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Contrast: Is Sisely Treasure your real name?
Sisely Treasure: Yes. Sisely Dove Treasure, actually. So it’s even more hippy than you thought it was before. [laughs]
It is. [laughs] When and how did STG form?
Well, Chad and Jeremy knew each other before from when they both lived in Oklahoma and were making music together. Then they moved out to L.A. and met Mikey and Carah (Faye Charnow). In about 2002, STG formed and started playing shows. I started playing in 2004. I opened up for them a few times before when I was in my previous band called Boy/Girl. Previous to Boy/Girl I was in a band called the Cooler Kids.
How did you get from Boy/Girl to STG?
I was at a show and Jeremy was DJ-ing and handed me a STG CD. From then, I could not stop listening to it. Non-stop for like 6 months, I was basically all about STG! I was flying around and touring with my band a lot at the time. I was a big fan of Shiny Toy Guns and got to play shows with them. Then I joined the band [STG] in the summer after Carah moved to Sweden. She’s working on her own music now. They basically gave me a call when I was living in London and said you’re flying out to Oklahoma. I was like, “What?” I’d never been to Oklahoma. I had done tours before, but never went through there.
You’re originally from California, but were posted up in London at the time. What was it like when you got to Oklahoma?
It was a big contrast from London to Oklahoma. It made sense to me because they were both foreign in the same way. They had most of the songs that they wanted finished already, but I ended up writing “Ghost Town” and “Ricochet” with them. Those were the only two songs I was able to write on because the rest of the record was pretty much done by then. I was in London hanging out with all these dance/pop people. Dance/pop is really popular in London right now. Frankmusik, Little Boots and La Roux are popular over there at the moment. People think I affected the record Season Of Poison because of my rock background, but what’s really crazy is I was doing all this dancey, poppier music in London at the time and came into what was already written by Jeremy and Chad.
Was that the direction they were already going in?
They were already there. They got that influence because they were doing all this dancey music on the road and playing with all these rocking bands. They basically just wanted to start rocking out more.
Speaking of rocking out. Do you play Rock Band?
I play Guitar Hero, that’s for sure. The band as a whole, are not really video game kind of people. Chad really likes to write. On the road he listens to a lot of music. Jeremy writes and handles a lot of the business side. On downtime, I like to read a lot. Jeremy goes storm chasing, like chasing tornadoes. We’re actually looking into doing a show storm chasing.
Um, come again?
Jeremy has a storm chasing van. He has like an all black van with armor on it. Jeremy and Chad have been storm chasing since they were 16. I went for the first time last year. Jeremy and I literally almost got hit by lightning at a gas station. It was not very far away. Jeremy loves storm chasing. He reads books about storm chasing. Writes songs about storm chasing. He just loves storm chasing! [laughs]
Really?
Like, [the song] “When Did This Storm Begin.” The Season Of Poison is all about the influence of weather. It’s something that he is very in touch with and is an absolute passion with Jeremy. Chad just likes to drink beer and go storm chasing with Jeremy in the backseat. He’s the navigator.
Where is Shiny Toy Guns going with your music?
I don’t want to give away too much [about the next album]. It’s still in the beginning stages so we don’t want to settle on anything yet. It will be a whole concept put together. That’s Jeremy’s thing. Like, how Season of Poison was a whole concept album. It’s in the very beginning stages...that little spark, like The Never Ending Story. Start making wishes on. [laughs]
So are you planning on coming back to Hawai‘i next year?
I hope so. I actually wanted stay longer and go out to the North Shore, but I have to fly out tomorrow morning for a radio show in L.A. for KROQ.
Bummer. The North Shore is awesome!
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WITH SISELY TREASURE OF
SHINY TOY GUNS
Text: Lance Arinaga
Images: Lancifer Visual
Shiny Toy Guns is not a sexual innuendo. They are an electronic/rock band originally conceived in Shawnee, Oklahoma — a city just east of Oaklahoma City. Their first album, We are Pilots, was re-recorded and released three times and for good reason. Upon its official finalized release it garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album in 2007. Singles like “Rainy Monday” and “You Are the One” helped garner the nomination. Gamers may recognize the latter single from Grand Theft Auto III and FIFA ʻ07. But that was two years and a lead singer ago.
Fast forward to Jan. 30, 2009. The Shinys are touring after releasing their sophomore album Season of Poison and replacing singer Carah aka Faye Charnow with the banging new lead singer, Sisely Treasure. Treasure shares the lead vocals with guitarist, Chad Petree, Jeremy Dawson is on the synthesizer and bass, and Mikey Martin keeps the beat on drums. Their tour included a stop in Hawai‘i where they performed a brief but awesomely sweet set at Pipeline Café.
The seductive singer of STG, Sisely Treasure, granted Contrast an interview after the show even though it was late, her parents were waiting, and she had an early morning flight. Thanks, Sisely! Contrast was lucky enough to talk with the femme fatale of Filipino descent about the history of STG, twister chasing and the concept behind Season Of Poison.
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