Calliope Musicals
Austin, Texas, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | SELF
Music
Press
Friday, Oct. 3
11:15 a.m. Austin's own Calliope Musicals is greeted on the Austin Ventures stage by a surprisingly large audience for such an early time slot.
"Holy shit, we weren't expecting this," exclaims frontwoman Carrie Fussel with a grin so wide it might be spotted clear across the field.
The sextet's bubbly brand of pop-rock (think a more authentically hippied-out Grouplove) holds up -- the crowd swells significantly as passersby get sucked into the genuinely good vibes of songs from recently released EP Clouds on Fire. "I hope you love your weekend and love all the people around you," says Fussel, concluding on a wonderfully positive note. - Billboard Magazine
As for my personal highlights? Well, I don’t like to play favorites, buttttt…
Calliope musicals (because Carrie Fussell + confetti cannons + rainbow, glitter-infused smoke + people dressed in tiger onesies shooting streamers + an astronaut-ish costumed dancer equals performance perfection); Of Montreal, whose feather gun and sheer spectacle won me, an Of Montreal virgin, over completely; Les Hay Babies, with their three killer female leads, French lyrics, and “Benny and the Jets” cover; Chipper Jones, whose El Ten Eleven-ish sound is an instrumental force to be reckoned with; Charles Bradley, because the man is straight-up soul…and, word on the street, requested tequila; and Kupira Marimba, because there is it is literally impossible not to be in the best mood ever when listening to the “Under the Sea”-esque sounds of the marimba. Try it. - Do512
October 19, 2010 - 12:52pm
I've been in Austin, Texas for the past week, and the highlight of my hectic live show calendar has been Calliope Musicals, a young, up-and-coming country/folk band started by Carrie Fussell and Matt Roth less than a year ago. This is exactly the kind of thing indie fans swoon over: the chance to say we knew them back BEFORE they went mainstream and got picked up by the radio (patooie). So fall in love with them, quick!
It's appropriate that the Musicals started after seeing an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros concert at SXSW last year; the two groups share an unbridled glee in playing homey, organic, DIY-style music that feels like it was written in someone's cluttered bohemian studio apartment (because it was). Carrie and Matt started writing together long before the band existed; only in the last six months have they picked up their drummer, bassist, and vibraphone (!!!) player (Jason Martin, Ben Aiken, and Craig Finkelstein, respectively). If you've been listening to bands that don't include a vibraphone, stop that right now. The revolution is nigh.
Start your future-love of this band here, with a live performance filmed here in Austin of "I'm Through." It's rough around all the right edges. Plus, look at that fringey shirt! And SUSPENDERS! Let's not pretend those things don't matter. They do.
In case you needed a few more reasons to be in love with Carrie, here is her response to where the band is currently drawing their inspiration from:
"Right now, in writing, Matt and I are pulling a lot of inspiration from older music; think Bob Wills, Rolling Stones, The Mamas and the Papas, and various Motown bands. One of my friends recently introduced me to Little Feat, and that is currently blowing my mind. Matt has recently been listening to David Gray and Ani DiFranco. My go-to sources of inspiration (that are responsible for my wanting to be a musician) are Poe, Jewel and Alanis Morrisette's first albums. My sisters (10 and 12 years older than me) used to play these CDs when they took me to school as a kid, and I would always sing along with them."
Maybe I have a soft spot for musicians that grew up on "Jagged Little Pill." Fine. I'm willing to admit that. But Carrie's warm vocals and the band's obviously ecstatic backing won me over all on their own. Did I mention she's a full-time student, and the music video above is part of a school project she's doing? Because she is, and it is. AND she name-dropped the Baby-sitter's Club in our interview, comparing herself to Claudia Kishi (the artsy, quirky one, duh).
In other words, y'all, girls starting bands for the love of the music are alive and well. AND they read BSC books, AND they're studying at the same time. Bestill our beating hearts!
"Share" - Katie Presley
Now with a loud pocket drummer and bassist they sound like big ol' state fair country-rock entertainers. Of their various incarnations this one seems the most natural and crowd-pleasing for Calliope. Carrie is a good performer, with a glorious voice, and in the open air with a powerful sound behind her I was really moved hearing her just open up and let rip. - Big Western Flavor
Discography
New album: Time Owes You Nothing comes out in early 2016!
Clouds on Fire EP - Dec 2013
Magic Militia - Sept 2012
Calliope Musicals EP - Feb 2011
Photos
Bio
New album TIME OWES YOU NOTHING recorded at the historic Sound City Studios in LA with Kevin Augunas (Edward Sharpe, Gotye) producing comes out early 2016!
LIVE PERFORMANCE TRAILER: www.tinyurl.com/calliopemusicals
To label Calliope Musicals a band might be selling them short, because—while the six-piece group’s primary medium is music—their live show is an auditory, visual and genuinely transportive experience.
The group’s roots date back to 2009, when frontwoman Carrie Fussell and guitarist Matt Roth began playing head shops around town. Soon Fussell’s boyfriend, now husband, Josh Bickley joined the band on drums (a choice they made hesitantly, for fear of “Fleetwood Mac drama”), and—with the addition of Craig Finkelstein, Andrew Vizzone and Chris Webb—the trio transformed into a six-person musical tribe.
While the band describes their style as psychedelic party folk, the actual sound—a harmonious blend of drums, guitar, bass, a hybrid instrument known as a xylosynth and Fussell’s powerful voice—is hard to define and varies substantially by song. What is consistent, however, is the element of storytelling that courses through every track in the Calliope catalogue.
“Our music centers around a certain energy more than a certain style,” the perpetually barefoot Fussell says. “We’ll do rock, then dance-y disco, then some slow sit-down [songs]. At the end of the day, it feels like the music revolves around imagination and adventure more than it does a specific type of music.”
But lyrics and sound aside, perhaps the most captivating aspect of the group’s show is the integration of props. During most performances, beaming audience members can be found swaying with sparklers, bouncing with balloons, and singing along while waving cardboard signs hand-crafted from Shiner Bock boxes—all handed out by animal-costume-attired friends of the band. (Calliope has also been known to wield a confetti canon, to the chagrin of bar-backs everywhere.)
It’s these extra touches that encourage more crowd interaction and involvement than you’re likely to find almost anywhere else, making for a truly magical performance.
“The vibe we want to create is the feeling that the audience is part of the creative process and part of the performance,” says Fussell. “I think we always just hope that people leave our show feeling empowered and inspired—like they can do anything.”
- Sam Sumpter, TRIBEZA
Band Members
Links
