Band brings coming-of-age story to Lincoln

Growing up and being thrown into the adult world is a venture filled with bumpy roads. Genevieve Schatz left her home in Chicago at the age of 17 and moved into an apartment to experience life on her own. Serendipitous pathways led her and guitarist Marc Walloch into music, and formed "Company of Thieves." The band will be rolling through Lincoln this week, pushing another pin into their map of musical exploration.

Daily Nebraskan: Tell me about your Chicago roots and how you and Marc started playing together.

Genevieve Schatz: Marc and I were introduced to each other through a mutual friend we had when we were both 18 years old. We were both at Union Station about to board a train and had no idea that our friend knew both of us. It was rush hour and we happened to be getting on the same train, so we shared a booth and just talked about music and being young and living independently in a huge city. We started getting together on Monday nights with a big group of friends and we would listen to the Beatles, watch old movies, eat chocolate and play songs together. Marc realized that he liked my voice and was like, ‘You can actually sing! We should write a song together.' So, we started busting out ideas and it was a lot of fun.

We would stay up into the wee hours of the morning writing. One day, I started sifting through the local paper in Chicago and found listings for open mics. I wanted to go, but Marc didn't, so I had to persuade him. We went in and played one song, everybody started clapping. We didn't even realize it was a contest, but we ended up winning. We got $13 dollars, which we immediately spent on ice cream. Ever since that, we started building up a band. It all started with a singer-songwriter community.

DN: What was it like to start touring with your first album, "Ordinary Riches?" Did traveling influence your sophomore album?

GS: Touring probably influenced every aspect of it. Internally, too. Like, how much my world opened up. It's a great big world we live in, outside of Chicago, our home town. There are tons of people who have their own ways of doing things and there are subcultures that have their own way of doing things. There are small and humble places. But we always felt a sense of connectedness, that we can pull back and realize that we're all together on this planet. That helps my perspective. Not every song is directly a personal experience of mine, but going to all these cities exposes musical genres. Going down south was huge for us.

DN: Yeah, your album definitely has a bluesy sound. Is that where that comes from?

GS: Totally. Louisiana was hugely impactful and an unforgettable experience. It is so broken and damaged, but had so much life in it at the same time. It was fun to sink into these different lifestyles.

DN: "Running From a Gamble" is your sophomore album and it tells a coming-of-age story about a young girl, Karen. Where does that story come from?

GS: I think it comes from growing up, partly in a city and partly in a suburb and knowing that you've been somewhat sheltered and that there's so much our there. You would do pretty much whatever it takes to go on an adventure and claim your life. The album kind of starts with a big broken heart and immediately goes into the world of Karen. The song "Look Both Ways" is about escaping suburban culture and going into really dense, populated areas. Getting out of that suburb and being thrown into the world of a big city and seeing how chaotic it is. It's all of the compromises people are making to follow their dreams.

DN: Do you do the majority of song writing?

GS: Thus far I've written all the lyrics and most melodies. Marc and I collaborate, so he will put my words into melodies then we take it to the band and everybody fills in with what they do. At the core, it's Marc and myself.

DN: You're lineup has evolved over time and you have had a lot of different band members, but it's always been you and Marc, right?

GS: Yeah, it's that just that bond we have that keeps the band going.

kelseylee@dailynebraskan.com

If you go:

Company of Thieves

Where: The Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St.

When: Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.

How Much: $8