A beautiful day can only get better with a fitting soundtrack—and I recommend local band Silly Little. The band’s music is not available to stream yet, but the songs they have been working on combine serene, mellow and haunting melodies with dreamy, folky, soft-rock sounds. To hear their music, see them live at the Holland Project at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10, when they perform with Las Nubes and Luminescence. Tickets are $12 in advance, or $15 at the door. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/sillylittleband. We recently asked drummer/singer Bijou Bell our slate of 13 questions.
What was the first concert you attended?
The Dead. It was a band created after Jerry Garcia died that contained some members from the Grateful Dead. I believe I was 2 years old.
What was the first album you owned?
The Stooges.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Ratboys, Yuck, Kidi Band, Hop Along, and Mannequin Pussy.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Taylor Swift. Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up with her music or connect to it, but obviously she’s got a lot of fans and albums and a big career. I don’t know; I just don’t like a single song.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I’d kill to see Björk live. I’d cry; I’d throw up. She’s my hero.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
My Chemical Romance. I can sing all the lyrics from The Black Parade album, and it still hits the same for me as when I got the CD in the fifth-grade.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Holland Project.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Don’t let your friends turn cold / While you burn to green / When they walk off a stage / Embrace them and say that’s the best shit I’ve ever seen,” Julia Jacklin, “Don’t Let the Kids Win.”
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Björk. She’s someone I heard about growing up, but I was a li’l punk kid and only listened to my silly little punk music. When I finally gave her a chance, she just clicked something on for me. She helped me tap into my femininity, and my uniqueness, and she tickled a lot of new creative spots in my brain I didn’t know were there. She still continues to inspire me to help me push my personality through my music and not be afraid to be myself.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
Frances Quinlan of Hop Along: How do you get into the writing headspace to create such distinctive imagery that can connect to so many people and scenarios with your lyrics—but isn’t too obvious of a narrative to your audience?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Ballad of Big Nothing,” Elliott Smith.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Madison Cunningham, Who Are You Now.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“En lo alto del cerro (Tangos),” Estrella Morente.