Boca Chica

2007 Top Local Artists

Boca Chica: Transform into Beasts


Hallie Pritts and the rest of Boca Chica return with their delicate indie-folk on Beasts. The themes and music on this album are darker—Hallie’s certainly not afraid to go there. This record will please fans of Richard Buckner, The Be Good Tanyas and Iron and Wine. CH
- WYEP Pittsburgh

BOCA CHICA
Transform Into Beasts

November 7, 2007

Boca Chica, or "small mouth" have drawn critical acclaim with their debut full-length album "Transform into Beasts". This Pittsburgh PA band has received attention from the likes of NPR and The Pittsburgh City Paper. The attention is well deserved. Boca Chica, mainly the creative outlet of one Hallie Pritts, has a folksy, somewhat blue grassy sound. Plenty of acoustic guitars, banjos and Fender Telecasters to satisfy any country lover, but hip enough to please the average Sufjan Stevens fan. "Transform into Beasts" is open and light, but warm enough not to leave the listener stranded. On a recent road trip through the heart of the country, I found the album fit well with the landscape. As thousands of Oklahoma trees whizzed by half cloaked in the morning mist "Transform into Beasts" proved to be the perfect American soundtrack.--Tim Warren

http://www.grcmc.org/radio/music.php?genre_letter=F - WYCE

www.venuszine.com
Band of the Month: Boca Chica

By Daniela Garcia
Published: June 11th, 2008 | 1:50pm

WHO IT IS
Vocalist-guitarist Hallie Pritts, along with vocalist-bassist Susanna Meyer, Matt Miller on drums, Lisa Campbell ..o, Christopher McDonald on Wurlitzer and banjo, and Jeff Baron on guitar.

LOCATION
Pittsburgh

FILE UNDER
Delicate, dark, and melodic indie folk

IN A NUTSHELL
Boca Chica's origins trace back to a once nameless duo, with self-proclaimed BFFs since age 11, Hallie Pritts and Susanna Meyer as its only members. Having played together on and off since the mid-'90s (dating back to junior high) Pritts and Meyer shared vocal duties, with Pritts playing guitar and Meyer on the upright bass.

After relocating to Pittsburgh, in 2003, they began to work on new songs when a friend asked them to play a folk music festival in Michigan. The need for an actual band name came up when they were listed as "Pritts and Meyer," which according to Pritts, "sounded too much like old men playing jazz." Meyer had just recently learned Spanish after traveling in Costa Rica and began offering random phrases as ideas. "She said, 'boca chica,' and I was like, 'That has a cool sound. What does it mean?' 'Small mouth,' she says," Pritts explains. "Hmm, a little weird, but we're kind of quiet, so maybe it works."

There's nothing small about the band's lineup, which has slowly grown over time into a larger ensemble. Their first self-titled EP was recorded as a trio, with Greg Dutton (also of the band Lohio) as a multi-instrumentalist. The second album, 2007's Transform Into Beasts, included Megan Williams on violin and Matt Miller (also of Lohio) on drums. As of now, their current six-member lineup will be playing on an upcoming third album. "I've been really lucky to have such a kick-ass pool of musicians to choose from," Pritts says. "Pittsburgh has a hell of a lot of amazing under the radar bands and musicians. It's actually a really sweet scene."

Growing up, Pritts listened to classic '70s folk — such as Neil Young, CSNY, and Nick Drake — which has strongly influenced the band's sound. Boca Chica draws comparisons to Iron and Wine, Laura Veirs, and Great Lake Swimmers. While Pritts says she tends to hear the same descriptive from reviewers, which is "usually something with 'folk' in it," she feels Boca Chica are not traditional folk by any means. In truth, Boca Chica has put its own spin on folk, selectively adding in elements of indie, blues, and country. The track "Blackberries" begins with a moody, almost eerie tone while remaining melodic.

As for lyrics, Pritts says she finds herself writing the words and music at the same time. If she finds that she has words or a phrase in mind, she'll work on her guitar to find a good chord progression. "I like lyrics that paint a picture and evoke a mood or feeling," she says. "I don't like to come right out and say things. It's the feelings behind it that I want to express and that other people can identify with."

GOALS
Summer plans are to record another album with the current lineup. "We've got 10 brand-new songs that I'm dying to commit to tape," Pritts says. "I can't wait to get in the studio."

