We didn’t know what to expect interviewing the Los Angeles-based rock band, Queen Caveat, but we completely ruled out front woman, Lauren Little, having a voice sounding similar to ours. And we were honored with the resemblance.
Our telephone conversation began with a simple “Hi” and a response of “Hi” back. At first, we were unsure if the conversation was echoing and our own greeting was coming back to us. So, we proceeded with a “Hello” and in return got a “Hello” back. Now, we were officially baffled. Did the call never go through? Are we just having a conversation with ourselves? Finally the confusion was put to rest, when drummer, Jesse Magnuson, confirmed that the echo was lead singer, Lauren Little. Although they were such brief words, it was great to begin an interview knowing our voice “mimicked” the raw and powerful vocals of Little.
Back to Queen Caveat. The rock band consists of vocalist, Lauren Little, guitarist, Ben Epand, bassist, Will Weissman and drummer, Jesse Magnuson. Their EP, Emptor, was released last summer on July 20th, 2010. The tracks, “Mess,” “Let It Fall,” “In My Bed” and “What Built Me” prove Queen Caveat is certainly the queen of the rock groups and our interview with them further enhances their badass vibe, but also a humble one as well.
Could you guys tell me how you met?
Jesse Magnuson: Laur, you could start that one out.
Lauren Little: Well, we got started about a year and a half ago. It was just me and the guitar player, Ben. We were just writing some stuff acoustically. Ben actually knew Will, our bass player, from high school. So, Will started playing with us. And about 8 months ago we met Jesse. And I think we all met in a party situation or out. Pretty randomly.
Jesse: I knew Will through Berkley College of Music. When I moved out here a year ago, he introduced me to Ben and Lauren.
What does Queen Caveat mean?
Lauren: I wish Will was here. He is so good at that one.
Jesse: Well, it’s about you. So, you could tell the story.
Lauren: Will always referred to me as Queen Caveat. We met at a party actually and he said I was just running down the staircase, going out of my mind and he just looked at me and thought that that was the definition. But Queen Caveat means something to all of us a little bit differently. I kind of look at it as beware of the queen, beware of being something that you’re not. But really, a lot of friends and fans have made their own interpretation of it and we encourage that.
Cool. What does the title of the album, Emptor, mean?
Lauren: Buyer beware. Basically, be aware of what you are getting into. And it is kind of ironic because we are all out of our minds. We are not very cautious people.
What is it like being a rock group with a female as the front of it?
Lauren: I never really think about it until it is brought to my attention. I kind of consider myself one of the guys anyways. But it is really cool because there are a lot more female rock bands these days and females rock hard.
Jesse: If you have a band that rocks hard with a female singer, people take note, rather than if it is a female pop artist. We are a talent based band.
Lauren: I think that people have a stigma against it. I like the challenge. And I like to show them differently about the initial thoughts they had about a lead woman. You know?
Yea, definitely. How was your EP release party and concert in the Viper Room?
Lauren: Oh, I don’t remember.
Jesse: The EP release went well. We had a huge crowd. Everyone loved the EP.
Lauren: We gained a lot more support from that show. That really kind of pushed us off a little bit. So, that was a really big turning point for us as Queen Caveat.
What inspires you to write your music?
Lauren: Most of it is what we deal with, with our friends.
Jesse: Sex?
Lauren: Yah, they are very sexually based lyrics. Some of these songs have been about my past. I don’t ever insinuate that they are things that I have been through or that any of the band mates have been through. They are kind of ambiguous, but if you listen to them closely, you’ll catch things and you’ll get introduced to us a little bit better.
Do you enjoy playing slower paced tracks like, “Let It Fall” or more fast paced ones like, “What Built Me”?
Jesse: I am a fan of both, to be honest. For a good show you need to have those ups and downs.
Lauren: Yah, I love performing both of those. “What Built Me” is a really fun song to play live because it is just energy. We did our first music video for “What Built Me” and it is just easy to do a video with that because it hits all the way through. With “Let It Fall” in the beginning when it is slower, I feel like I get to talk to people a little bit. When it is slower, it seems people connect with people a little bit.
Can you explain the meaning behind the video for “What Built Me?”
Lauren: Basically what that song means to me is that we all have a counterpart within ourselves, which is maybe darker. And it is kind of fighting the balance between who you are and who you strive to be and who you used to be.
How would you describe yourselves on stage?
Lauren: Maniacs.
Jesse: Exactly, definitely dangerous.
Can fans expect this chaos on South by Southwest coming up?
Lauren: Yah, that is how you could describe it. We are pumped for South by Southwest. Literally counting down the days. I can’t wait to take my serving uniform off; I wait tables here in L.A. I can’t wait to take my apron off and hit the road.
When is your debut album coming out?
Jesse: Right now, we are working on pre-production. We are waiting to find some studio space and write a couple more songs. Hopefully, it will be some of the songs off the EP redone and just more new tracks.
Lauren: We have a plethora of new material that we are working on. We are really shooting for mid to end of 2011. Closer to mid. We really want to get this out, so we can rock it out and see how people react to it. We are all so excited for it because it is the next chapter for Queen Caveat. It is like bittersweet because we want to get it out there as fast as we can, but we don’t want to rush it. We want it to be natural and represent us as well.
by Lonnie Nemiroff
