Exploring The World Of Indie Rock

The Travels And Trials Of Tapes 'N Tapes

originally published October 25, 2006

It feels like indie is the new mainstream. And though that’s a dubious statement at best and one that would do better given the lengthy essay treatment, it does carry some weight. Much like self-released sensations before it - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, for instance - Minneapolis rock quartet Tapes ‘N Tapes found itself elevated from playing local dive bars to touring the country regularly after a handful of well-placed and favorable reviews in the press. One could attribute this sort of success to a strong work ethic, strict determination or hook-laden songs, all of which Tapes ‘N Tapes possesses. But vocalist-guitarist Josh Grier gives all the credit to a mysterious “indie marketing guru” by the name of Clell Tickle.

“Oh, Clell’s great,” Grier reports via phone from his suburban Minnesota home. “He beat the shit out of a lot of people for us. You’ve never met a more aggressive little man than Clell.” Of course, Grier is referring to the hilarious and oft-blogged-about YouTube short starring New York City comedian Aziz Ansari as an oddly-named indie rock mob boss of sorts. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing an amusing mockumentary of today’s independent music scene, complete with cameos from Ted Leo and Devendra Banhart. Unfortunately, there is a real human being named Clell Tickle, something Grier has contemplated amidst the hype surrounding the clip.

“He’s supposedly a real estate agent in New York,” Grier muses. “I wonder if he even knows. Now people probably think he’s some mercenary or something.”

This past July, the group released its album The Loon on XL Recordings. Tapes 'N Tapes makes the kind of hook-laden, guitar-centric rock that harkens back to some of the Pixies' finest moments. Although some of The Loon's tracks are easily labeled derivative by naysayers, it's important to keep in mind that this is a band still finding its sound, with only one proper album so far. Before hitting the road for a headlining tour that is bringing the band to Georgia and, in early November, taking it to the European mainland for the first time ever, Tapes ‘N Tapes played a series of dates with the similarly melodic Scottish lads in the Futureheads. Hearing Grier tell it, it was an experience both thrilling and humbling. “Those guys are super nice,” he says. “They’re pretty amazing musicians. Besides having good songs and all that stuff, they’re incredibly proficient. One night they were backstage doing vocal warm-ups and stuff. After that, we were like, ‘Maybe we should do vocal warm-ups.’ It’s like we’re just fucking around compared to them.”

Tapes 'N Tapes played its first major television gig on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in late July. Aside from typically surreal encounters such as running into Greg Kinnear in an elevator, the late-night TV music act process is a tad awkward for the uninitiated. “We loaded our gear in at eight in the morning and kind of set up,” Grier says. “Then we came back at around 2 p.m. for a run-through. They had us do it three times, because the song has to be three-and-a-half minutes; it can’t be longer. So we ended up having to cut like a minute from ‘Insistor.’ They were timing it and stuff. It was weird to have your first time on television consist of you playing a song differently than you’ve ever played it.”

Aside from the usual tour dates on the current trek, Tapes ‘N Tapes will perform a Halloween show at The Black Cat in Washington, DC, something that the band’s website hints will be a big deal in terms of costuming. And yet, pushed to reveal the excellent costume the group seemingly plans to unveil on that spooky night, Grier’s lips don’t spill any secrets. “I can’t divulge at this time,” he says. “There’s some internal struggle at this point. I am fighting for it, but there is some dissension. I know what I’m going to be, but I don’t know about the rest of them yet. The Black Cat in name alone is perfect for that night, but it’s also such a great venue.”

At press time, the band had already begun its latest tour, which means Grier and company aren’t working on much new material. That said, it’s not like the yearning for fresh songs isn’t rearing its ugly head within the group. “Right now, while we’re at home, I’m working up a few demos so we can start playing them live,” Grier says. “We’ve been on the road so much that we haven’t had much time for writing. Hopefully we’ll get some new material soon, though, since we’re kind of itching for new songs.”

With the buzz surrounding the band and the continued critical praise that’s getting heaped upon these four Minnesotans, it stands to reason that the pressure for a fulfilling sophomore effort would be similarly building. But that inflicted stress isn’t always the typical kind one might expect of a rock-and-roll band in such a make-or-break position.

“You know, I feel like there’s more pressure on us internally as a band,” Grier says. “For me, I’ve been playing some of these songs a couple hundred times. I think there’s more pressure within the band to have new songs and keep it exciting for us than there is from the label or other people’s anticipations. The good thing for us is that we’ve been playing a lot of places we haven’t played before. If we were going and playing the same cities every night, we’d probably all start to go crazy. But since there are new crowds all the time, that helps a lot.”

It’s a level-headed sentiment that simply underscores what Tapes ‘N Tapes is all about. Far from the prima donna antics of stadium rockers, these are just four Midwestern fellows who enjoy creating energetic and highly listenable music. Write, tour, rinse, repeat. “Initially, there’s a lot of mental shock being away from your home and stuff,” Grier says of his relatively new road-ridden life. “When you get a break for a while, that makes it a lot easier, too. But it’s just one of those things that’s such a great opportunity that you just have to seize it. If you’re going to be a pro musician, you’re going to tour, you know?”

Austin L. Ray

WHO: Tapes 'N Tapes, The Annuals, Iron Hero
WHERE: Tasty World
WHEN: Saturday, October 28
HOW MUCH: $7