The Black Lillies keep on truckin'

The Black Lillies are a band of survivors from Knoxville, TN, who are currently promoting their second album, 100 Miles of Wreckage. They will perform on Saturday at Uncle Slayton's. LEO spoke with bandleader Cruz Contreras.

CC: We haven’t played Louisville yet, this will be our first trip.

LEO: You haven’t played here before?
CC: Not with this band. The big bulk of our tour starts in the end of July; we’re going out west for 6 or 7 weeks. For the next month, we’re just gonna be regional. The week we’ll be in Louisville, we’re starting in Seaside, Florida, a couple of shows in Birmingham, Louisville and Virginia. That should be a five-day run, which is more than we’re used to doing right now. We’ve just been doing weekends since the newest record came out in January. Last year was really crazy busy, but we’ve regrouped a bit with the new record, concentrated on getting airplay; we just made a brand new video, too - the first professional video.

LEO: Did you make that for the internet, or TV?
CC: The goal was for it to be on the major video networks. There’s no guarantee that that’ll ever happen, but… We had a great director, David McKwester (sp?), one of the insider kind of guys who’s won awards and is making our video. I’ve known him - he’s originally from Knoxville. Something like that would normally not be an option for an unsigned band, but he really dug the music. We got the final edit yesterday, and I think it has potential to be on one of the major video networks.

LEO: Were you able to collaborate on the concept?
CC: No – well, we really let him roll with it. You know, I don’t know how to make a video, it’s not really my world. I write the songs, I sing the songs; with someone of his caliber – part of the deal was, he approached us, and I think part of the attraction was he wasn’t gonna have to deal with the record label, he’s gonna have complete basic freedom, so we were really lucky to work with him because of that. My bass player calls it “Thriller for rednecks” (laughs). There’s dancing skeletons, fire, murder, dancing – it’s pretty cool.

LEO: There’s not many video outlets anymore, I would think that CMT is your best bet -
CC: Yeah, CMT is the goal, I think. I’m not sure they’re aware of us yet (laughs).

LEO: Do you feel like you’re part of the country music industry?
CC: Oh, it’s strange. I don’t. Traditionally, not at all. But we have had amazing support from WSM, 650 AM, the original Grand Ole Opry, they play the heck out of our record – and they’ve played the heck out of both records – and we played the CMA convention, so it’s pretty cool. We get to go to Nashville in total style, even though we’re not on a record label, we’re not really commercial country… I don’t know, we just have some good fans who’ve really helped us out.

LEO: Do you think, with all the changes in the industry, that wall has come done?
CC: Yeah, I’ve seen - I made my first record probably in ’99, and I equate it with getting into the horse and buggy business. You’re not going to sell CDs, barely. I remember making my first CD and a person came up and said, “Hey, I love your CD! I burned it for all my friends!” And I was like, If you knew how hungry I was, you probably wouldn’t say that… Whatever, that’s just the way it goes. I was in the band Robinella and the CC String Band in my twenties, and we signed with Columbia Records and I got to see that whole world operate, and it had its time, and it still has its place, on a limited scale, I think. They’ve had to adjust. But if you know what you’re doing, you can do it on your own now. Get it out there. To me it’s, you make your music, make a product and you go direct to your fans.

LEO: What about downloads?
CC: Yeah, we sell a fair amount of downloads. It’s funny – I actually don’t do that myself, I don’t really have a computer, but that’s very comfortable. People will be like, “How do I get your CD?” When you say “download,” they’re like, “Oh, OK.”

LEO: Do you find it ironic to be a band that’s very traditional in some ways and have people downloading your music?
CC: Yeah (laughs), but, like I said, that’s kind of where it is now. I don’t know… Also, there’s a foot in tradition, but we are by no means a traditional band. I have no desire to be a throwback. I spent years learning to play music in all different styles, in a traditional way; that was training to do what I want to do now. You know? Sometimes I see musicians and I’m like, “I don’t know, I just don’t think you should get comfortable – never get too comfortable.” What am I trying to say? There’s nothing more rewarding than creating your own sound, your own material, a fresh sound at that. If somebody’s already played something in the past, I’ll learn from that but I want to take it in a new direction, too.

LEO: How challenging is that, to create something fresh?
CC: A lot of it has to do with timing, as an artist. You have to know when the fire’s hot. I don’t write daily. If I wrote one song a month, I would be thrilled. When I write a song, I want it to be a keeper. To me, that’s something cool about not being part of the industry. I know there’s writers who do that, they go to work and write. Woah! A lot of times, they come in groups, two or three songs at a time.

LEO: You don’t have to panic that they’ll stop coming.
CC I don’t know…! Sometimes I do panic. It hasn’t happened yet, though.

