The New Up
Interview conducted on Aug. 07, 2020
By Dan Locke
HE NEW UP is:
ES Pitcher: vocals, guitar Emily Pitcher
Noah Reid: guitar, vocals
Hawk West: automation
Nick Massaro: bass
Art McConnell: drums
Politically charged yet intensely introspective, raw in emotion yet cinematic in scope, San Francisco’s The New Up formed soon after Noah Reid and ES Pitcher serendipitously met at a music festival. Since then, the band has turned out three self-released EPs (Gold, Better Off, Broken Machine) and one full-length (Palace of Industrial Hope)
What is your upbringing?
ES Pitcher: Noah grew up mostly in Charlottesville, VA with an older brother and sister and I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, the youngest of 5 girls.
How did you discover music?
We both grew up in musical families. Noah’s dad was a professional bass player and my dad played piano…this was his sanity.
How did you start to write music?
Noah started writing by messing around with the guitar when he was younger. His first song was a metal song called “Killing Fields” 😉 When I was first learning the guitar, I would be learning chords and progressions and then, a song would just come out of me.
At first, I never really learned other people’s songs, nor would I often finish my chord progression practice because I learned to play guitar by writing my own songs.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
Noah got his first guitar from his grandma and it was destroyed by his brother a month later from swinging a bike pump. I had a classical acoustic guitar that someone gave to me and it’s long gone.
You met at a music festival Which Fest was it? Moreover, what was the band you went to see that day?
It actually was a festival for one band-Phish.
What was your first performance at like?
Noah’s debut was playing ACDC and Black Sabbath covers in rural VA. My first show was at Schuba’s in Chicago, singing with The Drovers.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
Bar Fly. We recorded it but never released it. I still want to.
How did you start the band?
We played in separate bands in Chicago so not until we moved out to San Francisco.
How the band did get its name?
We are huge Radiohead fans. They got their name from a title of a Talking Heads song called “Radiohead”. We are also obsessed with Talking Heads. We were exploring Radiohead’s website created by them which took you through a labyrinth of prose and musings. We kept landing on Down Is The New Up, which is a song by Radiohead, and we looked at each other and said, “The New Up”.
Tell me about your album Tiny Mirrors?
We recorded this in 3 places:
A barn in Gualala, CA
Our place in San Francisco
Our engineer’s place in Woodcare, CAI got pregnant in the making of Tiny Mirrors. We would spend days up at our engineer’s house, about an hour and fifteen minutes north of San Francisco, recording and mixing it.
What is your favorite track on the album?
Noah: Future Is Now and mine would be Green Candle.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
We didn’t.
How is it to have a baby and tour?
She was amazing and we would always get an Airbnb with the RV. I would be exhausted and have to take care of her during the day as Noah was the driver. She was such a natural on the road. None of the other band members have kids but they were so good with her. It’s not for the faint of heart but I would do it again, whenever that may be.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
I stopped trying to fight it and do note, I stream music as well. I get why people do it I just wish the big companies weren’t the Amazon of music and would pay the artists better
.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Nothing is better than vinyl.
What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?
It’s awful that it’s come to this and it’s pretty damn late but I’m glad it’s here. I have always been an advocate for social and racial justice but I am very committed to Anti-Racist work and being an ally. This social uprising has refined my soul purpose as an artist and activist.
What are your feelings about President Trump?
Let’s put it this way, we are doing everything in our power to not get him re-elected.
ES- What did you do during International Women Day?
I always like to write and post in honor of it and do a loving kindness meditation for all women around the world, especially ones that are suffering from severe discrimination.
Noah-You dad was a musician. What lessons did you learn from him about being a musician?
Don’t trust record labels. Life is going to be hard as a musician.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? And what is the meaning that song means to you?
War by Bob Marley. I find those lyrics to be so relevant, as always.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
We have been taking our music and biz online and bands are going to have to start shifting into the new music industry or they won’t survive.
During self-quarantine you have been testing different mic placements in your studio. What was the most effective mic placement for an acoustic guitar?
90 degrees from the cone, 1 inch off the grate with an AKG414 on a VoxAC30, strerosplit with another AKG 414 on a Fender Twin, and an AEA R84 Ribbon Mic for the room.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
No, we have been so inundated with recording our album and taking our music marketing courses that it leaves us very little free time.
Your daughter has been trying her hands in writing songs. Are you going to use some of her lyrics as part of your music?
Ha ha…maybe one day. I would have to get her permission.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. What are you planning to do?
Probably on Facebook but exploring the best platforms. We are also not there yet. We are trying to focus on this album and our robust marketing plan.
Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
I think so.
Live Nation is starting to do the first ever U.S. drive-in concert series LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN will bring fans a live music tailgating experience unlike any other, kicking off July 10-12 in Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, and St. Louis, MO. Brad Paisley will headline performances in all three cities, marking the start of a much anticipated return to in person live events. Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi will also headline the series‚ Is this something you would be willing to do?
Yes.
For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?
Smaller bands were getting the shit end of the stick before Covid. That’s why we are taking our music in our own hands as much as possible.
In addition, at the present time for a band to go on tour from one state to another they may need to self-quarantine for 14 days. How is that going to work?
It won’t make sense for smaller bands…
With Social Distance being the norm‚ Do you feel that it maybe the End of music fest for the next couple of years?
Unfortunately, yes. I miss live music so much…performing and seeing live shows. It’s the thing that both of us miss the most.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
I’ll take it if there are no live shows.
How can you define the following statement: “Don’t believe everything you think?”
I am fascinated with the mind and I have really delved deep into mindset work. In doing this work, limiting beliefs come to the surface and you start to become aware of the self-talk and how self-sabotaging it can be.
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
I see us recording full time and focused on sync licensing. We will have a built-out studio and Noah will be producing other people (this is one of his dreams). We will be touring internationally and making huge impact with our message and our music. We will be very deep into activism with social and racial justice and bringing connection, unity, equality and peace through our voice and collaboration.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
No, but thank you for interviewing us!
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