Interview: Darling

Rock out with your Glock out! Thanks to a tip from our friends at Subterranean, we were turned on to Darling, a young 4-piece from Chicago that play an intelligent, melancholic pop loaded with lush harmonies and moving soundscapes. Their sound touches upon the blissfully, sorrowful notes of Jeff Buckley mixed with the deeply layered textures of Television. Like the calm before a storm, Darling will get you in the mood for aural pleasures when they grace the SubT stage on Friday (12/08) as a part of BANDWIDTH. We spoke with Jeff Schneider, Nick Voss, Christi Frazier of Darling in between study sessions for their semester finals.

So, who's who? and what do you all do?

Jeff: The band is Nick Voss who is a mechanical engineer, Ray Klemchuck a contract worker at the Museum of Science and Industry, Cristi Frazier a graduate student in neuroscience, and I'm (Jeff Schneider) a graduate student as well in pathology. Cristi and I met at the University of Chicago during orientation and I asked her if she'd like to add some vocals/keys to some of the songs and the rest is history. Ray I've known off and on since high school. He's the baby in the band and only 22 but makes up for in musical intuition(more than the rest of us have). Finally there's Nick, the oldest member of Darling and a friend of mine since the fourth grade where we used to play saxophones together. We released an album in the summer of '05 but two members left the band last november and started The Kinzie House.

You mention in your myspace profile that this project was created to balance chakras, how has it been working thus far?

Christi: I don't even know what a chakra is anymore, that's how balanced they've become.

What's your approach to songwriting?

Jeff: I approach songwriting as if I'm pushing 50 and balding. I write songs from a standpoint that time slips away whether you want to or not. But more importantly, I write songs in a feeble attempt to get my mind to work for me.

Nick: and I throw the toupee back on "Old Man Schneider's" balding head to remind him that time only slips away when he looks back. He's the man with the tunes, but I like to shape them into forms that his original music communicates to me.

Where are you all at in terms of recording an album?

Jeff: We had a recording session September 1st where we layed down 7 new songs but are in the works of dubbing vocals and mixing. Making an album is a lot like having a hobby. There is always more you can learn and it begins to really get inside your head

Who are the major influences on your music?

Jeff: As far as musical influences go I usually go with the standard Jeff Tweedy/Velvet Underground answer since that is what I listened to as I was growing up. Then I have to throw my brother as someone that helped personally guide me through the progression of becoming a musician

To the casual listener, how would you describe your sound?

Jeff: That is the hardest question of this whole interview. It is so hard to nail down your sound but I'll just go with what people describe us as. Television meets Pavement with Neil Young-esque vocals. I hate making up those strange musician morphs but I guess its better than saying we sound poppy which is what I was going to go with.

What can the Bandwidth audience expect from your set on Friday?

Jeff: Vocal Harmonies, Handclaps, and Glock!
Nick: A pretty driving set speckled with more mournful tunes. And SEXY T-shirts.

Finally, Who are you listening to right now?

Jeff: Pete, Bjorn, and John (Sweden) and Ben and Bruno(Grand Rapids)
Nick: Gang of Four, Beirut, Silver Jews

Thanks so much for your time, guys! Good luck on your Finals!

You can catch Darling live when the kick off the December BANDWIDTH this friday @ SubT!

Download: Darling - "Reading Lines"