Nude pyrotechnics: An Interview with Bottle Up and Go

Bottle Up and Go is a blues-rock duo out of Brooklyn, composed of recent Wesleyan grads, Keenan Mitchell and Fareed Sajan. Known for a rollicking sound and raucous gigs, the band has been praised by the Washington City Paper for “its half-naked bombast, epileptic gyrations, and fuzzed-out, stomp-box howling.” Intersections talked to vocalist and guitarist Keenan Mitchell by phone (incidentally, at 1 am while he was in a bubble bath) in anticipation of BU&G’s performance tonight at Terrace F. Club.

Q: How would you describe your music? Any specific influences?

A: We’re named after a Leadbelly song. Blues hollers, prison gang songs – I’d describe us as a blues band. Our music is really loud.

Q: Jersey Beat has described you guys as “neanderthalic, barbaric and down-right unrestrained rock ‘n’ roll.” What do you make of that? Backhanded compliment or welcome praise?

A: I think barbaric is a compliment. I’m “neanderthalic”? That’s ok with me; I think that’s accurate. Our music’s pretty stripped down, exceedingly simple. And rock, yes, we are also a rock ‘n’ roll band.

Q: You guys met at Wesleyan. Beyond that, how’d you guys get started?

A: We lived on the same hall so I met Fareed about an hour into my first day at school. I saw that he was moving in a drum set, and I said, “Hey we should set that up and maybe we could jam today,” and we worked out a song or two that day. So we started a band about the first moment we met.

Q: Do you have any advice for fledgling college bands?

Make ’em dance. Be louder.

Q: What’s your writing process like?

A: I write the guitar and the vocals and then I bring it to Fareed, and Fareed plays whatever he wants, and then we have a song. I usually start with one little piece of a guitar or a single phrase that I picked up. Sometimes I look at the Bible and grab a phrase out of there and then expand that into a full song. I never tell Fareed what to play. We all basically write our own parts.

Q: Your music’s very upbeat, but your lyrics seem sort of preoccupied with death? Is there a story behind this morbid interest?

A: I read a lot about death and bringers of death. I’ve also come close to death a few times. One near-death experience is good for a few songs.

Q: Brooklyn seems like such an exciting place to be making music right now. How do you guys find the local scene?

A: All of our friends are in famous bands, everybody we went to school with. It’s fun. Every single night I can go out and see one of my friends play an amazing show. We’re really living the dream here. You can start a band, and you can just be famous. Everyone I know is doing it – seems pretty easy.

Q: Are there any new bands you’d really recommend?

A: Keepaway, Pony Castles, Bear Hands, Wild Yaks (they’re exquisite; you’ll like them if you like our music), The Shining Twins.

Q: If you could tour with any band out there right now, who would it be?

A: Wild Yaks.

Q: What’s your most memorable performance experience?

One time we were playing some sort of party on the outskirts of Brooklyn in an abandoned warehouse space, and they were giving away free whisky. We’d also brought our own liter of whisky to split before the show. I lost my [guitar] slide so I made a slide out of a broken bottle, and at some point, I looked down at the set list to see what song was next, and drops of blood kept falling . And I looked up, as if maybe blood would be falling from the ceiling. That was not the case; I realized it was falling out of my face. At some point early the set, I guess, I sliced my cheek open with the broken bottle that I was using to play. I still have a big scar from that. A bloody show - it was gnarly. I threw up before I got on stage, and then I fell down at the end. It was a memorable performance in pictures, but I don’t actually remember playing the show per se.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m working on getting Fareed to move back to New York [He lives in Allentown, PA]. That’s one of my primary projects. We just recorded a couple new downloads that are just me and the saxophonist. We’ve got some new songs to record. Hopefully we’ll have a new EP in the next little bit.

Q: If you were having a dinner party and could invite three people –dead or alive, fictional or real – who would they be?

A: Dead: Leadbelly

Fictional: Jesus

Real: My girlfriend

Q: What can we expect from the show?

