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FLAGPOLE MUSIC AWARDS
18 FLAGPOLE.COM JUNE 16,2010
is sometimes looked down
upon in the music world
for being too frivolous,
too silly. But Mitch Easter would like to argue
otherwise.
"I really think the things that make a
good pop song are such cliches; you almost
feel silly for saying them," says Easter. "But
I think it's the beat, and the immediacy, and
then something that's truly catchy. You can
hear it and it makes you perk up and say, 'Oh.
I like that.' And it can be only three notes."
The North Carolina musician has heard his
fair share of pop rock and knows it well. Since
setting up his Drive-In Studio in his parents'
garage in Winston-Salem, Easter's day job has
been producing albums. Artists like R.E.M.,
Pavement and Marshall Crenshaw have come to
him for help, so it's safe to say the man knows
his way around a tune.
"Pop songs are songs that you can just
have fun listening to," says Easter. "When
Alex Chilton died, they were replaying all
these old interviews, and he talked about the
songs that he had written and he thought
they were about love and fun. And I thought,
that's pretty good. That's what pop music is
supposed to be about. If I had to sum it up:
upbeat, love, catchy and fun."
Easter would know, having written some
phenomenal pop tunes himself with his band,
Let's Active. With the group, he began craft
ing upbeat and catchy songs that dealt more
with a lack of love and fun. After the group
dissolved, Easter began coming up with other
material but it took him nearly 18 years
before he could release his first solo album,
Dynamico.
But most often, Easter can still be found
behind the mixing board. Business has been
pretty good, although Easter admits that with
more bands setting up their own home record
ing rigs, groups have been passing through
the doors of professional studios for a song or
two, rather than full albums.
"I'm still doing kinda the indie-ish rock
bands I've always done," says Easter. "North
Carolina has always been a self-financed
thing, not like Nashville where there's a music
industry with money coming from somewhere
other than the artist."
Atlanta band Magnapop (which shares the
Athens bill with Easter) is familiar with the
do-it yourself ethic and the art of songcraft.
Since the band's beginning in the late '80s,
the power-pop group bashed out tunes such
as "Merry," a blissful piece of pop rock that
caught you by the ears and made its home in
your brain. After a short period in the early
'90s when the band considered breaking up,
it regrouped and finally began seeing some
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roups like Throwing Muses. IPBPfe
But problems began to arise in the group,
and soon members were shuffling around
like so many cards, with Linda Hopper and
Ruthie Morris left holding down the musical
fort. To make matters even worse, their label
funding was cut off. No one would've blamed
Magnapop if they had thrown in the towel at
that point. Instead, the group took a short
hiatus and came back with the refreshing
Mouthfeel and 2009's hook-filled and fierce
Chase Park. The band is now about to take on
a European tour after playing the 40 Watt. Not
a bad comeback from near extinction.
Local pop-rocker Chris McKay (also on the
roster) is no stranger to obstacles, either. His
band, The Critical Darlings, has undergone
several lineup changes while in pursuit of that
perfect mix of energy, enthusiasm and rock
and roll.
"Basically, The Critical Darlings are whoever
we put in the frame as The Critical Darlings,"
says McKay. "In a way, I hate saying that,
but it's true. I wish it were more. Each person
brings their individuality and adds something
unique, especially in the songwriting catego
ries, but ultimately, we're the same band."
Having to change up members has killed
many lesser groups than Magnapop and The
Critical Darlings. Bands often find their origi
nal visions compromised; the music becomes
a shadow of its former self. But McKay is con
fident that the Darlings can and will continue
in some capacity, despite any changes that
come along. When his band takes the stage
with Magnapop and Mitch Easter on Saturday,
they will all be armed with the wisdom that
only years of hard work and passion can
provide.
"We've evolved and stayed true to who we
are," says McKay. "While I'm impatient and
want to get it moving full-steam ahead as
soon as possible, I know that the evolution
that comes will be worth the wait. I've seen
it enough to have faith in that fact at this
point."
Even though they're all playing different
tunes, the song remains the same. It all comes
down to upbeat, catchy love and fun.
Jordan Stapp