10Qs with Pearl and the Beard

Back in late September we met up with three of the most magnificent souls in music, four counting our lovely beard loving folkster Sophie Madeleine, namely Emily Hope Price, Jeremy Styles and Jocelyn Mackenzie of Pearl and the Beard (self described as: three voices, one cello, one guitar, one glockenspiel, one melodica, several drums, one accordion, ninety-six teeth, and one soul).

This team of lovely souls, voices and laughs hit us right where it hurts, and it's been hurting SO good ever since. Not to mention the fact that they sell beards at their shows, Emily and Jocelyn went out of their way to make sure my (super) pregnant wife had a place to sit at their EP release... and trust me when i say there was NO room. Thank you again ladies.

Emily introduced me to the rest of the band as 'the guy that will make us famous'... which is laughable and humbling all at the same time... so, to try and live up to such hype, and to give back to a band that has changed the way i look at harmony, whether musically or socially (seriously)... Build-a-Beard stopped by the band's tour bus (cause we do that now) and the sublimed interview is below, and what resulted is our longest and most engaging Q&A to date.

Trust me, buy their EP, then their CD, then go see their shows... just trust me.

Remaining Black Vessel EP Tour shows:
Nov 19th Athens, OH @ Jackie O’s w/ Holy Ghost Tent Revival
Nov 20th Pittsburgh, PA @ Church of the Redeemer w/ Brad Yoder and Judith Avers

(P.S. Check this out too: Pearl and the Beard – Will Smith Medley)

EHP = Emily Hope Price JM = Jocelyn Mackenzie JS = Jeremy Styles

So, this is the chance for us to make you famous... we are honored, and humbled you think this will help your cause... either way, tell us the 'story' behind the name of your band, Pearl and the Beard.
JS: We tend to keep that a bit more vague, and open to interpretation, but as far as the Beard portion goes, when coming up with the name I was pretty obsessed with beards. They are sort of like a great butt or boobs on a man's face. I would just stare at a beard and be captivated with my lookin' balls.

You sell plush beards with a single pearl on it (a la Cindy Crawford's mole)... do they sell well? We get the feeling that people that can't grow beards FLOCK to fake ones, what say you? and where can our beardly deficient readers get their hands on it?
EHP: We made them in order to support our beardless market. 
JM: Yes, and they’re actually selling quite well! They are made in America by the nimble hands of two fine young American art school graduates, our friend and former photographer Juliet Hinely, and myself. They are made by hand, individually crafted by Juliet and yours truly. They are time consuming to make, and a labor of love. The ONLY place you can get them is at a show! So come on down!

You have one beardo among you... who sometimes shaves... do you guys push him to shave or does he go willingly?
JS: In the years we’ve playing I’ve only shaved once.
EHP: No, you’ve shaved more than that!
JS: Well, maybe one more time. I shave willingly. But I like going extreme. I’ll shave when it starts driving me nuts and I start twisting it in my fingers.
JM: But you do trim, though.
JS: Yes.

You're on tour to support your new EP, what are some crazy facial hair stories you've had on the road previously. bad hair days would qualify if they are on the chin... we'll also take the weirdest facial hair style that may have attended your shows.
EHP: Well, we could talk about Franz Nicolay and his awesome moustache… but that’s it.
JM: Our friend Brandon Mastrangelo [of Burning Oak and Larcenist] had a really sick beard going for awhile.
EHP: We also talked about beards being one of the requirements of making a song a sea shanty.
JM: Yeah, between Pearl and the Beard and our friends in Larcenist (formerly known as Vessel), I think we determined that for a song to be a sea shanty, there have to be at least six guys singing at the same time, and at least four of them have to have beards (see our old Sunday Brunch Episode for more specifics... notice Jeremy's lack of a beard)
JS: Occasionally we’ll rub beards with people.
EHP: Yes, we love the occasional beard rubbing. It’s better than a brass rubbing. It leaves more of an impression.
JS: What’s a brass rubbing?
EHP: You know, like in Indiana Jones, when he rubs the thing on the thing… 
JS: Oh yeah! 
EHP: It totally makes a good “impression...!”
ALL: LAUGHTER! 
JS: Who else had good beards?
EHP: Justin Tam [of Humble House] had a good beard for awhile…
JM: Yeah, but it was pretty under control.
JS: Oh, but don’t forget E-S Guthrie…
JM: Yeah! His hair was so long, and his beard was like down to his bellybutton or something. Then he cut it all off. I liked it long, but he still looks good. So really our answer is: we’ve only encountered incredible hair.

