PUBLISHED: 05-04-09

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With Company of Thieves

Pop music comes in a lot of different formats. There’s the bubblegum pop of Radio Disney, there’s the unavoidable pop of Coldplay, there’s the lesser-known world of indie-pop and then there’s an entire, indescribable entity of pop.

File Chicago’s Company of Thieves in the last column. The trio sings songs that sound like the crossroads between Keane’s brand of radio-pop and the Arcade Fire’s brand of indie-pop. There’s also a deeper intelligence, which can be found in their references to Oscar Wilde (see their song, “Oscar Wilde”). Vocalist Genevieve Schatz, guitarist Marc Walloch and drummer Mike Ortiz are creating music in homage to one of the great Victorian authors.

After playing an acoustic show at Columbia’s Hokin Gallery on April 21, the group headed out to the West Coast for their tour.

The Chronicle talked with the group, after driving for 24 hours with no sleep on their way to Arizona, about their experiences on the road and here at Columbia.

The Chronicle: How have you liked your trip to the West Coast so far?
Genevieve Schatz: It’s been fun. We kind of got excited yesterday and decided that we should just drive through the night and get here as fast as we could instead of making a bunch of stops at hotels along the way. We know it’s really warm out here, so we were just like, “Let’s just go!”

How was the gig at Columbia?
GS: It was so great. We were really surprised because in the past, we’ve known students to pop in and not really stay too long when performances are going on during a class day. But the room was packed at the Hokin Gallery, and everyone stayed the whole time. We got to share with them some new songs we’d been working on. And it was an acoustic set. It was stripped down and very intimate and just felt really special.

Do you guys feel more comfortable playing acoustic?
Marc Walloch: I don’t know if it’s more comfortable, it’s just completely different. It’s fun, because the majority of the time we’re playing the full band’s set, and it allows for us to keep songs fresh and new for us and rework them and keep them really spontaneous. And it’s more intimate, like we’re hanging out in someone’s living room. We get to talk to the crowd. It’s a really new experience.

Since you last talked to The Chronicle in fall 2007, you guys have really taken off. So what’s next?
GS: We’re going to be coming home and working on some new songs we’ve been writing. We’re going to record them in our basement, and we’re going to do a big show at the Bottom Lounge on May 22 with Empires and American Taxi and Thrillage, and we’ll be getting ready to work on our live show and get it in gear for summer festivals.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve gotten to do as a band?
GS: Doing [exactly what we're doing]right now. While the economy is kind of suffering, [it's great to be] able to be on the road and travel and meet people all over the country, and we get to share a part of our lives with them. It’s like a big adventure.

MW: There are so many cities that we’ve always wanted to go to, like San Francisco or New York or Los Angeles. Being in this band has brought us to so many beautiful cities that we’d never been to and may have never been to. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. It’s really great to just get to do that by sharing your music with people.

Catch Company of Thieves at the Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., on May 22. For more information about the band, check out their website at CompanyOfThieves.net.

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