Free Week Preview: Harlem & Ume @ Emo's on Thursday!

Harlem by Nash Cook

Not to burn on them but when they asked us to play a battle of the bands for some new gizmo they were selling, we didn’t really want to have anything to do with that but we were broke and needed the money to rent a van for our west coast tour. In fairness, I don’t think they really wanted us on it either. One lady who worked for them said our music gave her a headache and another asked if we could use a drum machine instead of real drums.

Did you make it to the Philips Loft for the UnDiscovered Austin parties? How many gigs did you end up playing there?

Other than the two shows we played, we only made it to one of the parties but when they said they didn’t have any booze we left.

What are your thoughts on Free Week? Are you guys applying for a showcase gig at SXSW?

Free Week is fun, but remember house parties are like free week all year round. Yeah we are playing SXSW -- I dont know what days, where, or who with though. We pride ourselves on our organization skills.

Thank you for speaking with Austinist!

Ume by Eric Uhlir

Are you guys in the process of recording right now? What is the current Ume discography?

Lauren Larson: Our EP release show will be Saturday, Jan. 24th at The Mohawk. Its official release date is Feb. 24th. We're writing material for our second full-length now and plan to get back in the studio this summer. Our first record, Urgent Sea came out in 2005 on the NYC label Pretty Activity. We have a basement recorded track on a Deathbomb Arc compilation out of LA. There are also a few rare spray-painted demos in handmade cases floating around.

Ume's set at Fun Fest 2008 was one of our favorites -- how was that experience for the band?

Thanks! We had a blast and were really inspired by the folks that came out early to see us. We're used to playing smaller venues, but were excited by how our sound translated on the bigger stage.

What other festivals has the band played of late? How does a festival set differ from a club gig?

We've played CMJ, SXSW, and Wall of Sound. We've played for two people in a club numerous times and now for a couple of festival crowds. Regardless of the show, we try to put all of our energy into every set. So, other than sound differences, it really doesn't affect our set, just our nerves.

What are the band's goals for 2009?

We finally have an EP coming out (yay!) and will be touring to support this release in the spring. We then plan to start recording again and hope to get a label and release a full-length by the end of the year. I'm also composing an Ume song for a string quartet.

What were some bands you listened to in your childhood and what were some the best releases of 2008 in your opinion? What inspires you on a daily basis?

At age 5, my favorite 45's were Ric Ocasek's Emotion in Motion and Lindsey Buckingham's Trouble. I also liked Kool and the Gang and Prince, and was terrified, but deeply influenced by Deep Purple's "Child in Time." In junior high, I once stayed up all night rewinding my Nirvana Incesticide tape until I learned "Aneurysm" on guitar. I never stopped playing after that. At 14, I started playing in a grind core punk band and met Eric and Jeff soon after. We all listened to bands like Fugazi, Minor Threat, and Archers of Loaf through high school.

For 2008, Jeff really liked Rafael Sadiiq and Why. Eric enjoyed Deerhunter, Daniel Francis Doyle, and rediscovered The Rolling Stones. Some of my favorites were Portishead and Marnie Stern.

My daily motivations are tendonitis, Stitchy, and Eric.

Thank you for speaking with Austinist!

[El Paso Hot Button MySpace]
[Harlem MySpace]
[Ume MySpace]
[The Blacks MySpace]