DAY JOB: BOY/GIRL

Photo by Tracey Luszcz

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Is it just me, or have the past five years or so miraculously spawned a plethora of new rock duos on the land of indie? I can understand the allure of sticking with only two people, in terms of the always-exciting band politics and the like, but I often find two-pieces lacking in a fullness of sound. Of course, sometimes this works to a band's advantage, if it fits the music well. Such is the case with boy/girl, made up of Brooklyn's Eric Stiner (boy) and Jersey City's Lisa Cusack (girl). The word "spazz" or "spazzy" seems to get thrown around a lot when talking about them, but I don't really get full-on "spazzocity" or "spazzmasms" from them -- instead I feel dysfunction, but in a good way. So there you have it: dysfunction rock.

Day job:
boy: Ph.D. student
girl: Accreditation Specialist at Parsons School for Design

What's the worst or most interesting thing that's happened to you at work?
boy: I got dengue fever and almost died in bangladesh while on a hunting trip for work.
girl: I justed started working there so nothing really ... lunch is always full of mystery.

Does work ever conflict with your music?
boy: if I get more than 5 hours of sleep a night then it does. If I get less than 5 hours of sleep then work and band can live harmoniously
girl: never ever ever ever nope

Do you have health insurance?
boy: Yes, but it the bill has not been paid in in over 6 months ... yikes!
girl: Yes yes yes; a girl needs health insurance -- take note gentlemen.

Who are the three people you'd most like to have at one of your shows, in terms of helping your music career?
boy: bill murray, bill murray, bill murray
girl: bill murray, bill murray, bill murray

If Wal-Mart approached you about using your music in an ad, for a large sum, would you do it? Where do you draw the line, if anywhere?
boy: If Lisa was ok with it then yes -- she is our moral compass.
girl: Yes. If i believed in the product, then yes.

Any additional thoughts on the conflicts and intersections of work and art?
boy: Everything is work -- you just have to have to enjoy doing it. There are no conflicts for us. People love to support us for some reason. We have been very lucky.
girl: They don't intersect for me. Unless I see work people at our shows -- but that's not a conflict ... unless I vomit on them -- kidding, that has never happened.

boy/girl will be opening for The Dirtbombs on Feb. 16 at Maxwell's.

 

ON THE WEB:
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Day Job is a weekly column examining the contradictions, conflicts and convergence between work and art. We're always looking for new people to profile. If you or someone you know fits the bill, send us an e-mail.