By Lori Kozlowski
On a Thursday afternoon, Earvolution sat down with The Sharp Things' lead singer/songwriter Perry Serpa. The orchestral New York-based band has been around for years, but has evolved from something once strictly rock-and-roll to a more musically inclusive sound. So inclusive that the band at any given time has 12 or more members, all playing an array of instruments ranging from guitars to violins, cellos, and trumpets.
Beyond the uniqueness of this chamber-pop ensemble, Serpa's songwriting is both thoughtful and though-provoking. Filled with hundreds of colorful images (Ferris wheel lights, flannel pajamas, bottles of bourbon, and silken kimonos), his songs allow you to go to your own places of love or pain and pull out your most memorable moments of both.
Songs like "Silver Anniversary," "Homeless," and "She Left with the Sun," recount personal tokens of Serpa's past.
At a little place called The Talking Stick in Santa Monica, CA, Serpa was true to the coffeehouse's name sake, chatting at length about the band's history and where they are headed. Sitting on a floor of colored pillows and Persian rugs, Serpa had this to say about his band and their new CD Foxes & Hounds:
LK: Tell me about the name of the band and how that came about.
PS: Actually, I think it was a name before it was a band. I had this song, I think it was more like a couplet from a song...something like "and my mother hid the sharp things." A song that I wrote a long time ago - over a decade ago.
LK: What about the band's inception?
PS: [In 1992/1993] the earliest idea for the band was that it would be a pop rock band. But, God, it became a totally different animal.
LK: How many people are in the band now?
PS: Active members. I think it comes to 12. But then we have satellite members and past members, which amounts to about 15 or 16 people.
LK: How does that work? Do satellite members just drop in and play the songs?
PS: Yeah, people just play to the songs. Whatever the songs need. [For instance] we had a keyboard player and she came in so I could make love to the mike. She played at the piano and I just stood at the mike. So I can have that versatility.
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