A: I’m going scream a lot, going to climb on stuff. I’m going to probably fall down on the floor a lot. Going to do a lot drinking, before and after the show. I’m going to break my own equipment. (I might break something of theirs, I don’t even know.) Hopefully I’ll get to fight with somebody. We’re also just going to play heartbreakingly beautiful songs and bring a lot of girls in the front to tears. A lot of nudity. Pyrotechnics. Some witty and glib little banter. It’s going to be fucking wild! I hope everybody comes.

Bottle Up and Go will be playing tonight at Terrace Club at midnight.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Cristina Luzarraga '11

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Study Spaces: Anywhere and Everywhere

Some days you end up studying anywhere you can find a spot to sit down. Sometimes, you don't even need that.

You know, there are those days when you keep reading as you walk down the hall to get a drink of water (don't trip!). There are those days when you set your laptop on the floor of the dressing room and work from there. There are those days when you find yourself editing a paper while you wait at the grill for dinner.

For me, today is one of those days. It's not ideal, but it happens.

- Meghan Todt '11

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Trend of the Week: March 29, 2010

As the weather improves – slowly but surely – Princetonians are tastefully starting to reveal more skin. No, it’s not quite miniskirt and tank top weather, but it may be time to retire the long sleeves until next fall. The most stylish women on campus are responding to the not-quite-spring temperatures with one-shouldered dresses.

The one-shouldered look can be sexy in a subtle way, which is what makes it so appealing: sexy usually translates to slutty and subtle to boring. So, sexy plus subtle? Sign me up! Not too much skin is revealed – in most one-shouldered frocks your décolletage will indeed be appropriately covered. So what makes it so sexy? The one shoulder bare, one shoulder covered combo is playful and leaves just enough to the imagination.

The two ladies pictured above show how it can be done. There are sleeveless, short-sleeved, and even long-sleeved versions of the one-shoulder trend. Shimmer and bright colors make the look fun.

Celebrities have also jumped on the one-shoulder bandwagon. The recent awards season has showcased many one-armed looks: from Marion Cotillard’s structured white frock at the Screen Actors Guild Awards to Lea Michele’s flirty navy dress at the Grammy Awards.

As this spring’s formal events approach, girls should be sure to consider the one-shoulder trend. Then, even if the weather stays down in the dumps, at least one of your shoulders will be warm!

-Allie Weiss ‘13

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Pearls of Wisdom: A Compilation of Prince Comments

Annnd we’re back.

I am happy to report that, while post-spring break stress might be causing some to refocus on scholarly pursuits, plenty of Princetonians are remembering to comment.

These people have their priorities straight. In the long-run, online commenting is what matters. For when you are gone from this world, your comments will remain.

Comments on “The Prepsters”

“Do these guys go to Princeton?

When you are in the Frist dining room, and look at the passing cross section of the student body passing by, it is apparent that the prevailing style is neo homeless.

My personal favorite are the endless parade of those in rubber shower shoes and grungy cargo shorts.”

– Posted by Intrepid, who was beaten to the punch by this random blogger I found named “V’ (pickedpics.blogspot.com), who appears to have coined the phrase “neo-homeless” to describe a “style about sloppy fitting clothing, more flow, long skirts, warped proportions, eccentric mish-mash and dingy flaws.” I would love to see a Princeton boy with the fashion-balls to pull that off. Do cotton-mouth and two-day-old stubble count as “dingy flaws?”

“WOODY IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOT!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd love to get "prepped" by him

– Posted by prepidemic ADDICT, whose wordplay is slightly vague but gets the point across.

Comments on “RandomDorm offers spin on ChatRoulette for collegiates”

“I graduated Rutgers in 1978 and have an alumni.edu email address.”

– Posted by Illogical is right, in acknowledgement of the fact that alumni with .edu email addresses can access RandomDorm.

“yeah…but what loser alum is gonna want to peep in on undergrads…oh, wait…”

– Posted by tiger101. Rutgers alum was just pwned.

Comments on “MLIP (My Life is Princetonian)”

“ ‘A lot of people complain about being single, but based on the sheer number of complaints, the solution seems obvious.’

You mean a dating agency?”

