Press Release courtesy of Tommy Bohlen

Annie Clark lounging backstage at The Red Room. Photo by Molly BrolinGroove Exclusive: St. Vincent

By Zac Taylor & Ann Driscoll

On April 13, Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, played a private, intimate show at Café 939 to a seated audience. Business Professor Jeff Dorenfeld was responsible for the invited guest list, among which was Newbury Comics CCO Duncan Browne. The nimble Clark strolled onto the stage and said, “Thanks for coming to the open mic,” with a sly grin before tearing into her first number. Banging away on a Fender Jaguar with an army of loopers, stompboxes, and an auxiliary vocal mic for distorted phrases, the chanteuse created sparkling, verb-drenched tapestries that elevated her songs to sonic compositions.

A former sidekick for The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, as a well as a Berklee alumna, the multi-instrumentalist songstress has got the magical ‘it.’ She occasionally set the guitar down and played some ballads on piano, like the title track off of her 2007 LP Marry Me, riffing with the crowd with an unabashed, unflinching stage presence between, and even during songs. She closed the set with a tune off of her new record Actor called “Marrow,” which had everyone humming afterwards.

The full band version of St. Vincent will be performing at the Somerville Theater May 19. After doing some meet and greets with some important music business clientele in the audience, Annie Clark was kind enough to chat with The Groove.

Zac Taylor: You made a few Berklee cracks during your set—that was cute.

Annie Clark: I did. You got to represent.

ZT: How long were you here?

AC: Three years.

ZT: Did you feel well-prepared?

AC: I think it’s good to learn as much as you can, then get out and unlearn as much as you can.

ZT: What would you have done differently on your first EP Ratsliveonnoevilstar? Were you still at Berklee when you made it?

AC: It was horrible. I did that my sophomore year or something. I haven’t listened to that in a really long time. I would say I should have put a little more Bill Callahan and a little less Herbie Hancock in it.

ZT: Did you really come to Berklee with 2s [for your ratings] and leave with 2s?

AC: Totally. I wasn’t a very good student. What’s the magic secret? Oh— Practicing.

ZT: I think tighter jeans and cigarettes works better than practicing around here. And blogging a lot.

AC: Really? Everybody blogs?

Ann Driscoll: And Twitters. Are you into twittering?

AC: I have to be honest—I started twittering, and I feel very uncomfortable about it. No one cares if I’m like, “Woke up. Ate a bagel.” My life is very boring. I would never want people to know how boring it is.

ZT: Did you go straight to Brooklyn from Berklee?

AC: I did. Then I ran out of money and moved back to Texas. It’s really expensive.

ZT: A lot of kids here are planning to make the move to New York to pursue music. What are some tricks of the trade on how to survive?

AC: I’m the worst person to ask, because I didn’t survive. I ran out of money. Sold a guitar to pay rent, which was way dumb. And then moved back to Texas. I only moved back to Brooklyn a year and a half ago, when I could afford to live there and not have to sell guitars. I’m not like a high roller or something. So I have no idea, because I tried and failed. So I wouldn’t ask me.

ZT: So you moved back to Texas, saved some money, and recorded some stuff?

AC: Yeah. I joined this band the Polyphonic Spree and finished the Marry Me record, and toured a bunch, then wrote with Sufjan, and then blah blah blah. And then started touring with my own St. Vincent thing a whole lot starting in 2007.

AD: So it’s really not that important to move to New York or LA, you can do it from Texas or a variety of locations.

AC: Yeah. I certainly know a lot of musicians in New York now, but I feel like I kind of know them because we’re on the same label, not because I necessarily know them as organically as I would have if I was like, “Oh yeah—I saw you at the open mic.” I know that people can do that and totally make it work, but I have no idea how to do that.

ZT: How’d you hook up with Sufjan Stevens?

AC: I had done about half of the Marry Me record, and he had heard it and liked it, and I had just agreed to work with Billions Corporation, which is his agency, and so many other bands. I kind of sought out the Billions Corporation, because I looked at their roster—Antony [and the Johnsons], Joanna Newsom, and Sufjan. It was like all my favorite artists ever.

ZT: Working with Producer John Congleton on Actor—

AC: Johnny C. We’re getting married. Could you start spreading that rumor?

ZT: We’ll tweet it for you. But you seem to be quite a savvy sound technician yourself. What was it like working with him? Did you reach a happy medium? Was he the boss or were you the boss?

