We go through a pretty rigorous process in selecting artists for etown shows, and we often look for a combination of compatibility and contrast.
In this case, once Devotchka was booked,
Roger Menell (etown's talent coordinator who does all the booking) and I started talking about who would round out this show. We went through a long list of candidates and we both liked Au Revoir Simone the best. I was a little reluctant only because I'm pretty clear about avoiding any nepotism, but Roger convinced me that it would be fine.
ARS is an independent band, so we have not heard from their label (their own) or publicist or manager, but we've always had it in the back of our minds that someday this would happen. We're really excited about their visit [on etown] and I'm really proud of all of them for achieving so much while really staying true to their original independent vision.
Erika has always been really creative. She had a vivid imagination as a kid mixed with a very practical side. She wouldn't just imagine a hospital run by and serving little toy mice --she would build one out of cardboard and make sure that it had an elevator and a cafeteria and that the doctor mice had the right white jackets that she'd sew together.
I've made my living as a musician, so we always had music and instruments and visiting musicians in the house. My mother was a painter and my stepfather is a sculptor, so the three girls - Erika,
Liz and
Devon - all grew up with the understanding that people can make their own art.
Erika came along to lots of shows - Telluride Bluegrass Festival every year since she was a baby, little shows in Colorado, festivals back East and clubs here in Boulder. She's come to soundcheck sometimes and just hung out as we set up the PA and got ready. She and her sister Devon took piano lessons here in Boulder, and she always worked hard on her pieces.
Erika, along with her sisters, went back and forth between our house and her mom's house. Her mother is also involved with radio, having been on the air on KGNU for many years.
I'm a lucky guy. I have three great daughters, all really different from each other, all very gifted and accomplished. In fact, Erika's older sister Liz is in a band in Denver called Sonnenblum, in which she plays bass and is the lead singer. It's kind of a space rock power trio kind of thing. And Erika's younger sister has been a really accomplished volleyball player - All American in college and played Pro for a while.
These kids today... who knew?
Nick Forster is the founder, CEO and host of etown.