Feather Pillow - Interview
So far this year at More Than The Melody, we have really become familiar with Rob. Rob is a student at the University of Michigan with many talents. Sometimes he’s rapper (in the past, under the stage name “Corn on the Rob” or “Allen C. Picard”) and sometimes he’s an artist, under the name Broccoli. This Friday at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, we will have the opportunity to catch Rob perform under his new alias, Feather Pillow.
The event is titled “The Office of Feather Pillow: a business meeting” and is being put on by Feather Pillow & Associates, LLC. The night will be filled with overwhelming support from local groups including The Tristan Cappel Trio, JLA, and Theodore Carl. Take a look at our conversation with Rob regarding Feather Pillow below! Tickets are $7 (21+) and $10 (under 21) and you can buy them at the door.
MttM: So Rob, not too long ago you performed under the pen name of Allen C. Picard, it was his farewell show. Two weeks from now you will be performing at the Blind Pig as "Feather Pillow", can you explain to us who Feather Pillow is?
Feather Pillow is Allen C. Picard’s former manager. He’s a cutthroat businessman who wishes his heart was made of solid gold.
How does Feather Pillow's music differ and relate to that of Allen C. Picard's? What genre would you label it as?
Each character has their own distinct musical style, but in a very general sense it’s all Hip-Hop. You could also call it spoken word, and with the skits and monologues some may consider it an obscure form of theatre. Each character’s musical/lyrical tendencies are meant to tell the audience something about who they are. Feather might perform a song about Allen on Friday if he thinks it’s appropriate, they had an interesting relationship during their business partnership.
How long have you been working on this character for?
I’ve been thinking about the concept since the last show (Jan 30th), but I’ve only been seriously spending time on it for the past month or so. Much of the show and the music has come together within the last few weeks, it took me a while to learn enough about who Feather Pillow is before I could plan the show.
How did you choose the supporting acts? We know of JLA from the Allen C. Picard show, can you give us a brief description of The Tristan Cappel Trio and Theodore Carl? Will you reveal to us the one special guest?
Can’t say the special guest, but yeah JLA is great and I’m really happy that they were down to play again. The Tristan Cappel Trio is an acoustic jazz band I saw at Canterbury House a few weeks ago, all very talented. Theodore Carl is kind of a mystery, I’m not sure exactly who or what he is but he said he’ll be doing some dancy stuff which is cool.
Why are you titling this event as a business meeting? In an office? Why that setting?
The title is meant to set the stage for what people should expect at the show. The setting is meant to reflect Feather Pillow’s natural habitat, an office, and in that office he will be engaging the public in his preferred way, through a business meeting. The hope is that the venue will be transformed to the point where it feels like an immersive experience.
Who are Feather Pillow's biggest influences? Musicians? Poets? Actors?
Donald Trump. Asap Ferg. Carrot Top. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Catch Me if You Can. The people that write those infomercials that come on TV at 3 AM. Many other too but those are a few that come to mind.
Will Feather Pillow be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Can we expect to catch Feather Pillow again in the future?
As of now this will be Feather Pillow’s first and last show, so Friday will be the only chance to meet him in person.
On an ending note, why should we see Feather Pillow live? What will make this performance so special?
It’s a one-time only show featuring some amazing musicians, and I learned a lot from the Allen show so I think this one will be better in a lot of ways, but also very different. Plus, seeing each show is important to understanding the overall narrative of the project as a whole, but it’s still really early to be talking about that.
By Ben Schechter