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Teen Men: Music to the Ears and the Eyes

Photo credit: Jessica Scarane

What do people see when they listen to music?

It might sound like an odd question, but when we hear music, the mind certainly conjures up images. Maybe it’s a specific memory from the first time we heard the song? Perhaps an indelible impression the original music video left on the brain?

Even Beyoncé, upon releasing her self-titled fifth studio album in 2013, said she sees music, and that her “very visual album” is filled with songs that include “a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies.”

Clearly, there is a distinct connection between audio and visual, and when the two come together in harmony, the mind can be inspired and invigorated. For Wilmington foursome Teen Men, Delaware’s lone act performing June 17 at the annual Firefly Music Festival in Dover, that A/V relationship is paramount.

It started in 2011, when Nick Krill, frontman for Spinto Band – one of Delaware’s most notable pop bands of the last decade – teamed up with former bandmate Albert Birney. Both were coming off “creatively exhaustive” projects, as Krill puts it; him with recording for the band’s 2012 release, Shy Pursuit, and Birney with editing his first feature film.

“We thought it would be great to go in [to the studio], just mess around, and make some music videos with no consequences. We were looking for a sort of palate cleanse,” said Krill. “We thought it would be fun to write music and video at the same time, instead of it being such a linear process.”

Two years later, in the summer of 2013, Spinto member Joe Hobson and Krill’s wife, photographer/musician Catharine Maloney, who had just finished graduate school, joined Krill and Birney. Again, between creative projects, the foursome gathered in the studio and, when they were finished, had produced a solid catalogue of music and video.

“We looked back on our tracks and our footprints, and there were 10 or 12 songs there,” said Krill. “That’s when we thought, maybe this is its own separate thing now, and so Teen Men kind of galvanized at that point.”

teenmen2.mp3
Delaware Public Media contributor Rob Kalesse interviews Teen Men's Nick Krill - Part 2.

Creatively, Teen Men has followed a very free-form approach since its inception, with a sort of “let’s-see-what-works” attitude, never thinking a full-fledged side project would emerge. Similarly, the band’s naming process took place in random fashion. That should come as no surprise, however, considering none of the members of Teen Men are in their teens, and not all of them are men.

“The name came from an old 1960s Playboy [magazine]. There was an ad for some slacks that they were marketing to boys, teens and teen men,” Hobson said. Describing the experience further, Krill says the band just rummaged through some old books and magazines in the studio, and happened upon the name.

“It seemed strange and hilarious to us, but it almost fit the ethos of what we were doing,” said Krill. “A teen male is reckless, and overconfident to a fault; these characteristics were fueling this palate cleanse, so it seemed like a perfect fit.”

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Fall Out a Tree - Teen Men

Almost all of the tracks from their self-titled 2015 album feature music video accompaniment, including the whimsically entertaining “Adventure Kids,” and the self help pick-me-up vibe of “René.” Krill and Hobson said that video sometimes helped inspire lyrics, and vice versa.

“We found that they fed into each other in exciting ways,” said Hobson. “Some of the lyrics we had really gave us a direction for video themes, but there were a few songs that got some of their lyric ideas from videos that we were working on.”

Teen Men’s live performance, however, features a visual element that corresponds directly with the music they’ll play, rather than videos found online. Krill said that the video elements, shot primarily by Birney, make their stage shows come alive.

“The videos online are traditional, but live, our video aspect is more synchronized. It’s not just an accompaniment, but an integrated, interactive part of the set,” said Krill. “The band interacts with video screen, and then with the audience. It’s a fun challenge, and sometimes it’s successful.”

At Firefly, Teen Men will have an additional challenge they rarely face at clubs or bars. Their 12:45 p.m. performance will not only take place in the daylight, but also outdoors. It’s something they’ve taken into consideration well in advance.

“The visual concept at a daytime show was a big question we had, but we found out there is a 28-by-14 video screen at the stage we’re playing,” said Krill. “With any luck, we’ll be able to integrate with the video for the full show. Fingers crossed.”

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Adventure Kids - Teen Men

The size of the crowd, however, likely won’t have any effect on Teen Men. Not only have Krill, Hobson and Birney played at large venues on their Spinto Band tours, but the four of them, including Maloney, got a taste of a major tour last summer while opening for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

“We were out with them for about six weeks touring the United States and Canada,” said Maloney. “It was great because you are part of a unit and each day has a plan.  It feels safe to be in a group and experience new cities together, like a very long boy-scout camping trip.”

While working on the album that landed that spot on tour, Krill says the lines are very blurred, in terms of who does what. While Birney and Maloney handle much of the visuals, everyone is involved musically. Krill and Hobson are the primary vocals, playing both guitar and keyboards, and Birney and Maloney take care of the background vocals, for the most part, while chiming in mostly on synthesizers.

“I think the way we have our lineup works well,” said Krill. “I feel pretty happy about the reception of our first album. It’s not a blockbuster, got mostly positive reviews.” Maloney shared Krill’s sentiment, saying they had “heard some lovely things said about it in different online places.”

Krill said Teen Men plan on playing all 12 tracks from their debut album at Firefly, along with a few tracks from their upcoming album, which is still in the works. He hopes that Firefly opens the band up to some new fans, while exposing the crowd to an act that focuses on the harmonious relationship between sight and sound.

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