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DATE S & PLACES
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These days, New York has a love affair with the synthesizer. You would think it was 1970 all over again. In this sea of dance pop, MIDI, and vodocorders, I’m putting my bet on the Wurlitzer making a comeback with the help of one Kelly Rae Kerwin and her band Private Income. There’s something about their building tempos and her driving vocals that conjure up images of both impending doom and dizzying lightness. Formerly of Zero Spanish, Kerwin has been a local fixture of Brooklyn’s music scene and I always make a point to catch her shows. After recently opening for their buddies, the Fiery Furnaces, Private Income is promoting their first full-length album The Front Room, featuring band mates, Deron Pulley on bass and guitar, and their new drummer, Pete Sustarsic. I recently attended their record release party at the new Knitting Factory to play catch up with my friend and personal style muse, Kelly Rae. Laura S: So I know you’ve always been in bands and played music, what are some of the other odd jobs you’ve had to make ends meet? Kelly Rae Kerwin: Well, I’m a bartender and I work a lot. I work at two bars in the East Village, Niagara and Bowery Electric. I get my ass kicked. It’s really hard, but it funds everything for my band and everything that I do.
Rhythmic trio Private Income (formerly Zero Spanish) take their indie-rock lineup to a place less precious and more authoritative, weaving energy and rawness into the members’ structured playing. Kelly Rae Kerwin makes the keyboard do her bidding as she alternates between sweet church organ, pounding assaults, and swirling scales, bringing classical training to the level of rock. Her vocals are feathery and girlish, not unlike the layered ladies of Au Revoir Simone, but are delivered with an emotive and tone-bending power that betrays her sweetness and sounds more like Nico. “Good Buddies” starts as a dark waltz and builds into an ominous space invaders march, with Kerwin’s robotic monotone blended to sound both terrifying and angelic. Deron Pulley’s Pixies bass on “Souvenir” teases between ballpark organ while Jeff Gretz’s drums insert awesome fills throughout. Private Income’s tempos are driving, and their songs tend to pound forward in some sort of dark unison, with moods dark and eyes forward – but they also know how to jam. “The Rider” flows with glistening keyboard and jumpy bass for a bit, and then turns into a jazzy, open exploration of those instruments’ highs and lows. Through their tunes, these guys have a distinct mood, as if they’re not to be messed with, making their gutsy pop demand attention."
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