Black Marble Ready to Descend on Boise
Hot on the heels of the release of Life in Small Spaces earlier this month, Brooklyn beat-maker Black Marble (a.k.a. Chris Stewart) drops through Boise tonight to present some of his new record and more at Shrine Social Club. We recently caught up with the artist while he was darting from city to city, keeping the excitement going behind the new record that has seen the release of singles “Jim Carol New Year” and “Anything.”
Hiya Chris. I can’t seem to find any indication you’ve played Boise before. Did you decide to come here simply because of routing, or were there other reasons why you chose to grace this city for the first time?
We’re coming for the Idaho style hot dog! Also, my bassist once played there, at an arcade, and they let him sleep there.
Aside from integrating new material, is your set on this tour gonna be different in any other ways than in tours past?
We have new projections that our friend Scott in New York made for us. He made the video for our second single, “Anything,” from our new record.
What vision did you have for Life in Small Spaces going into the making of it? In what ways did it turn out as you expected and in what ways did it not?
I wanted it to have some staccato style guitar because I wanted the energy that brings. I also just wanted it to feel coherent conceptually.
What are you most proud of in terms of the new album? What sides and aspects of Black Marble does the record reveal that even devoted fans hadn’t been aware of before?
I feel like it sounds good without sounding too polished. It’s a hard balance to keep, I feel. And I think it gives more of a personal picture of my internal neurosis more clearly.
What item/request on your tour rider might surprise people the most?
Our rider has basic snacks on it, nothing too interesting. Maybe for Boise we can add some hot dogs to the mix?
What’s the craziest show you’ve performed thus far?
We played at a punk venue in Montreal once where there were kids swinging from the chandeliers and jumping/crowd surfing off of our amps while we were playing. That was pretty awesome.
What’s the lamest show you’ve performed thus far?
Any show where they put those festival style barriers between us and the crowd, sort of unnecessary for a band of this size.
What’s the best show you’ve ever attended?
Men’s Recovery Project at Silent Barn.
What are your favorite records of the year so far?
Orange by White Fence and Completely Necessary (Anthology 1978–1982) by The Necessaries.
Do you have any plans to do anything specific in Boise while you’re here, or will you be too strapped for time?
We’re open to suggestions, maybe hang out at that arcade? [Realms is down the street from The Shrine.]
Black Marble plays at The Shrine Social Club with The Serfs and Jimmy Cicero opening tonight, with tickets available for $32.75 here. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show starts an hour later.
The Bad Penny (beta) 
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