I don’t know if there was a better way to kick off my Treefort week than in The Shrine basement with Sex Week’s surreal and original performance. The duo appeared to be something out of a neo-noir film, or even more so, the newest Blade Runner. Neon green hair, metal accessories and bright makeup, the two of them looked as ethereal as their music sounded in the gloomy red-light basement of the iconic Shrine music venue in downtown Boise.
Coming off the high of their performance, Richard Orofino and Pearl Amanda Dickson, the duo that makes up Sex Week, both took some time to talk to me about their music and what’s next for them.
The Brooklyn-based duo has been playing music together for almost two years now. Originally from Long Island, Richard shared his bagel order: lox, cream cheese, capers, the works. On a doughy bagel, but toasted. His favorite bagel shop is Country Hot Bagels in Northport, New York. Their love for staying up late, public transit and city rats are all things that make them appreciate their hometown of the one and only New York City.
Jules: What are three words you would use to describe your music?”
Pearl: “Chaotic for sure”.
Richard: “Duality. Darkness within light. That’s duality.”
Pearl: “Fun. I kind of feel like that’s the truth. Like, if I’m getting nervous or whatever and I’m like if it’s not fun, what is the point?”
Not only was it their first time playing in Idaho, but their first time ever on this side of the country.
Jules: What are your thoughts on the festival and the city of Boise?
Richard: “Magnificent. Beauty. Glory. Mountainous.”
Pearl: “We love a mountain. The people are so nice. Really good coffee. Really underrated, I’m like why don’t more people come here?”
Jules: What are your biggest influences?
Richard: “Movies. A lot of movies and TV shows. We both love David Cronenberg, David Lynch, David Fincher, Kiyoshi Kurosawa. And the movie, ‘Big Night’ that’s a big inspiration. It’s with Tony Shalloub and Stanley Tucci, both amazing Italian actors.”
Pearl: “And the film, ‘Moonlight.’ We’re obsessed with ‘Moonlight.’”
Jules: What flavor is your music?
Richard: A little savory and sweet combo. A little prosciutto, cantaloupe, fig, balsamic, dates, salty butter, bread kind of thing.
Pearl: “A cured meat. A cured meat and a melon.”
Jules: Is there a duo you can best compare yourselves to?
Pearl: “I love Johnny Cash and June Carter, but we’re obviously not making music like them.”
Richard: “You’re so Johnny, though.”
Pearl: “Yeah, I’m so Johnny, and you’re so June.”
Starting their first first-ever tour in late April, they promise to be back in the Boise/Salt Lake City area in late May. This was the group’s second time ever playing out of New York. Union Pool is one of their favorite venues in their home city of Brooklyn. They also describe there’s a cute bar called Cassette and they have a small stage downstairs. Their dream (emphasis on dream) collab would be with Robert Smith or Beethoven. The Cure was also noted as a big inspiration for the two.
It’s evident the two value film and digital media, from their onstage performances appearing like a cinematic event to their love for movies. This is also notable in their music videos–Sex Week is all about music videos. From watching them on their big TV to directing and filming their own. They took the opportunity while they were in Boise to film one, mentioning that the scenic landscapes are impossible to forget. Richard and Pearl write, direct and produce their videos themselves, something they described as a lost art. They film on their iPhones and have a great time throughout the production process.
When getting into the highs and lows of being a musician, Pearl assured that her favorite part of being a musician is making music and expressing it. Her biggest challenge is that it does get harder to listen to music when you’re making it all the time. “I’ll just be in silence so much more than I ever thought I would.”
Jules: What’s your overrated/underrated take?
Richard: “Taking yourself too seriously is overrated. It’s okay to have fun.”
Pearl: “Underrated is totally having fun.”
The consensus:
Overrated: Seriousness.
Underrated: Fun.
If you’re a fan of the reality TV show The Bachelor, you may understand the reference to their band name “Sex Week”. The duo explained that there is a week in the series that involves fantasy suites and there are no cameras around. Basically, it’s implied (what the fans call it) that it’s “sex week”. One of the Bachelors’ one season slipped up and called it ‘sex week’ on live TV, which is a big no-no for the show.
Richard explains, “Then in the ‘Women Tell All’ special episode, there was an older woman who had on this white shirt and she just wrote in Sharpie “SEX WEEK” on it and we were like “That’s hard. That’s such a great band name, it looks like merch.”
Speaking of merch, they assured an online merch shop is something we may see in the next couple months–so keep an eye out for an iconic “SEX WEEK” white tee or any other original goodies they’re cooking up.
Make sure to stream Sex Week wherever you get your music and give them a follow on Instagram @sexweeek. Keep an eye out for their upcoming tour dates (to be released very soon) so you can catch them for yourself in a city nearby.
