The acclaimed Brooklyn-based music group TEEN came to the Mahoning Valley over the weekend to perform at the Lemon Grove.
While lead songwriter Kristina Lieberson was playing with Here We Go Magic, she started developing ideas for a music project with her two sisters, Katherine and Lizzie Lieberson, and their best friend, Jane Herships.
“I started making these solo recordings while I was still in HWGM. When I was done, I wanted to put a band together to play it live, so I grabbed my sisters and best friends,” Kristina Lieberson said.
TEEN’s latest release landed them a spot on Time magazine’s “11 Great Bands You Don’t Know (But Should)” list. In addition, their single “Better” made Rolling Stone’s “Best Songs of 2012” list.
“It’s wonderful to be featured in blogs and music magazines, but being featured in a magazine like Time is a whole different thing,” Herships said. “It’s something our parents or even grandparents can relate to and will tell their friends. They’re like, ‘Wow, you’re in Time!’”
Working with her sisters on the project has been great so far, Kristina Lieberson said.
“I mean, we fight the way sisters do, but it always resolves quickly,” she said. “Writing music together is surprisingly easy.”
Jacob Harver, owner of the Lemon Grove, thought it was a long shot to book TEEN, but after contacting the band’s booking agent, he was able to land them.
“We were calling Sunday’s concert the show of the decade. What’s really cool about TEEN is that they have this timeless sound. They have a late ’60s, early ’70s feel to their music,” Harver said.
Kristina Lieberson said some of their biggest musical influences have been Al Green, Cocteau Twins and Kate Busch. TEEN hopes to influence younger musicians that are just breaking onto the music scene.
“My advice would be to work hard. Write and play every day,” Kristina Lieberson said. “Don’t get discouraged, and have confidence in what comes out of you naturally.”
The Van Allen Belt also performed Sunday night. Following TEEN, a dual DJ set by Rope and TYGER ended the night with a dance party.
