The Insider caught up with string-rock quintet Darlingside last week to talk about the band's upcoming show at the Capitol Center for the Arts. They answered questions about their influences and plans for the future.
Where does the name Darlingside come from?
Harris Paseltiner (cello, guitar, vocals): There's a quote about the artistic process: “Kill your darlings.” In composing music, we might find ourselves attached to certain passages, lyrics, or sounds. Sometimes, religious attachment to these initial ideas does not allow a song to grow into something ultimately more compelling. To shed these ideas and continue exploring is to “kill one's darlings.” The “side” in Darlingside is adapted from the suffix “cide,” meaning “to kill.”
How did the band get together?
David Senft (lead vocals, bass): The five of us went to college together, and played together in various combinations and musical ensembles. Two of us were in a band, four of us were in another band, and (a different) four of us were in a singing group. It was just a matter of seeing that these were the guys who were addicted to music enough that they might just be willing to take a chance on something like this. I like to say that we courted each other, a bit like mating displays in the animal kingdom.
Darlingside is billed as a “string rock” group. Who are you favorite string rock groups (beside yourselves)?
Don Mitchell (guitar, vocals): Rather than being pigeon-holed into a genre, we invented our own genre called “string-rock” and pigeon-holed ourselves. What's nice about that is that there aren't many listener expectations to live up to. The problem is that it's a bit lonely. Ra Ra Riot swings too far toward pop to be a full member of the “string-rock” club, while Fleet Foxes is farther down folk alley. Popular artists on the band's radio who influence our aesthetic (but aren't really string-rockers) include: Grizzly Bear, Punch Brothers, Radiohead, and The National.
What's your favorite string?
Sam Kapala (drums, vocals): I like all strings, as long as they're in tune; I don't discriminate on basis of string gauge, tension, length, metallurgy, etc., but I do discriminate on basis of accuracy of pitch.
One of your songs is called “The Catbird Seat.” Where did you come across that little colloquialism?
David: I actually stumbled on “the catbird seat” in a rhyming dictionary and it immediately captured my interest. To be “in the catbird seat” means to be in an enviable or advantageous position, and the song reflects on my time spent living in Boston before the forming of Darlingside. I was living and “writing music” in a beautiful neighborhood in Brookline Village, in an apartment that was too nice for my own good, with two of my closest friends, and in that year I accomplished nothing. I felt privileged by my lifestyle, but I had no impetus or energy or direction, and my “advantageous position” was ultimately squandered. The band was my second chance, and the song is a constant reminder of how fortunate I am to have gotten one.
What do you have in store for Concord when you play here on Feb. 24?
Sam: We have lots of new material since we last played in Concord, and a big summer and fall of touring, rehearsing, and writing under our belts, so we're excited to hit the stage as an even better Darlingside than we were last time. I'm always excited to come home to New Hampshire, and I'm sure the home-town advantage will add a little extra spark to our high-energy show. I also have trips to some of my favorite Concord landmarks in store; I'm already thinking about where we'll grab dinner before the show. There are plenty of contenders.
Tell us about your upcoming album.
Harris: One thing you can count on: a heavy dose of strings, sings, and beats. The album we intend to release will be dynamic: 5-part vocal harmonies, cinematic classical strings, driving beats, ambient folk, wailing blues, 60's pop doo-wops, and post-rock blowouts just to give a taste. We want to loosen the boundaries of folk, rock, and indie while remaining tightly melodic in our material. Our plan is to record the album in a place where we are comfortable. We live in rural New England, so we feel we should record it isolated at a house in the countryside to capture our living experience together.
What's next for Darlingside?
Auyon Mukharji (mandolin, violin, vocals): This March we'll be embarking on our first international tour in our behemoth of a van, nicknamed “Chauncey.” The tour will include showcases at Canadian Music Fest in Toronto and South By Southwest in Austin, as well as shows in the south and midwest. Harris and I are from Chicago and Kansas City, respectively, so it's exciting for us to bring the band home for the first time. Following our tour, we'll be recording our first full-length album in May and then hitting the festival circuit hard this summer.
