Beyond The Stage recently had the chance to chat with the band Winnetka Bowling League. Coming off their latest release, “CVS,” the band talks about the origin story, musical influences and favorite songs.
BTS: Can you all introduce yourselves?
Maddy: Hi, I’m Maddy.
Matt: Hi, I’m Matt.
Sam: Hey, I’m Sam.
Chris: I’m Chris.
BTS: How did you guys meet?
Matt: Me and my brother were both born in the same house to the same parents, and then we played music for a long time in our childhood. When it became apparent that we wanted to start the band of our dreams, we stalked Maddy on Instagram and we met Sam through a friend.
Chris: Our friend, Kenneth.
BTS: How did the song CVS, the one you just released, come to be?
Matt: We stole it. We heard someone else play it and we were like “oh that’s pretty good.” No, not really *laughs,* I promise we don’t steal our songs. CVS was kinda just a day alone in the studio, working, and I had had an argument previously with my significant other.
It was in a clever late night drive that I was thinking how I could bring home some sort of apology gift but there was nothing but CVS open so I kind of jotted that down in my notes. It would be funny to write a song about buying chocolate hearts from CVS and it’s not Valentine’s day, and it went from there. I don’t know, talking about how to write songs is weird.
BTS: Biggest influences either musically or artistically?
Matt: We all listen to pretty different stuff. I’m a pretty big Elvis Costello fan. Sam loves Clairo.
Chris: Tame Impala.
Sam: Stephan Jenkins.
Matt: Maddy listens to podcasts.
Chris: She likes to listen to murder podcasts.
Maddy: Oh yeah, Crime Junkies.
Matt: Crime Junkies, yeah that’s 50% of our band.
Chris: I listen to a lot of podcasts as well.
BTS: If you had to choose a favorite show that you’ve played, what show it be?
Sam: The two we did with Cage the Elephant were really fun. On the East Coast, and we played for more people than usual.
Chris: We played the 9:30 Club in D.C., that was a good one, with Sasha Sloan. That was a bucket list venue for me, personally.
Sam: Webster Hall was really fun. I liked the first night we played Santa Cruz. That first night was really fun, we dedicated a song there for the crowd.
Maddy: There was a So Far Sound show we played in San Francisco .
Chris: Oh yeah that was a memorable one for sure.
BTS: If you had to choose a favorite song of yours, which song would it be?
Sam: Sad Since ‘96.
Matt: I knew that was coming.
Sam: I couldn’t think of the name at first.
Matt: I actually think we all really like playing Slow Dances.
Chris: What’s your favorite song?
BTS: Hmm…probably Something in the Air
Chris: Really?
Matt: Aw we’re not playing that, I’m sorry.
BTS: Ahhh man–
Chris: I know, let’s just all go home.
Matt: We actually don’t have any slower songs that we’re playing this tour, really.
BTS: If you had to choose between your EP’s which would you choose?
Sam: The third one that’s not all the way out yet.
Matt: I agree.
Chris: Newer is always the favorite, it’s just fresher.
Matt: Maddy hates all of them, she’s more excited to see what we do for our reunion tour in 10 years.
BTS: What is next for you in 2020?
Matt: We finished a new EP that we’re gonna be sort of slowly rolling out songs from over the next couple of months. Also, a bunch of touring, a couple headlining runs in April and May we’re gonna announce. That’s sort of what’s on the immediate agenda.
Chris: Me and my wife are having a baby in May. You know, no big deal.
Sam: Go home and take some naps.
Maddy: Sam’s getting a new house.
Chris: Matt’s gonna get a truck in two years.
Matt: Yeah I pre-ordered a cyber truck. I’m excited about that, coming 2022.
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