5 Questions With: Blues Lawyer
Rob Miller stops by to talk about the band's new record, their upcoming tour dates, and time.
Good morning!
Today we’re talking with Bay Area-based indie pop band Blues Lawyer
The roster of Bay Area indie pop bands is a long one. There’s a lot of depth on this roster. Oakland -based Blues Lawyer are at the top.
Frontman Rob Miller and drummer Elyse Schrock first met a decade ago while working in a record store. The pair began playing together on the side while in other bands before eventually focusing on Blues Lawyer as their main project.
All In Good Time is their 3rd full-length release and sees the band offering up a much more polished sound than their previous work. All four of the band members (guitarist Ellen Matthews and bassist Alejandra Alcala round out the lineup) are in sync. There are still traces of the earlier jangle pop sound, but this record sees the group firmly in power pop territory.
Writing about album opener Chance Encounters earlier this month, I noted:
If you’re of a, ahem, “certain age” it won’t be a stretch to imagine Evan Dando singing the first line we hear, “I wanna stop talking about the way things used to be,” instead of Miller. This also pairs well with bands like Gin Blossoms and even Velocity Girl.
The band separates themselves from the pack in the harmony between Miller and Schrock’s voices. Together, they make a sugary pop sound that’s incredibly upbeat, even when singing about bittersweet subjects.
Miller and Schrock share vocal duties, and it doesn’t take long to notice a pattern; when Miller is signing, the drums are thunderous. When Schrock has the mic, Miller fills your speakers with infectious hooks.
Says Miller:
“I have always been really attracted to the way we measure time, especially in relationship to our concepts of what we are supposed to have achieved. There’s a lot of different moments on the record where we’re interrogating this whole value system that comes along with it—determining my worth because of where I’m at in my life in relation to my age, in my love life, in my career.”
All In Good Time covers a lot of themes—crappy jobs that overwork/underpay, broken hearts, and the laundry list of other hurdles most of us go through at some point— against the timeline of societal expectations. When you “should” have a good job, etc.
As noted earlier, The subjects can be pretty bleak, but the melodies and hooks sound fantastic. This is a record built for singing along to.
I recently caught up with the band via email. Our chat has been lightly edited for clarity/flow.
Can you color in a little bit of the band’s backstory? What made you get started? The band started as a side project before transforming into a main gig. I read that Rob & Elyse played together. What other bands were any of you involved in?
Elyse and I met in 2013 while working together at Rasputin Music, a large chain of independent Record Stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of our first interactions that I recall was her getting annoyed with me that I found a copy of ‘Special View’ by the Only Ones in the .50-cent bargain bin section, lol. I still have it!
We wouldn’t end up playing music together till some years later, but we became fast friends, and she was the first person to really introduce me to Oakland’s thriving DIY community.
Elyse has been in lots of great bands- Pang, Fleece, Puzzled, and the World. I’ve played in several too- notably Mall Walk and Dick Stusso band. Ellen played in Nopes. In addition to playing in Blues Lawyer, Alejandra plays in Naked Roommate and Preening.
I can hear quite a few influences on the latest record. Teenage Fanclub, Gin Blossoms, and even Velocity Girl, to name a few. But most of all, The Lemonheads. I might be showing my age here (I’m old), but I can't help connecting those dots. Do you agree/disagree with that? Who would you include here?
That’s so nice to hear! Elyse and I love Teenage Fanclub and the Lemonheads! In fact, Elyse is the one that turned me on to both.
We were certainly inspired to write sincere, vulnerable pop songs of our own by groups like TFC and Lemonheads, but I’m not sure we necessarily sound like them (who does, really!?) But it’s a massive compliment, so thanks!
As far as general influences are concerned - I know some early loves of Elyse were the Buzzcocks and Dolly Mixture. Ellen is big into Guided By Voices, REM, Bob Mould, and Beat Happening. I love Paul Westerberg’s songwriting - def a big influence on me, and I know Alejandra was really inspired to play bass by Tina Weymouth.
This is the first record in 3 years. What was the band doing in between? Were you working on side projects, other “real life” stuff, or was it simply a matter of navigating the pandemic with the rest of us?
All the above, really. I made a solo record during the thick of lockdown that was released under the moniker ‘Christian Singles’ on MtStMtn. Elyse and I began experimenting with writing and recording remotely, which produced the Scenic Route flexi. I started demo-ing songs for what would become ‘All In Good Time’- so we were definitely busy. We just weren’t playing shows or rehearsing much for obvious reasons.
Earlier this year, I spoke with Christina from fellow bay Area band Artsick and asked for her take on the local scene. Looking first from Portland in the early 90s and now from the Midwest, it’s always seemed very close-knit for an area the size of Oakland/SF/PA. What’s your take? Are there bands you are particularly close to?
Close-knit is a good way to describe it. I think a cool little DIY pop renaissance is happening here right now- lots of groups are turning down and focusing on melody and song structure.
I was talking to Glenn Donaldson recently, and I recall him saying something like, “everyone is trying to make pop masterpieces right now. I love it.” There are so many good bands here. I’ll try to name a few of my favorites, but I’m sure I’m bound to forget someone…Umbrellas, Chime School, Galore, Reds, Pinks and Purples, Whitney’s Playland, The Telephone Numbers, Hits, April Magazine, The Lost Days, Flamingos, Neutrals…
What’s next? Back to the studio? Out on the road? What’s the rest of 2023 look like for you?
We are going on a tour of the Pacific Northwest in April with our friends Chime School. We also just finished recording a new 7” EP and are planning a European tour for later this year.
5 Questions:
1. Describe your music style in one sentence
Millennial malaise inspired pop rock
2. What music was playing in your house(s) growing up?
Michael Jackson, Weird Al Yankovic, Fleetwood Mac, The Bangles, Carole King, Ray Charles, The Beatles, Nirvana, Metallica, OutKast, WuTang…
3. What are you listening to these days?
Roy Loney & The Phantom Movers - Out After Dark
The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday
Look Blue Go Purple - Compilation
The Muffs - Happy Birthday to Me
Beyonce - Renaissance
4. What are your 5 Desert Island Discs?
Big Star - Radio City
Wire - Pink Flag
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
The Muffs - Blonde and Blonder
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low-End Theory
5. If you could collaborate with any artist/band, who would it be?
Jeff Lynne
Blues Lawyer- All In Good Time, 2023
(Click the record to listen on your platform of choice)
To connect with the band and buy their music, please go to the following:
Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify
Thanks to Blues Lawyer for stopping by, and thank you for being here,
Kevin—
My friend (and purveyor of fine power pop) Phil Yates recommended this one as well. Will move it to the top of the listening queue this week.
Just tried Blues Lawyer Kevin, they sound good.
Plus it always heartens me, as a big fan, to see new groups still quoting Wire as an influence!