For many, music can be the ultimate therapist. But not many
bands go beyond the headphones and offer self-help on the Internet
to random strangers with problems ranging from unfaithful spouses
to disrespectful uncles.
But the French Kicks has a feature on its Web site aptly titled
“What Would French Kicks Do?” (or
“W.W.F.K.D?” for short), which nicely complements the
band’s quirky personality.
The French Kicks, an indie-pop band from New York, is currently
on tour in support of its second LP, “The Trial of the
Century.” After playing a show tonight at the Troubadour in
West Hollywood, the French Kicks will visit UCLA for a free concert
in Westwood Plaza at noon on Jan. 28.
“It’s hard to tell how many of the things people
write are real,” said Nick Stumpf, the band’s drummer
and lead vocalist. “One time, a guy interviewing us brought
up the feature and within 10 minutes was telling us about his own
problems ““ with some shockingly intimate details.”
The band consists of Josh Wise and Matt Stinchcomb on guitars,
keyboards and vocals, Lawrence Stumpf on bass and Nick Stumpf on
drums and lead vocals. The French Kicks formed in New York in 1999
after jamming together. That summer, the group’s members went
to a rural house in Virginia to hone their skills.
“It was a great experience, because we basically got to
play whenever we wanted, since the house wasn’t in the middle
of a hugely populated area,” Stumpf said.
In a noteworthy twist, Stumpf holds the distinction of being not
only a drummer and singer, but also the writer of many of the
group’s songs. Stumpf says his emergence as the lead vocalist
was almost an accident, yet it happened gradually and
naturally.
Over the years, the band’s sound has evolved from the raw,
post-punk beginnings in the “Young Lawyers” EP to the
polished indie-pop of “The Trial of the Century,” which
was released in May 2004 on StarTime International Records.
“For the last record, we decided that we wanted to make a
pop album with songs that were catchy, three-to-four-minute pieces
that still had artistic merit and were able to succeed on multiple
levels,” Stumpf said.
But the band’s albums are not completely unrelated.
“Our music is pretty much all part of the same basic
arc,” Stumpf said. “The only real requirement for us is
that it has to be good. It’s pop music, after all, and the
tastes change as you go along, so it’s only natural that the
sound of our music would change.”
Stumpf prefers not to start name-dropping influences when
talking about the group’s musical evolution.
“When people talk about influences, it’s kind of
misleading,” Stump said.
“They usually mean that the singers of two bands sound
similar. We’re more influenced by the technical aspects of
music and the different textures of sounds within the music
itself.”
Stumpf’s position on naming musical influences makes sense
considering that bands from New York, like the French Kicks, are
often labeled as being influenced by classic bands like Joy
Division or The Cure, and are then lumped together with
contemporary New York bands like Interpol and the Walkmen.
“It doesn’t make much sense to me when people throw
the bands together like that. New York is a huge city, so of course
there are going to be a lot of bands relative to the amount of
people in the city. But to try to classify them as having a
“˜New York’ sound or being part of some movement because
they’re from the same city just doesn’t make much sense
to me,” Stumpf said.
As for the upcoming outdoor noontime concert at UCLA, Stumpf is
looking forward to seeing how the band will handle the different
setting.
“It’ll be interesting because we’ve never done
anything outside in the middle of the day before. It’s fun to
play out in the sun, and it’s the sort of environment where
you take everything on a case-by-case basis,” Stumpf said.
“I’m excited to see what the vibe is like.”