About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2011)
Eureka California: T he dream came true for Eureka California: they got noticed, and they got signed. "The way it works it was just kind of weird," says guitarist and singer Jake Ward. "We played our set at [Athens] PopFest, and Mike [Turner, of Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records] said, 'Hey, we'd be inter ested in putting out a 7-inch' We were like, 'Hey, that's so cool.'" That was summer 2010, and the 7-inch came out in March. Now the band is at work on an album for HHBTM, while preparing for a month-long tour later this month. Ward relates all of this with a shrug of the shoulders. The progres sion that led to this modest success seems natural. The band has been around for more than three years with various line-ups, and the pres ent three-piece configuration came about in a typically casual way. "The way it worked out," says Ward, "at that time we were just a two-piece, so we decided we would become a three-piece again... we asked Charles [Walker] if he wouldn't mind playing bass. I don't think he'd ever played bass before." This was shortly before PopFest last year, around the same time Marie A. Uhler joined the band. "It just worked out that before PopFest we needed a drummer, and Marie was the right one for the job." This nonchalance finds a certain expression in Ward's songwriting. Often, as with songs like "Baby, I'm Your Garbageman" and "Factory Settings." Ward starts with a conceit that the lyrics then revolve around. When this hap pens, it reflec’s less of a practiced approach on Ward's par. than a willingness to follow an idea where it takes him. "I think it's really just dumb luck; that's how it comes out. If I get stuck on a theme or something, I might try and see it through and see how it goes, but it's never a conscious thing." This unstudied quality extends to the other members' contributions. "We all write our own parts for the songs," says Walker. "After Jake shows us the songs, we go through them and figure out if we want to change anything." The same goes for the record, Ward says. "We're recording it here at the house—really just my bedroom, occasionally the living room. It's not that glamorous." The band relates all this in so casual a way as to seem almost indifferent; this would be the wrong conclusion, however. The lyrics to "Modern Times" find Ward commenting on listlessness: "You're 22. You'll be 23 real soon, and what do you have to show for yourself except a waning libido and a lack of mental health?" As the title suggests, the song is keyed into the current moment; references to "record machines" and "MP3s" and the digital/ Marshall Yarbrough analog divide help frame that moment in terms of music. The song seems to suggest that ambivalence is a part of making music right now. Ward sees himself as less of a critic of this state of affairs than an observer. Still, he is reluctant to extend the song's meaning past its personal dimension. "I don't think I'm really critiquing anything as much as I'm commenting on how things are/seem. Really, with that song I was just zeroing in on how I felt at that moment and how every thing just seemed like a sad state of affairs soaked in confusion." After the band wraps up its tour in September, the group is look ing forward to making its PopFest return. Further on the horizon is the Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records showcase at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York. Being in a band may seem less glamorous these days; musicians may feel more fraught with doubt, but in Eureka California's case, at least, the future looks bright. > WHO Tunabunny, Orca Team, Hug Abuse, Eureka California, Roberta & Charlene WHERE: Caledonia Lounge WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 17,9 p.m. HOW MUCH: $5 (21+), $7(184-) V ) ta P QS ^1 wine £ martinis catering available 269 e. broad • upstairs • downtown • 706-546-5556 speakeasyathens.com LOCOS LIVE AUGUST 17 Rick Fowler Band AUGUST 24 Kip Jones & Jay Rir AUGUST 31 The Vibratones Wednesday Nights 6pm 2020 Timothy Rd. Athens, GA 30606 706.549.7700 Gifts for the Soul & Shelter Downtown Athens 706.369.8079 frontierathens.com Dawg Days of Summer Sale at Frontier Welcome back students! Need dorm room decor? Posters framed? Or perhaps a last-minute gift? Come see what's in-store for you this month with discounts throughout the store. AUGUST 17.20H- FLAGPOLE.COM 19
