Live Buzz spoke with Khaela Maricich of The Blow about her first memories of music, being on K records, and her work as an artist.
The Blow will be playing at The Bishop alongside Blair and DJ Phenom at 9pm this Sunday. Tickets are $10. The Blow originally consisted of Maricich and Jona Bechtolt, until he left to pursue his project, YACHT. The Blow's albums touch on all different facets of life, but linger on the theme of love.
Live Buzz: What is your earliest memory of music?
Khaela: I haven't ever asked myself that before-- I guess my earliest memory of music is of my mom singing to me. She doesn't consider herself a singer at all, and in fact always says that it's probably good that she doesn't have a strong singing voice because she would be one of those annoying people who break out into song and sing very loudly. But she did sing to us, and I liked it, and I guess it was an influence on me that you don't have to be very good at something in order to do it anyways.
Live Buzz: Before being in The Blow, you were in the Microphones. What was it like being in that band and working with Phil Elverum?
Khaela: Well, technically I was never really in the Microphones, I was just a guest singer and member of the posse. But it was really fun. Phil is good at making a whole world that surrounds him, and it was enjoyable to get to spend time in the places he invented.
Live Buzz: You're currently signed to K Records. How did you find a home at this Olympia, Washington based record label?
Khaela: I went to college at The Evergreen State College, which is in Olympia. I started making music, kind of on a lark, and Calvin Johnson who runs K Records asked me if I would like to make a record on the label. So in a way it was almost more of a commission than a typical band signing deal. K Records doesn't in fact sign bands in the traditional sense- there's no contract, or usual record deal business. They just seem to support artists who they love, and keep it all about the fun of the endeavor, skipping all of the music biz. And that is a pretty great environment for making things.
Live Buzz: You moved from Olympia to Portland. What was that transition like?
Khaela: Back in 2004 I moved from Olympia to Portland, Oregon, and at the time it was actually kind if a tumultuous transition, mostly because I was in love with someone who was just getting ready to break my heart. Also, I had lived in Olympia for eleven years, and a nest that cozy can be hard to transport. But ultimately, the move, and even the heartbreak, was good. I moved again, two years ago, to New York City, and I love it. It's been a big challenge, which has been pretty exciting.
Live Buzz: In addition to being a musician, you are a visual artist. What kind of art do you make and in what ways does your music overlap with your art?
Khaela: I spend the majority of my energy and focus on making performances and music so, they are my art at this point. I have always liked to draw, and creating images does have a part in what I do, but visual pieces aren't the end product of my art. I have had shows of drawings and paintings in the past, though over time I have realized I am actually more compelled by using words and live performance space to connect with viewers. It has been exciting collaborating on the show with installation artist Melissa Dyne. She does a lot of work using optical and sonic effects to manipulate environments, and we are working together on the live show, which is creating and interesting layer of sort of three dimensional imagery.
Live Buzz: Jona Bechtolt, was a member of The Blow from 2004 to 2007, but left to pursue his own project, YACHT. How does working alone compare to working with Jona?
Khaela: Well, both have been exciting. I loved recording with Jona, he is extremely talented, and it felt like we had a really organic process with each other. I learned so much from the experience. Being solo has a different kind of magic. It's just different to take a project on by yourself because you have both more space to focus as well as more singular pressure to pull it off. That said, Melissa Dyne and I do work closely on so much of the performance that I do still get the feeling of support and camaraderie.
Live Buzz: I read in an article in The Believer that you were apart of something called Ace Investigations. Can you tell me more about that?
Khaela: Well, yeah, what can I say about Ace Investigations? My two friends started an "investigative agency", which could also be an artist collective, with the idea that making art is a process of making investigations and then presenting evidence for what one has discovered. Basically, we were a clique of arty weirdos, and we met every other week and talked about stuff. It was pretty cool. My first tape of songs was made as an investigative report. Ace gave me the confidence and context to first put things like that out into the world.
Live Buzz: I always thought "we make a pair of parentheses" was such a lovely and creative line. What is your writing process like?
Khaela: That particular line popped into my head one night when I was single, and snuggling with a person who I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to kiss, but with whom I felt really comfortable and open. Since then, the line has come to be associated in my mind with the feeling of really loving someone, and forging ahead into love with them through places that are intimidating. The best lyrics just pop into my head, particularly when I am in situations of transition, when I am really trying to figure something out. So, I guess it pays to put myself in challenging situations.
Live Buzz: What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on tour?
I wish I could think of a really good strange tour story for you, but nothing comes to mind! I kind of mostly hope for things to go as smoothly as possible these days so that I can put my energies into what happens onstage.
-Katie
