Chatterton Eve

As I’ve previous mentioned, for me style isn’t just about fashion and beauty, it’s more than just pretty garments and following trends. What makes a person’s style stand out to me is the manifestation of who they are inside on the outside, if that makes any sense at all. Each month I’ll be featuring a person in my life who I think embodies that, someone who knows who they are and isn’t afraid of showing that to the world. I think that is the quintessential allure of what the French call ‘Je ne sais quoi’, that elusive quality that makes someone attractive that you can’t quite put your finger on.

Our debut feature is the lovely Becky Levitt-Wosk, the lead vocalist and manager of the local band Chatterton Eve. I first met Becky at one of my very first internships, at Make It! Productions, and we bonded right away. Maybe it’s because we’re both Sagittarius, or maybe because our first task together (walking up and down Main St. convincing people to display promotional material in their stores) was a bit nerve wracking. Either way, she’s one of the most driven and talented girls I know, and I’m so pleased to feature her this month!


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Chatterton Eve is fairly unique in that their entire front line is comprised of females. Based on my most recent music post, I think we all know how much I dig girl-centric tunes. The band is made up of Becky, the lead vocalist and lyricist, Emmalee Watts, their guitarist and composer, Meredith Blinkhorn, the bassist, and Colin Parker, their newest member and drummer. The Vancouver based indie band released their debut EP Phrenology earlier this year, and on Friday released their newest single: Little White Lies, which by the way has been stuck in my head ALL weekend, it’s seriously addicting. Read on for our little chat and a link to the new single, which can also be downloaded here for a price of your choosing.

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Photos by Lesley Chan

Wanderluxe (W): So I hear you guys have recently added a boy to the line up! I always felt that Chatterton Eve was all about chick rock before, how does this affect the band?

Becky (B): Yeah we got a boy [laugh], it’s hard to find female drummers. We’re okay with it, we’re okay with a little testosterone, it helps to balance the energy. We’re still about the chick rock! [Recently], at our show, some young dudes came up to Merdith, Emmalee and I and asked “Are you guys a band?” and we were like “Yeah?” and they were like “Woah, really?” and when Meredith asked why they were surprised they said “You don’t see a lot of girl bands!” and we were like “Well, yes you do. Just not so much in Vancouver.” because to have the whole front line be females is rare [in Vancouver], I notice that girls here tend to go more of a singer-songwriter route. Our genre is really…cloudy right now because we go through so many phases of influences, but one of the ways I describe it is “haunting folk rock and blues” but very rooted in the 60’s and 70’s.

W: Alright, so you did your diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management at Capilano, did you take that with starting a band and playing music in mind?

B: No it’s really funny actually, I took it to work in the industry, in music or film behind the scenes. And I met Emmalee there, and we became close friends really instantly, it was like we had known each other forever. We started jamming together and Chatterton Eve came from that. It kind of came after, which was very serendipitous.

W: And I’m guessing the knowledge you got from your diploma plays into what you guys do now.

B: Absolutely, it’s really great for managing because when I talk to venues, promoters and other managers, I know the lingo. But the downside is that being a female, we get talked down to so often by professionals in the industry, we are treated like we don’t know what we’re doing.

W: Right, but I feel like in a lot of industry it’s hard to be taken seriously as a woman.

B: So true, but you know, there’s always going to be someone to criticize you, and with those negatives you just have to let them roll off your back and keep going. There are a lot of bands that break up and doubt themselves because they’re told so many negative things and they let it affect them, and I think being resilient in this business is one of the biggest factors for success.

W: If everything goes according to plan, where would you like Chatterton Eve to be in, say, a year from now?

B: A year from now? Hopefully touring. We are touring in May, we got into Canadian Music Week in Toronto, we’re doing an East Coast tour in Canada. So I’m hoping we will have a greater following, lots of new songs out. Hopefully signed, but that’s not a big deal if we’re not signed, [just as long as we are] continuing to rise I think.

W: Is there an artist who really influences you in terms of your personal style (fashion wise) and the style of your music?

