by Matt Kelchner
All photos by Pip
“Everything becomes so blurry to me, a big blurry mass of impossible events, so it’s very hard to say,” is the first thing Monica Martin tells me as we talk about her band’s incredible success from last year. She’s the lead singer of the Wisconsin rootsy indie group PHOX and this Friday they come to Union Transfer to headline their biggest show in Philly yet.
In many of the stops on tour, PHOX is performing in venues much bigger than the last time the band was in town. Since the release of last year’s excellent self-titled debut, the six piece act have been winning fans over time and time again. “There’s a great excitement about touring at this point,” Martin explains, “maybe not all the shows will be packed out, but there will be a familiarity with the audience because the record has been released since June.”
Martin talks about the lush sounds wrapped up in each song. These intricate melodies are intertwined within each song to give a rich, full feel to each. Yet somehow upon first listen, each comes off as light and airy. “Well, after hearing how things come together, you can see how it could happen with six musical people contributing to one piece,” she says. “I can’t say we haven’t allowed ourselves to be overindulgent, unfortunately, but we’re growing and figuring out how to service a melody and a story.”
Monica Martin of PHOX
The success that Martin and the band has experienced has not always been the smoothest ride. “The first year and a half, though we made great progress, was a lot of me feeling lost and scared,” Martin admits. In one year alone they went from a small town band from America’s heartland to touring with The Head and the Heart and performing on Conan.
When asked what the most surprising moment of last year was, she quickly replies, “oh, man, probably playing on Conan. That was unreal.” But it doesn’t stop there. She adds, “I suppose a perfect bow on an interesting year would be finding out we’re going to be Grand Marshal for our hometown Circus Parade!”
Now for Martin and the rest of PHOX, things are different as they have adjusted to this new level of fame. “I’m finally at a place where I’m getting into the groove of this new life, and I intend on doing the best that I can, now,” she says. The unfamiliarity and nervousness is now less of a factor as the band continues pushing forward. “This year, I am starting to believe in myself so I’m curious of the motion that will happen with this new energy behind us.”
They look to pick up right where they left off last year, relentlessly hitting the road. And with the seemingly weekly announcements of summer festival lineups, they’re schedule becomes busier and busier. “There will always be pressure and nerves with touring, that’s part of this life. But headlining provides a great warmth from the crowd that is rewarding.”
With a full head of steam, PHOX is looking to make this year even more successful than last. “I want to continue writing songs, and I want our recordings to be reflective of the stories,” she tells me as she describes their outlook for 2015. “We can all just be hopeful that people connect with them as well as we do.”
