As is common in the music community, the ladies of Brooklyn based band, The Debutante Hour came to be through a chain of music related events- theirs involving chamber music, an all female accordion orchestra, and a reincarnation from past musical projects. Maria Sonevytsky, Susan Hwang, and Mia Pixley are a trio that combines catchy with clever, forming a sound that is unique in more ways than one. Everything from do-wop harmonies to more polka inspired instrumentals have a say in their album, The Birth and Death of Meaning, which saw its official release back in March with a show at the Mercury Lounge.
Since then the songbirds saw their first West Coast tour come to fruition, and even stepped to the stage as Maria and Susan took part in Scynthian Stones, a play directed by Virlana Tkacz, that the two wrote original pieces for in addition to adapting poetry and other text into song. The notion that members of this band can adapt literature into music is no surprise upon hearing the group’s debut album- the title itself is a take from Earnest Becker’s book of the name (which just so happens to be being read by Hwang in The Debutante Hour’s album art).
Produced by the decorated musician Franz Nicolay, The Birth and Death of Meaning is the perfect combination of intelligence and good spirits. From the polka-ing pace of opening track “Your Worldview Gets me Down” to the jaunty style of “Watch Carrie Eat” these three clearly know how to write a piece of music to get your toes tapping and body bouncing. But what’s more impressive than the catchiness of their tunes is the content. Be it quippy or inquisitive, The Debutante Hour has a definite way with words. “Sometimes I Wonder About The Creator of The Universe”, inspired by Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, states: “Destructive testing to see how much we can take./ He ignores our protesting, and he sets out to make us break./ He’s slightly insane, and a little perverse./ Sometimes I wonder about the creator of the universe.” taking on a gentle, pensive feeling, while “Miracle Birth” cleverly recounts various religious origins in a swingy, jazzy style that we can almost imagine being part of a School House Rock Series.
Though the bouncy, cabaret style of the band is one of the main attractions in their music, some of the best moments of The Birth and Death of Meaning come in the form of the slower pieces offered. “Devil Song” is presented with pretty piano that gives off a lurid, jazz club feel, depicting an image of our front woman crooning, “I want to meet the devil/ I’ve got a feeling we’re much the same/-
parents who never understood us, said they loved us, then wished we would change. “ while lounging across the top of a piano. Accompanying this main belt is a set of lovely harmonies, a skill that makes many appearances onThe Birth and Death of Meaning, adding depth and all around prettiness to the record’s vocals. 
Much is to be said about a band that brings its listeners tracks like “Zombies are Zen” and “Sunday in the Trailer” but we feel these gems are best explored with ones own ears- we can only give so much praise before it starts to seem like someone paid us off. The Debutante Hour is a group that’s doing something unique and doing it well, that possesses a skill for songwriting, and clearly has its wits about it. We think the musical maidens put it best in the final track to their album, “Be Yourself” when they sing, “You’ve got to be yourself god knows, no one else is going to do it./ Just wake up, and don’t give yourself too much hell; that’s all there is to it.”
It is apparent that the threesome takes its own advice when it comes to what they do. The lovely ladies of the band can count on us to sing their praises indefinitely, and we look forward to having them in Chicago, whenever that may be.
Maria, Mia, and Susan were good enough to shoot the breeze with us via email this past month, and answer our pressing questions about the new album, the best moments in the band’s history, and what a comic book starring The Debutante Hour might be like.
Reviewsic: Individually, how did you get your starts in music?
Maria: Piano lessons with an old Polish lady at age 6.
Mia: Cello lessons at age 4 because they ran out of violins.
Susan: Singing “You Light Up My Life” on her best friend’s bedroom table at age 5.
Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?
Susan: Sparks, the blues, Judy Garland
Maria: Dolly Parton
Mia: What ever makes me shake it.
Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?
Susan: Bass, saw and trumpet
Maria: fiddle and trumpet
Mia: piano, drums and trumpet
Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?
Maria: Sam Amidon, More Humans
Mia: Raphael Saadiq
Susan: Life in a Blender, Tribe Called Quest
Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?
The Debutante Hour: Franz Nicolay again. And James Frazee. We had an incredible experience working with them on The Birth and Death of Meaning.
Reviewsic: What is the best show you’ve ever been to?
Susan: Steve Bernstein’s Millenial Territory Orchestra at Tonic and Ching Chong Song at Goodbye Blue Monday circa late 2007
Mia: Willie Nelson at 15.
Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?
Susan: Ching Chong Song, Danydany, Corn Mo, Kung Fu Crimewave, Schwervon! come on, just 3???
Mia: Danydany, Tim Feit
Maria: Rachelle Garniez solo, Corn Mo
Reviewsic: Tell us about The Birth and Death of Meaning- is there any particular creative direction behind the album? What goes into your writing process as a band?
Maria: We’re followers of the Cannibalist Manifesto. We consume everything and keep the good and excrete the bad.
Susan: We’re experimenters. We try some things. Some of it we like, and some of it we’re not sure about. We try to do what feels right, but it’s okay if we don’t.
Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at the point of this release as opposed to when you first began playing together?
The Debutante Hour: We dance more. And we’ve gained some weight.
Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite venues to play?
The Debutante Hour: The ones that feed us and pay us with drinks. Also, Freddy’s, Goodbye Blue Monday, Jalopy, Barbes
Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?
The Debutante Hour: Maria lost her temper real bad at a gig at Pianos and yelled, “Dance monkeys!” to the audience. That’s kind a best and worst moment.
Susan and Maria were heckled while busking in Padova by a teenager with a noise machine, horn thing. Susan got so mad, she chased him through the square with her accordion, singing and playing “Hoochie Coochie Woman.”
During The Debutante Hour’s first European tour, the used car Maria had just bought in Austria started making all kinds of very bad noises by the time we got to Italy. We took it to garage after garage in Italy on our way to Poland and kept asking “Are we gonna die??” We got a couple maybe’s and one 50/50.
Our best moments are always meeting interesting and awesome people while on tour.
Also, our experience recording at Water Music with Franz Nicolay and James Frazee was amazing. We can’t say enough good things about it.
Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
TRhe Debutante Hour:
Dolly Parton – because she’s awesome. Have you read her autobiography?
Stevie Wonder – Maybe he’s not such a good choice afterall, because Susan would probably pee her pants if she got to share a stage with him.
Franz Nicolay – We think he’s great.
Reviewsic: What are three words you’d use to describe your music to someone who’s never heard it?
The Debutante Hour: (We) like to party.
Reviewsic: If The Debutante Hour were a band of comic book heroes, what would your powers be and who would be your arch nemesis?
Mia: Fast learner of anything.
Susan: Fast metabolizer
Maria: Extreme wit
Arch nemesis: writer’s block
Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?
The Debutante Hour: We’re planning a covers EP and more PSAs. We’re playing a wedding in Virginia, maybe a midwest tour, maybe Europe if the money and volcanic ash allows. We’d love to tour Asia again. Susan wants to learn to do handstands.
Tags: Album Review, Interview, New Music, Video
