Columbia City Paper » Live Music http://mycolumbiasc.com Columbia's only locally owned alt weekly Est. 2005 ___ Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:23:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Post-Echo: The Audio/Visual Experiment LIVE with Roomdance/Forces of a Street http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/12/15/post-echo-the-audiovisual-experiment-live-with-roomdanceforces-of-a-street/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/12/15/post-echo-the-audiovisual-experiment-live-with-roomdanceforces-of-a-street/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:40:34 +0000 frjones http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4247

On 12/3/2011, Art Bar hosted Post-Echo: The Audio/Visual Experiment featuring live performances from Roomdance, Forces of a Street, Cassangles, as well as visual contributions from local artists- Jason Stroud, Joel Floyd, Jessica Diaz, and Johnny Timmons. It was indeed an experience to be remembered. If you missed out, here’s some footage of the event.  For further coverage of the artists involved with this event, visit www.Post-Echo.com .

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On 12/3/2011, Art Bar hosted Post-Echo: The Audio/Visual Experiment featuring live performances from Roomdance, Forces of a Street, Cassangles, as well as visual contributions from local artists- Jason Stroud, Joel Floyd, Jessica Diaz, and Johnny Timmons. It was indeed an experience to be remembered. If you missed out, here’s some footage of the event.  For further coverage of the artists involved with this event, visit www.Post-Echo.com .

 

]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/12/15/post-echo-the-audiovisual-experiment-live-with-roomdanceforces-of-a-street/feed/ 0 Phantogram INTERVIEW http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/11/07/phantogram-interview/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/11/07/phantogram-interview/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:44:34 +0000 frjones http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4142


CCP’s very own Fr. Jones shoots the breeze with Sarah Barthel of Phantogram about ghostly imagery, small towns, iPods, and their new record, Nightlife.

 



FR: Honestly, before I even heard your music, I was intrigued simply based on the name Phantogram.Where did that name come from?Does it have anything to do with actual phantograms?

SB: No.Well, it didn’t when we were thinking about band names.Josh actually thought he made it up.He was trying to find a name that represented something from another world, something ghostly, something there but not there.We were thinking about Ghost Hands or Phantom Hands.There are so many bands and everyone takes a name, so Josh suggested Phantogram, as a description for a message from another world or from a ghost world or something.We really liked the imagery that came with it so we decided to take it.And then we looked it up and the definition was completely different.But it works.

FR: Yeah.It totally works.

SB: Yeah.

FR: How did you begin writing music and how did that lead to the development of Phantogram?

SB:I used to spend my free time on the piano just messing around.I’d come up with songs and then forget about them a couple days later.I never took it very seriously until I met up with Josh in 2006.And that’s when we started working together.He came home from living in New York City where he was pursuing a different band with his brother.He let me listen to some of his music and I really was amazed by it.I was in awe, it was so beautiful.And he asked me to sing the songs he was working on and it ended up working out okay.We then decided to collaborate.

FR: Eyelid Movies boasted some pretty stylish music videos with “Mouthful of Diamonds” and “When I’m Small”.Will any tracks from Nightflife be granted the video treatment?

SB: I don’t know.I’m not sure if that’s going to happen. I’m thinking the label will probably want us to do a music video for “Don’t Move” but I think it would be amazing to do something for “Nightlife” the song or “A Dark Tunnel”.That would be pretty cool as well.

FR: That would be the less safe route.

SB: Yeah, I know.

FR: What kind of equipment do you use to create Phantogram’s infectious beats?

SB: Let’s see. We have a laptop we record on in Logic.We’ve been collecting synthesizers, analogues, a 4-track, records, loop pedals, samplers, drums, drum kit, guitar, bass guitar, tapes and other types of equipment we like to loop

… Click to continue
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CCP’s very own Fr. Jones shoots the breeze with Sarah Barthel of Phantogram about ghostly imagery, small towns, iPods, and their new record, Nightlife.

 



FR: Honestly, before I even heard your music, I was intrigued simply based on the name Phantogram.Where did that name come from?Does it have anything to do with actual phantograms?

SB: No.Well, it didn’t when we were thinking about band names.Josh actually thought he made it up.He was trying to find a name that represented something from another world, something ghostly, something there but not there.We were thinking about Ghost Hands or Phantom Hands.There are so many bands and everyone takes a name, so Josh suggested Phantogram, as a description for a message from another world or from a ghost world or something.We really liked the imagery that came with it so we decided to take it.And then we looked it up and the definition was completely different.But it works.

FR: Yeah.It totally works.

SB: Yeah.

FR: How did you begin writing music and how did that lead to the development of Phantogram?

SB:I used to spend my free time on the piano just messing around.I’d come up with songs and then forget about them a couple days later.I never took it very seriously until I met up with Josh in 2006.And that’s when we started working together.He came home from living in New York City where he was pursuing a different band with his brother.He let me listen to some of his music and I really was amazed by it.I was in awe, it was so beautiful.And he asked me to sing the songs he was working on and it ended up working out okay.We then decided to collaborate.

FR: Eyelid Movies boasted some pretty stylish music videos with “Mouthful of Diamonds” and “When I’m Small”.Will any tracks from Nightflife be granted the video treatment?

SB: I don’t know.I’m not sure if that’s going to happen. I’m thinking the label will probably want us to do a music video for “Don’t Move” but I think it would be amazing to do something for “Nightlife” the song or “A Dark Tunnel”.That would be pretty cool as well.

FR: That would be the less safe route.

SB: Yeah, I know.

FR: What kind of equipment do you use to create Phantogram’s infectious beats?

SB: Let’s see. We have a laptop we record on in Logic.We’ve been collecting synthesizers, analogues, a 4-track, records, loop pedals, samplers, drums, drum kit, guitar, bass guitar, tapes and other types of equipment we like to loop things in and put samples in to distort them to make different sounds.

FR: What was the main inspiration behind Nightlife?Do you think your sound has evolved since Eyelid Movies?

SB: Yea.I think the main inspiration behind Nightlife is… a lot of experience and emotion, circumstances that Josh and I went through in the past couple of years while we’ve been on tour and been a band who has become successful. We wanted it to be heavy.We wanted it to be dark. We wanted it to have a different dynamic element that Eyelid Movies may possibly lack. Eyelid Movies… we were actually only hoping for it to be a demo when we finished it up in 2007-8.The plan was to just release it locally so we can have some music to play and sell to get our name out there for college radio stations and all that stuff.But it caught on a little bit quicker than we were expecting.So I think Nightlife is definitely a more mature sound than Eyelid Movies. If we ended up waiting a little bit longer or if we knew what the plan was going to be where people caught onto our music quicker, I think Eyelid Movies would have sounded a lot more like Nightlife.

FR: Is the EP a format that you embrace or did the music just need to get out?Any idea when we can expect another full-length from Phantogram?

SB: I’m not sure what the plan is yet.Josh and I are still figuring it out.I think our initial plan is to get back into the studio and start writing and recording a full-length-but there’s a side of me that is intrigued about another mini-LP and releasing it sooner.We will see.

FR: You guys have had a pretty rigorous touring schedule over the past year.Not to single anyone out- but do you have a favorite place to play?

SB: We played Santa Fe last night and it was so much fun. We love playing in Minneapolis.Also, the night before last we played in Phoenix and it was incredible too.Josh and I are big fans of driving through smaller cities where most bands don’t drive through or stop and play.You get a crowd and energy that you really can’t find anywhere else because they are so happy you are there.And even if you fuck up the entire set, they will still love it.

FR: What is the most difficult part of translating Phantogram into a live experience?What is the most rewarding?

SB: There’s a lot that needs to be done. It can get a little complicated to get the sound from the record into the live environment. But we’re able to pull it off pretty well. When people come up to us when we’re done and say that we were the best show they had ever seen, that has to be the most rewarding.

FR: Since you have officially become a popular female frontwoman for a successful band- are there any other female musical artists, either current or in the past, that influence you?

