Meet The Volks
By K. Williams Brown

Statesman Journal 

September 26, 2009

Sometimes, super-young, super-fun, super-talented people
can be  a little hateful. This is not the case with The Volks, a
new but vital addition to the Salem music scene. The quintet,
led by singer Lily Breshears, 17, plays quirky, sunny rock
anchored by the keyboard stylings of William Barnes, 16.
The group started when Barnes, Colin Tuss (guitar) and Ryan
Garaventa (drums) booked a show at IKE Box in March; they
decided they also needed vocals, and so Breshears and
Matthew Hall joined.




They've only played three shows but have already made a
splash, winning second place at Ranch Records' Battle of the
Bands at the Bite of Salem this summer.
After a dynamic photo shoot in the IKE Box's (defunct)
incinerator and on the Capitol Mall, The Volks sat down to
answer some questions.



Question: How would you describe yourselves and your

music?


Barnes: We're a sparkle-shine band.

Tuss: Crazy cool.

Barnes: You should say sparkle-shine.

Tuss: I'd say, listen to us, and you'll think of space. Wait.

Instead of space, say colors.


Q: What's one band you dig and one band you do not care for?

Hall: One band we could draw some inspiration from is

Radiohead. You could say Colin is the next Jonny Greenwood.

And one band we do not appreciate would be Plain White Tees.


Q: Do you get nervous before shows? Are there any rituals?

Breshears: I personally get nervous, but I don't think the others

ones do. We don't do much before shows — we've only done

three shows.


Q: Ryan, how did you know how to do a bell kick? (See picture)

Do you practice?

Garaventa: I just did it. I do it in my spare time. (Laughs). I do it

down flights of stairs.


Q: OK, let's go around and describe your music in one word.

Barnes: Boohbah.

Tuss: Psychedelic.

Hall: Sparkle-shine.

Breshears: Progressive.

Garaventa: That's what I was going to say!

Spacey.  Wait. I kinda liked folksy. Let's go with folksy.