San Francisco Voice

If you get the chance to head out to North Beach tonight, you should check out the no-cover dem Suite show at Grant and Green.  If you miss that, they’ll be playing again on June 6th at Vessel, Union Square (which is also a free show).  In the meantime, learn about them from this interview with Connor.

Website info: www.thesuitesound.com and www.myspace.com/suitemusic

1. What’s the story on how the band formed?

All of three us were born and raised in the Midwest (Indiana and Michigan).  We moved out to SF from Chicago with our Midwestern crew to try something different, get closer to the ocean and to get away from that harsh Chicago winter.  Elliott and I were in bands together in Chicago and came out here and started focusing on the songs the two of us were writing together.  We wrote some of these songs back in Chicago.  L-der, our slide guitar player, joined us out here recently.  He and I played bluegrass, gospel, and roots music in southern Indiana a while back.  We’re really happy he’s playing guitar with dem Suite; he really energizes our live set.       

2. Where did the name come from?

In terms of music Suite means an ordered series of instrumental dances, in the same or related keys, commonly preceded by a prelude, or an ordered series of instrumental movements of any character.  We liked it because it is simple.  We then added dem because we realized Suite was too simple and because I thought dem was kinda funny. A lot of our friends use words like dis, dat, da, and dem. 

3. If you had to sum up your sound, what would you say?

Electro-blues or soul, we know that sometimes we don’t stick to a particular style or set of instruments for each song we write. Elliott is usually singing during most songs so I’d say her voice anchors our sound.

4. Describe the average person who would love your music.

A listener, who enjoys solid vocal melodies and harmonies, carefully crafted pop songs, bass, and beats.

5. If the band was a San Francisco landmark, which one would it be and why?

Hmm, the spot where the Pacific touches the sand on Ocean Beach, because the waves are constantly changing the shape of the sand.

6. Do you have a favorite SF venue?

The Fillmore and Bottom of the Hill.  We just saw Kid 606, Trackademics and The Cool Kids at the Rickshaw stop and had a blast there a couple weekends ago; some of my friends were dancing on the stage like fools.  

7. Which spots in the city can you be found in when you’re just out and about?

Golden Gate Park, The Outer Richmond, The Balboa Theater, Simple Pleasures Cafe.  I walk through Chinatown and North Beach a lot too. 

8. Where do you want to be (as a band) a year from now?

We are releasing our premiere album Breaths and Pages this Fall (2007) on Trazmick Recordings, so we should be playing here in the Bay Area and doing some touring next summer to support that, we will be working on a follow up album by then as well. 

9. If there was anything that you could make sure your fans knew, what would it be?

That we’ll be doing this for a while. 

10. Name some of the other local bands that you think people should check out.

Our good friend Spinnerty (www.spinnerty.com) is a DJ/Producer that plays out a lot and he is doing some great stuff collaborating with a few different vocalists.  They are playing with us June 6th at Vessel in Union Square.  He also does a monthly at Amnesia that’s really fun.  Kid 606 is another more established artist in from the Bay Area that I’ve been listening to lately.  I just heard a punk band from Oakland that I really dig too, they are called The Mall.  

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