Frank's Corner #20: In Conversation With the Baxbys.
Shows with lore, the country of Bushwick, and a waged war on AI art.
Hi again! Miss me? Aw…thanks.
This week has been a fun one, full of some great chats and new friends. I am a lucky motherfucker, really. I mean, TWO ZERO? Crazytown. Thanks so much for reading and keeping this operation afloat. Honestly, I don’t think there is a better interview to do in commemoration of this milestone than this one.
This was one of my first late evening interview calls I’ve hopped on in a while, and, in all honesty, I had no clue what to expect. I first heard of The Baxbys, an Amherst-grown, Bushwick-based quartet of dudes, a week or so before our conversation. I was visiting up in New York City, where a few friends of mine mentioned at breakfast that they were going to a prom-themed show at Mercury Lounge, planning meticulously exactly what was going to be worn, scheming and theorizing what music they’d hear.
I’m pissed at myself for not going to that show. Seeing the pictures all over socials the next day gave me FOMO from another planet. High school dance attire, Party City decorations, and a proposal from complete left field (though I soon came to find out the whole thing was planned all along) served as the glue to that iconic evening. The music, too, just one big fat shindig, and a sort of magnetic, unmistakable danciness that reveals the closeness of the members, Alex Norlund, James Miller, Spencer Rosenfeld, and Chris Sciucco, without explicitly stating it or knowing them personally.
Chill as their dispositions made them out to be, I had no idea what to expect before hopping on a call with them. What I certainly didn’t expect was getting to e-join them in the kitchen of their Bushwick apartment as Alex and James prepared chicken breast and roast vegetables for dinner. I knew this was gonna be an awesome chat the second they led with that.
Laid back as this conversation turned out to be, there’s no shortage of passion and dixie-chick seriosness in the art these boys are pushing. The price? Hard work and tight-knit collaboration to consistently and actively improve sonically, record after record. The reward? Themed shows that urge the crowd to revel in their human existence; a frequent theme in lots of their work, especially their latest EP “Human Music.” A bonus (and recent) development worth mentioning also includes an opening slot for the Plain White T’s upcoming Boston show. Fun and games, but completely and undeniably legit.
This was such a privilege and joy of an interview to conduct, but at this point, you probably already figured that out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Alex: James is making some chicken right now.
25F: Hell yeah. What kind?
James: Just regular stuff, nothing crazy, a little bit of seasoning. Simple.
Delish. A friend of mine was talking to me about your “Prom Show,” and I saw the pictures—I was like, “Holy shit, these guys seem so cool.” The new EP is awesome. I wanted to start with that Prom Show: if you four were an actual prom committee, who would be in charge of decorations and who would be spiking the punch?
James: Alex would be spiking the punch. Chris and Spencer were actually in charge of the decorations, so they’d probably do that in a normal prom too.
What would you spike the punch with, Alex?
Alex: Probably something good... maybe something that’s not alcoholic. Something better.
Do you think the backstory of the band is becoming a world-building project where every show has its own lore, or was that a one-off?
James: We had a lot of fun, so we’d love to do more. It’s a fun way to get the audience involved and interacting. I like the idea of connecting with the crowd more. People are discovering us this way even though we only did it once.
You had a proposal there, right? Was that planned?
Alex: Yeah, that was planned. One of our friends asked, “What do you think about having a sister get proposed to at your prom?” It was great.
What’s on the setlist right now? What is the slow dance song, and which one is the mosh pit starter?
James: For the originals, we have a slow, emotional one called “Do You Love Who You Are?”
Alex: And then we have an energetic song about goth girls at the end. “Goth King” is the mosh one, and people mosh to “Junebug” sometimes, too.
When you were writing “Goth King,” did you know it would be the closer?
Alex: I think I’d had a couple of rum and Cokes before I started messing around with that song. I just wanted to write something fun, so I chose three random notes and went from there. Worked out in the end.
