Class: Class of 2015, graduating in 2016
College: Silliman
Major: Anthropology
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Her Campus sat down with Lauren Tronick, a member of the folk music group Tangled Up In Blue (TUIB). Last summer, she started another band called The Teaspoons with four other TUIB members. Lauren has had plenty of experiences touring – she even performed on the Las Vegas Strip with her band – and says she will continue to make music for the rest of her life.
HC: Why did you choose TUIB over the other a cappella and musical groups on campus?
LT: TUIB just has the most amazing vibe. I also love the music – folk music is really expressive and has a lot of history and ties to my family. My mom grew up in Kentucky, and we sing a lot about the South and a lot of our music originates from there. Plus the people are just really cool, and I love hanging out with them. One of the things that attracted me to TUIB I think are the sounds of different voices together that aren’t what you would expect but are really interesting and beautiful mixed with awesome instrumentation. I play viola and violin, and so I sing and play those two instruments in TUIB and it’s the best; making music with my friends is what keeps me going here.
HC: Can you talk a little bit about The Teaspoons?
LT: The Teaspoons started last summer. The members were actually all in TUIB. We kind of connected on another level musically and decided, “Why don’t we get together, go on a tour, play music this summer, and make a thing of it?” We applied for funding and got to go on a month-long tour out west. We also played at Spring Fling last year. I feel so lucky – they’re incredible musicians and I’m really grateful to learn from them. Just because I’m the only girl doesn’t mean I’m the front person – there is no front person. We all have even stakes in it. It’s very much like what TUIB is too. We’re a team, and we’re all equally featured and in the background.
HC: What was it like touring the West Coast?
LT: It was so fun, and we all got so close. We started out in LA, then we went to Palo Alto, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Montesino. We also did things like jump into lakes, camp at Yosemite National Park, and played a show in the Grand Canyon. Being in the car with three guys for hours at a time was really the best. We would sit in the back and arrange music while one of us was driving. I still think of it as one of the most fun and important things I’ve ever done.
HC: Do you have a preference between performing your own songs and doing covers of other bands?
LT: I don’t have a preference. Learning arrangements and playing songs written by other people, whether famous musicians or one of my friends, is just as incredible and rewarding as seeing something you produced come into fruition. In TUIB, we have the most amazing repertoire and it’s so much fun to sing these parts and put our own twist on songs.
HC: What’s it like to write and perform your own songs?
When we write our songs, it ends up being a very big collaboration. I rely heavily on Tommy and Jenner [two members of The Teaspoons] to help me formulate my songs. Writing is different because it can take an hour or it can months, and there’s a lot more insecurity and a lot more at stake when you’re playing something that’s your own. But it’s equally as fun and rewarding and can sound just as good.
HC: Is music something you hope to pursue once you graduate?
LT: I’m going to play music for the rest of my life. I’m not sure whether it will be my career or passion or both, but I’m not really worried about it. One of the reasons I’m taking a semester off is to let things happen and not worry too much. I know music will stay with me, and there are so many people I want to keep collaborating with forever.