by Zach Fraley
Photos courtesy of The Goodnight Darlings
The theater major and the scientist. If it sounds like an unusual coupling to you, then you aren’t the only one. The Goodnight Darlings are a combination that seems better suited for a screwball comedy than for music venues. Katarina Auster, a graduate of the theater school of renowned liberal arts college Juilliard, and Wilson Jaramillo, nicknamed “The Scientist” for his collection of and skill with guitar pedals, have found solace in each other’s company as they tour the country in promotion of their newest EP, All I Ever Wanted. According to Auster, a little slice of home is all they need to face touring dozens of cities at a time.
“I feel so lucky. Wilson takes such great care of me. I literally feel so at home writing with him and trying any little crazy impulsive thing! And we don’t have to miss each other while touring. We get to explore the music and new cities together.”
Auster began seriously pursuing her love of the stage when she was accepted to Juilliard. Though at first she yearned to walk and talk like a rock star, Auster claims the university turned her on to the more classical works and techniques presented by playwrights like William Shakespeare.
“I had an extraordinary time at Juilliard. All my heroes are larger than life stage personas – Madonna, Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, etc. I showed up at Julliard really wild, just turning 18, [and] wanting to be shown how to be Iggy Pop! They showed me Shakespeare instead. But it actually worked out – to tackle that huge language and emotion, I had to get in touch with my deepest breath and most aligned body. It takes a lot of heartfelt training to be able to bang out explosive energy night after night. Adrenaline carries me far, but the final yard is from training. I think you hear my love of language in my lyrics – I try to push the edge playing with words.”
Though Auster initially pursued acting, she was pulled towards music by several important factors. Auster remembers trying to balance her negative emotions with her tendency to have her head in the clouds, and the ways in which music tied her together as a person.
“Oh I was so young and so strange! I had a lot of angst and melancholy. I knew I wanted to write my own material. I remember one of my favorite teachers told me I was like a balloon about to float away and that it was okay to be a poet- but I should try to find my feet on the ground. Rock and roll seemed to accept every weird thing about me. And each performance, each 30 minute set, could be a theater of my own creation. I hung out in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and I felt like I found my people, my ‘misfit toys’. I remember auditioning for my first band. I closed my eyes and screamed so hard. I got the spot as lead singer and suddenly I was set on my path into the magical world of absolute freedom and artistic ownership—rock and roll music.
“I still float and dream in the clouds, but I finally found my feet on the ground too. I think playing all my early punk shows healed me and prepared me to be a fuller artist. Now I feel like I can do anything.”
While Auster brings a plethora of energy to the band’s shows herself, she also notes that both her husband and her fans help make her shows an out-of-body experience.
“The energy definitely comes from the crowd! And Wilson builds tremendous energy inside the music. All I have to do is serve up the moment, enjoy the hell out of it, and get out of the way of it. So we can all feel something bigger than ourselves.”
Wilson’s talent with roughly a dozen different guitar pedals has allowed him to back up such standout artists as Wyclef Jean and The Fugees. Though he has experimented as a vocalist in the past, Wilson notes that in The Goodnight Darlings, he can turn his attention mainly to his guitar rhythms.
“[Guitar pedals] always gave me my own sound. I was never really into guitar solos but always loved melody and texture, which I can enhance with different combinations of guitar effects. I’ve been messing with pedals since I started playing music, but now that I am not behind the mic, I really focus on live sound production with my guitar.”
Through his skill and connection to other talented musicians, Wilson has enjoyed the opportunity to play both sold out arenas and back-alley nightclubs. No matter where he plays or whom he plays with, Wilson says that music will continue to course inside him.
“Music is always flowing through me, I can’t really say that [acting as a supporting guitarist] inspires me musically, but it does make me strive for more. I want more for Kat and me, but at the same time, I truly enjoy and appreciate all the highs and lows. I went from playing clubs to playing in arenas overseas (seemingly overnight) then back to clubs as we build up this newer project.”
The group’s newest single, “Empire Vampire”, has been further promoted by a collaborative music video that features an Orlando-based dance crew named Close Up Experience. Their leader, Isis Masoud, is a friend of the band, and worked with Auster to bring her song to life.
“We wanted to introduce ourselves with an epic music video – and we felt the story I wrote about these intriguing vampires of the night would be the most fun to explore with her dancers.”
All I Ever Wanted is available through online retailers now, and will receive an official release party in New York City on November 19. Philadelphia fans can catch the group at Fergie’s Pub on November 13th to hear their electrifying sound live. Auster is not only excited about the show itself, but about the local coffee scene and prospect of sharing the stage with friends.
“Wilson is genius at finding the best local coffee shops! Also, I can’t wait to play alongside the band Airways. They are cool friends I met my first time playing Philly. It’ll be so awesome to play together again!”