SB: Oh, man.I don’t have a lot of female inspirations.I look more up to male performers, singers, and songwriters.I guess if I had to pick one, I would have to say… Beyonce’.

FR: Music is currently available in a variety of formats.MP3s, CDs, vinyl, even cassette tapes are staging a mild comeback- what’s your favorite format for listening to music?

SB: I can say vinyl of course because it sounds the best.The experience of sitting down and listening to vinyl is an experience compared to pressing play on your iPod where you can’t really wait for the next song to come.Sitting and listening to a record and flipping it over, it’s more of a memory thing.But I also really enjoy listening to music while I drive and the only way I’m able to do that now is with my iPod.It just depends I guess.

FR: What’s on your iPod right now?

SB: Com Truise, Exitmusic and Sacred Spirit.

FR: In the past decade, the music business has changed drastically- from Napster to iTunes to Spotify.In your opinion, where do you see the industry going in the next ten years?

SB: I think you’ll see more singles.I think you’ll see more short records.Not necessarily more EPs but mini LPs.I think there will be more connection with visual concepts along with records- like possibly whatever gadget they’ll have that allows you to put on a record and project something off your phone on the wall while you’re listening to it. I think stuff like that is possible.I think people are going to start- even though I know it’s already popular at the moment- but I think music fans are going to start wanting to collect tangible music the way it used to be.

FR: Any advice to up-and-coming artists struggling to make it in the 21st century music industry?

SB: Don’t think you have to move to a big city to do it.Just work your ass off and believe in your music. Do what you have to do.

- Fr. Jones

]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/11/07/phantogram-interview/feed/ 0 M83- LIVE REVIEW- Moogfest, 10/30/2011 http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/11/06/m83-live-review-moogfest-10302011/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/11/06/m83-live-review-moogfest-10302011/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 23:21:41 +0000 frjones http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4129
Believe it or not, I usually don’t spend my early Sunday evenings jumping up and down in unison with hundreds of costumed hipsters to the otherworldly, euphoric sounds of arena space-rock/dreampop- but I happily made an exception for M83’s unforgettable set on the final day of Asheville’s Moogfest event. And now the day of rest will never be the same.

For clarification’s sake, I’m a little biased. M83’s Anthony Gonzalez has been systematically blowing my mind for about eight years now beginning with his minimalist, avant-garde electronic epic,Dead Cities, Red Seas, & Lost Ghosts (which somehow finds a world of soul in three minutes of deliberately repetitive notes and chords). But biased or not, my realist sensibilities had given me a cause for concern. First of all, M83’s set time had troubled me ever since the schedule was officially announced a little over a month ago. Sure, “Midnight City” is currently all the rage (I’m pretty sure by now that Sirius DJs are dreaming about that digital yelp ←- see what I did there?). But by playing at 6:30 (!) Sunday evening, M83 would be effectively mopping up the floors from two previous days of garish, musical excess. With Neon Indian, Ghostland Observatory, and Umphrey’s McGee still waiting in the Sunday night wings, M83 was placed in a decidedly odd position of possible Moogfest irrelevance.

But if any album can reinvigorate a sluggish crowed it would of course be Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. The band itself was comprised of a mere four people including Anthony Gonzalez; among them, Morgan Kibby, who most fans would recognize as the female vocalist from 2008’s Saturdays=Youth, as well as a new fresh-faced guitarist named Jordan (who was actually celebrating his twentieth birthday). As six-thirty rolled around, the crowd at the Asheville Civic Center had begun to dominate the floor area forcing others to resort to balcony seats.
And this is all before a costumed monster slowly walked onstage to raise its arms in youthful defiance. At the time, it merely seemed odd. We would know later that this was a warning signal for the crowd- things were about to get awesome. In an hour and fifteen minutes, M83 effectively ended Moogfest for hundreds of people. Any follow-up experiences that evening suddenly became an anti-climactic formality**.
The setlist was weighted mostly to
wards Dreaming andSaturdays with “Teen Angst” receiving the nod from Before the Dawn Heals Us (no time for avant-garde minimalism here!). Yet it never really felt like a collection of songs at all- instead, more so a giant, relentless wall of sound. And I say this without the aforementioned bias, these guys put out sound the way a fire hose puts out water. From the opening “Intro” to set-closer “Couleurs”, everyone inside the Civic Center was under the band’s spell- it was palpable, you could actually feel it. And when an artist can do that, it becomes more than special- it becomes a dream
** Trust me- this is no exaggeration. The usually awesome Neon Indian started fifteen minutes after the M83 show and it seemed as dynamic as a wet firecracker. Try going to a Neon Indian show and not enjoying it. It’s like trying to frown on a waterslide- but on this particular day, it all felt quite pedantic. Neon Indian… pedantic! Hence the power of M83 at Moogfest.

- Fr. Jones

]]>


Believe it or not, I usually don’t spend my early Sunday evenings jumping up and down in unison with hundreds of costumed hipsters to the otherworldly, euphoric sounds of arena space-rock/dreampop- but I happily made an exception for M83’s unforgettable set on the final day of Asheville’s Moogfest event. And now the day of rest will never be the same.

For clarification’s sake, I’m a little biased. M83’s Anthony Gonzalez has been systematically blowing my mind for about eight years now beginning with his minimalist, avant-garde electronic epic, Dead Cities, Red Seas, & Lost Ghosts (which somehow finds a world of soul in three minutes of deliberately repetitive notes and chords). But biased or not, my realist sensibilities had given me a cause for concern. First of all, M83’s set time had troubled me ever since the schedule was officially announced a little over a month ago. Sure, “Midnight City” is currently all the rage (I’m pretty sure by now that Sirius DJs are dreaming about that digital yelp ←- see what I did there?). But by playing at 6:30 (!) Sunday evening, M83 would be effectively mopping up the floors from two previous days of garish, musical excess. With Neon Indian, Ghostland Observatory, and Umphrey’s McGee still waiting in the Sunday night wings, M83 was placed in a decidedly odd position of possible Moogfest irrelevance.

But if any album can reinvigorate a sluggish crowed it would of course be Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. The band itself was comprised of a mere four people including Anthony Gonzalez; among them, Morgan Kibby, who most fans would recognize as the female vocalist from 2008’s Saturdays=Youth, as well as a new fresh-faced guitarist named Jordan (who was actually celebrating his twentieth birthday). As six-thirty rolled around, the crowd at the Asheville Civic Center had begun to dominate the floor area forcing others to resort to balcony seats.
And this is all before a costumed monster slowly walked onstage to raise its arms in youthful defiance. At the time, it merely seemed odd. We would know later that this was a warning signal for the crowd- things were about to get awesome. In an hour and fifteen minutes, M83 effectively ended Moogfest for hundreds of people. Any follow-up experiences that evening suddenly became an anti-climactic formality**.
The setlist was weighted mostly to
wards Dreaming and Saturdays with “Teen Angst” receiving the nod from Before the Dawn Heals Us (no time for avant-garde minimalism here!). Yet it never really felt like a collection of songs at all- instead, more so a giant, relentless wall of sound. And I say this without the aforementioned bias, these guys put out sound the way a fire hose puts out water. From the opening “Intro” to set-closer “Couleurs”, everyone inside the Civic Center was under the band’s spell- it was palpable, you could actually feel it. And when an artist can do that, it becomes more than special- it becomes a dream
** Trust me- this is no exaggeration. The usually awesome Neon Indian started fifteen minutes after the M83 show and it seemed as dynamic as a wet firecracker. Try going to a Neon Indian show and not enjoying it. It’s like trying to frown on a waterslide- but on this particular day, it all felt quite pedantic. Neon Indian… pedantic! Hence the power of M83 at Moogfest.

- Fr. Jones

]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/11/06/m83-live-review-moogfest-10302011/feed/ 0 Moogfest 2011: Interview with Clara Boucher of Grimes http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/moogfest-2011-interview-with-clara-boucher-of-grimes/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/moogfest-2011-interview-with-clara-boucher-of-grimes/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 12:01:16 +0000 admin http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4110

FR: So, you will be performing in this year’s Moogfest in October. How did this come about? Are there any artists you are excited to see perform?

