Formed in Houston, Texas, but now calling Austin home, the trio Ume has recently released one of the best albums of 2009. Yeah, I know it is early. But the Sunshower EP is packed with the most explosive songs you have heard in a while. The trio mixes fiery guitars from frontwoman Lauren Langner Larson and driving bass lines from her bassist husband Eric Larson, rounded out by the hard-hitting backbeat of drummer Jeff Barrarea. The Sunshower EP flows seamlessly through its perfectly orchestrated five tracks. From the opening cut "East of Hercules," the album takes you in and demands your full attention, leaving you wanting more.
But before we dive any further into this great band, what’s up with the name Ume, and how do you pronounce it?
"Ooo-may," said Lauren Langner Larson. "It’s a Japanese plum or plum blossom. Our friend Tim came up with it because he was a fan of eating umeboshi."
In a time where indie rock is acoustic guitars and guys with beards, a band like Ume stands out among the singer/songwriters, and that is not a bad thing. In an earlier era, they would be mentioned right along with bands like Veruca Salt, Sleater Kinney or even the Fastbacks. Instead, this group, with its guitar-driven rock, has been labeled as nearly every hyphenated-rock genre that exists.
"It’s sort of funny that a guitar, bass, and drums trio is something of an anomaly in indie rock," Langner Larson said. "At least some people have been excited to see an indie rock band rocking out. We’re just doing what we’ve always been doing – appreciating the chance to play and trying to put ourselves completely into every performance. My goal is to appeal to the folky folks and the metal-heads."
The pixie-like blonde guitarist/vocalist can bend your ear with both wailing guitars and sonic screams. Langner Larson knows how to write a catchy rock song.
"I just have to write music …" she said. "It’s like eating or laughing, something that just happens. Even when I was in grad school thinking I was going to be an academic, I found myself running to the guitar every half-hour.
"I think a part of yourself inevitably ends up in any song you write. During the writing of the songs on the EP, I developed tendonitis from over-playing and was told that I might have to stop playing guitar for up to six months. Dealing with tendonitis was an influence on the EP and led me to approach the writing of these songs with an appreciation and a sense of hope and optimism that might permeate the recording."
On how she approaches her songwriting, Langner Larson continued "I’d rather try to write an interesting song and let other folks find the words to write about it. Not being labeled as part of a particular trend or pigeon-holed into a particular style has enabled us to play with really diverse bands – on completely punk rock shows and also acoustic pop bills. Though once we were kicked off a bill with Cat Power for being ‘too hard.’"
When people come out to see Ume live, they tend to be blown away by the diminutive front woman who can actually rock, harder than the boys more times than not. A lot of the early press has focused on Langner Larson’s beauty, but then they are blown away by the music and realize she is for real.
"My goal – even from when I started playing guitar in my early teens – was to be heard as a guitarist, not seen as a girl playing guitar. I’m repeatedly told after shows, ‘Wow, I thought you’d suck, but you can really play guitar.’
"During SxSW, an interviewer even prefaced his first question with, ‘Girls can’t play guitar, but … .’ I’ve even been asked to admit that I’m not really playing guitar up there because no one could move around like that and really play," Langer Larson said. "Some writers have even assumed that one of the guys played guitar on the EP. So, of course, I like to shatter expectations.
"But, I will really get joy when I see other girls take the stage and not face the same low expectations I have – when people won’t be surprised that a woman can actually play. That’s one of the goals driving my work as a guitar instructor and band coach with Girls Rock Camp Austin."
Girls Rock Camp Austin is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls and women of all backgrounds and abilities through musical education and performance. It is a day camp exclusively for girls with qualified counselors teach campers in guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals.
Langner Larson picked up the six string when she was 12 years old. The guitar was her brother’s, and she borrowed it and learned Nirvana’s "Come as You Are" in a matter of minutes from the tab book. She went on to stay up all night with a tape of Incesticide and learned to play "Aneurysm" by ear to show her brother.
One of her problems at the time was her hands. They were too small to form proper power chords, so she quickly institutionalized her own style of playing, which she still uses today.
However, she admits, "I can’t say that Nirvana was the major influence on my guitar style. I was really forced to develop my own style of playing and to find my own alternative tunings."
Sometimes being the lone female in a rock band can be tough for a woman, but for Langner Larson, Ume has its perks since she is married to the bass player.
"We were married when we started Ume. I met Eric when I was 15. My first thrashy hardcore band had just played a skate-park, and he came up to talk to me while I moped on the vert ramp. He was the first guy to ever ask for my number," she said.
Now that they are in a band together, she admits, "There are a lot of parallels between being in a rock band and in a marriage, especially in terms of how you communicate. I think I’m really lucky to be able to play music with my partner."
Now that Ume has self-released the stunning Sunshower EP, the band is touring and in talks with a few record labels for future releases. But Lauren, Eric and Jeff are standing by their goals as an independent band.
"The goal is to have ownership of the music and a team of folks collaboratively supporting the band – a collective not a hierarchy," Langner Larson said.