Interview with Chill b

by Paige Bowes

After meeting up with the musical duo, Chill b, I was no longer impressed with only their soothing sounds and astonishing vocals, but with their determination and dedication to their music, as well. Since the release of their EP, The Five to Eight EP, the two have been busy playing along the east coast, and have created quite the following at Middlebury College in Vermont, where they both attend school. I recently met up with Matt Coons (percussion, vocals, guitar) and Mike Olcott (guitar, vocals) to discuss their musical backgrounds, goals, and inspirations.

Dreams Awake: For starters, how did you guys meet?

Mike Olcott: We have this joint at Middlebury called "The Grille" where you can get pizza or burgers or whatever ... for orientation we were at this place and somebody told me that he played the drums and I sort of played some music in high school, so I went up to him and was like "Oh, you play the drums?" and we found that we shared some similar interests and then we were like "Oh cool, we should play sometime," just real casual ... and then how we met musically ... one of our friends who played the fiddle had this little lounge show, and then we went up there to play a couple of songs after, which turned out real cool ... I just liked what I saw in our music.

DA: Where did you guys get the name "Chill b" from?

Matt Coons: At this restaurant, actually ... we met here after his family had just moved to New Castle. And we sat in here for hours over a plate of Orleans fries ...

MO: We were looking around at all these elaborate decorations, and just looking for like a random word that would catch our interest or something ...

MC: We made a pact that we weren't going to leave until we found a band name, and so we just sat in here for a long time with a lot of funny looks ...

MO: We sort of have a dry humor relationship and whenever somebody gets annoying or says something odd we say "chill b" which means "calm down" or "take a step back" ... and that's kind of the message we're trying to put out there ...

DA: If you could have lived the life of any past musician, who would it be? MO: Oh no, I had a thought and then I erased it ... I was gonna say Jeff Buckley, but then I realized he died when he was like 12 ... but I could pretty safely say mine is Tom Yorke. MC: It is hard to differentiate between your hero and whose life you want to follow ... John Bonham. *sniffle* MO: Do you realize how many soul singers have been shot? Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye ... I was like going through all of them in my head but was like " No! He got shot by his dad ... "

MC: There's always Carter Beauford ... I would say I really admire that guy Guster, because he can effortlessly walk down the street with an Orange Julius one day and then have 40,000 people come see his live show the next.

MO: Bono! Mine would definitely be Bono.

DA: Haha, you've picked like 12 ...

MO: No, mine would be Bono.

MC: Mine would be John Bonham.

DA: Okay, well I think I have your final answers on that one ... alright, if you could collaborate with any musician, who would it be?

MC: Minus some of the overly radio-friendly types, if you will ... really anyone ... I mean, you would always want to collaborate with your heroes, but you don't know how it's going to turn out because you're going to just sit there and be like, "Man, you're really good."

MO: My final answer; hold your applause or laughter ... would be Boyz II Men.

DA: How do you guys write a song? How does it break down with the lyrics and music, with who writes what?

MO: Well, generally how it works is that I will present an idea for a song and then we work with the music for a while, and generally I work with the lyrics for while. But really how the music comes together is that Matt's not just the drums, he is other guitars and other vocals.

DA: Who are your inspirations?

MC: Queen, Led Zeppelin, Guster, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Sigur Ros, Dave Matthews Band, Cake, Ben Folds, Counting Crows, David Wilcox, Fiona Apple.

MO: Dave Matthews is partly the one who taught me how to play the guitar. I like to flatter myself and say that I've moved on from it, but in the large part I haven't. Definitely Jeff Buckley, definitely Bono, Martin Sexton, Otis Redding, Al Green, Jason Mraz is great. Boyz II Men like number one. Tom Yorke.

DA: How would you describe each other in three words? MC: Partner in crime. MO: Mostly masterful musician ... MC: I think I just found one for Mike, be patient with this one ... a clearing storm. MO: I guess that would make Matt, "a gathering storm" ... oh wait, my three for Matt are "snap snap snap." MC: How about ... interesting, growing, and bold ... now Mike has to answer for me. MO: I did, "snap snap snap."

DA: Oh c'mon, he was being nice. Anyways ... are there any other unknown musicians that you think other people should be on the lookout for?

MO: PJ Loughran and Jars of Clay.

MC: Kaki Roberts, Jump Little Children. But most of all I just think everyone should own a Sigur Ros album at some point in their life ... I don't really know how big they are ... but that is what I think.

DA: What CDs are in your stereo right now?

MC: I've been listening to the new Radiohead album "Hail to the Thief," Led Zeppelin's "How The West Was Won," I was listening to "Under the Table and Dreaming" on the way down here, which is the first time I've listened to it in probably a year and a half. And I've been trying to get used to the new Guster album.

MO: Definitely the new Led Zeppelin album, "Paranoid Android," Jason Mraz, and my "Gangsta Rap Mix."

DA: What has been your favorite show you've played?

MC: Our CD release party in May, I would say ... we just had a lot of people who were close to us come up ... our friends from home and our families.

DA: If you could compare yourself to any famous duo throughout history, who would it be?

MO: Heart and Wind from Captain Planet. I'm Wind.

MC: I'm Heart??? I don't want to be Heart.

MO: I thought it was a compliment?

MC: Are we going to stay with that one?

DA: Yeah, stay with it ... it's funny. If you could combine aspects of the two of you to create "the perfect musician" what would they be? MO: Used in the right moments, his belligerence. Belligerent in getting everything fixed up. MC: But belligerence is a bad thing ... MO: No it's not ... discipline; discipline is a good one ... work ethic. MC: Can I say vocals, or would that be too cliché? The efficiency in which he writes songs ... he thinks of something and then he's like "this is what I'm going to write about" and he does it. MO: I would want the depth of which Matt considers music.

DA: What were your first concerts?

MO: Michael Jackson, Bad tour. But I had to leave early ...

MC: Michael Jackson? Really?

DA: You had to leave?

MO: Yeah, because I was crying, I was about two, and he was like "I'M BAD!" and then I'd be like "Ahhhh."

MC: My first concert ... well, I saw some children's performers when I was little, but I mean ... Raffi doesn't count? I saw Raffi.

DA: Haha, no, that doesn't count.

MC: It was Dave in Foxboro in May of 2000.

DA: And finally, where do you guys hope to be in five years, in regards to your music?

MO: I want to be comfortably employed as a musician ... successful to the point where money and job security is not a concern.

MC: I would be in the same place, except "fame" is something that really frightens me. I think being too famous can be really bad for you ... not being able to act like a normal human, and so I would hope to be able to carry on in normal life. Like be able to go to the beach and walk down the street, and perhaps drink an Orange Julius now and then.

For more information on Chill b, visit their website at www.chillb.com.