Austra / Words & photography by Lauren Cooper
Hellow France December 15, 2011 Le Maroquinerie, Paris
Le Maroquinerie is a relatively small venue, and electronica band Austra’s show is sold out tonight, perhaps a sign that the next tour might require a larger capacity. The stage is set with a deliberate sort of symmetry: peroxide blonde, gold-eyeshadowed Katie Stelmanis lets out her vibrato-y wails front and center, flanked by a pair of twins who serve as back-up singers. Maya Postepski, the drummer, who was previously in the band Galaxy with Katie, sits behind the vocalists with Dorian Wolf, the bassist, not far off. The three (Katie, Maya, and Dorian) principally form the band, but I sit down with just Katie before the show to discuss the band, who’s been experiencing steadily growing popularity since the release of their well-received album, Feel It Break, in May.
Formally trained on the piano, viola, and vocally as an opera singer, Katie represents one of many breakthrough indie musicians with decades-old classical roots (Zola Jesus, Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor). I ask her how important musicianship is to the band, considering that “electronic artist” can often mean setting up a laptop onstage. “Definitely, as a band we try to have a level of professionalism when we’re playing live,” she affirms, adding that “Maya has a degree in percussion.” Sound-wise, Austra is relentlessly compared to Bjork and Kate Bush, both of whom Katie cites as influences. And while Austra and The Gossip might be quite different musically, like Beth Ditto, Katie too identifies herself as a queer musician (as does Maya).
“It’s just who I am,” she says simply. “I chose to be out because I always tried to seek out other gay musicians.” Feel it Break features “Young and Gay” and “The Beat and the Pulse,” whose music video, which Katie describes as a “low-budget, thrown-together affair,” wound up being a bit controversial. “None of us knew what to expect,” she says of the artsy, lo-fi 4 minutes of PG-13 female erotica being censored by Youtube. “It just shows where the American priorities are. There are lots of violent and racist videos online and they censor ours because of naked bodies.” The full video has fortunately found a home in its full form on Daily Motion, a European-based site, where “it hasn’t been taken down, not surprisingly.” With such strong points-of-view about being misconstrued, how does she feel when listeners stray from the original meaning she intended? “I really embrace it.” Indeed, that night, singing along and hooked on every note, the packed crowd of Austra’s fans didn’t seem to be straying very far.
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