Loquat [rank: 399] based on users subscribed

"Loquat is an electronic/pop band based in San Francisco, California. The group is currently composed of Kylee Swenson (vocals/guitar), Earl Otsuka (guitar), Christopher Lautz (drums/backing vocals), Ryan Manley (keyboards), and Anthony Gordon (bass guitar). Loquat began with singer Kylee Swenson and Earl Otsuka writing songs in San Francisco in 1996. However, it wasn't until 2001 that the band came into being in its current form, when bass player Anthony Gordon encouraged the then-duo to play live shows. They recruited drummer Christopher Lautz and original keyboardist Ben Kasman, and Loquat played their first live engagement in September of 2001. Loquat self-released their first EP, The Penny Drop, in May of 2002. It was followed later that year by a second EP, Fall, released on 10-inch vinyl by Dreams by Degrees. In 2003, Ben Kasman left the band, and was replaced on keyboards by Ryan Manley, recruited via an advertisement on Craigslist. Their third EP, Before the Momentum, was released in December of 2003 by Devil in the Woods."

[reproduced or excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Loquat (band)" and its use is thus licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License]

Bandega Interview with Kylee Swenson of Loquat (January 2009)

Stereolab + lesbian couple = true love.

Q: How have your shows changed over the years? Has your perspective on performing live changed?
A: The very first show we played was in September 2001, and it was really exciting. We didn't realize we would feel so good about it. There have been plenty of ups and downs since then, including great and not-so-great shows. I guess we always have the carrot dangling in front of us, so we're constantly reworking and practicing our set and changing up and bettering our gear setup. It's at the point where it looks like Ryan (Loquat's keyboardist) has a spaceship onstage. In fact, it's like we all have our own spaceships of blinking lights. These days, we're less nervous, less drunk and less self-conscious when we play. We try to enjoy every moment instead of obsessing over getting every little part right.

Q: Describe the most memorable live show you've played.
A: I would have to say playing at the Treasure Island Festival this year was pretty memorable. I'm not used to having union guys move my gear or have a catered tent of our own. And playing on the same stage as Goldfrapp, TV on the Radio, Hot Chip and Justice, while scary, was pretty awesome. After we played, we met the guitarist from Nortec Collective, who told us he'd been writing love letters to a girl in Columbia and quoting our song "Internal Crash" to her. Crazy! How the hell did this cowboy-hat-wearing guy from a famous Kraftwerk-meets-Norteño band from Mexico find out about us?

Q: What venue do you consider to be your "home", where you feel most comfortable, with the crowd and the place itself?
A: There are a few in San Francisco. Café Du Nord is practically our living room. It feels like a living room, too. It used to be a speakeasy a hundred years ago, I hear. Bottom of the Hill is another place where we feel at home. And Great American Music Hall and The Independent are awesome, too. The crowd is generally awesome at any of those clubs, but I'm generally a little more nervous at GAMH and Independent.

Q: Describe the most enjoyable show you've ever experienced as a fan.
A: One of my favorites was watching a five-month's pregnant Björk at Coachella, but my favorite of all time was Stereolab at The Warfield in San Francisco, May 17, 2000. It was a great show, and it was before Mary died. But the main reason it was so enjoyable was because Anthony (Loquat's bass player) and I met for the first time at that night. We were introduced by a lesbian couple, so for the first couple hours of the night, we each assumed the other was gay. Then, in the middle of the Stereolab show, I looked over at Anthony, and he gave me a very smitten look, and I realized I had just met my future husband.

Q: Kylee mentioned recently that Loquat's next release should be a comedy album (in response to all of the very serious events that have transpired for band members over the last year or so). Humor us, and imagine such an album and how it would play out.
A: Haaaaa! Well, the first single would be the song we randomly recorded in our RV at a Washington D.C. campsite last month, where Anthony was doing a reggae toasting thing about Barack Obama, Christopher was rapping in the voice of Triumph the Insult Dog and I was doing some horrible R&B singing about "bringing sexy back to the White House." (We'd had a few drinks.) It would be pretty easy for us to come up with 10 other songs along those lines. Each one would be a different genre, including an a cappella speed-metal song. I think we could finish the album in about two days. But we will spare you the pain.

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