Dave Davison and Erin Elders 
The band members discuss their biggest influences 

and they give props to Kyle and Adam’s old band Karma with a K and recommend Gypsyblood as a new band to check out. Very nice. - below are excerpts. Click to read FULL interview.

Maps & Atlases formed in 2004 at Columbia College, and soon gained notoriety for their frenetic musicality, impressionistic lyrics, and lead singer Dave Davison’s unique vocals. The band’s experimental math rock-influenced sound gave way to a less abrasive folk approach on its debut full-length, Perch Patchwork, released last year on Barsuk Records. While the band may have scaled back its overt musical flair over time, it remains one of the tightest, most interesting musical acts going.

The A.V. Club caught up with Davison and Erin Elders, (guitarist-lead singer and lead guitarist, respectively) in advance of their set at A.V. Fest this weekend, to talk about some of their favorite local bands, as well as their experiences as musicians and music fans in Chicago.

The A.V. Club: Sure, plenty of young bands struggle to understand how to go from playing warehouses and basements to playing shows at larger venues like Metro.

DD: Yeah, there were a lot of shows that we saw that were really cool and interesting. These shows were fun, most of the bands we played with don’t exist anymore. There’s something fun, looking back on it, to romanticize that time. These shows where you see a band that’s really fun and crazy, and it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll ever see them again.

Karma With A K
DD: The one band that we played with a lot, that we still listen to, this band called Karma With A K. (Whose two key members went onto become Gypsyblood) They broke up in 2007, but they were absolutely wild. We started playing nearly every show together for a couple years. They had a Les Savy Fav-meets-MC5 thing, so every show we had with them, there was a story that came out of it. They’d use the space during their set in a really scary, exciting way. I still listen to the handful of demos they recorded that Shiraz [Dada, Maps & Atlases’ bassist] produced.

AVC: Are there any local groups starting up that you’ve been into lately?

DD: Gypsyblood is a new band featuring members of Karma With A K, and they’re great. The other band with a few members of Karma With A K is a band called Thin Hymns. They’re both definitely worth checking out.

Thanks Dave. 

Gypsyblood will be celebrating the release of their debut album Cold In The Guestway with a hometown Chicago show on April 29th. Yes, we know its two weeks after it comes out but we are doing a mini tour first with Maps & Atlases & Delicate Steve. And who better to join us than the man who brought Gypsyblood to Sargent House,  Dave Davison, Mr. A&R himself will be playing his own Cast Spells on this fine evening at the Liars Club. Don’t miss it Chicago.

(Source: artistdata.sonicbids.com)

(Source: tastemakersmag.com)