Anaphylaxis

(All Questions Answered By Jason Coffman)

How did Anaphylaxis get started?

I'm not sure where or how it started, really. When I was a kid I got a short-wave radio built into a big boombox and used to scan the channels-- somewhere I still have tapes of the stuff I recorded looking for messages or alien signals or whatever I was listening for back then.

Back in 1994 I borrowed a friend's four-track and recorded what I usually consider the first Anaphylaxis tracks, Casio MT-45, guitar, short-wave radio and some weird stray samples I had on tape. I recorded some more Casio stuff but I really liked layering four tracks of short-wave sounds, so I kept doing that, and then I got an old Casio SK-1 keyboard and started using that.

Eventually I found out about the tape-trading and noise scenes (I grew up in the middle of Indiana before the Internet was widely available!) and put out some cassettes over the course of a few years. After a while I upgraded from using short-wave and Casio to software, but it's still kind of the same thing.


What made you get into the sort of unique sound that Anaphylaxis has?

I guess it's just a mess of disparate influences. I count pretty much everything I see, hear, or read as an influence. So maybe it's smearing all of that stuff together and playing it at once! I think that's probably a good description of what a lot of my work sounds like.


Who are your influences?

All over the place. When I was a kid, I listened to the short-wave and lots of top 40 and oldies radio and my parents listened to country. When I got to high school I started listening to a lot of metal. I met some friends who introduced me to Einsturzende Neubauten and I was floored, especially by their cover of the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazelwood song "Sand," which is amazing.

I think maybe the last piece of the puzzle was hearing "Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine. After that I started seeking out anything even vaguely related--Boo Radleys, Lush, Ride, all those old shoegaze bands. I listened to that stuff, Flying Saucer Attack, and eventually found out about lovesliescrushing. I still think that lovesliescrushing is maybe the best thing I've ever heard.

I was a huge Nine Inch Nails fan in high school. Guess that was par for the course back then. After I got back to listening to the stuff I listened to when I was a kid (80s pop radio), I started to get excited about Erasure and Pet Shop Boys again. That sort of led to me getting into more electronic stuff like Joy Electric, who I count as a major influence although that seems to confuse people.

And I found my way back to listening to old country music (Patsy Cline most notably) and classic pop again (Leslie Gore, Connie Francis, girl groups), and I think all of that informs what I do with Anaphylaxis in some way.


I've noticed a lot of the information on your site and on MySpace is written more using "I" than "we," is Anaphylaxis more solo or group oriented?

Well, like I said until recently it's been pretty much just me doing everything as far as recording goes. I've been lucky to have some friends do shows with me in the past, and my friend Andrew Horton has joined me as the first official standing member of the live band. He's also helping out tremendously with work on material for the next record.

For the first however many years, I never even thought of doing live shows since a) I had no idea how to translate what I was doing into that sort of environment and b) I was sort of terrified of asking people to help out with it. I've done a few solo shows, and on the records 99% of that material was done by me. I had some help early on-- a vocal bit or guitar line here and there-- but it wasn't until 2002 I started getting others really involved with the recordings.

Even now it's hard to think of anaphylaxis as a "band," so sometimes I still use "I" when "we" would be more appropriate, just out of force of habit! It's getting better, though.


How did you meet the other group members listed in your MySpace page? (Andrew Horton, Teresa Santoski)

The Internet, like any good nerd. We frequented some of the same message boards. I've known of Andrew for the better part of ten years now. Teresa and I used to chat online a lot and I was able to convince her to send me some recordings of her singing, which I used pretty thoroughly on the most recent album. I finished "Noise for Lovers" back in 2003, and we've fallen out of touch since then. I usually hear from her every few months or so, there's always the possibility she'll help out with the next record. I see Andrew all the time now, we ended up both moving to Chicago and now live within blocks of each other.


Do you work with many other people or is it mainly just them?

My friend Mathias from Hollydrift did mixing and production on a track called "They Know Nothing" on the "So Now Then" album, and Mike Langlie from Twink played some prepared toy piano on a track called "Tines" from the same album. Way back, my friend Michael Nolan did a guitar part that I used on a track for the "Reverb" album back in 2000 and my girlfriend at the time recorded a short vocal for another track on the same CD.

I'm not really sure about the new album, it's probably going to be mostly me and Andrew. Hard to say, I've lately met a ton of really cool people who I want to work with in various ways, so we'll see what
happens!


Do they have any influence on your musical creation process?

Teresa really helped out with the last album in that I knew that I wanted a really romantic, almost melodramatic atmosphere. She sent me recordings of her doing vocal exercises and singing songs from a few different musicals, and they were perfect. Just exactly what I had in mind. Andrew has a lot of the same influences as I do, except multiplied by about a thousand times, and he's doing a lot of arrangement and writing in the new stuff. I have no real musical talent, so pretty much anything resembling actual music on the next album is probably going to be Andrew's!


Speaking of which, how do you go about writing and making a song?

A lot-- and by "a lot," I mean "the overwhelming majority"-- of my work is sample manipulation. I'll hear a small bit of a song on the radio and take that piece and just tear it all apart and put it back together. Mostly female vocals, which I'm sort of unhealthily obsessed with. That probably comes through very clearly on the records.
Again, I've used a lot of different software. When I first moved up to recording on a computer I used Mixman Studio Pro and Steinberg Wavelab, which I still use sometimes. I've used Audiomulch, which I think is amazing. Lately I've been using Adobe Audition and learning Cubase. The basic formula is pretty much the same though: take a few seconds of female vocals, timestretch the hell out of it, and throw as much reverb as possible on there. Again, this probably comes through very clearly on the records.


It's obvious that you don't use "standard" instruments that are found in most bands today, and you mention a long list of them on your website. What instruments or devices do you tend to use most, and which ones are your favorite?

For live shows, I've had all sorts of different setups. Solo shows with short-wave and Casio, laptop, pitch and optical theremins, band shows with synths, percussion, guitar/bass/drums, organ, microcassette, turntables, vocals, on and on. Until last year, the shows didn't really sound anything like the albums at all. I got tired of doing that, though, and we're still working out a good way to represent the albums and also do something different for the shows.

I guess my favorite equipment is my Hello Kitty pitch theremin. I ordered a theremin circuit board from Chuck Collins back in 2000 and built it into a clear pink Hello Kitty pencil case. I've used it at nearly every show since then, it's really fun to play and you get such great sounds out of it. I also built an "optical theremin"-- it puts out a higher pitch when more light hits its photocell—into a Hello Kitty jewelry box. I use that for all the louder shows, as it's basically impossible to play as an actual instrument. Although the last couple of shows I've finally started to get the hang of it a little!


You mention "long periods of inactivity and disappearances" on your MySpace page, what causes these disruptions to Anaphylaxis?

Personal stuff, just life. The best example is back in 2001 when I was on the verge of trying to set up a lot of shows and doing recording projects when a series of pretty awful things happened and Anaphylaxis just kind of fell way, way down my list of priorities for quite a while. I'm really trying to make up for lost time now that things are a little more stable, and hopefully I can keep focusing on it and getting things done.


Are you focusing more heavily on creating music lately, or is it on the back-burner for now?

I'm really trying to do shows, trying to set up a lot of different shows and kind of do what bands do for a while. Play shows, hope people like them and want to come to more shows, maybe buy a cd or some buttons, repeat. We're working out the arrangements of tracks at the shows, so the next album (whenever that is) will probably have actual live playing of instruments on it.

We have a good amount of material, but I really want to make the next record count. This is the first time since I started releasing my work that I've thought of it as a band, and I want to start doing it right, especially now that Andrew is helping out.


Can we expect any new releases in the near future?

The next full-length is going to be late Winter at the very, very earliest. There are a few other projects that are in various states of development, and I don't want to discuss anything about those until things are confirmed.


You also say that you're "working on fixing things" in reference to previously released material, does this mean you're working on bringing them back for public purchase?

Kind of. There are only maybe two of my previous albums that I think really deserve a reissue on CD, and the rest of it I'm planning on releasing for free as net releases. Eventually I'll be uploading quite a bit of material so people will have some way of getting it.

Hopefully I'll have a reissue of "so now then," the album before "noise for lovers," before too terribly long. Everything but "noise for lovers" is completely out of print now, which is unfortunate but mostly my own fault. Like I said, I'm working on it.


