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We are excited to bring you an exclusive full Album Stream and 18 Questions Interview for Brooklyn’s own Color Of Clouds and their new album Satellite of Love. You can buy the album April 6th. Let’s just say we think you will love this album. Color of Clouds is fronted by singer-songwriter and Moby touring partner Kelli Scarr with Dan Chen (Nicole Atkins & The Sea) on keyboard and Nate Greenberg on production.
1. Tell us about the band?
Kelli: Color Of Clouds is Dan Chen, Nate Greenberg and Kelli Scarr. They all live in Brooklyn and write songs so that they can deal with life, and because it’s fun.
Dan: We go waaay back. We were in a band called Moonraker that started in 2002, and have been friends ever since. Color of Clouds started a couple of years ago, when the three of us wanted to collaborate on a new side project. (ps – I live in Queens, Kelli!)
2. Have you ever been fed up with playing music or with band members, why?
Dan: Never been fed up with playing music, no. But touring – that got old for me after a while. I could never find my hotel room.
Kelli: The only time I have been fed up with playing music is when my voice went out a few years ago. I can’t think of a higher pain then not being able to express myself creatively.
3. What was your first concert experience? Do you remember how you felt once the concert was over?
Kelli: My first concert experience was Montell Jordan and BoyzIIMen. I was too busy being mad that TLC cancelled to realize how amazing BoyzIIMen were. Try giving “River Runs Dry” another listen. Damn.
Dan: Lollapalooza ’94. The Breeders, Beastie Boys, Tribe Called Quest, Smashing Pumpkins…pretty epic!
4. Did you grow up wanting to play music, or when did the whole making albums thing come about and how?
Dan: I grew up playing classical piano, like any good Asian boy. But in high school I discovered rock music, joined a band (I played guitar) and we made our first album on a 4-track in the drummer’s basement.
Kelli: I grew up wanting to sing. Writing my own songs just became something I had to do as I have gotten older. Dealing with mess-ups, break ups and the fact that life in general only gets more complicated. I have found that writing songs is pretty cathartic.
5. What qualifies you guys to be in a band?
Dan: Huge egos. And awesomeness.
6. Do you have a favorite song you have ever written? Why?
Dan: Please don’t make us choose!
7. What is your greatness weakness as a band?
Dan: We’re too busy with all of our various projects to tour. So it’s a bit tougher to get the word out.
8. What qualities should a successful label or manager have?
Dan: They should have a passion for the music they’re promoting. And not sugar-coat everything – just be honest and straightforward. Sometimes labels and managers promise too much, knowing that they can never deliver on their promises.
9. What’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to you in your life?
Dan: I got air driving a 15-passenger van. Not as cool as it sounds!
Kelli: We were going 100 miles an hour in a van with a trailer attached to it down a dirt road in Canada. Out of nowhere there was a huge bump in the road that sent the van into air for what seemed like minutes. We landed alright though.
10. What’s the first thing you do when the band arrives in a new town while on tour?
Dan: We haven’t really toured as Color of Clouds…but I can tell you from years of touring with Kelli, coffee is almost always the first order of business.
11. Have you ever had an audience member give you the willies because they kept looking at you all weird?
Kelli: Yes. It is very distracting when someone stands 2 feet from your face with a large poster with your name (spelled wrong) written across it.
12. Have you ever cried while listening to music? If so what were you listening too?
Kelli: I recently welled up while listening to an interview with the film makers of “Still Bill”. Its a documentary about Bill Withers. During the interview they played an excerpt of the film when Bill Withers and his daughter are walking around a clubhouse at a golf course. They come upon a piano and start singing this song together and it blew my mind. Her voice was pure fierceness.
13. If you could re-record, or re-write any song of yours what would that song be?
Dan: We do too many versions of our songs as it is…although I think an acoustic version of ‘Left You’ might be cool.
14. What’s the worst place you have ever played a show at, and why?
Dan: Kelli and I played a show on a farm in Iowa once…it was supposed to be this ‘huge’ music festival. They stood in front of Kelli in the middle of our set, trying to fix some lights. Seriously – these dudes plunked a ladder down center stage, climbed up and pointed some lights around. We finished the set anyway.
Kelli: It’s always hard to play shows at places that don’t exist solely as a venue to listen to music – ie. restaurants. Anything with “afterparty” in the title tends to suck as well because, typically, you end up surrounded by a bunch of drunks.
15. In a perfect world how many albums would you have to sell to be happy?
Dan: When we hit the 10,000 mark with one of our old Moonraker albums, we were pretty happy. We decided to call it a ‘brown record’. You know, like Gold, Platinum…well we reached Brown. Let’s do that with Satellite of Love.
16. What do you guys have planned for the future?
Dan: We’re going to score a film – I hope? Kelli and Nate have already done some indie films, so I figure it’s just a matter of time before we do one together.
17. What music do you listen to when you are having a bad day?
Dan: Bob Wiseman. A Canadian treasure.
Kelli: If I want to stay in the grey zone I will put on something like Elliott Smith or Sharon Van Etten. If i’m trying to lighten up, I will listen to something like Betty Davis or ESG.
18. If you had your life to live over again, what one thing would you change?
Dan: I would have gotten rid of my car the day I moved to New York. It would’ve saved me a whole year’s worth of parking tickets.
