In this interview spotlight, I chat with Sacramento based Connor and Karlee of me&you about their new single (Shit Out of Luck aka S.O.L.), challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Tell us about me&you. Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Connor: Hey there! I’m Connor.
Karlee: And I’m his sister Karlee. We were born and raised in Sacramento, CA and have moved away, traveled, and both now live here full time. We’ve been making music together practically our whole lives and write a lot of Americana, folk, and country music. We love all kinds of pop music, but we grew up listening to country legend Glen Campbell, and songwriters, James Taylor, Carole King, Jim Croce, and Gordon Lightfoot…we draw a lot of inspiration from these gems.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Connor: When I was born, we had a drum set, a few guitars, and a piano in the house. Our dad was a drummer and I’d sit on his lap as a kid as he held the drumsticks and taught me how to play. We both grew up with music in the house!
Karlee: When we were just a bit older, our Dad worked at our local Top 40 radio station and we had the opportunity to sort of go behind the scenes at the station and their big Jingle Ball and summer concerts. We got to meet and see our idols perform and work. I remember watching those shows and just dreaming of playing those stages with my brother.
Connor: We’re thankful for that exposure to music as kids. And I think if anything, we motivate each other to just to keep chasing that dream… playing live and sharing our music with people is the biggest pay off and motivation.
Does being in a band with your sibling make it easier or harder to create music together?
Connor & Karlee: Both. Haha.
Karlee: We butt heads a lot, but only because we care so much, we really only argue about music. Luckily, we’re best friends. And working with your best friend is a pretty cool thing. We have a lot of the same tastes in music and songwriting and in that process, there’s already an understood vulnerability. We know each other best, so it’s pretty easy to write with each other and tell each other how we’re feeling. We trust each other’s judgment and approach to certain things.
How is your new single, “S.O.L” different than previous ones?
Connor: “S.O.L.” really puts it all out there. Some of our older songs have a bit more subliminal lyrics that have hidden meanings, where “S.O.L.” just says it. We were actually feeling “Broken”, “Stuck”, and “Shit Out of Luck”. The chorus really just says it flat out. The vocals in this song also represent that well; the high notes and grit towards the end of the song are all a reflection of the lyrics. Almost like a cry for help.
What is “S.O.L.” about? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific when recording it?
Connor: At its core, “S.O.L.” is a really sad song. Karlee and I were both going through some pretty tough times personally and I think we really just wanted people to understand that. We usually take a while to finish songs, and this one happened pretty quick. In retrospect, we feel like we really just needed to get that out. In the recording process, we really wanted to accurately capture that emotion. It was something we hadn’t really done before in the studio.
What has been your favorite moment on tour?
Karlee: I really enjoy meeting new people and fans after the shows. It’s the sweetest thing to hear how people connect to the songs and means the world to us.
Connor: Ditto on what Karlee said. To add to that, we got to go on tour with John Paul White, it was our first ever actual tour opening for someone. We had no idea what we were doing, and that was so much fun. I remember showing up to this venue in Portland, OR called “The Old Church” and having to pinch myself. It was this massive cavernous room; you really didn’t even need a microphone to sing in it. It was beautiful, and on top of all that it was my 24th birthday. That’s a night I’ll never forget.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Karlee: Visibility is just a tough thing in an oversaturated market, but on the flip side there are so many opportunities to be seen. I think we constantly struggle with the ability to say “hey look/listen to us, our art is worth your time and money”. With everything going on in the world today, it’s a hard thing to try and demand so much attention, but technology has helped us really find the fans that do care and want to be involved.
Connor: Honestly, I think the biggest challenge is dealing with yourself. There’s no handbook for this, there’s no certificates or degrees. You just have to work hard and do it for yourself, and that can be a hard pill to swallow when all your friends have “real jobs”. With that being said, the small victories make it all worth it…it’s the most gratifying thing I’ve ever been a part of. It really is a labor of love and we care so much about music.
What was the last song you listened to?
Karlee: “Back to Me” by Grace Potter. Her new record is amazing!
Connor: “Watermelon” by Noah Gunderson. Incredible record.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Connor: For mass consumption purposes, MP3’s but I am a bit of an audio nerd so any higher quality listening experiences I can be a part of I will do it. I like to buy my favorite records on Vinyl because there’s nothing like sitting down and really “hearing it”. You know, dim the lights, turn off the TV and really listen to your favorite records.
Karlee: Oh, there’s nothing like listening to Vinyl. But MP3s for ease of use. But we reallllyyy grew up on CDs, our dad would bring home bins of CDs from the radio station and we always had a blast going through them and listening on our portable CD players.
Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Connor: I use Spotify primarily for the quantity of records they have. It’s pretty incredible to be able to listen to literally anything anytime. I would like to try Tidal because of the quality they provide, but as mentioned above, I’m on an indie musician budget.
Karlee: I use Spotify for ease of use and finding new music.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Karlee: Instagram and Facebook. But we love being goofy and showing you what we’re up to on Instagram, so stop by for a fun time!
Anything else before we sign off?
Thanks for having us!
