There Is Nothing Wrong With Being In A Rush To Read The Now, Now Interview...

Now, Now are Brad Hale, Jess Abbott, & Cacie Dalager

We here at "What Duvet Said..." are always sniffing around the country to bring you the next great band, NOW! So it would make perfect sense to introduce those of you that don't know about Minneapolis' Now, Now...well, now! Long a hotbed of music, the Twin Cities has always had an eclectic mix of bands and artists. So it was no surprise to us that Now, Now (formerly performing under the name Now, Now Every Children) were keeping the flame lit for a city that has always produced gifted songwriters with a unique pop sensibility, delivered with an uncompromising indie rock ethos. This trio is out on the road in support of their latest EP Neighbors and will be performing in San Francisco at the venerable Slims on Monday February 28th. They will be opening for hellogoodbye and Jukebox the Ghost, but we don't anticipate them being openers for long. Already amassing a following in Europe they're sure to conquer the states. We strongly recommend seeing them NOW! Below is the interview with Now, Now's singer and guitarist Jess Abbott...


So if you could give me a bit of history on how Now, Now came together? Was this band inevitable?

Well two of us knew each other from high school, and that's where the project started. It went through a lot of stages until becoming more of a serious project a few years ago. Then about a year and a half ago we added a third member who moved out to Minnesota to join. There have been a couple line-up changes over the years but we feel like the three of us are the solid line up now.

Who were some of the artists that inspired you to make the music you do?

Brad and Cacie listened to a lot of Death Cab for Cutie in high school, and Jimmy Eat World. They also listened to movie soundtracks: Michael Andrews, Max Richter. Jess listened to a lot of American Football and Jon Brion.

I read that you recorded the Neighbors EP yourselves in your house. How was it recorded and how did you get such a HUGE sound (particularly the guitars)?

The EP was recorded in Brad's basement with a Korg digital recorder. We sent the tracks to our friend at Andrews Lane Recording to be mixed and mastered. He's mainly responsible for the full drum and guitar sounds on the record.

How do you view the differences between Neighbors and Cars?

Cars was recorded a few years ago and we had less time in the studio than we would have liked. Neighbors we recorded and produced ourselves and we had a lot of time to work on exactly how we wanted it to sound. Neighbors, is the first release for Now, Now as a trio.

There is a very dynamic quality to these songs where does that come from? Would you say that is a core part of Now, Now’s sound?

The three of us have very different writing styles; one of us writes pop structured parts, one writes guitar-based parts, and one of us is more lyric-based. When we all write together we end up with the dynamic quality you're referring to. How we all come together is definitely a core part of our sound.

The song “Jesus Camp” has a different feel than some of the other songs on the EP. It is definitely more electronic based. Is this a direction you see the band exploring more?

Our older stuff was primarily electronic based, and this is evident in “Jesus Camp”. With the addition of a new member, we find ourselves more exploring guitar work and syncing it with our electronic sounds.

Neighbors sounds like a “hit” to me…how conscious are you in your songwriting to create hooks (if at all) or writing “anthems”? There is such an “anthemic” (in the best sense of the word) quality to it, why do you think that is?

When we write we never have a goal of writing hooks or anthems. 

Could you tell me a bit about the lyrical themes you find interesting…I’m thinking a song like “Giants” where there seems to be some heavy imagery?

Anything that makes you feel something.

Jess Abbott on duty...photo by Matthew Avignone

Could you tell me a bit about the music scene in Minneapolis these days, it has such a storied history of putting out so many great bands (from Husker Du/The Replacements/Prince/Soul Asylum/etc.)…What is it about that city that makes for such diverse and interesting music?

Minneapolis music has definitely changed a lot, but there's still a very diverse scene right now. There's a mixture of indie bands and hip-hop projects that are shaping the current scene.

What are some of the other bands coming out of the Midwest that you would say are ones to keep an eye out for?

Total Babe is a Minneapolis band that we're really into. Tarlton is awesome too, and We Are the Willows.

You have dates scheduled for SXSW, how important is it for a band to play festivals like this and who are you playing with there this year? How is 2011 shaping…touring plans, festivals on the horizons? Another full-length album in the works?

SXSW is definitely great for any band to play. It's such a huge event that so many people enjoy. This year we're playing a No Sleep showcase with most of the No Sleep roster that we're really excited for. 2011 is shaping up really well for us. We're about to finish up a tour with hellogoodbye, Gold Motel and Jukebox the Ghost, and we have a couple more tours coming up in the next two months. Right now we're planning to record our next full length in May.

“Ridiculous but Necessary Questions”

What is your favorite cheese? Brie!

Prince or Paul Westerberg? Prince!

Beverly Hills 90210 or Gossip Girl? Neither, Haha!

Instant Payoff or Delayed Gratification? Delayed gratification.

A month in the van with anyone (your pick)? Our kitten Sprout. We would pay money if she could tour with us.

link to photographer Matthew Avignone's site here.