Making all the Right Moves
This year's IAR winner, She's Your Sister, leads the way for indie-rock
By Josh Bashara

She's Your Sister is the first IndiE Award winner of the soon-to-be annual Independent Artist Registry, a talent scouting service for over 100 of the nation's top record labels. The Music Phone Book created the IAR with the goal finding and promoting the US's top independent artists to a quarter-million music industry professionals, including A&R reps. The IAR evaluates artists in four categories and only selects the best artists for induction into the Registry.

Three times per year, the IAR selects an "IndiE Award" winner for each region. As our very first winner of the IAR, we found She's Your to be the top independent artist in their region this year and gets their demo sent to over 100 top record label A&R reps. SYS also received 1,000 CDs replicated for free compliments of Disc Makers, a one-year endorsement deal and has their CD promoted to 300 radio stations by Space 380.

Needless to say, it's a nice little boost into the music industry, one that we think SYS greatly deserves.

If there's one quote that stands out above the rest coming from the band, it's from frontman Joel Whitley: "Don't be in a band to become famous."

Despite this being one component of the band's philosophy, She's Your Sister is doing a pretty decent job of climbing the ranks from garage band to up-and-comers on the West Coast music scene.

SYS is Joel Whitley on vocals and guitar, Theo Dimitriou on guitar, Job Spring on drums and Jenn Johnson on bass. Together, they form one of the most rocking bands west of the Rockies that some still label as power-pop. However, that's more of a misnomer.

The members of SYS draw from influences all across the board, from Slayer and Ween to the Smashing Pumpkins and U2. Although it's an over-used word in the music industry, an "infectious" sound suits them quite well. Rife with powerful riffs, their music maintains an uplifting melody that draws the listener in. It's like the potato chips' once you hear a song, you can't stop with just one.

In this round-table-style interview, the MPB talks with She's Your Sister about their origin as a Chicago band, what it's like to play LA's Viper Room and their tips for aspiring musicians. Oh, and let's not forget the band's debut album, In Between, which the band urges in their bio to "turn up to 11 and enjoy."

MUSIC PHONE BOOK: So your music career all started with a classified ad in Chicago's Reader, huh? What's the story behind that?

JOEL: Yeah, my girlfriend saw this ad in the Reader' a drummer looking for a singer. She had heard me sing and knew I had always wanted to be in a band, so she told me to answer the ad. So I did, then I met Job and well, I played a song called "Draw the Line." We fit. Like peas in a frackin' pod. Then, well, we couldn't find anyone decent. I put posters up all over Chicago. We put more ads in the Reader. Everyone either sucked, was stoned, was too old, or didn't fit our style. Then Theo came in. He was fresh off some punk rock band in Virginia and looked the part. And he was good. We 'hired' him that day and then two days later Jenn walked in the door. She was hot. She seemed out of our league in every way. And she had been in a real band, so we thought she would laugh at all of us. But hell, I guess we caught her at a bad time.

MPB: What about the first few months, as you all began to find yourselves as a band, rather than individuals? How did that little saga unfold?

THEO: I think that process is ongoing. To say that we have found ourselves implies that we never change as people or as a band. We constantly evolve while maintaining our roots individually' this is why we work so well together.

JOEL: We started with a bunch of music I had written over four years. Some of it was good. Some of it was bad. But very quickly those songs ceased to be mine. Theo suggested arrangement choices that were radically different from anything I came up with. Jenn added bass lines that incorporated entirely new melodies and Job... well Job simply pushed the energy to the limit on every song. As we started to write new stuff, the process simply became an organic one with all parties contributing - the concept of one person writing a song quickly became obsolete.

JENN: I think deciding on a name was one of the toughest parts about coming together as a band. Not to say that we're all super happy with the name we chose, but we all had different ideas about how we should be defined. And we all had to bend a bit to create a common identity.

MPB: There had to be some rough patches along the way...

