All in Interview

"Little Memory" and Time-Soul: Meet Overcoats

Overcoats is the only thing Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell want to do. All day, every day, they tell me. Sitting in Hana’s sunny bedroom, I’m chatting with her and JJ about Overcoats, their electro soul-folk project. Hana’s bed—“our bed,” as the two of them describe it—is where Overcoats happens. It’s where Hana and JJ (both class of 2015) write their songs, merging artistic visions that come from different places but always end up in the same place. They joke that they’re literally merging as people, sometimes unable to distinguish one’s voice from the other in their songs. What comes of this, they tell me, is a musical project with coherence and sound that neither of them have attained before, and they’re really excited about it. Their excitement certainly isn’t misplaced.

Best Living Communication: An Interview with Pile

Boston post-hardcore grunge rockers Pile played an explosive set at Eclectic House on Friday night, careening through  songs from all corners of their extensive catalog. Accompanied by their Boston noise-rock buddies Kal MarksPile's innovative grunge rock never sat still for long, turning on a dime from sparse moments of guitar-plucking intimacy to stadium-scale explosions of ragged, angular power chords. Songs from their upcoming LP You're Better Than This  popped up throughout the night, distinct from the rest of the set  in their unprecedented dissonance and experimental composition.  

Interview: Brunch with Ratking

The morning after their raucous show at Eclectic, Aural Wes's Chris Gortmaker headed to O'Rourke's Diner for brunch with the Harlem hip-hop group Ratking. Over a veritable mountain of brunch-foods, discussion ranged from Ratking's creative process to Pangaea and dinosaurs. A little known link between Aphex Twin and Cheef Keef emerged. Chris never got the toast he ordered...