Calico The Band
CALICO is a California band in the deepest, most natural sense of the term. Specifically, the moniker is shorthand for California country—as if that weren’t vividly apparent from the first moments of Under Blue Skies, the group’s resonant, accomplished sophomore album, with its musical intricacy, lyrical eloquence and timeless immediacy. The thought-provoking, tightly harmonized songs of founder/leaders Manda Mosher and Kirsten Proffit exist in a continuum with the seminal form Gram Parsons famously dubbed Cosmic American Music.
When the two met in 2012, they were traveling parallel paths as L.A.-based singer/songwriters plotting their next moves. Kirsten was booking a tour for an album she’d just finished recording, and Manda was playing local shows, one of which Kirsten attended. As members of the city’s roots community, they were aware of each other and followed each other on social media. A prescient promoter thought they’d make a great double bill at the House of Blues, an offer neither could refuse, despite the promoter’s insistence on dubbing the show “Goddesses of Americana,” as they laughingly recall. Kirsten and Manda decided to do a song together, agreeing on Lucinda Williams’ “Change the Locks.” They met for the first time at rehearsal and instantly felt a spark. As they observed each other, Manda had a realization. “You’re kind of a lone ranger, like me,” she said to Kirsten, and in that moment, the spark became a flame of inspiration, yielding their first collaboration, “Lone Ranger.” At that point, says Kirsten, “There was no denying that there was something special happening musically between us. We didn’t even have a plan in terms of what we wanted to sound like. I remember asking Manda, ‘What is our sound?’ We just started playing, and that’s what it sounded like.”
What sort of person loves your music?
The people who will love our work are people who appreciate good, honest songwriting, beautiful vocal harmonies, and music made with organic instrumentation. Anyone who likes genuine music will love CALICO. It is less about a genre and more about honesty and the ability to move people with that honesty.
How would you describe your genre of music?
We like to describe our music as California Country; a genre that originated during a time in California when artists from the Laurel Canyon such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Brown were creating a new sound. Gram Parsons is also a key historical figure in the creation of the California Country sound. He was drawn to a desert town called Joshua Tree, CA for creative inspiration along with Emmylou Harris. California has a rich musical history from which we draw much of our influence.
For our readers who have never heard your work, please explain your sound in 5 words:
Harmonies, stories, colors, beautiful tones.
Do you write all of your own songs?
Songwriting is a craft we both have studied and practiced since our youth. We love to write together, individually, and we enjoy collaborating with other writers in our community. We often bring in guest writers on our songs. We feel it brings diversity and color to our songs most of the time. We also occasionally record and perform songs written by other artists who inspire us. We covered Bob Dylan’s song “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” on our first album Rancho California, and covered Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies Of The Canyon” on our upcoming release.
Are all the members of your band female?
The core of our group is female, we are female fronted, and our vocals and harmonies are primarily female. This wasn’t a calculated decision, however it happened naturally when we (Kirsten & Manda) started writing together. We do play with a variety of musicians who are male and female. They all bring something unique to the sound and personality of the group. We have found that there is a real magnetic and beautiful thing that happens though, when women get together and lift each other up to achieve a goal.
What are you currently working on?
We have just completed a new, full-length album that we are preparing for release in 2017 entitled “Under Blue Skies”. We are planning our touring schedule for next year which will take us through the Southwest, The Pacific Northwest and overseas to the United Kingdom and Europe. We’re working on a new set of music videos and live performance videos for our songs on the upcoming record.
Do you have a desire to travel to other countries?
Yes, always! It would be wonderful to go to Japan, Brazil, Australia, France, Italy and so many more. We are fortunate that we are able to incorporate travel with the work we have chosen. It allows us to experience a broad taste of cultures beyond the already diverse city of Los Angeles and develop friendships with people from different cultures. Traveling inspires us and fuels a desire to travel more!
What do you like most/least?
