Meet Parlor Walls

Do you enjoy a general feeling of unease and disarray? Parlor Walls will make you disarray-iest and the uneasiest… but in the best way.

This experimental NYC crew create post punk tunes that have been bashed around and cut up into a fantastically heady and erratic bunch of tunes. 

Below, we discuss dancing with pizza, all things distortion, and the most important important things to have in a dressing room.

Give it a lookie and a listen below. 

THE OBSERVATORY, A Mad-Lib by, Parlor Walls

Our class went on a field trip to a RAVENLY observatory. It was located on top of a RAVEN, and it looked like a giant RAVEN CLAW with a slit down its RAVEN WING. We went inside and looked through a DESIGNER RAVEN and were able to see 3 RAVENS in the sky that were millions of RAVENS away. The men and women who RAVE in the observatory are called the 30 RAVENS, and they are always watching for comets, eclipses, and shooting RAVENS. An eclipse occurs when an ETHAN ALLEN POE comes between the earth and their RAVEN NECKLACE and everything gets RAVENOUS. Next week, we plan to CROW (SHOUT OUT RUFIO) at the Museum of Modern RAVEN FOOT.

Would You Rather

only eat burritos or pizza for the rest of your life?

Chris: Pizza

Alyse: Pizza with no cheese and lotsa veggies

Some Questions with Parlor Walls

What is the creative process like between the two of you?  

Alyse: Its a lot of push and pull then eventual bliss. 

Chris:  Usually watch a lot of movies and play with the cats.

What is objectively the best drunk food, and why? 

Chris: Pizza. You can walk around and eat it and not get messy. Hold a slice by your side while you're dancing.

Alyse: I love cereal, it's the perfect combination of cool liquid and sweet crunchies hitting your tongue.

Have you ever gotten really lost? What happened? 

Chris: Nah.  Shout out GPS

Alyse: Getting lost is a construct

Where is the best music store in New York City?

Chris: Always used main drag.

Alyse: I went to Rock and Roll Supplies (Bushwick) a lot but they recently closed:(.  

How do you view distortion? Does this play into your creative process?

Chris:  If you're talking distortion pedals then Fuzz War for life.  It makes my shitty gear sound less shitty.  Shout out distortion and Death by Audio.

Alyse: Aaaaahh.  Distortion and I are very close buddies.  We've been together for as long as I can remember.  My distortion is thick and full-bodied.  I am Blues Driver all the way.  I also play around a lot with Feedback.  Even if you have the mechanics down pretty well, the outcome is always a surprise.  I feel like a sorceress and it's wonderful.        

What makes a performance successful to you? 

Alyse: I think its a combination between letting yourself go and creating a direct connection to the audience. All the while trying not to fuck up.

Chris: When you feel something else take over and you become a puppet.

What would you change about the music industry? 

We wish Bandcamp was more popular than Spotify.

What is your favorite park in New York City? 

Chris: Cooper

Alyse: When I first moved to the city I spent a lot of time in McGolrick Park so it holds a pretty special place for me. The trees are beautiful too.

What has been your biggest high as a band?

Alyse:  We recently played a set at Green-wood Cemetery and it was bonkers. There was so much energy bursting from everywhere. Lee Ranaldo played after us and his guitar was suspended from this huge cherry picker like 50 feet up. The whole night was very magical.

Chris:  Probably playing a sweaty show at Aviv then going home and watching funny youtube videos.

Is there a piece of musical gear that you have been really into lately? 

Chris: Korg Electribe ER-1 MK 2.

Alyse:  I'm using a new looper pedal and I've been creating a lot of eerie and vibey music beds.

What three things would you demand to be in your dressing room? 

Chris:  3 different dogs who know each other.

Alyse:  Whiskey, bananas, saltines. 

Who are your favorite bands active in NYC right now?

All: Lutkie, Shimmer, Gold Dime, Dreamcrusher, Activity, Weeping Icon, Terminator 

What is your dream neighborhood to live in, and why? 

Chris:  Probably a chill neighborhood in Alaska, literally chill.

Alyse:  A neighborhood where everyone is kind and helpful to each other. 

If you were running for mayor what would your motto be?  

All: Come to our house if you're not feeling well and we can hang and watch movies

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Chris:  One time I told Alyse I had never seen Hellraiser so she described the whole movie to me in like 20 minutes. Good amount of detail and nailed the emotional arc. I had in fact seen it, but her version was better.

Alyse:  Our new album Heavy Tongue comes out in February.  We hope you enjoy it:)!