B: Yeah, Fashion I would say Stevie Nicks is a huge influence, also musically. [Same w - wander-luxe.com

As I’ve previous mentioned, for me style isn’t just about fashion and beauty, it’s more than just pretty garments and following trends. What makes a person’s style stand out to me is the manifestation of who they are inside on the outside, if that makes any sense at all. Each month I’ll be featuring a person in my life who I think embodies that, someone who knows who they are and isn’t afraid of showing that to the world. I think that is the quintessential allure of what the French call ‘Je ne sais quoi’, that elusive quality that makes someone attractive that you can’t quite put your finger on.

Our debut feature is the lovely Becky Levitt-Wosk, the lead vocalist and manager of the local band Chatterton Eve. I first met Becky at one of my very first internships, at Make It! Productions, and we bonded right away. Maybe it’s because we’re both Sagittarius, or maybe because our first task together (walking up and down Main St. convincing people to display promotional material in their stores) was a bit nerve wracking. Either way, she’s one of the most driven and talented girls I know, and I’m so pleased to feature her this month!


edited_04

Chatterton Eve is fairly unique in that their entire front line is comprised of females. Based on my most recent music post, I think we all know how much I dig girl-centric tunes. The band is made up of Becky, the lead vocalist and lyricist, Emmalee Watts, their guitarist and composer, Meredith Blinkhorn, the bassist, and Colin Parker, their newest member and drummer. The Vancouver based indie band released their debut EP Phrenology earlier this year, and on Friday released their newest single: Little White Lies, which by the way has been stuck in my head ALL weekend, it’s seriously addicting. Read on for our little chat and a link to the new single, which can also be downloaded here for a price of your choosing.

edited
Photos by Lesley Chan

Wanderluxe (W): So I hear you guys have recently added a boy to the line up! I always felt that Chatterton Eve was all about chick rock before, how does this affect the band?

Becky (B): Yeah we got a boy [laugh], it’s hard to find female drummers. We’re okay with it, we’re okay with a little testosterone, it helps to balance the energy. We’re still about the chick rock! [Recently], at our show, some young dudes came up to Merdith, Emmalee and I and asked “Are you guys a band?” and we were like “Yeah?” and they were like “Woah, really?” and when Meredith asked why they were surprised they said “You don’t see a lot of girl bands!” and we were like “Well, yes you do. Just not so much in Vancouver.” because to have the whole front line be females is rare [in Vancouver], I notice that girls here tend to go more of a singer-songwriter route. Our genre is really…cloudy right now because we go through so many phases of influences, but one of the ways I describe it is “haunting folk rock and blues” but very rooted in the 60’s and 70’s.

W: Alright, so you did your diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management at Capilano, did you take that with starting a band and playing music in mind?

B: No it’s really funny actually, I took it to work in the industry, in music or film behind the scenes. And I met Emmalee there, and we became close friends really instantly, it was like we had known each other forever. We started jamming together and Chatterton Eve came from that. It kind of came after, which was very serendipitous.

W: And I’m guessing the knowledge you got from your diploma plays into what you guys do now.

B: Absolutely, it’s really great for managing because when I talk to venues, promoters and other managers, I know the lingo. But the downside is that being a female, we get talked down to so often by professionals in the industry, we are treated like we don’t know what we’re doing.

W: Right, but I feel like in a lot of industry it’s hard to be taken seriously as a woman.

B: So true, but you know, there’s always going to be someone to criticize you, and with those negatives you just have to let them roll off your back and keep going. There are a lot of bands that break up and doubt themselves because they’re told so many negative things and they let it affect them, and I think being resilient in this business is one of the biggest factors for success.

W: If everything goes according to plan, where would you like Chatterton Eve to be in, say, a year from now?

B: A year from now? Hopefully touring. We are touring in May, we got into Canadian Music Week in Toronto, we’re doing an East Coast tour in Canada. So I’m hoping we will have a greater following, lots of new songs out. Hopefully signed, but that’s not a big deal if we’re not signed, [just as long as we are] continuing to rise I think.

W: Is there an artist who really influences you in terms of your personal style (fashion wise) and the style of your music?

