Band of the Week: Raise High the Roof Beam

This Tuesday (Sept. 22nd) the Orange Alert Reading Series will join forces with The Nervous Breakdown and not only host four incredible readers, but turn over the stage to one of the hottest indie bands in Chicago. Raise High The Roof Beam has released two fantastic eps in the last twelve months and clearly have plans to continue to crank out tunes. They will close out the night at The Whistler and put a cap on a great night of literature.

The Chicago music scene is very dense and rich with talented musicians. There is consistent competition, not with each other, but with bands touring through town. Regardless, the best bands rise to the top and always find a stage and RHTRB is one of those bands. Their most recent ep, The Majestic Beast of the Flatlands, is now available through bandcamp.

Recently, the band was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): In the last twelve months or so you guys have released two very well received eps, do you feel eps are a better option for a young band trying to build a catalog?
Will Wood (WW): Without a doubt. Frequency is the key. I think the more often you can blast out a "CD RELEASE" headline the better chance you'll have to expand your press profile (which means indie blogs these days).
Scott Westrick (SW): We have differing views on the matter. I really want to release a full length album, Thomas wants to release more EPs, and everybody else falls somewhere in between. While both options have their upsides and downsides, I feel a full length album is a more legitimate release, and garners more respect and validation than EPs. Thomas wants to get as much music out to people as quickly as possible. That being said, there is probably a full length album coming sometime soon.
Thomas Fricilone (TF): A wonderfully written and beautifully recorded 5 song EP will trump an LP with 9 just okay songs and 3 great songs any day. It can go the other way around too. I don't think I have an opinion on which is more legitimate, an LP or an EP, if the music is good, people will listen to it. We're still a relatively young band. This line up has only been together for just a few days over a year. We're writing and recording a lot of new material, but I don't think we have the maturity of a band ready to release a full length album yet. Young bands have such a great opportunity to experiment with their sound, try out different ways of recording, and finding what works best for them. Not to mention, what fans might respond to the most. We haven't had enough of that process. I don't think it's necessarily about building a catalog, but rather truly finding and developing a sound the entire band is happy with.

OA: Both of your eps were released through bandcamp, and it seems like a good option for a digital release. What has your experience been like with bandcamp? Did you also make physical copies?
WW: Physical, for the time being, is still necessary at shows. It's important to give fans a chance to have immediate access to your music in that crucial after-show moment. We've been experimenting with putting download codes on crafted pieces of art (e.g. spoke cards, collages, etc.) for that same purpose. Right now, though, I think cds are still just a little bit more convenient for the end user, but that may be changing very soon. We're prepared to supply either.

OA: The world of music is always changing and what worked ten years ago may not work today. How do you guys measure success? Is it something you think about or is it more about sharing your music?
WW: Musicians' main revenue stream has been touring for decades now. What's changed is how they obtain exposure to get people to those shows. It used to be exposure could only come from a label or a hired publicity firm, but since web 2.0 with heavy reliance on grassroots reporting (blogs) and social networks, traditional publicity is nearing irrelevance.

We all have varying definitions of success, but as a rule any real artist wants to be at a place where they can make a living (enough to live. nothing fancy.) solely from their art. For us, I suppose, that would mean reaching an exposure point where we could book solid shows across the country.
TF: I find success in the amount of people who hear and appreciate our music. The more people that tap their toes and enjoy the music, the more successful I feel. What hopefully comes with that is a swimming pool.

OA: What are your thoughts on the Chicago music scene? Are there opportunities for young Chicago bands? What do you think about new venues like Lincoln Hall and LaSalle Power Company opening this year?
WW: Chicago has a very accessible pool of entry level venues. Off the top of my head, places like Silvie's and Mutiny are good examples.

Lincoln Hall seems cool. Schubas is a solid establishment, so I'd trust them to set up another solid venue. The pictures of it up on their site look nice and basic. On the other hand, LaSalle Power Company seems a little too glitzy for its own good. It's a big property in an expensive part of town, which means they'll have to pass on a lot of that overhead to poor kids who just want to see a show. They'll probably be pulling in the older crowd acts because of that.
TF: I've always enjoyed the Chicago music scene. It's a city where it's all about putting your time into your music and gaining respect. No young Chicago band plays their first show at the Metro or the Empty Bottle to sold out crowds, like Will said, entry level venues are the key. After you gain a good following, you can build yourself up to larger venues. We still have never played a lot of the big venues like Metro, Double Door, and Schubas because until we can guarantee that we'll fill them up or sell them out, what's the point?

There's also an enormous underground community of lofts, basements, and art spaces that are great to play at. A lot of music fans are coming to these places to see and hear new bands and sounds rather than a venue. Most of the time it's free or small donations and you get to see some really great bands. Chicago has a lot of options for young and old bands alike, there's very few cities like it.

OA: I just have to ask, where did the name come from?
TF: Obviously, the Salinger story of the same title. Embarrassingly though, I'm the only one in the band who has actually read it. We often regret the name because it's often hard to remember or even hear when we're telling it to someone. It's rewarding when we do tell someone the name and they've actually read the story, there's a connection that immediately happens with them.

I once read a review of one of our songs that said something along the lines of, "aside from their pretentious band name, Raise High the Roof Beam is fully genuine." I want to acknowledge the fact that it was never intended to sound pretentious or cocky. The story is very well-written and it really spoke to me at the time in my life when the band needed a name. A twenty-something boy is putting himself into these awkward situations that he doesn't necessarily need to be in while stranded in a city alone. He's coming to an age when you begin to take full responsibility for yourself and your actions. He realizes how much of that really just depends on his choices and it can be a bit scary. (or at least that's what I got from the story...) I think that's how a lot of people I know and am surrounded by are feeling right now. I know that's how I am feeling. A lot of our words and songs reflect that kind of theme. So maybe the name doesn't really reach the people who haven't read the story, but to the people that have, they understand a little more of where the band is coming from and they say, "Well okay, you're scared too? Then let's dance our fucking hearts out," and that's what Raise High the Roof Beam intends for you to do.

OA: What's next for Raise High The Roof Beam?
WW: We're recording like mad. We want to put out a series of EPs for the foreseeable future (a year?) We'll continue to feverishly network to get more shows like our upcoming New York gig with Jaguar Club.
TF: Probably change the band name. Ha! Seriously, though, I think we've really begun to challenge ourselves as not individual writers, but as a group writing together. I think we're coming up with some great songs that an audience will enjoy. As time goes on, I feel that we're going to become more and more meticulous with our songs and write not only catchy melodies and fun dance beats, but words and themes that will inspire both young and old listeners alike.

Bonus Questions:
OA: If you could sit down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be?
WW: Dead: Kurt Cobain Alive: Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) or Dave Grohl
TF: Bukowski would probably be a riot to sit down with, but you'd have to be drinking beer, not coffee. For coffee either Johnny Greenwood or Michael Showalter.

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
WW: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I heartily recommend it to everyone!

For more information on Raise High The Roof Beam please visit their website.