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| Birdcloud at the beach |
SleazeCloud, Wave 2
By Matt Chrystal
Earlier this year, two of Nashville's biggest independent bands, Birdcloud and Thelma & The Sleaze, embarked on a joint trek through the U.S. on the aptly named SleazeCloud tour. The tour was a powerful statement of empowerment for the feminist movement in rock n roll as well as for independent bands in general.
The SleazeCloud combo made some big noise and drew in some big crowds, thanks to their combined DIY work ethic as well as a grassroots campaign that generated a reverberating buzz throughout social media platforms and by word of mouth.
While the joint tour may have recently wrapped up, the SleazeCould party continues on into New Jersey this week thanks to the efforts of Little Dickman Records, who are celebrating their fifth anniversary this summer by bringing both bands to Asbury Park in two separate hard hitting waves.
Wave 1 hit on June 30th when Thelma & The Sleaze rocked the Saint. Frontwoman, Lauren Gilbert aka LG, captivated the crowd with soaring guitar solos and hilarious anecdotes between songs that ranged from vulgar to ridiculous. LG led the band on an all-out rock n roll assault on the senses.
Wave 2 hits TONIGHT, July 3rd, when Birdcloud (joined by Brooklyn's Ex-Girlfriends and Asbury Park's own Little Vicious) bring their own unique brand of country, blues, and humor to The Saint.
I caught up with Birdcloud's Jasmin Kaset and Makenzie Green just a few hours away from TONIGHT's showtime at The Saint to talk about their favorite moments from the SleazeCloud tour, getting to be larger-than-life on the road, and how New Jersey's Gov. Christie screwed them out of a beach day.
CoolMattyC: You just wrapped up the SleazeCloud tour which paired Birdcloud up with Nashvile's Thelma & The Sleaze and Brooklyn's Ex-Girlfriends. What were some of your favorite moments from that tour?
Jasmin: We covered the Cranberries' "Zombie," and that was great. I got to take a bath with LG from Thelma & The Sleaze one night. That was great too!
It was just a really powerful badass night of music, every night. It was just pure rock n roll as far as the energy. It was a great bunch of kids. I knew it would be a great tour and that the entertainment value was going to be solid every night; and I was right. Every night was a solid bill and left me feeling really good about it.
CMC: How did the idea come about for a Birdcloud / Thelma & The Sleaze tour?
Makenzie: We have a mutual booking agent, but really it's because we have been friends with LG for years and we have always wanted to tour together.
CMC: I interviewed LG recently, and she told me that in addition to all of the special musical moments and feelings of empowerment that there were a lot of really cool, dirty, sleazy moments on the road. Her exact words were, "After the check's in the bag and the van's in the driveway, shit happens!"
Care to share any of those moments?
Makenzie: Every night I was trying to fuck her. I got her to take a bath with me one night, and I was able to get her to make out with me every now and then. That's all I'm gonna say for now because a gentlemen never tells.
CMC: While often billed as country duo from Nashville, Birdcloud's live performances might be considered over-the-top by some, and lyrics and stage banter often push past an NC-17 rating into the realm of NSFW.
Do you ever experience audiences that just do not get your style of humor? And, if so, does that become motivation for you to win them over or does it become fuel to make you go at it even harder as "fuck you" to them?
Jasmin: We get a little bit turned on when people walk out of our shows. We always want to piss conservatives off. So, when people get pissed off at our shows, we just assume that they are conservative, bible-thumping republicans and they can't handle our diapers or us using cuss words.
Every show is different and we feed off of the energy of the crowd. But there has definitely been times where no one gets it. We just played a show in South Dakota where nobody clapped. Again, every show is different, it's always a surprise.
CMC: The SleazeCloud tour was an empowering statement for independent bands.
2015's Tetnis and 2016's Singles album were listed as released on yk records. Birdcloud is kickass right now; so my question is, why aren’t you signed? Any plans for a future releases, and are you currently road testing any new material?