JOB: Working around careers was tough. I was an assistant principal for a gifted school in Chicago. I loved the school, but the hours were difficult. We practiced about three times per week back then and I remember being completely worn out walking into practice - in a suit for that matter! The same was true for all of us. Balancing your jobs and your band as a new group is very tough.

JOEL: The move was rough, too. It sucked to be apart for three months while we moved out to California in shifts. And the stress of playing and working can get to you... trying to keep your head above water financially by keeping your job and giving 100 percent to the band is not easy.

THEO: Rough patches? Other than the spot on the bottom of my feet?

JENN: Well, Theo missed practice the other day...

MPB: According to your bio, you moved out of Chicago to escape the nu-metal scene. Was it that bad?

JENN: Uhh, I think that was a joke. We're kinda silly like that. In fact, I think I only know one metal band in Chicago, and they're friends of ours! Also, I tend to confuse genres like nu-metal, hardcore, power punk... so who knows what that means, really.

THEO: Who the fuck said this?! I am not threatened by the success of music I do not like, personally. We play what comes out of our heads, just as others do.

JOB: That was just a little tongue-in-cheek. It just seemed that a lot of newer metal (Alkaline Trio, Disturbed, Fallout Boy) had been making their mark in Chicago prior to our arrival, and we didn't sound anything like that movement. We respect those bands, but it certainly doesn't define the Chicago rock and roll that we create.

MPB: You've played the Viper Room. That's a pretty famous venue. How did you feel when you first learned you got the gig, and what was it like playing there?

JOEL: We sent the press pack to Viper on a whim. We knew we were going to play LA and we expected to play a bunch of small venues. But I thought, why the hell don't we send something to a big venue? One week later, I got an email back from the booking guy telling us how much he liked our stuff. Honestly, as a band, that was the first validation we received - it was quite exciting.

JENN: I really didn't know much about The Viper Room when we got the gig. It wasn't until I told all my friends from work who read Star Magazine and Us Weekly that I got a sense of what we were getting into.

JOB: Well, a venue is a venue. It was exciting to play such a well-known place because of the hype. But in the end, I can't say it was our best show. In fact, some of our better shows always end up in the more intimate, less hip places.

THEO: Actually, I was a little peeved when we finally got up to play. Some advice: DO NOT TOUCH the settings on my pedals to accommodate your idea of what I should sound like.

MPB: Check. Don't touch Theo's pedals. On that note, you seem to have quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor within the band. Where does that come from? Does that humor work its way into your songwriting too?

JENN: Where'd you get that idea? Really, though, that's the strange thing about us. As individuals, we all have a pretty good sense of humor. If we're hanging out together, we're usually laughing. Joel and I love Aqua Teen Hunger Force (actually, we were thinking about covering the theme song). Job and Theo love Sealab 2021. I guess we wanted our band name and bio to show the silly, clever, and sometimes stupid side that we all have, since our music mostly focuses on our intense side.

JOEL: We're just sarcastic. I get bored reading bios and interviews and I know the rest of the band does as well. We'll make fun of anyone and everyone, especially ourselves.

THEO: The only time I make jokes are when they are completely inappropriate - the jokes themselves and the situation I tell them in. Musically, my humor comes out in the form of musical gags' gags in the actual composition of the song.

MPB: The press has described your music in a variety of ways, but how do you guys (and gal) define it?

THEO: Slicked-up grunge.

JOEL: Heavy indie-rock. Or just rock music. Traditional indie rock always sounds cool and recently, it has tried hard to be hip, but it rarely kicks ass. And that's what we do. We play rock music that kicks ass.

JOB: I'm not an indie rock fan. I come from a metal/hardcore background. I guess we are indie rock to a point, simply because we don't fit into any other category.

JENN: I really like Joel's description he gave on our bio: "We write three-minute pop/rock songs with loud choruses, riffy guitars, and vocals that, well, are either 'soaring,' 'intense,' or 'loud,' depending on the positive adjective you care to attach."

