Stereofan - by Erin LaCour
here's your heart

Stereofan, simply put, is an amazing band. Their relatively simple guitar, violin and harmonizing portray heartbreak in such a beautiful way that it at once is familiar and new.

How did Stereofan come into being? How and when did you meet?
We met in Bloomington, Indiana around 2001. Both of us had finished degrees at Indiana University and hung around to play with various bands. After running in the same circles we finally crossed paths at a party held in an Italian restaurant. Megan accused me of trying to get her drunk (I still haven't figured that out), but I think we started playing music together within a week of that event. Stereofan started as a complete departure of what either of us was doing musically. Basically it began as a four-track cassette recording project. We recorded an entire box set of music that, to this day, only one of our friends has - that's an extremely limited release. We were listening to 'Alien Lanes' by Guided By Voices and trying to explore similar territory.

You both started playing music pretty seriously at a young age. Do you find that Stereofan is a result of culminated experience, or is it a new direction for you, a departure from previous endeavors, or both?
When the project started we thought of it as a complete departure from what either of us had been involved with, but the more we write and record, the more we infuse sensibilities that we learned from our various musical pasts. In other words, in the beginning I think there was a conscious effort to achieve a certain sound or style that would normally not be ascribed to either of us, but now I think we just write songs and present them without feeling like we have to stick with a particular style, so we can freely draw upon any tools we have.

You're both involved in other projects. How does this influence Stereofan?
Scheduling shows is tough! Megan's really busy, so I have to schedule far enough in advance to make sure she's free. I'm always free. I need a job.

Your music has been compared to country great, Hank Williams, and indie heartbreaker, Elliot Smith. What do you think of these comparisons and others made about you?
Well, we really like all the people we've been compared to, so it's been flattering to see all these names tossed around, although, to be honest, Megan and I can't figure out the Hank Williams Sr. comparison. We both love the man and his music, but we're both scratching our heads over that one. Another review also cited some nice pedal steel guitar playing, which is great, except that there is no pedal steel on the record! Oh well, they were good reviews so I should shut up. It just shows that everybody hears something different.

Who are you most influenced by?
Well, it's a pretty wide field. My father loves Neil Young in all his forms, so I grew up surrounded by the Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, Crazy Horse, etc. therefore, I have to list him as a primary influence. After him I'd put people like The Pixies, GBV, and the Beatles. Megan is standing over my shoulder dictating, so it's clear that she agrees with me on these, but she also wants me to list Belle and Sebastian as an influence on her string arranging. This list could go on forever, but I'll cut us off here.

What are you currently listening to?
Megan's been listening to a lot of Arabic music and Romanian Gypsy music, because she plays in an Arabic group and a Romanian Gypsy group. She's also been listening to Grandaddy lately. I've been listening to a lot of Leo Kottke and John Fahey lately because I like to play that style of guitar.

What's your favorite NY venue to play and why?
I'm not sure we have a favorite yet, but we had a good show at the Piano's upstairs lounge. It's a quieter, more intimate space that seems to fit our stuff well.

What NY bands do you most like to play with and why?
We'll be playing at Sandpaper's EP release show April 6th at Sin-e. They had us play some tracks on their record, and we had a great time. That should be a fun show.
We also have a great time playing in a group called Sandusky. We're on a bit of a hiatus right now, but we played some fun shows at the Mercury Lounge.

What are your future plans?
We recorded a batch of songs this winter at The Looking Glass Studios that might be released this summer. Until then, we'll be touring around the East Coast to promote "Stain My Heart." We're hoping to take one trip across the Midwest to play some shows in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.