* The Lisps, Fabric @ Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant. 03/10/11

Vaudeville-acoustic met Improv-electronica as “The Lisps” and “Fabric” shared a bill at Sluggo’s and talked about Civil-War sci-fi, “nice-sex” advice from mom, artistic passion, peanut butter and more.

If the ghost of Samuel Beckett possessed the players of Prairie Home Companion, one would brush close to the experience of watching Brooklyn based group “The Lisps” perform at Sluggo’s Vegetarian Restaurant. With thespian hues painted on their musical canvas, César Alvarez (vocals, guitar), Sammy Tunis (vocals, melodica, percussion), Lorenzo Wolff (bass), Eric Farber (drums) are touring with an album to be released soon and a “Civil War Sci-fi musical” set to premiere in 2012.

Questions with “The Lisps”

TCAS: What does 2011 have for you?

César Alvarez: We’re releasing a new album in a couple of months. We are working on a great big musical that we wrote which is going to go up the following year, 2012, up at American Repertory Theatre in Boston. So that’s a big deal for us and we’re going to be working on that all year.

Sammy Tunis: César is having a baby.

TCAS: Congratulations. When is the baby due?

César Alvarez: Thank you. June.

Sammy Tunis: Finding true love.

TCAS: Anything else?

Lorenzo Wolf: You know. I think you nailed it.

Sammy Tunis: Yeah. Musical, album, baby, love.

TCAS: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Lorenzo Wolff: My parents heard me having sex for the first time and my dad said “Make sure you have safe sex” and my mom said “Make sure you have nice sex.” That was the best advice I’ve ever gotten.

César Alvarez: That’s the best advice I’ve ever gotten.
(laughs)

TCAS: Can that be topped? You don’t have to top it, if you want to throw anything else in there.

César Alvarez: I think we’re going to go with that. That’s our final answer.

TCAS: What advice would you give for someone wanting to be where you are?

César Alvarez: Sitting in a club, not knowing where we are going to sleep tonight in Pensacola? If you want to be where we are….

Eric Farber: Can I answer for real?

Everybody: Yeah

Eric Farber: Oh man, it’s going to be boring. I think you just have to be real passionate about doing something and then you just f*cking do it…do it…have an enthusiasm about it, really an enjoyment with it…just keep on wanting to press that and let that outlet go.

TCAS: That wasn’t a corny answer. That was awesome.

César Alvarez: We’ve been a band for coming up on six years. And we feel that year seven is our year. That the point is…

Sammy Tunis: Seven year itch.

César Alvarez: it really does take a long time to do anything and you have to be patient, just keep at it. I agree with Eric.

TCAS: Last question. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

ALL: Crunchy.

Sammy Tunis: Come on.

TCAS: It’s unanimous.

Sammy Tunis: We don’t agree on much, but…

Lorenzo Wolff: Sammy has a philosophy and I adopted it. I think most people ought to, is that you need at least a duality of consistencies in every food that you eat. Something that has a nice bite and something that has a nice release.

Sammy Tunis: That’s my thing. My philosophy with food and with life is…hard and soft…together.
(laughs)

César Alvarez: I don’t agree. I like things that are squishy and flaccid.

Lorenzo Wolff: Just squish?

César Alvarez: I’ll take like a pudding in a wrap…with pudding
(laughs)

Sammy Tunis: That’s why I’m not big on burritos because it’s too much soft in a squishy thing.

Lorenzo Wolff: Bacon and a burrito, you’d be fine?

Sammy Tunis: Yeah of course, and when the burrito is fried like a chimichanga, that’s fine too.

César Alvarez: A soft pudding burrito. I love it.

****************************

Navigating the stage like sonic lab techs going from station to station, musicians Brian Brown, Sean Peterson and Brandon Warren joined to form the music project “Fabric.” The trio conducted their experimental feats of daring by moving about the stage and testing the boundaries of keyboards, strings, and digital machinery.

Questions with “Fabric”

TCAS: What does 2011 have in store for you?

Brandon Warren: Musically?

TCAS: Anything.

Brandon Warren: More drum students. That’s my…
(laughs)

Brian Brown: I just want to connect with people. Seems pretty important…you know what I mean? That’s what I want.

TCAS: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Brian Brown: Awesome question. Did you hear that question (to Elise Lullo)

Elise Lullo: Yeah. I did. I heard it when he asked them. I immediately knew my answer.

Brian Brown: What’s your answer?

Elise Lullo: In high school my mom told me “Kill them with kindness.”

Brian Brown: Yeah.