Stark Contributor Interviews Pains of Being Pure at Heart for Free Williamsburg

Stark contributing writer and blogger, Lauren Mooney, recently interviewed up-and-coming, fuzzed-out rockers, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Starkny recommended) for Free Williamsburg. Here Mooney asks vox and keys player Peggy Wang about their recent successes:

"So first of all congrats on all your recent successes -- especially your Pitchfork review. How does all this buzz feel?

It's awesome! It is kind of crazy that one simple thing can open so many doors. No one had ever heard of us before the review, and now I have old high school and college friends contacting me and saying stuff like "Congrats!" and "I'm so proud of you!" It's funny because I don't think anyone has said "Congratulations" to me since the time I won the regional spelling bee in 5th grade. We self-released an EP and it was never reviewed on Pitchfork, and I think when we recorded the album, it didn't even occur to us that it would even get reviewed. So yeah, it really surpassed any kind of expectations."

Check out the rest of the interview here.

A Quick Inquisition with Ari Gold of The Honey Brothers

STARK vs. ARI GOLD of THE HONEY BROTHERS

We caught The Honey Brothers last Saturday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Yes, most of the people there just seemed to want to make out with Vinny Chase, err, I mean Adrian Grenier. So I'm sure it came as a great relief to them that although Grenier is just the drummer, his drumset had good viewing placement, plus he strummed a guitar and sang for a few numbers.

But honestly, even though it may just be the success of Grenier that's propelled these boys to semi-stardom, Honey Brothers are much better than other vanity projects like Dogstar (Keanu Reeves.) They've even been compared to the Silver Jews, the Beach Boys and Ween by Village Voice.

And I really do appreciate ukelele player and vocalist Ari Gold's (real name? I'm not sure) whimsy. He was nice enough tell us about the band meeting at Ukelele Fantasy Camp, Bohemia and a utopia of love...

Catch Lauren Mooney's interview with Ari Gold after the jump.

What was Ukelele Fantasy Camp like? Is that where you guys met?

Ukulele fantasy camp is a state of mind, like Bohemia. As soon as you hold a curvy little uke in your hands you are At Camp™. Dory was the first among us to play the uke, and I was the first to become obsessed by it, when Dory lent me his. Truth is I was just tired of being stuck behind a drum set and I wanted an instrument that would fit into a backpack, since I like to travel. But the band starting singing around the uke and walking the streets with it, so At Camp was in the streets of New York. You can't be a bad ass at Ukelele Fantasy Camp and it's not possible to be cool, so the normal social struggles of camp do not apply. There are no cool kids at our camp, and that's a relief. Can you imagine a bully with a ukulele?

You were quoted on your MySpace bio as saying, "I think our music is trying to find the utopia of love in a world that might be going to shit." What is your current take on the world? And how exactly do you think your music helps find utopia of love?

Well, having just played two shows amidst the beauty of Washington DC as Obama was being inaugurated, we are feeling a little more hopeful about the world. But there is a lot of struggle and trouble in life, and if you can make music with your friends and try to enjoy every moment, then you are in a utopia of love. If we all end up as roving tribes of people eating nuts and berries in a few years, we hope that we'll still be able to maintain a good mood by playing music.

Dream people to play live with?

Metallica, David Bowie, Toots and the Maytals, David Byrne, Igor Stravinsky.

What's next for the Honey Brothers?

We have a bunch of new songs in our "new wave folk" vein and plan to record an album this summer. Meanwhile, we might make a movie, a solo record, or act in a TV show if we have to to get by.

Lauren's Top 10 of 2008

Lauren Mooney's Top 10 Albums of 2008

Lauren Mooney is a contributing writer to Stark. Her words have appeared all over the Internet, most recently on Brooklyn Vegan. Also, check out her blog: I Capture The City Electric. These are her top 10 albums of the past year, in no particular order.

Lykke Li: Youth Novels
This CD is like a magical treasure trove of pop jams and love songs - "Tonight" and "Complaint Department" are two of the best songs of the year.





Vampire Weekend (Self Titled)
Can I even really listen to this album anymore? No. But do I think it was one of the most solid releases of the year? Yes.






Sebastien Tellier: Sexuality
France's musical daddy makes sexy music to perform while girls throw their panties at him - say no more.






Flight Of The Conchords (Self Titled)
So maybe I don't even own this album but I do own Season 1 of the show, and I think for the Pet Shop Boys-inspired "Inner City Pressure" alone this is a classic.






Beck: Modern Guilt
Almost like a combo of Sea Change and Odelay. Beck holds a special place in my heart always because my dad and I always go see him together. My dad even flew out to New York this last tour to continue the tradition.





Noah And The Whale: Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach-inspired musical whimsy... give me a fiddle and some handclaps and I'm there.






The Welcome Wagon: Welcome to The Welcome Wagon
Were you patiently awaiting the next Sufjan album? Well, if you were wondering what he's been up to, he's making music that sounds just like this.






Santogold (Self Titled)
This woman is a force to be reckoned with...a goldmine for remixers and a catalog of influences that ultimately blow my mind.






Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna
Tribal drums make what could otherwise be too kooky become dancey, soulful and wonderful.






...Britney Spears: Circus
Ok, Ok, I know! But dude, it's fun!








For more staff picks, like contributing writer Mike Bailey's top albums of 2008, check out the "Best Of" section. Tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 16) we'll be posting Andrew's and Matt's top albums of 2008, and Wednesday we'll be unveiling the artists' picks.