Surpisingly enough, like other indie-music epicenters from Omaha (home to Conor Oberst's Team Love indie-folk outfit) to Toronto (where artists on the Arts&Crafts label abound), Champaign, Illinois has been known to sprout up its own crop of rock superstars, having birthed classic acts like REO Speedwagon and Poster Children. From its sprawling cornfields to the bustling university campus of Urbana-Champaign– the heart of the city– something in the Midwestern soil is fertilizing the musically-minded. Take Headlights for instance– possibly the most hard-working band anywhere, with an outrageously in-demand touring schedule, which had them in over 300 performances nationwide to promote their past albums.

For such a globetrotting band that crafts dreamy pop tunes about “Cherry Fields,” and how “Everybody Needs a Fence to Lean On,” it’s no wonder that their home is a smallish community squeezed in between the metropolitan hubs of Chicago and Indianapolis. Releasing their anticipated album Some Racing, Some Stopping next week (Feb 19), the band found themselves truly focusing on the latter part of that title, and more than ever on their hometown, when bringing their intense touring schedule to a halt to steal away in their farmhouse in woods– home to its three members Erin Fein, Tristan Wraight, and Brett Sanderson– to relax and record their second full-length record.

To find out just what a quiet farmhouse plus some good BBQ will do to foster songwriting, and why they will always find retreat back to their sleepy town, is The Headlights’ own Sanderson:

You have a song titled "The Midwest is the Best." You really believe this?
You have to find the charm of the place you live in. I think the laid-back Midwestern thing just feels like to home to us. And– you're almost never under-dressed.

Does the title of your last album, Kill Them With Kindness, reflect the attitudes of the Midwest?
No, we didn't really go that deep with the title. I guess we just thought that would be kind of a cool name for our first record.

What was the experience like recording your newest album in a farmhouse?
We recorded the Enemies EP here, as well. Tristan was living here at that time, and Erin and I moved in about a year and a half later. We recorded Some Racing, Some Stopping during the summer and fall of '07, so we made a point to do a lot of barbequing and looking out the window while we worked– not something you can normally do in a "pro" studio. It was also nice to kind of build this record like you would bake a cake– slow and easy, as opposed to rushing in and racing the clock like we did with our last record.

Since Champaign is primarily a college town, do the band members have any connections to the school?
Tristan and Erin both have family here. We all went to school here and played in bands during that time. I think I may have even met those guys at a house party!

Do you ever feel like you need to get away from the student population?
No. Downtown Urbana and downtown Champaign are completely separate from campus. You can avoid it altogether if you wanted to.

Where would you go to get away from it all?
On tour!

Where would you go if you really wanted to "do like the college kids do?"
I guess that depends on what kind of college kid you are. If you like going to rock shows, then I might see you at the Canopy Club. If you like drinking neon-colored booze and grinding on a stranger to the latest Top 40 hit, then I won't be seeing you at C.O.'s or Kams!

Do you think there's a rivalry between indie rockers/musicians and the frat kids? If so, whose side are you on?
[Laughs] No, everybody just kind of stays in their own territory.

Is there a certain music scene growing out of the area?
I'm not sure what it is about this town. There's always something going on– Hum, Braid, Poster Children, REO Speedwagon, the guy who sang "The Safety Dance," are all from here! The most recent bands who’ve toured here are The Beauty Shop, The Living Blue, and Shipwreck. There are so many, and all of them are doing really good things.

What are the main places to go to check out the up-and-coming artists?
Probably Canopy Club or the Independent Media Center.

What kinds of local musical influences did you grow up around?
I came to school here at the tail end of a pretty huge scene. There were bands playing at house parties all the time - Braid, Hum, and Poster Children were huge. That inspired me to want to be in a band even more.

Since it is a farming community, there must be some good food to be had. Where's the best fresh-from-the-farm cuisine?
Probably at the Farmer's Market in Urbana during the summer.

Any uniquely Champaign events or spots that aren't to be missed?
Pygmalion Music Festival is always great. Lil' Porgy's if you like BBQ.

Do you ever feel like rockers stuck in the middle of a cornfield?
We ARE rockers stuck in the middle of a cornfield!

Does that mean you go to Chicago to get your dose of cosmopolitan life?
We play in Chicago fairly often, but we toured [the whole country for] a total of six months last year. When we're home, we like to just enjoy being home.

With your hectic national touring schedule, what keeps you coming back to Champaign at the end of it all?
Cheap rent, family and friends– it's home!

~Leann Peterson

First photo by Megan Holmes
Third photo by Puneet Sharma via Flickr
Fifth photo by Meagan Perk via Flickr
Sixth photo by Kosheahan via Flickr