“Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star. That’s the song Erin Fuller was singing the first time Connie Ward saw her perform, at a bar in Spring Green on karaoke night. The connection was instantaneous—or, as Ward states simply, “I knew she had to be the singer in the band.” And even when that band, the now-defunct Thieves on Holiday, called it quits in 2011, Ward knew she wanted to continue the pair’s musical collaboration. It took a year or so, but in the winter of 2012-13, Building on Buildings was born.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
The Shitty Barn
Spring Green, WI
2 PM to 10 PM; $15
When Buildings first started out, it was just Fuller and Ward, with each contributing vocals and guitar. But both knew from the beginning that they wanted to add members to expand their range beyond the girls-with-guitars vibe. This sentiment led them to pick up Eben Christensen, who brings keys, bass, guitar, and electronics to the mix (plus, as Fuller points out, “he’s our secret weapon singer”), as well as Shawn Pierce on drums and Kris Hansen on bass.
Nowadays, despite the fact that Fuller and Ward brought the group together, Buildings functions as a collaborative unit. Or, as Fuller notes, “We’re all in it. We all contribute. We all write. We all sing.” Ward elaborates further, explaining that, “Now that we have all the right ingredients and members, we can mix it and experiment more.”
That experimentation has fleshed out the group’s vibe into a sound that Fuller calls melodic, melancholy, and lush. “It’s about weaving different sounds, textures, and words to form a whole; less about telling stories,” she explains about the group’s style, “[it’s] more like ‘telling feelings.’” Finally, she says, the band is “right where we wanted to be from the get go.”
To date, Buildings has released a self-titled EP and the first single from their upcoming self-titled album, a liquid, brooding track entitled “Wheel.” But with the band’s debut LP nearing completion, the audience will be treated to a comprehensive set at Solskinn, and one that includes many of their newer songs. As such, attendees can expect to hear an even sharper take on the group’s earlier work, with plenty of lushly layered vocals that drift above an expansive landscape of tangled, introspective guitar.
Building on Buildings will perform at Solskinn Music Festival on Saturday, August 16 at The Shitty Barn in Spring Green, WI. Tickets are only $15 and can be purchased here.