'Big Star' gets brighter

By Eric Lochridge, Journal staff | Friday, January 09, 2009

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Haley Bonar makes her living as a musician now, but don’t ask her if she’s hit the big time yet — even if her most recent full-length CD is titled “Big Star.”

“I think that name is more just a little bit tongue in cheek,” she said.

But positive reviews from indie-music Web site Pitchfork and National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” belie the fact that Bonar, who grew up in Rapid City and now lives in St. Paul, Minn., is making a name for herself. 

“I think it’s awesome. It’s always nice to get a good review,” she said.

And even if she’s not a big star, having music for a full-time gig is still a big accomplishment. When she recently visited a coffee shop where she had worked for three years, her former co-workers began teasing her about not having a “real job.”

“I was like, ‘Who are you? I still work. I just don’t have to make hot chocolates for people anymore,’” she said.

Bonar does music for advertising in addition to performing concerts with her band in the Twin Cities and other places.

“It’s better to have more time to be creative than to stress out about your stupid job that you don’t like anyway,” she said.

Since 2001, Bonar has recorded four full-length CDs. She released her self-titled debut while she still lived in Rapid City. Its minimalist approach to music has carried through her subsequent albums, but she notes definite progress in how she treats her songs.

“I think I’ve found my voice a lot more literally, and I think my singing has changed, the way I sing has changed. I go for notes a lot more than I used to.”

And even as the songs from her first CD keep pace with her newer work, she says she doesn’t necessarily relate to them anymore.

“I guess I’m slowly easing into a sound that I’m comfortable with. I feel like my writing has gotten a lot better,” she said. Still, her new five-song EP, “Only Xmas,” includes a song from the first CD — “Orphan Song.”

“I re-recorded that, and I was like, ‘I still like this song,’” she said. “It seems like years and years ago. And it’s not really all that long. Hopefully, I can look back at that and I think, ‘Oh cute, I was in high school.’”

“Big Star,” released earlier this year, stands as a milestone to mark the strides Bonar has made as a musician. 

“This is my favorite thing that I’ve done. I just got my vinyl test pressing the other day, and I had to listen to it like four times. It was really nice to listen to this music. If it wasn’t me, I would still like it,” she said.

With her family still living in Rapid City, Bonar gets home a couple of times each year, but her upcoming performance at the Elks Theatre will be a rare local appearance.

Knowing she would be here for Christmas, she wanted to book a show.

“I just was like, ‘I haven’t played in Rapid City in a long time,’” she said. “So I’m excited.”

She won’t have her band to back her for the Rapid City show, but Ben Weaver of St. Paul will perform.

 “He does pretty well around the cities. I think it’s pretty cool that he’s playing Rapid City with me,” Bonar said.

Upcoming concerts at the Elks Theatre

Who: The Jalan Crossland Band

What: Big Christmas Party Extravaganza on Ice

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20

Tickets: $12.50 in advance, $15 day of the show

Who: Brandon Sterling

What: Holiday concert

When: 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22

Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 day of the show

Who: Haley Bonar

What: Concert, with guest Ben Weaver

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 26

Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 day of show.

Contact Eric Lochridge at 394-8321 or eric.lochridge@rapidcityjournal.com.