A Study in Her: Thinking it Through

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"I FINISHED 'Peripheries of Hollywood' right after I got back from a year in India," says Costas Nakassis, who, in addition to being the musical mastermind behind A Study in Her, is also a grad student in anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.

"The title of the album was about the different ways each of us is peripherally related to American mass media, both literally and figuratively. I'm interested in Indian movies that are peripheral to Hollywood — and even to Bollywood, because in the south they have a different industry called Kollywood."

Likewise, A Study in Her thrives on the peripheries of music biz orthodoxy — both local and global, electro and rock, professional but not careerist.

The band, playing Washington this Thursday, coalesced around Nakassis after the demise of his former band, Jenn Hitt. Nakassis began playing solo improvisations, layering ambient guitar and electronics. But, he says, "When you write too much music by yourself, you get trapped in the same habits. So I tried to use the talented people I knew to help me flesh out ideas and break out of habits." Thus he enlisted a slew of live and studio collaborators, including several ex-Jenn Hitts and Justin Moyer of Supersystem.

The forthcoming album, "Another Year in Philadelphia," displays disciplined songcraft built from an organic mix of live guitars, drums and electro textures — much gleaned from Baltimore DJ (and childhood pal) Jesse Tittsworth. "I learned about computers and music from him," says Nakassis.

"There's been a huge change in the music scene from when I grew up in this area in the '90s. I think a lot of it has to do with the democratization of the technologies of recording," Nakassis says. DJ culture has reinvented rock, but also "you need less capital to record a record." Anyone can use MySpace or iTunes. "You don't need money, ambition, or to be super-popular to make music."

And technology means Nakassis can spend the next year in India with "Another Year in Philadelphia" to represent A Study in Her. "Technology takes it beyond just getting together with friends and playing music. I'm very comfortable with the idea of being a dillettante of sorts."

» The Red and the Black, 1212 H St. NW; Thu., 9 p.m., $8; 202-399-3201.

Written by Express contributor Bob Massey
Photo courtesy John Berry