From Scranton to Chicago, Robert Salazar and Kevin Tellie were two musical whizzes. Each did their own thing, and as Robert explains below – they eventually connected. Now Boo Baby, the two bring wit and charm to their music, especially the fruitful debut, Orange You Glad. Our conversation lead us there, through the Windy City and elsewhere…
Kendra: How did you two come together in a musical sense?
Boo Baby: We went to the same high school, which was so preppy it was named Prep, and Kevin loved the Scranton music scene just as much as I did. The first time I was in his room, I noticed he’d self-printed a poster for The Sw!ms. I thought, “This guy rules.” He was doing music as FRANK and it was really groovy and soulful. We kept it going our first years into Chicago, just us two. I would stand and play drums and he’d play guitar. Eventually we transformed into Boo Baby.
Kendra: Did you experience any anxiety when it came to releasing your debut, Orange You Glad?
Boo Baby: I wanted to make a cohesive album. That meant losing a lot of tracks that I loved, but didn’t fit the running themes. My main anxiety was not making something that was whole.
Kendra: Orange You Glad is an obvious reminder of a the classic Knock, Knock joke. Have you always been the type of person to kid around like that?
Boo Baby: Absolutely. I directed an improv group in college called Primitive Streak. I also am an actor in a Spanish novella called Los Secretos de Santa Monica. Kevin is on an improv team called, “Paul, Wait!” Boo Baby is a comedy group, we’re just not going to write songs about our dicks or whatever.
Kendra: Oranges aren’t the only fruit reference. You have songs of blueberries and bananas. Was there any particular reason you went down this fruit paved path with the record?
Boo Baby: In fifth grade, we had to make the solar system with whatever we wanted. I chose fruit (Apple for Mars, Grapefruit for Jupiter, Etc). I put my thing in a box in the back of the classroom. Since my name is last alphabetically, I had to wait a few days to present it, but by the time I did, everything had rotted and it stank. My teacher was mad. She said, “Why wouldn’t you tell us it was fruit?” So I said, “Orange You Glad is about turning seeds into fruit.”
Kendra: You’re living in Chicago now, and anyone with a TV knows there are a million and one shows based on that city right now. If you had the chance to feature your music on one which would it be and why? (Chicago Med, Chicago PD and Chicago Fire)
Boo Baby: I want “Blueberry Seeds” to play as the Medical Examiner in Chicago Justice (played by my friend Lindsay Pearlman) cycles memories of all the stains on her lab coat. Then she drops the coat and skateboards to a vegan restaurant. Sundays on NBC.
Kendra: Will you be playing any shows in the near future?
Boo Baby: Well, my novella runs for about two months, but in between Boo Baby has some cool stuff lining up, and afterwards a tour this summer.
Kendra: Lastly, here at ZO we’re all about the arts. With that I wanted to ask you to either draw or submit a piece of art that you feel best represents your sound?
Boo Baby: I painted this for you guys. There’s about 3 eggs in it.