CB: I’m really excited to see Araabmuzik and Moby if i can. I would say Austra – but I’ll be on tour with her so I’m sure I’ll be well-acquainted with her set by Moogfest.
FR: I have read where you describe Grimes as post-internet. Can you explain this description? And are there other artists you would refer to as post-internet?

CB: Well, I would say most artists making music today are “post-internet” — I wasn’t trying to make any serious cultural diagnosis or anything when I made it. But I was basically referring to the generation that grew up with Napster and everyone after that because I feel like their approach to music is inherently going to be different from the older generations because the nostalgia that stems from early adolescence is so much less specific in terms of what music one would be listening to. For me, I’m as nostalgic for Lata Mangeshkar as like, New Order or something. There was really like an infinite amount of music that I was exposed to whereas before that you would have to go to the record store. And emotionally formative years were really driven by specific things like I know my dad just has this obsession with when he first heard David Bowie and Bowie being the one ultimate savior of high school or something because it was so hard to get music and it was the only cool record he had. Which is totally chill, i just think like that lead to a kind of stasis in terms of what he can enjoy. People who are my age but even moreso people who are younger are, like, really able to be experimental in their taste. You look even at mainstream music and its soooo fucking weird, because teenagers are like, insatiable. They have everything so you just need to bombard them with the craziest shit.

But if you want artists who I think really embrace the chaos — I would say Doldrums does it the most. Cop Car Bonfire, Blue Hawaii, I don’t know.. I feel like Flying Lotus kind of has pretty chaotic vibes in terms of how he approaches music. Really everybody though. Like, I did not invent this idea — everybody who’s mashing pastiches and hopping through genres is from this generation. I think its not a movement its just the natural progression. I

… Click to continue
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FR: So, you will be performing in this year’s Moogfest in October. How did this come about? Are there any artists you are excited to see perform?

CB: I’m really excited to see Araabmuzik and Moby if i can. I would say Austra – but I’ll be on tour with her so I’m sure I’ll be well-acquainted with her set by Moogfest.
FR: I have read where you describe Grimes as post-internet. Can you explain this description? And are there other artists you would refer to as post-internet?

CB: Well, I would say most artists making music today are “post-internet” — I wasn’t trying to make any serious cultural diagnosis or anything when I made it. But I was basically referring to the generation that grew up with Napster and everyone after that because I feel like their approach to music is inherently going to be different from the older generations because the nostalgia that stems from early adolescence is so much less specific in terms of what music one would be listening to. For me, I’m as nostalgic for Lata Mangeshkar as like, New Order or something. There was really like an infinite amount of music that I was exposed to whereas before that you would have to go to the record store. And emotionally formative years were really driven by specific things like I know my dad just has this obsession with when he first heard David Bowie and Bowie being the one ultimate savior of high school or something because it was so hard to get music and it was the only cool record he had. Which is totally chill, i just think like that lead to a kind of stasis in terms of what he can enjoy. People who are my age but even moreso people who are younger are, like, really able to be experimental in their taste. You look even at mainstream music and its soooo fucking weird, because teenagers are like, insatiable. They have everything so you just need to bombard them with the craziest shit.

But if you want artists who I think really embrace the chaos — I would say Doldrums does it the most. Cop Car Bonfire, Blue Hawaii, I don’t know.. I feel like Flying Lotus kind of has pretty chaotic vibes in terms of how he approaches music. Really everybody though. Like, I did not invent this idea — everybody who’s mashing pastiches and hopping through genres is from this generation. I think its not a movement its just the natural progression. I don’t want to be like, labelled as the inventor, im just doing what everyone is naturally doing and ppl latched onto a word I used to describe it once.

FR: Technological advancement and over-saturation are only picking up speed. How long do you think before we move into the age of post-post internet? What did you think this era will be called?

CB: I don’t know- I’m not really sure what that would entail but I imagine things will either slow down or the means of consuming or making music will be much faster. They’ve got motor based systems now where you can control movement with your brain to say, “Play a video game” or something. I think if this can be translated to music – like you just think of notes and they record themselves, this will be post-post internet.


FR: You recently toured with Lykke Li- what was that experience like?

CB: Really great, she’s a smart and driven lady. I learned a lot from her.

FR: Grimes boasts a tone that is both wonderfully ethereal and macabre. I’ve heard it described before as a “haunted music box”. How does this sound translate to the live circuit?

CB: Well, live it’s much more dance-oriented. Like, I want the listening experience to be unsettling and personal, but i want the live experience to be communal and ecstatic, so it’s definitely weird and sonically interesting- but… I guess much happier?

FR: The videos for “Vanessa” and “Crystal Ball” are quite memorable. Will there be a video from Geidi Primes?

CB: No, Geidi Primes is too old. There will be videos for every song off my new record though-Visions. It’s an audio visual record- like the Doldrums VHS maybe. Seriously, check out Doldrums. I don’t want to get credited for his ideas.

FR: What was the recording process like for Geidi Primes? You have another LP out this January- what is the secret to your productivity?

CB: It was just recorded straight into the mic on garageband. It’s super ghetto, which is why I think it’s funny on vinyl. But I definitely stand behind it because I like it’s experimentalism. I think there is no secret to productivity besides just like, if you love something- you want to do it all the time as much as you can.

FR: Can you give us a hint as to what the next Grimes album will sound like?

CB: If Aphex Twin and TLC decided to make a band.

FR: In this post-internet era, music is available in a wide array of formats- digital downloads, cassettes, CDs, vinyl, etc. What is your favorite way to listen to music?

CB: As digital as possible. So i guess .wav files, in headphones, in the dark, while stoned-merging with my computer.

FR: Any advice to up-and-coming artists struggling to make it in the 21st century music industry?

CB: Go to New York.
]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/moogfest-2011-interview-with-clara-boucher-of-grimes/feed/ 0 Interview with Paul Frick of the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/interview-with-paul-frick-of-the-brandt-brauer-frick-ensemble/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/interview-with-paul-frick-of-the-brandt-brauer-frick-ensemble/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:56:54 +0000 admin http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4107

FR: Before the ensemble was formed, how did the original trio get together? And what was the process like when it came time to form the actual ensemble?

PF: We met in the club music scene, mutually liking each others music, Jan and Daniel’s project “Scott” and my solo house project. Our first common session worked so well for us that we just kept on making music together. Then we had this ensemble idea very quickly, because we asked ourselves how we would want to perform without using prerecorded sounds live.

FR: I really dig the album artwork for both You Make Me Real and Mr. Machine. What is the story behind that?

PF: Daniel had the ideas for both of them, he’s the one who usually comes up with visual and conceptual stuff. For “You Make Me Real” we asked the illustrator Danae Diaz to draw it. Afterwards she also made the video for “Caffeine” based on the artwork, together with Patricia Luna. And the objects for the “Mr. Machine” artwork were build by Jan’s friend Robert Meyer and photographied by Richard G. Brozowski. Mr. Machine’s skull has even moving parts and lights in it, and also the ear, the arm and a bone. Mr. Machine is an old pre-industrial robot that we found underneath our garden.

 

FR: The new album features some vocals from Ninja Tune’s Emika. What was that collaborative experience like?

PF: We know each other well, so it’s very cool to work together. Before we did the album recording of “Pretend,” we had done a remix of her original song. At some point we had the idea that our remix would fit very well for making an ensemble arrangement of it. Emika was also on tour with us in May, supporting us and then also singing “Pretend.” All the ensemble musicians loved it from the start.

 

FR: You guys will be performing at Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina this October. How did you land that gig? Is there any particular artist involved you are excited to see perform?

PF: Oh, ask our booker! We’re excited about Moogfest, glad to be able to see for example Amon Tobin, Flying Lotus and again Battles who were already fantastic at Glastonbury.

