Espinoza and Earlimart to give Chapel Hill a 2nd try

Hailing from Los Angeles, with a penchant for ’60s pop and orchestral arrangements, indie pop band Earlimart and frontman Aaron Espinoza have been making music for seven years.

Their 2004 effort, Treble and Tremble, on Palm Pictures, has been making waves, receiving critical acclaim for its ornate pop stylings. The Daily Tar Heel recently spoke with Espinoza.

 

So about the new record … what were you trying to accomplish on this album?

Musically, I definitely wanted it to be more of an orchestral record than we’ve made before, more thought-out arrangements, more elaborate, without being an orchestral rock band.

 

This Sunday will be your second time coming to Chapel Hill in the last couple months. Is there anything you particularly like about Chapel Hill?

I’m hoping I’ll come away liking Chapel Hill more this time. There seems to be a limited amount of indie rockers. When we opened for Badly Drawn Boy we played for about 3 people, but I’m willing to give Chapel Hill a second chance.

 

You’ve gotten a lot of positive press in the last year concerning Treble and Tremble, including mention among several year-end best-of lists. How does it feel to get recognition finally?

It feels pretty good. I don’t really read too much of the stuff, though. I feel good about the record, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t need any extra reinforcement about that. My ego isn’t big enough so that when I see a negative thing it doesn’t just … ruin me (laughs).

 

You produced Treble and Tremble yourself; is that something you’ve always done, or is that unique to this record?

That was kind of the thing, the band’s been learning how to write songs as I’ve been learning how to record them. It’s been a self-sufficient kind of project. We started in a bedroom and now we have a proper studio space.

 

So do you prefer having that kind of control once you get into the studio?

I think it’s the best way to do it, do things yourself, it’s not an easy thing to do. Sometimes it’s not the most fun thing for me, but sometimes it’s really difficult, you sacrifice so much … to try and do this — relationships, finances, mental stability — you sacrifice it to do this, but there’s just no other way to do it.

 

Earlimart will play Jan. 30 with Pedro the Lion at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro.

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.