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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
