A See Green Show Is One Big Party

Take one retro front woman, an energetic backing band clad in matching green cardigans, and a fusion of rock, pop and synth and you’ve got See Green. The band, known for having inspired many an audience to bust into an impromptu dance session mid-show, performs frequently at West Hollywood venues such as the Viper Room and Troubadour.

Lead singer Courtenay Green has drummed in a female Led Zeppelin tribute band and plays more instruments that she can keep track of. Green sat down with Patch to discuss how a paper airplane bearing an angry note from her neighbors inspired one of her favorite songs. Fun fact: She can recite the lyrics to nearly every song on Cypress Hill's Black Sunday.

West Hollywood Patch: You are quite the songstress. Is it true that you write all your own lyrics, as well as the musical arrangements for the project?

Courtenay Green: It is true. It's just something I've always done. Back when I was about 12 or 13, I became fascinated by how a song was put together, so I used to take songs I liked, pick apart all of the layers, then record them myself on different instruments to recreate the arrangements. It was fun for me, but I think it taught me a lot about the puzzle-like creature that is a song. So when I started writing my own material, I couldn't really approach it as just a guitar part, for example, or just a piano part. I tend to hear the whole thing as I'm writing, so it's sort of all or nothing.

Patch: How many instruments can you play?

Green: I can play guitar, drums and piano about equally well. I played trumpet for many years, but I'm definitely a bit rusty at this point. I've also experimented in varying degrees with ukuleles, bass guitar, various forms of percussion, and mallet instruments. I can play them all decently at this point, although I'm not about to attempt an elaborate, 10-minute glockenspiel solo onstage any time soon.

Patch: You seem to have a Blondie and '80s element to your music with a lot of synth. What are you musical influences?

Green: I definitely love '80s tunes, but I also love music from the '50s, '60s, '70s, '90s and the present. I listen to and enjoy so many different types of music, spanning so many eras and styles that I think a little bit of everything ends up seeping into my songs. My aim isn't to choose a few specific acts to emulate, but rather to synthesize various qualities and sonic elements that appeal to me and create something new out of them—something accessible and perhaps hinting at the familiar, but not something derivative.

Patch: What is the most unusual thing you have ever written a song about?

Green: I think the strangest thing I've ever written a song about is myself. And I've done it more than once. Some of my songs are actually me giving myself advice, so when you hear "you" in the lyrics, it's actually me that I'm referring to. So I guess that's kind of weird. I swear I don't have multiple personalities. Yes, you do, Courtenay! No, I don't.

Patch: Can you give us the backstory on “The Neighborhood” and how your crazy neighbors inspired the song?

Green: So I managed to exist peacefully with my neighbors for three years, and then all of a sudden, I started getting anonymous notes in my mailbox, accusing me of disturbing the peace, angering everyone on the block, etc. Paper airplanes with notes inside were thrown over the fence. Upon investigating, I discovered that "everyone on the block" was actually one new neighbor who just was inexplicably irritable and rude. The song is the note I decided to send back, basically.

Patch: Your music videos are pretty entertaining. Tell us about the concept for the “Get What I Want Video.”

Green: That video was inspired by my experience in LA thus far. The directors really wanted to capture the essence of what I love about this city, and create a strong sense of place and time. My very talented band mate, Nick, is an amazing editor, and essentially cobbled together thousands of still photos to help tell a story. Not really a plot-based story, but a sort of nostalgia and feeling-based story. I think they pulled it off pretty well too. I still enjoy watching it, and not just because I'm in it. 

Patch: Your band members grace the stage in pretty awesome striped green cardigans. What was the idea behind those outfits?

Green: Well, they serve a few purposes. First of all, I really like the way musicians used to dress up for shows. With so many bands running around looking like they just rolled out of bed, I thought it would be nice to have the guys spruce themselves up a bit. The cardigans help with that. Secondly, they unify the whole group. All of the guys have different styles, and this is a simple way of creating some uniformity. And then there's the whole "See Green"/green cardigan thing. I simply couldn't resist. It does make us easily recognizable as a band, though, and that's never a bad thing.

Patch: What is your favorite thing about playing live in West Hollywood?

Green: There are certainly some great venues, whether it's the Viper Room, the Key Club or the House of Blues. So much musical history has been made on the Sunset Strip. And you definitely get a sense of that when you play there, which makes the whole experience pretty neat. You really feel like you're following in the footsteps of some of the greatest bands on the planet.

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