It's a big jump from being a local band to receiving regular airplay on national radio and music television, but it's exactly the jump that Minneapolis pop-rockers This World Fair are poised to make.
With a single on the soundtrack to the film "Disturbia", a new album out earlier this year and a summer tour that starts tonight at the Fine Line Café, singer/songwriter Chris Kalgren and company will most likely be coming back to the Twin Cities with a big ol' pile of national recognition.
Going on the road isn't new for Kalgren—last year This World Fair opened 14 shows across the county, warming up crowds for Phantom Planet and Guster. This time around, however, This World Fair will be sharing the stage with Seattle-based Barcelona to promote the new record, the self-titled "This World Fair", and to build up the already growing national audience.
We got a chance to talk to Kalgren before the sound check for tonight's Fine Line show, and here's what he had to say about the new record, the upcoming tour, and what it's like being poised to break through to the national scene.
Some people can really be intimidated with recording in the studio—was it a challenge for you to get the record down?
It's funny you say "intimidated". At the beginning, in 2003 when I really started writing songs, I was intimated by the studio then. But I've been in the studio so much since then, with various projects and production—I just produced Ari Herstand's new record—all that time has really brought the intimidation down.
How was working with Al Clay (who's worked with the Pixies and Pink)?
He's really fun to work with—he had an energy about him in the studio that was really encouraging to the process, and that made me more confident as a vocalist. A lot of laughs, too.
How important was being on the "Disturbia" soundtrack?
It was really important, actually. It increased the awareness of This World Fair, three fold, four fold. I can definitely see the impact that it had. You know, "Disturbia" was a box office hit, that kind of exposure is priceless.
Last year you opened for Guster and Phantom Planet, what came out of that tour?
What it did for us was increase, again, the awareness to our other songs. It got people going to our MySpace pages so they were able to check out all the other songs on the record.
Are there high expectations for this tour?
Yeah, sort of. Right now we've got no songs on radio and no music videos, really. But even though we don't have that stuff, we do have a good online presence and a great band touring with us. We're going to hit 24-25 cities, some we've been to, some we haven't. We rely on the strength of the music and hope that's going to draw the people out.
Are you guys big enough to have a This World Fair Bus?
It's van and trailer. It's pretty indie. We've not yet at a point where we can do a bus.
Still, there's a charm to piling in a van and driving all over the country.
Oh yeah, it's the time of your life. Along with a really good relationship, it's really the best time you can have.
This World Fair play tonight at the Fine Line Café at 8 p.m. in Downtown Minneapolis. The show is 18+ and $10 at the door.
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