Turn It Down: Reigning Sound's Carol Schumacher Interview

Carol Schumacher at WMBR radio session

By:Rich Tupica
richtupica@hotmail.com
June 19th, 2006

You may have first seen Carol playing bass in the garage-ish Ohio based band The Tough & Lovely. Recently, in between gigging with Detroit's Gore Gore Girls, Carol has teamed up with underground legend Greg "Oblivian" Cartwright and Asheville, North Carolina's own drumming sensation Lance Wille, completing the offical roster for the Reigning Sound.
With Carol in Ohio and the guys a few states away to the south, I was curious to know how they manage to get together, so I figured I'd ask her.

Carol, Where are you from originally?
"Cleveland, Ohio. But I've been living in Columbus for about four and a half years now."

How long have you been an offical member of the Reigning Sound?
"I've been in Reigning Sound since August of 2005."

How do you guys have band practice with you living in Ohio and Lance & Greg down in Asheville?
"I visited Asheville a couple of times before our tour with The Detroit Cobras last fall, and we had a few days of rehearsal, then we played a couple of shows in town. Mostly I learn the songs on my own, then later I'll meet up with Lance and Greg to go over them before a show."

How is touring the United States with the Reigning Sound?
"Touring the U.S. with the Reigning Sound was a blast. I had never gotten to do any extended touring in previous bands, so I was really excited to drive through the west and the south and see the scenery. The guys are very easy to get along with, and they run a mean crossword puzzle."

Carol at the Mary Weiss Sessions By:Theresa Kereakes

Do you have a day job, if so, doing what?
"My day job is delivering a variety of weekly papers a few days a week here in Columbus. It's contract work, so I can subcontract it out when I need to leave town and I don't normally have to work weekends."

How long have you been playing bass for?
"I've been playing bass in bands for about 10 years. I've tried other instruments, but it's always remained my favorite."

How would you describe the material Reigning Sound is working on for the next album?
"Lately, Greg's been working on writing a bunch of songs for a record we're doing in late July with Mary Weiss, the lead singer of the Shangri-Las. They're definitely written with her voice and delivery in mind, but with Greg's take on love and heartbreak, it's great stuff!

What has been the best and/or worst part of joining the Reigning Sound?
"The best part of joining the Reigning Sound is getting to work with Greg and Lance. They're so talented and it's a real joy to play with them. The worst part is probably that despite doing a ton of New York Times crossword puzzles on tour, my skills at doing the puzzle haven't really improved."

Who are some bands that you are digging right now?"
"As far as new bands, I sometimes feel like I'm only aware of stuff that my friends or my friend's friends are doing, or stuff that I happen to see live when I'm out seeing a friend of a friend's band. So, some new bands I like alot are The Dropdead Sons, I also just got a new record from The Rainy Day Saints from Cleveland, that I'm digging alot, and a 7" from Jack Oblivian & The Tennessee Tearjerkers with a great cover of Chills and Fever."