Are you still with Parasomnic Records and Mannequin Oddio Media?

I'm still in contact with them pretty regularly. I'm pretty amazed those guys are still supportive and excited about my work, and I really appreciate them. They're both working on a lot of great stuff coming up, too. I'm always anxious to see what they're doing.


How did you get hooked up with these labels?

I guess Geoff (Parasomnic) and Andrew (MOM) both saw my sets at Cornerstone 2000 or 2001, and they were really excited about them and wanted to work with me. I'm incredibly honored they even remembered those shows-- I barely got any feedback on them at all—and even more so that they led to such good working relationships.


How would you describe the sound you create? (In more than one word genres please)

Yeah, I usually just use a string of genres or adjectives. Experimental ambient ethereal electronics noise was a good one. Although I don't know how "experimental" the project is at this point, we pretty much know what we're doing! I like to create lush, ethereal sounds. Strings, voice, maybe like something you've heard before but played through a long pipe sticking out into an empty concert hall and you're behind heavy velvet curtains. Underwater. And blindfolded.


You write on your MySpace (sorry to keep yanking stuff from there but you have a lot of interesting stuff written) that "headphones are strongly recommended." Would you say its better to hear your music live or in a recording?

Lately I think our shows have been pretty damned good places to hear it! We played the Elbo Room here in Chicago and it was just ridiculously loud, but very clear. For the CDs, though, I think headphones are a good way to go. For the previous albums, I've recorded all of them with headphones, so they were really meant to be heard that way.

The next one will probably be less so, although we've been doing final mix-downs with headphones. It's always going to be a different experience, though, because there are always things we won't be able to reproduce live. And I HATE laptop shows, where it's just guys sitting at a table checking their e-mail. Or that's how it looks, anyway, and no matter how good the music is that gets really boring. So we'll have a laptop at the show, but we'll also be playing synths, theremins, guitars, whatever else we feel like including. There is a distinct possibility that a saxophone might be involved at some point.


In general then, which way is better to hear music? Live or recording?

I listen to a lot of music at home, but lately I've started to fall in love with concerts again. A little over a year ago, I saw Starflyer 59 at Schuba's. I hadn't seen them for years, they've been one of my favorite bands ever since their first album, and their set reminded me why I love music. Why I love going to shows and hearing bands play live, and it made me want to finally really DO it myself.

I think they both have pros and cons, obviously, but if I can get a chance to see a favorite band play live I try to jump on it if at all possible. I finally got to see Guitar Wolf last year, and it was unbelievable. All the years I'd listened to their albums didn't prepare me for what that was going to be like, and I'll never forget it.


Are you close with any other bands in Chicago?

Well, we've only been doing shows for a couple of months, so we're still kind of working on building up relationships with other bands. Mark Solotroff from Bloodyminded has been a huge help, I see them whenever I get a chance. Scott Cortez from lovesliescrushing has a band with Shannon Roberts called STAR that's really good, we're trying to work on getting some shows together (fingers crossed). Firelight Rising are awesome people, they played and set up the Elbo Room show with us and 0+1=Everything and I hope we can do it again sometime. Dan from Beast What Squeaks is helping us get some shows together, he's really cool.

There are a ton of great bands here, and hopefully we eventually get a chance to play with them. We're working on it!


How would you describe the music scene in Chicago at present?

I don't know if I'm really the person to ask about it, I'm still very much just on the periphery of
things and now that I have a job it's hard to keep up with everyone. The experimental/electronics scene seems really fractured, lots of little groups and not a lot of direction. It's frustrating when two or three local shows are going on at the same time on the same night, and that happens fairly often.

That said, though, it's kind of complaining about too much of a good thing-- there ARE a ton of great bands and artists here, and there's something going on somewhere every night of the week.


Is the band self-sufficient finance-wise or are day jobs required?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh out loud at that question. No, no. God, no. The band makes basically zero money-- we've gotten paid a little bit at a couple of shows, but it's tough to get people to come out to see some band they've never heard of. We're working on getting more people out to the shows, so maybe that will help with getting paid now and then, but we definitely have day jobs and certainly will keep them for the foreseeable future. Good one!


What direction would you like Anaphylaxis going in the future?

More collaborative, more structured, certainly. I think the stuff I want to do for the next record is kind of the very edge of what I want to do and still call it Anaphylaxis. I've started a new project that might end up being the weirdo side project to Anaphylaxis' pop band, we'll see how that goes.


I've typed Anaphylaxis several times now, and each time I fail to spell it right the first time. So I gotta ask, what does the name mean? Does it have any other significance besides a name that fans will look twice at?

Well, anaphylactic shock is a state of violent allergic reaction to some stimulus, often peanuts or bee stings, etc. I chose the name long before I started recording anything, which is the way I usually work. How and why are incredibly boring, so I encourage anyone who is curious to make something up and you're more or less guaranteed a better story.


I've noticed that you have a theme of vintage artwork on your website, any reason for this choice?

Early on it was for a few different reasons--first, because I love that sort of artwork. The Magnetic Fields' record "Holiday" was basically THE blueprint for the look of the website and the CDs. I just love that look. I also chose it partially because the noise scene was (still is) plagued by this obsession with crime scene photos and pornography that always worked on my nerves.

I understand that noise is more often than not inherently aggressive-sounding to many people. Just the act of creating noise is often used to provoke. However, the noise-- that is, the sound itself—is actually completely abstract. Branding noise with ever-more-extreme porno packaging and gore imagery just seemed like ridiculous one-upping, a pissing contest. So I picked imagery that I was obsessed with, this innocent Americana advertising-type look from the 20s through the 50s, and used that as a sort of response.


Could you explain the "cross promotional sponsorship" concerning Andrew Horton and Synthesizers.com?

That's just sort of a joke I put on the MySpace page. Andrew really is building a modular synth from Synthesizers.com-- you can see it at bleepsandbloops.livejournal.com-- but there's not any sort of official sponsorship going on. We're just big nerds who like stuff. And, for me anyway, I'm looking for my opportunity to sell out for that corporate money and I'm on it.


Would you still want to be doing this 20, 30, or 40 years from now?

I'm not sure I have a choice. I feel compelled to record this stuff, and I do truly enjoy it, so yeah, I hope I'm still doing something like this years and years from now.


What has been the best experience for you with Anaphylaxis?

I've had a lot of really good experiences with Anaphylaxis. I think the first real high point was when Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric remixed an Anaphylaxis track, that was incredibly exciting. The second Cornerstone show was great, me and six friends up on this big stage making an enormous racket. I've met a ton of amazing people I might not have otherwise, and a putting on a really good show feels awesome.

So, yeah. Good times.


Has it all been worth it up to now?

Absolutely.

(Published at LosingToday)

The Sleepover Disaster

(All Questions Unless Otherwise Noted Answered by Vince Corsaro)

How did The Sleepover Disaster come to be?

Luke and I were at a show to see friends of ours, Flaming June, play, and we were inspired to start something of our own.


If you didn’t mention above, how did the members all meet?

Luke and I played in a band together a couple of years before The Sleepover Disaster began, and we had remained friends after that band was finished. After a couple of bass-player friends came and went, Eric- whom we know as a drummer and guitarist- offered to play bass for us (turns out it was his first instrument). He's a stellar recording engineer, and had put mixed and mastered our first CDEP, so he was already familiar with our material up to that point, plus it turns out that he's a really talented bass player with a good voice for backing vocals.


How, if it did at all, did being in California influence your music?

The only real influence is that we live halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, so we've always been able to see the bands we like, even if they didn't pass through Fresno .Other than that, being in (Central Valley) California means short, late rehearsals in summer, because it gets HOT! Recently, we hit desert-like temperatures between 110-120 for 15 straight days, which was almost unprecedented. Air conditioning does very little good at temperatures like that.


What bands influenced The Sleepover Disaster, and what drew you to the type of music you play?

We're primarily influenced by the "shoegaze" bands of late 1980s UK like Ride, Kitchens of Distinction, Lush, Cocteau Twins, and of course, My Bloody Valentine. Other bands of interest in the 80s: Echo & the Bunnymen, The Smiths... Later 80s-early 90s: Catherine Wheel, Radiohead, Lilys. More recent influential bands include: Muse, Doves, Interpol...