MORE INFO
Boca Chica MySpace - Venus Zine

BOCA CHICA, "Transform Into Beasts" (self-released) —


Black Moth Super Rainbow and the Great Ants have some company. Both Pittsburgh bands have put out awesome records this year, but now they have to move over to make space for folk-tinged, bluegrass-stained Boca Chica.
Led by singer-songwriter Hallie Pritts, Boca Chica's second record "Transform Into Beasts" is so good, so great sounding, it deserves some national attention (come on, tastemaker Web sites!). Pritts, joined by Susanna Meyer, Greg Dutton, Megan Williams and Matt Miller, has crafted a record that should win the hearts of those who love artists such as the Decemberists, Laura Veirs, Bright Eyes, Amy Millan, Wilco, and Jolie Holland.
"Paper Way" kicks off the album gently but whim­sically, and it leads into "Cobblestones," which is treated with picked gui­tar, banjo and strings, and "Beasts," which reasons, "We all want the things we all learn to fear." "Blackberries" gets a tad spooky, with accor­dion and Murder by Death­style arrangement. Ballad "Rooftops … Alleyways" is one of the disc's highlights.
"My Favorite Rock Star" should bring any audience to its knees with its Midwestern taste and Neil Young-style guitar power, and "Big Calm" grasps listeners' hands, assures them delicately, and urges, "Just take a rest/settle down/ have a drink." Those who attend the CD show, take Pritts' advice. (BK)

- McKeesport Times

Hallie Pritts is on the fence with her band, Boca Chica. Not a literal wooden one, but rather a figurative boundary between underground credibility and public-radio comfort.

As far as the underground cred goes, the group was originally formed in 2004 as a stripped-down, lo-fi honkytonk duo with Pritts' childhood friend, upright bassist Susanna Meyer. They often play a crowd favorite called "Punk Rock Boy" ("he's been known to get in fights / I've been known to stay up nights"). Their new self-released full-length album Transform Into Beasts -- easily one of the important local releases of the year -- employs the efficient digipak style of local DIY factory Sort Of Records, and their CD release show will be at Lawrenceville punk rock haven Belvedere's, on Fri., July 13.

Yet this same band played a live concert in WYEP's well-appointed studios -- where they fit subversively but brilliantly into the Adult Alternative agenda -- and was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered. Rather than ending up in the indie-rock column, City Paper readers voted Boca Chica 3rd in the "Best Country Band" category (behind, uh, Ruff Creek and Povertyneck Hillbillies).

"We were always a bit on the surreal side for alt-country," cautions Pritts. "For example, I have a line in 'Big Calm' that says 'those girls with mechanical eyes can't hurt you.' That's not quite right for a straight-up bluegrass festival."

Though still nestled within the rubric of back-porch Americana, Boca Chica has appeared on podcasts preaching the gospel of the New Weird America, and Pritts claims Joanna Newsom as a personal heroine. It's clear to Pritts that the group pushes the boundaries on both sides. "I always have a hard time knowing exactly how to describe us," she says. "I found myself looking at other people's MySpace pages to see what they put up top. I looked up Sufjan Stevens and it said 'bluegrass and experimental,' but Andrew Bird has 'folk-rock.' I've been taking a poll but haven't come up with anything yet."

Like Bird and Stevens, Pritts has shifted the band in a more expansive direction, and will debut a new string section at the CD release party, adding to the already solid lineup of Meyer, Greg Dutton (also of the band Lohio, on guitar, synth and banjo), violinist Megan Williams, and drummer Matt Miller. This stab at a lusher sound was precipitated by the way Transform was recorded by local man-about-the-scene Dave Bernabo (of Vale and Year, DBL D) at his Woolslayer Way abode in Bloomfield, with drums and mixing added by Eric Graf (Boxstep).

"I really like [Bernabo's] style," says Pritts. "He's pretty fluid and does a lot of experimental stuff. On some tracks, we just went in and recorded it straight, but with others, he had a lot of influence."

Case in point: the song "Blackberries," which tempers Boca Chica's usual slow, country-ish lope and Pritts' distinctive, emotive vocals (think Gillian Welch meets The Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan) with the cabaret shuffle of a Tom Waits or Suzanne Vega. "That one we've never played live. I took it to Dave and asked if he had any ideas. So he had Susanna put on multiple bass tracks, and he added guitars and eight accordions, basically coming up with a song that has a lot of Dave in it. I could see us maybe moving in more of that direction."

Meanwhile, Pritts is making moves around the country with her music. Since many of her band members often can't leave town due to full-time jobs -- although they're embarking on a North Carolina mini-tour in July -- Pritts plans to showcase Boca Chica songs on a September jaunt, backed up by eight-piece Boston experimental-folk band Cuddle Magic (featuring Chris McDonald from Ennui). "They'll do their thing, and then they'll play with me," she says. "I love playing with [the Pittsburgh lineup] and that's who I record with, but I need to step up touring on my own."