 

FR: What can an audience expect from a Brandt Brauer Frick live performance? How do you feel your sound translates live?

PF: People shouldn’t have any particular expectations and come with their senses open wide. Maybe they will like it.

 

FR: To me, the classic 9 minute … Click to continue
]]>

FR: Before the ensemble was formed, how did the original trio get together? And what was the process like when it came time to form the actual ensemble?

PF: We met in the club music scene, mutually liking each others music, Jan and Daniel’s project “Scott” and my solo house project. Our first common session worked so well for us that we just kept on making music together. Then we had this ensemble idea very quickly, because we asked ourselves how we would want to perform without using prerecorded sounds live.

FR: I really dig the album artwork for both You Make Me Real and Mr. Machine. What is the story behind that?

PF: Daniel had the ideas for both of them, he’s the one who usually comes up with visual and conceptual stuff. For “You Make Me Real” we asked the illustrator Danae Diaz to draw it. Afterwards she also made the video for “Caffeine” based on the artwork, together with Patricia Luna. And the objects for the “Mr. Machine” artwork were build by Jan’s friend Robert Meyer and photographied by Richard G. Brozowski. Mr. Machine’s skull has even moving parts and lights in it, and also the ear, the arm and a bone. Mr. Machine is an old pre-industrial robot that we found underneath our garden.

 

FR: The new album features some vocals from Ninja Tune’s Emika. What was that collaborative experience like?

PF: We know each other well, so it’s very cool to work together. Before we did the album recording of “Pretend,” we had done a remix of her original song. At some point we had the idea that our remix would fit very well for making an ensemble arrangement of it. Emika was also on tour with us in May, supporting us and then also singing “Pretend.” All the ensemble musicians loved it from the start.

 

FR: You guys will be performing at Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina this October. How did you land that gig? Is there any particular artist involved you are excited to see perform?

PF: Oh, ask our booker! We’re excited about Moogfest, glad to be able to see for example Amon Tobin, Flying Lotus and again Battles who were already fantastic at Glastonbury.

 

FR: What can an audience expect from a Brandt Brauer Frick live performance? How do you feel your sound translates live?

PF: People shouldn’t have any particular expectations and come with their senses open wide. Maybe they will like it.

 

FR: To me, the classic 9 minute “Bop” video is a brilliant, conceptual summation of your talents. Can we expect another video in the same vein to coincide withMr. Machine?

PF: Well, yes! We shot a pretty gigantic video some weeks ago, and the cut is almost ready. It’s very different from “Bop,” and I find it quite spectacular.

 

FR: Does the ensemble have a preference for any of the reinterpreted tracks from You Make Me Real featured on the new album?

PF: Not completely sure about the others, but my favourite is the piece “You Make Me Real” itself. It’s got a very intense vibe and there are very mind-blowing and sick instrumental sounds in it.

 

FR: What is the inspiration behind the unconventional, signature sound of the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble?

PF: Love and hate, life and death.

 

FR: Out of the wide array of instruments utilized in Mr. Machine, is there one that you feel defines the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble the most?

PF: No, it’s about creating a world, with whatever means we feel like. But maybe we can make a competition: who finds the vibraslap on the album gets a CD?


 

FR: What can fans expect from future releases?

PF: They can’t expect anything, we don’t even know it ourselves!

 

FR: In just the past decade, the music industry has gone through some radical changes. Where do you see the music scene heading in the next ten years?

PF: To eternal happiness?

 

PF: Any advice to up-and-coming artists struggling to make it in the music industry?

FR: Hm, just the obvious one: first make music and then you can think of the industry, not the other way around.

 

 

]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/interview-with-paul-frick-of-the-brandt-brauer-frick-ensemble/feed/ 0 Moogfest 2011: Anika Interview http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/moogfest-2011-anika-interview/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/moogfest-2011-anika-interview/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:51:32 +0000 admin http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4104

FR: I’ve heard that you never expected Anika to become as popular as it has- at first, even questioning whether or not to actually release it. I find this interesting because it defies exposure- which is practically the opposite of why most musicians record albums in the first place. What motivated you to lay down these tracks?

ANIKA: I think the answer to this is that there are too many musicians making music for the wrong reasons. I don’t think you should make music because you want to be famous. Often whilst in the process of creating something, you don’t quite know the answer as to why you are. It is often only in hindsight and when you are distanced from something that you are able to join the dots and appreciate why or even how. I still struggle with the how. At the time i was even a little annoyed to be grabbed and prevented from pursuing my path as Political Journalist. I had just moved back to Berlin and started a job as the UK Higher Education correspondent. I enjoyed my life there and so the idea of exchanging it for an impoverished life in Bristol was less than appealing. The reason i made the record was because i was frustrated with the play-it-safe attitude of the British general public. I hated the fact that “politics” was such an unpopular word amongst the young and educated and even more so amongst musicians.

“Keep calm and carry on” was the British slogan, revived from WW2 days. The music scene, which i personally think should provide a platform for social and political frustration was dominated by easy listening, inoffensive indie, carved out by musicians, often reluctant to release darker, riskier music in fear of it being ignored.

I never wanted to front a band particularly but now i’ve found it’s actually really a special thing to be and that it gives me a rare platform to voice my views or at least challenge what people perceive as normal. I don’t think it is my place to tell people WHAT they should think, merely that they should think and question.


FR: When did you realize for the first time that the album was going to be successful?
ANIKA: Is it? I’m more thinking about how i want to build upon this one and develop it.
FR: Are you planning on a follow-up LP?
ANIKA: Yes. It’s nice making such a raw record, that wasn’t recorded in a self-aware way because there is so much room for
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FR: I’ve heard that you never expected Anika to become as popular as it has- at first, even questioning whether or not to actually release it. I find this interesting because it defies exposure- which is practically the opposite of why most musicians record albums in the first place. What motivated you to lay down these tracks?

ANIKA: I think the answer to this is that there are too many musicians making music for the wrong reasons. I don’t think you should make music because you want to be famous. Often whilst in the process of creating something, you don’t quite know the answer as to why you are. It is often only in hindsight and when you are distanced from something that you are able to join the dots and appreciate why or even how. I still struggle with the how. At the time i was even a little annoyed to be grabbed and prevented from pursuing my path as Political Journalist. I had just moved back to Berlin and started a job as the UK Higher Education correspondent. I enjoyed my life there and so the idea of exchanging it for an impoverished life in Bristol was less than appealing. The reason i made the record was because i was frustrated with the play-it-safe attitude of the British general public. I hated the fact that “politics” was such an unpopular word amongst the young and educated and even more so amongst musicians.

“Keep calm and carry on” was the British slogan, revived from WW2 days. The music scene, which i personally think should provide a platform for social and political frustration was dominated by easy listening, inoffensive indie, carved out by musicians, often reluctant to release darker, riskier music in fear of it being ignored.

I never wanted to front a band particularly but now i’ve found it’s actually really a special thing to be and that it gives me a rare platform to voice my views or at least challenge what people perceive as normal. I don’t think it is my place to tell people WHAT they should think, merely that they should think and question.


FR: When did you realize for the first time that the album was going to be successful?

ANIKA: Is it? I’m more thinking about how i want to build upon this one and develop it.

FR: Are you planning on a follow-up LP?

ANIKA: Yes. It’s nice making such a raw record, that wasn’t recorded in a self-aware way because there is so much room for it to develop. At the same time, the prospect of making a self-aware record for the first time is somewhat daunting…

FR: The production of Anika is appropriately polarizing. Can you tell us a little more about what that experience was like?
ANIKA: Train to Bristol from Cardiff. Picked up by unknown bearded man. Tea. Come on let’s go. Walk into studio with stacks of crumpled paper, 3 strange men come into room. Play. Leave room. Make tea. Forget about the whole thing. Reminded 4 months later when mail requesting artwork approval turns up in inbox. Left confused. Find way to stage. Sing.