What are your current favorite bands?

Luke: Interpol, Mogwai, Doves, Shins, Arcade Fire...
Eric: Elbow, Kings of Convenience, Kent, Living Things, Catherine Wheel
Vince: Editors, Doves, Interpol, Muse, God is an Astronaut, VHS or Beta


You’ve all been in quite a few bands before Sleepover Disaster. What effect did these bands have on you, what were they called and what kind of music did they play?

Yikes. too many to mention, but most in one form or another of alt./indie rock. A few cover bands for fun and to pay the bills...


What makes Sleepover Disaster different from those former bands?

We're friends first. That makes the rest of it, (songwriting, performing, traveling, promoting, etc.) easy.


What were the early days of Sleepover Disaster like? Heavy touring/shows or locking yourselves in the practice room?

When the band got started, Luke had several songs almost finished, so we had a good batch of material within the first month or so. Our first couple of shows happened less than 3 months after we got together, so I'd say we played a ton of shows early on, but we also rehearsed 2-3 times/week.


What do you find more enjoyable, playing live or recording?

Luke: Recording after the point that tracking and vocals are done.
Eric: Recording is the no-brainer answer since I'm a recording engineer, but I do enjoy live performance except for setup/teardown and all of the driving.
Vince: There's no substitute for the rush of playing live. I do enjoy the recording process after the tracking is done and mixing and the production end of things get started.


What has been your best live performance and why?

Unanimously: Probably a tie between:
1) Berbati's Pan in Portland a couple of years back. This was probably the only all-"shoegaze" bill we've ever done. It was the CD release for The High Violets (Reverb Records), and Tagging Satellites (Seattle, WA) played. There was a great crowd, and the hospitality and sound at the venue were awesome.

2) Our CD release for "Loud is the New Quiet" at The Starline in Fresno, CA (March, 2004). Some friends recorded the show live and shot the entire thing with multiple cameras inside and outside the venue, interviewing people arriving at the show in front of the place...it was nuts. The place was sold-out. We made a full-on production DVD that we may duplicate and give out to fans at a future show.


Which do you think is better in general, listening to music live or on a recording?

Luke: 50/50
Eric: Recording 70%, Live 30%
Vince: Recording slightly edges out live for me because of all the interesting production tricks and layers that add to recorded music.


What’s the California music scene like?

Central California is dominated by punk and metal bands. By dominated I mean just the sheer number of those types of bands. When we've travelled around California, we've found that Sacramento has a really strong scene, as does San Diego these days. San Francisco is not a bad scene, but it seems like there, and in Los Angeles, bands are a lot more competitive with each other, so instead of strengthening their respective music scenes, they really dilute them in a lot of ways.


Are you close with any other bands?

We're close with local bands The Dalloways, Gypsy Cab, The Nancies, Six Ounce Gloves, and Sparkle Jet, as well as Malbec (L.A.), Climber (Portland, OR), and Man of the Year (Portland, OR)...there are several others around the West Coast...


How are songs written in Sleepover Disaster? Is it a solo work or more group composure?

Usually Luke comes in with the skeleton of the song, maybe just a basic guitar part and a rough idea of the lyrics, then Eric and I add rhythm parts. We'll typically play through a new song several times, trying different feels and working out the arrangement. Once that's in place, Luke has a better idea of what the song feels like and finished lyrics or writes new ones .Every now and again a song comes from a random jam at a rehearsal. Something about it will catch our ears, and we'll work it into a song.


What do you feel is more important in a song? Lyrics or instrumentals?

Luke: The instrumental parts. strangely enough, the lyrics are the last thing I listen to.
Eric: The instrumental parts.
Vince: I listen to guitar tone first, then voice (as an instrument; listening to the lyrics generally comes last for me).


What is recording like for Sleepover Disaster? How long does it usually take, how does the band function, things like that.

With Eric being an engineer at Fast Traxx, a local studio (which is also where our rehearsal space is), we have access to the main tracking room to demo new songs, so that we can move on to new material. This process also allows us to work on our mixing/producing chops.


What recording was the most fun to do?

Luke: The last one (The Oceanographer EP)
Eric: I agree.
Vince: The next one...


When you look, or rather, listen back on your previous work and your newest, do you feel your sound and style have changed, or stayed fairly constant?

I think we'd all agree that our sound has remained largely the same; it is more mature and refined at this point, though.


When might we expect your newest album to be released?

We're hoping to find a label to release it by Summer 2007. Otherwise, we'll likely release it ourselves next Spring.


Could you give us a feeling of what the new album sounds like?

I think we've hit on something with the way we've been writing recently. We're getting more enthusiastic crowd and fan response than ever. That said, it's difficult to say what the next record will sound like. We're doing demo recordings of our latest batch of songs to see which of them if any will fit on the next record. So far it seems like "The Oceanographer" CDEP is a good gauge...


What’s next in store for The Sleepover Disaster?

Luke: Fame, fortune, TiVO
Eric: Roadies!
Vince: Goodbye day job, hello all of the above.


What hopes or goals do you have for the band in the long run?

Ultimately, we'd like to be on a label like Matador (or one of a few choice majors) and sell enough records to be able to afford to tour around the world a bit.


What do you think "success" is in music today?

Not having a "day job". making enough of a living at music to survive, at least for a year or two... maybe money enough for a tour van and some new instruments/studio gear...


Do you think Sleepover Disaster can achieve this success?

Absolutely. We may not succeed on a "boy band" level, because I don't think anyone will put that much into promoting us, but there's a market for what we do out there.


What got you into music? Why start a band?

Luke: Getting into music is kind of like falling in love. that initial spark just hits you at some point.
Eric: I've been doing music for so long, I can't remember how it started. At this point, though, I wouldn't know what else to do.
Vince: I've been all about music for as long as I can remember. Starting a band -if you can find the right group of people- is just an extension of that...wanting to share what you make with others.


What has been your best/worst/favorite/funniest experience with The Sleepover Disaster?

As much as we love playing in Portland, our last couple of trips there have been kind of trying.


I have to ask, is there any significance or reason to the name?

The name just happened. it seems to have a different personal significance to everyone who asks about it, though.


Has it all been worth it up until now?

Absolutely.


For more information head to http://www.thesleepoverdisaster.com/index.php

Petticoat, Petticoat

(All answered by Dickie Haydon)

M: So, I got to know, what’s the story behind the Beechee’s wrapper from your YouTube studio videos?

D: Well, that’s when the tube in my amp blew. We had to go to RadioShack to buy a new fuse and they were handing out free gum, so, there you go. The brand of the gum was Beechee’s and we thought it was funny. Yeah, those videos are pretty embarrassing. We were just goofing around.

M: How was recording the record?

D: It was awesome, it was a lot of fun, it was a lot of work too. Well we started in January, we started the tracking and everything, the tracking and everything, and finished the tracking in April, and then making and mastering, so it was a really extensive process especially for a band of our size, I mean, no one knows who we are. The only other experience we had with recording was on our own in our practice studio with this little 16-track that I own, so it was really cool to have somebody, his name was John Vice, he was our producer and everything, and he was the real brains behind everything, and the album would not sound as good as it does without him, so it was really cool to have someone there all the time and watch over everything, he become really like our mentor and our guide. Like I said, it’s a ton of work, and I am not a fan of work, but its a kind of work that I enjoy, that daily grind and repetitive process and everything. It was great.

M: Did the record label take cover of the costs or were you paying for hour time?

D: Actually yeah, our label paid for the recording and distribution and everything, so it was sort of like we had unlimited access to the studio. We weren’t watching the clock or anything to make sure we didn’t go over a limit, we were just able to be there and be comfortable and not worry about that kind of stuff.

M: How did you guys sign with Kalmia Records?

D: Well, they approached us back in December of this past year and we were interested in doing a one record deal for this album. They’re a very new label, they’re based out of Lexington, where we’re from, and they were just interested in our sound, I don’t know, that sounds lame. We just hit the bill for what they were looking for. They’re really cool guys, just two guys, Matt and Rob, who own the label, and we met with them, hung out with them, and now they’re really good friends. They’re cool guys, it wasn’t like a big impersonal meeting with the briefcase, it was just like ‘Hey we want to put out your record’ and we were like ‘Cool.’

