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5 Minutes With The Ladies Of Warpaint

rexusa_724328d-embedPhoto: Tom Oldham/RexUSA.
The next best thing to watching the artists at Lollapalooza has to be getting a chance to talk with them backstage. So, we grabbed a few minutes with the trippy L.A. dream-popsters from Warpaint (Emily Kokal, vocals and guitar; Theresa Wayman, guitar and vocals; Jenny Lee Lindberg, bass and backing vocals; Stella Mozgawa on drums) after their energetic performance on the Lake Shore stage. With a new album on the horizon, this isn't the last you'll hear of the band's hypnotic, psychedelic beats.

You played in Chicago back in March at the Metro. Any initial impressions of the city?

Kokal: "Well, we've played Lollapalooza before, as well as a few other clubs, but I think that Metro show was the most memorable Chicago show for me. The audience was amazing, the Metro was really packed — I don't think we really expected that kind of show. People were just really movin' and shakin'. When you have an audience that embraces you that much, you really want to give them your best. It becomes a really interactive experience instead of just playing a show to random people — there's a connection."

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Do you feel Lollapalooza is different from other festivals you've performed at?

Mozgawa: "I think that they generally have a common thread, so it can feel a little bit anonymous. But, it really depends on who you see and which friends are there. Those elements can make it feel a little bit different. Aside from that, it's comfortably the same."

Theresa and Emily, you two were friends growing up. What was your childhood like? Was this musical dream a part of the mix?

Kokal: "We both grew up with musical parents, so there was a lot of music around."

Wayman: "We met in choir when we were 11 years old, so we were friends really early on and stayed friends until we graduated high school. At that time, we decided we wanted to do something creative with arts and entertainment — that's been our mission the whole time. So, then we met Jen and Shannyn and they were perfectly aligned with that mission, because that's what they wanted as well."

Who inspires your work?

Wayman: "I guess what inspires me is when I am watching somebody else do something that really has an impact on me. That inspires me to want to do that in return. So, it really could be anything. Also, what inspires me may not inspire someone else. So, the idea of us all being creative and coming together with our own unique voices that resonate with people — some the same, some different, and some a crossover — is interesting. There are so many different avenues."

How did you get involved with Service Bells to do the Duran Duran tribute album?

Kokal: "We did a David Bowie tribute for them, so they asked us to do it again. 'The Chauffeur' has been a favorite song of mine and Theresa's for quite some time, so when the opportunity came up, and they gave us that song, we were pretty pumped because a lot of other artists wanted to do that one."

Any plans for another album in the near future?

Mozgawa: "Yes, very soon. Details forthcoming."

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