All content and graphics belong to bri.net unless otherwise stated. All media displayed on this site are copyrighted to their respectful owners, no infringement intended. If you would like to see anything removed please contact us. It's a non-profit site - don't sue us man.
Hearing that verse from “Dreaming of Scraps” open boxViolet’s 2006 album Cut and Come Again let me know I was in for something amazing and it has never felt so good to be right.
If you don’t absolutely fall in love with front woman Margot’s sensual, slinky crooning, then you probably don’t enjoy other fine things in life like rainbows or getting a fifty dollar bill back at the gas station when you only gave them a twenty.
In 2008, boxViolet. has a new E.P (entitled Sad, Sad Girl), a tweaked sound, and one less member. But has kicking it as a two piece slowed down the Los Angeles band at all? Hell no.
I recently talked with both Margot and newly re-assigned drummer Luke (who used to play guitar in the band) about their new EP, blogging for the world to see, and making babies.
Amanda Mack: Your sound between the Sad, Sad Girl EP and the Cut and Come Again album has changed a little bit—it has more of a Dance element to it. Was that direction something that was planned before you guys became a two-piece or was it afterwards?
[Note: The knocking in the background of the audio was at my door and kind of threw me off during this question.]
Margot (MP): That’s a good question. What do you think, Luke?
Luke (LE): We wrote those songs when we were a three piece and then, we became a two-piece and we just continued to write them so, I think they would have sounded that way even if we weren’t a two-piece. The only thing that maybe we thought about ahead of time is playing them live. The first CD was more of a studio thing. We didn’t really think about the live aspects so much. The more we played, the more we liked to get the live energy on stage. That’s why these songs are a little more bouncy.
MP: We like seeing people dance at the shows, too. We get a kick out of it.
AM: How’d you come up with the title for Sad, Sad Girl?
MP: I collect phrases. I’m a mad…[interruption] Oh no…call waiting [laughs]! I have pages and pages and I guess one of my phrase for the day, it might have been September, whenever I was feeling sad I was like “Sad, sad girl…oh, that’s so Morrissey! I’m gonna write that and use it one day.” I wanted to use it in a funny way, though.
AM: This is something I’m kind of curious about because I pay attention to what I’m doing as I’m listening to music. I realized that when I’m usually listening to you guys, I’m in a very relaxed state and I just love to drive down a long, dark road and put in your music so, what do you imagine people are doing while their listening to your music?
MP: [laughs] What do we think? What do we hope?
LE: One of our friends, when we gave him the EP, he said that he was driving around LA. He had just moved out here and he just wanted to explore LA so, he threw the in the CD I gave him and he just went around like 3 or 4 hours. So I don’t know if our music is going to make people drive more…I hope not but, that’s one of the side effects of it.
[Laughter]
MP: Also, our former manager, he was all about people engaging in certain kind of contact. Should I just say ‘doing it’? Making babies…that kind of stuff. Not so much with this CD. I think few babies are being made to this one. Hopefully, people are dancing in their rooms or driving.
AM: What’s the strangest item or event that’s ever inspired a song?
MP: Well, there was this one crazy guy from “Pop Quiz” [Cut and Come Again]. One time, we were IMing and he said something like “Where’d you come from?”. And I was like “That’s so weird.” Basically, I’m a thief. I steal from people constantly. A lot of the songs come directly from the quotations of my friends, family, things I see on TV. But, I’d say that was the strangest just because he was so strange. He was a total weirdo!
AM: Does he know that he inspired a song?
MP: No, ’cause he’s totally clueless [laughs].
AM: Do you guys have alter egos when you take the stage?
LE: I think we’re working on it!
MP: Exactly. I’m trying to let my alter ego blossom. I’m sure Luke is, too. It’s probably a totally different alter ego than what we were creating behind different instruments. Now that Luke’s on drums, he can’t be a guitar god that he was evolving into. And now, I have to try. But, I don’t have his technique.
AM: Are you thinking about naming your alter egos?
MP: Maybe we should…
LE: We never thought of it. It just sounds very David Bowie-style.
AM: Well, let me know when you do because I wanna know.
[Laughter]
AM: Some of the things you post on the blog, Margot, they seem to get a little personal. Is it more therapeutic that way? To kinda have other people get into what you’re feeling?
MP: Yeah. Part of my purpose is to work in an atmosphere of evolving consciousness. So, I guess as I am going through my journey, if someone else is interested in what I feel is my transformation and can benefit from it, I’m all for it. I think that blogging is a cool idea. I like to be able to interact with people. I wish people would actually interact more and ask me more questions because I’d be willing to write all the time. I’ll tell anyone anything. That’s how I am. And Luke doesn’t like it!
AM: Why don’t you like it, Luke?
LE: I have always liked bands that keep some kind of a barrier. Not sticking out all your cards, ya know? Margot’s the opposite of that and that’s okay, I’m getting used to it. Before, I’d always censor her blogs and be like “Who wants to know that kind of stuff?” I realized that the more people read, the more they want.
AM: So, could you see yourself, Luke, maybe writing more open blogs?
LE: I’m supposed to start doing that. I think that’ll help me out in all aspects of my life. So, yeah, I’m gonna start writing a really personal blog and we’ll see what happens.
MP: Oh, juicy!
[laughter]
AM: What song of yours do you feel comes off the best live?
LE: I think “Sad, Sad Girl” and “Swallow”.
MP: Yeah. Those probably sound the best.
LE: And that song ["Swallow"] was a song that Margot wrote about another conversation she had with someone about a boy. The whole “Take it back. Won’t he take back what he said” of course, that became a part of the pre-chorus I think.
AM: Has your opinion of the music business changed for the better or the worst since actually being a band?
LE: I know for me, I’ve always been kind of cynical of the whole thing and very skeptical about the process. So, I started reading books about it and stories of bands and all the problems with it. I think now with the Internet, there are less contracts you have to sign and whatnot. But, I was talking to a friend of mine and were we discussing the industry and it seems like maybe the music is a very important aspect of it but then, it’s all these other things that you need to have going on. 10 or 15 years ago, it was just the music, a couple of pictures, and a couple of shirts and then, you go tour.
MP: We were talking about this last night. I think the consensus was that the music was the least important. And for me, I think that’s lame! I want music to be the most important. I want people to like what I’ve expressed and use it to their benefit.
AM: Where would you like to see boxViolet in about 5 years?
LE: Quitting my day job and putting out lots of CDs. I want to be able to write an EP every 5 months or an album a year. Put stuff out all the time and start doing a lot more videos. If we’re able to do that, that would make me happy.
I really like the blogs Margot writes and the response to that and the community that it creates of people trying to improve their lives. I think that’s a really great way to not only write music but to write music with a purpose to help other people. I think that would be great. Go ahead, Margot. Your turn.
MP: [laughs] I would just like to see a strengthening of my ability to create, to have it be really effortless. I heard Bjork say in an interview that she works on music all the time and I would love to use all that time for writing and being a vessel. To receive and transmit. I would love to see an extension of that.
***
Don’t you go another second without the Sad, Sad Girl EP! Contact the band through their Myspace for information on how to purchase it!
AM: What’s the strangest item or event that’s ever inspired a song?
be like “Who wants to know that kind of stuff?” I realized that the more people read, the more they want. 
AM: Where would you like to see boxViolet in about 5 years?