M: Did they extend the deal then or is still just the one album?

D: Well, right now everyone’s concentrating on the album since it just came out, and we don’t have much of any distribution because we’re all college students, the main concentration is the album right now, but we’ll see what happens down the road. We’re shopping around for other labels right now.

M: You mentioned you were in college?

D: Yeah actually all of us our students. I go to the University of Kentucky, as does Scott and Justin. Kristin goes to Eastern Kentucky, and Jackson who played bass on the album he goes to Georgetown. We all go to school 30 minutes from each other.

M: What are you all studying?

D: Well, I’m an education major. Kristin is an art major, like visual art and all. Jack and Justin are English majors, and Scott is an engineer. He’s the smart one.

M: Do you want to get into teaching?

D: Yeah, well, my mom is a college professor and my dad did a bit of teaching. He’s a doctor now, but through medical school he actually taught medical courses, so he has a teaching degree. So, its just in my family. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind being a teacher, it would definitely give me the summers off to tour. I’ve been playing music since middle school, but the logical choice was to go to college, but if anything were t happen, and this is all hypothetical, I would drop teaching for music in a heartbeat. Without a doubt.

M: So how did Petticoat begin?

D: Well, Scott and I and actually one other guy named Ryan who now lives in Florida, the three of us and then Kristin all grew up on the same street. Me and Ryan and Scott started playing together when we were about 12 or 13 and formed our first band around that time, and we were a band for 2 or 3 years. Ryan went to Florida then, and me and Scott formed Petticoat. The way I usually explain this to people is Petticoat was the name for a completely different band, we just kept the same name. I don’t know why. But when we started out it was just me and Scott and we had a keyboard player named Sunny and we were just a three-piece pop band, and then Sunny left to go to school and we had another guitarist and a bassist then we were like an experimental pop band, and then this past October Kristin joined the band and we sort of became what Petticoat is today. So Petticoat has been 3 different bands, so when people ask how long Petticoat has been together I usually just say since last October. It’s complicated. It’s on our shirts, our website, it would just be too much trouble to change it.

M: Is there any significance behind the name?

D: A little bit, actually it came up from Sunny and we just wanted a name that we thought was synonymous with the sound of the music. When we first started playing it was sort of power-pop, heavy keyboards and all, so we just thought it was upbeat and bouncy music, and Petticoat, Petticoat sounded like an upbeat, bouncy name.

M: Do you still think it fits the type of sound you have now?

D: Yeah, I do, I do. We’re upbeat and poppy and not very extreme on any levels. I think it fits now. I’ve just heard it so much I don’t think I like it anymore.

M: What kind of music did you like growing up?

D: My dad was a musician all throughout his teenage years and until he was 30 and my uncle is a professional pianist. Music is in my family I guess. But yeah, The Beatles, David Bowie, Dylan, that kind of stuff. Those are probably the main influences, just ‘60s rock. I listen to everything, I know that’s a lame answer. I mean, I’ve played in punk rock bands, I’ve played in experimental-Pink Floyd bands, I listen to everything. I think all types of music plays a part. But if you want current bands my favorites are like Pavement, I’m a big fan of Nico Case, more alt-country kind of stuff.

M: What were the earlier days of Petticoat like?

D: When Petticoat first started it was my junior year and senior year of high school, and when we were that young it was just about playing as much as we could and having a good time, we weren’t really trying to go anywhere with it. So we played around Lexington and around Kentucky, not too far out, up by Cincinnati and Elizabethtown. We didn’t venture out past there, it was more about keeping it on a local level and having fun, which it still is about. We’re just more serious about it now, a bit more extensive on tours.

M: Speaking of which, how was tour?

D: Tour was wonderful. It was really great, we saw a lot of places we hadn’t seen before and got to play for a lot of people we’d never met before. It was a lot of fun. We had only done one tour before and it was last year about the same time, and this time we had the album backing us as well as the label and we just feel a lot more established, it was a lot easier to go out and play for people. Venues and shows got booked a lot quicker. The next time we go out will be in winter, maybe December when we’re all not in school. And definitely with a band that’s a little more established, if any would take us along.

M: How did your relationship with Kristin influence your music?

D: Well, as you can imagine a lot of the songs are about her, or about me, or about people we know. A lot of the songs are my personal songs, but some we write together lyrically. They’re about our hometown, Lexington. All of Petticoat has lived in Lexington their entire lives. I think, except for me, they’ve lived there their entire lives. I moved here when I was 4. Basically my whole life. Our biggest muse is Lexington, and our love for the city and everyone we know comes through in our writing. It’s a key part of our songs.

M: I really like the artwork, it says the Kristin designed it, I was wondering if there was any significance to it?

D: Actually, she made that yeah. We went to a used book store and we had the idea of cutting out a page and she had drawn the mother and the child. She had the idea of putting it in there, and we had the idea of putting in some type of greenish background because that was the whole color theme we were trying to go with. So she cut the book and put in the mother and the child and we all thought that was really cool. She knows a lot more than we do and all, so we were just like ‘Okay this is our idea and you run with it.’ The picture was taken out in the Lexington Cemetery where all our promo shots were taken. We just gathered a bunch of flowers from all over the cemetery and put in the picture. People tell us it’s a good match for our music, I think it pulls it off. M: I love the flowers in the guitar, that just sums up you guys to me. D: Oh yeah, she actually made that guitar, I mean she wood burned the designs on the front of it. She found the guitar in the flea market and then wood burned the design on it for me, for Christmas a few years ago.

M: The grass is so bright too.

D: Actually, it rained on us. We had our photo shoot set up, it was going to be an all day thing, and we woke up and that morning it was just pouring down rain. So, all the pictures of the grass and the flowers and things turned out really cool because it was like, just hit with all this rain and the sun came out just as we started to take the pictures so it was a really cool effect.

M: The lyrics for the song "Crosshair" really surprised me, what’s the meaning behind that?

D: What that means is just, I’ll be your guide. Just how the cross hair to your gun shows where you’re pointing, so its just a ‘Trust me, I’m guiding you, I’m leading you’ sort of thing, so I guess its sort of a trust type of thing more than a gun type of thing, its completely a metaphor. We don’t know anything about guns.

M: Do you have a favorite song off the CD?

D: Wow. We’ve been playing them and recording them, so I’ve probably heard them 13,000 times in the last 6 months. I guess, "Love In An Alley," which is a generic choice, the song is about my parents. They just got divorced this past year, and it’s just all about that. It’s defiantly more personal and was one of the first songs we recorded, the single or whatever you want to call it. I guess that one, just because it’s more out of character and not exactly a pop-rock song. It’s a waltz, and a little bit more twangy.

M: Has the album gotten good feedback and reviews?

D: Yeah we’ve got a steady amount of reviews since about the 1st of July. We’ve been reviewed reasonably in the places we toured in so yeah people have been really cool about it. It’s really neat just because just over a year ago we were just writing these songs and coming up with the direction for the band and all, so its really cool to have people respond to it positively and want to talk to us about it and everything. Even some of the negative feedback we’ve received show that people are listening to it.

M: What kind of qualms did the reviews have then?

D: Oh. Uhm, the one review from Illinois was for the most part good but the one bad thing was that they said "We’re Goin Be Poor" would have been a good country song in other people’s hands. Our response to that was to laugh because first of all we’re from Kentucky and no offense but people from Illinois don’t know country as well as we do and second of all it’s not even a country song, it’s a blues rock song.

M: I really do like that song, just the general theme of accepting the life you’ve chosen for yourself.

D: Yeah, it’s light and playful and not terribly serious. Its just talking about life, being on your own, paying for stuff that you’ve never had to pay for before. And yeah its not a lucrative lifestyle, unless you’re Beyonce.

M: So what’s next for you guys, you mentioned a tour in December?

D: We’re playing the Midwest Music Summit in Indianapolis which is August 10th through 12th and we’ve got 3 different shows, two on the 11th and one on the 12th. Just a festival with 400 bands playing, it’s a downsized version of South by Southwest. Just one of the thousands of music fests they have over summer. Murder by Beth is playing, and Weedus, remember them from 5 or 6 years ago? Anyways, and a couple of Lexington bands are playing like Parlor Boys are playing. It should be a good time.