– Posted by Sophomoric, who is onto something. GoodCrush and PFML are free, and that undermines capitalism. I’d feel better about my desperate, existential loneliness if somebody were cashing-in on it (besides the porn industry).

“specifically, one run by the moderator’s bedfellow.”

– Posted by Scarlet Knight in reference to Sophmoric’s comment. I don’t see the logic. But “bedfellow” is a funny word.

“The only thing I learned from Princeton FML is that aside from the trivial differences you noticed, "everyone" here unnecessarily follows trends, complains about the same banal things, and is a poseur or tool. It no more captures the Princeton zeitgeist than the pre-precept discussion or the brief conversation one has with a passing acquaintance. The only difference is that it allows you to call someone out for their stupidity or banality. In other words: unlike the Prince, it's all about the comments.”

– Posted by AH, whose comment is relevant to my interests since it is about comments. Also, doesn’t opting for the French-like “poseur” instead of simply “poser” suggest that you might yourself be a pose(u)r?

-Allie Shea '12

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Singles of the Week: Mar 27, 2010

Pop: Rihanna - "Fire Bomb"

Rihanna's new album, "Rated R," has been blasting out of people's car radios and in eating clubs for a couple months now. Let's be honest - "Rude Boy" is everywhere. But a couple of the songs on the album are hidden in the background and get easily lost. This week, I finally decided to buy the record and came across "Fire Bomb," an electric guitar-based power ballad that has a different sort of sound than we are used to hearing from RiRi. An excellent addition to that unnamed playlist you have sitting in your iTunes between "pump up" and "relax.”

-Jess Turner ‘12

Rock: The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”

The National’s new album "High Violet" is out May 11, but the band posted “Bloodbuzz Ohio” on their website this week for all of us who have a hard time with the whole “patience” thing. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” proves the National has perfected the art of producing songs that build. The track kicks off with driving drums and piano, and grows quickly with frontman Matt Berninger’s signature seductive crooning. Eventually he piles on subtle horns and delightfully messy guitar riffs. By the end, it feels like you’ve either just discovered yourself in a movie scene or planted your flag at the top of a treacherous mountain. Even if you’ve never been to Ohio – the band’s birthplace – the tune’s lyrics and overall vibe will make you feel nostalgic for the good old Ohioan adolescent days. You’ll be convinced that you, too, were “carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees."

-Sara Wallace ‘12

Electronic: Ellie Goulding -- "Starry Eyed"

Welsh crooner Ellie Goulding's debut album "Lights" topped the UK charts in less than a week, and for good reason. The singer's music, which she describes as "folktronica," is a smooth fusion of acoustic and electronic tendencies that are like the sonic equivalent of a rainbow of Skittles falling down into a field of daisies. Sound crazy? It is. But trust me, this is one rainbow you won't want to miss.

-Kiran Gollakota ‘13

Indie: She & Him – “Thieves Among Us”

Whether or not you’ll like this song can be determined by whether or not you like Zooey Deschanel. If this doe-eyed actress tickles your fancy, then you’ll probably enjoy her 50s style crooning with collaborator M. Ward. But if you’re one of many who find her so cute as to be annoying, well, this won’t convince you otherwise because put bluntly, it’s about as syrupy as a bottle of Aunt Jemima. Still, for the Deschanel admirers, this acoustic prom-ballad is pretty irresistible. It’s simple and twangy and evokes the lovesick slow dancing of a bygone era. “Will you go steady with me?” Deschanel seems to ask. It’s a divisive question but somehow endearing all the same.

-Cristina Luzarraga ‘11

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Creating “Copenhagen”: An interview with Cara Tucker ‘12

Cara Tucker is an English major who loves her books. “Copenhagen” is a play about World War II, physicists, and the atomic bomb. Even Tucker admits that they are an unlikely pair. But starting tomorrow, March 25, you can see how this up-and-coming director has taken on this Tony award-winning play. In the midst of tech week, Tucker sat down with Intersections to talk about how she read “Copenhagen” on the floor of a Barnes & Noble and how she knew this play couldn’t just be her “vision on a stick.”

Q: First of all, can you tell us a little bit about “Copenhagen”?