AC: I think any good producer-artist/co-producer relationship has nothing to do with someone assholishly asserting their ego. It’s all about a common goal. We can sometimes disagree about what it would take to get there, but there’s no throwing your weight around. That’s a weird thing to put into a communicative situation. You both want the ship to sail. You just resolve to both commit to that, and not have an ego about it.

ZT: How much of the production and the arrangement is preplanned and how much do you experiment?

AC: All of the clarinet stuff, and all of the orchestral parts I arranged before recording. They were all put together, I knew what I was doing with those.

AD: What do you use to demo your ideas?

AC: I use Garageband and Logic. I wrote a lot of the music for the record in Logic. Technology. Awesome.

AD: How many pedals do you have?

AC: Too many. The pedals that I’m using right now are a fraction of what I own. Which is disgusting. It’s totally unnecessary. But it’s like Tourette’s or something. I can’t stop.

ZT: What year Jaguar do you have?

AC: That’s a weird Frankenstein Jaguar that I found at this place in Tuscon. I managed to find that guitar for like $200, and I think it’s Japanese, which is probably a rip-off. It’s kind of a monster of a guitar. Somebody did this really wonky job putting in new pickups. So some of the wiring and knobs don’t even work. It’s a guitar I don’t mind abusing, or being really brutal with. Not because I didn’t pay a lot for it, that’s the nature of that guitar. It just wants to be beat up.

ZT: Kurt Cobain would have been proud.

AC: It wants to be abused, and it has a whammy bar. Which is necessary.

ZT: Coming out of the gate of Berklee, what’s some general advice you have as far as the craft of songwriting? Did you scribble in a notebook for hours? Were you out gigging? What was your priority?

AC: Well, I knew I wanted to make an album, and release an album. I didn’t have any idea if anyone would hear it or any sense of that. But part of life is being moderately prepared at the right time at the right place. But I would say there’s not like a theorem or a formula or anything, except to just do what you really love to do, and follow that. Whatever makes you feel really awesome about yourself, about life—do that. And keep doing that. And keep doing that. And the other stuff, the ephemeral, and the things that are out of your control, will remain out of your control. Always. So focus on the things you can control. Make music that you love and believe in it. I know it sounds cheesy, but there’s not a shortcut in that regard. And in the process of doing that, you typically attract like-minded people.

AD: What’s your take on the music industry? How’s it treating you? Do you think it will recover? Is it possible to really be successful?

AC: Totally. There are so many tools at your disposal. Maybe the idea of the big father record company whose going to roll up, pork barrel, and there going to be tons of money flowing like wine—that’s not happening, because that’s not a very successful business model. But there are still labels that are thriving, and still booking agencies that are thriving. Because a $12 ticket—people can prioritize that if they want some escape. I think it’s changing but there will always be a supply and a demand.

AD: Well that’s encouraging.

AC: Totally. It’s not like the 80s. The idea of the ‘rock star’ I don’t think really exists anymore. Maybe Nickelback. Maybe that’s something.

ZT: The music video you made for “Actor out of Work” is really cool.  But music videos aren’t really commercials for records anymore. So you have a beautiful video and website, and an excellent internet presence. What excites you the most about the way this industry’s changing? How are you capitalizing on that the best?

AC: I’m with a label called 4AD, who I really like, and everyone there is good at their job, and smart, and totally capable—and I kind of let them think about that. I used to do a blog, which was kind of okay, and I twitter, so I try to keep current, but I’m in my late-mid twenties, so things are changing and I feel like I’m older. I guess it means more access for people. There are a lot ways to get your thing out there. And I twitter. Usually about the bagel.

DJ Isom Innis

Zac Taylor
Editor-in-Chief

The Berklee Performance Center was packed last Wednesday night February 4 for the 9th annual Heavy Rotation Records CD Release Party. The compilation, Dorm Sessions Six, features two tracks each from nine unique Berklee bands that performed at the event. The Heavy Rotations team handed out Swag Bags to everyone in attendance, with a copy of the compilation, a special edition Groove, as well as other goodies, such as t-shirts, breath mints, and guitar picks with the

HRR logo emblazoned on them. Tickets for the show at the new House of Blues next to Fenway Park on February 17 were also handed out, which will be hosted by Heavy Rotation and Live Nation.

