Akron/Family garners much of their reputation through epic, often improvised live performances. In between recording sessions the band is touring the country, including stops Feb. 19 in Orlando and Feb. 20 in Tallahassee. Seth Olinsky, one of three members in the band, talks about American music, the future of performed music, the challenge of being a truly collaborative band and the dubious distinction of being a Pitchfork darling.

REAX: You said that though Akron Family? doesn’t really have any rules for the music and you’ll basically tryout anything, the band’s aesthetic is American. Is the aesthetic an America that actually exists, one that used to exist, or one that you wish existed?
AKRON/FAMILY: Well, America is kind of a hodgepodge, so I don’t think there is a specific American aesthetic. I wouldn’t even call it Americana. I guess what I meant for our music was that it’s a distinctly American perspective, rooted in music that comes from here or even looking into African music, which effected the south in New Orleans with blues, jazz and folk. It’s our perspective on the history of music that, to me, feels pretty American, and through that lens. To oversimplify, it’s a melting pot full of ideas. Sometimes when you combine all kinds of different styles and aesthetics it can be watered down. I’d like to think that in this time with so much information readily available that we’d restrict ourselves to certain kinds of music. America has shown up in a time of human history where there’s this new freedom of ideas. So I think (our music) a reflection of that idea.

REAX: One difference I noticed between Love is Simple and the latest Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free is the songs seem less directly taken from the American landscape on the latter, as if you have more of a filter. Do you agree, and how much has the voluntary departure of original co-founder Ryan Vanderhoof account for any change?
AKRON/FAMILY: Due to him leaving we were forced to try to rearrange the way we looked at the band. There was a lot of restructuring on so many levels, from the way we sounded live to even the way we dealt and worked with each other. To me, there is a spread of the land in some of the ideas. On Love in general there was this naiveté, where we didn’t question things as much. I think Set ‘Em Wild was more of a chaotic perspective, when we were moving in a lot of directions simultaneously. Lyrically, in Set ‘Em Wild, there’s something more mature, though sometimes abstract, more grounded in a way. It deals more in the full spectrum of the world instead of the ideals of the world.

REAX: In 2007 after Vanderhoof left, you joined forces with Megafaun? and Greg Davis and had a six- and seven-piece band, and now it’s three on most nights. What are the benefits of having a larger band onstage as well as a smaller band?
AKRON/FAMILY: When Ryan left it was abrupt and we had plans to tour with him on that material. I think it just came as a shock to us, so on one level it was just hard to imagine playing as a three piece. We were also just kind of freaked out and not knowing what we’re doing, but there was the plus of having musician friends. On one hand we got fresh into music. In the studio we’re always dubbing these layers and building a big sound. It was really fun to have a big group where we could arrange two drums, three guitars and a computer and have all these different things. On a human level, at the time, it felt really good to have friends around. As a four-piece, when Ryan was around, we appeared as a scene, but we really never had a lot of friends in bands, we came up on our own. In some ways it gave us some unique creativity, but in others we were kind of lonely. So it was good to have other bands help us, and help them get out more into the world. It forced us to be less insular and start a community. We’ve always wanted to be part of a community.

REAX: It forced you to recalibrate?
AKRON/FAMILY: Yeah, it forced us to look out and to meet other musicians. It was really kind of eye-opening to see our music through other musicians’ eyes. We’re still growing from it. It also helped us develop. There was still something particular about the three of us.

REAX: It’s funny, it sounds like you had a breakup with a girlfriend or something and you went on a bunch of dates, and then you settled down with the three of you guys.
AKRON/FAMILY: It’s not so much a girlfriend thing, but it’s definitely an intimate relationship. From my experience, certain groups are oriented around one person. In those situations it can be simpler to organize. We always approached things trying to integrate everything and have it be a truly collaborative experience. We really put a lot of work into that, not just musically but also interpersonally. At least for me, and I don’t think I’m abnormal. Collaboration is a very trying and delicate situation between human beings. Creativity is a very intimate part of the self. When you took one piece out of there the whole house of cards fell in some ways. It felt like a band that has broke up and we had to ask ourselves, do we still want to do this? Set ‘Em Wild reflects that chaos. The position we’re in now we’re a lot more clear and stronger. We’re on another level now.

REAX: In Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, older influences like folk, jazz and blues are obviously still prevalent. But a few songs, such as “Creatures” and “Mostly Ghosts,” sound more contemporary. Despite your lack of rules, which direction does the sound seem to be taking you today?
AKRON/FAMILY: I don’t know. We’re working on a lot of new music. I don’t totally understand what the new direction is. In a lot of ways we’re trying to distill what we are and communicate it. Our other music references influences, but it does so quickly and in an odd combination, so it sounds unique. But we’re trying to move in a new direction that’s not as referential. Those two songs both have drum machines on them. Songs with more electronic instruments on it is looked at as being more futuristic that songs with acoustic or electric guitars. Electronic sounds can be neat, but I also love performed instruments and I’m not ready to give up on the idea that you can be futuristic with guitars and acoustic instruments. I think our culture is a little caught up in electronics at the moment.

