Lollapalooza Music Festival celebrated its 32nd edition this past weekend in Chicago’s historic Grant Park, and we were there to capture the festivities – see our 2023 recap here.
We were lucky enough to speak with many of the talented performers about playing Lollapalooza, their musical process, new music, and much more. View all interviews from Saturday below:
SATURDAY:
FRIDAY PILOTS CLUB:
How does it feel to be playing Lollapalooza – especially as a local band?
Caleb Hiltunen: It’s kind of wild to be playing somewhere that I used to just come hang out at during college. You know, it’s cool. And I’m not even talking about Lollapalooza but Grant Park in general.
Eric Doar: It is crazy, especially just being from here and coming as a kid and stuff. It is crazy coming to play and it’s nostalgic. It’s just humbling. It’s a very cool thing to be a part of.
What is your songwriting process – do you usually work on the lyrics first, find a melody, or have an idea that you want to convey?
Drew Polovick: It’s totally different every time. It’s funny like you might pick up a guitar and there’s like for some reason there’s just chords you gravitate toward and you might write a full instrumental thing and then write lyrics. But then also there’s times you might be like watching a movie and there’s like a word that sticks out to you or you’re reading a book or you’re driving and you see a billboard and there’s something that sticks out. So it’s different every time and there’s no hard and fast rule for what comes first or how it happens.
Caleb: We’re all over the board. All five of us write and we run into people and it surprises people and inversely when I meet a band where it’s like one person writes I’m like oh that’s weird. We just got very tapped into the Friday Pilots Club sound and we realized all five elements have a very unique thing to offer to that sound in general. Like I know a Sean guitar riff. When I hear it within seconds I’m like that’s Sean.
Drew: And it’s cool too because I think we all have such a unique approach and thing we offer that it’s cool because it’s like we can offer up an idea for the other one that can then go and refine that idea further and like really bring it to the next level for the song. So it’s really cool. And I feel like we don’t really put out a song that the five of us don’t touch in some way like we all will have a hand in it.
Sean Burke: I feel like “Hot Mess” to me is the perfect culmination. There was a time where we tried it almost separately like you know me and Drew or Drew and James or whatever. And we would do a bunch of different random things but then “Hot Mess” came along. It’s kind of the perfect culmination of like pop and rock.
James Kourafas: You definitely hear everybody’s part.
Who have you been listening to lately?
Caleb: Colter Wall – I love that guy so much. He’s so cool, he’s my favorite Canadian.
Drew: Paris Texas. That new Paris Texas record is so cool. It just makes me feel excited about alternative music and rock music again. And it’s like guitars but it doesn’t feel like guitars. I don’t know, it’s just exciting. They’re an amazing group.
Sean: I’ve been listening to this band called Deerhoof. They take like really classic rock and kind of make it just a little left center. Sometimes they go really far, but the most recent record I’ve been listening to is called The Magic and I feel like it’s got really catchy melodies and the songs are really well executed. They’re a sick band.
James: I’ve been listening to a lot of Baxter Dury.
Eric: We just came off like, two weeks of just Friday Pilot stuff music so I’m like what was I listening to like three weeks ago.
Sean: Dude you’re just trying not to say Umphrey.
Eric: Yeah it was pretty much all Umphrey’s McGee. Also COIN, and I was listening to Uncanny Valley a lot recently.
What’s next for you? Any new projects?
James: We are making new songs.
Drew: We’re gonna make a lot of new songs. We’ve had a crazy year and I think it’s time for us to just settle down, do some new music, and be like all right it’s time for the new era.
James: Off the record – hella new songs.
Drew: On the record – some new songs.
AIDAN BISSETT:
Your set is a little over an hour from now – how does it feel to soon play Lollapalooza?
Aidan: I’m still wrapping my head around it. Playing festivals has always been a dream of mine, and so I think my younger self would be freaking out right now. I’m going over it in my head, but I feel like once I get out there it will all hit me.
What is your songwriting process – do you usually work on the lyrics first, find a melody, or have an idea that you want to convey?
Aidan: I’m very sonically driven, so a lot of times it’ll come from guitar, piano, and then lyrics will follow but it kind of just depends on the situation. I definitely am a fan of getting the music right first though.
Do you have any collaborators you like to work with?
Aidan: That also depends. I have a set up in my house so sometimes I’ll start out there and bring it to friends. I have a close group of friends that we kind of just work together which is really nice being able to hit every friend and be like hey let’s have a little hang or something.
Are you working on any new music?
Aidan: Yeah we’re putting out a little EP in the fall which I’m really excited about, it’ll come out right before we go on our first headline tour. Also with the tour, being here is kind of a first step: longer set, cooler transitions and all that stuff so getting used to all that. And then kind of feel what worked, what didn’t work that sort of thing.
Who have you been listening to lately?
Aidan: I always listen to Coldplay, The 1975, The Strokes, The Killers are always my top four. The girl that I’m bringing on tour with me – her name is Anna Shoemaker and she makes incredible music and is kind of indie/alt so I’m stoked to play with her.
ARI ABDUL:
How does it feel to play Lollapalooza?
Ari: Honestly I think it’s the most surreal thing ever. Two years ago I was not doing music at all. I come from being one of the biggest fan girls, so I would always go to Gov Ball in New York, go to Rolling Loud, all these festival and concerts and to actually be here and play on a stage is the most unreal thing to me ever. I still haven’t processed it but i’m super grateful to be here.
What is your songwriting process – do you usually work on the lyrics first, find a melody, or have an idea that you want to convey?
Ari: I would say concept first. I loved making all my songs and projects based around a subject or a story and telling that story so for example my song “HUSH” – I wanted to write a song about intrusive thoughts and there was my concept. Then comes production – how is the song going to sound? Will it be dark or upbeat? And then from there we just hum melodies and write lyrics. In the start it was just me and my best friend, and now I have been able to work with others and learn other styles so it’s always a really fun process.
What have you been working on lately? Any new songs?
Ari: I’ve been working on a new project i’m super super excited for and I love the concept of the new project which is coming out before the end of the year. The theme is chaotic – it’s a little scary and crazy, it’s emotional. I would best describe it as a rollercoaster of emotion and mania.
Who have you been listening to lately?
Ari: Lana. I am such a Lana girl, I always have been. I think whoever forms your music taste when you’re first getting that sense of self influences you. Mine were Lana Del Rey, The Neighborhood, Arctic Monkeys.
