Session Date: July 9, 2012

Races is:
Wade Ryff – Guitar/vocals
Garth Herberg – Guitar
Devon Lee – Vocals/percussion
Breanna Wood – Piano/vocals
Oliver Hild – Bass/Moog
Lucas Ventura – Drums/percussion

RACES exists as a result of artistic rebirth and personal
rediscovery, but it all starts at a point in Wade Ryff’s life where
motivation was at its most scarce. Disillusioned with music, beset
with the bitter ending of a relationship with a real life witch and
faced with the overwhelming stagnation of being a 23-year old in
the sleepy suburban outpost of Van Nuys, during that time, Ryff
wrote the pleading lyrics of “Big Broom” in the bathroom of his
parents house. He explains the song’s message as “accepting
that every ending is a new beginning, and even if we may have
no control over when things are given or taken from us, we can
always choose how to respond.”

Whether he realized it or not at the time, it would serve as a
mission statement for a handful of musicians in the area who
were also idling through their 20’s and desperate for a new
beginning. Breanna Wood, Lucas Ventura, Devon Lee and Oliver
Hild knew each other prior to RACES’ first show, played in bands
together, and oh yeah, either had dated or were currently dating
each other. Still, nothing could anticipate it all coming together
for Year Of The Witch, a life-affirming document forged from the
pain of a time when life feels most uncertain and coming out of it
renewed.

In regards to their evocative band name, Ryff explains: “I relate to
the name in the sense that it seems like there is always something
to be up against, and strong desire to overcome whatever it
is.” Ryff had been quietly working on solo material, and in 2009, a
friend asked him to open for a show he was booking. And he was
up against the daunting task of stepping out of the sidelines as a
bass player and putting his own untrained vocals to the fore. More
than any singer, Ryff found his inspiration as a lyricist in the works
of early 20th-century authors. But his musical heroes that were
well-chosen too: Leonard Cohen’s Death of a Ladies Man for its
integration of Brill Building sophistication and as a template for
RACES’ use of backup singers and keyboards; Television for

Ryff and Herberg’s ingenious, yet subtle guitar interplay which
permeates Year Of The Witch.

In a mad dash, Ryff and Herberg got in touch with some of their
old friends and bandmates and assembled a “dream team,” five
additional musicians from around the area he admired, including
Hild on bass, Herberg on guitar, Wood on keyboards, and Lee on
vocals and percussion. Ventura would play drums for the second
RACES show and they’d lose a backup vocalist who went to focus
on her solo project (Ryff empathizes), but otherwise, RACES has
remained exactly the same since that very first gig.

What sunk in was the effortlessness of it all: RACES never
had to hustle to book their own shows despite living in Van
Nuys, a twenty minute drive from Los Angeles that often feels
hours removed from it all. Above all else was a chemistry that
just couldn’t be faked or brainstormed during “band business
meetings.” They attribute their work ethic to their humble
surroundings, spending entire days honing their material in a
Chatsworth studio because, well, what else are you supposed
to do in the Valley? For the most part, RACES didn’t even
see themselves as a “serious band” until local boutique imprint
JAXART felt their demos were simply too good for a limited
release, and label interest spread rapidly. The fit with New York’s
venerated Frenchkiss Records was perfect – indeed, with RACES’
ability to derive such resonant and instantly ingratiating pop out of
the relatable emotional turmoil of your mid-20’s, it’s no wonder
the same label that houses Passion Pit, Dodos and Antlers were
such ardent supporters.

At its core, there are plenty of sad songs and waltzes – “The
Knife,” “Walk Through The Fire” and “All For You” all have
a melodic and lyrical directness befitting their origins as Ryff’s
solo work. But as Ryff admits, “I didn’t want to play music that’s
just a sappy guy on an acoustic guitar,” and RACES flesh them

out to swoon with dramatic grandeur and earthen rusticity behind
Ryff’s plaintive words. It’s a startling show of sophistication from
a band who has only been together for less than two years. The
ornate orchestration and vocal arrangements on the female-led
counterpoint “Don’t Be Cruel” in particular owe their origins to
Herberg’s background as a composer – he’s the one who brings
Ryff’s Leonard Cohen fantasies to fruition. Quoth Ryff, “he’s our
Brian Jones.”

But even with the speed at which RACES are going forward,
they haven’t gotten complacent in the slightest – they’re already
working out new material for their next album, which they
hope will integrate more of the electronic textures they’ve been
experimenting with and won’t be so much “about a girl,” as Ryff
jokes. But their goals are still modest – maybe playing the Bowery
Ballroom in New York, getting better as musicians, the sort of
things deemed worthy to a band that isn’t looking to piggyback
on any sort of hype cycle. But what do they hope for most of all?
Ryff puts it best: “I’d rather get dropped and start back at the
beginning than not have fun with these guys.” It’s a fitting mission
statement for a band for whom every show feels as exciting as that
very first one.

Set List:
Big Broom
Lies