I gotta say all the stuff written about your band is very ethereal, very soul and depth related... hell you guys even listed Gospel as a style on your FB page... that said, if we created a religion of worshiping facial hair (i.e. theopogonology), would you write our gospels and join in on the cult, erm club?
JM: Well, only if we get really great titles. 
EHP: Jeremy, you would be the King of Panda Express. I would be the Queen of Tornados and Electronic Disturbance.
JM: What would I be?
EHP: You would be Queen of Tears.
JS: I’d rather be Jeremy the Boob Grabbler. 
EHP: What did I say you were before? 
JM: The stupid King of Stupid Panda Stupid Express. But that doesn’t have anything to do with beards.
JS: Well, would we be in the gospels, or would we just be writing them ourselves?
EHP: I think we could write some.
JS: I personally like to keep my options open when it comes to clubs, but I’d be happy to contribute to some of the literature. 

Seriously though, how would you define your style personally, there is so much in your music from strings to stomping, bells whistles, a glockenspiel, call and answer whooping (which i love) and other layers upon layers of goodies... for god's sake there are only three of you!
JS: Acoustic.
JM: Done. Answered. 
JS: Other people have said we’ve created a new genre, whether I agree with that is arguable.
EHP: I’ve never heard that.
JS: I’m just saying what other people said. If you quote other people then you’re not wrong!
EHP: The newest description we got was “Andrew Lloyd Webber sitting around the campfire.” But I talked to a musical theater guy who totally disagreed with that. 
JM: I don’t know. I just think we make music that we like to listen to. [Composer and multi-instrumentalist] Jim Altieri said to me once that if there’s music that you want to listen to that doesn’t exist yet, you just make it yourself. That’s what my favorite part of our sound is… we’re making music that we ourselves want to hear. You can’t go wrong with that.

What is your musical training has been? know that it couldn't all be learned on the fly...
JS: I started taking very uncomfortable guitar lessons, then I was self taught with books and covering songs. Now I just watch other guitarists on stage and learn from what they’re doing. And I’ve been singing for always.
JM: I’m a total faker. These two tricked me into learning how to play instruments, and I’m glad they did. 
EHP: Jeremy and Jocelyn found me passed out on the side of the road carrying a simple clover.
JS: We replaced a forty of Colt 45 you were holding in your hand with a cello.
EHP: And they were like, “Play something!” and I was like, “Okay.”
JM: Yeah.
EHP: And I was like, “Guys, I don’t know how to play this thing!” and they were like, “That’s just fine.”
JS: Yeah and I said, “Just play like you drink.”
EHP: Yeah. What’s funny about that is I don’t drink.

We've heard some of your tracks (like Lost in Singapore) compared to classical giants like Brahms... whom are actually your inspirations and what gets your creativity flowing?

EHP: Macaroni and cheese! Only from Kraft! Also, Annie’s is great.
JM: And the box has bunnies on it.
JS: Yeah.
JM: I get inspired by everything I see! And I love They Might Be Giants. But my friends bands are the best bands I love. I can’t tell if I love their music because they are my friends or they become my friends because they write great music or both.
JS: Last night I saw this guy Jacob Augustine and he really flipped my skirt up. It’s sort of a bittersweet feeling to see a new artist that makes me feel challenged, like I need to go back to the drawing board and write something better.
EHP: I love Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Franz Nicolay.
JM: Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Uncle Monsterface, O’Death, Emilyn Brodsky, Tatters and Rags, Dinosaur Feathers.
EHP: Anna Vogelzang 
JS: Radiohead has helped me write more songs than I care to remember. Oh and bee tee dubs, Jacob Augustine has a phenomenal beard. Fudge about.

Anything we didn't ask, that you are DYING to share?
JM: Just that our new EP is for sale from our website www.pearlandthebeard.com and www.blackvesselep.com, through our label Family Records, and on iTunes, Amazon, etc.
JS: Sounds good! 
JM: Also, when I was little I would watch Mtv and secretly wish that I could grow a beard like ZZ Top. My mom would tell me that if I really wanted to grow one I just had to wish for it and keep trying, and then I would realize my dream. Little did I know that she duped me.

