By Clare R. LopezPLAY Writer
The “rule of feet” is a simple and effective way to separate the decent from the exceptional, or at least it certainly was the guiding light for The Little Ones as they recorded and rehearsed the material for their Sing Song EP, released in April of this year.
“What we noticed is that the songs that we tapped our toes to were the good songs,” says Ed Reyes, the band’s lead singer and guitarist. “If it moves you, it’s probably a keeper.”
The band is trying their best to bring liveliness back to shows with their rhythmic demeanor – no more standing around as if you were only semi-conscious of the presence of musicians, says Reyes. The Little Ones enjoy what they play and want the audience to be entertained.
“It’s a social experience to remember,” he says. “If you (the musician) don’t enjoy it the audience can’t believe you.”
A relatively new band, The Little Ones started to taking musical shape together two years ago in Los Angeles. Before breaking into the local music scene, they covered the basics – practice, practice, practice, waiting to step onto the stage until 2005, after refining their skills and sound.
“We were so into what we were doing. We just kept playing until we got a show,” says Reyes.
September 2006 saw the The Little Ones first national tour, when the five-piece band opened up for the French Kicks on what Reyes described as a “fun” tour. Both bands got along well, making the affair all the more enjoyable, Reyes says.With more experience under their belts, The Little Ones look to begin another tour, supporting Small Sins, on November 16 at Schuba’s Tavern, 3159 N. Southport in Chicago.
Reyes’s two favorite songs to belt out for the crowd from the Sing Song EP are “Cha Cha Cha” and “Oh, MJ!” His favorite musical moment from the EP is the quaint whistling on “High On a Hill, “an abstract sound effect created by using cans and pretty much anything the band could get their hands on.
The cover art for the band’s Sing Song EP was done by Jesse LeDoux, an artist who has also done cover art and tour posters for other bands including The Shins, Hellogoodbye, Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand.
With the anticipation of touring, The Little Ones have already begun to record for their upcoming full-length album. The band aims to put the finishing touches on it sometime in the spring in order to have a summer release.
It is a busy and satisfying time for The Little Ones, Reyes says. The band has a lot going on but are happy to be in the middle of it all. Taking everything one step at a time, they make completely attainable targets for themselves.
“We always like to do short term goals. We want to finish up our LP and make sure it’s the best we can do,” Reyes says. “The other goal is to tour more and play in front of more people.”
These two objectives aside, The Little Ones also just want to keep enjoying themselves, continuing to enjoying making music they can be proud of and have listeners that appreciate it every bit as much.
“We want to keep on playing and make sure it’s still fun for us,” says Reyes. “Just keep on making records that people will want to listen to. What really matters is if we can still have an audience.”
Medill freshman Clare R. Lopez is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