MPB: What are your long-term goals, aside from the obvious, of being rich and famous rock stars?

THEO: I was thinking of investing in goats.

JOEL: President of the United States.

JOB: I want a condo in Chicago, a house in Argentina, and a vacation home in Italy. I don't think that's asking too much. Perhaps I'll be able to work with kids again in some capacity. And, of course, allow me to travel and drum.

MPB: Your band is the winner of the very first Independent Artist Registry. Tell me a bit about your experience with the IAR, from submission to winning.

JENN: Well, Job's friend sent us a link and so we checked it out. At the time, we were looking for promotions companies for a college radio campaign, so The Music Phone Book looked like a good resource to have. We ordered our copy, sent in our submission, and followed up as requested. Honestly, we weren't really aware that we were also competing for IAR's Indie Award, we thought it was simply a database of talent that was set up to draw a little A&R attention for the inducted bands ... must've skipped that paragraph! Anyway, when we got the call saying we won, I thought, 'Won? Won what?'

I politely said, 'Cool! Thanks, that's great!' and I got off the phone to do some research. We found a few articles online explaining the whole thing and once we grasped what it was IAR was offering to do for us, we jumped up and down in the hallway for a good 10 or 15 minutes. I think the whole idea is fantastic. Even if we didn't win, we would be eagerly awaiting our critique. We've all been doing this independent band stuff for years with very little guidance and the idea of getting some feedback on what we're putting out is really great.

MPB: Do you think being the IAR winner will help your band?

JENN: On the A&R front, it's bridging the gap for us from unsolicited to solicited - I think that will help us immensely.

JOEL: I think it definitely got us more attention with people who already knew who we are but weren't quite sure whether or not they should take us seriously. I think it will open a bunch of doors and we hope it will shove us through those doors as well.

MPB: What jewels of knowledge can you pass on to local bands just starting out?

JENN: One of the best things you can do is get out there to genuinely support the other bands in your scene. Go to as many shows as you can, connect and build a community, or join one. The industry changes every day, so I think the best way to learn is to see what is working for other musicians right now.

JOEL: Love what you do. Don't be in a band to become famous. That's stupid. Play music because you have to. If you want to be big, be willing to leave your friends behind. Playing with your best friend may be fun, but he may not be the best guitarist. On the other hand, playing with your friend may be why you play - don't sell out your friends to be famous, because that's also stupid.

Play out as much as you can. Tour when you can. Go out of town. Leave your city behind, even if you only play to five people. Save your money and go to NYC. Go to LA. Stay 'till the end of the show, every show you play, and make friends with other bands, even if you think they suck. Don't neglect your girlfriend or boyfriend - their support is invaluable. Run your band like a business, but don't ever expect to make any money. Keep writing new music. Never, ever cover a song that is on the Top 40 charts.

THEO: The same advice that every band gives, play, play often and play drunk!

MPB: Here's your chance to plug your new album, In Between... tell us a little about it.

THEO: It's 39 minutes long and has 13 tracks.

MPB: Maybe a little more info than that...

JOEL: The album is our introduction to the world. It reflects our transition from being a small-time regional band to hopefully touring the world. It's got a great producer, Adam Newman, and we recorded it for cheap at Gravity Studios and Pragma Sound in Chicago. It's a collection of 3-minute rock/pop songs. It doesn't sound like anything you've heard, but listen to it twice and you'll feel like you've been listening to us forever.

MPB: Just for fun, what's the one thing you've always wanted someone to ask you in an interview, but never been asked? And what's the answer to that question?

THEO: 'Now that you have conquered the world, what will you do with it?' Destroy it!

JOEL: 'What's your favorite color and what do you like to drink?' My favorite color is blue and I exclusively drink Dr. Pepper and Ale-8-One.

JENN: 'Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine or Hungry Hungry Hippos?' Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine. Definitely.