Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs was in acoustic Bay Area band The Finches for years.  She recently made the move to Los Angeles and, as a result, broke up the band.  Her new project is called PALMS and it's a new day for Carolyn-- PALMS includes electric guitar!  PALMS will be performing May 10 at Echo Curio in Los Angeles with the Bay Area's own The Mantles and Colossal Yes.  Here, Carolyn chats about her new band PALMS, some of the music that has made an impression on her over the years, as well as how she enjoys howling like a wolf, and her tribute to "Careless Whisper."

ME:  So your old and beloved project, The Finches, has come to a close.  Tell me about that and about the development of your new band, PALMS.  Is your new band sonically similar to The Finches or is this a whole new thing? 

Carolyn:  Yar, the two bands must sound awfully similar to a lot of folks -- this weekend I played a show in LA and a new friend from England asked me if I ever listened to The Finches. That's only natural -- I'm still writing the songs, but playing electric guitar now.

Also, I'm recording the songs myself, so there's more time to mess about.  I'm thinking of adding oboe to a few of the new ones.  So far all the PALMS shows have been solo, but I've been playing a bit with my friend Katy Davidson (who was Dear Nora) on bass, and still looking for a drummer (or two). It's a much darker sound than the old acoustic pop; I think it needs a few more musicians to weight it down, and electricity to give it friction.

In following with both the fact that Amoeba hires only the most insatiable and voracious music enthusiasts, and the fact that we of course all learn from one another, periodically I will be posting interviews with staff members. In this edition, I discuss with San Fran's own Zack his musical past and present, among other things.

The Employee Interview:
Zack
4+ years employed at Amoeba
Floor dude

Q:  What was the first music you remember hearing as a kid, before you had a say?

Z:  "Back in the USSR," "Good Vibrations," and the "Monster Mash." My dad would play these while he got me dressed on the couch in the living room before preschool.

Q:  How have these songs influenced your musical likes and dislikes?

Z:  With the Beatles, it gave me a great pop foundation for discerning melodies I like and dislike, but as I got older I really couldn't take the Beatles anymore and had a long stretch of being completely over them while I explored other musical avenues. Since the birth of MY son I have embraced the Beatles once again, having had enough time off and being able to hear them again for the first time along with him.

Q:  What was your first concert?  Last?

Z:  First concert was the Kinks at the Palladium in LA, '87 and my last was the Melvins at Great American.