Makenzie: We are trying to get our next record, Bolth, out by December. We are going to Europe in August for a five to six week tour, and that will be a big push for us as it's our first international tour. It's gonna be a real doozy.
CMC: You have been touring with life-size cardboard cutouts of yourselves… will they be making their way to Asbury Park? And what’s the story behind having them made?
Jasmin: They are actually larger-than-life as they stand about eight feet tall. They are coming with us to Asbury Park and are taking up a lot of real estate in our van right now.
We have these fans that work in a print shop in Chicago and every time we come to Chicago, they hook us up. They are the best! The last time we came through, they hooked us up with these current larger-than-life versions of us. I even sent them an image of LG from Thelma & the Sleaze so they had one for her too.
Makenzie: LG was very pleased with it. She actually started crying when we gave it to her.
Jasmin: We have been hauling those around for a couple weeks now. We are going to try and sneak them onto the beach at some point.
CMC: How great and surreal was it to see your contemporary and (freshly signed) ThirdMan Records recording artist, Joshua Hedley not only performing on Fox News but doing it in style with a Birdcloud Tshirt on?
Jasmin: What a legend!
Makenzie: He has been a muse of ours. On our song "Snail Trail" we mention him in it, so we feel like we are a little bit responsible for all of his success. (sings) "I was down at Foobar sittin' on Josh Hedley and havin' myself a time. And I look down at his Imogene and Willies and discovered a line of slime."
True story.
Jasmin: He was so composed and spoke so eloquently and his word were so considerate I had to doublecheck that I was watching Fox News.
CMC: In addition to the joint tours, there is much social media love and promotion shared amongst TATS, Birdcloud, Margo Price, former members of Those Darlins, etc. Do you feel this is the emergence of an all-new "girls club" that is tearing down walls and breaking through the glass ceiling of the "boys club" of the Nashville music scene? Or are you of the idea, that artists should simply be called artists?
Jasmin: Good question…
Makenzie: That is a good question. I do not feel that we are part of any club.
Jasmin: It can be really hard for women in this business, and it is important that we lift each other up and it is hugely important that we have each other's backs especially in this day and age, actually it's important in any day and age.
I think we all know what it is like to walk into a club and have the soundguy or the crew treat us like we are just the band's fucking girlfriends and not the band. So, if having each other's backs is what it means to be in a club, then sure count me in; but I think it's much more than that. I think that, whether we are women or men, everyone you just named are all bona fide artists and badass rock n rollers in our own right.
CMC: With the 4th of July Holiday being tomorrow, I was wondering if you would be open to sharing your thoughts on the current political climate in today's USA as well as what your hopes for the future are?
Jasmin: Hopefully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as far as the Trump administration goes. Maybe he will be impeached soon or something bad will happen to him. Maybe he will have a heart attack while playing tennis.
Makenzie: It's a fuckin disaster. It's a scary and mean time.
Jasmin: I think people are going to look back at this time and feel really embarrassed.
CMC: Speaking of embarrassment, I wanted to apologize on behalf of New Jersey as I heard your beach plans were ruined thanks to Gov. Chris Christie's shutdown of the state government which closed the state beaches to everyone… well, except to the governor and his guests…
Jasmin: I saw that pic of the governor at the beach and I wanted to have someone photoshop us hanging out with him and his family. [CoolDad Note: Your wish is my command.]
Yeah, we were going to come earlier today to hang in Asbury Park but then we heard that we couldn't go swimming anywhere.
Makenzie: What a drag. How the fuck can he do that!
Jasmin: It is just another example of the very few enjoying what belongs to the many.
Birdcloud play the Saint in Asbury Park TONIGHT, July 3rd, as part of Little Dickmans Records' 5th Anniversary Celebration Series.
They will be joined by Ex-Girlfriends and Little Vicious.
For tour dates & more info check out: http://birdcloudamerica.com
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