LEO: Do you envision writing and playing for as long as possible?
CC: Yeah, definitely. I’m looking at it as a lifelong pursuit.

LEO: All of the changes you’ve been through – big time, do it yourself – at what level are you happiest?
CC: That’s a good question. I think, ultimately, definitely, the artistic integrity will keep me satisfied. I’d like to make a living at it, to make a good living at it. This band, right now, is riding a wave, so it’s time to get this out there and take a stab, see who we can appeal to, so I’d like to take this band as far as we can take it. Have as much success as we can - it's kind of like creating a job for yourself, is what it is. If you can have enough fans that you can travel around and play, everybody wins. We get to play, people get to hear music they like, everyone goes home happy.

The Black Lillies with Dust Radio
Saturday, July 9
Uncle Slayon's
1017 E. Broadway / 657-9555
$10, 9 p.m.
http://www.theblacklillies.com/

c. 2011 LEO Weekly

Leavenworth, Indiana

Plenty of room at the inn — plus your own bathroom



My favorite character on “Fraggle Rock” has always been Uncle Traveling Matt. In addition to slightly resembling the Indiana Jones-inspired Muppet creation, I also share his love of exploring unknown territories, having adventures and sending postcards to loved ones. This yearning to discover more about the human world, some place scary but exhilarating and far away from my cave, has at times gotten me in trouble. It has been lonely, expensive and dirty at times. But mostly it has been rewarding.



And that’s how I wound up surrounded by a gang of bikers in a small town in Southern Indiana last month.



OK, so this wasn’t exactly Pee-Wee’s big adventure, and even less like Hunter Thompson running with the Hell’s Angels. No, this adventure was lovely and peaceful, almost downright bourgeois in its execution.



I’d seen the Leavenworth Inn’s Living Social Escapes deal months before and hoped it could work as a potential wedding anniversary destination. It was our second anniversary, which left us with a near-impossible dilemma: What could we possibly do to top last year — or the year before that? It seemed inevitable that nothing would be fantastic enough, so why not settle for a B&B somewhere in Indiana, near nothing in particular?



I am no expert on the land and culture of Indiana west of New Albany. Is anyone? (If so, why, exactly?) I didn’t come here to insult — I like driving around small towns, quiet places filled with dilapidated barns; perhaps not 24/7, but they fulfill a piece of me that needs tending to, too. The map told me Leavenworth is a town only about 40 minutes from my big city home, which sounded like an ideal distance for some unseen location that might be wonderful or horrible.



My wife seems to like it when I plan mystery trips, surprising her upon arrival (or as close to our destination) as possible. Being a slicker, I didn’t know that Leavenworth is conveniently located near the town of Marengo. As an adventurer, I love caves, and my wife loves me, so she knows this about me. Therefore, she assumed I had something cave-centric planned as we exited the highway. But no, not yet at least. We turned off and I went left when the road to Marengo went right.



After 10 minutes of rural Americana, we approached “downtown” Leavenworth. I’d expected an adorable block of antique shops run by stout ladies named Margie, but that’s not what we found. Just before we reached the Inn, we passed by the restaurant I’d read about — the Overlook. The menu seemed good enough, full of homemade comfort food. But I hadn’t expected to see a dozen bikers milling about (if bikers can be said to “mill”). I started to wonder whether this was going to be another one of my bad ideas.

Turning into the Inn, though, helped — what a beaut. I’m generally not a fan of B&Bs, because I’m too old and cranky to share a bathroom with Larry from Tulsa. I also never need to make pleasantries over morning cereal with Larry from Tulsa.



I did my research this time, though; I did not go foolheartedly into another situation without assurances that my basic needs would be met: Will there be modern air conditioning? Of course. Is there a private bathroom? Sure. TV? Yes, with cable and a stocked DVD library. OK, great. But wait — there’s more: fresh cookies baked daily, a walking path, tennis courts, shuffleboard, even Wi-Fi, so I can catch up with your feelings about today’s lunch and/or weather when I check Facebook.

 Then there’s the view. A lot of the value of this particular property and the Overlook restaurant across the street is that they both overlook the Ohio River Scenic Byway. It’s a pretty sweet view. After settling into our room, my wife soon declared, “I feel really relaxed here.” I did, too. We had most of our basic needs met, and there were very few distractions.



Oh, and don’t worry. There’s also a fantastic bar.



Walter’s Pub can be found under the Overlook. Not only do they have a few craft beers mixed in with the regular swill, they also have a deck with the best view of the river. BBC in hand, I sat calmly, gazing out at the peaceful water while the trashed and trashy lady at the next table instructed her companion not to mess with her.

Really, though, we didn’t mind her much. It was part of the experience — this wasn’t the Hamptons, after all — and nothing that we don’t see six times a week in Schnitzelburg.



