The members of Cold Blue Kid met at Disneyland. Specifically on Splash Mountain: singer/guitarist/frontman Alex Longoria was in line with bassist Sarah Gallagher, supporting vocalist (and soon-to-be ukulele-ist) Bryna B. and guitarist Evan Holmes.
That’s not entirely true, but it’s a fun story, and the band likes to assign roles – whether it’s characters on Futurama or the Office, or roles at an amusement park. In reality, it was much more down to luck – the five-some, met through a shared city, mutual interests, Craigslist and a common liquor store.
Their music, which they would place on a playlist with Midlake, Emmylou Harris, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, and the National, is a collaborative indie rock that is really the sum of its parts. Longoria would compare it to paint-by-numbers; he writes songs on guitar and introduces them to the rest of the group to add their own parts and ideas. Finishing up a residency this month at Lincoln Park’s Ace Bar, Cold Blue Kid is shifting their focus towards a follow up EP to their February release, Mimic, and then taking their show on the road – they have quite the following in eastern Europe. But until then, they took some time to talk to us about favorites and first CDs in the back of their van.
First CD
Andrew: Run DMC, Raisin’ Hell. I’m proud of that.
Alex: My first two CDs – not tapes – the Blind Melon with the little girl on it [ ], and Pearl Jam Ten.
Sarah: Yeah I inherited Ten so I didn’t have to buy it. The first one I bought on my own was Ode to the Faithful Departed by the Cranberries. The one with the couch on it?
Evan: I think the first one I actually went out and bought was Neil Young’s Harvest.
Bryna: Actually there were two. I got Dark Side of the Moon and Whitney Houston.
Alex: That’s a good combo, if you had said Whitney Houston with anyone else…the fact you mixed it with Pink Floyd.
Musical Influences/Inspirations
Bryna: I love Elton John. Everyone inspires me that’s good…Mozart and Elton John.
Alex: Inspires me as a musician? I don’t want to sound like a trendy kid but I think Ian Curtis’ [from Joy Division] demeanor and stage presence in everything I’ve seen of him live, I just think he’d be such a badass. And as a frontman, I think, Joe Strummer [from the Clash]. I don’t really look at guitarists and vocalists, I just look at frontmen. I always look at bands as a whole.
Sarah: I do love Joe Strummer’s solo stuff.
Bryna: Can I change mine? I would add Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.
Sarah: I think Sarah Vaughn would be a good one for me, and something more recently, Santigold, some funk.
Favorite Cold Blue Kid Song to Perform
Alex: Right now, mine is “Love Appeal.” It’s a new one that we haven’t released yet but it is rotation and it’s freakin’ awesome.
Bryna: Mine is “Let Go.” I get to sing it personally, and I love the song too.
Evan: I like “Violent Affair.”
Sarah: Oh I love “Violent Affair,” that’s one of my favorites to play. “Dance With Me” I actually really like played – as simple as it is – it’s really fun.
Andrew: Me too. The bass and drums are really good. As always, I don’t have one favorite. But I can tell you one favorite. It would probably be “Let Go,” it’s a really simple drum part but the song is really beautiful. I also like “Mimic.”
Favorite Place to Play/See Others
Sarah: House of Blues was fun, it was really nice. The sound was rad. I like the Metro [to see bands], a whole lot. Empty Bottle I love too.
Andrew: House of Blues, for where we played. As far as where to see bands, I like a lot of different ones. I don’t have one favorite. I’d say Empty Bottle, Schuba’s, Hideout. House of Blues. I’ve seen a lot of great metal shows at House of Blues.
Alex: I’m going to throw one on you, different. I think our favorite place to play was definitely House of Blues. My favorite place to see bands is… I like Schuba’s, because sometime you see big bands and you feel like you’re close, no matter where you are.
Sarah: Schuba’s is fun to play too.
Andrew: It’s a great sounding room.
Bryna: I wasn’t with them when they played House of Blues, so I’m going to say Subterranean.
Evan: Where was that place we played in like a cornfield?
Alex: Penny Road Pub! It’s a crazy suburban place.
Sarah: We played the night before the ladies jello wrestling and right after teenage metal night.
Keep an eye (and a ear) out for CBK as they finish up their residency at Ace Bar on Tuesday June 28th.
Website: www.coldbluekid.com
