The members of Thrillpillow figured out early in the band's existence that they didn't need more than a few scant seconds to get their point across. The Valley quartet has built its foundation on a repertoire of sub-two-minute tunes that are more emotive sonic sketches than traditional songs. And, like many punk and post-punk bands who've gone before, Thrillpillow does not mess around, eschewing confining templates and musical self-indulgences in exchange for succinct transmissions of energy and sound.
Thrillpillow keeps its compositions brief for another reason as well. The group expends amazing amounts of fuel per song, particularly on stage, with Maggie Nowinski's propulsive bass lines; James Z., a.k.a. Freddy Dishes' pummeling drums; Plum Crane's jagged guitar chords and staccato yelps; and guitarist Matt Weston's contrapuntal noise candy. The end result is a powerfully cohesive amalgam, the sum of its seemingly chaotic parts.
Thrillpillow's philosophy is documented on its last two studio albums—2006's Blast Off! and this year's Uh-Oh. Both contain vibrant aural snapshots filled with angst and manic spirit. Some songs sound like frayed nerves, others like angry reproaches. The members recently took time out to talk with the Advocate about what makes them tick. Unsurprisingly, their answers were collaborative—and as terse as their songs.
Advocate: How did the band evolve from its original two-piece lineup to a four-piece?
Plum: Freddy and I were a duo. We did our one and only tour down to North Carolina, then I moved to New York. When I came back, we started playing the Valley again. Maggie saw us and said she was into playing bass. She [previously] played guitar and sang in Big Bright Sun. A year later Matt—who was playing in Tizzy, Barn Owl and doing solo percussion—came to a show. We said, "Hey, you should join us," and he said "Yeah, I should!"
You describe your quartet as "tightly wound." What does this mean?
Maggie: It kind of describes the sound and energy. The songs portray a sense that they could spring apart and self-destruct, but they stay together just at that point of implosion. There is a tense energy to the songs, but ultimately a release—which is why we are all there.
Plum: It means there's tension, kind of like an urgent frenzy. It's fun when you can barely can keep up with each other's playing.
Matt: Did we describe it like that? That's a typo. It was supposed to say, "wistfully hooky, but gently comforting, like a beige sweater, or a cup of French roast with ennui sprinkled on top."
How do your songs come together?
Plum: Some songs are ideas we bring to the group, others just happen while messing around.
Maggie: They come together in many different ways. Sometimes we collage riffs together from all of us. Oftentimes Plum and James come up with parts on their own and bring it to the band, and the songs develop collaboratively from there. Every now and then we all start playing and a song happens on the spot. Right now we are actually talking about how songs happen and realize there is no one way.
Most of your songs are under two minutes. Is this intentional, or just how the songs tend to come out?
Plum: For Thrillpillow, shorter seems to be better. If something gets repeated too often or too long, it becomes boring, but a short snippet keeps up the interest.
Matt: I think that's just how they happened—we never consciously set out to produce songs of a particular length.
Maggie: Also, I am afraid if they were longer, our beloved James would have a heart attack. We like little explosions, not to drag it out. We fear the jam.
How have local audiences reacted to Thrillpillow and its signature high-volume, high-energy live shows?
Plum: Every show is different. It used to be tumbleweeds, but I think some people are definitely into it.
Maggie: They think we are too loud and they used to leave our shows. Now some people are really into it. Yay!
Matt: They seem to like us, which is like waking up from a dream about daisies only to realize that the daisies are all around us.
You folks rock hard live—as evidenced by Mr. Dishes busting drum heads and a lot of sticks—do you play this aggressively in practices and rehearsals as well?
Matt: It feels like it. Obviously, things are going to be slightly tentative when we're winding our way through new material in rehearsal, but generally we don't consciously hold back.
Plum: Yes, it seems like if we're not playing loud and hard, we get bored, and then someone yawns and practice is over!
Maggie: Totally hard. Nothing but hard. TVs shatter. Cats flee. Matt wears a mask.
What kind of bands do you generally fit in with locally? Do you feel part of any particular genre or scene?
Matt: Locally, I think Fat Worm Of Error, Rabbit Rabbit, Flock and Field, Party Wolf, the Novels and the John Bobbit Experience are pretty special, but we don't want to leave anyone out, because there are so many amazing bands in this area. I don't know what a genre is.
Plum: Seems like we fit into the indie rock spectrum, but we like playing shows of all types.
Maggie: The Django swing movement, definitely.
What does the future hold for Thrillpillow?
Maggie: The future holds creativity and music and more shows and some more recordings. It would be fun to play some out of town shows, also.
Plum: We're always working on new stuff. And catch us October 25th at The Elevens for the Who tribute night!
