Battle Born: Behind the Scenes With Warpaint
Last month, Los Angeles dream-rock band Warpaint returned with their new self-titled album, an excellent collection of songs that Rolling Stone described as "the perfect backdrop for your next midnight séance or moonlit dance party." While 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of the band, Warpaint is just their second album. To celebrate its release, they played an intimate show at Brooklyn's Union Pool on January 17th and let RS tag along to grab behind-the-scenes shots of everything from soundcheck to the post-show comedown.
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Keyboard Check
"I had just walked in out of a cold New York January, ready to make the most of sound check," says Warpaint guitarist-keyboardist Theresa Wayman. "I'm checking my keyboard on the song 'Hi'…a dark, deep combination of saw waves off the Prophet 12."
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Small Shows, Big Nerves
"We were really nervous to play our new songs for the first time for such an intimate audience," says Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg. "I think the smaller shows make us the most nervous."
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The Stretch
"Here's bassist Jenny Lee with a classic head stretch," says Warpaint guitarist-vocalist Emily Kokal.
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Fallen Monitors
"I think Emily needs some more juice in her monitors," says Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg. "[Drummer] Stella Mozgawa's monitor had just fallen on my foot, so she can't really hear what she is doing."
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The Look in Her Eye
"Here we are playing the song 'Love Is to Die,'" says Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg. "You can tell by the look in Theresa's eye, it's a look of triumph and loss."
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Fully Concentrated
"[Drummer] Stella Mozgawa is making sure she can hear so that she starts the song out in the right tempo," explains Warpaint guitarist-vocalist Theresa Wayman. "She's fully concentrated. We've never done this live before!"
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Nervous Energy
"We're performing 'Keep It Healthy,'" says Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg. "This was the first song of the set. Nerves are high."
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It’s All Happening
"We're performing 'Hi'… aaaaaaggggghhhhhh," exclaims Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg. "It's happening and we're doing our best."
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Geek U.S.A.
"Emily and I are usually geeking around making each other laugh," says Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg about the band's post-show activities.
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Decompressing
"We're decompressing after the show for a moment before we go out and see our friends," explains Warpaint vocalist-guitarist Theresa Wayman. "There are always lots of little adjustments to be made to the set list and and the songs. It's good to talk it out right after a show while it's still fresh in our minds."
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Antics
"We're good at amusing each other," says Warpaint vocalist/guitarist Theresa Wayman. "It's a good thing too since we're all forced to spend so much time together!"