Off the Record: Interview to This Frontier Needs Heroes

(Traduzione italiana più sotto) 

Keep an eye on these siblings. European readers: go to their shows, they're touring the continent right now (but not Italy, shame on you, agencies and venues...) Their musical proposal is so simple, dramatic and bucolic at the same time you cannot believe they actually come from the Big Apple. It's a duo consisting of Brad & Jessica Lauretti and no, unlike the White Stripes they're actually brother & sister. They've just released their second album "The Future", which is available on vinyl, CD and mp3 download. We obviously suggest buying the vinyl, in their case there are some extra reasons to get that format... If you wanna know more... Read on!




UKN: As a brother and sister duo, did you both start playing music at an early age together? And if not, how did This Frontier Needs Heroes form?

JL: When we were kids Brad had his own TV show with his friends and I took Ballet. It wasn't until much later on when we were both living in NYC that we decided to play music together.  Brad had been playing around New York in some bands and I used to play tambourine for them.  Then one day when his last band broke up we just decided why not give it a try with just the two of us.  I learned how to play the drums and we started playing shows together.  After we recorded our first album we were invited by the End of the Road Festival in the UK to come and play and we've been touring ever since.

UKN: What musical influences did you guys grow up with and how has that propelled you into the indie-folk genre today?

JL: Our parents favorite bands were Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, The Allman Brothers, and The Eagles.  I remember being the only 6th grader in school who knew all the words to a Frank Sinatra song.  I think this background gave us a real appreciation of great "songs", melodrama, and southern rock!
BL: When I started playing guitar I was really into the Smiths, but it wasn't until I heard Woody Guthrie that I thought I could write songs.

 UKN: You were originally from Connecticut, what made you decide to pack up and head for "The Big Apple"?

JL: I remember this feeling throughout high school of wanting to get away from where I was.  I knew that there was so much out in the world to see and discover.  I moved to New York to go to art school and
study film.  I feel in love with the city and have stayed there since.

UKN: How has "The Future", (Your sophomore album), differed from your self-titled debut?

JL:  This album is I think even more lo-fi because we recorded it in a house in upstate New York as opposed to a studio.  I sing more on it and it has different instrumentation.
BL:  It's ten new songs, that we recorded very soon after they were written.  It feels more intimate, especially since we produced vinyl for this album, you can sit in your room and listen to the vinyl and
it feels like we are in the room with you.

UKN: Can you tell us what the writing process for TFNH is like?

BL:  I travel all the time in search of something, and when I have time to sit down, I write a song about something that is important to me, or something that is bothering me until I figure out how to reconcile
reality with my feelings.  If I'm away and Jessica is in NYC I will record a computer demo and send her the song.  The ones she likes or sees herself singing on, we do together live or record for the albums.
I have many other songs we don't do, or might do in the future.

UKN: Owning a physical copy of an album is on the decline these days due to iTunes, etc. Often we find musicians getting more creative with their cover art and making their albums more visually attractive.  I think this gives the musician another way to express the feel of the album. On that note, "The Future" comes with 3D art and glasses. How did you come up with the this idea? Do you notice that fans buy the CD and vinyl more than downloading it from iTunes and such because of this?

JL:  Well at first my idea for the album cover was just photos of our faces - I wanted it to be as stripped down as the record and convey the idea that this band is really just the two of us with not much else. The 3D I thought was just a fun and creative way for the audience to participate.  People love trying on the glasses and checking out.  It looks especially awesome in Vinyl!
BL:  I think some people are Nostalgic for CDs.  It just depends on how they organize their life, some people listen to music in their cars, and they might only have a CD player, other people have a really awesome stereo from the 90's they still use.  So we make our music as widely available as possible. Jessica even wanted to make tapes when our car stereo got stolen, and we had to revert to the old tape
player, then that broke too, so we listen to am radio in the car.

UKN: You're playing a lot in Europe right now. This isn't your first time touring here. How are the gigs going? How is the public reacting to your music verses your last tour?
JL:  This was our 3rd UK tour but besides a few one offs this is our first time playing in Continental Europe.  So far the gigs have been great.  A woman in Coventry, UK who saw us in 2009 said that she liked this set better than the last one.  I think our set this tour is a little more happier and upbeat and fun. People's reactions have been great!
BL:  The shows keep getting better every day!  Germany is great!

For more information and tour dates check here: thisfrontierneedsheroes.com