Thanks so much to Gretchen DeVault for the interview! The Icicles were a Grand Rapids, Michigan, band that released records mostly on Mike Babb’s labels Microindie Records and Drive-In Records from 2001 to 2015! They left us three albums and two EP, two of their songs appearing on TV commercials, and did many great tours, including one through Denmark, Sweden and England. If you remember them, or you’ve never heard of them, I suggest reading and enjoying this great interview!
++ Hi Gretchen! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? You are still making music with the Blue Herons these days, right? Care telling me about this transatlantic project? How does it work?
Yes!! I just joined the Blue Herons in October and it’s been a whirlwind. We’ve released two singles already and have quite a few other songs that are close to completion.
Andy had a collection of really great indiepop/janglepop songs he had written but he was looking for the right vocalist. Thanks to a chance connection on social media, he heard my other band The Francine Odysseys and reached out and asked if I’d be interested in collaborating on a song. He shared his songs and they were so beautiful (plus I already loved his band The Churchhill Garden) and I immediately started working on one of the songs. Shortly thereafter, he asked if I’d like to join the band. I really love being part of the Blue Herons.
Because I’ve been recording remotely for so long with Voluptuous Panic, the transatlantic piece was a pretty easy thing.
I also have two other music projects:
The Francine Odysseys
Indie pop / dreampop
Based in LA
Before the pandemic we practiced in person and had just started playing live shows.
Voluptuous Panic
Shoegaze
Our first release was in 2014 and we’ve been recording remotely since almost the beginning. Brian my partner in the band, is currently living in Cairo. While we’ve had this project, both of us have moved from the midwest to different parts of the US and abroad.
I was also part of another music project this year:
Hero No Hero
I was a guest vocalist for their EP during the pandemic.
++ And I suppose it is very different to The Icicles, right? What do you find more different and what more similar between both projects?
Yes – the new projects are a bit different from The Icicles. I do miss the camaraderie of making music in the same room, touring and recording albums in the studio, etc. The Icicles was a huge part of my life and identity.
That said, there is also something really cool about recording alone in a room. You can go places musically that you might not have gotten to if you are in the studio. I’ve been able to experiment more vocally and push myself further with my recording skills.
I actually love both because at the end of the day it’s about making music. That’s what feeds my soul — whether it’s happening in the same room with my bandmates or across an ocean.
++ So let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?
Music has always been a part of my life. My earliest music memories are of playing the piano. We had a piano in our playroom and my mom would play the piano while we played with our toys. My grandparents (on my dad’s side) had a piano as well. I would spend hours making up songs on the piano, though I didn’t have much in the way of formal training.
My great grandmother was a pianist and taught piano lessons. I took lessons from her for a short time, but she was a pretty strict, old school piano teacher and my parents gave me the choice of whether to continue with her or not and I chose not to. My cousins all took lessons from her and I was always envious that they knew how to read music and play songs like “Ice Castles” and soap opera theme songs. So I would have them show me how to play some of the songs they were learning.
In college, I took a guitar class. I was pretty terrible at it and I’m still not sure how I passed the class. It felt like I’d never be able to play, then one day I could finally change chords sort of smoothly. The day I was able to change chords, I wrote my first song.
Listening to music was always a big part of my life as well. I would tune into Casey Kasem’s Top 40 when I was in elementary school. My mom had a record player and just a handful of records. I remember listening to her Beatles records. As soon as I was able, I signed up for one of those Columbia House Tape Clubs. I remember listening to tapes and reading the lyrics to all the songs (Tracy Chapman, 10,000 Maniacs, U2).
++ Had you been in other bands before The Icicles? If so, how did all of these bands sound? Are there any recordings?
The first band I was in was Hansel & Gretel. It would probably be described as a power pop band, though back then it was just “alternative”. There are some recordings out there, but nothing online.
++ Where are you from originally?
Wayland, Michigan
++ How was Grand Rapids at the time of The Icicles? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?
While there weren’t tons of indie pop bands when we first started out, there were so many amazing bands coming through Grand Rapids because of Mike Babb from Microindie Records. I met Mike through the college radio station. I’m not sure if Mike was booking the shows or if he was just connecting the bands on his label to venues in town, but he was one of the big reasons such great music was coming through town. The scene definitely grew and there were some really great bands coming out of Grand Rapids (and nearby towns) like Radiator Hospital (Sam Cook-Parrot), the Campanellis and the Keen to name a few. We also loved hosting our favorite bands like The Smittens and Casper and The Cookies when they came through town. A great record store that still exists in Grand Rapids is Vertigo Music.
++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?
Korrie and I started the band originally, though Joleen really is an original member too. Korrie and I met in college. We were part of a group that had started the student run radio station WCKS. Joleen was also at Grand Valley State University with us and we all hung out in college. The Icicles didn’t start until a few years after college though. When Korrie and I decided to start the band we asked Joleen if she’d be interested and she was. Then we put flyers up to try to find a bass player which is how we got our first bass player.
