Interview: Joe Larson of TopHouse By: Rob Smittix

Interview: Joe Larson (TopHouse)
By: Rob Smittix

RRX: So Joe, how’s how’s life with TopHouse?

JL: You know… it’s about as good as I can hope for, honestly. Pretty hectic, but I mean… we’re doing all the things we love to do.

RRX: Exactly. For those that don’t know, what’s your role in the band?

JL: I sing and I also pretend to play the banjo and play guitar.

RRX: Well, you’re pretending pretty well.

JL: That’s one of the first lessons I’ve learned from my piano teacher. Learn how to fake it because nobody will know.

RRX: Hey, that was great advice right there. Now some big things going on for you guys. Obviously, we’re excited that you’re coming to our town, Albany, New York on July 11th, 7/11 at Lark Hall. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Lark Street but it’s basically our version of like… Greenwich Village. It’s the cool hip spot.

JL: Yeah. We’ve played in Albany, I’m trying to remember when exactly, it all starts to blur together a little bit, honestly. But it was great and I believe we played at Lark Hall last time.

RRX: Oh, okay.

JL: I know the place at least.

RRX: It’s a good spot over there. I see you guys actually had a chance recently to play at the Grand Ole Opry.

JL: Yeah, yeah.

RRX: They won’t even let Beyonce play there.

JL: They say that we’re like the Beyonce of folk music.

RRX: Really?

JL: No, nobody says that but yeah, that was so wild. That was back in February, I think it was the day after we released our last EP. It was so cool. We had no idea what to expect, we still get chills thinking about it. It was very fun.

RRX: From a musician’s standpoint and with the type of music that you’re doing… I mean… you’ve made it! You know? That’s definitely a way to measure success right there. That’s amazing. I’m proud and happy for you.

JL: Thank you. It was pretty cool.

RRX: Well, when you come up to the Northeast and I mean Upstate New York, we do have bluegrass and country bands. It’s not New York City by any means. What are people to expect when they come out to a TopHouse show?

JL: Hopefully they’ll hear some good music. I feel like our shows are always a lot of fun. They’re always a little bit different. We do a lot of banter in between. We really don’t plan any of it out, so you never know what someone’s gonna say. It’s so cool just getting to meet people and chat with them before or after. We try to hang out by the merch booth. We try to keep it pretty high energy and give it everything we’ve got, every night. It’s a good time.

RRX: Yeah, that’s all you can do. I think that one of the best parts of being in a band and being on tour is getting to meet the people, because that goes a long way and it stays with the fan the rest of forever. Just a conversation that they had with you, you know?

JL: Oh yeah. This stuck out for me. This is a guy who managed a pretty successful artist. I was chatting with him and he said something like… always remember that the fans already know you or they already have a connection with you from listening to your music. So anything you can do to sort of reciprocate that connection is very meaningful to them but it’s also super meaningful to us. It can be kind of tiring to go chat with fans after the show every night but it is also probably our favorite part of the night; when we’re able to do it, we’re not always able to, but when we are, it’s so much fun.

RRX: So what do you think is the most rewarding part of being in a band and doing it for a living? Because, there’s so many of us… and some of the most talented people out there still have to keep their day jobs. It’s a blessing to be able to do it on this level. How do you feel about that?

JL: Blessing is definitely the right word. I mean, we haven’t even been doing it full time for super long, so it’s still kind of new. I feel like we’re learning everyday a little bit more of what it means to be full-time musicians. It’s kind of hard to pinpoint one thing that’d be the most meaningful. I guess it’s just hearing people’s response. To me, the best part or the thing that completes a song the most is when people respond to it, you know? It’s like the song’s not complete until you get to play it or you get to put it out and someone gets to hear it. It’s kind of like a beautiful piece of art just hanging up in an empty room, is kind of sad. It’s just better when you get to share it. I think that getting to share the music is so rewarding. That’s on any level of music, whether you’re just sharing it in your house with family or in front of a crowd, it’s a privilege.

RRX: Oh it absolutely is. I think when everyone collectively gets together and they’re feeling the music and the vibrations are going through their bodies, it’s actually great for the mind and the physical body as well.

JL: Absolutely. There’s something special about a live music experience. I think every single one of those unique experiences can’t necessarily be boxed up and resold. If you keep going to shows, each night is unique and it’s such a cool community builder.

RRX: Well that… it definitely is. I see bright things for TopHouse in your future. I mean… you’ve only just begun.

JL: Yeah, it’s kind of wild. Hopefully we’ll get to do this as long as we can.

RRX: Anything else that you would like to tell people out there to encourage them to come on out to your show at lark Hall on 7/11?

JL: We might read from The Hobbit or something, so that might get you out there. It’ll just be a fun time and we’re really looking forward to being back at work!

TopHouse with Scott Levi Jones
Lark Hall Albany, NY
July 11th 8pm

For Tickets CLICK HERE: