We caught up with the four members of the band Quilt a few weeks back at Marfa Myths — an arts and culture festival co-sponsored by their record label, Mexican Summer. Quilt have a new album out called “Plaza.”€ Here they are with a playlist to chill by.
Anna Fox Rochinski: We are the band Quilt, and this is our dinner party soundtrack.
The Beach Boys – “Vegetables”
Shane Butler: So for our first song, we’re going to play “Vegetables” by The Beach Boys.
This came out on their album “Smiley Smile.”€ I love cooking to that record. I think it’s a great one.
Anna: I like how straightforward the lyrics are. You know, to start off our dinner party with something direct, so we get our intentions laid out right on the table. Y’know: “This party is going to be cool, this party is going to be full of food… and it’s going to be healthy.”
Shane: Paul McCartney chews celery as a percussive instrument on this song. It was recorded in Abbey Road Studios and he just… happened to be there, I believe.
Is this a vegetarian meal? Yes.
Anna: Paul is a vegetarian!
Shane: Yes. And I got so into that record. Oh, it’s so good. I heard it in high school for the first time and I was like, “€œThis is cooler than the Beach Boys songs that I grew up hearing! Like, this is weird.”€
F.J. McMahon – “€œSister Brother”
John Andrews: For the second song, we’re going to go with F.J. McMahon, “Sister Brother.”
This album came out in 1969. It’s called “Spirit of the Golden Juice.” And it was just kind of a small-run record that mostly was distributed in California.
Shane: “Golden Juice” was apparently what he made when he was in the military in the ’60s.
Anna: I think it was a type of whiskey, or bourbon. Yeah, I love this just to add some chill vibes to the conversation.
John: I hate to keep saying that it’s “chill,” but it’s just got the perfect, mellow, rhythm section kind of chugging along, and really nice looping guitars.
Shane: When people start hearing this song… it’s when they’re going to be tasting the food, and they’re going to be like [whispers], “€œWow, this is really good.”
Cymande – “€œCrawshay”
Anna: For our next song — the end of the dinner party — we’re going to play “Crawshay” by Cymande. This is from their self-titled album released in 1972.
John: They were a 12 or 13 piece group from London. They’re just really wild, and they have a great soul to them.
Anna: Their music is sampled a lot in hip-hop songs. I like how you can sink into the song…
Shane: Almost reminds me of Charlie Brown music — like Peanuts, almost — too!
Anna: Like a soulful, spiritual Vince Guaraldi!
Shane: Yeah!
Anna: By now in the party, people are on their second or third adult beverage, and people are starting to get up and dance a little bit. They’re ready to get their groove on. We’ve got our creme brulee out as an optional dessert… The creme brulee is going to crack as soon as this song starts.
Quilt – “Hissing My Plea”
Anna: If we had to pick one of our own songs to close out our dinner party, it would be “Hissing My Plea.”
And I suppose this would be at the end when people are…
Shane: cleaning some dishes during…
John: No, we break the dishes!
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