
Visit Squalkers’ Web site, or he will cut you:
www.the-ios.com/squalkers
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