Q&A: DEAP VALLY’S LINDSEY TROY They say that you shouldn’t meet your favorite band. I was terrified it would be a mistake. The real mistake was drinking the largest coffee Dunkin’ Donuts offers right before meeting up with Deap Vally’s Lindsey Troy, but meeting her was not a mistake at all. It was awesome. She is an amazingly cool human being who I had a great time hanging out with.
Deanna Soukiasian: I just wanted to know a little bit of the brief history of the band and how you guys got started.
Lindsey Troy: Well Julie and I both come from very musical backgrounds and have been in other bands and we were both at a point where we were looking to do a new project when we met so we met in a knitting store in LA where she used to work, so I went in there for a crochet class and we just really really hit it off. I kind of knew right away that she was going to be an important part of my life and we were gonna have a project together afterwards. And then after we kept in touch, and eventually she was like “do you wanna jam together” and I was like “it’s all coming together” (evil professor voice) DS: What were you guys doing before you connected and formed the band? LT: Well, I grew up doing a kind of family band type thing with my sister and my brother sometimes. And we had like a dadager (dad manager) ya know when we were younger. So there was a lot of that growing up. I had to take some time away from music to figure out that was what I really wanted to do because there was a lot of pressure on me to do that, so getting time away from it and getting to come back to it on my own terms was really important. And Julie grew up doing a lot of musical theatre; she was a theatre nerd, as she would say. So if you were to ask her about her favorite music that influenced her when she was young she would name you like nerdy musical theatre stuff. I think its cool; she’s the one who calls it nerdy. DS: Is that where the theatrics in your show and the costuming come from?
LT: Uh maybe. I don’t know, but we have a joke before we go on stage, sometimes we’ll be like “do we look showbiz 34
enough?” it’s a good joke. We just like glam, over the top costumes so yeah.
DS: Who are your musical and non-musical influences for your show, your music and life? LT: Hmm, musical influences. I like cross-genre, but growing up Abbey Road was a very influential record for me. Live through this by Hole was incredibly influential. I had a Best of Marvin Gaye record, which was a big influence. Um the doors were a big influence on me. But yea just a lot of classic rock, soul, and Motown. I’m really into folk stuff these days. The yeah yeah yeahs were a huge influence on me. Peaches is also, she’s great. DS: I saw you guy’s tour with Peaches, what was that like? LT: It was awesome! She’s so chill and just rad and down to earth and a cool person.
DS: I always picture her being at 100 all the time, just being Peaches, but is she like that? LT: Well she’s rad, she’s always rad and she’s super pro, and like I said, down to earth and kind. But when you’re on tour and especially like, she had her record coming out right as we were touring together. I mean she was busy all the time, she was always doing interviews, and sometimes you’re just really tired on tour and like answering emails and that’s just like how it goes. But when we hang out, like certain nights she could let loose a little bit more and when we hang out back in LA, she’s more rested up, and she’s like super energetic. Ya know playing a show and being on tour, it really takes it out of you. Especially when you have Q&A: DEAP VALLY’S LINDSEY TROY | MUSIC