photo by: Osheaga Festival Musique et Arts

Ryan Merchant of Capital Cities took a few minutes to talk with The Blue Indian about their second year at Bonnaroo, their past experience there, and their new found love for South America.

Blue Indian: I know you guys have been touring, but what are you expecting out of Roo?

I am expecting another great show, with a lot of dancing people in front of me. We played bonnaroo last year, but we were on a very small, kinda weird stage in the middle of the fest. This time around we’re on a proper stage, which means we’ll do it right.

Blue Indian: What’s with the crazy outfits?

Which ones?

Blue Indian: I think it was a yellow tuxedo?

We have that neon-y suit jacket. That was last year. This year we’re wearing these matching satin tour jackets. They have “Capital Cities” and our name embroidered on it. We just want to look cohesive, and we don’t want to think about our outfits. However for the next few shows we are going to go a more stylish route.

Blue Indian: Despite Roo’s notoriously hot weather?

We might not have the jackets for Bonnaroo, but we’re going to stay cohesive anyways. We’re all about looking sharp; look sharp, play sharp.

Blue Indian: Even with all of the touring, are you guys dropping a new album?

No, we’re touring all the time. That doesn’t mean we’re making new music, though!

Blue Indian: What’s your favorite touring spot so far?

We recently did a trip to South America with Lollapalooza Chile, Brazil and Argentina. It was really eye opening, because we didn’t realize how big we were. We were touring with Phoenix, Portugal. The Man and Nine Inch Nails, and just partying in South America. It was magical.

Blue Indian: Have you found a difference in crowds in South America versus the USA?

Yeah, there’s a country by country differences. It’s just a personality thing. Latin cultures are just more expressive, they show their emotions on their sleeves in comparison to say, more subdued audiences. It’s a scarce source for them, but the US has tours going through all the time, which gives them lots of choices.

Check out Capital Cities and many others at Bonnaroo this coming weekend! I’ll be there!