M: What is the local music in Lexington like?

D: Wow. That’s a hard question. Well Lexington is about 275,000 people so the way I describe it to people who have never been here is its big enough to be a city, but its small enough to have everyone know everyone else to a point. Music scene, there’s the all-ages scene which we played up until we were old enough to play the bar-scene, and that’s just like it is in other towns of our size. There’s hardcore and metal, emo and all that stuff. Stuff that you play when you don’t really know how to play that well. Like I said I was in a punk rock band when I first started because all you need to know is how to play a power chord and play it wild. It’s really cool though, we’ve had some great shows. It’s interesting, it’s hard to describe because I’m not in high school anymore and if I were to go see it all I’d say it was pretentious, assuming and, well, anyways, we don’t play the all-ages scene just because those types of people don’t like our music and hey, if I were 15 again I don’t think I’d like my music either. But the bar—scene, the 21 and up scene is really really supportive and we’re friends with the majority of the Lexington bands who play locally. Its really ecliptic, we grew up playing music with the Parlor Boys. They used to have shows in my dad’s basement when I was in high school. They play more dance-rock, and then we have Scared to the Sea which is more of an acoustic folk band. A great variety. There are a lot of artists, its cool to see what everyone’s doing. Friendly.

M: What’s your opinion of that dance brand of rock since you mentioned it?

D: I’m a fan of it, I guess. Certain bands do it correctly. Stuff like The Bravery and The Killers, honestly man, I can’t stand that stuff. I think its gotten to a point where it’s cliché and just another brand, but it can be done very well. The dance rock thing is a play off of the post-punk thing, I don’t know, I’ve never played in a band like that, I imagine it could be a lot of fun, but I don’t see it having much depth. There are many bands that do it correctly, like Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand. So, you know, its just one of those things that will grow or pass.

M: How about the emo movement then?

D: When I was in high school I was about 14 and that’s when I got into the Get-Up Kids, which many people define as the definitive emo band of the ‘90s, and that turned me onto Saved the Day, and that kind of emo, punk-rock, whatever. So in high school I was really into Alkaline Trio. Actually, a band called The Anniversary, they had the biggest influence on me, just because it was the whole emo feel to it with the stereotypical voices and lyrics, but it had keyboards and stuff too. But then I remember my fiends took me to go see Dashboard Confessional before he was really huge and I was just NOT a fan at all. I can appreciate some of it but the new stuff, like Fall Out Boy, who I would just consider a pop punk band, but like Motion City Soundtrack and other bands that get associated with that genre, they have their place in the world and they’re playing music that they enjoy, and there are people who enjoy it, so I can respect it to an extent, but again, I think its one of those capitalizing on a trend. I’m sounding like a jerk here, the kind of music we play is shallow too so. I could see where it would be enjoyable, but just, not my thing.

M: Getting back to Petticoat, were you satisfied with the way the album turned out?

D: Oh yeah, like I said if we didn’t have John behind the wheel, it wouldn’t have turned out nearly as good. I’m 100% satisfied with it, it’s like having a baby, like having a kid, not that I have any experience in that. It’s just like you put all that effort into it, all that work, and it comes out and it’s there and everybody can see and there’s nothing you can really do about it. I’m totally satisfied. I mean, we worked really hard and I wouldn’t change anything about it.

M: Has it been doing well sales-wise?

D: Yeah, it sold out everywhere we toured. And people actually came out to see us which hasn’t happened outside of Kentucky. It seems like there’s the smallest amount of buzz out there about it. For who we are and where we’ve come from, its doing very well. Hopefully someone else out there will say they want to show us to the world, far far away.

M: The way I actually found you guys was MySpace, what do you think about that recent fad?

D: As cliché as it is, it’s awesome for music. I have a personal profile just like everyone else, but I log in 2 or 3 times a month. I understand sort of for people how it would work, but for bands it’s absolutely incredible, 40 years ago I’m sure there were tons of bands that could have made it big but nobody had any idea who they were because the only way you could find them out would be if they had some record deal. MySpace has worked for hundreds of bands and the last tour we did, we booked all through MySpace. We submitted stuff to venues at places we wanted to go and they got back to us, and we were in like that. It’s a fantastic to get your music out there. I am in full support of that. Arctic Monkeys, another cliché band, I may be mistaken, but they just started up as an everyday high school, college band or whatever, and through word of mouth they exploded. It will work for some bands, but for other people, there’s the whole contract issue and copyright issues and stuff. For us though all our stuff is copyrighted, but if you didn’t, then I guess it could be a little scary. I think what it is, it takes no work to get things out there to get people to love you, but hey if its that good and if people are stupid enough to buy it then I would just cash the check. I could see how it can be really immoral as opposed to back in the day to when music was real or whatever, but hey its the new world and music is business so.

M: Where do you see Petticoat going in the future?

D: I plan on playing music for the rest of my life. When you’re little and people are like ‘You have to find the one thing you want to do for the rest of your life,’ music is that for me. I would be completely fine if we never went anywhere and were confined to playing small places and touring regionally that would be good enough. The one thing that keeps me going when I started playing music 7 or 8 years ago is that every year it’s progressed, something better has happened. It’s never stayed in the same place or gotten worse. So I keep that in mind and I hope one day we’ll have a lot more people and be able to play places that we’ve never been to before, I hope it just keeps progressing at a steady rate. I mean I love playing music I love writing. I was telling someone the other day, because they were asking about tour and all the negative stuff about tour came out, but I said the reason I like touring so much is its my two favorite things: traveling and playing music. But yeah if I could make this my full-time job and just play music, then yeah I’ll be a 60 year old playing music. Maybe it’ll be Petticoat, maybe not.

M: How was tour transportation?

D: We did it in actually, we used Justin’s pickup truck. We’re not wealthy to afford a van and driving a trailer is awful so what we did, and this is going to sound very ghetto and amateur which is what we are but we just took a camper top and put it over the pickup bed. It seated 5 people and had all our gear in the back, so we toured in this truck. It wasn’t awful, we all enjoy our company, we’re all good friends so driving wasn’t a problem. There’s certain moments of mutiny on tour but that’s to be expected. We got lost a couple times. I don’t know if you are familiar with how horrible MapQuest is but never use it to get you anywhere. We found pretty quickly that MapQuest is awful so we bought an atlas, but still got lost a few times. Other than that we all had a great time. I don’t mind, I don’t mind driving or getting lost or my friends. Actually, most of them are here, its our practice space, hanging out or whatever.

M: Has it all been worth it then?

D: Most definitely man, I love it. Its stories and experiences that I’ll have for the rest of my life. Hopefully I’ll have new ones, but yeah it’s defiantly been worth it.

More information about Petticoat, Petticoat can be found at http://www.petticoatpetticoat.com/

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Shade

All questions answered by Bradley Kiefer (Bassist)

How, when, why, and where did Shade begin?

SHADE formed in 1997 in Pittsburgh.


If you didn’t mention it above, how did you all come together and meet?

The band was formed before we even knew how to play instruments. We're all childhood friends.


What were the early days of the band like? Was it mainly playing gigs or practicing like mad in a studio?

Making noise everyday, which is basically the same today.


How would you say your home environment influences your music, if it does at all?

Environment is always influencing our sound, it makes us who we are, and it’s why we made the decision to stay in Pittsburgh.


What drew you guys to shoegaze music?

Sonic blend of sounds.


What is the song-writing process like for SHADE? Are songs usually manufactured by one person or is it a group effort?

100% group effort.


What was recording like for you guys? How do things get run in the studio?

Recording this new record (which will be released this fall) was fantastic. This was the first time that we had the access to write in the studio...the same studio where we ended up tracking at. Plus we recorded to tape, which was also a first for us. We did as much "live" tracking as possible with minimal overdubs, if any at all.


Specifically, what was recording the "Forever" single like?

That was actually recorded as a demo. Bracken Records, liked it so much that they wanted to release it. Anyways, so recording the "Forever" single was very relaxing and laid back. We did it at a friends studio/rehearsal space.


Which do you like more (and why) playing live or recording?

It’s a mixed bag, for us you cant have one with out the other.


In general, which way (live or recording) do you favor listening to any music?

