The Antivillains
THE ANTIVILLAINS
Catch a sonic whiff of the Antivillains and you're instantly transported to a low-lit room where reverb-drenched guitars drift like smoke, sultry vocals drift between melancholy and romantic, harmonies intertwine, and everyone's dressed to kill. This Toledo, OH/Brooklyn, NY three-piece combo are currently touring on the strength of their stunning self-released full-length, So Much for Romance. The album somehow blends the best of the Sundays, The New Pornographers, moody jazz, Portishead and maybe even a dash of Beth Orton thrown in for good measure. Singer/instrumentalists Sarah Cohen and Ben Cohen (yes, siblings) and drummer/percussionist Sam Woldenberg bring their impressive original repertoire to Fort Wayne October 16 when they visit the Deer Park Pub (1530 Leesburg Road). Local singer/songwriter Mark Hutchins opens the show at 9 p.m. Ben and Sarah were kind enough to give us a few minutes of their time, reflecting on what it means to be an Antivillain, where the band got its start, and how it's really not so bad to share the stage with your brother or sister on a nightly basis.
Gav Barnsey: The Antivillains don't really fit the typical DIY indie mold, sound-wise. How did your distinctive sound come together?
Sarah: Really, it's about knowing each other really well and listening to the theme of the song, then figuring out how to make it stand out from any other four-chord progression. We all have pretty diverse tastes and influences so we tend to jump genre quit a bit.
GB: Who do you count as major influences?
Sarah: I find myself writing after reading a good book. Some story that is far from my own experiences, usually. Ben and myself were also exposed to Neil Young's Harvest album at a young age. I remember our parents putting that record or Led Zeppelin IV almost every Saturday to clean our house. We were watching cartoons at that age, but exposed to some really lasting songs.
GB: How about a little history?
Ben: Both Sarah and myself grew up in a pretty musical and young family. Our parents met while traveling the country with some wild characters like the Rainbow Family. They had Sarah and me while they were pretty young so we were exposed to a lot of creativity and music at an early age. I formed my first real band with Sam when we were 15. That band grew with our evolving tastes, starting with Weezer-sounding fuzzy pop and eventually sounding somewhere between The Mothers of Invention and The Flaming Lips. Sarah was doing her own thing during much of that time as a bluesy singer songwriter - opening for a bunch of jam bands all over. We would collaborate and she would sing with our band whenever she was in town. Eventually we were all students of jazz at Toledo University. We sang in a Vocalese choir under Jon Hendricks, which inspired Sarah to write the tune "So Much For Romance," which pretty much kickstarted The Antivillains. Our first show was opening for Melanie ("I got a brand new pair of roller skates / You got a brand new key") at our parents' music venue, the Happy Badger in Toledo.
GB: How (if at all) does the sibling dynamic affect your songwriting/recording/performances?
Sarah: I mean, you don't worry about offending them because it always works out anyways. But mostly, it's just great to have your support on stage with you. And so many years of jokes.
GB: Are you based full-time in NYC now?
Ben: Full-time Internet. Sam and I live in NYC; Sarah is still in Ohio. It can be difficult at times keeping momentum from such a distance but we try our best to play as much as possible. Lots of weekend outings.
GB: The scene here in Fort Wayne is small but pretty diverse; we're excited to bring new and cool bands into town. Any thoughts on the Toledo music scene?
Ben: I can remember playing totally killer shows and going to these great shows with all these people coming out like three or four years ago. Vandolah, Mark Hutchins's earlier band, were regulars on the scene. We grew up going to these shows and eventually organizing them; we had a chance to do what we wanted with a venue pretty easily. It was what we set our standards to. It's important for a band to know what they want from a show. Sometimes we forget that and compromise too much for [the sake of] experience.
GB: What went into the making of your record, So Much for Romance? Where did you record it, how long did it take, any war stories, etc.?
Sarah: Those songs were written before I fell in love, so they are all pretty much the other side of a success story. So Much for Romance was written being exposed to the classic jazz ballads. Their lyrics were so simple, but timeless. We recorded with Chris Stoll, who runs his studio out of a place called Zeta in Holland, Ohio. It took a long time to finish it due to a ton of factors. He did a great job, though, and I think it turned out pretty cool. There are some war stories for sure but I think I'd better get clearance to talk about them before I do.
GB: From what I've read, the reaction has been positive across the board for So Much for Romance. Any thoughts?
Sarah: Oh, we dont post the BAD reviews.
GB: Future plans for the Antivillains?
Sarah: Europe. New album. More shows. Finish watching TV shows. Buy stuff. Eat things. Sleep again. Play Ft. Wayne with Mark Hutchins.
MORE: www.theantivillains.com
Written by Gav Barnsey