INTERVIEW BY SHAUNA CROWLEY
PHOTOS BY WALTER MARTINEZ AND ALEXIS JENKINS
Led by siblings Caroline and Erich Weinroth, CINEMA HEARTS bring the prime of the 1950s and 60s alive with their homegrown EP I’ll Always Be Around, which Caroline also made the album art and packaging for. Though they hail from Northern Virginia, the band’s home is more specifically in Caroline’s bedroom, where she wrote all of the songs. Many of the songs are of longing, lust, love and growing up in suburbia in a dreamy pop sound. Ms. Weinroth discussed with us how her band stands out amongst the predominant genres of Northern Virginia as a band that fans both old and young can enjoy.
I saw on your Bandcamp site your albums were handmade one at a time. Why is it you decided to do such?
I wanted I’ll Always Be Around to be available physically, as well as in MP3 form on my Bandcamp. I thought about making cassettes, but none of my friends listen to those so I went with CDs. Since all of the songs are about my feelings and observations, I wanted the album art to look like a diary or a scrapbook. I’m a crafty person, so I like making the CDs. And I figured if people knew I put time into making each CD, then they’ll think twice about listening to it once and getting rid of it.
How do you think the sound of CINEMA HEARTS resonates with your audience?
The songs reflect on themes of longing, friendship, and being at home. Musically, the songs are inspired by the warmth of recordings from the 1950s and 1960s, so Cinema Hearts songs feel very catchy, charming, and nostalgic. It’s funny that college students my own age will tell me they like the lyrics, and adults will tell me they like the sound of the music. It always amazes me when someone tells me they like my music, or when I hear my songs playing on WGMU Radio. When I was writing the songs, I was scared that no one would be able to relate to the feelings I was drawing from, or that I would be judged for being into 1960s music, so its very comforting to hear that other people like my songs.
What makes CINEMA HEARTS different from other bands?
CINEMA HEARTS is pretty different from the other bands that play in Virginia. Our sound doesn’t really fit in with the hardcore or the punk or the folk rock groups that are popular in this area. We have a different look than other local bands, too. For one thing, we’re a three-piece band, which is uncommon. Erich Weinroth, my brother, plays bass, and James Adelsberger is on drums. I like keeping our set-up simple and classic. I don’t want CINEMA HEARTS to look like we’re trying too hard, or have us all dress alike, or some other stage gimmick. When we’re playing live, James and Erich and I just have fun with each other. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. And I think that energy is fun to watch for the audience.
Do you think the sound of the band will always be on the pop side, or do you think it will change as sounds continue to change?
I think there will always be a pop influence, but I’d like to experiment more with punk and rock
noises as I get better at guitar. I’m also interested in electronic music, especially disco and chillwave, but I don’t know how to incorporate those sounds into my music just yet. I’m looking forward to collaborating more with Erich and James. They’re both amazing at playing music and arranging songs.
What is the overall message or theme of CINEMA HEARTS?
This sounds really corny, but I’m going with “No one is stopping you, except yourself.” So make that album in your room, practice guitar, and get out there.