WYE OAK in Real Time

z z u b WYE OAK In Real Time PHOTO BY KENDALL ATWATER by Katherine Yeske Taylor exploratory vibe. On top of all that, she boundaries are super-important . this for a long time and I don’t burn out. Wasner is learning to relax. “If you’re “It’s very, very beautiful here. I’m frequently is a touring musician with Knowing what you have to give, and Because I’ve come close to burning not giving yourself any time to walking through the water, and there’s other bands, including Bon Iver, with not giving more than that, is a life lesson out before. It’s not doing anyone any regenerate and reflect, then you’re not all these fish swimming up and nibbling whom she toured last year, and will that I think you can apply to a whole lot favors. Torturing yourself by over- going to have any new material.” But on my legs. It’s not bad at all,” says again later this year. of different areas. It’s taken me a long working yourself and never giving songwriting fatigue is, fortunately, not Jenn Wasner, vocalist/guitarist for indie Such diversity, Wasner says, is time to get to a point where I feel like yourself time to stop is not helping an issue for Wye Oak, and Wasner folk-rock duo Wye Oak. She’s calling necessary for her. “With Wye Oak I even have an understanding of that.” anybody else, it’s only hurting you. So promises that “There’s going to be a from Key West, Florida, before she and lot of new music from us—but it’s not her band mate, drummer/keyboardist going to take the form of an album Andy Stack, embark on a tour that will for probably some time.” Instead, the take them across the U.S. throughout “I’m excited to be in a place in our career band will put out stand-alone singles, February and March, including a stop as they’ve already started to do, first in Brooklyn, at Music Hall of where we don’t have to play by those rules releasing the song “Fortune” in Williamsburg, on March 4. November, then “Fear of Heights” in This is a much-needed break for all the time. What’s more exciting to us is January. So far, Wasner says the Wasner, who’s noteworthy for her prolific reaction to this method has been and remarkably varied musical output. making music and releasing it as we make “encouraging,” because those two Wye Oak have released six albums, singles “are having the best runs at starting with 2007’s If Children , receiving it. This actually is more in line with the way radio and online that we’ve ever had. critical acclaim for their imaginative It’s an interesting experiment, for sure.” acoustic-based but powerful Releasing their songs in this way is, instrumentation and Wasner’s insightful, the creative process unfolds in real time. Wasner says, another energy-saving introspective lyrics. They earned strategy. “When you put out a record, international fame when their evocative That, to me, is super-exciting.” it forces you to basically set aside an single “Civilian,” from the 2011 album entire year of your life for promoting of the same name, was used to poignant that record. And that’s not something effect in a pivotal scene on the TV series shows, I’m basically singing all of my With that self-care strategy in mind, I’m just trying to give myself space that we’re really interested in doing right The Walking Dead . Wasner is also in deepest feelings for two hours every Wasner says she is deliberately building I need, when I need it, so that I can now. I’m excited to be in a place in our another duo, Dungeonesse, with Jon single night. I can do that, and that’s a more down time into her schedule, as really fully show up to all the shit that career where we don’t have to play by Ehrens (of White Life), which goes for really important part of my life, but I with this Key West vacation. “I’m trying I sign up for and be happy to be there, those rules all the time. What’s more an unabashedly pop sound. Her solo can only do that so much without it to be a little bit kinder to myself, and a not miserable and resentful because exciting to us is making music and career, under the moniker Flock of becoming a drain. It’s kind of like little bit more intentional about how I I’m tired.” releasing it as we make it. This actually Dimes, has a more electronic, boundaries: with anything in life, spend my time, so that I can keep doing And there’s another reason why is more in line with the way the creative WYE OAK WILL PLAY MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG ON MARCH 4. 8 ARTS WEEKLY FEBRUARY 26, 2020 www.theaquarian.com.

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