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SXSW2010: 10 questions for Awesome Color
All those stories you hear about a band getting plucked from obscurity and put on the road to the big time? Pretty much bad fairy tales.
That is unless you’re Allison Busch, drummer for Detroit by way of Brooklyn band Awesome Color, who caught the ear of Sonic Youth honcho and indie rock legend Thurston Moore not long after the band formed in 2004. Moore liked what he heard and put out two albums of the trio’s noisy psych rock on his Ecstatic Peace label and twice took the band on tour with Sonic Youth.
About to make her first trip to South By Southwest, Busch talked about the excitement of playing three shows a day for half a week, why Michigan ginger ale is essential for the Texas heat, and why it doesn’t hurt to keep a rock ‘n’ roll legend waiting on MySpace.
So you got started how?
I moved to Brooklyn from Michigan when I was 22. I met some people when I was in school at the University of Michigan who had moved to Brooklyn as well, so I got back in touch with them and we started playing.
And when did Thurston Moore get involved?
We had been playing together for a while when a friend of ours needed another band for a show he was putting on and we said we could play the stuff we had been doing. After that we got a weekly gig and then one of (Moore’s) friends saw us at another show and told him we were good, and that he should check us out.
So he just called you?
We got a MySpace message from someone saying they were Thurston Moore, and that they wanted to put out our record. At first we were sure it was one of our friends pranking us and we didn’t do anything.
How long did you make him wait?
We took a couple days, maybe a week. We were trying to figure out who it was that was playing a joke on us because we figured there’s no way something like this really happens. Finally we called the number on the message and it was him. We couldn’t believe it. After we called him, it all came together really quickly.
What was it like having your first big tour happen with Sonic Youth?
It was pretty surreal, especially for me since I had never traveled that much when I was younger and I’d never been west of Texas before. So the first time I get out there, and it’s with Sonic Youth.
I assume you were a fan, then.
Totally. The first music I listed to that wasn’t from the radio was Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.
Who else?
The Who, because of their distortion and what they could do with a guitar sound back then, and The Kinks because there are just so many great songs. And The Beach Boys, too, because I still sing to those songs whenever I hear them.
Even though they’re a successful rock band, it seems like Sonic Youth would be pretty manageable to tour with.
We’ve been out twice with them and they’re such nice people and they have a great family atmosphere on tour. Like their son is selling merch for them and I tease (Moore and bassist/wife Kim Gordon’s daughter) Coco, asking her if she realizes how cool her parents are.
This is your first trip to SXSW. What are you expecting?
It should be wild because we’re playing a bunch of shows, like three a day or something, and I really love to play as much as possible. I can’t wait. Otherwise, meeting up with people and seeing as many shows as I can when I have the time. I’m also looking forward to eating some great tacos.
What are your survival items?
We’ve got a 12 (pack) of Vernors ginger ale from Michigan and we’re going to try to make that last. What else? Oh, my skateboard! I can skate off somewhere if I’m feeling grumpy. Though I hear there’s so many people everywhere I guess I’ll be lucky if I have room to actually use it.
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