There’s still room for pop music in underground rock
‘n’ roll. Just ask Kevin Barnes, the lead singer of Of
Montreal.
The 9-year-old indie-pop band, which will be playing at the Ex
Plex on Feb. 4, has been selling out shows across the United
States.
But even though being on the road can take a toll on any band,
Barnes would not trade sitting at home for touring for the
band’s latest album “The Sunlandic Twins.”
“I love New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Chicago, Miami ““ all the big cities are really fun,”
Barnes said.
“There’s also smaller places that a lot of bands
don’t really play; we play them. It can be really
incredible.”
According to Barnes, the band got its name from a tattoo one of
the members was forced to get when she was in a relationship with a
cult leader.
Since then, the group virtually rose overnight from underground
fame to being played in Urban Outfitters stores.
By combining the tunes of the psychedelic ’60s, the
danceable beats of the ’70s, and the flair for performance of
the ’80s, Of Montreal produces a refreshing sound that is a
far cry from the popular music of today.
Barnes, who grew up on a diet of MTV and other sources of pop
music, does not hold any negative views about Of Montreal breaking
into the mainstream.
“MTV has the potential to be amazing,” Barnes said.
“It’s up to them. If they decided they wanted to do
something hipper, they could spend more time on it.”
Barnes, who started the band with drummer/vocalist Derek
Almstead and bassist/vocalist Bryan Pool, had never recorded music
before Of Montreal.
Using novels, movies and his personal life experiences as
inspiration, Barnes creates whimsical lyrics with catchy pop
hooks.
“Right now I’m going through a Haruki Murakami
phase. I just finished “˜Kafka on the Shore’ and
“˜Norwegian Wood’ and a couple more books. (But) the new
CD won’t be a huge departure from the previous ones,”
Barnes said.
But at the moment the tour has first priority.
Keeping a routine has become important to maintain sanity on the
road.
“I do some crunches. I do a hundred before I hit the stage
to get pumped up,” Barnes said. “The band gathers
around me and punches me in the stomach.”
Despite the relative normality of the band’s pre-show
rituals, Of Montreal’s live performance borders on the
ridiculous and absurd.
Last week’s show included Barnes taking the stage in a
wedding dress and uncorking a champagne bottle, from which he
proceeded to drink for the rest of the show.
Constant costume changes and witty nostalgic banter about
Barnes’ childhood as “the only white kid in a Detroit
school” also added to the performance.
Because of their rising success, the members of Of Montreal are
able to continue doing what they love best.
Outrageous on-stage antics and honest, feel-good lyrics just add
to its status as a noteworthy indie band.
“To me, (indie music) is the best music ever made,”
Barnes said. “It’s something that’s been missing
from the radio for the last 10-15 years. And honestly,
there’s a lot of great underground music being made. Bands
that people didn’t know 10 years ago are getting more
exposure.”