It isn’t everyday that you come across a band as friendly and fun to talk to as Freelance Whales.  They’re a great bunch of people who are inspiring in their commitment to good music and being faithful to fans.  I got to interview Doris Cellar and Jake Hyman of the band just the other day on the phone, and it went as follows.

the WILD honey pie: What’s the strangest thing a fan has ever asked you?
Doris Cellar: I think someone’s asked Judah to take them to the bathroom. That has nothing to do with me. Nothing worth noting.

the WILD honey pie: I was watching the episode of The Office the other night where the crew sings karaoke. Got a favorite song to sing during such an occasion?
Jake Hyman: I’m going to make a confession here. I’ve never admitted this to anyone. I’ve never sang karaoke.
Doris Cellar: I like to sing Donna Summers. I love Bad Girls. That’s just me, I like that intense karaoke.

the WILD honey pie: What’s your favorite TV show right now? If you were covering the theme song, how would it sound?
Jake Hyman: As a band we don’t really have a TV show that we rally around. I do love Steven Segal’s Wild Man. My favorite TV show is Lost, and since it has weird sound effects as theme song, I don’t think we really have to change our style very much to cover it.
Doris Cellar: True Blood, and so does our manager Andrew. So I would totally pick True Blood. And it would totally have be like Buddy Guy or something.

the WILD honey pie: The Olympics just finished. If you could be in one of the events which would it be and how would it go down?
Jake Hyman: I think we would been great at ice dancing. But there’s no such thing as 5-way ice dancing, but if we could have somehow figured out a 5 person ice dance. Like a musical ice dance where it’s Freelance Whales vs. Bear In Heaven vs. Cymbals Eat Guitars. You know? That’d be pretty fun. Only if Judah wears a tootoo.
Doris Cellar: I don’t like that! I was gonna say short track, but I’m not sure if that’s what it’s called. It’s the one where they’re going down ice real quick, then they go and they shoot a target, then they go again. Which one is short track?
Jake Hyman: Speed skating.
Doris Cellar: That one’s really cool too. That’s when they’re pushing each other right?
Jake Hyman: It’s like roller derby on ice. Really badass. I think (biathlon) is amazing. I think it’s so cool that you can somehow incorporate shooting and skiing.

the WILD honey pie: What are some of your pet peeves? Things that really get under your skin?
Jake Hyman: There’s tons. I’ll go with one related to touring. When people cut you off just cause you left a lot of space between you and the car in front of you. And they’re going nowhere. They just decide they wanna be one car further and closer to their goal. That drives me so crazy. I think I’m kind of like Larry David in that I have all these rules that I think everybody around me should abide by, but they don’t know these rules exist so I get really pissed at them when they break them, but they have no idea that they did anything wrong.
Doris Cellar: That’s an intense pet peeve. Maybe you should talk to somebody?

the WILD honey pie: I’m personally not a big country fan, but I really like the song Callin’ Baton Rouge. Got any musicians from a genre you aren’t crazy about, but you enjoy them anyway?
Doris Cellar: I don’t know. I like all genres.
Jake Hyman: I like Mos Def and The Roots, I like The Roots a lot. To me they’re the exception to hip-hop. I’m not a hip-hop fan. I get that people like hip-hop a lot, [but] I personally don’t like that. And I love The Roots though. They supersede the genre to me.

the WILD honey pie: What’s a venue in New York that people don’t know about but should? What makes that place so great?
Doris Cellar: What’s the one we played with the big huge chandelier like thing Jake?
Jake Hyman: Cameo Gallery. That’s the one I was gonna say too. It’s attached to this bakery/cafe/restaurant called Lovin’ Cup Cafe. In the back is this giant warehouse-y cement room. Some art on the walls and this amazing chandelier that has these little lights that kind of trickle down.

the WILD honey pie: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen on the subway?
Doris Cellar: (Laugh)
Jake Hyman: After practice one night, Chuck and I were on our way back from Manhattan on the M train, and this guy was spitting on a seat that he was trying to sit on and taking newspaper and spit-shining the seat with the newspaper. And then he took two straws out of his pocket, unwrapped them, and stuck them in his ears. And just sat there on his spit-shined seat with straws in his ears. It was amazing.

the WILD honey pie: What alcohol goes best with the music of Freelance Whales? Got a brand preference?
Jake Hyman: We don’t really have a drink of choice. We’re not up to stature where we can have a rider and put Patrón on there and have them show up at every show.
Doris Cellar: Although that would be the drink of choice!
Jake Hyman: I think I’d go with Patrón.

the WILD honey pie: If you found out _______ was a big fan of your music, you would _________ !
Doris Cellar: The lead singer from Fleet Foxes! I would freak out!
Jake Hyman: If I found out that Bon Iver was a fan out our music, I’d freak out. But on a really guilty and embarrassing level, and [Doris] you’re gonna hate me for saying this, if I found out that John Mayer were a fan of our music I’d be very honored.

the WILD honey pie: You erupted onto the indie music scene in 2009. What’s the plan for 2010?
Doris Cellar: We’re gonna be doing a lot of touring, but once the touring ceases, we were talking about maybe living together for a month or two and just see what comes out of that. Other than that, the album’s coming out April 13th.
Jake Hyman: I think we’re gonna tour a lot. We’re gonna play like 200 shows this year. And I think we’ll take it from there. That’s a good baseline. If we can somehow make it to the studio or write some stuff together while we’re playing those shows, that would be amazing.

Starring – Freelance Whales Starring – Freelance Whales