Erik Hall is a music-playing beast. I caught up with him before his band In Tall Buildings opened for Tennis at Lincoln Hall, and found out he had a second show later that night at the Hideout as the guitarist for Wild Belle.
Wild Belle! I said. I just posted about you guys on my
blog. Well, come to the show! he said. So me and my friend
Dan went.
From what I can tell, the music world is beginning to notice Wild Belle, with good reason. "Keep You," the A-side on their debut single, is a sax-layered dub pop mix that I can't get enough of. I danced through the whole set - and so did lead singer Natalie Bergman (looking stylish in black slacks and an amazing green shirt/jacket that buttoned up the front). Each song made me sigh with joy. Natalie's playful vocals fell perfectly against the groovy backdrop that the other musicians created. And isn't it so cute that they're a brother/sister duo? (Elliot thanked Natalie for letting him take the lead vocals on one song during their set. Charming.)
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Playing all this music comes naturally to Erik.
"I never thought to pursue anything else," he said. "I started playing piano when I was eight years old and I just never stopped."
His advice for those who want to make it with music: just do your thing, and work hard.
"You have to make it your job," he said.
The next show for Erik is in California with Wild Belle. In Tall Buildings is part of the SXSW sendoff at the Hideout on 3/10, and then both Wild Belle and In Tall Buildings are playing in Austin. ITB has another show coming up at SPACE in Evanston on 3/27. Erik is also part of the band Nomo.
