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This Issue 11/05/2009

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And we're pretty excited about it. The concert goes down in Irvine Auditorium tomorrow night at 8:30, so make sure to get your tickets ASAP. To prepare you for the awesomeness that is sure to ensue, we sat down with Peter Bauer, bassist/organist of The Walkmen, and Kip Berman, guitarist/vocalist of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Back for Pubescent Seconds

Street: Your sound changed drastically between Bows + Arrows and A Hundred Miles Off. What made you pursue such a drastic change in sound? Was it a conscious shift or did it just happen?
Peter Bauer: It was probably a conscious shift at the time. We always like to make each song sound different, so we’re constantly trying not to repeat ourselves. At the same time, people say all our songs sound alike, so what do I know? I think our next album has sort of a country sound right now with lots of oom-pah beats and acoustic guitars.

Street: Can we look forward to hearing some of the tracks that are going to be on the upcoming album at the show?
PB: Definitely. We have recorded a lot of them already and are recording more in New York.

Street: Do you foresee doing another cover album, like Pussy Cats? That didn’t seem to be as well-received as your other work.
PB: I don’t know if we will do another. You are right. It did not seem well-received. Some people just seemed angry about it. We were just kind of crazy at the time, I think.

Street: Do you have a different approach when you play college shows?
PB: We play exactly the type of music you would expect when you invite a 40-year-old to a keg party.

Street: On your recent tour, you’ve been wearing vintage clothing that’s very mid-century in its appearance, matching the vintage instruments you often use. What’s the deal with that?
PB: Walt [other organist/bassist Walter Martin] is sort of a... what is the term? I believe it is “metrosexual."

Street: You and Me sounds more sentimental than your previous work. Did you feel more emotionally-attuned while writing this album? Did specific things prompt this new lyrical feel?
PB: My hormones are blowing up! I feel like I’m going through puberty a second time!