Band Members. Dan Wriggins ’14, Charlie Birkel ’14, Evangeline Krajewski ’14, Martin Richard ’14, Aliza Resnick ’13
Be sure to check out their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theatticstairs
How’d you come up with your name?
Dan: We were trying to think of a band name and I was reading a book of Ezra Pound poems and I found something that had attic in it and I was like, “This says attic,” and Charlie was like, “We should become The Attic Stairs!” So it’s the lamest story ever.
What inspires you to write your songs?
Dan: They all start in different ways. They can start with lyrics, or they can start with music or ideas or something. This one (Fire on the Lawn) I wrote while I was in the Bahamas, which doesn’t make much sense because it’s a sad song. My brother Adam was in this school there. I wrote it on a ukulele, so it’s just a ukulele song. This song is trying to sound paranoid, but hopeful because “he won’t let it get him down.”
So, you (Dan) are the person who brought everyone together.
Dan: Well I started playing with Evangeline about the same time that I started playing with Charlie. And I said, “Oh, we should all play together.” So, it was me and them and that was cool. That was a trio. And then we got Aliza at the beginning of the semester. But I hesitated to invite Martin into the group until the bass got a pickup on it. And then I was like, “Alright, now we can plug this shit in!” And that’s what it took.
You must all be best friends.
Dan: Yeah bffs… Well, Evangeline and Charlie and I all live in apartment 35. Martin lives up campus…unfortunately.
Do you have an album?
Dan: Yeah, soon we’re going to have it so you can download it for free.
What songs do you suggest?
Dan: Stony Ground. It’s the most representative of the group and it’s good.
Where do you guys, as a band, want to go?
Dan: It’d be nice if we could play in Philly. Get some shows, just get a foot in the door. We recorded an album so we could send it to venues.
Evangeline: We want to network in Philly because it has a really good music scene. It’d be good if we got in.
What is your sound and where does it come from?
Dan: Haha, oh dear.
Aliza: From our souls!
Evangeline: Our sound is..is…(turns to Dan)…well, you tell us.
Dan: Our genre is non-fiction.
Non-fiction?
Dan: Well we happen to all play instruments that are associated with American folk music. So, you could call us a folk band. And our songs are kind of like that too.
Martin: We come from musical backgrounds…
Dan: …that are all different.
Martin: I have the classical music background. I’ve been playing bass and cello, started off with cello, since the third grade. I was in orchestra throughout middle school and high school.
Dan: He’s also a very accomplished recorder player.
Martin: And I sort of have some jazz training although I didn’t start playing jazz until I got here (Haverford). I play whatever I think sounds good.
Dan: Yeah it was really cool, before Aliza got here and upset the balance. Me and Charlie are high school rockers. We don’t have classical training but we were both in rock bands in high school, so we play guitar. And then we have these two classically trained people (Martin and Evangeline) who are making us legitimate. But you (Aliza) are in between. She plays more instruments than any of us.
What do you (Aliza) play?
Aliza: I play the mandolin, banjo and violin. But I don’t really play violin in front of other people. I’d say most of what I know about music comes from two places: One, violin lessons when I was little. And the other is singing classes and old time-y fiddles.
Tell me about the song “Katie.” It’s pretty romantic except for the “wolf loving a lamb” part.
Dan: It’s supposed to be creepy. Over winter break I was up in a cabin and I found a bunch of old pictures, drawing, whatever… A lot of them were dated from the 70s and a lot of them were signed by Katie Fisher. So I made up the story. I knew that I didn’t know the facts of whatever went on between them.
Aliza: Did you ask your Dad who Katie was?
Dan: Yeah, after I wrote the song.
Aliza: And what did he say?
Dan: He had a friend named Katie but she wasn’t… He had no romantic relations with Katie Fisher. She was just living in the house. But he told me he was in a relationship with someone vicious.
Like a wolf loves a lamb.
Dan: Well yeah, there are two stupid metaphors in that song. One is “love me greedily like a wolf loves a lamb.” The other is “I love you like a moth loves a light.” Which, you know, moths and light. When they touch it they die. We talked about this. “Is love always dangerous?” Yes it is.
Evangeline: Were we talking about romantic love or…? Is all love dangerous?
Dan: I don’t know the answer to that.
Why should people listen to your music?
Aliza: Because we’re f**king awesome!
Marin: And because all your friends listen to us.
Dan: I’ve got nothing better than that to say.