The Beard Song (ode to a beard) LIVE

Last night was amazing. Very cool culmination of the Sophie Madeleine bearded goodness... and just like I like it too: tender, soft, humorous, lengthy... like a good beard.

By all means you should get Sophie's record so that to bask in her musical hairiness, however watching her play live (and dedicate the last song to B-a-B) is a whole 'nother lovely experience.

The love the Sophie so kindly showed B-a-B reverberated throughout the evening; which included an EP release party for Pearl and the Beard and was also amazing in and of itself (more news on that at a later time).

We are humbled and appreciative of the transatlantic proveit from a dispatch of Rocky and Balls themselves... So, without further ado, Build-a-Beard is proud to present LIVE from NYC, The Beard Song (Ode To A Beard). Enjoy!

The Balls Perspective: Keep it hairy

Back in March, when I wrote the Q&A with Rocky and Balls, I didn't actually meet up with Sophie Madeleine and Hannah Rockcliffe to do the interview... B-a-B staffers don't get an expense account (yet) to fly transatlantic... I did the interview not in person but via the Internets. There, I said it... So, when finally having an opportunity to meet half of the duo on my own turf, aka Brooklyn, I jumped at it.

Still groggy from a crazy night in Coney Island, I stumbled to breakfast with the full intention of impressing our fair neighbor to the east, as well as her local beardo by wearing my newly acquired Rocky and Balls T-Shirt (number 2 of 50, #justsaying). Yes, I was THAT guy, but so be it, it was the right occasion... besides, my wife told me I looked very cute 'in that little T-shirt,' so there.

What followed was a great lunch with even greater people. Sophie, Sonya, Tim and I talked beards, scruff, music, Brooklyn, Lady Gaga (yes, really), relationships, England and US geography, and much much more. Distilled below are some key findings.

• To my surprise, the UK and Brooklyn facial hair scenes are very similar. Sophie wasn't going to indulge me with "Brooklyn is SO CLEARLY so much better"...

• Like me, Sophie does not listen to the radio and preferrs the countryside to the metropolis. However, very much unlike me, she does not drink coffee.

• Understandably, both Rocky's and Balls' boyfriends are beardos. More over, Sophie's beard is also her guitarist.

• On September 24th Sophie has her 2nd NYC gig. 7pm at The Living Room (154 Ludlow St.)
  • Also playing that night, at 9pm, are Pearl and the Beard who aparently have fake beards for sale at the show.

• Honorable mention: Sophie and Sonya played footsies while Tim and I blabbed on about music and media.

10 Qs with Rocky and Balls (EXCLUSIVE)

Whether from our posts on various sites (Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter), or your own hairy YouTube searches, by now you had to have heard of Rocky and Balls, The Beard Song, or at least figured out how awesome a ukulele can really be… We’ve been on this particular ‘Beard Folk’ bandwagon since connecting the seminal song to the overdub of Beardo: The Movie (another favorite) and swooning over it ever since that very moment on… but the story gets even better.

Seemingly following the Build-A-Beard 'all inclusive' philosophy, Rocky and Balls didn’t just want to recognize beards among the facial fuzz elite; to prove their true devotion to loving all things hirsute the duo went above and beyond their calling to raise money for Movember with The Mo Song… at that point the halls of Build-A-Beard were buzzing, we knew we had to find these two fair neighbors to the east, get into their heads and see what other fuzzy things we can uncover.

To scoop an EXCLUSIVE interview, Build-A-Beard’s own El Beardo gladly flew across the Atlantic over the weekend to sit down with Sophie Madeleine and Hannah Rockcliffe and get to the bottom of everything we and our readers were dying to know. Below is the resulting unedited conversation, and is our gift to you on this Monday, hopefully the three of us can make it a brighter day/week for y'all... and maybe, just maybe... the duo will love us for more than our beard now. Hopefully...

B-A-B: First things first, how did you meet and how long have you been singing together? What about the name… where’d that come from?

Rocky: I was flat-share-hunting because I was moving to Bath to start an MA in Songwriting. And, as fate would allow, I unknowingly came across the house of another prospective Songwriting MA-er, Balls!!

Balls: Yes, we met through a flat-share website, and I actually had to pay a membership fee just so I could message her back! She was worth it though!

