Brian DiPippo wasn’t too sure he wanted to jam with co-worker Lynn Simonds when the two discovered they were both musicians. “She told me she was a singer/songwriter and I thought, ‘Ugh, no way. Another chick with an acoustic guitar. F that,'” DiPippo says. “But she gave me a tape and it was really good: great voice, great lyrics, unconventional songwriting, finger-style guitar. All it needed was some badass drumming, and I could already hear the beats in my head.”
Simonds says the pairing was perfect, as she’d been looking for a drummer for years to complement her solo performances. She had become increasingly bored with the whole singer/songwriter thing, and was thrilled to find that she and her co-worker clicked immediately.
“The music I was drawn to was music that moved your soul and your body, and I wanted to be making music like that,” she says. “[DiPippo] brought along the beat I had been searching for.”
Friends of Yours were born.
In the beginning of the partnership, Simonds provided the songs, but the duo quickly began writing songs together sparked by moments during rehearsal sessions. DiPippo says it all starts with a beat or a guitar riff, and they take off from there.
“Lynn’s good at coming up with lyrics on the spot, so that’s never been too much of an issue, until lately, which I think is good—it means the music itself is getting more challenging,” says DiPippo. “Seriously—we have to do a regimen of stretches and jumping jacks before band practice these days. I’m skipping rope and going to the gym just to be in this band.”
Simonds says it’s an evolving process, and she’s thrilled that DiPippo recently started contributing his own lyrics to the mix. “We keep things interesting and keep challenging ourselves and each other, and really, it’s fascinating,” she says. “Writing songs alone was interesting enough, but having another person involved is a whole new level. And yeah, with the newer songs, I had this weird mix of writer’s block and then too many possible lyrics. But in the end it all comes together.”
Asked to enumerate the pros and cons of a two-person band, DiPippo sounds both satisfied and wistful. “The greatest advantages are definitely the ease of getting together for practice and gig availability,” he says. “The writing process is less headache-y, as well. Disadvantages: no bass. I love bass.”
Like a good bandmate, Simonds is there to help soften the blow. “To fix that, we have Kate [Niemczyk] from The True Jacqueline play with us from time to time,” she says. “I love bass, too—but we also like the simplicity of just a guy and a gal, and making an impressive amount of sound while we’re at it.”
They certainly bring all sorts of undulating cacophony to songs, incorporating elements of some of their influences like Kristin Hersh, Sleater-Kinney and Dead Weather.
Friends of Yours are currently on a mini-tour through Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York with Brooklyn’s Orca Age, in an effort to get out of town a bit and ingratiate themselves into other cities’ scenes.
As always, they encourage people to get offline and into the clubs to check them out live.
“Log off Facebook for one night,” implores Simonds. “Then take pictures and show all your friends on Facebook that you went out and had a good time. And then ‘like’ us.”
Friends of Yours: The Elevens, Northampton, Sept. 10 & 17. www.myspace.com/friendsofyours.