We strongly dislike double standards in our business and really any situation. We absolutely love to see a sense of community in what we do among our peers. It is truly wonderful to watch other artists stand up and help each other and work together to benefit someone who needs help. We see this over and over in our scene in LA, it never gets old and it creates a real bond between the musicians.
Which skills or personal attributes are most important to being successful?
Perseverance, patience, stamina, and the ability to handle rejection are all important. Also a healthy sense of what is possible is very important. We all have different strengths and weaknesses so to acknowledge them and grow toward the artist you want to be is worthwhile challenge. It is also important to us to possess grace and humility amid a strong sense of self.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a music career?
Know what your unique strengths are as an artist and completely dive into being that. Don’t try to be something that you are not. Try not to constantly compare yourself with others and instead strive to grow upon your own personal bests.
What are some typical mistakes people make when trying to pursue this career?
The momentum of technology is changing the music business so quickly that clinging onto old business models is probably the worst thing an artist can do. It would be a mistake to not embrace the connective nature of the Internet and social media. Artists can connect directly with their fan bases now. It would be a mistake to sit around waiting for other people to build your business for you when there are so many tools now available to make that personal connection yourself. Waiting around to “be discovered” or waiting around in general.
If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose this career? Would you do anything differently?
We can all look back and see where we could have done something differently that may have worked out a little better. We don’t make a habit of dwelling on those things, though we do make a point of learning from them. We love what we do and feel very fortunate to have a fan base and the ability to continue creating. We couldn’t imagine not doing this!
If you could open for any artist on tour right now, who would it be?
If we have to pick one, it would have to be Dolly Parton, She is a force to be reckoned with onstage and she is fantastic songwriter as well. To tour with a tried and true artist like Dolly would truly be an honor.
Is there a charity that you are passionate about?
We support a local organization called Compassion Through Action, a group that brings sack lunches, personal supply bags and clothing to LA’s homeless population with friendliness and grace. It is hard to imagine that there are so many displaced people living in the US. We know that there is no easy long-term solution but the immediate needs of these folks are real and need attention. There is another group in Venice, California, called SPY – Safe Place for Youth. The lady who heads it up realized there is a growing population of homeless people under the age of 25. The young men and ladies are able to come there during the day, get food, shelter, work prep and counseling. It is a beautiful organization especially in this area of Los Angeles where the homeless population grows each week. One of our favorite music charities is MusiCares, which is run by The Recording Academy. MusiCares gives financial aid to musicians who need assistance with health care, addiction/recovery, rent, and musical instrument replacement.
Do you feel your work has any spiritual aspects?
For us, creating and sharing music is spiritual. Music is about exploring the human condition and connecting us all through catharsis of emotion and shared experience. We pour ourselves fully into the creation of our recordings and performances and the act of songwriting feels like capturing thoughts and ideas from the ether that need to be spoken loudly. It’s difficult to describe it exactly but it is most certainly a spiritual force greater than we are. When we tour we visit towns and meet
people we may never see again. We are touched by them and we hope that we touch them as well. It is entirely about human interaction and getting the most out of these experiences. There is a synergy between us when we are on stage and the people in the audience; a special connection that cannot be duplicated any other way. We hope to inspire and that is definitely a spiritual aspiration.
Have you ever performed for any non-profit organizations?
Yes we have supported many non-profit organizations with our performances and have organized evenings that bring together artists in our community for a shared cause; we love to be able to do them. Some of the non-profits we have supported are Compassion Through Action, Toys For Tots, SoundGirls.Org, Songs For Sandy Hook, MusiCares, Wounded Warrior Foundation, and others. Ted Russell Kamp on bass, Matt Lucich on drums, Kaitlin Wolfberg on violin are part of the Calico Band.
The Rancho California was their album which won many awards including Americana Album Of The Year. Los Angeles Music Awards.
Special Thank you to Photography by Denni Christopherson www.dennicphotography.com
Location Dragonfly Creek Recording, Malibu, CA. Charley Pollard, www.captonemusic.net
Makeup and Hair by Genevie Wenner
www.calicotheband.com
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