Rock band Sunflower Bean consists of the trio Julia Cumming, Olive Faber and Nick Kivlen. Drummer Olive Faber is a trans woman who has been with the group since its inception and hits the road in support of this year’s record, Mortal Primetime.
Their latest single is “Nothing Romantic,” produced at COLORS, a German music performance platform that keeps things minimal while spotlighting artists such as Billie Eilish and Doja Cat.
The band lands at Sleeping Village in Chicago in time for Pride month and they are known for unforgettable live shows at festivals such as Glastonbury and Lollapalooza. Sunflower Bean has toured with Beck, The Strokes, Cage the Elephant and The Pixies.
Windy City Times caught up with Faber virtually in the middle of the tour.
Windy City Times: I see from Zoom that you are out on the road.
Olive Faber: Yes, we’re in Portland today.
WCT: You are originally from New York?
OF: Yes, Long Island, about 30 minutes from just outside of the city. Nick Killeen also grew up there and he moved to my school district in eighth grade. Julia Cumming is from Manhattan.
WCT: So you already knew Nick for a long time?
OF: Yes, and we actually went to preschool together. We were in the same music class as toddlers! When he moved back into my school district, our friend groups merged together. It’s pretty wild how long we have known each other.
WCT: I read that the name of the band came from your love of coffee.
OF: That’s the explanation we usually give, but truthfully, the real story is that Nick and I were in a party room in the town we lived in, doing a jam session. One night, Nick just said “sunflower bean” out of the blue. The words stuck around and seemed like a good phonetic name for the band when people asked. Nick was always chewing on sunflower seeds and I like coffee!
WCT: Sunflower Bean is a spinoff band from Turnip King?
OF: That’s right. Nick played bass in Turnip King and it’s where I learned to play the drums. The original drummer went off to college and I was asked to play drums. I didn’t know what I was doing at first, but I practiced by playing along to Green Day and Nirvana records.
WCT: So you never took classes for playing the drums?
OF: No. My little brother had a drum kit in the house growing up, but he never really played it. I always wanted to play music and in fourth grade, I signed up for band. I wanted to play percussion, but there were too many kids already signed up for it, so they gave me a saxophone. I studied the saxophone pretty intensely throughout school, but when the opportunity came for me to play drums in a rock band, it was something I originally wanted to do.
WCT: How many instruments do you play?
OF: I am definitely a drummer first, but I can maneuver my way around most instruments. My dad plays guitar and was a session player in the ‘70s and ‘80s. My mom grew up north of England in the punk scene. Although she doesn’t play any instruments, she shaped my taste in music.
WCT: Who is your favorite musician?
OF: I grew up on classic rock and I liked ‘90s indie stuff like Liz Phair and Guided by Voices. My Chemical Romance was huge for me after that.
WCT: You are out on tour in support of the record Mortal Primetime. Do you enjoy playing more psychedelic tracks like “Waiting for the Rain” or more rocking songs live?
OF: I love playing “Waiting for the Rain” live because it’s epic and has that sick drum fill into the second chorus. We are playing most of the new record in the set right now. The only song we’re not playing from Mortal Primetime is “Shooting Star.”
“I Knew Love” is my favorite song to play right now because there’s so much space in it. Drums are such a physical instrument, and I feel very present when I play that particular song live. The rocking music is cathartic in a different way.
WCT: How is working with a snare drum for the song “Look What You Have Done for Me?”
OF: That beat took a minute for me to work out when we were recording it. I wanted a cool sound for the song. When we were working on the live shows, I went back to the track to listen to it again. It is simpler than it sounds like to the ear.
WCT: The band recently did A COLORS SHOW for “Nothing Romantic.” What is A COLORS SHOW?
OF: It’s a YouTube series where they have live performances. They don’t usually have bands. I think we were the second band to do it. We recorded it in a studio in Brooklyn and the director was great.
WCT: With four records under your belt, are there songs in the catalog where your life experiences are reflected?
OF: I don’t write the lyrics, but in my mind, there are many things that I relate to lyrically. We wrote the song “Take Out Your Insides” a couple of weeks before I came out to everyone. That song has a special place in my heart after writing it together. It was like they were telling me to let it out and that was beautiful.
WCT: Do you have Pride plans in New York?
OF: We are on tour until June 22, so I will figure it out when I get back. There’s always so many events going on.
WCT: Is more music planned for the near future?
OF: Yes, if people buy the deluxe vinyl of Mortal Primetime there are five new songs on it. Those songs will stream at some point, but we don’t have a solid plan for that yet.
Some of my favorite songs are on the deluxe album.
WCT: Chicago lands towards the end of your tour?
OF: Yes. We are in Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Denver and then the Midwest. We end in Toronto before the second leg of the tour in Europe in the fall.
WCT: Well, I hope you are safe when traveling and I have heard horror stories where trans musicians have canceled tours because of the challenges.
OF: Thank you. It is very nerve-wracking and stressful. At the same time, I feel very blessed to have this perspective of traveling the country as a trans woman. Most people don’t care about the fact that I am trans and it’s a reminder that an individual’s kindness is not told in the media enough. We have to keep going and find happiness.
Don’t sleep on Sunflower Bean tickets at sleeping-village.com and sunflowerbeanband.com. The band plays Chicago on Thursday, June 19, at Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont Ave., for the Mortal Primetime Tour with opener Gift at 8:30 p.m.