Billy Joel Jr. | Interview | New EP, ‘Rubberhose’
Chicago indie rockers Billy Joel Jr. recently released their latest EP, ‘Rubberhose’.
Sometimes, all it takes is a funny band name to set a course for greatness. After an April Fools’ joke that got retweeted by Stereogum, Chicago’s very own Billy Joel Jr. are excited to announce a new collection of songs. ‘Rubberhose’ has everything indie rock devotees have come to love: sardonic melodies, wistful guitar playing, and a slacker sound that’s sure to have fans of early Pavement throwing up their rock fists.
Songwriter Ari Levin teamed up with musicians Charlie Burke Dykstal, Nate Dorian and Karl El Sohkn to form Billy Joel Jr. They have been making a name for themselves in Chicago’s underground scene, playing venues like Sleeping Village, Schubas, and The Hideout. To celebrate the release of Rubberhose, the band hosted a free show at the storied Empty Bottle.
‘Rubberhose’ opens with the sound of a phone ringing then going to voicemail before ‘She’s Always On My Mind’ kicks into an open-hearted, mid-tempo groove. On ‘Oh, Nancy’ an unexpected saxophone takes the song into another dimension. If ‘Joanna’ had come out 20 years ago, it would have received extensive alternative radio play. It’s urgent strums and earnest vocal harmonies are ear candy to indie-heads . Billy Joel Jr. are masters of unexpected musical moments – the wah solo on ‘Leo (God Help Me)’ again catapults this song into the stratosphere. And the song was already loaded with catchy horn runs and group vocals reminiscent of early Wilco. This is a band that understands the importance of taking risks. And those risks pay off big on ‘Rubberhose’.
From the excited howls and yelps on ‘You’re So Tall’ to the almost Zappa-esque outro on ‘Baseball Bat,’ Billy Joel Jr. excel at making standout musical moments in their songs. This is not just another collection of sappy, heart-on-sleeve indie rock songs. This EP is delightfully weird. And at a moment when weird is getting harder and harder to find, ain’t that a breath of fresh air?
“The songs came from all sorts of places”
These songs have a real energy that seemed to be informed by playing shows. Did these songs take shape while you were playing out in Chicago? Or, were they born out of more intentional writing sessions in private?
The songs came from all sorts of places, but the energy definitely is born out of our live performances. Ari writes the songs and will bring them to the band where we layer the individual parts, fleshing out the tone and dynamics. ‘She’s Always on my Mind’ is one that he brought to the band a week or so before a show, and we transformed it into one of our favorite songs to do live. The first live performance of it is actually recorded and on our YouTube and you can hear the differences between the live version and how we ended up recording it.
With the exception of ‘Oh, Nancy’ and ‘Baseball Bat,’ we refined the other four songs as part of our regular setlist playing in the Chicago DIY scene. We love recording and working in the studio, but we’re first and foremost a band that loves to play live. In ‘Rubberhose,’ we tried to capture the feeling of our live performances, the joy we have on stage, and the energy of being in the audience.
How was the release show on April 8th at The Empty Bottle? Any standout moments?
Empty Bottle is such a historic venue; it’s an iconic Chicago stage that we feel is a right of passage for any band cutting their teeth in the city. It’s a legendary space and we are truly humbled, especially walking around the venue and seeing our posters on the walls with our names and faces.
The show was SICK. Truthfully, we were all sorta giddy and nervous but we just channeled that energy into the show. The sound in Empty Bottle is top notch, which just adds to the prestige of playing that stage. We finished our set and the crowd started chanting for an encore, which was ridiculous because we’ve never really had that kind of response before.
This band doesn’t really sound like a lot of other bands making music now. How do you feel you fit into Chicago’s scene?
We don’t! But also, Nobody fits in anywhere? We’re super inspired by some of the bigger bands in the scene like Slow Pulp, Dehd, and NNAMDÏ. It’s not just their music that is inspiring, but the fact that they came from this community and grew into major artists. There’s an enormous music scene in Chicago, and artists that come from all over the country find their way here. We’re playing alongside other amazing indie rock acts that are just trying to find their voice, their place, and I think that the act of trying to find those things is what helps you grow into a band that “fits”. Things like playing shows, writing songs, jamming with new people, hanging out after shows, etc. – all this lead to building community, and that community is just one part of the whole scene.
There’s a lot of joy on this EP, from the gang vocals to the brass. In these dark times, how do y’all manage to radiate a spirited, communal energy?
It’s hard to explain this without explaining the origin of the band. We all met through this secret studio called Abbey Cat Recordings, which is where we recorded all the songs on the EP. Blake, who owns the studio, mixed the record and brought Karl and Nate into our world. We all have very similar music tastes and love a lot of different styles and genres, but everything clicked when we started playing together. We share this love of music and performing and we genuinely enjoy hanging out with each other (which is rare!). The band is something we do for fun, but it’s also a form of civic activism. We’ve performed individually at fundraisers that support larger political causes as well as events that bring awareness for local issues. We know the world is cooked, but we’re able to forget about all that when we play together.
Headline photo: Bailey Radnitzer
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