A: It was written fairly recently, around 2000, and it’s centered on historical events from 1941. It’s about Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr, physicists who worked together until Heisenberg became a professor. Niels Bohr was half-Jewish, and Heisenberg basically snuck around the Gestapo to visit him in Copenhagen. No one knows how they lost their SS tail, but in Copenhagen, they had a conversation, which is the subject of much speculation. Bohr had to flee to America, while Heisenberg went back to Germany and essentially worked for the Nazis. It’s believed that he undermined nuclear programming.

I hate to say that the play takes place in a “post-death” space, because that’s such a cliché. But it is a rehashing of the event, of the conversation between Heisenberg and Bohr. It questions what this conversation meant and if something that small can have such a large impact.

Q: What is your theater background? Have you directed any shows before?

A: Oh holy moly. I was in my first play in the fourth grade. I played a singing ladybug. My high school had a very small theater program, where you basically did everything. When I got here, I knew that I really wanted to direct. I figured that I would work my way up, so I did production work, costumes, design, and stage-managing for PSC [Princeton Shakespeare Company] and Intime. I was in Freshman One-Act festival last year and in PSC’s “The Miser” this year. I thought it would take longer to get to the stage where I could actually direct a show, but they gave me the opportunity this year. So I took it and ran. I’ve directed shorter things before, but I’ve never done a full play.

Q: Why “Copenhagen” and why now?

A: It’s always difficult to answer the “why now” question with a historical play. And the biggest risk with this play would be to try to interpret it in terms of modern events. But we’re in such a climate now where we can’t see everything clearly. When we look to the past we tend to think in terms of black and white, and if there is one conflict that we see in black and white, it’s this. It’s Hitler; it’s the Nazis. They’re the bad guys. But this play forces you to see everything as a gray area. There isn’t ever a clear answer.

The story of “why ‘Copenhagen’” is fun. Initially I wanted to propose Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig,” but I knew it wasn’t suitable for Intime. So I went to Barnes & Noble and just sat in the store reading all their plays. When I picked up “Copenhagen,” I couldn’t put it down. But I also couldn’t find a chair. So I sat on the floor of Barnes & Noble and read the play from cover to cover. There was an instant moment of “I don’t understand this. I need to direct it.”

Q: Tell us a little bit the process of putting “Copenhagen” together.

A: With a play like this, I knew that it couldn’t just be my vision on a stick. A production team is always essential, but I knew that this had to be a huge collaboration. So it was sort of a powwow of ideas. None of the cast members is studying physics, but one of the set builders is a Physics major, the set designer is a Computer Science major, and our stage manager’s mother works is a physicist. We talked to her to imbed the cast members in the physicist role.

In terms of putting the set together, the set is all white and built to be a metaphysical, disorienting space. It actually resembles an atom. There is a fair amount of sound in the play that is historically grounded. We play sound clips from propaganda and from banned films. There is a play between this concept of being outside of time, but still stuck in a particular moment.

Q: How is working in theater at Princeton different from working in theater elsewhere?

A: I would say that the biggest difference is the audience. You can’t get away with a show about physics and history anywhere else. We don’t have to walk people through this. We’re smart. The community’s smart. The community understands and is willing to take risks. It’s very freeing.

That, and the fact that everyone here is awesome at something.

Q: What was the first production you saw at Princeton and what is your favorite production you’ve seen at Princeton?

A: That’s so hard. The first production I worked on was “Richard III” for PSC. The first production I think I saw was “tick, tick…BOOM!” [Princeton University Players]. And my favorite production from this year was “God’s Country,” because Dominique [Salerno ‘10] is just a fantastic director.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I’m stage managing Sophie Gandler’s [‘10] thesis production “On the Verge.” And I’m trying to figure out what to propose for next year. I might be abroad in London in the fall, which would be awesome. There, I could follow “Mrs. Dalloway” [Viginia Woolf novel about a day in the life of a woman post WWI-England]! But I’ll propose for the spring, regardless. I have a long list of plays that I want to direct before I die.

Q: What would be your dream play to direct?

