Peach Kelli Pop is the kind of sugary bubblegum pop that just might give your ears cavities, if ears could actually get cavities. If she looks familiar, that’s because Hanlon is also the drummer in the White Wires, but PKP is not a side project by any means. Hanlon is a one woman band that writes and plays every instrument herself on Peach Kelli Pop’s two LP’s, the latest being Peach Kelli Pop II, released late last year on Burger. Currently, Hanlon is busy taking Peach Kelli Pop’s lo-fi basement Shonen Knife, girl-group, garage surf sugar pop to your town as we speak opening for Kate Nash.
Interview by Ed
Stuart
Who’s answering the questions?
Allie Hanlon
Where is the band from?
I, Allie Hanlon,
the songwriter and only permanent band member, am from Ottawa, Canada and
relocated to California last year.
Who is in the band and what instrument do
they play?
I write and
record everything and have different friends play with me live. The most recent
tour had Wyatt Blair on bass, Mandy Mullins on guitar, Rachel Hortman on drums
and I also played guitar and sang.
How did the band start?
The songwriting
started before the band. Once I had recorded Peach Kelli Pop songs, I taught
them to whoever was playing with me at the time.
In the about section of your Facebook
Page, there is a review from Rocotober stating Peach Kelli Pop “[m]inimalist
bubblegum/pre-Chysalis Blondie/Japanese cartoon pop/zero-grit sandpaper punk
perfection! This White Wires side project (though this joy bop music is more of
a mutiny than a side project by comparison to WW’s garage purity), PKP is more
thrilling than PCP!” Do you really feel this a mutiny more than a side project?
How does it feel to be more thrilling than PCP?
I don't consider
either White Wires or Peach Kelli Pop a side project, they are both equal in
importance and completely different from one another. It feels fantastic to be
so thrilling, especially in the eyes of Roctober.
How do you meet up with Burger? Had they
heard the first record? Did you send them a demo? Seems like they have a real
community of bands on that label.
We were fans of
each other: Me, of the label itself and of the Sean and Lee's band, Thee
Makeout Party. Burger was familiar with Peach Kelli Pop and the White Wires and
it was a pretty natural decision for us to work together. I think they asked me
if I'd be interested in them putting out my newest album. I obliged for a bunch
of reasons. I would argue that Burger is the most innovative and hardworking
label going right now. They have been a pleasure to work with. They are
supportive and positive and we seem to be very likeminded in our priorities.
What bands did you have in mind when
starting this band?
I didn't have
any bands in mind. I didn't even know that my songs would be played live when I
started recording songs. I know now that I want to create songs I would want to
listen to myself - ones that are catchy, satisfying and fun to see live. If I
had to choose a band that inspires me, I'd say The Lovedolls, a fake band from
Dave Markey films. I am inspired by different aesthetics and outlets that are
associated with music - like cover art, stage shows, fashion, and attitude.
Now all the music is written and
performed by you on the LP’s. So how do you choose which friends become your
touring band for the upcoming tour? Is it friends who are in other bands that
have downtime?
It is actually
very hard to find people that have the time to go on tour, can afford to take
off work, an so on. I try and pick
people who I think are talented but also who are balanced emotionally and
mentally enough to be able to handle going on tour. Touring is great but also
exhausting and difficult, so I try hard to find people who are laid back,
positive, and don't have substance abuse issues (too badly, at least).
Do you think music can still be a vital
force in such a disposable age?
I think music is
vital in the way it affects people and the way it makes people feel. There is a
lot of disposable music in existence currently because creating music has
become so affordable and accessible (something I think is great in a lot of
ways)
While there are
heaploads of musical trash nowadays, there are also brilliant jewels of bands
that exist; two examples being Detroit's The Go! and Conspiracy of Owls; bands
that leave me in awe with their timeless sound, perfect songwriting and
incredible production. Another high-quality band that constantly leaves me
awestricken is Tucson's Lenguas Largas, whose music is haunting and beautiful.
How much time on the road do you spend
each year? Between Peach Kelli
Pop, White Wires and drumming for other bands.
It changes all
the time depending on a few things (like finances, personal life stuff, whether
any new material has been released at the time) The new PKP album just came out
so I am riding that wave right now. I'll do a couple more tours and then
probably hold off until I am releasing something new again. Hopefully White
Wires will tour a little more in the future.
How was it playing both SXSW and
Burgerama this year? Also this
year PKP had a track featured in Spin Magazine as part of Burger’s upcoming
releases with a picture of PKP. What are your thoughts regarding that?
We actually only
played Burgermania (Burger's showcase at SXSW) this year. It was probably my
favorite show of our month-long tour. A lot of my friends and people that I
admire were in attendance, I thought we played well and the crowd was very
enthusiastic.
While nothing
ever seems to come from writes ups like the one in Spin, I appreciate any
publicity that might expose Peach Kelli Pop to someone new.
Does living in both the US and Canada
affect your songwriting at all?
I have lived
full-time in the USA for a year now. Moving to California from Ontario, Canada
has probably affected my songwriting since I am generally happier and more
inspired here.
50 years ago people used to buy music and
get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for
free. How do you think this affects music in any way?
I don't really
think about that kind of thing too much. 50 years ago I wouldn't have been able
to create music the way I have now.
Where can people hear the band?
You can go to
our bandcamp site or see us play live.
What’s next?
We are doing a
West Coast USA tour with UK's Kate Nash this May and playing 1-2-3-4 Go!s fest,
the Go!Go! Fest. Check out my blog for more details: peachkelli.blogspot.com
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