Chicago folk rock/Americana group Whitney play The Academy, Dublin on 21 February. We asked drummer and lead singer Julien Ehrlich the BIG questions . . .
Whitney was formed in Chicago in 2015 by former Smith Westerns guitarist Max Kakacek and Unknown Mortal Orchestra drummer Julien and quickly gained acclaim with their debut album, 2016's Light Upon the Lake.
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Following their breakthrough, Whitney released Forever Turned Around (2019) and Candid (2020), an album of reimagined covers, and Spark (2022).
They released their latest album, Small Talk, last year.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Well, my name’s Julien Ehrlich and I’m the drummer and lead singer in a band called Whitney. I travel too much. I love touring and playing music with all my heart but I don’t love flying specifically. I just bought a nice new Dutch oven for my kitchen so I can feel more at home when I’m here. I also am just realising that I like to cook. I’m currently in the process of familiarizing my Danish partner with spicy food and it’s actually going really well. Is that three?
How would you describe your music?
When non-music adjacent people ask what Whitney sounds like I tell them it’s a bit like Neil Young or The Band because most people know who that is. In reality we probably sound a bit more like if Robert Lester Folsom and Curtis Mayfield wrote some songs together. At least I think deep down that’s what we’re going for.
Who are your musical inspirations?
There’s an old songwriter from the 70s named Jim Ford that Max and I became really obsessed with while we were starting the band. It’s not even really like we still listen to him that much or anything but at least once every few months we’ll be writing something and we’ll notice that there’s a bit of a Jim Ford spirit to it. And when I think of him I really just think of an artist that wasn’t afraid to fail in the studio. He was definitely a hard partying dude and he had more than a few far out song ideas that didn’t necessarily land with me but when he was in his groove there was really nothing like it. It’s My Life and She Turns My Radio On are some good examples.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My dad used to play drums in a prog rock band called Quest so I’m guessing that was the first live music I ever saw. I probably had no idea what I was looking at but I’m sure I was entranced
What was the first record you ever bought?
I think it was a Christian metal band called Stryper. All I remember is the logo looking cool when I was a toddler. And now that I’m looking them up I’m realising they all dressed in black and yellow stripes like butt rock bumble bees. I’m kind of into it.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I just saw that Mitski released a new single and it reminded me how much I loved her last record, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We and particularly the song Heaven - Put it on the other day and got the chills. So let’s say Heaven.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Good question. Probably not a good answer but there’s a song called The River by Michael Farneti and the lyrics are so unintentionally funny because he spends the whole song struggling to use all the words that rhyme with river in a way that makes sense. And then in the third verse he says "You’re innate in the river" which obviously sounds like he’s singing about urinating in a river. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not but it doesn’t even matter. The song and the arrangement are both so beautiful that he could be singing about anything and I’d be hypnotised.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My honest answer is probably some long ambient song that isn’t going to drive me crazy but for the sake of this interview I’ll say Whispering Pines by The Band. That song contains an entire world that I think I could live in forever. There are so many magical, heart wrenching moments in the recording that it gives me real FOMO.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Well I guess we’re on all of the usual streamers and social media sites? Where we really are is down at your local record shop and at The Academy on February 21st! And then probably at the bar afterwards drinking stouts.
Alan Corr