FR: Anika feels intensely personal. Would you consider yourself a writer first and a musician second? Or vice versa? And what role does your journalism background play in this? 

ANIKA: It is very personal. People think that the record and performance are quite cold but this is by no means the case. It is very personal. I used to always say writer first but slowly the boundaries are being blurred. I have had to assume the role of musician more over the past year and have had to adjust priorites and such. I think there are equal parts musician and writer for definite. The mind and the heart perhaps. I just neglected the musician side for quite some time.


FR: I don’t feel the comparisons to the Velvet Underground, while apt, give your sound enough credit. Where do you feel these comparisons come from? And who were your true influences when recording?

ANIKA: Comparisons come from our need to understand things. I think it’s flattering that people make this comparison but it was by no means a reference point during the making of the record. My influences come from strong female acts such as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin and such, combined with 60s lyrics and dark poetry like Tennyson, Plath, Lawrence. I love to read and tis is where my influences come from. I think there is more to what we do than Nico.

FR: How do you approach playing this material live? Has the positive response to Anika changed this approach?

ANIKA: I can’t see people about an hour before because this is when i slowly let the heart take over the mind. Many have been in the firing line during this process. Best avoided. I try to get myself into the state i was when we recorded it. Completely un-selfaware. This is why I don’t interact with the audience. If they wanted that kind of show, see something else…

FR: You are participating in 2011’s Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina this October with many, many, many other talented artists. How do you feel about this? Is there a specific Moogfest act you are most excited to see?

ANIKA: Yes it should be good. I didn’t actually realize the sheer scale of the event until slowly more and more people said, “oh yeah we’re playing that too!”. I’ll definitely try and see some Tangerine Dream i think.

FR: Music is made available in a variety of ways. Vinyl, CDs, digital downloads, even cassettes are beginning to make a comeback. Is there any particular medium you feel is the best way to listen to music?

ANIKA: Not really no. I think it’s a personal thing. I personally really enjoy playing vinyl. It’s probably purely nostalgic. There’s just something about the smell of vinyl and the excitement of finding certain vinyl or stumbling across a rare 7″ in the most random place. It’s just a form of collecting really.

FR: The industry itself has gone, for lack of a better word, sideways in the past decade- from Napster’s initial file sharing to YouTube to iPods to MySpace to Spotify. In order for the art form to survive, music has been forced to adapt to become more than just an artist with songs. Do you feel like this is a logical progression of the medium? Or does music need to be saved? Where do you think the next decade will take this evolution? 

ANIKA: Music has always evolved and adapted to changing needs or demands. It will save itself. The idea of ‘saving it’ just means keeping it at the place it is now or striving for a nostalgic ideal of the glory years. One should never rest on their laurels. It’s always been around in one form or another and i think if people make music for the right reasons, then the form of it doesn’t matter so much. Obviously musicians have to survive but if there’s a will, there’s a way. Hopefully the consumer becomes a little more open minded but i think that is bound to happen at some point.


FR: Any advice to up-and-coming artists struggling to make it in the music industry? 

ANIKA: If you want to be famous, be a bloody tv presenter. Don’t make a record. This girl once approached me and asked me how i got to front a band and what process i went through to do it. Well, i did it by accident and because i had something to say. I actually felt quite uncomfortable with the idea. I think the challenges make it interesting. Otherwise i would have married a rich man and put my feet up. Spent my days riding horses.
]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/moogfest-2011-anika-interview/feed/ 0 Battles Interview http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/battles-interview/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/battles-interview/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:29:34 +0000 admin http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4101
FR: Moogfest is right around the corner. Can you tell us a little more about how you got involved with this event? 
IW: We were asked to play, i believe.
FR: In your humble opinion, who is the best artist featured at this event that not enough people know about?

IW: I look forward to seeing the Stickmen, if it is in fact the same band that was from Philadelphia in the late seventies.

FR: Connecting the festivals of the past year is your endless live circuit. Do you approach live Battles shows differently than festival performances?

IW: The main difference to me is that your time is more abrreviated at a festival- so you have to rush through your set and can’t expand as much. And also sometimes you can be really rushed just to set up in time and that can screw your show up if you’re not able to be ready in time. I’d say sometimes it can be the fault of the artist or sometimes can be the fault of the festival when that happens.

FR: I imagine touring can get draining. What is the most difficult part of the live circuit- and how do you cope?

IW: It’s hard the hardest thing i’ve tried, but also the most rewarding. It’s a strange high, one that comes from a fucked up lifestyle, but a high that is hard to match doing other things. I try things like jogging and also touring with a bike in the bus. It makes you feel instantly local in each town.

FR: Does the band have any pre-game rituals before going onstage?

IW: Each of us is different. I like to stretch a bit and not be bombarded with socializing.

FR: Do you have a favorite place to play?

IW: Ireland is pretty strong. Japan is too. Mexico is really good these days. In the US, I’d say the west is pretty great.

FR: What are Battles’ main musical influences? Who are you guys listening to currently?
IW: I don’t think we wear our influences on our sleeves, but we do synthesize general aspects of a lot of music. Electronic and rock music.


FR: Let’s talk Gloss Drop for a bit. I really dig it- I’m a big fan of “Futura”and I think “Sundome” is some of your best stuff. Outside of Tyondai Braxton’s absence, what was the biggest difference between Mirrored and Gloss Drop?

IW: I think we’ve had a linear progress from the early EPs through to Mirrored then Gloss Drop. Our

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FR: Moogfest is right around the corner. Can you tell us a little more about how you got involved with this event? 

IW: We were asked to play, i believe.

FR: In your humble opinion, who is the best artist featured at this event that not enough people know about?

IW: I look forward to seeing the Stickmen, if it is in fact the same band that was from Philadelphia in the late seventies.

FR: Connecting the festivals of the past year is your endless live circuit. Do you approach live Battles shows differently than festival performances?

IW: The main difference to me is that your time is more abrreviated at a festival- so you have to rush through your set and can’t expand as much. And also sometimes you can be really rushed just to set up in time and that can screw your show up if you’re not able to be ready in time. I’d say sometimes it can be the fault of the artist or sometimes can be the fault of the festival when that happens.

FR: I imagine touring can get draining. What is the most difficult part of the live circuit- and how do you cope?

IW: It’s hard the hardest thing i’ve tried, but also the most rewarding. It’s a strange high, one that comes from a fucked up lifestyle, but a high that is hard to match doing other things. I try things like jogging and also touring with a bike in the bus. It makes you feel instantly local in each town.

FR: Does the band have any pre-game rituals before going onstage?

IW: Each of us is different. I like to stretch a bit and not be bombarded with socializing.

FR: Do you have a favorite place to play?

IW: Ireland is pretty strong. Japan is too. Mexico is really good these days. In the US, I’d say the west is pretty great.

FR: What are Battles’ main musical influences? Who are you guys listening to currently?

IW: I don’t think we wear our influences on our sleeves, but we do synthesize general aspects of a lot of music. Electronic and rock music.


FR: Let’s talk Gloss Drop for a bit. I really dig it- I’m a big fan of “Futura”and I think “Sundome” is some of your best stuff. Outside of Tyondai Braxton’s absence, what was the biggest difference between Mirrored and Gloss Drop?

IW: I think we’ve had a linear progress from the early EPs through to Mirrored then Gloss Drop. Our technique has been more honed and we’ve figured out how to take our musical language further.

FR: Battles is known for their tight, precise, electronic sound as well as warm, organic instrumentation. Do you intentionally try to combine these elements? Do you hold allegiance to one over the other?

IW: We don’t make a division between the two worlds. The obvious joining happens when electronic sounds are put through amplifiers on stage. It gives some air to what could be a really tight electronic sound. It makes it more soupy. And also when you loop guitar lines, it does the Black Sabbath sounds like a disco song thing.

FR: Out of all the looped soundscapes you’ve created, what is your current favorite?

IW: I like all the loops on Gloss Drop. It’s really the looping that evolved on this new record. New tricks that Dave and I used to make them. If i had to pick maybe i’d say “Futura” or “Wall Street”.

