Take a peak at their album covers and even the worst psychic might predict Chapel Hill’s Calico Haunts music might have a certain gauzy, sepia-tone feel. Indeed, the band’s sound is a country rock swell of pastoral imagery, earnest vocals, and a psychedelic-folkpop sensibility that harkens to the best of Mazzy Star.
So sure, Alex Iglehart, Wylie Pamplin, and Scott Carle know how to craft a beautiful haze, but can their lead songwriter handle a round of five furious questions? Find out for yourself after the jump.
1. If your band were a ghost, what (or who) would you haunt?
I think we’d pretty much leave everyone alone…I’d haunt Brian Haran out at Fretsounds guitar repair, since I bother him every week as it is.
2. When was the moment you first thought music was something you might like to try?
My dad got me started drumming real young and I was obsessed with rock bands from about the age of ten. Punk rock was definitely an open invitation to start playing music, whether you could play well or not.
3. Describe your typical band practice.
There’s alot of talking and smoking. I’d say we usually get together and just catch up on personal/life stuff for the first 20 minutes. Then we play for 20. Then we smoke cigarettes and talk about equipment and old bands for 20 minutes. Then we play for twenty minutes and take another smoke break. We always end practice with our longest song- “Wellington Blues”… we usually jam on that for 10 minutes and then call it a night.
4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that would really surprise people?
We get lumped in with the “americana” thing quite a bit, when in fact we are just as influenced by early 70s Pink Floyd and Popol Vuh, and a lot of heavier stuff like Black Sabbath and the Blue Cheer. All of the bands that I’ve idolized through the years play a small part in our sound.
5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How ’d that turn out?)
I think at first I wanted to be a pro skateboarder. Though I quit skating seriously when I was about 16, skateboarding magazines and videos turned me onto many bands that I would not have heard otherwise. I wouldn’t have gotten into music so much if it wasn’t for skateboarding. I was buying Dinosaur jr tapes when I was 13 because I heard them in skate videos.
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Click on over to learn all things (ya know, tour dates, record releases, etc) Calico Haunts. And by all mean, give Alex a high five when you see him!