++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?
We started out practicing in Korrie’s basement. Eventually practices moved to my basement.
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
Well, being from Michigan, a cold climate kind of name seemed fitting. Plus we could say the name was “cool” (bad Dad joke).
++ Who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?
The music of the 90s was still a big influence to us since we were not that far past college. So bands like Belly, Throwing Muses, Heavenly, The Sundays, Even As We Speak, Luna and Bettie Serveert were heavy influences.
At the same time, there was so much new music inspiring us. Bands like Holiday, Dressy Bessy, The Salteens, The Lucksmiths, All Girl Summer Fun Band, Ladybug Transistor, Aislers Set, Essex Green, and Camera Obscura.
++ Your first release was an EP called “Pure Sugar” in 2001. At this moment you started working with Mike Babb, the owner of Drive-In Records and later Microindie who would release your follow-up releases. How did this relationship start? And how did you like working with him?
Mike is a friend of ours, we’ve known him from our radio station days. Before the Icicles became a band, I recorded a demo of some songs I had written and called the project The Icycles and gave Mike the CD. I always valued Mike’s opinion on music and still do. He’s still one of the first people I share my music with. We loved being on Drive-In/Microindie and it was an honor to be alongside some really incredible bands. And working with Mike was really easy. I feel super lucky to have been on the label.
++ Were there any other labels interested in putting your music out at this early stages?
Not really.
++ One thing I noticed in this EP is that you recorded in a studio in Los Angeles. How did that work out? Did you all fly there? How many days were you there recording?
That first EP was actually recorded in Chicago with Dave Trumfio from King Size Sound Laboratories. He had just moved to LA but flew back to record our EP over a weekend. We had sought him out because he had produced Holiday’s Ready, Steady, Go which was an album we loved. The funny thing is that Dave had worked on some pretty high profile projects like Wilco/Billie Bragg’s Mermaid Avenue, but we were so caught up in the indiepop scene that we honestly didn’t even realize we were asking this accomplished producer to work with us on our super low budget but adorable EP. It was such a cool experience and he was a real trooper considering we were complete newbies to recording and thought we could record and mix an entire EP in one weekend.
++ Next up was the 2004 album “A Hundred Patterns” which was recorded in NYC. You were traveling all over the place. How was recording at Marlborough Farms compared to Kingsize Studios? Also when you traveled to record, did you bring your instruments?
We loved going to different places to record! A Hundred Patterns was recorded with Gary from Ladybug Transistor at Marlborough Farms. It was another great recording experience. I think the difference in this recording experience was that we weren’t quite as green to recording in a studio. We did bring our instruments. In true indiepop style, we rented a minivan and drove from Michigan to New York. We stayed at our bass player’s parents house in New Jersey and drove in every morning.
++ This album has a song named “Ralphy Rodriguez”, is it about the ex-Menudo? And if so, were you Menudo fans and was he your favourite?
I was a Menudo fan in middle school. Mostly because I saw them on an episode they guest starred in on Silver Spoons. It was hard to find their music in those pre-internet days, so mostly my fandom was derived from teen magazines like The Big Bopper / Bop back in the day. Since a few years had passed between that episode of Silver Spoons and teen magazines, I was following a newer version of the group and yes, Ralphy was definitely my favorite. He actually heard about our song and reached out to us, which was really cool.
++ And then “Sugar Sweet” was used in Motorola ads, right? I read they were ads not in the US but internationally. Where was it aired?
Yep – in the Krzr commercials. It aired in the US and internationally, though I can’t recall which countries specifically.
++ In 2007 you release “Arrivals & Departures”. Here is another song I am curious about, “Gedge’s Song”. Is it a song dedicated to David Gedge?
So, it’s sort of dedicated to David Gedge in a roundabout way. Zane and I had a cat that we called Gedge named after David Gedge. The Wedding Present is one of Zane’s all time favorite bands. The song itself is about our cat. He would gaze out the screen door desperate to go outside. But anytime he actually escaped, he seemed to hate the outdoors.
++ And do tell, who is on the front cover photo? Is that you?
It is me. 🙂
++ In 2012, 5 years after, you released “Renegade Parade”. What happened in between releases? Why did it take so long to release this new album?
We all started having kids. That REALLY slowed everything down.
++ Lastly in 2015 there is a limited CD called “Trees Touch Sky”. I wasn’t aware of this release and it seems to have been very limited. Care telling me how many copies were made? And about IndieGogo?
By the time we released that, I think we were all so busy with life and little ones that the EP promo totally got neglected. Also at that point Zane and I were planning to move to California, so life just got super busy. We did an IndieGogo to fund the album and we only printed a short run of CDs. It’s a really good little EP that just never really got heard much.
++ Aside from the release you appeared in a few compilations. One thing that I noticed is that you appeared on two Christmas compilations. With Christmas coming up, I wonder if it is your favourite holiday of the year?
