Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts—and prepping as we speak for tonight’s show in Montreal, Quebec—psychedelic folkstars Quilt create beautiful, 60s-inspired ambient rock that is organic and aurally intricate, and layered thick with warm, inviting harmonies. Members Anna Fox Rochinski, Shane Butler and John Andrews have filled their eponymous debut LP—produced and engineered by Apollo Sunshine’s Jesse Gallagher—with meticulous arrangements inside a vibrant, patchwork construction, weaving compelling musical tales of cowboys in voids, utopian canyons and mystical penobskan oalkwalks.
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Why Quilt?
Why not?
Do you favor quilts for sleeping?
Who doesn’t? They’re comfy, beautiful and so much love goes into their creation!
But have you ever actually quilted?
Unfortunately no, we have never made a physical quilt before. I think it’s something we’ll pick up someday once we’re all old and wrinkled and stuck in a rocking chair in Savannah Georgia.
What do the three of you respectively bring to Quilt?
Shane brings the “Shane,”Anna brings the “Anna,” and John brings the “Ringo.”
What are the most obvious inspirations that drive the music of Quilt?
It’s hard to say. We like everything from CAN to Missy Elliot.
Are there less obvious ones that we may not readily pick up on?
Kidz Bop Volumes 1-11.
And who is this Milo?
Milo is a cool friend who was born while we weren’t looking.
It’s a totally trippy track, man. Tell me about it.
The first part of the song was done back in 2010 and we decided to make it a bit more dynamic. The rest of the song was completely improvised in the woods in Andover, Massachusetts where we used to practice.
Could you also please tell me who or what a Penobska Oakwalk is?
What is a Penobska Oakwalk, isn’t.
Children of Light, Utopian Canyon… What are the primary themes on this LP?
Both of those songs hint at tension in idealized situations between dark and light energies—relationships and generations and such. Children of Light is about the Baby Boomers, the generation that birthed us. Really, in terms of the whole album, the content is all there on the cover and within the lyrics.
The entire record suggests a penchant for psychedelic, classic rock on your part.
We’re all fans of the production that went to making albums back in the day. There is a certain quality to a lot of those albums that never gets old. I wonder if The White Album will ever get boring to me? I doubt it.
But does this make you…‘hippies’?
Hey man, we just like good old-fashioned rock n roll and there’s nothing wrong with that!
There is some chanting on this record…are you trying to hypnotize us?
Yes, we are all hypnotizing you.
If you actually could hypnotize us, what would you have us do?
Make us a really good pizza…Naked. Then give us all cornrows because I think we would all look really cool with cornrows in our hair.
If this record could be made into actual quilt, what do you imagine it would look like?
Some midsize matchsticks, trapper keepers, a handful of spaghetti, two dogs, Christmas in July, one small flower, footprints in the mulch pile, little kids with good cassette collections, tea that tastes like cigarettes, new shoes, old blues tunes, wild salmon singing in the wind, nightlights in the daytime, a spinach, a wish, a time before land, a sign in the sand, and all this together breathing under the highways.
Quilt are on the road in support of their self-titled debut which is available for purchase now via Mexican Summer. They play tonight in Montreal at Le Divan Orange, and then will make stops in Toronto and London before heading back to the States.
UPCOMING QUILT TOUR DATES
7-04 – Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange
7-05 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
7-06 – London, ON @ APK Live
7-07 – Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog
7-08 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
7-09 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
7-12 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
7-13 – Vancouver, BC @ The Waldorf Hotel
7-14 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
7-17 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
7-19 – Los Angles, CA @ Echo
7-20 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
7-21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Sail Inn
7-23 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
7-25 – Saint Louis, MO @ Firebird
7-26 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
7-27 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
7-28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillbox
7-29 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