FR: Where do you see Battles and the music industry in the near to distant future?

IW: While there’s a question of how money will be made in the future, it still will be in demand. Society has always organized itself around music. But another interesting question is how is the huge catalogue of recorded music building up influences things. That is a new development- that the past fifty years of musical history have recorded and are still with us. Beatles records still sell like crazy. What that means for younger bands, i’m not sure.

FR: Any advice to up-and-coming artists struggling to make it in the 21st century music industry?

IW: Don’t worry about being successful. Just make music that you like and if you genuinely achieve that, somebody else will like it too.
]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/battles-interview/feed/ 0 M83 Interview http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/m83-interview/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/m83-interview/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:26:26 +0000 admin http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4098

FR: First things first, you will be performing at Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina. How did you get involved with this event? Is there any particular artist you are excited to see perform?

 

AG: There’s probably tons of artists I’d like to see perform- but I don’t know the lineup yet! I don’t know who’s playing actually. But I’ve always been a big fan of the Moog synthesizers. I have a couple of them and when they asked us to perform for the festival, there was no doubt about it. So I’m excited to see who is playing this year and… oh my God, Tangerine Dream is playing?! 


FR: Tangerine Dream is playing.

AG: Well, then, I’m super excited to see them.

FR: Let’s talk “Midnight City”- the first single from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Your last album Saturdays=Youth featured a diverse selection of 80s style synthpop ballads (“Kim and Jessie”, “Graveyard Girl”) as well as songs that are primarily electronica-driven (“We Own the Sky”, “Couleurs”), “Midnight City” is a seamless hybrid of these particular styles. Can we expect more of this concept on your new album?

AG: You’ve heard the single, right?

FR: Yes. I’ve heard it.

AG: The single is kind of different. Well, it’s not too different but there are a lot of different styles of music on this album. A lot of very intense tracks, a lot of orchestrated tracks, a lot of small pieces of ambient music to connect all the tracks. This album is more like a dream, it’s a journey. It’s like a movie almost. It’s very cinematic. So there’s many pop songs, but there’s a lot of slow songs, very intriguing, very psychedelic. “Midnight City” is one of the poppiest songs on the album. The rest of the album is much more cinematic… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. It’s a double album y’know? So there’s a bit of everything in it.

FR: Double-disc albums have become something of a rarity in music during the past 20 years – but usually when it happens, the end product are massive successes (Smashing Pumpkins, Outkast, to name a few). Why are artists so reluctant to embrace this format?

AG: I don’t know. I grew up listening to double-albums. When you’re a kid in the 80s and you know that one of your favorite bands is releasing a double-album, you really wait for the album to come out. You’re just waiting for it. Because you know it’s going to be big and thoughtful like a great piece

… Click to continue
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FR: First things first, you will be performing at Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina. How did you get involved with this event? Is there any particular artist you are excited to see perform?

 

AG: There’s probably tons of artists I’d like to see perform- but I don’t know the lineup yet! I don’t know who’s playing actually. But I’ve always been a big fan of the Moog synthesizers. I have a couple of them and when they asked us to perform for the festival, there was no doubt about it. So I’m excited to see who is playing this year and… oh my God, Tangerine Dream is playing?! 


FR: Tangerine Dream is playing.

AG: Well, then, I’m super excited to see them.

FR: Let’s talk “Midnight City”- the first single from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Your last album Saturdays=Youth featured a diverse selection of 80s style synthpop ballads (“Kim and Jessie”, “Graveyard Girl”) as well as songs that are primarily electronica-driven (“We Own the Sky”, “Couleurs”), “Midnight City” is a seamless hybrid of these particular styles. Can we expect more of this concept on your new album?

AG: You’ve heard the single, right?

FR: Yes. I’ve heard it.

AG: The single is kind of different. Well, it’s not too different but there are a lot of different styles of music on this album. A lot of very intense tracks, a lot of orchestrated tracks, a lot of small pieces of ambient music to connect all the tracks. This album is more like a dream, it’s a journey. It’s like a movie almost. It’s very cinematic. So there’s many pop songs, but there’s a lot of slow songs, very intriguing, very psychedelic. “Midnight City” is one of the poppiest songs on the album. The rest of the album is much more cinematic… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. It’s a double album y’know? So there’s a bit of everything in it.

FR: Double-disc albums have become something of a rarity in music during the past 20 years – but usually when it happens, the end product are massive successes (Smashing Pumpkins, Outkast, to name a few). Why are artists so reluctant to embrace this format?

AG: I don’t know. I grew up listening to double-albums. When you’re a kid in the 80s and you know that one of your favorite bands is releasing a double-album, you really wait for the album to come out. You’re just waiting for it. Because you know it’s going to be big and thoughtful like a great piece of art, a piece of work. And I’m a little nostalgic about that musical era, y’know? Now it’s not about discs anymore unfortunately. It’s all about the single and downloading stuff and I think it’s kind of sad. I’m not saying it’s bad and it was better before. I’m just saying there is too much information nowadays. It might be too much for people. I don’t know, it’s too much for me. What I miss is when you’re really expecting something to come out NOW. But now there’s something in the same day, the same week- you’re basically excited about the album for forty minutes, and then you’re excited about something else. I don’t know. I’m an old music fan and I love listening to vinyl and CDs, y’know..

FR: How did you decide to work with Brad Laner and Zola Jesus on the upcoming record? What do you think they bring to the record musically?

AG: With Brad Laner, I was a huge fan of his band Medicine from the 90s and it was a great experience for me to work with him because I was a fan as a kid. Same thing with Justin the producer who was the bass player for Beck. Playing with them and making an album with them, when you watched them play on TV as a kid, it’s just amazing, y’know? Watching him perform with Beck as a teenager and now he’s one of my best friends and we’re making music together- it’s really unbelievable. And Zola Jesus- she’s one of the rare female artists that really gets my interest. I think she has something very special in her voice. She has something unique, such character in her voice. It’s hers and no one else’s. That’s what I like about her. And she’s such a nice person, very genuine, very smart, very intelligent. I was expecting a very perfect girl. But she was actually very simple and nice. We have a lot of things in common, the same movies…

FR: What is your songwriting process like? Has this approach changed over your career?

AG: My writing process rarely changes. I always start the same, finding a good melody on keys or with chords. I always start my songs with my keyboards. I barely start any songs on my guitar or bass- mainly piano and keyboards. Because I’m basically alone in the band, I just go into my studio and it’s basically creating layers and layers of sound. I like the idea of a wall of sound adding layers and layers of instruments until it’s too much.

FR: “Couleurs” had a great Wall of Sound effect.
AG: Yeah it did.

FR: “We Own the Sky” has one of my favorite videos of all time. Do you have a concept in mind for the “Midnight City” video and are you by any chance planning another video contest?

AG: We are maybe planning another video contest for the last single from this album but for now… for “Midnight City”, I have been working with two directors from France. They are shooting the video this week so I’m excited to see it. They had a great concept for it.

FR: M83 is named after the spiral galaxy Messier 83. In particular, on Dead Citiesand Before the Dawn Heals Us, the albums feel big enough to fit an entire universe. Do you have a fascination with space and if so, how has this influenced your music?

AG: For the last album… well, I’ve always been fascinated by space, science fiction. I love science fiction movies and books. I play lots of video games about space. For this album, I often drove my car to the desert with my laptop just to get away from the city, just to see the stars at night because I miss that. In the desert, you can see all of space in front of you- it’s right there. This is what I liked to do on this album. I would bring my computer and most of the small ambient interludes and songs on this album have been composed in the desert.

FR: When it comes to your music, do you favor a particular song above all others?

AG: A favorite song of mine? I think one of my favorites would be “Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun”- the outro from Before the Dawn Heals Us. It’s very special.

FR: That’s actually my second or third favorite.

AG: Cool. Cool.

