Comparing fame to lightning in a bottle is an association made only after working tirelessly as a live musician and recording artist and understanding that the equilibriums come as thick and fast as the accompanying pitfalls. Loquat, a warmly recognised face of San Francisco’s local music scene for the last thirteen-plus years, has welcomed fame through CW’S One Tree Hill, retail giants Old Navy and Banana Republic, and through the honorary title of "Best Pop Group", as recognised by the SF Weekly.
Lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Kylee Swenson Gordon, discusses Loquat’s increased Google exposure through celebrity pie-making, Mob Wives, remixes and new music, and how to approach the music business when starting out as a new band.
You may have Twilight to thank for your increased SEO exposure. Kristen Stewart loves to bake loquat pies for Robert Pattinson…
I don’t understand the public’s obsession with Kristen Stewart and making pies. Am I missing something? Speaking of Kristen, Anthony from Loquat and a friend of his met her and didn’t know who she was. I think that bothered her and she apparently said, “I’m kind of a big deal". Really? Aside from Ron Burgundy in Anchorman, who says that?
Speaking of screen affairs - you've received much corporate exposure through TV placements and retail giants over the years. Which screen narrative would best play out to the sounds of Loquat?
The music on Mob Wives doesn’t really fit Loquat’s style, but I have secretly imagined We Could Be Arsonists or the outro of Go Hibernate on that show. I don’t really watch reality shows, but that one is a guilty pleasure of mine. Aside from that, any show or movie about outer space is perfect for Time Bending.
Damian Taylor, producer and engineer for a host of celebrated artists (Björk, UNKLE, Frou Frou), did a monster of remix for We Could Be Arsonists. How did this connection evolve?
I love that remix. The original song is sort of a dark comedy that questions the purpose of being famous for being famous, like the Kardashians. I chose to write a parody about my pretend ambition to be infamous. While the lyrics are pretty dark, the original music is pretty new wave and psychedelic. I love that Damian turned the song into something more sinister. Anthony met Damian through his job at Avid (makers of the music software, Pro Tools). They became good friends, and he awesomely agreed to remix that track for us.
The accompanying clip, produced and directed by Micah Gendron, was filmed around many of the band’s local haunts, including Bottle of the Hill. What are your best experiences being a part of San Francisco’s live music scene?
There are some really cool clubs in San Francisco, especially Bottom of the Hill, Café du Nord, Great American Music Hall, The Independent, and Rickshaw Stop. As for the live music scene, we’ve seen a lot of changes and lots of bands come and go. When we first started Loquat, it felt more competitive, but now I’m noticing that bands in SF are more about camaraderie, which is way cooler. It’s better if bands look out for each other rather than climb over each other. Canadian bands such as Broken Social Scene, Metric, Stars, and Feist come to mind. I think they were all friends who supported each other.
Your musical beginnings go back as early as 1996 when you initially began writing songs. Looking back on this period of time, what did you think was the biggest learning curve for the band?
We were kids back then, and we weren’t even called Loquat and didn’t have any kind of plan. The band came about accidentally. Former lead guitarist Earl Otsuka and I met, started writing songs, and then we slowly built our own studio and recorded them. It didn’t occur to us to play live until 2000, when we met Anthony. Earl, already a great guitar player, and Anthony was a great bass player, but everything else was a pretty big learning curve. I think I’ve come a pretty long way as a singer and guitar player over the years, and Earl and I learned a lot about engineering, songwriting, and producing. I wish we didn’t try to take on everything ourselves and hired a producer right away, but it was still fun trying to figure it all out on our own.
In 2013 and beyond, with three albums strong, which direction do you want the band to head in moving forward? You mentioned recently that you were interested in introducing more of an electro sound to new recordings…
I have loved playing in Loquat, but after doing some more electronic-leaning collaborations with Nortec Collective, Flinch, Dan Sena, and Del the Funky Homosapien, as well remixes from Damian, Junior Sanchez, Morgan Page, I’ve had a taste to try something a little different. I’m working on a couple tracks with Junior Sanchez, and I started working on songs with a cool producer named Josh Armel, who specializes in music for commercials. I’m always down to keep working on ideas with Loquat members, past and present, and I’ve also got a couple things going with Loquat keyboardists Christopher Cooper and Ryan Manley. I just have to find the time to do it all while taking care of a toddler.
What’s a common mistake that emerging bands make when starting out? And what do you know about the industry now which may have helped you at the beginning?
I think it’s a common mistake to go into making music feeling entitled. Fame is like lightning in a bottle, so if that’s your goal, odds are you’re not likely to be very happy in the long run. For example, I was introduced to a young singer-songwriter who was told that I was a musician and that I could offer her some advice. She emailed me, and let’s just say that her approach was kind of like, “I don’t know who you are and haven’t bothered to find out, but can you tell me how to become famous?” If you’re a new band or solo artist, be humble and do your research about everyone you’re pitching to, even if you’re just asking for advice. If you reach out to people and ask them what they can do for you, they’re not going to feel very inclined to help you.
Famous last words...
I hope these aren’t my last words! I’ve hopefully got millions more words to say. And hopefully I’ve got some more songs in me too.
