Pop fourpiece Teen Men were the lone locals on the bill at this year’s Firefly Music Festival. The Delaware band’s dance-filled performance Friday afternoon was a culmination of their touring cycle for their 2015 self-titled debut album, and they will begin work on a new album they hope to release next year.
We grabbed Nick Krill and Catharine Maloney for five questions immediately after their set.
How does it feel to be representing Delaware at Firefly this year?
Krill: It’s cool that the local media brings attention to that, and to give the Delaware arts scene some shoutouts. It’s up to the fans I think to say if we are representing Delaware or not. But to me, the coolest thing is that in the larger Delaware community, you’re hearing about this local band performing here this weekend.
What does it mean to be an indie band at a large festival like this? Do you look at it as a big opportunity? Just another gig?
Krill: It’s exciting. The hope is that some people passing by that may not have heard of us will now hear of us. We heard some fans in the audience who had definitely never heard us before yell out stuff like, “Wow, your band’s cool.” Or, “Thanks for coming”
I don’t think our lives will change because of this, but it’s a long game—baby steps. It’s just cool to be out here.
How did you feel about the 12:30 p.m. timeslot? Are there any advantages or drawbacks to playing that early?
Maloney: I think it was nice. We got a much longer soundcheck than any of the other bands, and we really got to take our time getting in and getting into the groove—which is incredible.
Krill: Plus it’s nice to be off the clock early in the day, and you get to enjoy yourself and listen to more music.
How are you guys planning on enjoying the rest of your festival?
Krill: We have some friends in town and we’re going to stick around and see some bands.
Maloney: Tame Impala, and Sun Club, especially.
How do you rate the impact of Firefly on Delaware? Is it a net positive for us?
Krill: I think it has to be, you know? For the past few months, “music” and “Delaware” have been mentioned in the same sentence. And that certainly wasn’t happening 10 years ago. Sometimes these things are such big, giant machines, that it’s hard to tell what kind impact trickles down on a local level.
But even if you look at Wilmington at places like Oddity Bar and 1984, those are really cool places, and those are the kind of bars to me that can be the seed for a local scene. And places like The Queen and the Grand Opera House will hopefully attract more national acts because of something like Firefly.
But those smaller bars are what really excites me—going to a show there and seeing fans taking photos of every single band, bands they don’t even know, for their ‘zine or their blog. That is the real stew that could birth something cool.