Each band took a moment for the musicians to flip on the amp or climb behind the drum kit, while DJ Isom filled the room with beats and samples that had everyone moving.

Model Cars

Model Cars The first band of the evening featured a string section and piano driven melodic rock with some lovely movements throughout both tunes lead by pianist/vocalist Claudio Olachea.

Rebecca Muir Recent alumna Rebecca Muir belted out some sultry neo soul, backed by a horn section and a rocking bluesy rhythm section of veteran musicians. Muir and her band also played at the after party at Café 939.

Nini & Ben This rootsy duo brought out some tasty blues with their first number “Down to the Road,” featuring Tommy Bohlen on pedal steel, Derek McWilliams on bass, Johnny Duke on slide guitar, and Jake Cohen holding down the groove on drums, as well singing beautiful harmonies.

Supervolcano The only band to play one long, epic song instead of two, Supervolcano had the stage presence of seasoned prog rockers with a sound and energy like early Mars Volta. High energy, enigmatic stage presence, and guitar loops made the multi-layered song a memorable one.

Nathan Reich An attentive hush fell over the crowd during the heartfelt and engaging performance from Reich, with Alexandra Spalding picking and bowing her cello and singing sweet harmonies. Tommy Bohlen returned to the stage to add his signature pedal steel textures to the Paper Planes’ front man.

White Shoe Brown Shoe Decked out in 1970s garb, White Shoe Brown Shoe brought a classic vibe to catchy rock tunes. The falsetto chorus on their second song “Off to the Races,” had everyone singing along.

Sex! The band with the name that everyone loves to say packed quite a punch. Singer Andy Burri had the swagger of James Brown meets Andrew WK, wearing neon sunglasses and a bandanna around his neck. During “Chevy Nova,” he made a lap around the orchestra seats with a wireless microphone, and rolled back onto the stage like a pro.

Shea Rose Sporting a black leather jacket, Shea Rose owned the stage on her first number, head banging a majestic afro to her double electric guitar attack with Sonya Perricone and Dave Scher. After sneaking in a surprise duet with Charlie Rockwell, Rose played acoustic guitar on her third number, and had some backup singers come out of the crowd onto the stage.

MC Clifford Kuhn-Lloyd of Re-Up

Re-Up Closing the show with some funked-out hip-hop, Re-Up had a huge sound that featured turn tables and a horn section. The rhymes of MC Cliff “Spliff” Kuhn-Lloyd over the scratching of Keith “Keef D” Dickerhofe got everyone on their feet, moving and swaying to a powerful closing act.

By Brian Schopfel and Cierra Walker
Contributing Writers

“Heavy Rotation Records is an established student-run record label at Berklee College of Music, operated by musicians, for musicians, expanding careers and offering opportunities in all aspects of the music industry. HRR was developed specifically for students to receive experience in running a record company. With the guidance of faculty advisor Jeff Dorenfeld – former manager of the multi-platinum band Boston – students oversee all aspects of the label’s management, creating and implementing plans for A&R, marketing, touring, graphic design, web development and accounting. Heavy Rotation Records alumni have gone on to work at Interscope, Capitol, DreamWorks, BMG, Universal, Island Def Jam, Rounder, Warner Brothers, and A&M record companies, Live Nation and AEG Live as well as in publishing and tour management.”

This is the statement printed on all of the Dorm Sessions’ album booklets. It is a rapid overview of the label and a list of various entertainment companies where several of our alumni have gone on to work. However, for some students, that’s all that they get: a quick summary of Heavy Rotation Records. What do we do when we’re not hosting our annual epic event and record release show at the BPC? How do we decide the artists to be on the yearly Dorm Sessions compilation? Who makes all of the decisions? Who is in Heavy Rotation Records? This article is meant to provide everyone with a better glimpse into HRR and inform you of the different elements it takes to operate a college record label.

Heavy Rotation Records is a Senior Practicum that Music Business/Management students can enroll in as an alternative to obtaining an internship outside of the college. A handful of our artists have achieved a wealth of success after being featured on HRR, such as:

Annie Clark, now known as St. Vincent, who recently opened for Death Cab For Cutie on a slew of national touring dates, and has been a break-out online artist this year.

The Click Five who are signed to Warner Music.

