It’s difficult not to immediately fall in love with Yellow Fever. Their quirky but earnest minimal pop has all the charm and bounce of K Records in the 1980’s. In fact, given the myriad of projects that the trio has their hands in (see below), that collaborative atmosphere inspired by the Northwest twee/punk underground offers an apt analogy. With disarmingly straightforward lyrics like “The cutest boy I ever saw / Was sipping cider through a straw” (“Cutest”) or their sweetly bopping ode to Donovan, the group begs the question: “Why won’t you recognize how psychedelic I am / And love me?” (“Psychedelic”). Yellow Fever will be headlining this Saturday at the Mohawk for Bliss Out II, featuring the wonderfully hazed and dazed lineup of For Those Who Know, The Fiction and Skiesfalling. Let the euphoria ensue!
Profile: Yellow Fever
Year Formed:
2006
Members/Instruments played:
Jennifer Moore- vocals, guitar, drums, bass, keyboard. Isabel Martin- guitar, bass, drums, vocals, keyboard. Adam Jones- drums, bass.
Former Bands/Side Projects:
Adam Jones and Isabel Martin have been in several bands together. The first one was Robots, Please! This band was primarily the brain child of mastermind Jason Pearson (now of Basic) and David Morley (now of Triangle Shirtwaist Company in Chicago). Isabel joined the band in 2000, and Adam joined (after many personnel changes) in 2002. Then, Robots, Please! broke up after releasing two albums (Left Hand Turn; The Acropolis), and Adam, Isabel, and David Morley formed a band with Nathan Hager called ‘Teenage Dog.’ Adam, Nathan, and Isabel also played together in another band called ‘I Admit Nothing.’ Both bands lasted about a year. Teenage Dog released two albums (Year of the Teenage Dog; Port Huron), and I Admit Nothing recorded, but did not release the album. They instead gave away cds at shows. At the end of 2003, Isabel met Jennifer Moore and they discovered they could harmonize quite well. At the time, Jennifer was playing tambourine and singing backup with Voxtrot. Isabel and Jennifer started a band called ‘Fart Face,’ and played only a few shows around town in unusual locations (Spider House, Escapist Bookstore, Big Orange) with alternate drummers Jason Pearson and Chef Pittman (of Telephone Company fame). They made one recording of about 25 very short, simple songs. Then Isabel moved to New York in 2004, and Jennifer visited for an extended time in which time they made more music on the 4-track. When Isabel moved back, she and Jennifer immediately started Yellow Fever, having discussed the name in New York. Adam joined soon after. They have been on one tour out west to California, playing their big shows with Voxtrot.
Isabel’s other former side projects: Dizzy Spells Martian, Mrs. Muffet and the Mexicans, Bad Baby (solo), Dark Hollers (NY)
Jennifer’s other living side projects: The Carrots, The Pinecones, Business Deal Records Compilation, backing vocals for several Business Deal artists, and Voxtrot
Adam’s other former side projects: Care Bear Crew, The Whale (jazz trio)
Albums:
Yellow Fever, s/t (2006)
We plan on recording again in the Spring.
Influences:
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Simon and Garfunkel, Devo, Beach Boys, Jason Pearson, Nemir Naayem, Debussy, White Noise, Albert Ayler, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Neil Young, Otis Redding, Troggs, Zombies, Marvelettes, Jaynettes, Aisler Set, Quixotic, Daniel Johnston, Adrian Belew, Chef Pittman
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
The most unusual comment we’ve ever heard from a critic is that Adam’s mullet is forgivable because he looks like the critic’s favorite queer novelist. After hearing this, Jennifer promptly made a purple sweatshirt with iron-on white letters that spelled out: YOUR FAVORITE QUEER NOVELIST that Adam wears with some regularity in the winter months.
Favorite local bands:
Basic, Horse + Donkey, Pataphysics, DFI, The Telephone Company, Cry Blood Apache, That frat band that invited us to play maracas and xylophone at Hole in the Wall, Bill Callahan
Favorite local venue:
The Parlor, Beerland, Long Branch Inn
Upcoming shows scheduled:
On February 3rd, we are playing an early show at Carousel with Pataphysics and Low Red Center and then a later show at Mohawk with For Those Who Know, Skiesfalling, and The Fiction. On Valentine’s Day, we will play the end of a variety show hosted by the Tuna Helpers at Room 710. It should be lots of fun. On March 16th, we will play that brave new art gallery, OK Mountain (www.okaymountain.com).
Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:
Deerhoof is coming to Emo’s on March 9th.
Some of your favorite albums from the past year:
Horse + Donkey’s album, Still Flyin’ – Time Wrinkled, The Delta Five — Singles
Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:
Present: Ecstatic Sunshine, Still Flyin,’ Deerhoof, Erase Errata, The Slits.
Past: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Black Sabbath
Austin Sound questions:
Top five songs ever about about disease/plague?:
1. Mental illness/ Perversion: “Hot Blooded” — Foreigner
2. Mental illness/ Perversion: “Poison Ivy” — The Coasters
3. Physical illness: “Strep Throat” — Fart Face
4. Delirium/Tattooed brain: “Rats” — Syd Barrett
5. Physical illness/Perversion: “Let’s Make the Water Turn Black” — Frank Zappa
Who is the most psychedelic of the three of you and why?:
Miles Jones, 5, Adam’s son, is the most psychedelic of us all because he occasionally repeats the last word of every sentence, replicating the effect of a delay pedal. He is also very much a “free spirit.”
Song Introduction:
ALICE — Jennifer and Isabel were “jamming” at Jennifer’s house and recording their jams on a handheld tape player. They sang a song about Golden Retrievers, and then they forgot that song. Later, when they listened to the tape, they were overawed by one rousing chorus, which later became the chorus to Alice: “Alice! You’ve gone too far!/ Howl with the howling dogs!” Jennifer wrote new lyrics and two verses, and it became the song you now hear. On her lyrics, Jennifer remarks that they are about “being confused about what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Sound Off:
“Oh, gosh. Life is really too much,” said a great man.
We love to sing. We love to dance. We are full of love.
“Don’t put pizza on the dashboard. It’ll turn rotten!” –Adam
“Speak clearly or die.” –Isabel
“Get that little blond boy. Pull out his blond hair!” –Jennifer
“I’m still flyin’ after all these years.” –Yellow Fever
Mp3 from Yellow Fever:
Alice
Website:
Myspace
