Earlier this year, The Theilgoods made their Lincoln debut. Husband & wife team Chris & Jillian Thiel teamed up with Liz Hitt. Jill had formerly played guitar & sang in Cuff's & Muffs, and Chris used to play drums in The W.T. A few months ago they rounded out their lineup by adding John Gapp on bass. The Thielgoods play really cool garagey pop songs, led by Jill's really strong voice. I like The Theilgoods more every time I see them, and wish they would play more. Jill & Liz recently went on the record with Starcityscene.com.

SCS: How and when did The Thielgoods first form as a band?

Liz: Jill and I used to hate each other but then, one day, when my husband pissed me off we got really drunk and became best friends. And we made Chris play drums.

SCS: How would you define your sound to someone who’s never heard you?

Jill: Rock music. I don't know of anyway to better define it. So many people think that their sound is so different from anything else that it deserves another category. We have too many categories already.

Liz: Jill is in denial, but I would say something approaching indie folk pop. If that's a genre.

SCS: What types of music and which musicians/groups influenced the band members?

Liz: In general, I like sloppy southern gospel and garage rock, but when speaking in terms of the Thielgoods, Jill is my main influence..

Jill: I personally have been influenced by Sonic Youth, Frank Black, Pixies, Breeders, Lucinda Williams, Catlin Carey, Nirvana and many others that I don't know the names of and am forgetting. I really don't know the names of bands or songs unless I listen to everything that they do.

SCS: Which do you prefer, writing/recording or live performance?

Jill: I'm torn between which I prefer. I guess I probably like them equally. Writing music gives me a chance to drink and complain. Playing is really exciting and great until I get done. Then I feel like all the life has been sucked out of me, like I just told everybody everything. It usually doesn't matter though because they can't hear what I say

Liz: I enjoy the kind of musical experience where I am sloppy drunk, but Jill prefers (wisely) for me to be sober for our live shows, so I like basement performances much more.

SCS: Jillian, do you pretty much write the songs yourself?

Jill: I do write the music. However, everyone adds their own things. I don't tell my husband or Liz or John what to play, they just do it.

SCS: I’ve heard that Liz is really bossy and pushy, what’s it like being in a band with her?

Liz: Excuse me, could you repeat that? I missed the question.

Jill: Actually, Liz is the submissive one in our band. I wouldn't say that I'm a bitch, but I am very direct. It helps to have people playing with you that you trust because I know that they still like me even on my worst days.

SCS: How has the band grown, musically and creatively since it first started?

Jill: The band started out as mostly something based on my acoustic stuff. I think the songs I've written more recently have become a little louder, not so mousy - if that is the right word. We are experimenting with different stuff. We just added a bass player which should add some depth to the music. I'm excited with where it is going.

Liz: I've remembered how to play the guitar, and Jill's bar-chord prowess has increased profoundly.

SCS: What was your most memorable live performance and what made it that?

Jill: We are a new band and haven't had a whole lot of live performances. The worst one was a show at Knickerbockers in Oct. I had the stomach flu, I was tired and played really bad. It really sucked.

Liz: For me, it was when I had to much to drink and made funny on stage. Jill got pretty mad at me. Hence the sobriety rule.

SCS: What’s your favorite song of yours to play live?

Liz: "Crazy" even though it makes my finger hurt.

Jill: My favorite song..........I don't know. I really like that one with the word Winds in it. I don't have my songs named, but it is a new one and the word that is said on a few occasions is Winds.

SCS: That's kinda funny that you don't even know the names of your own songs. Who are some local bands or musicians that you admire or feel should be recognized?

Jill: Local bands that I admire are Crush the Clown, Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares, Ideal Cleaners,... I don't know I really hate doing this because it feels like favoritism. I enjoy most local bands and I think that they should all receive recognition and support.

Liz: Absolutely the Hornrimjobs. Librariancore is the place where it IS. Caesar the Greaser really "gets it", too.

SCS: What do you like and dislike about the music scene in Lincoln??

Liz: The incestuousness.

Jill: I like Lincoln's music scene but I feel like there should be more places to play and better show days. It sucks playing a show on a Sunday or Wednesday and then having to wake up at 6:00 to get my kids ready and go to work. It's alright though, I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it.

SCS: The 3 songs you have recorded so far were done by Nick Westra @ The Laboratory, right?

Jill: Yes, Nick did record a few songs for us a while back.

Liz: Yeah, after a whopping two times playing with each other. I played our songs more times in Nick's basement than I had EVER. (Oh yeah. Sorry about that, Nick)

SCS: When do you expect your album to come out?

Liz: As soon as Jill and Chris get a babysitter and come to my house to record.

Jill: I'm still talking to Nick to see when we can get back in to record again. He's a busy man.

SCS: What song would each band member like to cover the most?

Liz: I'd be happy to cover ANY song. (No covers: another band rule)

Jill: I don't really have a song I would most like to cover. I like to write and perform my own music.

SCS: Who do you think is the most underrated artist in the music industry?

Liz: Billy Childish.

Jill: No opinion

SCS: Who/What do you think is the embodiment of evil in the music industry?

Liz: The White Stripes

SCS: Seriously, The White Stripes? Who was the first person or band you saw that made you want to play music?

Liz The Ramones

Jill: There was no band that made me want to perform. My desire to start playing and performing came from my husband Chris. He was formerly with The W.T. When he put his drums in the basement it made it very convenient to play any time we saw fit. We were just messing around then, but years later I decided that I wanted to be in a band, and here we are.

SCS: What was the first album you bought?

Liz: Faith No More's first album with Mike Patton

Jill: The first album I ever purchased was Nirvana "Incesticide". I was like 12 or something. It was the thing all the cool kids bought. Before it, I listened to whatever my mom listened to. She was a concert pianist and had me involved with orchestra playing the stringed instruments, so it was mostly classical. When I first heard the album I could not figure out what the hell these people were in to. I couldn't understand the words and the instruments themselves had a brash sound to them. After enough listens, it grew on me.

SCS: Whose music are you listening to right now? -- What other bands would you recommend people check out?

Jill: Anything Frank Black.

Liz: I've been listening to a lot of Charlie Feathers; brother serves up some mighty nice Hasil Adkins/Elv-esque rock-and-roll. Other than that, I listen to whatever Tim Warren (Crypt Records) tells me to.

SCS: List off your top five albums of all time

Liz: