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Interview: NYC’s Little Person announces new EP, I Feel Fine

The story of NYC-based indie-rock band Little Person can be broken down succinctly around the number two. The project of twin brothers and multi-instrumentalists Max and Nicky Weinbach, Little Person continues to draw inspiration from legendary songwriting talents like Burt Bacharach (alliteration!) following a recent change of coasts from the Bay Area to the Big Apple.

Today, Little Person is announcing plans for a new EP, I Feel Fine, out April 3rd via self-release. Groundsounds recently caught up with Max and Nicky to get the scoop on everything that’s been going on with them. Check out out the interview and be sure to stream the EP title track below.

Hi, Little Person! Congrats on your new record. Can you tell us a little more on who you are and how you came together as a band?

Thanks! We’re Max and Nicky Weinbach (Maxi Pad and Nicky Pad). We’re twins, so we guess you can say we came together in the womb. We were born and raised in Hollywood, CA and began our careers writing and producing musical theater in San Francisco. But, we had some extra tunes laying around, and we thought, “These might just be funky enough to start a band.” So we did.

What’s your songwriting process like?

Each of us writes on his own in the bathroom. On the toilet, hours on end, head in lap, listening to 94.7 The Wave, and, before you know it, a song comes out.

What are some of the larger themes at play on the record?

“Theme from A Summer Place”, “Love Theme” from Superman, Family Ties theme song, and most definitely, theme from Punky Brewster. Just kidding. Basically, love, life, naivety, and everything else in between.

You draw influence from some pretty classic songwriters including the great Burt Bacharach. How did you first discover and get into this style of music?

Hard to say…Maybe it’s because of Austin Powers 1 and 2. There was this guy playing these beautiful songs, and, we thought to ourselves, “Who’s that?” And, Burt would keep popping up as we went through all the classic hits from the 60s and 70s like “I Say A Little Prayer” or “Baby, It’s You” or even “Arthur’s Theme” (another theme at play on our new record). One guy made all these hits, and they’re all timeless and classic. We wanted to be like that guy.

You recently made the move to Brooklyn from the Bay Area. How has the change affected the band?

Well, our jock itch cleared up, so that’s tight. Unfortunately, we had to leave behind our old rhythm section in SF; those were a couple really cool dudes. But, the twins have always been the driving force behind this band. In New York, we’ve been introduced to a whole new pool of talent. Our new bassist and drummer are great, and we’re lucky to have found them in such a short amount of time.

If you could collaborate with any three living artists right now, who would they be?

Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear, Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal, and Trevor. 

Any new bands/venues/purveyors of the arts you could turn us onto?

Definitely! Bart Davenport…although, he’s been around for quite some time. But talk about classic songs. He writes the best classic-sounding pop songs. A true pro, both in writing and performing. Highly recommend if you don’t already know who he is. Foxtails Brigade is freaking awesome! Don’t even know how to describe their sound. Catchy experimental baroque indie rock….maybe. One of the best bands around for sure. They’re not new either but deserve a lot more recognition than they’re getting. Spencer Owen Timeshare is relatively new. Led by this guy Spencer Owen who’s a genius performer and writer. See them live. The guy knows how to put on a show…like a cross between Prince and the Smiths.

Any upcoming shows or releases we should know about?

Our EP release show at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, March 30th at 9pm. New EP, I Feel Fine out April 3rd.