I Told You All My Secrets: An Interview with Featurette
When Lexie Jay and Jon Fedorsen discuss the background of
their band, Featurette, the quote from American
Pie can begin their story. Yes, that quote.
This one time at band camp, Jay and Fedorsen were teaching
music. Fedorsen brought along his brother’s acoustic guitar and was trying to
spread the message to camp goers that they can step outside of their comfort
zone and try a new instrument, just like him. According to Jay, his message was
great… his guitar playing, not so much. He recruited her to strengthen the band
for a staff performance, but they have yet to stop creating music together.
Since then, they traded the acoustic guitar for synths and a
drum machine. They went from creating folk music to indie rock before focusing
on more electronic sounds. Their first LP, CRAVE,
shares a journey of “Featurette Girl”, the main character that embodies their
live sets. The lyrics are inspired by both of their pasts, as well as the
current state of the world, and are turned into a powerful character arc.
“It’s a journey through her relationship from start to
finish, laid out in 10 tracks,” Jay said. “By the time we’ve arrived at ‘Procession’,
the final song on the LP, she’s evolved so much and learned from being let
down. She’s grown up and ready to show the world what she’s got; which is kind
of where our project is right now too. We’re ready to explore more of her story
and feel more, that’s not just relating to her love interests. We’re getting
into anger, sexuality, frustration, a loss of control - these are all themes
you’ll see in the latest two singles. They’re an extension of her journey from CRAVE, but really just the beginning of
her (or our) evolution.”
The latest two singles, “Bang” and “Upside Down”, pick up
where CRAVE left off. Although the
songs continue the story of Featurette Girl, the process of creating the songs
is a duel effort.
“It’s pretty interesting when you’ve got a band of just two
people, it’s a blended sound that comes from our two unique sets of
experiences, merging,” Fedorsen said. “Sometimes it’s as simple as us finding
the right sound, or creating a new one, and then thinking about what story that
sound would tell. How it would move or sing, what it would say. We do a lot of
listening when we’re creating; we’re searching for something new.”
A future album is yet to be announced, but Featurette will be playing a part in the 2018 music scene. And to think, their journey together began during this one time at band camp.
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