BY BASSEY ETIM-EDET
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
It's an old cliche that the music industry can eat you up and spit you out. So how does a good-natured American and his band of Swedes survive in such a corrupt business? For Carolina Liar, contacts with legendary producer Max Martin, airplay on a hit show like "The Hills" and a willingness to forgo health insurance are a good start.
The Atlantic Records up-and-comers are currently on a radio promotional tour that will send them through Richmond next Wednesday. The band, whose song "Coming to Terms" was recently featured again on "The Hills," will also make the show's soundtrack again this Monday. Though no tour dates are currently scheduled, they're sure to pass through soon to promote their album, to be released May 20.
Frontman Chad Wolf spoke with Weekender recently about how a nice guy from Charles-ton, S.C., was branded a Carolina Liar:
Congratulations on getting "Coming to Terms" on "The Hills." Did you watch that episode?
Thank you so much. That came as a big surprise for us and it helped. We went from getting 90 to 2,500 hits on MySpace in one day. The fun thing is that we really hadn't seen much of the show before, so when we heard about it we were like "Yeah, OK." We'll take every bit of help we can get. It's weird seeing something you've worked on in your bedroom on a television show on MTV.
How did the band get its start?
I got a chance to go to Sweden for the summer, and on the plane ride over, I wrote the lyrics for "Coming to Terms." That song got so much attention that Max Martin heard it and called me at midnight on the day I had just quit my job and said, "Man, if you could write two more songs like 'Coming to Terms'" maybe there's something I can do." That's where it started, and that was in September of 2006.
What is "Coming to Terms" about?
The song is basically about me, in some ways, wanting to quit my day job, and just coming to terms with how I was using [my employer] and they were using me, and it not being quite so easy. It had some other things too, relationship-wise.
Where does the name Carolina Liar come from?
I had a band before, so when that band broke up the producer wanted to work with me solo-wise. He used to say I was the best liar that he'd ever met--and I'm also from South Carolina.
How would you define Carolina Liar's sound?
It's a modern rock thing, but it's kind of Americana songwriter stuff. It's big stories on top of Killers-based-type tracks with a '60s band. It's U2 meets Bruce Springsteen. We've been listening to Keane and a lot of Swedish bands like The Hives. We're also into '70s writers like Cat Stevens.
How did you get into music?
I grew up in Charleston, S.C., and my grandmother played piano for the church. Our family was always one of those music families. My sister played piano and saxophone, anything she could get her hands on. I think I was about 4 years old, but there's a picture of me in a cowboy hat and underwear playing some drums. I'm sure there's another one from two years ago that's going to resurface and get us in trouble.
Has your family been supportive, or are they begging you to quit and go to law school?
No. Once it started running in the right direction and they didn't have to worry about me not having health insurance, they finally stopped telling me to look for another job and to give this thing a good shot.
Bassey Etim-Edet is a freelance writer in Arlington. Reach her at
Email: betimedet@gmail.com.
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