Big D and the Kids Table who are a staple in the diet of any ska music fan, and have performed on the Warped Tour numerous years in a row.

Kid:Nap:Kin who were voted the Best New Band at 2007’s Boston Music Awards.

Raydar Ellis whose album, Late Pass, garnered international critical acclaim.

Madi Diaz, who went on to sign a publishing deal with Cherry Lane.

Apollo Sunshine, who has played dates opening for State Radio and co-released a record with Heavy Rotation Records and spinART.

Heavy Rotation Records is a two-semester course lead by Faculty Advisor, Jeff Dorenfeld. The interactive class gives students the opportunity to gain working knowledge in the areas of the industry that they are most interested in. Wondering what it takes to market and promote a record? Find out first hand. Feel strongly about what acts should be on the compilation? A&R group. Attracted to the intricacies of working and living life on the road? Touring troop. Heavy Rotation Records is devoted to the enthusiasm and motivation of the students involved. Each semester, two second semester HRR students are chosen to be the directors. They oversee the process from start to finish and make sure that everything proceeds as planned. If something needs to be completed last minute, the directors will handle it. If something goes wrong, it will, most likely, come back to the directors.

Preparation for the compilation album and performance begin over eight months in advance. During the summer semester, students bring in music and brainstorm about the album, which is released in February of the following year. Meanwhile, students continue to promote the compilation that was released three months earlier. There is a lot of work to do: flyer design, group organization, submission boxes, possible artists, online submission, Myspace, Facebook, and website management. HRR has successfully planned and promoted outdoor shows held at the Berklee Pavilion and Government Center. The summer is definitely the least stressful time of the HRR year, but the more that gets accomplished, the better. Fast forward to the fall semester. Submission boxes have to be prepared and placed within the first two weeks. The flyers have to be ordered and dispersed. The A&R team has to begin filtering through all of the submissions, online and off, and putting together a list of artists that stand out each week to present to the rest of the class. Mock-ups for the artwork and design layout have to commence. This season we had listening parties at each of the dorms in an effort to inform incoming students about HRR, as well as provide them with the chance to submit their music in person.. We held a showcase event this season at Café 939 to let the student body see a selection of the bands we were interested in for this year’s Dorm Sessions.

Every year we receive 400+ submissions. Some are hardcopy and some are submitted online to our email account. All of them are listened to. We ask that artists submit two to three songs along with their contact information and any photos/press that they feel could increase their chances of being selected. Obviously, the better the presentation, the more likely it is to catch our eye. The A&R team carefully listens to each artist before compiling a list of, what they feel to be, the top artists for that week. They bring these artists to class and collectively we make a decision. The selections are made by way of a chart system, or more recently, by submitting our thoughts online at Surveymonkey.com. If you’ve submitted and your music hasn’t been chosen, don’t take it personal. We get so many submissions every year and unfortunately we can’t put all 400 artists out on one compilation.

By the end of the fall semester everything needs to be done in order to put the compilation out. It is a very stressful time of the year. Each artist submits two songs to be mastered. All of the artwork has to be completed. The artists have to be chosen. The names of all the musicians who performed on the recordings, as well as those who will accompany the artists on the BPC stage, must be gathered. All of the stage plots have to be collected to submit to the BPC. A press release has to be written. Photographs need to be submitted and touched up. Contracts need to be signed. The HRR Myspace, Facebook and homepage must be updated. Flyers have to be made to promote the BPC record release show. Every sponsor has to be contacted and solidified. The students do all of this, with some much appreciated help from Jeff Dorenfeld. Much of the work required is done over the holiday break.

After intense preparation and over eight months of dedicated work, the record release show takes place in early February. It is one of the most popular events held at Berklee, and packs the house annually. This year won’t be an exception, and promises to be the best one yet. All attendees of the show will receive an admission ticket to the February 17 opening of Boston’s House of Blues, presented by Heavy Rotation Records and Live Nation. February 4th! Berklee Performance Center! Concert at 8:15pm! See you there!!!

