Teen Girl Scientist Monthly is a Brooklyn sextet (Matt Berger (guitar and vocals), Matt Gliva (bass), Melissa Lusk (keyboards), Morgan Lynch (vocals), Hiroyuki Matsuura (drums), and Pete Scalzitti (keyboards)) that will be releasing Modern Dances, their ten-track debut album, on February 26th, 2013. But today, they're slumming with us answering our Seven Questions In Heaven.
Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
Hi! We're sorta like... Garage pop with cares to the wind. Stomps and jangles included. Some assembly necessary.
Who are your musical influences and idols?
Pavement, Pixies, Arcade Fire, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, The Unicorns, Shel Silverstein, Mel Torme. Orange Juice, The Hey!, Imelda Marcos, Ring Pops, Christmas lights. Clap Your Hands Say LCD Sound-Squeeze.
What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
Gliva: Dookie and Dude Ranch, at a yard sale.
Morgan: Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill.
Pete: "Mo Money Mo Problems by Notorious BIG, Puff Daddy, and Ma$e.
Matsu: Scott Henderson's Nomad.
Melissa: Vitamin C's album, the one with "Smile" and that graduation song and "About Last Night," which was about a one night stand, but I didn't know that.
Berger: Probably Weird Al? Probably Weird Al.
I fell in love with you guys the moment I read the band name. Where did you come up with the name Teen Girl Scientist Monthly?
Morgan received a magazine once when she was 16. Once and never again. We haven't been able to find them online. It was like a guidebook and supply catalog for science-minded teens.
This might be the coolest thing a band has ever done: you guys created your very own Choose Your Own Adventure book with fourteen possible endings. How did that come about? How long did it take? What's your favorite ending? Are there plans for a sequel?
Glad you like it!
Berger's obsessed with those books - he owns like fifty - and we wanted to make something fun and unique for our merch table. Also, it serves as the "case" for our first single off Modern Dances. If you make it through the Haunted Warehouse in the book, you get a download code for the "Summer Skin" single, with b-sides and lyrics. You could say that's the "best" ending. Our favorite, though, is the one where you fight the dragon.
This guy took about four months from when Berger starting writing to us binding the books (by hand, y'all). We have another single coming out in March, so maybe not in time for that (though we'll do something fun again), but we'll definitely have an eventual sequel!
Scenario: your favorite rock magazine or website reviews Modern Dances next month and loves it. How do they describe it in six words or less?
We had trouble agreeing on this one, so we went around the circle at practice and came up with one word each:
"HOLY MOSES! Spears killed Wonton! YUP."
So. Ball's in your court, Pitchfork.
Finally, Teen Girl Scientist Monthly is the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
We open for no one - except ourselves. And you guys. Come on! It'll be fun. We can share the green room and some pizzas. The Teen Girl / Culture Brats North American Tour. Ok, ok. The Culture Brats / Teen Girl North American Tour. You drive a hard bargain, Brats, but we love you.
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