The Grates + Nylon
Table of Contents
I did my first track review for Pitchfork this week. It’s on Thunderbirds Are Now!. I like them, really.
I’m a featured contributor to Nylon magazine this month. I did an interview with the Grates, then was interviewed by someone for the blurb at the front. They asked me what my favorite brand of jeans is (it was their denim issue) and I was so tempted to say Jincos or Sears Tuffskins.
I saw the Grates a couple weeks ago here at Mercury Lounge. I had interviewed Patience, their lead singer, over the phone while she was still in Australia. I was barely able to keep up with her, because she talks so quickly, changes subjects on a dime, and, well, has a really meaty Australian accent that didn’t sound so clear over my vonage phone. Plus, I was doing the interview at midnight EST, so it’d be easier for her. In person Patience is exactly the same— after the show there was a group of people talking to her, and they’d say three words to her before she’d get so distracted and excited about something else that she’d move on. It wasn’t rudeness, she’s just a little OCD. Nylon took their own photos of the band in Australia, and I thought it and my interview turned out well.
In my contributor’s bio, it says “Jessica Suarez always knew she wanted to be a music writer,” and it was so weird to read that on a glossy page that I turned my eyes away. Mark and I went to see Wayne Koestenbaum read (Brandon Stosuy told us about it), and during introductions he asked me what I do. I got flustered and said, “I’m just a music writer.” “What kind of music?” “Just indie rock.” Someday I’ll be comfortable with it.
Koestenbaum’s reading was awesome, by the way. I’m going to start telling people I’m him.
Also: Now that I’m all on new WordPress wheels, I’m going to update more. Seriously.