As for the meaning behind the album title Transform Into Beasts, Hallie assures that there's nothing magical or weird-woodsy behind it, like, say, turning into a wolf, a bear or a deer -- all big indie-rock totems as of late. "I just liked it because it gives a really clear image. There are animals mentioned in a lot of my songs -- not on purpose, it just happened that way. So it's something I noticed after the fact."

- Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh's Boca Chica has been together since 2004, and 2007 marks the release of their second album, Transform Into Beasts, one of the best I've heard so far this year (and I mean this completely without exaggeration). The independently released album seamlessly blends all of my favorite genres and subgenres (New Weird America, folk, alt-country, Americana, indie rock, etc.) together, and the result is nothing short of wonderful. From the maraca-accompanied, sweltering acoustic strangeness of "Blackberries" to the old-fashioned traditional-sounding country remniscence in "Your Name in Lights," to the pretty, lyrically charged folk song, "Beasts," singer-songwriter Hallie Pritts and her bandmates have crafted an album that has traditional influences but doesn't shy away from being experimental in all the right places. Just listen -- your ears will be happy. - My Little Ghost Friend

Boca Chica straddles the line between the roots and Americana sound of bands like the Old Crow Medicine show and Gillian Welch and the more ethereal indie pop of The Innocence Mission, HEM, or Kings of Convenience. Their debut album serves up a number of raw retro-country tunes as well as a smattering of delicate, synth-laden tracks.

This Pittsburgh group began in the summer of 2004 as a duo, combining the songwriting and acoustic guitar of Hallie Pritts with the thumping upright bass of childhood-friend, Susanna Meyer. Their dripping sweet vocal harmonies filled out the sparse, old country style. In December of that year, Boca Chica gained the banjo, keyboard, guitar, and vocal abilities of Greg Dutton (LoHio). Dutton’s pop sensibilities began to take the group in a new direction. Instead of aiming for a traditional sound, the band began to use the standard bluegrass instrumentation as a framework to create a more indie feel.

The band’s debut, self-titled EP was recorded in a living room by friend and musician, Kevin Finn. Violinist Megan Williams sat in on a few tracks and eventually became a full member of the band. In keeping with Boca Chica's multi-instrumentalist vibe, she also contributes a little baritone guitar and mandolin.

Written in only a few hours "one balmy night at the ocean," the featured track "Undertow" is the most ethereal track of the album. This track is perhaps indicative of what's to come -- the band is currently working on a new album.

- National Public Radio

Boca Chica: An Encouraging Discovery


Pittsburg isn't a city that comes up often when I think of the contemporary Americana scene today, but then again Boca Chica doesn't sound like your typical Americana band. Increasingly it seems like we're seeing more acts like Boca Chica that are blending the elements of Folk stylings with poetic lyrics, emotion-evoking chords, and a general lo-fi-esque "hipster" sound that can only be most accurately described as "DIY-Indie-Folk". Fronted by the songwriting of Hallie Pritts, Boca Chica is a very good example of such acts.

It seems very difficult to listen to this record without thinking of a gazillion different folks they are reminiscent of- and apparently I am not alone in this tendancy. Looking over the bands previous reviews they are littered with comparisons, so I'll attempt to give my impression without the natural temptation to refer to other artists. Perhaps this irresistible urge is a compliment, as I notice that these folks really sounds like none and all of their comparisons- suggesting there's something really great here- that maybe you haven't really heard before.

This independent release, titled Transform Into Beasts, is Boca Chica's first full-length production, which makes a great splash for a band and a songwriter with a lot of promise for the future. Upon repeated listens one finds that there is some really understated and gorgeous instrumentation hiding in these tracks. My personal favorite and a good example of this, Slack Tune Your Guitar, starts with a haunting string section that introduces Pritt's sultry vocal. Throughout this tune Greg Dutton's electric guitar remains appropriately constrained providing a lush compliment to Pritt's solid and steady acoustic guitar. The song hides under this dark verse, only to open up to a glorious chorus driven home by the magical strings- performed nicely here by Megan Williams.

The production of this record really must be applauded. The records "live feel" really makes you feel like you're sitting right there in the living room with the band- and while the production is not that hasty- Engineer/Mixer David Bernado has effectively highlighted some very smart instrumentation, while at the same time sounding so spontaneous that the listener feels right at home.

So if you like acoustic guitars, fiddles, accordions, snare drums, a tight upright bass, and a voice that makes you feel like a summertime crush- look no further.

Boca Chica is found:
http://www.myspace.com/bocachica
http://cdbaby.com/cd/bocachica2

Review by Sam Mellon
www.twangville.com

- Twangville