Depends on your mood at that time. 50/50.


Could you describe a typical SHADE performance?

We know that we are going to have fun, and we like it when that feeling transfers to the crowd as well.


I’ve noticed the two most recent releases by SHADE were to the UK, is this because of a stronger fan base there?

We’d like to think so. There was no plan to focus on the UK, it just happened that way.


Have you done much touring outside the US?

We've played a few times in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario in Canada, plus a short UK tour back in March of this year in support of the recent UK single release of "Forever".


Do you have anything in the works now that we can look forward to?

Indeed, we just finished tracking 14 new songs. our new album has yet to be titled, but should be out by early Fall, 2006 if all goes as planned.


Why did you all start playing together?

We started playing music together because it was our way of having a good time.


Where do you see SHADE going in the future?

Into the future.


Would you still want to be doing this 20, 30, or 40 years from now?

As long as were having a good time.


What has been the best/worst/funniest experience for Shade?

Best: UK tour. Worst: 3 tire blowouts in 1 day. Funniest: too many to tell!


Has it all been worth it up until now?

Absolutely!



More information about Shade can be found at http://www.shaderocks.com/

(Published at LosingToday.com)

ZeroShip Interview

ZeroShip is Jimmy Peace, Aaron Keller, and Joel Tomaeno.


How did ZeroShip come to be?

Aaron: I came around in 2004 when I auditioned for Brave Last Days, a band with Jimmy, Joel and their bassist Mike when they were looking for a lead vocalist. Right afterwards, Mike took his life unexpectedly, and Joel decided to take some time off. Jimmy and I decided a month or so later to start another band under the name ZeroShip.

Jimmy: Through Internet ads, Joel had joined another band named Audio I’d that I was in back in 2001. Aaron answered an ad while Joel and I were still in a band we formed later called Brave Last Days with our bassist Mike. The original Brave Last Days imploded after much success in the late 90s and the band Oh My God!, which is still around, was created by some of the members. After Mike’s death in 2004, Aaron and I kept working together while Joel took a break to collect his thoughts.

Joel: I kept doing music to keep the sadness away from my friend leaving this planet. I was very torn in two. Music is my soul, music is something I have to do or I would just off myself too. I started playing right after I started walking. It's a huge part of my life; it's almost everything; music keeps me living.

How, if it did at all, did being in Chicago influence your music?

Aaron: Chicago is a big enough town that diversity is available. If I can see any influence at all that Chicago has on ZeroShip’s music, it stems from the fact that it’s a place where West Coast, Midwest and International culture and values can come together in the same room to produce art.

Joel: There’s a lot of pressure being from this town, ‘cause so many bands come from bigger cities that pump out a lot of music. When people hear "Chicago" they expect greatness.

Jimmy: It did influence us, but not our musical style. I have met everyone for the band here. I am from California and so is Joel. We both bounced back and forth growing up between here and California.

What bands influenced ZeroShip, and what drew you to the type of music you play?

Joel: Every band that’s ever existed influenced ZeroShip. The world always needs more music. I’m not sure how or what drew us to our sound; it’s more of a friendship thing that hones the sound. You must have a great understanding of the people you play with. The same way great players of the jazz era did. I just play and that’s what comes out.

Aaron: I think the type of music that we play is a combination of what we like, what we consider good quality and what naturally comes out of our heads from what we’ve absorbed. I’m drawn to it mostly because it’s a little new and also a little familiar and I think that helps to place it on the cutting edge.

Jimmy: Do you want me to write a novel? Here it goes: Jane’s Addiction, The Mars Volta, At the Drive In, Fugazi (after they stopped sounding like 311 or vice versa), Yes, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pink Floyd, NIN, Miles Davis, The Door, The The, Radiohead, rock and roll, progressive rock, Blues, Jazz, world music, classical and ambient. Anything strange! I like a lot of music, but not too many artist’s whole CDs. The bands I mention I can listen to their full recordings, not just a few songs. They are timeless to me, and that is what I am trying to accomplish with our recordings in ZeroShip.

What are your current favorite bands?

Joel: Currently, my favorites are The Doors, Rush, Led Zeppelin, The Mars Volta, The Beach Boys, also two local acts The Syllable Section and Smallwire.

Jimmy: The Mars Volta, Muse, White Stripes, Radiohead. Anything strange or innovative.

Aaron: It’s honestly been a while since I even listened to a band, let alone had a favorite band. I mostly hear devotional chants, aka "weird Indian-sounding spiritual music." I can still dig some George Harrison or Kula Shaker once in a great while, maybe Rasa, more obscure stuff.

You’ve just finished your single "It's Safe to Say Goodbye"; what was it like recording this release?

Joel: Maddening! I did nearly two hundred takes on drums before we figured out we needed a new arrangement. I was exhausted because we record in our rehearsal space and would have to start and stop when other bands were practicing. Jimmy ran the session and we did it in two days.

Jimmy: Seemed like it took forever. We were a slave to whatever other bands were playing around us. At times I had to record guitar parts in between song breaks from other bands.

Aaron: It was definitely a rough experience having to track vocals at odd times of the day and in between outside noises. I’d run in before rehearsal without even warming up and throw in a line or two while it was quiet. Actually, we didn’t end up using most of the vocals when we got to the studio because of the sound quality. I had a good hour or so to record them again with the help of much better circumstances and equipment.

If it’s not too personal a question, is the song "It's Safe to Say Goodbye" at all related to the passing of your bassist Mike?

Joel: Who knows? Let it be what it is to you.

Aaron: The point behind it is to let go of things that we’re attached to. So, it doesn’t really matter who or what it was written about for someone to take deeper meaning from it.

Jimmy: I say goodbye often to Mike, but I never saw the song in that way.

Again, if it’s not too personal, how did the passing of Mike affect the band?

Aaron: Well, since Joel was gone on a year and a half hiatus it definitely had an impact.

Joel: I didn’t even play drums for a year after that. I was just sick of it all. I’ll never play with anyone like that again. Mike had the best ear of any musician I’ve heard. A true natural, he could play anything and do it with taste and style.

Jimmy: It really sucked. He was a great friend and in my opinion one of the best bass players ever! He was my dream bassist who was my friend! It still affects me every day of my life. I want Mike back because in my opinion he was my musical soul mate. I'll miss him and do every day of my life. It makes me sad to think about him, so I am sad every day at moments when I think of Mike.

Have you had any luck finding a new bassist?

Joel: No, just people sitting in, just jamming.

Aaron: A few prospects, but I’ve picked it up for the time being and collectively we’re getting the songs written and recorded.

Jimmy: Not sure yet, but at this moment no. It would be nice. Do you know anyone that is willing to channel or that can bring back the dead?

You also mention online that you "have been ripped off tens of thousands of dollars through shady producers and unscrupulous studios!" Care to elaborate on this?

Aaron: We were working with one small record label owner who at first had a nice idea of a homely artist development type situation. He was talking about a place where artists could grow and get support from the company and each other. It was actually working on a small level as long as things stayed simple.

Later on, this guy developed a very overly ambitious and unseemly side and could be quoted making statements like, "I saw that movie about Howard Hughes and it really reminds me of me." Unfortunately, somewhere in there was money Joel and I had invested and we didn’t get any music out before I learned that "Howard" had somehow squandered the rent money.

Joel: I’ll just say to bands out there, before you pay for anything, do your homework and research people you hire. There’s a lot of scum bags out there, and the better your music gets, the sleazier the people get. Never believe anyone’s promises but your own.

Jimmy: I didn't lose any money, but a so-called friend set me up for a crime once. That sucked a lot! As you can tell, I was innocent and didn't go to jail. It would have been a felony and I would still have another 5 years to go. Good thing I have a clean record and was not a criminal in my life or I might be behind bars. This so-called friend was trying to do an insurance scam.

The single is "exceeding even [your] producer's expectations." Could you describe what the single sounds like? Has your sound changed at all from song samples such as "FoH"?

Aaron: ZeroShip’s sound has really come together so that there’s not a leap from one song to the next stylistically. "It’s Safe to Say Goodbye" is really in a different mood than "FoH," but the same musicians are there composing. I guess the biggest difference is that this song represents more of my influences. I didn’t have a big hand in composing "FoH." Jimmy was the main composer of that one.

