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Seattle folk-rock band Vaudeville Etiquette have been on the grind. Featuring melodic ballads and boot stomping anthems, their forthcoming album, Debutantes & Dealers, will be released April 15th.
GroundSounds recently had a chance to catch up with the vocals of the band Tayler and Bradley, check out our exclusive interview below.
For those just discovering Vaudeville Etiquette, how did you guys come together and form the band?
Tayler: Bradley and I met in music school in Seattle. During this time, Bradley also fell in love with my sister, Natalia. The two of them got engaged (sorry ladies) and we all moved down to LA where the three of us lived in a tiny little apartment together to save money. It was cramped to say the least, but the lack of space really brought Bradley and my music closer together. We had to collaborate because there was no room to be solo! We were lucky that our music taste and style were very complimentary to each other. That built a really solid foundation for Vaudeville Etiquette. When we moved back to Seattle in 2009, we began to expand the band beyond a duo. In some ways, I think we applied a similar close-quarter criteria in determining who would work well with us in our band: I think all of us as a band would be able to live together in a one-bedroom apartment if we had to and come out unscathed. Isn’t that what being in a band is like anyway? Living with strangers in close quarters? It certainly feels that way!
Bradley: Tayler and I are both sort of wandering gypsy types, never quite settled and always willing to endure unsavory conditions for the sake of experience. Luckily we found a group of friends/players that are into jumping on that wagon.
How did you guys decide on the name Vaudeville Etiquette?
Tayler: We actually found it at The Magic Castle in Hollywood. We had shows booked with no band name at the time. We noticed the bar was covered in gorgeous backlit slides from the silent film era. The one that caught our eye was a title card from a film called ‘Vaudeville Etiquette.’ It spoke to us in the same way our music did.
Bradley: We loved the early 20th century aesthetic, and the unapologetic variety that defined Vaudeville stage shows.
Tayler: Bradley and I always talked about never wanting to just sit in front of an audience and play music. We wanted to engage people, to perform for people, to put on a show; a complete performance that was able to span genre or category. Vaudeville Etiquette, it turned out, was exactly what we were looking for.
What is about the city of Seattle that you guys enjoy most?
Bradley: The rain. Seriously, it allows for guilt-free woodshedding. The music community here is also fantastic. Seattle has a rich musical history that feeds upcoming artists.
Tayler: People genuinely have a desire and hunger for new and good music up here. They want to see shows, they want to support the local scene, and they want to be involved. It’s a really fantastic and supportive energy. That, and the dreary weather is extremely conducive to recording new songs. We’re just a bunch of musical mole rats up here.
Can you tell us about the writing process and inspiration for the track “Blood & Bone?”
Tayler: I wrote Blood & Bone shortly after Bradley and my sister got married. As part of their wedding ceremony they had all of their friends and family parading through the streets of Seattle singing “All You Need Is Love” at the top of their lungs. It was the coolest thing I’d ever experienced. It felt so honest and natural and an almost ancient way of gathering together to celebrate what it means to be a family; what it means to be in love. Everyone put all their pretense and judgment aside and just committed to that incredible moment. “Blood & Bone” is about attaining and maintaining that everyday and applying it to the way we live our lives.
Bradley: The song really evolved over time. Tayler initially brought in the basic idea and lyrics and we bashed out some chords together, finally landing on the rhythm that drives the song. We snuck in a Latin bass line under a tribal drum beat, then tied it all to country guitars. It’s really our rhythm section, Bryce and Sander that drive it all home, I don’t know how it worked, but it did.
We are all anticipating your first full-length Debutantes & Dealers, can you tell us about working on this album?
Tayler: The bulk of the record was recorded at Avast Studios with Barrett Martin as our producer. This is where we were really able to get the sounds and the vibe of album that really made it something we are proud of. Barrett was such an integral part of our success in recording this album. His creativity and stamina in the studio is incredible. He knows how to stay focused and driven in the 11th hour more than anyone.
Bradley: This album is a collection of songs that span the last few years of our lives.
It started as a six song EP, which we recorded ourselves. The EP got some local attention, then Barrett got ahold of it and offered to help us record a full-length. We signed to his label Sunyata, got Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden) to mix the record, and we’re very happy with the album.
How did you come up with the album title Debutantes & Dealers?
Tayler: Debutantes & Dealers was taken from a line in our song F. Scott which I wrote about my love for F. Scott Fitzgerald. It didn’t make it on the album, but it’s one of our favorite songs to play live. It also points to the blend of conventionalism and irony that we like to mix within our songs. We try to blend the traditional with contemporary, and the juxtaposition of a debutante with a dealer contributes to the various themes we explore within the album as well. Innocence mixed with guilt, naiveté mixed with mischief, we’re very much intrigued by lack of absolutes that come with being in this world.
What is it about folk and rock that attracts you guys to this sound?
Tayler: I’ve always thought that one of our biggest strengths is our willingness to explore and love nearly every genre of music. When people ask me “what kind of music do you play?” it’s always a hard question to answer because I love Loretta Lynn just as much as I love Ludacris just as much as I love Count Basie just as much as I love ‘NSync. Our producer Barrett Martin said something really profound during one of our mixing sessions when he mentioned that “rock music is one of the only genres of music that has successfully been able to integrate nearly every other style of music while still maintaining its position as rock.” I think that’s what attracts us to the folk rock genre, our love of integrating every genre, mixed with our love of story telling.
Bradley: Although I grew up in the 90’s, I was raised on the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Dylan; bands that span various genres and styles. We believe deeply in serving the music and sharing it with the audience. That’s what’s always drawn us to rock and folk, the communal nature of it. Folk music is labeled as such because that’s precisely what it is, it’s the people’s music.
What books, people and places, have inspired you guys?
Tayler: Clearly, F. Scott Fitzgerald has always been an idol. Specifically, the tragic opulence described in his novel The Beautiful and The Damned. Dorothy Parker is another big idol of mine. More currently, anything coming out of Emergency Press right now is golden. Bill Murray, William Powell, the beach, the Midwest, and being naked all top the list on inspiration. But I can’t speak for the rest of the band, I’m sure their lists would be completely different, and I love them for that!
Bradley: I’m a big fan of social satires and explorations of the self. Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, Orwell, Burroughs. The whole band’s musical taste is all over the map, Jazz, Rock, Hits of the late 90’s. I lean towards the songwriting and storytelling depth of Elliott Smith, Colin Meloy, and Conor Oberst. A couple of us have also been Phish heads for years, which comes through occasionally in our more complex/ comedic songs.
Could you share some life advice with us?
Tayler: Learn everything you can as an adult, then life your life like a child.
Bradley: Fear nothing. Everything you want will gravitate to you in time.
Shortly, you guys will be on a summer tour, what do you enjoy most about being on the road?
Tayler: I’m always best in transit. Something about the constant motion is so great for creativity. I write my best when I’m on the road. I’m looking forward to seeing what new songs this tour will bring us!
Bradley: It’s a party. A sleepover gypsy party with your best friends and family.
After the album release, what will you guys be working on? What’s next?
Tayler: We’re already deep into writing new songs for the next album. We’re looking forward to testing and perfecting our new songs live on the road and then getting back into the studio for our sophomore release. We have some new risks we’d really like to take and new themes we’d really like to explore. We’ve learned so much in this process of recording Debutantes & Dealers, I’m excited to share it with everyone at our live shows, but I’m also ready to come out swinging with our next release.
