If you’ve been paying attention to social media at all this past week, you’ll know that Red Bull Sound Select is bringing the city a pretty badass concert tonight.
Cherub will be joined by Carousel and Future Unlimited at the Wooly Theater (next to The Top on Main St.) for what’s sure to be a funkadelic, feel good evening.
I got a chance to talk to Kevin Friedman, half of the Los Angeles based duo Carousel to figure out what all the hoopla is about.
Friedman and Jackson Phillips met at Berklee College of Music in Boston while studying music performance and production, respectively. They started making music their senior year and quickly realized their vast influences produced some seriously cool music. After a quick stint in New York, the two moved to the west coast and settled in LA. Friedman did note that the group plans on moving somewhere up north in California, as they’ve looking for a more peaceful environment. For Carousel, Los Angeles is “not one of the most conducive places to make music.”
“It’s one of those places that’s fun to visit,” Friedman said.
The duo never really knew exactly what sort of music they wanted to make when they started working together. Friedman said the two mostly enjoy jazz music and didn’t start listening to electronic-influenced music until they started making it, citing bands such as Phoenix, MGMT and Miike Snow as their primary dance-based influences.
“Do what you like and see what you come up with,” Friedman said, explaining how the two compose their music.
That free-flow approach has worked well for the group, as their music has been featured heavily all over major music blogs since early on in the group’s existence. That success has lead them to spending a decent amount of time touring and performing in front of different audiences. Friedman says the group has learned a ton from being on the road, claiming that, “being on the road changes the way you play live.”
The group is excited about playing for the college crowd in Gainesville, a demographic they hadn’t been introduced to before the tour with Cherub. Friedman noted that the college crowds are, generally, more about dancing and partying than the indie crowds they’re used to playing in front of. Because of this, the group has learned to be more engaging with the audience and has a better understanding of who they play to.
With a live setup consisting of synthesizers, vocals and guitar, Carousel’s performance is bound to be more than engaging. So get ready to move your feet for what’s sure to be the perfect way to get down before the end of the semester.
Photos courtesy of: Facebook and Instagram
