Exports Follow Sports & Leisure
One New Orleans rock band folds and a new one grows out of it.
Today, New Orleans rock band Exports debuted a new song, "Red Herring," through its Bandcamp page. It's the second song from the band the grew out the remnants of the dissolved rock band, Sports & Leisure. Today, the band introduces itself.
Who does what in Exports?
Exports is comprised of:
Liz Burpee - lead vocals, keys
Scott Hannan - guitar, vocal harmonies
Jeremy Peres - guitar, violin, vocal harmonies
Whitney Brown - bass
Russell Shelton - drums
How did Exports come about?
Once S&L fizzled out, us four former members started jamming on original songs with no real direction in regards to lyrics or vox. We contemplated going back to the high school band modus operandi of four dudes in a garage choosing whoever is the least offensive in front of the mic as lead singer. Lo and behold, Liz and Russell met on a fluke outside Tipitina's at a Lake Street Dive concert. Russell mentioned he was in a band, Liz mentioned she sang and was on the prowl for a new group, and voila. Russell invited Liz to a practice, and the rest of us were instantly wondering how we could ask her to "go steady." Liz, unbeknownst to us, felt the same way. We've been holding band hands ever since.
How is Exports different from Sports & Leisure?
Exports is different from S&L in a lot of ways. For one, we have a female lead singer which brings a different feel. Liz also has a heavy blues and folk background that she brings to her lyrics and our sound. Secondly, we're taking a different approach to songwriting; none of our songs are individual efforts. We all collaborate equally in the writing process and the song develops in an organic, improvisational way. We're each responsible for inventing the best expression of our instrument, and this piecemeal approach magically turns into a well-rounded product none of us could've expected from the get-go. Finally, because we use fewer instruments, our sound is more stripped down but also has a punchier, more forceful vibe. Irrespective of comparisons, all said and done we want to play music that each member truly enjoys and has fun writing; we each want to grow musically without the confines of a genre and have that reflect in our sound.
What happened to Sports & Leisure?
What's Sports & Leisure? I guess we could spin yarns about singers becoming addicted to poppers and keyboardists following their dreams of the rhythmic gymnastic Olympic finals, but the truth is that babies and job opportunities took us our separate ways. We love those dudes and actually, Bj Blue (keyboardist of S&L) makes a guest appearance on the record.
What songs would sound good on either side of “Red Herring” in a mix?
Sweet Crude's "Little Darling" and Bantam Foxes' "(I Want to Move to) Texas," not only are these two of our favorite local bands, but "Red Herring" mirrors the the former's driving rhythms and harmonic sound, as well as the latter's rock, guitar-driven feel. Complementary to both while occupying its own territory.
