Rooted in Wisconsin, Foreign Fields recorded their first album Anywhere But Where I Am in 2012 and their success in the electronic folk scene has been growing ever since. We chatted recently with Brian Holl (guitar, vocals) about their first album, recent success, and future plans. Foreign Fields will be playing in Madison this Saturday, February 23 with local indie-folk phenomena PHOX at the High Noon Saloon.
How did you decide to get together for Foreign Fields? What were your expectations from the band when you first started?
“Eric (Hillman) and I have been recording together for eight years now. We first started in Wisconsin, north of Milwaukee, with a few other guys. We started writing songs when we were around 16, doing the whole exciting “booking a show in a bigger city” thing. Fulfilling a high school dream. That quickly turned into a more serious endeavor. Eric and I knew that we felt good about writing together. Eric and I have mutual understanding and respect for each other. We have the same passion for what we want to do. A lot of people think this is our debut album; we have plenty albums together. Foreign Fields was a more structure effort with other band members and instruments.”
Anywhere But Where I Am was released via the Internet and it went on from there. What is the album’s success story? How did it get so big?
“I really don’t know. That’s something we talk about with friends here a lot. The album was produced by Eric, and we did everything in an abandoned office building with no planning whatsoever. We put the album up on the Internet right at the beginning of 2012. It really is crazy. We put it on Bandcamp, started e-mailing some blogs, giving them a story of what we have been doing. Got to work with Daytrotter, and that’s how we got to start touring. Everything was totally organic; no one was working with us at the time.”
You are originally from Wisconsin but decided to move to Tennessee. How has the experience been so far? Did it have an affect on your music?
“Yeah, we recorded half of the album in Wisconsin. I don’t think it had an affect on the music we make in terms of our style. There is a sound in Nashville that is getting big, not so much country but the Lumineers/Mumford and Sons kind of sound, and that sound hasn’t integrated itself in our music. What people and we are excited about is to hear something new. There are not that many bands that make folk and indie music here. It is definitely exciting to be in Nashville; we couldn’t be at a better place. The community is mostly all our friends and they all work in the industry. We lived in Chicago for a couple years, and moving to Nashville was great for us. I just love it here.”
What is the music making process like? Who writes the songs and how does everything get together?
“That’s a good question. Eric and I are going through that process now for the second album. It has always been 50/50 for us. We make all the decisiosn together, financially and musically. Bringing equal parts to the table includes writing; if one of us has a general idea, we bring it to the table. Now that we have a bigger band, we send our demos to the drummer and the other band members. Eric and I have been more inclusive for the second album. There is more teamwork involved.”
You played at SXSW last year with some big names. How was the Austin experience? Will you be there this year?
“It was one of the best times of the year for us. It was almost magical and movie-like for us. That was the first time we worked with Daytrotter. Sean (Moeller) called me up saying, ‘We have an open spot; do you guys want to come?’ That’s where we met our booking agent and first started talking to our managers that we have now. SXSW can be a hit or miss for some band; for us, this thing is moving much faster. I wish we could make it this year, but with writing and the new album I don’t think we can.”
What does the future hold for Foreign Fields? Another LP is on the way?
“Right now Eric and I are focusing on writing. Thanks to all the friends we have made here, we got a chance to get into this writing room. It has been awesome to get in there and write from 5 to 12 or more. Our managers are thinking about labels, prepping for bigger publicity. We are excited to be writing and creating again. This was kind of like a trial period on how much we wanted to tour and stuff. We are tightening it all right now. Coming to Madison to play with PHOX, and we are also playing shows in Milwaukee and Minneapolis — we are currently practicing for those shows. We are also planning on releasing a vinyl version of Anywhere But Where I Am in a couple of months.”
You are playing with PHOX in Madison; have you guys played with them before? What do you think about Wisconsin folk scene?
“Previously, I was in a band [We the Living] with Matt (Holmen) from Phox. I would hear them jamming in the house and get on the drum set. I heard some great stuff of theirs and we kept in touch with them. I have been super excited about their success and this upcoming show. It is great to have a friend’s band to support. We are both rising; it is nice to follow that curve with people you know and appreciate. I am so happy to be able share the experience.”