FINE TUNINGS: CHLOE ORWELL OF THE HANDCUFFS

The husband/wife team of Chloe Orwell and Brad Elvis are as well suited to each other as peanut butter and chocolate —and just as yummy. The driving force behind the Chicago pop outfit, The Handcuffs, Orwell and Elvis are partners both onstage and off. Brad writes the songs and plays drums. Chloe sings the songs and plays guitar. Brad moonlights as the drummer for 80s band, The Romantics. Chloe moonlights doing voice-overs. Bassist Emily Togni and guitarist/keyboardist Ellis Clark round out the quartet and the whole thing fits perfectly like a pair of Chloe’s fabulous boots.

Last year The Handcuffs released their second album, Electroluv, to critical acclaim. Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times called Chloe’s voice “sultry,” and Brad’s drumming, “irrepressible.” But the band has a lot more going for it than interesting adjectives. They are fashionable, intelligent and refuse to take anything – except the music – too seriously. Although they don’t tour much, they still have managed to become a true break-out band. Some 40 or so Handcuff tunes have appeared in films and television shows. Their unique sound has infiltrated Gossip Girl, The Hills, The City, Free Radio, The Cho Show and the film, The Education of Shelby Knox, which won awards at SXSW and Sundance.

If you don’t know The Handcuffs, you have been missing out on some serious fun. Here’s your chance to get to know the force of nature — and fashion — that is Chloe.

CD: Were you doing music before you met Brad?

CO: I dabbled in music in the local scene. I mostly played saxophone, other instruments and sang harmonies. I’m a classically-trained musician and I studied music/jazz theory throughout my teen years and beyond, which is often a detriment in the world of rock and pop. I’ve always had a good ear for music and I’m one of those people who can pick up instruments and sounds fairly easily. I really found my voice, as well as my musical soul mate, though, when I started playing with Brad.

CD: What was the evolution of The Handcuffs?

CO: Brad and I had a band called Big Hello (1996-2003) prior to forming The ‘Cuffs. It was Brad’s band, but I muscled my way in and we truly became musical partners (some time before becoming partners in life). I’m still really proud of Big Hello. That’s where I cut my teeth in the world of rock and roll. But it ran its course. Brad and I wanted to progress into a different kind of band and explore different musical styles and sounds. We were originally going to concentrate on recording, without any plans for a traditional release, and give the live performance and touring thing a break for awhile. We recorded 3 albums worth of material to start and then got the bug to release a record. That turned into, “You know, maybe we should put a live band together and start playing shows.”

CD: What does it take to keep a band together?

CO: It takes working with people that you really and truly like and respect. It’s a business, but it’s a unique business in that the relationships you have with your band mates can make you or break you. If there are so many differences that you’re constantly making adjustments and struggling to work things out, then it’s time to call it a day, part ways and get on with new people. Really. It’s that simple. Find people you like being around.

CD: You’ve had lots of songs on television! Can you talk about how that happened?

CO: I’ve always said that TV is the new radio, and one of our goals was to concentrate on writing and recording music that we thought we might have a chance to license. That isn’t to say we only had that in mind, of course. We produce music we love and we would never put something out just because we thought it would make a good television theme song. We have to be inspired. But it turns out, our instincts are pretty spot-on. A couple of music supervisors found us accidentally or came with referrals from fans and their acquaintances. Then the whole thing snowballed and we kept getting requests to license our material. I’d say about half of our licensing comes from music supervisors finding us and the other half is from us actively pursuing opportunities. Our songs and production are very good and that’s half the battle. We provide a good product, but we’re also very good at the business part. Say what you will about the state of television nowadays, but you usually hear really good music. The music supervisors these days are like the DJs in the 50s and 60s. They actually discover music they like and want to share it with the world.

CD: How did you get into voiceover work?

CO: Completely by accident. A producer for an ad agency was at one of our live shows, and afterwards he asked if I would audition for a commercial because I had the kind of voice he had in mind for a particular spot. Thinking he meant jingle singing, I said, “Sure.” But when he told me that it was for a voice-over and I quickly declined and said that I don’t do voice over work. He twisted my arm, I finally agreed to the audition, and I got the gig (my competition was a bunch of male pros). Then I got other gigs, joined the unions and signed with an agent. It was really one of those serendipitous events. Now it’s a big part of my living, but it’s really just another way to use my voice. It takes rhythm and timing and flexibility.

CD: How does your fabulous fashion sense figure into the band?

CO: I’ve always been crazy about clothing and shoes and fashion in general (I love beautiful furniture and artwork, too) and I like dressing up. In high school, all of my friends would tell me, “I love your outfit! I’d never, ever wear that, but it looks good on you.” Brad was always into great clothing, too, so when we first hooked up, it was not only a perfect musical match, but a perfect image match, as well. For us, fashion and music really goes hand in hand. We’re lucky that our other band mates like to “make show,” too.

CD: Can you talk about the other band members and what they bring to the party?

CO: For starters: charm, talent, likeability, great showmanship. Emily (bass) and Ellis (guitar/keys) are awesome. We love our band and we’re pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

CD: You and Brad are both hilarious but also very political. Do those traits show up in the music?

CO: We definitely try to infuse humor into our music, but not in an obvious way. The songs are often a little quirky, but still very accessible. We can be political when there is an issue that’s important to us, but we don’t necessarily like to preach it through our music. We often subtly tuck a political message into a song, but you’ll probably never hear a 100 percent issue-oriented song because that’s not our job. Our job is to entertain and produce music that evokes emotion, but not necessarily action.

CD: What is the best part about working with someone you are married to in a band?

CO: People think it would be really difficult, but it’s the easiest part of the job. I love doing what I love with the person I love.

CD: What is the most challenging part about working with someone you are married to in a band?

CO: Separate hotel rooms (I usually share with Emily when we go on the road). But seriously, the challenge is to stop working on music and take a break. We’re both so passionate about the music and even the business part of it all, that it’s difficult to go anywhere or do anything that doesn’t involve our music career. Sometimes we’ll go out for dinner and try to leave the music at home, but that never works. We always end up talking about songs or the band or what we want to call the next record.

CO: Why don’t The Handcuffs tour more?

CD: We’ve been embarking on mini tours, but we mostly play close to home. We did CMJ in New York City last fall, which was absolutely magical and more fun than anyone should be allowed to have. We try to avoid that go-out-on-the-road-for-a-couple-of-weeks-and-lose-money scenario, when we feel like there are other really good ways to get exposure for our music (like on TV shows , viral internet marketing and answering interview questions for people’s blogs). We aren’t averse to touring —Brad’s been on a couple of major labels and some indie ones, too, so he’s no stranger to the gigantic tour thing —but we did quite a bit of traveling during Big Hello. We’re at the point now where we’d at least like to break even.