Joel: Every ZS song tells a story; I can only describe our sound as truthful.

Jimmy: Yes and no. We like the sound on "FoH" because it for the most part sounds like us. I think the newer songs have more of our original sound then "FoH," but I still love that song and can't wait to play it for people. Mike is playing bass on "FoH," so it will always mean a lot to me. Aaron came up with the idea for "Goodbye" and we spent hours making it everything we are and what we sound like. No song is really written by one person in this band. It’s always a group effort. No one is above another in this band. We all contribute.

What’s next in store for ZeroShip?

Joel: Who can say?

Aaron: That’s probably a good answer. But at least the usual scheduling shows, releasing more tracks. We’ll be recording more for an EP or LP to release in the very near future.

Jimmy: Playing shows, promotion, sponsorships and touring. We have to deal with reality like our leaders messing up the country and the crazy gas prices. We will tour and make it work even if gas becomes 5 dollars a gallon. Touring. Loving the fans and making more music.

What were the very early days of ZeroShip like? Lots of touring/shows or more locking yourselves away in a practice room?

Aaron: Since Jimmy and I were on our own, the very early days of ZeroShip included months of organizing business plans, searching for musicians and honing the painstaking process of co-writing. Our writing styles started out somewhat polarized, but with some friction we got to a point where we combined our heads and came up with something like what ZeroShip would eventually sound like. After that, it was mostly rehearsal, finding musicians, losing musicians and trying to get something recorded along the way. Since Joel got back in the mix we’ve spent a lot of time solidifying the full sound.

Jimmy: We have had a hard time finding the right people that get what we are trying to do. That is why we started playing bass and keys ourselves. Then Aaron took it upon himself to fill those roles so we could develop them live.

Which do you enjoy more: playing live or recording?

Joel: Yes.

Aaron: For me, the goal is distributing as much music as possible, so they’re both necessary and I enjoy them both for the part they play in reaching that goal. I really just like figuring out how to say what I want to say in the music, whether live or on recordings.

Jimmy: I like them both. I love playing live and I love recording. I just love playing with Joel and Aaron.

Which do you think is better in general, listening to music live or on a recording?

Jimmy: Both.

Joel: Apples and oranges. CD’s are great ‘cause you get the optimal feel the band was going for. But it’ll never replace the energy of a live band. Especially ZS.

Aaron: I think there are things on our recordings that I love that aren’t reproducible on stage, but then it’ll work the other way too. If we’re talking about ZeroShip, we’ll try to bring the same quality and impact into both performances, though there will be different elements.

How would you describe the music scene in Chicago?

Jimmy: I don't know, but it doesn't seem to be around at the moment.

Joel: Chicago feels a little stale right now. I think people are afraid of taking a chance playing new music. A lot of local acts try to do an LA thing or a British thing. Do your thing!

Are you close to any other bands?

Joel: Yeah, we hear them through the fuckin’ wall when we practice.

Aaron: Or record. We hear smoke detectors beeping in the hall too. Those should be fun bits for people who really listen closely to the tracks.

Jimmy: A Bird Song Valentine.

What hopes and goals do you have for ZeroShip?

Jimmy: Tour and keep touring loving all the fans and keeping everything going. And always having as much peace as we can have.

Aaron: I want people, many people, to hear the music, get a little interested by something they hear or something they see maybe and look a little deeper into what we’re all about. Music in my experience is most often an attempt to turn heads for one reason or another, and ZS music is trying to do the same thing.

Joel: I just hope the people love it. My only goal is to turn people on to this music, get ‘em to really listen, stop being in such a hurry. Enjoy life, enjoy the moment.

Where do you see ZeroShip in say 5 years?

Joel: That’s up to the fans. Five years is a long way away. If you think too much about yesterday or tomorrow you’ll miss today.

Aaron: Today does have plenty already. I believe though that barring unforeseen tragedies we’ll be doing what we want in the music world.

Jimmy: Touring around the globe and on our 3rd record. I like the ride and the process. I am happy being with these guys.

Why did you get into music? Why start a band?

Aaron: Music was always something I had an idea of how to do. With a little studying and practice, it just worked. So why do something else? I tried a lot of stuff. I ended up joining a band more or less to use my talents while trying to do something positive.

Joel: You don’t choose what you do, it chooses you. Sometimes that’s hard to accept, especially when people you love don’t. As far as starting a band goes, it’s either that or practice alone in your room! You don’t become a fireman and never fight a fire.

Jimmy: For the escape and pure joy of creating. Then it turned into the community and interaction, then it was about being famous and now it’s just because I love making music and just need to live music. Fame would be great, but at the end of it all I just want is to make great music that I can listen to and enjoy hearing years from now; that and tour.

It is also being creative and always learning something new. I'll never stop learning because there is so much to know. That is one of the coolest things about music, it is a never ending process and there is always something new to do no matter if it has been done or hasn't. What matters is how you put it together.

Can you see yourself doing this in 20, 30, 40 years?

Joel: God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Aaron: I’ve stopped predicting the future. It seems to have a direction of its own.

Jimmy: Forever! I hope I never have to die. I personally would like to live for the rest of eternity so I can keep playing and creating music. If I can remain functional I don't want to die, ever!

What has been your best/worst/funniest/favorite moment in ZeroShip?

Joel: Ask me again in 20, 30, 40 years.

Aaron: So far, having Joel rejoin and completing the new music have been the best. As far as the worst goes, I think I’ve learned valuable things from even those incidences that you might call "bad."

Jimmy: My best hasn't happened yet, but if I had to choose it would be meeting
the members of ZeroShip. The worst moment is when that so-called friend set me up for a crime. On top of that, I was living in Seattle and was thinking of coming back because my band out there were on heroin and I wanted no part in that.

Has it all been worth it up until now?

Joel: You gotta pay your dues if ya wanna sing the blues, and ya know it don’t come easy.

Aaron: If I didn’t think it was worth it I’m sure I would’ve turned back a while ago.

Jimmy: Every minute.

More information about ZeroShip can be found here.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Plumerai

Answered by Elizabeth Ezell (Vocals), Martin Newman (Guitar), and James Newman (Bass)

How did Plumerai come to be?

Elizabeth Ezell: James and Martin were already Plumerai but needed a singer and drummer. I met Martin and James off a Craigslist add and we toured about three weeks later.

James Newman: After the demise of previous bands Martin & I continued working out songs until the right combination of people were found.

If you didn’t mention above, how did the members all meet?

Elizabeth Ezell: We met Todd a few months later...I think also through Craigslist...?

Martin Newman: Besides James and myself who are related…Craigslist. You can find anything you want on that site.

How, if it did at all, did being in Boston influence your music?

Elizabeth Ezell: I’m originally from California and the music scene, at least where I grew up, lacked diversity. There weren’t a lot of venues for bands to play and the venues that were there would book a lot of the same stuff over and over. Boston has so many incredible talents...you can go to the symphony and see Fantomas in the same night.

Martin Newman: It actually keeps me from working as much as I would like because of the hassles involved with having band rehearsals or being able to play through amplification in my apartment. But I don't think it's really influenced what I write at all. Maybe the people I’ve met but not Boston as far as geography is concerned.

What bands influenced Plumerai, and what drew you to the type of music you play?

Martin Newman: A combination of Nick Cave, Gogol Bordello and the Cure for me personally. And when writing it's just a combination of things I like about music I’ve heard...but I try to not outright steal anything, hopefully I’ve succeeded with that.

James Newman: Instrumentally some direct influences could be Cranes, Nick Cave & the Badseeds, the Cure, Hooverphonic, Lush, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Gogol Bordello. I like songs that affect the way I feel.

What are your current favorite bands?

Elizabeth Ezell: Led Zeppelin, Faith No More, Minor Threat.

Martin Newman: Gogol Bordello, Nick Cave, Hefner, DeVotchKa, the Cure...and I’d like to point out to someone that there aren't any "chick" singers involved.

James Newman: The bands listed above plus Tindersticks, Air, Hefner, Cardigans, Sugarcubes, Queen Adreena, and Slayer.

What were the early days of Plumerai like?

Elizabeth Ezell: A lot of writing new songs and playing shows.

