The Wake

“Hey Jen, I’m Chris.” We were already on a nickname basis by the time I rushed, late as usual, into the coffee shop. I was there to interview the local band This World Fair. I introduced myself to the other guys in the band and pulled up a chair. I took out my painfully large tape recorder and set it in the middle of the table. The lead singer Chris is an industrial engineer by day, DJ (guitar) used to play hockey for a living, and George’s (bass) first band was called the Positive Brothers, which was a rap group that he started at age six. They all have an affinity for the lead singer of Rilo Kiley (Jenny Lewis – an admirable obsession) and drive around in a van they call Halen.

This World Fair formed in June of 2003 under the name Kalgren. In just over two years, they’ve played more than 130 shows and released two EPs. The most recent release is titled So is Death and Love. When I asked George, DJ, Chris, and drummer Tyler where the name of the band and the EP’s title came from, they talked for 10 minutes about double entendre. They were honest about their effort to pack meaning into titles, normal guys just trying to be introspective.

After the interview I spent some quality time with the EP. There are 5 tracks, of which my favorites were “Drama” and “Waiting for You.” “Drama” was the strongest song on the EP lyrically. The chorus is concise and the verses are deliberate, aiming to be both catchy and interesting while utilizing that double entendre the guys so adore. I liked “Waiting for You” because of the piano hook in the beginning and at the choruses. The chord progression and the expression in Chris’s voice synch up perfectly to put a lot of power behind the song. According to George, “We went towards a more radio-friendly sound that is more accessible to the masses …We are using the same elements just in a more focused way.” This effort is evident, as So is Death and Love shows itself to be friendly to both indie rock circles and mainstream radio listeners.

So where has this epiphany of sonic proportions come from? “As a band we all definitely like music with a lot of pop sensibility, but I think that all of the music that each of us listen to influences us and what kind of finished product we are happy with,” says DJ. Fortunately, within the group personal preferences vary from hip-hop to jazz to pop rock. As a very diverse group of musicians, This World Fair has a lot of potential to put out music that can be interesting and innovative, while simultaneously grabbing the attention of a large audience. Along these lines, the band’s two-year goal is “to rock out,” and of course, to sit back down with The Wake for a follow up.

As a music junkie in the great city that is Minneapolis, I was curious to know what it is like to be an insider, in on such a vibrant and diverse music scene. “The music scene here is great because there is always something going on for every type of music fan … you have the option of going to see anything from jazz to heavy metal,” says Tyler. What is it about Minneapolis that inspires such a supportive musical community, rather than the cutthroat scenes that plague certain coastal cities? Chris told me, “That’s just the way it is. Minneapolis musicians just stick together even after they become famous. We think it would be cool to organize a tour of all our friends sometime.”

Going into the interview, I wasn’t sure what to think about This World Fair. I was skeptical as to what their level of pretension would be, or if they would hit me with all prefabricated answers. What I found instead were four guys who were more than excited to tell secrets to the one person they shouldn’t tell secrets to. If I had met them in another context, I wouldn’t have guessed that they are on the verge of becoming another Minneapolis success story. It seems to me that the guys in This World Fair are just looking to get a few fans and hit the road, hopefully soon.

You can catch This World Fair live Oct. 22 at Station 4 in St. Paul. Check out for more information.