FR: My favorite is… well, I keep coming back to “You, Appearing”- the opening track from Saturdays. That’s a really dynamite way of opening an album. But hey…

AG: Hey… that’s cool.

FR: Music these days can be heard in a variety of formats. It is available in almost any way the listener finds preferable- cassettes, vinyl, CDs, digital downloads. Is there a certain way you prefer your music to be heard? What’s your favorite format for listening to music?

AG: Obviously, just like anyone else…. Fortunately, there are a lot of mp3s. But I still like to buy CDs and vinyls. I still buy a lot of vinyls. I love the sound of vinyls- especially for the kind of music that I’m listening to. I’m listening to a lot of electronic music from the 70s and it just sounds better on vinyl.

FR: Where do you see the music industry going in the next ten years?

AG: Ohmigod. I think in ten years, there will be some software where you can say the kind of music that you want to listen to- and it will create new music for you. You know what I mean? You could say, “Oh, I want something that sounds like M83…” and it will create a brand-new track especially for you. It’s weird. It’s scary. The future is scary for music.

FR: Any advice to up-and-coming musicians struggling to make it in the 21st century music industry?

AG: Try to find another job because it’s very hard now. It’s not the best job on earth right now.

 

]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/22/m83-interview/feed/ 0 I’m with you http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/03/im-with-you/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/03/im-with-you/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:01:48 +0000 admin http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4084
By Fr. Jones
And here we are with the tenth studio album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The flawed, yet incredibly admirable I’m With You never strays too far from the traditional course but it does offer the listener a fair share of moments both groovy and (dare we say) graceful. Uncharacteristically devoid of traditional single material, the album is a more straightforward and organic affair favoring warmth in place of inexplicable audacity. Still, the hooks, the bass, the funk, are all thankfully prevalent- but they function more appropriately here as individual pieces of an enjoyable (yet massively overlong) fifty-nine minute entity. With the exception of “Brendan’s Death Song”, any traces of the band’s previous angst have dissipated- although this should be fairly obvious to Chili Peppers fans that endured the bloated, soulless affair known as Stadium Arcadium. However, I’m With You feels largely content making peace with itself and the listener. It’s a difficult act to sell for any artist, let alone one with a history as volatile as the Chili Peppers. But the band here seems at ease with it’s own evolution. And as a result, this may be the first time Anthony Kiedis has ever sounded genuinely wise on record. My initial impression of lead single “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” may have been a little hard. And while I am no “Rain Dance Maggie” advocate, the band is far from dying; instead, they seem to be living merely on their own terms. And for a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this should come as no surprise.

Even more so than on previous releases, band stalwarts, Anthony Kiedis and Flea, are front and center here. Despite the vocal confines of the legendary frontman, there is a comfortable restraint to his lyrics even at their most “freaky styley”- and Flea gets ample opportunities to exercise his fleet-fingered bass lines that exist to purposefully rescue songs from sonic disarray. Much fuss has been made over the replacement of guitarist John Frusciante, mostly due to the band’s previous excursion sans Frusciante- the misunderstood One Hot Minute with Dave Navarro. And while replacement guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is not quite as prominently featured (there are times when he actually seems buried within the mix), he is allotted several moments to shine especially in the album’s first half. Although he could certainly grow to be the full-bodied presence of his predecessor, Klinghoffer is reliably efficient, workmanlike, and far from the distraction that was Navarro.

I’m With You is not without it’s fair share

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By Fr. Jones
And here we are with the tenth studio album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The flawed, yet incredibly admirable I’m With You never strays too far from the traditional course but it does offer the listener a fair share of moments both groovy and (dare we say) graceful. Uncharacteristically devoid of traditional single material, the album is a more straightforward and organic affair favoring warmth in place of inexplicable audacity. Still, the hooks, the bass, the funk, are all thankfully prevalent- but they function more appropriately here as individual pieces of an enjoyable (yet massively overlong) fifty-nine minute entity. With the exception of “Brendan’s Death Song”, any traces of the band’s previous angst have dissipated- although this should be fairly obvious to Chili Peppers fans that endured the bloated, soulless affair known as Stadium Arcadium. However, I’m With You feels largely content making peace with itself and the listener. It’s a difficult act to sell for any artist, let alone one with a history as volatile as the Chili Peppers. But the band here seems at ease with it’s own evolution. And as a result, this may be the first time Anthony Kiedis has ever sounded genuinely wise on record. My initial impression of lead single “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie” may have been a little hard. And while I am no “Rain Dance Maggie” advocate, the band is far from dying; instead, they seem to be living merely on their own terms. And for a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this should come as no surprise.

Even more so than on previous releases, band stalwarts, Anthony Kiedis and Flea, are front and center here. Despite the vocal confines of the legendary frontman, there is a comfortable restraint to his lyrics even at their most “freaky styley”- and Flea gets ample opportunities to exercise his fleet-fingered bass lines that exist to purposefully rescue songs from sonic disarray. Much fuss has been made over the replacement of guitarist John Frusciante, mostly due to the band’s previous excursion sans Frusciante- the misunderstood One Hot Minute with Dave Navarro. And while replacement guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is not quite as prominently featured (there are times when he actually seems buried within the mix), he is allotted several moments to shine especially in the album’s first half. Although he could certainly grow to be the full-bodied presence of his predecessor, Klinghoffer is reliably efficient, workmanlike, and far from the distraction that was Navarro.

I’m With You is not without it’s fair share of clunkers. But they are often strategically surrounded by energetic stretches of quality. The tracklist structure deserves substantial praise. As far as discernible flow, this is the band’s best arrangement of songs sinceCalifornication. The album begins with the dynamite trifecta of “Monarchy of Roses”, “Factory of Faith”, and “Brendan’s Death Song”- three tunes that seamlessly capture galloping rhythm, funk, and pathos. The following tracks, “Ethiopia” and “Annie Wants a Baby” never fully engage like intended, lacking the steadfast direction of earlier tunes. I have already said my piece on “Rain Dance Maggie”- yet I must admit the song is not quite as painfully awkward when taken in the album’s context. “Look Around”, “Did I Let You Know”(with a trumpet solo), and “Goodbye Hooray” liven up the midsection and also feature some of Klinghoffer’s more impressive melodies. I’m With You’s overlength predictably causes it to stumble towards the end. “Police Station” or “Even You Brutus” would have functioned properly as legitimate album closers. Instead, we end with “Meet Me at the Corner” and “Dance, Dance, Dance”- two offerings that are far too slight to end such a polished effort. In particular, the placement of “Dance, Dance, Dance” is a little odd. No strangers to minimalist finales, Californication featured the beautifully quaint “Road Trippin” as it’s curtain-dropper, but “Dance” exists somewhere between a campfire singalong and a raucous high-energy dance number. The song really only works when listened to beyond the tracklist.

Nevertheless, I’m With You is an immensely rich and polished collection of songs. And if there was ever any real doubt, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are back and not treading water. Whether or not this direction is aimless is really for them to know and us to find out. But when it comes to these guys- isn’t that always the point?

]]> http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/03/im-with-you/feed/ 0 M83 http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/03/m83/ http://mycolumbiasc.com/2011/10/03/m83/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 06:43:56 +0000 admin http://www.columbiacitypaper.com/?p=4079
CCP’s very own Fr. Jones shoots the breeze with Anthony Gonzalez from M83 about Moogfest, double-disc nostalgia, walls of sound, and music in the desert.


FR: First things first, you will be performing at Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina. How did you get involved with this event? Is there any particular artist you are excited to see perform?
AG: There’s probably tons of artists I’d like to see perform- but I don’t know the lineup yet! I don’t know who’s playing actually. But I’ve always been a big fan of the Moog synthesizers. I have a couple of them and when they asked us to perform for the festival, there was no doubt about it. So I’m excited to see who is playing this year and… oh my God, Tangerine Dream is playing?! 


FR: Tangerine Dream is playing.

AG: Well, then, I’m super excited to see them.

