Riding Shotgun With The Essex Green

O, the Essex Green. Responsible for one of my most favorite summery songs (the effervescent "Chartiers," from album The Long Goodbye), the Essex Green could be considered one of indiefolkpop's best kept secrets. I'm not so good at keeping secrets sometimes, hence their appearance in this week's column. If you like triumphant, idyllically gentle indie with a fizz of folk and a pinch of pop, you'll just love the Essex Green. Trust me. For further proof, read on to get Chris Ziter's thoughts on all things Essex Green, be it Stockholm, Baltimore, and the best bands to tour with. And then get yourself over to the Black Cat on May 16th, to witness the Essex Green in their live splendor ($8 - with Donny Hue & the Colors).

Fill in the blanks:

Touring is: A blessing and a curse.

Our first gig together was: At a loft party in Tribeca.

Our favorite venue to play is: The Bowery Ballroom.

Hygiene on a tour is: mandatory.

Our favorite thing about touring is: Being on stage.

And the least favorite: Being on stage.

City with the best audiences: Stockholm.

The band member most likely to disappear after a show is: Jeff.

The tour bus/van smells like: old lemons and fancy lotions.

Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go shopping a lot: Selection b, but we do our best to stay clean.

What's the most unusual item on your rider? Towels? C’mon… Who really uses them?

Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? And what are you listening to at the moment?
God. He most recently chose The Grateful Dead. Also on the roster: Shout Out Louds, Beach Boys, Buck Owens, John Phillips, Everly Brothers...

Your new favorite watering hole after being on tour? And/or the best place to get greasy, hangover-curing food?
My kitchen and/or bed.

Most amusing memory from your current or most recent tour?
The dance anthem “Put Your Ass Up In The Air” by Barracuda -- a Norwegian hit that has permutated all of our psyches.

Are there any bands you've played with that you'd like to tour with again? Or bands that you have yet to tour with that you'd like to?
We’d like to play with the Shins again. We played with them on their first London show. We do love playing with those Shout Out Louds. They are our brothers and sisters.

Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again? Or, if not a particular city, which venue makes your skin crawl?
Baltimore seems to cause minor nausea in some members. But I would probably choose some of the more random southern towns that feel like you are playing to the native cast of Deliverance.

Apart from the obvious cd, what's the merch item of yours you think people should shell out for?
The t-shirts look good… and they are American Apparel this time round.

Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument? No.

People like to call your sound pastoral. In that spirit, what's your favorite "pastoral" location to visit?
I love going to Vermont… but we seldom go there to play. That’s where our roots are. But these are hard questions… practically every state has an area we would remark on.

Three years is a long time. What have you crazy kids been up to between the releases of The Long Goodbye and Cannibal Sea?
People don’t realize that good songs take time to ferment. Without the proper attention and time, the delicate fruits don’t flower properly.

What's the best thing about being in the Essex Green? If you are talking about the mall in Jersey -- the Apple Store.

What would you like people to be saying about the Essex Green in 50 years? “Their songs are timeless.”

Please recite a line of poetry:
Two Households both alike in dignity
In fair Verona where we lay our scene….

And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison? Its summer so… Margaritas or Mojitos.

The Passenger Seat with Megan