Kimya Dawson loves Indiana

Whoopi Goldberg has called the Juno soundtrack "the biggest soundtrack ever," but it doesn't faze Kimya Dawson. Besides the links to articles her father sends her, Dawson hasn't realized the popularity of "Juno," nor does she care. \n"I tend to live outside the realm; I don't follow charts," she said. "I don't subscribe to that mentality." \nThis is not to say Dawson is completely anti-mainstream, however. As an admirer of Whoopi Goldberg, she was thrilled to appear on the ABC television show "The View" on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. \n"I'm on a first-name basis with her," Dawson said. "I had tunnel vision (when on 'The View') -- she was the only one I saw." \nWhile on the show Dawson and her Moldy Peaches bandmate Adam Green re-enacted the closing scene in "Juno," in which Ellen Page and Michael Cera sing the band's song "Anyone Else But You." \nDawson's appearance on the soundtrack is all thanks to Ellen Page, who plays protagonist Juno MacGuff in the movie and said to the film's director Jason Reitman that her character should listen to The Moldy Peaches. Reitman soon contacted Dawson, the group's lead singer and songwriter. Subsequently, about half the songs on the "Juno" soundtrack contain Dawson -- whether in the form of The Moldy Peaches, her solo work or the supergroup Antsy Pants.\nDawson said she loved the film, and that it made her cry. \nShe said the entire cast and crew of "Juno" are amazing and that she can't imagine having an experience as positive on a film set again. \nDespite the recent success of The Moldy Peaches, who have been on hiatus since 2004, Dawson seemed skeptical about a reunion. \n"We're not planning on anything else," she said. "We always operated that way, with not seeing each other for six or seven months, then coming together. We're in different places and not feeling it together right now."\nAccording to Jason Nickey, co-owner of Landlocked Music, Dawson's solo albums have always done well, and she is a "consistent seller" for the store. \nBloomington's SC Distribution Company, which distributes Kimya Dawson's past two albums on K Records, has also noted the artist's recent popularity. \n"We've definitely seen a spike in orders of Kimya Dawson records since the release of the Juno Soundtrack," said Evan Whikehart, head of marketing for Bloomington SC Distribution Company. "With all the attention around the movie, and the soundtrack specifically, there's a whole new group of people being exposed to her music, and it's exciting to watch that."\n"Though they are two different situations, and two different bands, something similar happened with the Shins when Garden State came out," Whikehart said. "Good for her! She's got a baby; I'm sure she can use the money." \nDawson has always brought her 2-year-old daughter Panda and fellow-musician husband (and Antsy Pants bandmate) Angelo Spencer on tour with her. \nShe always makes sure her shows are baby-proof and admits touring with Panda hasn't changed her habits. \n"I've never been a party animal," claimed Dawson. "I'm kind of a baby myself."\nDawson's youthful manner is often reflected through her work as an artist. She credits this to the positive experiences that surrounded her family's home as a day-care center and her 10-year stint as a camp counselor. Dawson admires the purity and honesty that children possess. \nThese are essentially the qualities that Dawson hopes to achieve with her music. \n"I was never trying to be a singer; I'm just trying to tell a story." \nDawson even hates the word "fan," because of the line it draws between performer and audience. \n"We're equal, we're building everyday connections and being made connected," she said. "People will come up to me at my shows and say, 'I wish there were more people like you,' and I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?' Everywhere I go, I meet amazing people." \nDawson said she has experienced countless positive interactions with people, but believes most people have become isolated. For her, people just need to open their eyes to experience the same. \n"You just have to put down your blackberry and go talk to someone. \n"And I say this as I am talking on a blackberry." \nDawson is currently working on her sixth studio LP, a children's album titled Alphabutt.