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Madi, Olivia & Nonie | Space in Evanston, IL on 10.17.09

Purple Apple | Life As It Is

Chicago-based indie pop quartet Purple Apple is made up of three 12-year-old girls and their 24 year old babysitter on drums… yes, seriously. Though young by any stretch of the imagination, the three 7th grade schoolmates at the core of the band – Olivia, Madi and Nonie – are wise beyond their years and nowhere does this show more than in their songwriting. While most of us were playing tag and trying out for the junior high cheerleading team at age 12, these girls spend their free time writing songs which fantastically capture the complex and sophisticated world around us through eyes not yet tarnished by the cynicism of adulthood.

These truly gifted young ladies might have gone unnoticed had frontwoman Olivia not asked longtime family friends (and music industry veterans) Michael Wilison and Blake Smith (Caviar, Prairie Cartel) if she could record one of her songs at their home studio. In only a couple of hours, Olivia cut the guitar and vocals for the first song she ever wrote with her Purple Apple sisters, “Life As It Is,” and from that afternoon it was clear that there was something special going on. Over the summer of 2009, Purple Apple retreated to Olivia’s family’s lake house and in between water skiing and Wiffle Ball games, they recorded seven songs in a make-shift studio with Wilison & Smith producing.

Armed with a handful of original songs, Purple Apple played their first show at well respected Chicago venue The Hideout in December of ’09. With some live experience under their belt, the group then took 1st place at a North Shore Battle Of The Bands competition, despite being the youngest entrants. Olivia also took home the “Best Vocalist” award at the event. Purple Apple will spend the early part of 2010 writing, recording, playing gigs around Chicago and the surrounding area.

Excerpt above from Purple Apple’s MySpace page where you can listen to three other songs from these promising young musicians: Shut The Door (Friends Whatever), Memories and Sweet Wolverine. It’s certainly worth a visit.

Since I first heard the song featured here, Life As It Is, I’ve found myself humming the infectious melody more than I would consider normal.