Model Cars
Model Cars is a Berklee student band formed by pianist/violinist Claudio Olachea, who, after moving to Boston in 2006, began searching for musicians whose goal was to play original, indie rock music inspired by intelligent, melodic, and harmonic movement.  Mike Day, with his funky bass playing and appreciation for strong grooves, was the first piece to fit into the puzzle.  Drummer Kevin Lynch, and guitarist Matt Berger, with an innate ability for creating harmony, soon came on board.
www.myspace.com/modelcars

Rebecca Muir
Rebecca Muir is a Berklee graduate with a big voice from Halifax, Nova Scotia.  She has racked up impressive credits, including performing the national anthem at Fenway Park, and sharing the stage with Steve Winwood, Gloria Estefan, Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, Tower of Power, Christopher Guest, and The New Pornographers.  She is currently performing her original blues-pop songs with her band, and working on her debut album.
www.myspace.com/rebeccamuir

Nini & Ben
Nini & Ben is the duo of vocalist Christina Fabi and guitarist Benjamin Gebert. Before arriving at Berklee, Fabi and Gebert traveled through Europe and Australia for two years in an old VW doing various jobs, performing at clubs, writing music, and connecting with fellow musicians. This lifestyle inspired them to capture the most profound moments of life in their warm and expressive folk-rock songs, and they’re currently working on a new album with Derek McWilliams, Jake Cohen, Tommy Bohlen, and Johnny Duke.
www.myspace.com/niniandben

Supervolcano
Supervolcano – Berklee students David Khoshtinat, Matt Powell, Jesse Weiss, and Michael Thomas – are four friends from the future, who, having found frailty in foundation, now fight the phantasmic facade of symphonic freedom by forcefully forgetting former forms.  They face the frighteningly fast-approaching finality of their fortunate fates by finding fleeting feelings of unfathomably glorious euphoria, fostered by their fervent affinity for the frantically focused; the frenetic aesthetic of polyphony plus rhetoric.
www.myspace.com/superdupervolcano

Nathan Reich
Nathan Reich plays acoustic folk-rock with fellow Berklee students, cellist Alexandra Spalding, and pedal steel player Tom Bohlen.  Said The Groove of Reich’s debut CD, “The group’s indie-folk blend weaves simple and elegant string parts, and tasteful pedal steel volume swells. The musical intricacies of ‘The Hard Stuff’ and ‘So Gratefully’ are as dreamlike and wondrous as Roald Dahl’s classic novel James and the Giant Peach, while still retaining a mature, professional sound.”
www.myspace.com/nathanreich

White Shoe Brown Shoe
White Shoe Brown Shoe is the collaboration of Patrik Gochez and Berklee student Alex Britten, two songwriters brought together by rock, roll, and a bowl of chili.  Gochez was forged in the kiln of New England, while Britten was crafted in London and Los Angeles.  They realized they needed a hurricane rhythm section and students Andrew Nesbitt (drums) and David Lee (bass) signed on to run the groove train.  The Shoes quickly built a reputation with explosive live shows, and are currently writing songs in an abandoned mansion in California.
www.myspace.com/whiteshoebrownshoe

SEX!
Sex! is comprised of Berklee students Kyle VandeKerkhoff (guitar), Andrew Burri (vocals), and John Adams (drums); alumnus Skye Handler (guitar); and Josh Hari (bass).  The group prides itself on the pure, raw quality of their live shows where they play balls out, leaving nothing behind after the set.  Sex!’s music is a potent mix of rock, blues, R&B, and soul, aiming to recapture the essence of the early days of rock ‘n roll.
www.myspace.com/thisissexmusic

Shea Rose
Shea Rose accepted a Berklee scholarship after interning at MTV, touring with MSN Music, and performing with Luv Jones.  She hosted the “Berklee Girls Rock” series at Matt Murphy’s Pub, and recently opened for Nona Hendryx and Siedah Garrett.  Said Andy Buckley on CapeCodToday.com, “She can’t be put in a box.  She’s the black Rickie Lee Jones…the female Lenny Kravitz…She’s a singer-songwriter who can plug a hole in a soulful folk tune with a bit of rap.”
www.myspace.com/jushearose

Re-Up
Re-Up offers effortless flow between hard-hitting hip-hop, soulful melodies, and booty shaking grooves.  The group is comprised of Berklee students Owen Ross, Chris Holdridge, Andrew Plourd, and Jeremy Vovsko; and alumni Cliff Kuhn-Lloyd, Bryan Percivall, Cole DeGenova, and Keith Dickerhofe.  The rhythm section lays down a rock-solid foundation while the horns add colorful riffs and the DJ pours hot sauce on top using effects and scratches.
www.myspace.com/reupband