Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > March > 11 > Entry
SXSW: Interview with High Places
As indie sensation High Places prepares to perform at South by Southwest, the duo find themselves beneficiaries of the growing popularity of experimental music, an underground culture that increasingly relies on the online world. With the help of college press and caffeinated hipsters, bands using obscure soundscapes and seemingly inaccessible compositions are enjoying unprecedented success.
Mary Pearson (vocalist) and Rob Barber (multi-instrumentalist) have different musical influences, grew up in different states (she in Michigan and he in Pennsylvania), and are 10 years apart in age. Although both members of High Places “like more experimental music,” Pearson says, they “like having a melody that people can relate to.” Her subdued lyrical style connects with Barber’s musicianship, which he says makes use of “pop music but weird noise, too” to create “psychedelic children’s music.”
The band received attention earlier this year as a noteworthy unsigned artist on Emusic.com, a Web site that offers downloadable music for sale. The little brother of a staff member was apparently a fan of the duo, and they “came up with the concept of wanting to do something to help unsigned bands,” Pearson says. High Places was featured as one of two “eMusic Selects” artists in January.
With a lack of digital rights management (DRM) technology, EMusic is free from limits set by copyright holders restricting the accessibility of purchased tracks (such as competitor iTunes). Whereas many songs purchased through iTunes will play only on an iPod, music acquired from Emusic can be played on any MP3 device. However, a lack of DRM technology also allows for songs to be more easily pirated online. Ironically, Barber sees the financial problem of piracy as a promotional advantage. “It’s sort of a drag,” he says, “but then I feel like less people would know about you if they had to buy your record.”
A favorable review of High Places EP also surfaced on Pitchfork.com, which has established itself as a central hub for indie music discourse on the Web. (Pearson is the sister of a former Pitchfork employee, which was disclosed in the review.) Praise from the popular site seemed to catapult the band. “We were surprised how well it sold,” Barber says of their EP after the review. High Places’ sound has been hard to classify, Barber says, “We played a show with a band from South Africa and one guy said we sounded like music from a country that doesn’t exist yet.” Melodies are influenced by American pop as well as pan-Asian styles. All recordings are relatively lo-fi. Pearson’s lyrics are also pop-inspired — often simple, memorable and accessible to children. Rhythms can be abstract, but appear to pull from African and Latin styles.
Barber, having “heard that Austin is completely different from the rest of Texas,” says he hopes SXSW audiences will respond well to his music, which is equally as unique. (High Places plays at 10:40 p.m. Thursday at Habana Annex Backyard, 708 E. Sixth St., and midnight Saturday at the Mohawk Patio, 912 Red River St.)
Follow Austin Music Source on Facebook and Twitter.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: SXSW
Comments
When commenting, we ask that you keep things civil and abide by our Visitor Agreement. To report comment abuse, click here.
By corgy
March 11, 2008 5:44 PM | Link to this
QUOTE:A favorable review of High Places EP also surfaced on Pitchfork.com
you say that like it’s a good thing.