Riding Shotgun with the Harlem Shakes

arly last year I had the pleasure of stumbling upon the Harlem Shakes. Despite only hearing two songs, I was in deep smit. Perhaps it was their well-played jangling, or singer Lexy's slightly throaty warble. In any case, "Sickos" and "18" began showing up frequently in my iPod's rotation. Now the Harlem Shakes find themselves on tour in support of the Burning Birthdays EP, a tour which happily rolls into the Black Cat on February 11 (with Deerhoof, $13). What better way is there to spend a Sunday night? To tide you over til then, here's Lexy (singing), Jose (bass-ing/singing), and Brent (drumming/singing) shedding light on the life of the Harlem Shakes (The Met! Tim Horton! Pennsyltexas!) and what might happen if Harlem indeed shook.

Touring is:
Jose: ...As touring does? Touring? A sheep? A bird? A stalagmite made of ice? Is this some kind of riddle? I give up!
Lexy: ...Like being a 19th century, New England harpooner. Can I join the Decemberists now?

Our first gig was:
Lexy: Brent and mine was at the Bowery Poetry Club. My friend Nick held my acoustic guitar between songs and my friend Azhar rushed onto the stage, kissed me, ran me out of the venue and dumped me on the street. I returned triumphantly for that song's final chorus.
Jose: Our first gig as this current Harlem Shakes was in New Haven opening for the incredible Fiery Furnaces. It was sooo much fun.

Our Favorite Gig Was:
The Metropolitan Museum. The ancient china was shaking.

Our favorite venue to play is: Southpaw. Bowery Ballroom. Syrup Room.

Hygiene on a tour is: impeccable. I spend most of the time brushing Brent's shoulder-length, lustrous locks-a thousand strokes at least.

Our favorite thing about touring is: The groupies or the money? So hard to choose. Just kidding, we're an independent pop band so that leaves us with... critical affection? On this tour, it couldn't possibly be anything but getting to watch Deerhoof every night. North Carolina BBQ. Graceland. The Fucking Ocean. Those too.

And the least favorite:
Jose: The angry mobs?
Lexy: No. Not enough Reggaeton on the radio in South Carolina. Actually, I think that should go under favorite.

City with the best audiences:
Lexy: So far, Montreal and Philly and New Haven. New York too, of course. Where else can you play to a crowd of three hundred people all wearing fashionable scarves?

Band member most likely to disappear after a gig:
Lexy: Emotionally, that would be me. Physically, Kendrick. Financially, Brent. Artistically, Jose. Psychologically, Todd.
Brent: Tash, we haven't seen him in over three years.

The tour bus/van smells like: Man.

Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go
shopping a lot: Unison in the key of B major: Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

What's the most unusual item on your rider?
Lexy: Jose's snakeskin top hat.
Jose: The mandala sand art likeness of our album cover that Lexy always requests.
Brent: We don't have that kind of power, but if we ever get it we'll ask for world peace and snacks and privacy.

Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? And what do you like to listen to while tooling around on tour?
Lexy: I'm gonna say I do control the music and then refer back to you as a source that affirms my authority. Some Bush administration, Judith Miller action. I should add that we never tool around.
Jose: We generally do it democratically. Todd puts on Cocteau Twins or post-punk, Lexy puts on "Hey-Ya" or "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," Brent puts on Roxy Music, Kendrick cheers when the New Pornographers play an outro, and I listen to a broad range of artists.

What's your new favorite watering hole after being on tour? And/or the best place to get late night/hangover-curing food?
Jose: Hmm...there was that diner in Toronto and that place in Philly. Can't remember any names now. What's that chain in Canada? Bob Roberts? Tim Reynolds or some shit.
Brent: Wildcats in the parked van.

Most amusing memory from your current or most recent
tour? Jose: We encountered a 100-dollar, fully mobile, electronic raptor somewhere in Pennsyltexas.

Favorite tour activity (other than the gigs themselves):
Lexy: eating biscuits at rest stops.
Brent: I love how you're on the open road and you feel so free, y'know, and the dice are bouncing and you stop at a Tim Horton's and you just order some turkey and eat it and then keep on moving. Never stop!

What bands have you most enjoyed touring with? And what band/s, past or present, would the Harlem Shakes most like to tour with?
Jose: Deerhoof, Beirut, Get Him Eat Him. The Curtains.
Lexy: Past: The Band. Biggie Smalls. Jeru tha Damaja. Company Flow the fire in which you burn slow. Sly Stone's tours must've been pretty exciting. Otis Redding. I have to stop now.

Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again? Or if not a particular city, which venue would you not mind seeing razed to the
ground?
Lexy: Nineveh! Ace of Clubs, the former Acme Underground in New York City. We hated Acme Underground, the club's former name or incarnation, and choose to visit the sins of the father upon the son.

Apart from the obvious CDs, what's the merch item of yours you think people should shell out for?
Jose: We will sell anything. And whatever it is, we'll probably sign it first too.

Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument?
Lexy: Is that some kind of pick-up line? Like, have you read the Looming Tower (wink wink)?

What would you like people to be saying about the Harlem Shakes in 50 years?
Lexy: "The Shakes were the best pre-global warming induced societal meltdown band by far."

Favorite Harlem Shakes song, individual or consensus?
Brent: CBGB Love Story.

2007: Year of the Shakes? Discuss:
Lexy: According to the Jewish lunar calendar, 2007 is the year of the Shakes. Some translate the word we translate as "Shakes" as"apocalypse", but nobody likes a pessimist.

What happens when Harlem shakes?
Not sure. But I sense the beginnings of a Jerry Bruckheimer film...

Please recite a line of poetry:
Lexy: If I die, leave the balcony open. F. Garcia-Lorca
Brent: "The calm/ cool face of the river/asked me for a kiss." -Langston Hughes, "Suicide's Note"

And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison?
Lexy: Polonium/Ecstasy cocktail.
Brent: A Vanilla Coke with poison in it.

For further shaking, please refer to www.harlemshakes.com or www.myspace.com/harlemshakes.

© 2007 BigYawn, all rights reserved