Get ready for the upcoming performances in the library’s Summer Concert Series! Concerts are at 7 p.m. every Thursday night in July and August at East End Veterans Memorial Park. Every Monday, Free for All will offer an article about, or interview with, the band of the week. The following is an interview with Jake and Ronan of Semi-Aquatic Rodent.

What made you decide to become a musician?

Jake: My parents tell me that when I was two, my mom was searching the radio for a station that would put me to sleep. Flipping past a classical station, I interrupted her tuning, saying “Violins, mama! Violins!” and from then on set my mind on someday learning the violin (which was my first instrument). There’s also a part two, though, from my perspective. In terms of singing and guitar-y music, my inspiration was actually Ronan. We were hanging out in my then-girlfriend’s basement one Friday night and he was playing something on guitar. I thought it was a really cool instrument, and felt a little inadequate watching him play, so I spent the rest of the weekend doing nothing but teach myself guitar. And I’ve just sort of gone from there.
Ronan: My grandmother’s piano sat alone in a chamber that no one really went into. Playing around with notes and making melodies was more interesting than any board game I could play or matchbox track I could cycle a car around again and again. And so it seemed: we were meant for each other. That piano now sits in my living room, and I try to play it as often as I can. It’s still a magical experience, even if I only play a single note.

How would you describe your sound?

Mostly acoustic. We both play a variety of instruments, so from song to song, the “sound” is pretty unpredictable. In general, when we’re working on a song, whether one of us wrote it or not, we don’t really know what it’s going to sound like until we give it a few tries. We each have a pretty good sense of what the otter—yes, the otter—is thinking, so most of the time whatever happens on the first try is roughly what the final product ends up being.

What is your songwriting process like?

We laugh a lot. And noodle around on our instruments. A lot of the time, one of us will have the other person play or sing what we ultimately plan to end up singing/playing, just to hear it and be able to play along and make more things up. Basically, we are each other’s loop pedals.

Which artists have been your biggest musical influences, and what is it that draws you to their music?

So many artists. Alexi Murdoch’s aesthetic and ambient honesty. Ben Folds’ intensity and wit. Iron and Wine wrote the first song anybody ever heard Ronan sing, so we have a special place for him/them/Sam in our hearts. Simon & Garfunkel’s harmonies and balance. Elliott Smythe—yes, Smythe—contributed an air of melancholy which we embrace fully into our music. Punch Brothers: we saw a video of them covering “Just What I Needed” by The Cars a few years ago, and the obsession began. And he’s sort of a different category, but Robert Pinsky’s timing and intonation influence our phrasing—or so we would like to think.

Please tell us about any albums you have available or in production.

So far, we’ve been pretty non-prolific. We’ve made some private recordings, but nothing worth anybody else listening to. We’re spending a few days on the Cape later this summer, before we go off to collage—yes, to collage—so maybe we’ll find some time then. I guess we’ll see. We want to get something down before we part ways for college.

What should people expect when they come to your concert on Thursday night?

A mix of things. We have a couple of gnu songs—yes, gnu songs—that we’ve only just learned, and some things that each of us have written. There are also a few songs we’ve been doing for years, because they really exemplify our “sound” as a pear—yes, a pear.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

A shrimp cocktail, but that’s probably infeasible.

More about the Summer Concert Series:
Concerts will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings in July and August at East End Veterans’ Memorial Park. Bring a blanket or folding chair, and maybe even a picnic dinner, and enjoy live acoustic music from a new performer each week. East End Veterans’ Memorial Park is located at 45 Walnut Street. The concert schedule is as follows:

July 9th: Damn Tall Buildings
July 16th: Hoot and Holler
July 23rd: Colleen White and Sean Smith
July 30th: Semi-Aquatic Rodent
August 6th: Molly Pinto Madigan
August 13th: Eva Walsh
August 20th: Ian Fitzgerald
August 27th: The Whiskey Boys

Please note: In the event of rain, Summer Concerts will be held in the Sutton Room at the Peabody Institute Library and food will not be allowed.

For more information, please call 978-531-0100 ext. 10, or visit the library’s website at www.peabodylibrary.org.