B: Yeah, Fashion I would say Stevie Nicks is a huge influence, also musically. [Same w - wander-luxe.com

https://www.facebook.com/ChattertonEve

chattertoneve.bandcamp.com

https://soundcloud.com/chattertoneveband

http://twitter.com/chattertoneve - Red On Black Music

Official since October ’12, Chatterton Eve is a combination of the duo’s middle names: Emmalee (Chatterton) Watts and Becky (Eve) Wosk. Their sound is self-described as folk ‘n’ roll dipped in the blues with a little bit of jazz to boot. You may have seen the Vancouver-based pair perform in the X-Mas Factor singing competition over the holidays, but fret not if you didn’t — there’s a debut EP in the works, so you can anticipate show date announcements in the near future. These talented women have a 360° understanding of the industry after growing up immersed in music and most recently studying arts and entertainment management in university.

What is your favourite live music venue in Vancouver?
Becky: The Railway Club. It’s so lovely and intimate and has so much character.
Emmalee: The Railway Club. It has the best feel and it’s so close and comfy and the sound is superb.

Whose album did you last buy?
Becky: Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” on vinyl at a thrift shop for 25 cents.
Emmalee: Led Zeppelin’s “In Through the Out Door”.

If you could meet any musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
Becky: Oh boy, it’s tough to choose just one musician and it changes with each day but, right at this moment I’d have to say George Harrison. I just watched the Martin Scorsese documentary “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” and it moved me so much. So there is a cliché Beatles answer for you.
Emmalee: Jack White!

Listen and be mesmerized.

Follow @ChattertonEve
Like Chatterton Eve
Check out their website
Subscribe to their channel - audiblegasp.com

Please introduce us to Chatterton Eve:

Emmalee 'Em' Watts – Vocals/Guitar
Becky Wosk - Vocals/Lyrics


What brought you guys together as a band and how did you get your band name?

Chatterton Eve was thought of on a bus in North Vancouver. It combines Em and Becky's middle names. We all met at Capilano University where we studied Arts and Entertainment Management. The rest is herstory ;)

How long have you been playing together with the current lineup?

We are a newborn baby with Julia joining us in January of this year. Taking us from a modest duo to a trifecta of awesome.

If I was to put you on the spot and ask you to define your genre, what would you call it?

Folk n' roll dipped in the blues!

Do you have any major artistic influences?

Led Zeppelin, Heart, Jack White, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Feist, The Black Keys, Peggy Lee and the list goes on and on.

Everything in life from a huge set of intense emotions to a bus ride on your average day, anything and everything has the potential to be inspiring, it's just how you look at things.

What is the most rewarding thing about being in a band?

Seeing something created in three separate minds mending to make something magical and spreading that magic to our listeners. It's an unreal feeling.

What is the hardest part about being in a band?

The hardest part is being so in love with it and having just about everything else in life seem kind of blasé in comparison.

How did you come across Supernova.com and what would you tell other artists about Supernova?

We were contacted by a promoter to participate in the Van Sessions battle of the bands. We would say carpe diem, grab every opportunity presented to you

Do you have a motto or tradition for putting on a good show?

Listen to some 90's hip hop to pump up before the show, get super stoked, get on stage and channel your favourite rock stars. Engage the audience and have a good time.

What is your most memorable moment thus far as a band?

Our most memorable moment would have to be a mash up of our shows, recording, rehearsing and writing.

Everything we do is memorable in some way to each of us. It's hard to point out one specific moment in time. We're always moving.

What is the funniest story/strangest experience that you have had as a band?

If you came to one of our rehearsals you'd have enough ridiculous and humorous stories to write a novel. I think the strangest, albeit coolest experience we've had thus far has been recording the drums and bass for our song Devil's Claw (which will be on our upcoming album) in this huge warehouse space at Bear Studios with Ryan Marchant, we called it the edge of the universe.



If you had your way, where would you be in 2 years?

We would have more albums out, have toured Canada and the US a couple times, maybe Europe! We just want to keep going, in any capacity. Success is a bonus. Art is a relationship, it gets hard and people say shitty things, but you have to fight for what you love in order to make it work.

In closing, is there anything else that makes your band unique that new listeners should know?

We are a chick band! We are souls from the past and we will take you back in time. We will take you to the moon and bring you right back down to earth.

To keep up to date with Chatterton Eve make sure you check out their Facebook page or Twitter page. And for some videos make sure you stop by their Youtube Channel page
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