Martin Newman: Hectic. We formed and did some stuff. Then we lined up a tour, met Elizabeth, and went on tour like, 3 weeks after her audition. Then we got off that tour and had to find a new drummer because our bassist quit and our drummer moved to bass. So we had a big show come up and had to prepare for that, and then two weeks later do another tour, and when we finally got back from that tour we recorded this EP, and have been working on getting that out and securing a label to release it.

James Newman: It was a busy time: writing, rehearsing, recording, auditioning.

What drew you all into playing music? Why start a band?

Elizabeth Ezell: I’ve been singing my whole life but never really did anything with it. I know a lot of musicians in Boston. I started singing with the guitarist of Stretch and I got the confidence to audition and joined Plumerai.

Martin Newman: I just always have since high school. There's never a point where I don't play or involve myself with music one way or the other. As far as being in a band....it gives me the drive to do the music and gives what I do a direction to go in...or else I may put something down and not deal with it for months later, like what happened with my side projects and film projects. Also, having other people involved, while it can be troublesome, sort of gives the songs that I write a freshness that wouldn't have come about if it was just 100% me.

James Newman: Air guitar can only get you so far. Eventually you'll want to do it for real. Band? I can't sing.

What’s the Boston music scene like?

Martin Newman: None of us are from Boston and Plumerai sort of exists outside of the Boston music scene for the most part. But there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of bands here, and only a handful of venues worth playing. Sometimes I think it sucks here when only 20 people show up for a show...but then I remember what it's like to play in other cities where only 2 people show up to any given venue.

James Newman: Pretty healthy. A lot of bands for a small city, and fortunately a decent number of venues. You can always find live music here; even in subway stations. I’m not a fan of a lot of it, but there are a few gems. Plus there's so many bands that I still haven't gotten around to checking out.

What was recording "Res Cogitans" like?

Elizabeth Ezell: It was very quick but I’m really proud of the end results and I feel like having completed it Plumerai is stronger

Martin Newman: It was a long tiring process during the initial tracking. Started at midnight and finished at 5am. But we recorded all the songs live in about 2 or 3 takes each...so overdubbing was pretty easy. Mixing is another story though. I try to stay out of that process as much as I can.

James Newman: Tiring. Ryan at Get Nice let us use his rehearsal facility after business hours. So we brought all of our own recording gear, amps, and instruments, but we had to wait for all the clients to leave before we could set up, soundcheck, and start recording. I didn't get home until after 5am. It was a very long day. The session itself went rather smoothly. We just did two takes of each song and overdubbed parts later at my place. Then we spent a few weeks mixing.

If so, how’s the new recording looking? When might we expect it to be released?

Elizabeth Ezell: Uhhh...

Martin Newman: We actually just re-recorded a song "Fixed" and another new one "Iris" last weekend. And we're in the process of writing and finishing up writing about 6 or 8 more songs for a full length. I'm hoping we'll be done recording by fall, and with any luck we'll find a label to release it shortly thereafter.

James Newman: Maybe January. Depends whether we find a label to release it or do it ourselves.

Is "Res Cogitans" your first record? If not, what have you released before?

Elizabeth Ezell: My first one.

Martin Newman: Technically no. But it is the first record for this incarnation of Plumerai and if you take into consideration the previous versions of Plumerai were never more than the error portion of Trial & Error then, yes it is our first record. It's definitely the first record that sounds like Plumerai should.

What were the very early days of Plumerai like? Lots of touring/shows or locking yourselves in the practice room?

Elizabeth Ezell: We definitely practiced a lot but we just dove in head first trying to get new material and play shows.

Martin Newman: Locking ourselves in a practice room and then going on tour.

How are songs written for Plumerai? Is it a solo work or more group composure?

Elizabeth Ezell: Basically someone will come up with the main idea for how a song will sound, and then everyone will go off and put their ideas over it. Then we get together again and try to make four parts into one song.

James Newman: Usually Martin comes up with a guitar or keyboard part, and then everyone works it out.

Martin Newman: It usually starts with a part I’ve written and introduced to everyone else and they come up with their parts...and then we re-arrange the lengths or add new parts depending on Elizabeth's vocals. In the end it's a group effort. Sometimes I get a bit impatient and start writing a bass line or something, but I try not to if I can help it. In previous groups I wrote a lot of the different parts to a song because I couldn't trust the other members coming up with anything satisfactory or interesting...however with this Plumerai I’m perfectly fine with just handing over the bare bones of a song and having the others do what they want. It's the way a band should work....the only time it becomes an issue is when there's somebody in the group that shouldn't be.

What’s more important for you in a song? The lyrics or the instrumentals?

Elizabeth Ezell: In general, it depends. Some people are amazing story tellers, like Thom Yorke of Radiohead or James Taylor, I find myself listening to how beautiful the music is, but being distracted by the story or message. But, it has to sound pleasing too. Personally though, when I am writing lyrics, they are extremely dependent on the music because the music evokes certain emotions that influence what I am going to write about. Sometimes, certain tones in a song will make me think of a word and I try to write a story or idea around that one word.

Martin Newman: For me it's the music including the vocal melodies...but not necessarily the actual lyrics. When those are amazing, that's more like icing on cake. Not that lyrics aren't important...but honestly how many pop or rock groups have amazing lyrics? Not many...so it's all that much better when a song does have great lyrics. It's all subjective anyways....I’m sure Beyonce lyrics are meaningful to many 13 year olds and 30 year olds with the mental capacity of a 13 year old.

James Newman: I have no idea what the lyrics are and I still like the songs, so I would say the instrumentals.

What hopes or goals do you have for Plumerai?

Elizabeth Ezell: I just want to keep doing what we have been because I am having so much fun and I hope that we can keep making music we are proud of.

Martin Newman: If we can do what we're doing on a larger scale and actually earn a living from it, that would be pretty sweet.

James Newman: To make a living would be great, but I’ll settle for mass appreciation/recognition. Maybe groupies.

Where do you see Plumerai in say 5 years?

Martin Newman: In a bigger apartment hopefully.

James Newman: Riding in a bigger van, playing bigger shows with a professionally done album. Perhaps sharing the stage with some of my favorite bands (if they're still in business).

What has been your best/worst/favorite/funniest experience with Plumerai?

Elizabeth Ezell: Drinking on the beach in South Carolina. Tequila rose and Jagermeister Walking like an hour to get to that kick ass record shop in DC. That time we played in a clothing store...south of the border was pretty good too, or any time Brian is around.

Martin Newman: Best: The time we were rehearsing for a show it was right before Todd joined...and we were working on Avernal before it was Avernal, and Elizabeth was like...yeah we need another part to the song, and on the spot everything just came together for the chorus to that song which is probably one of my favorite bits on the EP. Worst: That time we played in DC at Staccatto's and there were literally only 2 people there...two people that came to see us, which was cool but still. Afterwards was fun though so I guess it worked out for the best that we didn't have to stick around til the end of the night. Favorite: That tour in November. Funniest: That time a certain band member stuck maraca's down the back of their pants and shook their ass into the mic during the end of a song.

James Newman: Best: Touring. None in particular. I just like traveling, getting to play, and hanging out. Worst: Being on stage with poor monitors and playing to a nearly empty room. Both suck. Favorite: The Raleigh show. Everything clicked on stage and although the turnout was meager, the people there seemed impressed. Funniest: Meeting up with Brian & Pete on tour. Funny guys.

What do you consider "success" in music?

Elizabeth Ezell: Not having a VHI band reunion in like 30 years.

Martin Newman: Being able to do what you want musically and enjoy what you're doing. That however is different than success in the music industry.

James Newman: Being able to write/play songs without compromise and still be widely appreciated.

Do you see Plumerai achieving success?

Elizabeth Ezell: Yeah, we are going to be rock stars.

Martin Newman: If we can get the publicity and backing that we need...then yes.

James Newman: Yes.

Has it all been worth it up until now?

Elizabeth Ezel: It beats doing nothing.

Martin Newman: Definitely. If you don't get caught up in dollar amounts.

James Newman: Yes. The first two and a half years was a bit frustrating, although we had some great times. Since Elizabeth & Todd have joined I’ve been really pleased with the way things have turned out as a band. I feel like we finally have our own sound, which is an achievement.


For more information go to the Plumerai website.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)