Dancin’ With Daisychain

By: Lyra Anaise

Friday, June 20th was a day for new seasons. One of those new seasons began for the band Daisychain as they celebrated their album release show at Sleeping Village in Chicago. I have always been captivated by classic or psychedelic rock sounds; influencing my every day (if you’ve seen my 70s attire, you’d get it). Having listened to their work, I resonated with their sound and was excited to experience it live. I came prepared for the event in daisy-themed nails, thrilled to capture these talented artists during such a big events in their lives. I was able to sit with them and talk about who they are and what is anticipated after the album release.

What are you most excited about with the performance for your album release tonight?

Sophia: Getting all of our friends and family together and getting to share the music with them. Frankie: It’s also about just getting to do a longer set so we don’t really have to cut certain songs and make compromises.

Why were some of these songs cut?

Sophia: Not long enough set times.

Frankie: When we’re doing three core band bills in most places, usually you get 40/45 minuets.

You guys met in 2017. What inspired you guys to get together and connect by each other’s music taste?

Sophia: Well, I met Nicole at an open mic night at Gallery Calvary, which is a local dive bar. They have live music or mic nights almost every night. We were the only girls in the room, and we just gravitated towards each other, started jamming together, and went into it knowing we wanted to play music. Frankie, I had known from friends and circles that we ran in.

Frankie: I would go to the bar she (Sophia) worked at and kept going to different shows, parties, and jam sessions together; getting into trouble (he laughs).

Sophia: I was always inspired by his guitar playing. One day I was like, do you wanna play guitar for me and this girl that I just met? (she laughs).

Frankie: I was like “if you need a guitar player let me know” then a week later, Soph picks me up for practice and here we are.

Nickole: It’s really cool because Sophia and I each had songs in the bag of ideas. Then we introduced them into each other, and I just remember adding harmonies, and her adding remedies to mine, and we’re like oh my god!

Sophia: It was very serendipitous! And we never looked back you know?

Nickole: We were like let’s roll with it. She was like, can you play bass? I was like … no.

Sophia: I told her you should probably learn, and she picked up a bass and learned.

Me: Honestly I’ve had my bass and it just sits there, I have yet to learn so I commend you on that.

Nickole: To be fair, I’ve had a lot of musical background before I picked it up. I enjoyed piano so I think that kind of absolutely opens the key to a lot of instruments.

What inspires some of your songwriting that makes things just click/work?

Sophia: For me, it’s just personal experiences. I use music and other people’s music as a cathartic thing to blow of some steam or as a way to understand my emotions and process them.

Frankie: What inspires songwriting or parts, I like to provide something that gives people something to come together around, you know? Whether its a soundtrack to a night on the town, a soundtrack to hooking up, or a breakup. Just something that can touch people’s lives. And hopefully touches ours.

Nickole: For me, it’s not only a personal experience, but telling stories, taking the truth, and making it fun or interesting. Make it different and not what it actually is.

Sophia: It’s sort of like a fantasy world or escape.

Frankie: An idealized version of the truth or a TV version of your life.

What was it like compiling different pieces of different stories and making it cohesively together?

Nickole: It was really fun. I mean we had one interview, and this guy was like, “it sounds like an improv class”. Somebody comes up with something and another one adds on, and sometimes it kind of feels like improv. One of us will have this structure, like a verse, chorus or a solid melody with an accompanying counterpart. From there, it’s building onto lyrics, finding harmonies.

Sophia: It’s really a collective project. Even if one person has more innovations. The process for picking out the songs for this album was very much the producer that we worked with; Sylvia Massey. She had a really heavy hand in helping us build out the songs. It was nice to have an outsiders perspective too.

Have there been any kind of unique challenges or things that have advanced your artistry while completing the album?

Nickole: Definitely proving to myself that I could turn out x amount of songs in a few weeks. This gave me an idea of where I’m at as far as being able to turn stuff out on a timeline. Not all of them were bangers, but it was structured and productive.

Sophia: Yeah, it was really a process as an artist to get asked to write a hundred songs for the album, and it was a lot. Usually I would write off of inspiration when upset or excited. This was more of a practice than waiting for something to happen. Cause there’s no time and there’s stuff to do.

Frankie: It’s like learning how to run a 5k when you’ve only ever done a mile. You have to make something out of any idea you have.

( I related to them as an artist level with having that trouble of feeling inspired).

What do you think with the upcoming album and tour that you’re most excited for either fans or other people getting to know you?

Frankie: We just want people to experience the growth and evolution. We’ve been playing in bars, clubs, festivals, and basements for about eight years now. We’ve put out a few EPs and singles, but the growth of our sound and relationships whether musical, or interpersonal. Some artists pop off on their first release, and then they have a hard time really matching that. For us, it’s really progressed in good ways. It’s like putting something in the oven that takes a couple hours.

Sophia: I think back to what you said earlier Frankie, as far as you want to share something that if people can have a reaction and feel something from it, it’s really special.

Nickole: I hope it’s an emotional experience, but hope it’s kind of an escape too.

Sophia: Yeah, we want to create a safe space for people. Half the album is an escape, and half is “how about we face it?”

Nickole: How about we just cry? laughs

Me: I can sense that when I hear songs like “G String” or “ Get High With Me” a sense of longing for connection or playfulness

Frankie: Even the more less serious or upbeat sounding songs, can have a more serious meaning if you choose to read between the lines that way, but can be fun escapes if don’t wanna read today.

Are all of you guys from Chicago originally?

Sophia: Frankie’s the only true Chicagoan

Frankie: Born in the South side, but I grew up in the north burbs, and lived in the city since I was twenty.

Nickole: And Sophie’s from Bloomington, Illinois. I mean she’s not from there, but she’s from a bunch of different origins.

Sophia: I was in Bloomington through high school, then moved to upstate New York. My family lives in Chicago now, so I do still feel local to everything.

Nickole: Add a splash of France in there too.

Sophia: Yeah, it’s really random.

Being in the Chicago music scene at the moment, what would you say describes your sound or what meeting other artists is like?

Sophia: Chicago definitely influences us a lot. It’s such a melting pot of music and musicians.

Frankie: There’s so many different genres that really come from Chicago that took on a bigger presence here over time. You can basically see all these different scenes and whatnot all interacting on the same stage. Sometimes, all of them go to the same after hours bars.

I definitely hear the Patti Smith and general classic rock influences in your work. I’m a big classic rock girly, so I took note. What do you take away from either your favorite songs, or group and put that into guitar riffs or lyrics, etc?

Sophia: I would say it’s a little more abstract than that, but you brought up Patti Smith, and in her book, she says she found a time to be unapologetic herself about what she was doing. That really touched me and I definitely appreciated that sentiment.

Nickole: That’s why all the weirdos got together were like , “Lets just be artists!”

After our conversation, the party started. They met up with friends and family, music began on stage with two local bands as openers. Once Daisychain set on stage, the party started. Disco ball glowing on them, they kicked off with the grooviest song, and first one on the album Shadowfax. Watching them have fun, do cool poses in front of the photographers, chat with the audience, plus add a grunge cover of “ I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” to their set-list, was the icing on the cake.

All In A Name is available on where you get your music streams now!