When male singers go falsetto, they often sound either ethereal or like they need their ass kicked. Justin Gilreath pulls off the high stuff convincingly on “Ultra Violence,” a loping Zappa-like ditty on Creek Lady’s debut record “Pseudostudio.”
A Greenville trio, Creek Lady writes bent tunes, including hipster jive (“Colors”), tattered garage (“Play My Records”) and louche lounge (“Enemy”). The band—which also includes drummer Chris Duffie and bassist Weston Lazear—recorded “Pseudostudio” in Gilreath’s Possum Kingdom basement. “I live in a log cabin my dad and I built,” Gilreath, 22, says. “The basement is full of junk—bags of clothes, old two-by-fours, logs and every kind of tool you can think of…and a Yamaha 32-channel digital mixer.”
Who is a singer you feel does falsetto right? Thom Yorke from Radiohead, but that might not be everybody’s opinion. His expression of emotion and whatnot makes his vocal style in general cool. If the falsetto’s there, it’s there for a reason. Even if it’s contradicting the music it’s something that pulls you in.
What’s in your car CD player right now? Kings of Leon “Because of the Times” is in the CD player. Usually I’m listening to my iPod with the FM connector in the car.
Well, what’s on your iPod then? A ton of Radiohead, most of KOL’s songs, The Pixies and outside of that…Lou Reed, Cool Kids, random stuff I like.
There are some interesting synth lines on the album. What instruments do you tend to build songs around? A good rhythm section is always really inspiring for melodies.
I saw on your MySpace the band was looking to add some members. What pieces? We would love to have someone proficient at guitar and keys because right now we have three people trying to split the responsibilities of five or six.
Bands usually ask prospective members a few questions before deciding if they should get together for a jam. What question would you ask first? Do you like different genres? If they’re all gung-ho about classic rock, that’s great, but can they adapt to new environments and still be able to express themselves on their instrument?
What’s an experimental moment from the making of “Pseudostudio?” We have a song called “Culture Shock.” I’d been listening to The Pixies for three days straight and thought it would be cool to take that energy and apply it to electronic music.
Creek Lady plays The Handlebar at 6 p.m. Nov. 6 (with Krooked Blaze, The Prose and more). Tickets are $8-$10.
For more information, check out www.myspace.com/possking.
