5 Questions with
Heavy Looks

For those who don’t know, the label and promotional organization Communion is bringing its renown brand to Madison on June 18 at The Frequency. They have held club shows in much of England as well as places like New York City, San Francisco, Nashville, and, for the past several months, Madison. The firm has released music by Tennis, Daughter, Michael Kiwanuka, Rubblebucket, and Bear’s Den.

Madison’s own Heavy Looks was recently added to the bill for this Wednesday’s show. Co-songwriter and guitarist Rosalind Greiert and drummer Eric Wermedal answered a few questions for us.

What current bands and labels in Madison, Milwaukee and elsewhere are you inspired by?
“As far as local bands go (alphabetically): Lion’s Mouth; Nester; Owls, Foxes, and Sebastian; Red Tape Diaries; and Tween Wolf. Milwaukee groups we love include Sat. Nite Duets, The Listening Party, The Quiet Time, and The Midwestern Charm. It’s not easy to perform a tight set of catchy tunes while maintaining an engaging presence. Every band that nails the trifecta pushes us to improve ourselves.”

Did you enjoy putting down tracks at Howl Street Recordings in Bay View and can you tell us about them?
“Howl Street was A-plus. We got there around noon on a Saturday, set our gear up, and recorded our eight songs in 10 hours. It took about four hours on Sunday to mix everything before sending it off to get mastered. Shane Hochstetler, the owner, was as professional as they come and committed to helping us make an EP we could be proud of. We would recommend Howl Street to anyone; plus his wall’s acoustics are shaped by planks of wood, bark included. Pretty cool stuff.” 

What is it like having two songwriters in the band? Is there a Lennon/McCartney-esque sense of rivalry and joint influence?
“I love that we have two songwriters in the group. In a way, we kind of do have a John/Paul relationship in the sense that Dirk and (Rosalind) usually bring songs to the table separately, but we always shape them together as a band. It’s apparent who wrote what song, but we make suggestions and bounce ideas off each other which helps open up different perspectives we might not have thought of on our own. For two lead singer/guitarist/songwriters in a band, we mostly keep our egos in check.”

How did you enjoy playing at the Gap? Did they give you any free clothes?
“We are honored to be, to the best of our knowledge, the first band to headline the Gap on State Street. They offered us free clothes but with the level of style and craftsmanship being what it is, we insisted upon paying full price.”

On your website you talk about post-college disillusionment and a desire to share your musical passions. Can you tell us your origin story as well as some advice for any other disenchanted individuals who have finished their studies?
“We all met in college at UW-Stevens Point and became friends through the music scene. Dirk and Roz also DJ’d at the college radio station. We were as obsessed with music back then as we are now, and while none of us majored in music we all fantasized about becoming professional rock stars.

“The disillusionment came, as it so often does, in the form of customer service jobs and staggering student loan debt. This, however, laid groundwork for a wealth of musical inspiration.

“That said, I would tack on the timeless words of Kenny Rogers as advice to folks in our position: ‘Every hand’s a winner, and every hand’s a loser. The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep.'”