BUILDING SOMETHING MORE
A CONVERSATION WITH CHOKECHERRY
When two friends from separate underground bands crossed paths in the Bay Area of San Francisco, they could never have imagined the remarkable journey that awaited their new project, chokecherry, following their first single, “Glassjaw.” By day, E. Scarlett Levinson was an elementary school teacher, and by night, she was a member of the psychedelic-rock band Fauxes. Meanwhile, the other half of chokecherry, Izzie A. Clark, serves as the lead vocalist for the hardcore-infused group Thank You Come Again, a role that continues to inspire and drive her passion for music. Inspired by Ty Segall, bands like Fugazi, My Bloody Valentine, Slint, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, The Cranberries, Courtney Love, The Cocteau Twins, and Dinosaur Jr., E. Levinson and Clark, and their drummer Abri Crocitto, would use these unique influences to create the sound we hear on their latest EP this month, Messy Star.
“So, when we were in our other projects, I feel like we both craved something a little more melodic that really kind of honed in on the music that we loved,” replies vocalist and guitarist Izzie A. Clark.
“I totally agree,” proceeds vocalist and bassist Levinson. ” I think there are genres of music that we both love a lot, but I think it also comes down to having that rare dynamic of having two female-fronted vocalists in the band, which is a rare thing. It’s just all sort of dope how it all came together. We just started jamming and having fun, haha. We threw things at the wall and saw what stuck.” She smiles. “We got together and would play music all the time because we were really excited about what we were creating and doing. It’s kind of interesting how it started because we did it for the love of it and this new musical venue to put our hearts into, there was an energy around it. But it was after our second show, we sold out of all our shirts, and we started to feel that there was something larger going on here.”
Both artists were eager to delve into more melodic sounds within a pop-grunge fusion. Despite their dedication to other projects, they were taken aback by the rapid rise and climb to fame for chokecherry. This unexpected turn of events led to their signing with Fearless Records and the subsequent production of their debut EP. While it had been a long road or trial and error with other musical endeavors, their maturity and growth are defined and nurtured here in this new chapter in their lives.
“Maturing musically, we had a better understanding going into this project, than other projects. When I started playing in my other band when I was 19, I was still trying to find my voice,” says Clark. “Four years later, we started this project. I think while learning to play guitar for eight or nine years and growing up and finding so many musical inspirations in the bay, we formed an understanding of what it is wanted to do and achieve.
“I also believe our connections and growth were a result of the experiences and opportunities we had while being involved in the music scene. When I was in my band Fauxes, we did a few things with Death Valley Girls, and later chokecherry also worked with them. Fauxes performed in Mexico, and later chokecherry also had a show there,” according to Scarlett. “Izzie’s other project, Thank You, Come Again, participated in Freakout Fest, and Fauxes was also part of the event. Many people started asking how we managed to do all this, and it all came down to years of hard work and being active in the music scene. It was all the right scenario, right time, but we learned by doing.”
MESSY STAR ALBUM REVIEW
chokecherry prioritized not only their ability to create a sound that paid homage to the genres they were passionate about but also their commitment to crafting stories that resonated with people on a profound emotional level. In the midst of a world characterized by pervasive anger and ongoing uncertainty, the EP Messy Star emerged as a delicate yet forceful exploration of these challenging realities.
“We had a bit of a deadline to do as much as we could with the time that we had available. Sometimes when we work, we try to explore every possible avenue, where it usually takes weeks to write a song. With a couple of songs, it was super quick to make these kinds of decisions, but I think that helped us with our sense of conviction,” says Clark. “We learned to trust ourselves a little bit more. We also got to work with producers we never worked with before, Zack Tuch, who was the producer of the latest Knocked Loose record, and Sarah Tudzin, who worked on boygenius and is in illuminati hotties. Together, they created such a cool vibe for this record. We did “I know You” and “Afterglow” with Sarah, and then additional production and all the other songs with Zack. “No Other Place” was the first song we wrote in the studio without auditioning it live before, and that was cool because I felt like we had this unadulterated vibe in the studio. We were able to just go with the flow, and we enjoyed that.”
“Each track is different, and was written a little bit differently,” says Levinson. “The songs are in reverse chronological order on the EP, which is so interesting because I didn’t put that together, but the newest song we have written is first, and the oldest song we wrote together is last. “Mirror, Mirror” was the first chokecherry song we recorded. Sometimes with the lyrical themes, we find inspiration with Cocteau Twins, and we find lyrics and themes that fit what we are trying to write, it all comes down to the guitar melodies first, but often the themes will remain the same. Sometimes Izzie or I will bring in an idea and just run with it, but mostly we collectively build those ideas together, jamming in a room.”
Throughout their journey, the band has undergone significant personal growth and learning experiences. chokecherry has come to realize that despite the uncertainty of fame, there is a consistent beauty in embracing one’s imperfections and finding comfort and confidence in self-exploration.
“In the conclusions of our other music videos, there is a recurring theme, even in our songs, of being tied to water or feeling suffocated and drowned in emotions. Songs like “No Other Place” make direct references to water. In the “Messy Star” video, we are completely soaked.” Clark laughs, “I’m so excited for people to finally see it; it’s directed by Brianna Lynn [Brown], our best friend. I think there is something really special that happens when you have so many people working on a song. We all have song ideas and compositions ideas, and it becomes something bigger than itself. The individual is removed, and it takes on its own existence.”
“The way this process helped me grow is that during the songwriting process you have to learn to remove a lot of attachment to your version of it, or the version you walk in with at first for the better of the song or the music as a whole,” continues Levinson. “It’s like this song is a kid or person outside in the world, it has its own life and meaning now. People are going to listen to it and form their own opinions and meanings to it as time goes on; you have to learn to let it go and have the song take on a meaning of its own.”
Artist Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHOKECHERRY – MESSY STAR
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FAKE SHARK – AFTERGLOW
SPILL CANADIAN VIDEO PREMIERE: MARVA VON THEO – “DISSOLVE”
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: THE SEA AT MIDNIGHT – “AFTERGLOW”
