Purveyors of: Alice in wonder-band?

There is an Alice in Wonderland quality to the musical experience of the Winks. They invite you to get lost in the magic of some otherworld created by its members: Tyr Jami (cello, vocals), Todd Macdonald (mandolin, vocals), Emily Taylor (drums) and Soren Brothers (keys). However, despite the innocence of Tyr's childlike voice, there's simultaneously something eerie and slightly foreboding underneath the sense of whimsy. Birthday Party is the latest release by the band and it promises to send you tumbling down the rabbit hole.

Your sound has been described as everything from “twee” to “chamber pop” to “pop revisionist.” Which label have you been given that you find least describes what you do?

Tyr Jami: All our albums seem to have a unique feel to them. We are happy not to be pigeonholed into one genre of music. Maybe some songs may be twee, chamber pop, we don't really have a genre we try to follow before we write a song, more just a certain type of energy. Often I write lyrics over top of a song I've been really into but it never ends up sounding like what I wrote it over top of.

Todd Macdonald: All of our new songs are really fast so maybe we're a punk band now.

The Winks has two constant members, Todd and Tyr, and a line up of incredible musicians such as Secret Mommy who occasionally join the party. Emily and Soren are the latest addition. Apart from killer dance moves what do they bring to the band?

Todd: Emily is technically an amazing drummer, can improvise and rocks really hard. Soren is like a wizard, tall, stoic and precise.

Tyr: It's fun having another girl in the band because we can co-ordinate our outfits. Soren and I play a lot of chamber music together in our spare time and sometimes bring in a phrase here or there into the Winks' improv jams.

The band did a film score project in the past for Imago, Story of a Boy. Is this something you would do again in the future?

Tyr: In the last few months I've enjoyed playing along to visuals and film in a live setting several times. We've been working with Jasa of Parlour Treats on a visual level until her overhead projector overheated and blew up. Also with Twin Party.

What is one film you would've traded a vital organ to have been able to score?

Todd: Das Boot.

The band has only four members currently but an equal amount of side projects to date. How does Tyr's Gutstrings and Todd's Prince of Wails affect (or perhaps not affect) the overall Wink's sound?

Tyr: Usually Gutstrings opens for The Winks and sets the initial mood of the show.

Todd: I'm always writing songs. Some become Winks songs and all the others are 'Prince of Wails' songs.

The Winks has an alter ego in the form of Exercising, described as a “musical workout, improv weight lifting.” What separates the musical styling of Exercising from the current Winks’ sound?

Tyr: Exercising is like playing scales before you play pieces.

The Winks' performances have a theatrical element. What Broadway musical is closest to what Winks: the Musical would be and why?

Tyr: A musical with lots of chorus girls and 1920-30s flapper tap dancing style. Big hats and sequin bathing suits. I watched two movies in the last two days that fit the description: The Great Ziegfeld and The Broadway Melody from 1929.

Performance wise, does the band intend to do anything different at the live shows on this tour? I enjoyed Tyr's scissor kicks and the liberal use of confetti when I saw you guys live.

Tyr: This tour we’re going to play songs from our new limited edition EP entitled "Chorus Girls."

Todd: We subconsciously wrote the new songs to invoke movement and be fun to play.

Your most recent full length album is titled Birthday Party. Does any member of the band have any traumatizing birthday party experiences they would like to share with the reader and/or a therapist?

Todd: Every birthday party starts off good but gets a little sad sometime near the end.

Tyr: ...or vice versa.

By Tatum George