Riding Shotgun With The Double
I've been a fan of the Double since I saw them open for the French Kicks a while back. Heck, I even bought a tote bag. They're cool, but not impossibly cool. They're accessibly cool, which makes them somehow cooler than those bands who have pretension to spare. Cool-related rambling aside, the Double make really good music. Check them (and their tote bags) out at the Black Cat June 27 with We Are Scientists and Au Revoir Simone ($14), but first read what Jacob Morris (the man behind the keys) had to say about all things Double (Paris! Matador! Manhattan cab rides!).
Fill in the Blanks:
Touring is: What you make of it.
Our first gig was: At CBGB's. David opened the show with a solo auto harp version of "Blanket on a Beach" that was stirring: I was sure even then that I would never hear it that way again.
Our favorite venue to play is: Fillmore East.
Hygiene on a tour is: Impossible to maintain.
Our favorite thing about touring is: Falling in love.
And the least favorite: Dudes.
City with the best audiences: Paris is winning over New York at the moment.
The band member most likely to disappear after a show is: Me. I get caught up in stories and tales.
The tour bus/van smells like: Wet cassette tapes and sandalwood.
Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go shopping a lot: never washed.
What's the most unusual item on your rider? Beer.
Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? And what are you listening to at the moment?
Driver and shotgun are responsible for the playlist selection, unless someone’s playing guitar in the van. Currently I’m listening to myself playing guitar.
Your new favorite watering hole after being on tour? And/or the best place to get greasy, hangover-curing food?
I’m probably getting the most soaked at Sin-e bar.
Most amusing memory from your current or most recent tour:
Watching ourselves play on tv in Portland, or Micky from Mazarin’s rousing "Gimme
Shelter" karaoke last night of the tour.
Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again? Or, if not a particular city, which venue makes your skin crawl? Anyone who sees us live is suspect.
How do you know when you've played a pretty darn good show? People clap a lot and I feel like a Roman sculptor.
What bands have you toured with that you wouldn't mind teaming up with again? Or, any bands you'd like to tour with in the future? Ratatat.
First thing you do upon returning home from a tour? Take a fifteen dollar cab ride through Manhattan to see my girl.
Which expression best describes the Double: double play, double your pleasure, double feature, double mint, or double trouble? Double dare!
Apart from the obvious cd, what's the merch item of yours that you think people should shell out for (I vote for the cute tote bags)?
We should have a bake sale to raise money: Double sheriff’s badges or double home run pennants are new project items.
How's life at Matador working out? Why, how’s your life working out? (gets all defensive)
Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument? No.
What would you like people to be saying about the Double in 50 years? "Wish I could have been there."
Please recite a line of poetry: She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah.
And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison? Whippets, markers, model glue, sugar, MSG, metal, Jagger.
For more on Jacob and his Double compatriots, venture over to www.thedoublethedouble.com, or www.myspace.com/thedoublethedouble.