Boston based dream pop unit Little Miss Echo recently released their debut single “Optigan” b/w “Daily Prayer”.
I sat down with the band which consists of Mackenzie Keefe on Vocals/Guitar, Aidan Lehane on Synths/Samples, Kyle Coen on Bass and Matt Orsie on Drums to talk about their early musical experiences, how they got together and the process of writing and recording the single which you can get here.
CMM-What was the first music that really made an impact on you all as kids and what artist or band did you all enjoy the most?
MK – The Austin Powers soundtrack was a huge one for me, but Linkin Park and Nirvana were my first real deal favorite bands. I also loved a lot of music from the 90s that blended rock songwriting with influences from golden age hip-hop (Beck, Beastie Boys, etc.) which has sort of come full circle with this band.
KC – Probably Thin Lizzy or Metallica.
MO – I guess Alkaline Trio or System of a Down for me, I only really listened to them until I was an adult.
AL – Dido or the intro to Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
CMM-When did you all first start playing instruments and eventually playing in your own bands and how did you all meet and start Little Miss Echo?
KC – I was like 12 or 13 when I started playing guitar but hadn’t played in a band until me and Mackenzie’s old project Magnolia Nelson.
MO – I started dabbling in drums/guitar/playing in bands when I was 13 or 14 but didn’t fall in love with drumming until playing in a band called Dark Woods when I was like 18.
MK – My folks got me a guitar when I was around 9 or 10, but I got serious about writing songs and home recording during my teen years. I met Kyle and Matt through mutual friends in the hardcore and emo scenes around Boston about 10 years ago, and Aidan and I were in the same music classes at UMass around the same time. Kyle and Matt also played in live versions of my solo project and Aidan and I had a short-lived band called The Meltdowns too, so we’ve all been playing and writing together for a long while.
CMM-The group’s two song release featuring “Optigan” and “Daily Prayer” is nothing short of stellar. What was the writing recording process for making the songs like? Any particular gear you all used that really helped shape specific parts?
MK – Thank you so much! Those songs had pretty wildly different processes, with “Optigan” being written just on an acoustic guitar and “Daily Prayer” using a short loop from an old easy listening 45 for the basis of the arrangement. We actually used a lot of iPhone apps on this record, namely Koala for sample manipulation and iOptigan which is modeled after an optical organ from the 70s. Besides that, we experimented with a lot of layers of samples, drum loops, and guitar overdubs in Logic to try and give each track its own wall of sound.
CMM-If the band could do a score for any film director who would it be and what would the film be about?
AL – Either Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure or Jodorowsky’s Dune.
KC – Wong Kar-wai. It’d probably be about unrequited or forbidden love like a lot of his movies are.
MK – Hal Ashby or PT Anderson for me, most likely some quirked up coming-of-age dramedy set in the 60s or 70s. I’d also love to write the music for a classic Hollywood musical-type deal someday, especially if Greta Gerwig is directing. Just saw An American In Paris last night so I’ve got big technicolor dance numbers on the brain.
CMM-What do you all have coming up next? Any new recordings or show?
MK – At the moment, we’re focusing on wrapping up post-production on our first LP out sometime in the Spring or Summer of this year. We’re also working on arranging the songs for a four-piece live context after composing the album mostly on our laptops, but we should start playing out in tandem with the album release soon. Some demos for our second album are in the works as well so plenty of exciting stuff on the way!
AL – We’re all bound to that same endless horizon.