REAX: It comes in phases, like the 80s was a future in electronics but then came the 90s. The future is always changing.
AKRON/FAMILY: Exactly, so it’s up to the creator to make that future. We’re a bit more mature and I think we take the time to more actively consider the future. We don’t want to be calculating, but we’re trying to create more specifically and I’m excited to see the results of that.

REAX: What’s the band’s biggest contemporary influence, whether it is another band or a website?
AKRON/FAMILY: Sometimes I get inspired from contemporary bands. We played All Tomorrow’s Parties in New York when The Flaming Lips curated last year. It was cool to see some of these bands. No Age played with Bob Mould and they were playing Hüsker Dü’s music. I didn’t know anything about the band before. And then the most influential thing I saw that weekend was The Boredoms. It really sat with me. They’re a little older. I grew up studying jazz and I feel like jazz musicians age with grace. I wasn’t particularly into how rock ‘n roll burns out at 27. The Boredoms? must be in their late 40s and early 50s. They were doing this thing with nine drummers and it was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever seen. It just felt very healthy, poetic and graceful.

But I’m pretty bad in keeping up with contemporary music. One of the reasons I moved away from New York City a few years ago is there’s just so much hyper-cool things happening all the time that you can lose yourself in there. You may think you’re inspired, but you’re just engaged in a way.

REAX: My first impression of you guys was a recorded performance with a bunch of hipsters onstage, and it seemed you had quite a scene going on. But you don’t feel like you’re part of a scene?
AKRON/FAMILY: Well there are a million scenes (laughs). Media is such a strange thing because you see something … I don’t know why the human mind does that. I was at the airport today and I realized how much I categorize people when I see them, from the most random thing, maybe the look on their face. I think, oh that person is looking negatively at this person, or just the way a person’s hat looks. Maybe it comes from back in the days when we lived on the land and we had to assess situations because there were predators.

REAX: It’s a primal thing. Like how people dress in a certain genre of music, it identifies you in a tribal way and can be an icebreaker for strangers.
AKRON/FAMILY: Sure. People have read about us on Pitchfork? and then they associate us with Pitchfork?. For me, I don’t really relate at all to Pitchfork?, and when I look at it I end up feeling kind of bad.

REAX: Why?
AKRON/FAMILY: Because I feel like it’s an overwhelming onslaught of information of what’s cool and how to be cool. It’s very hard for me not to be influenced by that when I’m on the site.

REAX: Was it any different 40 years ago with Rolling Stone??
AKRON/FAMILY: No, that’s the thing. I feel like we glorify the old days. I think that marketing and media have become super-advanced and in our society, supersaturated. So there is a difference in the timing. Back when Rolling Stone? was really happening, people weren’t tempered to be so hyper-aware of media. It was just beginning. It wasn’t there in such density. We all grew up in this and everyone is so aware of all this stuff. I hate to find myself complaining about it, but I just try to stay clear of it because I end up thinking negatively about it. It’s like what you said; you saw us in a video and had your impression. Someone else I talked to had formed their impression and was surprised that we were just regular guys who hang out, eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and liked to talk about … a book, or whatever.
Yet media is a powerful thing to help get something out that we’re making. We’re doing this think called “Woody Guthrie’s America,” a simple little song we play sometimes live. I sent it out to friends and they did their versions. I’m not very good at building websites, but I built one, www.akronfamily.com/woodyproject. Were trying to get everybody to record versions and post them.

REAX: Everybody as in …?
AKRON/FAMILY: Anybody that wants to. For now, if people record, post one and email us, I’ll get them into the show for free. It’ll be artist we run into and hopefully it’ll be an ongoing thing. Ideally, we’d get Billy Bragg and Wilco up there and 12-year-old kids doing their version. It’s a pretty wide array of people doing really weird versions up there now.

REAX: That’s a good idea. It’s artsy.
AKRON/FAMILY: It’s in the spirit of Woody Guthrie?. He traveled around and he’d learn songs from a local person, and then he’d take that song on the train and play it in the next town, maybe changing the words a bit. Then that song would be sung by someone else, they’d play it for their family in their living room. Songs were adaptable.

REAX: They were alive.
AKRON/FAMILY: Yeah, they were like living newspapers, carrying stories of poetry and tales and entertainment. They were of the people. They weren’t co-modified and mediated in the same way as today. So I struggled with the press release for this project because I want to get it out there, but when you put it in a box it can seem like a marketing ploy, which it’s not intended to be. It’s a fine line. But it’s good to be out in the world and doing things.