Listen Up: Twin Peaks

For some odd reason, some of our minds have been trained to automatically assume that when someone mentions Twin Peaks, they’re referring to the 90’s hit mystery/drama starring Kyle MacLachlan. But we digress. This mention was no way about the TV show, but more about the emergence of some great, high-energy rock music. Twin Peaks, the band, consisting of high-school homies Cadien, Connor, Clay and Jack, was built within the confines of one of our personal favorite cities in the country—aside from LA, of course—Chicago. With a thriving music scene bubbling in the northern Mid-West United States, the band creates those tones and vibes that are reminiscent of an endless summer, right here on our California shores Filtered guitars, wavering vocal melodies and a rock-steady that crosses between that of a SoCal garage rock band. But with its own flavor. We had the chance to sit down the gents after their performance at this years FYF Fest to pick their brain on their newest album ‘Wild Onion’, along with a little bit of drunken banter.

LA CANVAS: This is your first FYF so what has the experience been like? 

CADIEN LAKE JAMES: This is our first festival we’ve ever played outside of Chicago as well ,to this scale. So that feels good too. We went on our first plane trip, this weekend Clay lost his virginity, all of that. 

LAC: So you guys played Pitchfork in Chicago this year too right?

CLAY FRANKEL: Pitchfork was good, it’s a lot different than this festival [FYF], a lot smaller, but they are both good.

CLJ: Home town crowd, Goose Island flowing, great park, I was in a wheelchair so people were pampering me all weekend, I had a great time. 

LAC: Is this your first time in LA or have you been here before

JACK DOLAN: We’ve been here many times. We came here most recently with the Orwells, and then with the Eagulls. We plan to come out here again and do our first headlining dates, which is something we really didn’t do before our new album Wild Onion.

CLJ: Just so everyone knows, this dude is recording on a phone, and he has a “Cat Flag” sticker on the back, and it’s a little distracting cause I keep seeing flag, then these four black cats in a row. It reminds of Black Flag, but its not, thats the point.

LAC: Same people that made the case also made this rad hat I’m wearing haha, there goes a plug for Tavik, you heard it here folks.

LAC: I’m sure you guys get asked this all of the time, but the bands name, Twin Peaks, any relation to the TV show?

CLJ: Actually no relation to the TV show at all, but there is a relation to the Hooters type chain restaurant thats where we got the idea, because they have great wings and great breasts….titties!

LAC: Wild onion just came out about a month ago, so how are you guys feeling about it all?

CLJ: For a quick comparison we sold more copies in the first week of Wild Onion then we’ve sold of our debut album today, so it’s definitely got more emotion behind it, and more people paying attention. We had a great time making it, and I feel like we are all having a great time promoting, getting on the road and playing shows with new songs. So, yeah, that’s awesome, lifes good!

LAC: How would you guys describe the style of Wild Onion

JD: We all write songs pretty much individually, that is whoever is singing it, writes it individually between Clay and Cadien. I think that was really more accentuated in this album wheras as Sunken sounded really similar throughout the whole thing. This one is completely not like that, it’s all over the place, but it really makes our individual song writing really stand out pretty heavily

CLJ: I wish I came up with this before the album came out for describing it, but It’s just a mixtape of old rock and roll we like. It all flows like a mixtape, as if you were making it for a lady

LAC: Well unfortunately we are running low on time but is there anyone you’d like to give a shout out to?

CLJ: Shout out to the Landlords, Big Bursh, JT Frito Forever, all the boys in Chicago…who else are we shouting out to? Rob, Chicago Cub, Bulls, Parents, Mom, Dad, shouts to my Grandma, Grandpa…

CONNOR BRODNER: Shouts to Mr. S, Lane Tech teacher. He was so cool…

JD: Shouts to 2937!

CLJ: Yeah shouts to that, shouts to Mr. Windorf…

CF: Shouts to Trev Dog, but no shouts to Mr. Windorf…

CLJ: Shouts to all the dudes in Olympia…

TWIN PEAKS: Shouts to free beer, shouts to the Eagulls UK, shouts to my homies the Orwells I see you out there grinding, shouts to Criminal Hygiene, shouts to Knee High, The Lemons, White Ministry, shouts out to Chicago… Shouts out Grand Jury, Shouts out Aquarium Drunkard, shouts to Ben Kramer. Shouts to Craig, wait did we say Craig already? Shouts out to Jacob Damon, and shouts out to all my Facebook friends who I don’t know.

To spare extensive blurbs, we will just tell you that the shouts went on for an additional five minutes. Shouts were given to everyone, and when we say everyone, we mean everyone—all of course with good intentions and vibes from the gang.

Twin Peaks will be on tour this fall and back in Los Angeles on November 12th, performing at the Echo with Criminal Hygiene. Pick up a copy of their new album Wild Onion at a record store near your abode, and be sure to catch them on their tour at a local venue near you. For Twin Peaks tour dates, click here.