RFC: So, what are you doing to gear up for the big Lollapalooza performance?
Lennon Bone: We've been doing a ton of touring lately. Being out so much doesn't give a lot of time for working out new material, so during the days before Lolla we'll have a series of rehearsals to work out some new stuff. We plan on playing a couple of those during our Lolla performance. Other than that, we'll actually have a few days off to just relax and kind of pick out what all we want to see while we're there. For us, Lolla is going to be almost as much about taking in a bunch of our favorite bands as it is having a great show.
What do you like best about playing outdoor festivals?
There seems to be a very unified spirit among the people at outdoor festivals. Everybody's so into getting to see all the great music that they can. Knowing that there's so many great bands playing, it feels like you have to step it up. At Lolla for instance, we'll only get one shot to make sure that the people that see us will remember our performance just as much as they will their other favorite bands. It's like the extra bit of pressure feeds into our energy. Not to mention knowing that the people there have chosen to see us over whomever else might be playing at that time. (Although at Lolla we might actually be the only one, and possibly the first one of the day.)
What do you like about playing Chicago?
Chicago has quickly become like a second home. We've played a lot of great venues there, (Metro, Beat Kitchen, Schuba's, etc.) and have always had a really warm response from the people. Having done so many shows, it really does seem like people are starting to catch on to what we're doing. I think what makes it so exciting is that we feel really good about where our fan base is, and still yet there's so much room for us to grow.
How is your competition stacking up on the schedule?
We really don't consider being in a band a competition. We just do what we do, and hope that people dig it. There's a competitive spirit sometimes, but not usually toward other bands, unless they challenge us on the B-Ball court. (Right Ludo?)
Any other summer festival stories to share (Chicago or otherwise)?
We played the Johnsonville stage at the Bratwurst Festival in Wisconsin a while back. We didn't feel like anybody really cared about what we were doing, so Luke proceeded to climb a really steep hill there, and roll down as fast as he possibly could... I think there's a video of it on YouTube somewhere. It was a pretty classic moment. Worse case scenario, we'll just entertain ourselves.
Download: Ha Ha Tanka - "Caney Mountain"
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