A: It changes daily. Right now, it’s “Fefu and Her Friends” by Maria Irene Fornes. Yes, that’s the one that’s occupying my mind at the moment.

Q: Is there anything else that you want people to know about “Copenhagen”?

A: Come see it! Don’t worry about it being about physics or history or about it being weird or uncertain. It’s extremely engaging and extremely powerful. Everyone can grasp on to something in it. It’s a play for everyone.

“Copenhagen” runs Thursday-Saturday, March 25-27 and Thursday-Saturday, April 1-3 at Theatre Intime. All shows at 8 p.m., with an additional 2 p.m. show on April 3.

Interview conducted, condensed, and edited by Meghan Todt ’11.

Pictured: Jenn Onofrio GS, Josh Zeitlin '11, and Brad Wilson '13 in "Copenhagen"

Photo by Francesca Furchtgott '12

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Welcome to the Machine: An interview with Bachelorette

Bachelorette is the brainchild of songwriter and musician Annabel Alpers. Since 2005, Alpers stunned the psychedelic electro-pop world with her poignant vocals coupled with the intricate and surprising sounds that come out of her computer. Bachelorette has released three CDs and two full albums, the most recent being “My Electric Family,” released in 2009. Singing about everything from relationships with guys to relationships with machines, Bachelorette has toured with the biggest names in electronic music including Animal Collective and Beach House, and her own critical praise has been impressive to say the least. Pitchfork magazine has called her music “delicious, even ecstatic” and Mojo Magazine has dubbed her vocals to be “the female equivalent of Syd Barrett…A real treasure.” Street catches up with her on her career, her songwriting, and her performances in preparation for Saturday’s show at Terrace.

Q: Can you describe your music in three words?

A: Psychedelic, computer, folk.

Q: If you could have a conversation with any musician alive or dead who would it be?

A: John Lennon

Q: Where do you get the inspiration for your songs? What are they about?

A: I just write about what I’m think about or stuff that’s bugging me, and often that might be about guys. Otherwise I write about stuff that I’m interested in or what I’ve been reading about-general human interactions with each other, relationships with each other, and relationships between humans and machines or between humans through machines.

Q: How did you first get into music? Did you think that you’d be doing this when you were a kid?

A: I still remember when I was a kid I really liked Pat Benatar and I had this fantasy of being like Pat Benetar and playing at the ChristChurch Town Hall. I never made a completely conscious decision to do music but it was just something I just kept coming back to. It was just what I wanted to spend my time doing. Even when I thought I needed a more respectable job and tried to study other subjects, I kept going back to music, and here I am!

Q: How has your music changed since the release of your first CD in 2005?

A: In terms of playing live, I’ve changed my live set around a lot, and it keeps changing. As far as recording goes, I’ve done more of it since then so I’m more used to using computers and recording on computers. It just depends on what you think about and I think it’s natural for the music to change too.

Q: What do you think your show at Terrace will be like?

A: Basically what people can expect on this tour is that I’ll be playing my music through a couple of laptops and recording into them as I play. A lot of the time I’ll be looping the things I record, and I process the sound with the computer as well. I just kind of stretch the songs as I play.

Q: What is the best venue you’ve ever played at?

A: I really enjoy a lot of shows for different reasons. Sometimes my favorite shows are really small, intimate ones with just 15 people in the audience and other times I’ve really enjoyed playing in theaters supporting a bigger act. Recently, in December, I supported Animal Collective on their Australian tour and some of those shows were pretty awesome to play at.

Q: If you could tour with any band out there right now, who would it be with? Do any bands stand out to you?

A: I probably would say Animal Collective, actually. I was really happy to play with them and see them play so many times because I think they’re doing really amazing stuff, making really amazing music, and they’ve got their live set up so that it was a joy to watch each time.

Q: Do you have any plans for the future?

A: I’m working on a new album, which is sort of being put to one side as I tour. But I’ll be working on it some more after I head to Europe, and I’m going to hopefully finish recording in Europe while I’m staying with my mother.

Bachelorette will be playing at Terrace F. Club Saturday at midnight. Big Bear Chase Me will be opening.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Lisa Han ’13.

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