“When you’re best friends, everything always runs smoothly,” says Logan Chaucer (vocals, guitar, bass, triangle) of his Blue Footed Boobies duo.
His other half, the best friend of whom he speaks, is Sam Baker (drums, Kazoo).
“Sunshine and rainbows are our middle names,” Chaucer continues. “We pretty much hang out everyday, so when you have that kind of chemistry with someone, it definitely translates to the stage.”
It doesn’t hurt their personalities are complementary. Their psychedelic-blues-rock outfit began in 2014, yet they aren’t mere bandmates. They hang outside of the band, too—at the beach, on a boat.
“I’m the go-go-go-get-things-done kind of guy,” Baker says. “Logan is more mellow and laid back, so we balance each other out very well and keep each other grounded.”
Chaucer is the lyricist; Baker only recently became a percussionist. Still, the natural progression of their sound and of the band matches the ease of their camaraderie. “That in itself is the spirit of rock-n-roll: doing whatever we want,” he says. “Most of our music evolves and changes with us; we never play a song the same way twice.”
The Blue Footed Boobies have a new song, “Sky is Falling,” as well as a series of other newbie Boobie tunes they’ll play on their summer tour, with soon-to-be announced dates in July. Until then, they’ll open for Hannah Wicklund & the Step-in’ Stones at Bourgie Nights come Friday, May 24.
encore shot the shit with the two besties ahead of their show this weekend.
encore (e): What’s the story behind the name Blue Footed Boobies? Do you just love the bird’s mating dance or what?
Logan Chaucer (LC): We just thought it was a really funny name. After all, who doesn’t like boobies?
e: Tell our readers more about your latest single, “Sky is Falling” …
LC: The song itself is just about heartbreak, something very familiar to all of us. There’s a lot of emotion in it and the blues chord voicings fit the song very well. We both tried to play with a lot of power on this one. It shows in the overall soundscape of the track.
Sam Baker (SB): I’ve only been playing the drums for two years, and to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing until now. I finally feel confident and comfortable with the recording process and what we are trying to achieve. Logan’s always been great about giving me free reign on my half and in this journey. So ‘Sky is Falling’ is the first of many songs to come that represents us as a unified duo. I’m just so excited to release our other recordings and get back in the studio!
e: Is it a part of an upcoming EP or full-length album?
LC: “Sky is Falling” is not necessarily a part of a larger project. We have other singles recorded and will be releasing them in coming months. We have plenty of material for a full-length record we will be releasing in 2020. For the next six months, however, we are focusing on touring and spreading The Blue Footed Boobies name as much as we can.
e: Are you playing other new songs live—not yet recorded or released?
LC: Yes—our set is constantly changing. We play what we feel at every show. There is a lot of material you can hear at our shows that you won’t hear on any of our records. Playing shows is a privilege, so when we walk on stage we give it 100%. Gotta give the people what they want. This is rock-n-roll, after all!
SB: One of my favorite things about playing with Logan is the freedom we get to express on stage. Our songs are always evolving, and we are always exploring with our music. We constantly bounce ideas off of each other and try new things. We always play new songs live we have yet to release, and we have a couple “jams” we rip that are developing into songs with lyrics. There’s so many songs in our vault we are just waiting to release.
e: As Wilmingtonians, what’s your take on the talent in town? How has our city impacted your own sound and journey—as individuals or as a duo?
LC: Being from Wilmington, there is immense talent all around. There are so many gifted musicians and the music scene is quite eclectic, so [we’re] constantly being influenced by different genres in different ways. We’ve been fortunate enough to build relationships with bands like ASG, who have been like big brothers to us and have shown us the ropes.
SB: The talent in Wilmington has shaped and molded me into the musician I am today. Aside from Logan, some of my best friends, Will Daube and Michael Eakins, have taught me a wealth of knowledge about music. My biggest influencers are my best friends.
Logan and I aren’t very shy so we’ve become close with the majority of [people in] the music scene here in town. Everyone is extremely talented; I’m excited to see more of these rock bands emerge in what was at one point a reggae-driven market. The time for rock-n-roll has come.
e: Anything you’d like to add about opening for Hannah Wicklund & the Step-in’ Stones at Bourgie?
LC: Hannah is an extremely talented performer and a very gifted singer and guitar player. It’s always a privilege to share a stage with someone like her. Playing with a group that is similar in genre and style is really cool.
e: Without any explanation or context, what is one word or phrase you’d use to describe each other?
LC: Best friends
SB: Broooo!
Shannon Rae Gentry 