Joyful Sounds: An Interview with Little Joy

November 17, 2008 4:44 PM
by Marcos Colón

After the release of their 2005 album, First Impressions of Earth, much to the surprise of the fans, The Strokes decided to take quite a lengthy break. During that time each member ventured into their own personal projects, with Albert Hammond Jr. garnering most of the attention after his successful sophomore solo effort, Como Te Llama? Recently, drummer Fabrizio Moretti started up his own side-project in the form of Little Joy, a trio made up of Moretti, his new leading lady Binki Shapiro, and Los Hermanos frontman Rodrigo Amarante. After jamming together for some time, they decided to lay down some tracks and a year later they’ve produced what’s quite possibly the best debut album of the year. Creating the perfect blend of calypso-folk-rock, Little Joy has already received high praises by the majority of the rock press, other than Pitchfork, who can’t imagine giving anyone above an 8.0 for a rating.

CoolJunkie caught up with Binki Shapiro and spoke about the debut being released on election day, how the band go together in the first place and what the chances of them stopping by Miami are.

CoolJunkie: So, today’s a very special day, not only for yourself but for the nation as well. What’s if feel to have your album be released on Election Day?

Binki Shapiro: You know I’ve spent the morning on my laptop trying to figure out, like an idiot, where my polling place is. At one point while I was on I got a text from a friend saying, ‘Congratulations’ your album is out today.’ And I was like, ‘Holy shit, I totally forgot.’ (laughs) Then I called Fab and Rodrigo to tell them, ‘Yay, the album’s out.’ We’ve been celebrating so much because we’re just so excited about everything that’s happening and we’ve all been so busy getting ready for our tour and rehearsing. We kind of just want to dedicate this day to relaxing and watching the election. I doubt anyone’s gonna go out and buy our record today, but hopefully tomorrow.

CJ: Well you know what, as soon as I’m done in the office today I’m headed straight to Best Buy to cap the album. So if that makes you feel better, I’m buying it today.

Binki Shapiro: (laughs) Awww. Thank you!

CJ: I was actually able to listen to it a bit more today on myspace and you guys seem flirt a bit with the Portuguese language. Who does a majority of the songwriting in the band? Or do you each play a part?

Binki Shapiro: Fab is probably the main, well is definitely, the main writer of lyrics. Rodrigo wrote all of the Portuguese words. I don’t speak Portuguese but I pick things up here and there. Him and Fab are fluent in Portuguese, and Fab’s family lives in Rio and he was born there. Whenever we listen to Los Hermanos, Rodrigo’s other band, Fab’s always pausing it and translating it and explaining the words saying, ‘Wow this is so beautiful, you gotta hear this.’ Then I completely agree once I get it. He really wanted Rodrigo to do a lot of writing, but it’s difficult for both to try and translate it that way.

CJ: It’s a very beautiful album to listen to. Where do you get your inspiration from when it comes to music?

Binki Shapiro: Well, we’ve been surrounded by a lot of musicians and people that are just so good at what they do and they’re very inspiring. Like Devendra, for instance. Everyone has all kinds of different influences and I have my own influences from the outside, but I get a chance to hear all their influences and see what they have made from them.

CJ: How did you guys all come together?

Binki Shapiro: Rodrigo was out here working with Devendra and him and Fab had met at a festival in Portugal. When he came out to LA, I had met Fab around that time and he introduced me to Rodrigo and we sort of hit it off and at some point we all started working on music. Rodrigo would separately work on music with Fab and I would separately work with Rodrigo. After he went back to Brazil, Fab and I started working on music together and then at one point we just found ourselves recording on Garage Band and sending it to Rodrigo who would add layers over it and send it back and then Fab would add layers over it and send it to New York. Then Fab decided to come back for two weeks and work on some music. Two weeks almost turned into two years.

CJ: You guys are named after a favorite bar of yours in Echo Park, correct?

Binki Shapiro: Yea, we lived at this house on Portia Street, which is the street that Little Joy is on and we used to go down there when we got restless at the house and we were just working on music day and night. We basically turned the house into a studio and when you work on music it’s definitely one of those things that when you start going and you get into it, you end up looking at your watch and you’re like, ‘Holy shit, it’s like one in the morning.’ After a while you realize, that you can’t be in that place anymore. (laughs) So we would walk down there and get our bearings a little bit and then head back up and keep going.

CJ: What was your poison when you guys would head down there?

Binki Shapiro: Just beer. (laughs) We’re beer drinkers.

CJ: Simple yet effective. How would you guys describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard of Little Joy yet?

Binki Shapiro: That’s a good question. I don’t know how to answer that, it’s a good question yet a little awkward. I mean, I have gotten the whole, ‘What kind of music is it?’ from my mom. But I guess it’s kind of calypso….hmmm…I wouldn’t say it’s rock at all, but I see why some people would.

CJ: There’s a dash of folk in there.

Binki Shapiro: Yea, I guess you can say that. And there’s definitely a lot of South American influences too.

CJ: What kind of band would you not like to be perceived as?

Binki Shapiro: I feel like whether people like it or not, as long as people who listen to it can appreciate it for what it is, since we were trying to be as honest with it as we can be, and let the music sort of accompany what we were trying to say at the time, I guess if people can see that it’s true to what were are then that would be great.

CJ: What are your thoughts on the music coming out today?

Binki Shapiro: I’m actually really bad about seeking out new music. I listen to pretty much what’s handed to me, for instance, when a song comes on in someone’s car from their iPod and strikes a cord in me. In particular, Fab is very, very focused and he picks every little word and every little melody apart. I have definitely made music in the past by myself, and I realized during this whole thing how much more can and should go into making a song and making it as good as it could be. I appreciate a lot more music now that seems more focused and properly executed.

CJ: You guys recorded all your demos in Echo Park. As far as that goes, do you feel that your surrounding had an effect in the sound of the album?

Binki Shapiro: I’m sure it did. I think that I would be the one that would notice it the least because I’m the only one out of the three of us that’s actually from here. With the two of them, I definitely noticed a change with the environment.

CJ: What do you guys have planned for the remainder of the year?

Binki Shapiro: Tomorrow we’re leaving on tour and we’re gonna be gone through December and hopefully we’ll be able to get some time off to go and see our families at Christmas and maybe have a week or a few days to not have to think about anything which would be nice and hasn’t happened in a year and a half. The last time I saw my family they were like, ‘Wow, look at you. You look all pasty and have bags under your eyes. Are you on drugs?’ (laughs) I’m like, ‘No I haven’t slept in weeks!’

CJ: Any chance of you guys stopping by Miami?

Binki Shapiro: Miami? I don’t know, I would like to head down that way because my mom and my little brother live in Tampa. So it would be really nice to have my mom see us. She’s already got her scrapbook out and is working on it, and for her to have a ticket that says ‘Little Joy’ on it would be very special to her.

Click here to hear more from Little Joy.