Members of the band Lovers In Arms cannot stop laughing. RedEye caught up with three of the band’s five members — Armando Perez (guitar, vocals), Caroline Yohanan (vocals, percussion) and Dan Lieber (drums, vocals) — to talk about the band and its sound. Despite spending half our interview laughing, we did learn a thing or two.
What is the craziest thing that ever happened to the band?
CY: A fun learning experience was being sandwiched between two metal bands. … We were totally slammed with this crazy [bleep] metal sound.
AP: Yeah, we were the band in the middle, so everyone went out for a cigarette. But when we started all of their girlfriends came back in. It was cool that we still had an influence.
How do you describe your sound?
CY: When we first started we concentrated on a sound like Portishead or Bjork. It slowly moved into world music and funk with Dan having been in New Orleans.
DL: I try to bring the New Orleans sound like jazz and funk, while Caroline and Armando know more about the current stuff. … I often tell people we sound like Chicago [the city, not the band].
What makes your live shows great?
CY: “We love nothing more than to be onstage performing. We are always dancing. We make fun of ourselves and make stupid jokes. … People appreciate the silliness.”
AP: “We are a part of the audience. … They are taking energy from us.”
DL: “We all, like, look pretty good. We all look real cool.” [Laughs.]
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CHI TUNES
Lovers in Arms
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Tickets: $10 at doubledoor.com
When: 10 p.m. Friday
Where: House of Blues Back Porch Stage, 329 N Dearborn St.
Tickets: $10-$12 at houseofblues.com
Listen to Lovers in Arms’ song “Strength for the Weary” at redeyechicago.com/chitunes