I love a good Christmas tune. And with a band named The Icicles, it seemed natural to write songs about the snow. Snowman was a tune that wasn’t intentionally a Christmas tune, more of a winter song, but it fits perfectly as a Christmas song.
++ Are there still unreleased songs by the band?
Absolutely. We have one that we recorded a rough of when we were in the studio for Trees Touch Skies, but it never got finalized.
++ I think my favourite song of yours might as well be “La Ti Da”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
Thank you! I remember writing the song at my house on Richmond Street in Grand Rapids (it was the first house we lived in on Richmond Street). The words and melody came to me pretty quickly. I can’t remember specifically what inspired it but I was feeling hopeful.
++ This song also was used on a Target commercial. How did that happen? What did you feel when you first saw the commercial?
We sent out cool promos for all of our albums. The whole band always got together and put together packages for blogs/magazines/radio stations. It was before digital so you had to mail in a physical copy of your music. I am a graphic designer so I always liked creating cool packaging for promos. I think Mike Babb gave us a mailing list that must have included some music supervision shops and so we sent them promos. We really didn’t give it much thought once it was sent though. Months after we sent out promos for A Hundred Patterns, we got an email out of the blue (it actually ended up in our junk mail) with a request to license Sugar Sweet for a Motorola commercial. So the Motorola commercial is what eventually led to the Target commercial.
Seeing the Target commercial for the first time was like the scene in That Thing You Do when the song comes on the radio!
++ If you were to choose your favorite The Icicles song, which one would that be and why?
It’s super hard to choose. If I had to pick, I’d have to say Insomnia on Renegade Parade. I love how it builds. And I love Rebecca’s guitar part. It’s not the early style of Icicles but it’s definitely how we grew together and evolved as musicians and bandmates. Would You Know is another great one — Joleen’s keys are amazing on that one. There are actually alot of great songs on Renegade Parade. That’s another album that we didn’t fully promote.
++ What about gigs? Did you play many?
We played lots of gigs around Grand Rapids and throughout the midwest. In our early days we did weekend tours throughout the midwest regularly. In our middle to later days, we limited our local gigs a little more and then tried to do bigger tours.
++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?
We opened up for Dean & Britta in Copenhagen and they ended up asking us to play a secret show the following night. It was a dream come true!
++ And were there any bad ones?
We got stuck in a bad snowstorm when we were scheduled to play in Indianapolis. We drove from the hotel to the venue (it was a harrowing drive and I’m not even sure how we made it). By the time we got there, businesses were all closing. I think even the highway was closed. We ended up staying with one of the other bands for the night. I think that might have been the end of us doing weekend tours during the winter.
++ I was never lucky to catch you live but I’ve seen a video of you on Youtube wearing like air hostess outfits which is really great. Did you usually dress up for gigs?
We did! Costumes were a really important part of our identity. We always wore matching outfits, usually ones that we sewed ourselves. Joleen was the true genius behind our outfits. She’s a brilliant seamstress and designer. She made so many of our outfits and they were absolutely gorgeous and perfectly fitted.
++ When and why did The Icicles stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?
Things slowed down quite a bit when four of us in the band started having kids. We stopped making music when Zane and I moved to LA. But, we never officially broke up. And the door is always open to making more music.
Yes – Voluptuous Panic (which started while The Icicles were still going) and The Francine Odysseys (started a couple years ago in LA).
++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands afterwards?
Yep – pretty much everyone is still working on different music projects. Joleen has a number of bands she’s in – Free Hat, Natural Body, Part Time Warriorz, Potato Babies. Aaron and Rebecca are in a band called Rabbit Fur. Zane has also played drums on some of Voluptuous Panic’s releases.
++ Has there been any The Icicles reunions?
Yes! Usually every summer. Sometimes we are even able to pull off a show!
++ Was there any interest from radio?
The Icicles got lots of play on college radio.
++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?
We did get good press as well.
++ What about from fanzines?
I’m not sure if I remember any fanzines in particular.
++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?
Touring was definitely the biggest highlight. Two tours in particular. One was the 3 month US Tour we did. Our regular bass player and drummer couldn’t go for the full tour (Joleen and I quit our jobs to do the tour), so my husband Zane filled in on drums (he later became our permanent drummer) and our friend Melissa played bass. That trip was epic and some of my favorite memories in my life are from that tour. We met life long friends while touring. Our tour of Sweden, Denmark and England was also a huge highlight.
++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?
Travel, bird watching and gardening
++ Never been to Grand Rapids, Michigan, so would love to hear from a local. What are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Are there any food or drinks one should also try?
Rowsters Coffee is one of my favorite places. I always go there when we visit.
El Adobe is another classic. We used to go there before shows for burritos and chips.
Grand Rapids also has the Flouride Monument which is kind of a funny thing.
A trip to Oval Beach in Saugatuck to see Lake Michigan is also a must.
++ Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks so much for your interest in The Icicles.
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Listen
The Icicles – La Ti Da