Rocky: I moved in and we became great pals indeed. That was September 2007 and we've been "Rocky and Balls" officially for about a year now. The name is from our surnames and nicknames pertaining to our surnames. Rockcliffe and Ball.

B-A-B: I'd say it was worth it for sure, and a happy belated anniversary ladies! One of the pillars of your repertoire is The Beard Song, which is absolutely amazing, how did the idea come about?

Rocky: We had to write a song together for a University assignment, so we were thinking of all of our commonalities, the list was: fajitas, being a student, cats, and then beards! So we rolled with the beards idea.

Balls: Yes, a few weeks before the assignment I had just started writing songs on ukulele, and Rocky really liked what I was doing and wanted to write a song for ukulele too! I seem to remember it was a lazy Sunday and I was in my pajamas throughout the entire process. 'Twas a good day!

B-A-B: You say that the song was made by Balls to cheer up Rocky... what was Rocky so sad about?

Rocky: I was moving home from University early due to the terribly sad passing of my uncle (which helped inspire us to support the charity Movember with a song about Mustaches in aid of Prostate cancer) so Balls recorded a video of our song and sent it to me to cheer me up. And it worked!

Balls: I was in the middle of recording my album. I was getting a bit tired of it, but then I came across the lyrics to "that song about beards" that I had written with Hannah a few months before. It made me laugh so much that I thought Hannah should hear it because I knew she was going through a tough time. 

B-A-B: Do beards always cheer Rocky up? or is it Balls' uke playing that puts a smile on Rocky's face? We'd think a kazoo session can always help too...

Rocky: Laughs "just the sight of a beard can cure a frown!" springs to mind! When we get together there is usually a lot of cheeriness.

B-A-B: The Beard Song was used in the trailer of Beardo: The Movie... is that a big and furry honor? I’m sure you can get a private invite to the World Beard and Moustache Championships now (the theme of the movie), will you take up the offer if it comes?

Balls: A very big honor indeed! And if we ever receive in a invite to go to the championships we'd happily accept! (hint hint)

B-A-B: The Mo Song was a great charity initiative for Movember; was that your first charity work with the organization? How much did you raise?

Rocky: Yes, 2009 was our first bit of charity work using Rocky and Balls. We felt we wanted to raise some money and awareness the best way we knew how, and that was to write a song. We posted it on http://rockyandballs.bandcamp.com for download for the week leading up to the charity's event in London and managed to raise £350. We were so pleased to raise so much in such a short time and all the proceeds went straight to the charity.

Balls: Also, my Dad had the most amazing mustache for all of his adult life. He sadly died of cancer when I was in my teens, so when Rocky suggested the idea, I had every reason to agree to it!

B-A-B: Rocky, we have to admit, you look awesome with a stache…you donned not one, but two fake staches for The Christmas Song Song... why not during The Mo Song? 

Rocky: The tache's were a present and unfortunately I didn't own the mo's til after we had finished the video for the Mo song! 

     

(B-a-B: Rocky used it also for The Mo Song 'promo' as seen in middle picture)

 B-A-B: What is each of your favorite beard or facial hair style? Please say corporate beardos…

Rocky: I enjoy a dense but neatly trimmed beard on a man.

Balls: I concur, very much so indeed. I just visited the BUILD-A-BEARD website in order to research "corporate beardos", because neither of us had ever heard that expression before. And I THINK that is exactly what Rocky just described, no?

B-A-B: You just made me the happiest beard blogger alive! Let me compose myself, take a cold shower and switch topics… In The Gay Song you make it a point to say that your gay fans' beards are “always neat,” do you find that the straight beardos don’t upkeep their beards as much?

Rocky: Laughs some don't…

Balls: All the bearded men that I know have very neat beards, regardless of their sexuality. But our gay friends are very well groomed in general, and we wanted to express that in lyrical form. Plus, we love beards, so of course we're going to mention them at every opportunity!

B-A-B: ...And finally, what's next for Rocky and Balls? Any more opportunities for facial hair recognition in any future songs?

Rocky: It's difficult living so far away from each other to come up with regular videos. Although, we are brainstorming a new song at the moment, but its subject is a closely guarded secret! What other types of facial hair can we write about!? Eyebrows perhaps?

Balls: We're also traveling to Italy at the beginning of April to do a show in our respective solo guises, and the organizers have requested some Rocky and Balls songs as an encore!