We took a quick detour into “downtown” (a few buildings within shouting distance of the Inn) and discovered Stephenson’s General Store, a legitimately old-timey trading post (100 years old) full of homemade candies, an ice cream parlor, gag gifts, random groceries and hardware. We left 20 minutes later with a bunch of desserts, a “Beware of Dog” sign, Chicken Poop brand lip balm and a tiny glass boot made for drinkin’.

We did have to share a quick breakfast the next morning with some guy who seemed sad, but fresh fruit and another gooey cookie diverted my attention. We had to leave way too soon. On the way home, I got to see the cave, and accidentally discovered a record store in Corydon, of all places.

And so we managed to have fun, see sights and get away from it all — and we arrived in less time than it takes to watch an episode of that Jim Belushi TV show about the fat lawyer who shouts a lot.

c. 2011 LEO Weekly

Mucca Pazza: The Greatest Show on Earth

It’s safe to say you haven’t seen many bands like Chicago’s Mucca Pazza. Their two-dozen or so members play a circus-like mix of marching band, jazz, modern classical and avant-garde music with a punky attitude and an every-night-is-New-Year’s-Eve mission. LEO spoke with members Jeff Thomas (guitar) and Gary Kalar (mandolin).

LEO: How did this evolve from an idea to reality?
Jeff Thomas: Well, we thought That was a really good idea, and it turned out to be a GREAT idea. So, we tried That, and This became a reality. Thus the idea of That is how This became a reality. That made us happy, but This makes us really, really happy. So we stopped thinking about That, and decided to start doing This.
Gary Kalar: Alcohol.

LEO: How do you describe the Mucca Pazza experience to those who haven’t witnessed it yet?
JT: I think the news anchor on Louisville’s WLKY broadcast of the 2008 Pegasus Parade described us best with: “And ... here is Chicago’s own circus punk marching band Mucca ... um ... uh ... I don’t think we have seen anything like this before.” If you can’t trust a local news anchor for an honest description, then who can you trust? Incidentally, we haven’t been able to find a copy of this broadcast. Can you find a copy for us? I’ll buy you some ice cream.
GK: A marching band that doesn’t play marches. An audio-visual explosion of wacky joy, silly fear and odor. Yes, that is audio-visual odor.

LEO: How challenging is it for you to blend marching band, circus, rock, classical and other music cohesively?
JT: Not as challenging as getting an audience to dance to a car alarm.
GK: As long as you don’t think about it much, it’s easy. It helps to listen to really good DJs.

LEO: You’ve played some successful shows in Louisville — a set at the Forecastle Festival, a Derby Eve show with Wax Fang. What’s your impressions of Louisville overall, and of our music here?
JT: Inspiring.
GK: For every reason we find Brooklyn disgusting, we find Louisville delightful. Open, down-to-earth, ready to have fun for no reason. And the food is awesome.

LEO: How many members can we expect in Louisville (including cheerleaders)?
JT: Too many for the stage. Unfortunately, some of us will have to play in the audience. Important safety information: Wear protective eyeglasses, earplugs and, most importantly, nose plugs. Mucca Pazza is not responsible for broken or damaged senses.
GK: Anywhere from 20 to 25.

LEO: How many members actually have a marching band background? Where did you find the other members?
JT: About two-thirds come from a marching band background. Half are from a rock background. Five-sixteenths are from a circus background; half of these are also from the third of us from theater backgrounds. And, I’d say only 10 percent are from classical backgrounds; the other 30 percent have backgrounds in Afropop/hardcore and 1960s post-fluxus/1980s No Wave, respectfully. See previous answer to question about music blending.
GK: One. The Chicago music scene is incestuous.

LEO: Have you thought about starting other chapters of Mucca Pazza in other cities, especially as touring is difficult?
JT: See previous answer to question of ideas and realities: This is That.
GK: We hope every city has lots of their own freak marching bands. It used to be normal. Marching bands, I mean. If your city doesn’t have a marching band, start one today! You don’t need horns or drums either, just find a way to make what you play mobile. Bolt some speakers to football shoulder pads and start shredding. Find everyone you know who plays the flute and start an all-flute marching band. Ok, don’t do that. But things like that.

LEO: Your name means “crazy cow” in Italian. We have an ice cream parlor here called The Comfy Cow. I don’t really have a question for that.
JT: See previous parenthetical statement in answer to Mucca Pazza experiential description: I will take you there, just give us what we want!
GK: I have a question.

Mucca Pazza with Schwinntonation and OKDeejays
Thursday, July 7
Headliners Music Hall
1386 Lexington Road • 584-8088
www.mucca-pazza.org
$10; 9 p.m.

c. 2011 LEO Weekly