What’s it been like moving from Amherst house shows to legendary venues like Mercury Lounge? Is there a piece of that house-show DNA you’ll never let go of?
Alex: It’s definitely been cool playing venues like Mercury Lounge. You learn a lot from the crowds in Amherst, and since many of them moved to the city, it’s nice to play for them here, too. We always took it seriously, even in Amherst. You never forget that interaction with the crowd.
This EP feels like an indie revival. Was there a specific record that shifted you from your early “Amphibian” days into this “Human Music” feel?
James: Our tastes changed five different times while writing those. They are actually old songs to us; they were written years ago. It’s a catch-up game between what is released and our current status.
Alex: It’s about bringing songs to their full potential. It takes a long time to flesh them out—we’ll get stuck on a high-hat sound for a year. We’re learning to get over that.
From what I understand, in the very beginning, people saw Alex as the songwriter and everyone else as the players. That seems to have disintegrated into a more democratic process. What’s the most surprising contribution a teammate has made recently?
James: We’ve always been pretty democratic. Since the second EP, everyone has had an equal say and contributed integral parts. What’s changed is that now everyone in the band knows how to write really good songs. Everyone is just writing a lot more good stuff.
What has been the glue keeping you together since the start?
James: We’re best friends. There is no one I like more than the guys in this band. I feel like I also don’t have that many other friends if I’m being honest.
Alex: Also, we all just have a goal and a drive to make better music and see how far we can take it sonically. It keeps us motivated. We’re also just so close, so that helps too
What are you listening to lately?
Alex: I got into My Bloody Valentine pretty late. Their 2013 album is elite stuff.
Stellar pull. Talk to me about living in Bushwick. I like how you call it “the country of…” What’s the most ‘rural” thing about it?
James: Probably all the dog shit on the ground. That’s very rural.
How long have you been out there?
Alex: Since January. We just moved from Connecticut, but we’ve been hanging out and playing shows here for a couple of years. It feels like this was meant to happen.
Does the title Human Music refer to how you handle the industry or keeping a human element beyond the business?
Alex: The mission statement is a target against AI music. There are AI artists getting signed to major deals right now because nobody knows any better. Some A&R at Def Jam will think it’s great, and you’re like, “This isn’t a real person.” It’s about making things “weird” in a way AI can’t.
As you move to bigger stages, do you feel a need for bigger productions, or do you still value the small-stage vibe?
Alex: Every artist says they miss the small stages, but you can’t really say that until you’ve experienced the alternative.
James: I don’t think production matters as much as the level of songwriting. You can go on stage as four guys without fireworks and still kill it if the setlist is full of bangers. We don’t need pyrotechnics—maybe some dancers—but a good song is a good song.
If you had it your way, an unlimited budget for a dream show, venue, what would that look like?
James: I’d have session musicians playing strings to keep everything live, similar to how Alex G does it. We’ve started using backing tracks because the production has gotten more intricate, but I’d love to portray that with live musicians and cool lighting.
Alex: I’d rather spend the budget on a super collab like Snoop Dogg or an Eric Clapton solo. People would be like, “Whoa, that’s Eric Clapton.” I feel like I kinda don’t really like session musicians, to be honest.
Would there be a theme?
Alex: We’ve talked about making the “Prom” an annual thing. We used to do an annual pool party show. The next big one will be when we can book Bowery Ballroom; we’ll do it more legitimately with catering and punch bowls, obviously.
Last question: What the hell is a “Baxby”?
Alex: It’s just us. The name came from a joke about starting an Australian-themed boy band. It was before I heard of the chicken restaurant, Zaxby’s. It’s a legit Australian name, and it rolls off the tongue.
James: I want to put out a PSA: there is no apostrophe in the name. Autocorrect always tries to add one, but there’s no possessive. It’s just “The Baxbys.”
Listen to “Human Music” on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow the Baxbys on Instagram.