Ragged (Issue #12)
an interview with z in the ragged online mag. you can download the pdf by clicking here, but i've posted the pictures here and the text below the cut if you don't want to download!
Once in a while, an all-girl band comes along and leaves a fashionable impression. The Supremes, The Shangri-Las and The Ronettes immediately come to mind as definitive fashion icons of their musical era. With the flirty air of a French gamine and dolled-up like darlings of Carnaby Street, Los Angeles' The Like revisits this girl-group glam of the '60s not only with their look, but also their sound.
"The '60s were the birth of rock and roll and sexual freedom. It was, all in all, a time of great taste, excitement and talent," says lead vocalist and guitar player Z Berg.
The girls, Berg, Tennessee Thomas, Laena Geronimo, and Annie Monroe, usually do their own styling, hair and make-up when playing shows - and even while doing photoshoots. They're all so good at being glam they can probably double as a beauty team themselves. This is what happens when you've become accustomed to playing shows in places all over the world since you were 15 or 16 years old, alongside bands like Arctic Monkeys, Muse and The Futureheads.
To learn a bit more about what makes The Like such a fashionable force of nature, we photographed Z and Laena in Los Angeles and asked Z Berg to take RAGGED on a magical mystery tour of her style icons, her love of the '60s and to fill us in on her individual take on a throwback lifestyle.
What was the process of reassembling the band after a five-year break? What went into making the last album after such a long hiatus?
The process was arduous and maddening, really. Assembling a band is a wildly difficult task - trying to find cohorts who are both talented and like-minded is not easy, but we managed! What went into the album? If "blood, sweat and tears" wasn't such a cliche, it would have made a disturbingly appropriate album title.
What do you find so influential about the '60s?
We are influenced by and love many different eras, genres and artists, but I grew up listening to The Beatles and nothing else, and I always find I go back to that time.
Tell me a little about your individual style.
I often dress like an eight-year-old. No, actually like an 8-year-old. I make a beeline for the kid's section of any vintage store. There's surely a bit of Twiggy, Edie Sedgwick and Mia Farrow in my style, but mostly I just look like my 8-year-old self.
Who do you find to have iconic style today?
Keith Richards, Alexa Chung, Jenny Lewis, really well-dressed toddlers.
What did you think of the pieces you wore for the shoot? Did you have any favorites?
They were really cute! That white lace dress has been haunting my dreams. Also those leggings were the perfect leggings - not an easy feat, mind you.
What are some benefits and challenges of being in an all-girl group?
Every group has its challenges and benefits. Certainly when we walk onstage I watch an entire room of people say, "Yeah, right." But by the end, winning them over and crumbling their preconceived notions is a reward in itself.
This photoshoot has kind of a spooky theme. If you could evoke the spirit of any musician, who would it be?
John Lennon, duh.
If you could go back in time to the '60s, what band would you play with? What would you wear? What modern clothing accessory would you take with you to impress everyone with?
All of them. The Beatles, The Stones, Dylan, The Supremes, The Ronettes... It would be a long show. I would probably wear pretty much exactly what I wear now, but then it would be new. I'd do some serious time-travel shopping. I'm not sure I have any modern accessories, really. I've got some eight-inch Vivienne Westwood heels that might blow some minds...
by Heather Cvar
Once in a while, an all-girl band comes along and leaves a fashionable impression. The Supremes, The Shangri-Las and The Ronettes immediately come to mind as definitive fashion icons of their musical era. With the flirty air of a French gamine and dolled-up like darlings of Carnaby Street, Los Angeles' The Like revisits this girl-group glam of the '60s not only with their look, but also their sound.
"The '60s were the birth of rock and roll and sexual freedom. It was, all in all, a time of great taste, excitement and talent," says lead vocalist and guitar player Z Berg.
The girls, Berg, Tennessee Thomas, Laena Geronimo, and Annie Monroe, usually do their own styling, hair and make-up when playing shows - and even while doing photoshoots. They're all so good at being glam they can probably double as a beauty team themselves. This is what happens when you've become accustomed to playing shows in places all over the world since you were 15 or 16 years old, alongside bands like Arctic Monkeys, Muse and The Futureheads.
To learn a bit more about what makes The Like such a fashionable force of nature, we photographed Z and Laena in Los Angeles and asked Z Berg to take RAGGED on a magical mystery tour of her style icons, her love of the '60s and to fill us in on her individual take on a throwback lifestyle.
What was the process of reassembling the band after a five-year break? What went into making the last album after such a long hiatus?
The process was arduous and maddening, really. Assembling a band is a wildly difficult task - trying to find cohorts who are both talented and like-minded is not easy, but we managed! What went into the album? If "blood, sweat and tears" wasn't such a cliche, it would have made a disturbingly appropriate album title.
What do you find so influential about the '60s?
We are influenced by and love many different eras, genres and artists, but I grew up listening to The Beatles and nothing else, and I always find I go back to that time.
Tell me a little about your individual style.
I often dress like an eight-year-old. No, actually like an 8-year-old. I make a beeline for the kid's section of any vintage store. There's surely a bit of Twiggy, Edie Sedgwick and Mia Farrow in my style, but mostly I just look like my 8-year-old self.
Who do you find to have iconic style today?
Keith Richards, Alexa Chung, Jenny Lewis, really well-dressed toddlers.
What did you think of the pieces you wore for the shoot? Did you have any favorites?
They were really cute! That white lace dress has been haunting my dreams. Also those leggings were the perfect leggings - not an easy feat, mind you.
What are some benefits and challenges of being in an all-girl group?
Every group has its challenges and benefits. Certainly when we walk onstage I watch an entire room of people say, "Yeah, right." But by the end, winning them over and crumbling their preconceived notions is a reward in itself.
This photoshoot has kind of a spooky theme. If you could evoke the spirit of any musician, who would it be?
John Lennon, duh.
If you could go back in time to the '60s, what band would you play with? What would you wear? What modern clothing accessory would you take with you to impress everyone with?
All of them. The Beatles, The Stones, Dylan, The Supremes, The Ronettes... It would be a long show. I would probably wear pretty much exactly what I wear now, but then it would be new. I'd do some serious time-travel shopping. I'm not sure I have any modern accessories, really. I've got some eight-inch Vivienne Westwood heels that might blow some minds...
by Heather Cvar