FR: Let’s talk “Midnight City”- the first single from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Your last album Saturdays=Youth featured a diverse selection of 80s style synthpop ballads (“Kim and Jessie”, “Graveyard Girl”) as well as songs that are primarily electronica-driven (“We Own the Sky”, “Couleurs”), “Midnight City” is a seamless hybrid of these particular styles. Can we expect more of this concept on your new album?

AG: You’ve heard the single, right?

FR: Yes. I’ve heard it.

AG: The single is kind of different. Well, it’s not too different but there are a lot of different styles of music on this album. A lot of very intense tracks, a lot of orchestrated tracks, a lot of small pieces of ambient music to connect all the tracks. This album is more like a dream, it’s a journey. It’s like a movie almost. It’s very cinematic. So there’s many pop songs, but there’s a lot of slow songs, very intriguing, very psychedelic. “Midnight City” is one of the poppiest songs on the album. The rest of the album is much more cinematic… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. It’s a double album y’know? So there’s a bit of everything in it.

FR: Double-disc albums have become something of a rarity in music during the past 20 years – but usually when it happens, the end product are massive successes (Smashing Pumpkins, Outkast, to name a few). Why are artists so reluctant to embrace this format?

AG: I don’t know. I grew up listening to double-albums. When you’re a kid in the 80s and you know that one of your favorite bands is releasing a double-album, you really wait for

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CCP’s very own Fr. Jones shoots the breeze with Anthony Gonzalez from M83 about Moogfest, double-disc nostalgia, walls of sound, and music in the desert.


FR: First things first, you will be performing at Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina. How did you get involved with this event? Is there any particular artist you are excited to see perform?
AG: There’s probably tons of artists I’d like to see perform- but I don’t know the lineup yet! I don’t know who’s playing actually. But I’ve always been a big fan of the Moog synthesizers. I have a couple of them and when they asked us to perform for the festival, there was no doubt about it. So I’m excited to see who is playing this year and… oh my God, Tangerine Dream is playing?! 


FR: Tangerine Dream is playing.

AG: Well, then, I’m super excited to see them.

FR: Let’s talk “Midnight City”- the first single from Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Your last album Saturdays=Youth featured a diverse selection of 80s style synthpop ballads (“Kim and Jessie”, “Graveyard Girl”) as well as songs that are primarily electronica-driven (“We Own the Sky”, “Couleurs”), “Midnight City” is a seamless hybrid of these particular styles. Can we expect more of this concept on your new album?

AG: You’ve heard the single, right?

FR: Yes. I’ve heard it.

AG: The single is kind of different. Well, it’s not too different but there are a lot of different styles of music on this album. A lot of very intense tracks, a lot of orchestrated tracks, a lot of small pieces of ambient music to connect all the tracks. This album is more like a dream, it’s a journey. It’s like a movie almost. It’s very cinematic. So there’s many pop songs, but there’s a lot of slow songs, very intriguing, very psychedelic. “Midnight City” is one of the poppiest songs on the album. The rest of the album is much more cinematic… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. It’s a double album y’know? So there’s a bit of everything in it.

FR: Double-disc albums have become something of a rarity in music during the past 20 years – but usually when it happens, the end product are massive successes (Smashing Pumpkins, Outkast, to name a few). Why are artists so reluctant to embrace this format?

AG: I don’t know. I grew up listening to double-albums. When you’re a kid in the 80s and you know that one of your favorite bands is releasing a double-album, you really wait for the album to come out. You’re just waiting for it. Because you know it’s going to be big and thoughtful like a great piece of art, a piece of work. And I’m a little nostalgic about that musical era, y’know? Now it’s not about discs anymore unfortunately. It’s all about the single and downloading stuff and I think it’s kind of sad. I’m not saying it’s bad and it was better before. I’m just saying there is too much information nowadays. It might be too much for people. I don’t know, it’s too much for me. What I miss is when you’re really expecting something to come out NOW. But now there’s something in the same day, the same week- you’re basically excited about the album for forty minutes, and then you’re excited about something else. I don’t know. I’m an old music fan and I love listening to vinyl and CDs, y’know..

FR: How did you decide to work with Brad Laner and Zola Jesus on the upcoming record? What do you think they bring to the record musically?

AG: With Brad Laner, I was a huge fan of his band Medicine from the 90s and it was a great experience for me to work with him because I was a fan as a kid. Same thing with Justin the producer who was the bass player for Beck. Playing with them and making an album with them, when you watched them play on TV as a kid, it’s just amazing, y’know? Watching him perform with Beck as a teenager and now he’s one of my best friends and we’re making music together- it’s really unbelievable. And Zola Jesus- she’s one of the rare female artists that really gets my interest. I think she has something very special in her voice. She has something unique, such character in her voice. It’s hers and no one else’s. That’s what I like about her. And she’s such a nice person, very genuine, very smart, very intelligent. I was expecting a very perfect girl. But she was actually very simple and nice. We have a lot of things in common, the same movies…

FR: What is your songwriting process like? Has this approach changed over your career?

AG: My writing process rarely changes. I always start the same, finding a good melody on keys or with chords. I always start my songs with my keyboards. I barely start any songs on my guitar or bass- mainly piano and keyboards. Because I’m basically alone in the band, I just go into my studio and it’s basically creating layers and layers of sound. I like the idea of a wall of sound adding layers and layers of instruments until it’s too much.

FR: “Couleurs” had a great Wall of Sound effect.
AG: Yeah it did.

FR: “We Own the Sky” has one of my favorite videos of all time. Do you have a concept in mind for the “Midnight City” video and are you by any chance planning another video contest?

AG: We are maybe planning another video contest for the last single from this album but for now… for “Midnight City”, I have been working with two directors from France. They are shooting the video this week so I’m excited to see it. They had a great concept for it.

FR: M83 is named after the spiral galaxy Messier 83. In particular, on Dead Cities andBefore the Dawn Heals Us, the albums feel big enough to fit an entire universe. Do you have a fascination with space and if so, how has this influenced your music?

AG: For the last album… well, I’ve always been fascinated by space, science fiction. I love science fiction movies and books. I play lots of video games about space. For this album, I often drove my car to the desert with my laptop just to get away from the city, just to see the stars at night because I miss that. In the desert, you can see all of space in front of you- it’s right there. This is what I liked to do on this album. I would bring my computer and most of the small ambient interludes and songs on this album have been composed in the desert.

FR: When it comes to your music, do you favor a particular song above all others?

AG: A favorite song of mine? I think one of my favorites would be “Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun”- the outro from Before the Dawn Heals Us. It’s very special.

FR: That’s actually my second or third favorite.

AG: Cool. Cool.

FR: My favorite is… well, I keep coming back to “You, Appearing”- the opening track from Saturdays. That’s a really dynamite way of opening an album. But hey…

AG: Hey… that’s cool.

FR: Music these days can be heard in a variety of formats. It is available in almost any way the listener finds preferable- cassettes, vinyl, CDs, digital downloads. Is there a certain way you prefer your music to be heard? What’s your favorite format for listening to music?

AG: Obviously, just like anyone else…. Fortunately, there are a lot of mp3s. But I still like to buy CDs and vinyls. I still buy a lot of vinyls. I love the sound of vinyls- especially for the kind of music that I’m listening to. I’m listening to a lot of electronic music from the 70s and it just sounds better on vinyl.

FR: Where do you see the music industry going in the next ten years?

AG: Ohmigod. I think in ten years, there will be some software where you can say the kind of music that you want to listen to- and it will create new music for you. You know what I mean? You could say, “Oh, I want something that sounds like M83…” and it will create a brand-new track especially for you. It’s weird. It’s scary. The future is scary for music.

FR: Any advice to up-and-coming musicians struggling to make it in the 21st century music industry?

AG: Try to find another job because it’s very hard now. It’s not the best job on earth right now.

M83 will be performing at this year’s Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina on the weekend of October 28-30.  Single day passes are now available for $75 atwww.moogfest.com.  The new M83 album- Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming- will be released October 18 via Mute.
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