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SXSW 2014: SW/MM/NG x Vinyl Mag
As a seasoned SXSW attendee (two consecutive years constitutes as seasoned, right?), I’ve come to realize that – while not many – there are a few things you are guaranteed take with you from your experience.
You will, without a doubt, always leave with a full backpack-worth of “swag”- koozies, stickers, matches, sunglasses, t-shirts, CDs or whatever else was shoved in your hand as you were cramming a taco into your face while power-walking through the masses to get to Red 7 by five minutes ago.
Second, you will definitely leave with some sort of battle wound. Battle wounds take on a variation of forms, so be prepared to endure them in (potentially) multiple fashions, such as blistered ankles from the 10 miles you walked in six hours, or an unevenly proportioned sunburn (also resulting from the 10 miles you walked in those six hours of blazing sunshine).
While those things are all good, great and dandy, the last thing you are guaranteed to take away is probably most relative to what brought you to this week of SXSW in the first place – you came for the music, and without a doubt, you left with at least one new band that really, really did it for you.
For me this year, that band was SW/MM/ING. SW/MM/NG is a five-piece from Arkansas that makes whimsically dreamy tunes that put you somewhere between the California coast and the year 2004 in your mind. Following their showcase at Valhalla, we were able to catch up with some of the guys and find out completely relevant things like where they were eating and potential lawsuits they were witness to. Read for yourself, and then download their demo “Feel Not Bad” (if you’re into things like ear candy and good feels).
Vinyl Mag: Tonight was your first showcase, correct? How do you feel it went?
Jared Hennessey: Yeah, it was our first showcase and first show with Jack on pianos. It went pretty well, I think.
VM: Oh, first show with the band?
Jack Paul: Well, I’ve been with the band playing drums, but I’ve assumed a new position, because we got a better drummer.
VM: Right on! What has been memorable for you thus far [during SXSW]?
Jared Hennessey: We tried to catch some shows today, but every time we would be walking up, everyone else would be walking out.
Brian Kuppillas: The Portals showcase was really cool, though. And actually, a great set we caught was Trash Talk, and it was right outside of Beer Land. It was nuts- the cops were called; people were jumping off of the roof and falling out of trees. There was a huge mosh pit in the center of the street, and the cops rode up on their ATV’s with their sirens on during a song, and it just made the song so much cooler. Other than that, we’ve just been partying with buddies.
VM: I noticed you had a substantial amount of people at your showcase tonight who knew you guys- were those real- life friends or fans?
JP: A lot of people move away from Fayetteville, and Austin is pretty close, so they come here. We have friends all over, so they come to support.
JH: We actually have no fans – just a lot of friends.
BK: Arkansas is a good place for leaving, so they all head to bigger cities.
VM: Well, Arkansas seems to keep you content, right?
BK: It’s fine. It’s easy and really cheap in the city.
VM: I noticed when trying to google the band that you’re actually very hard to google- is that an intentional thing?
JH: No, we’re working on it. We’re thinking about it pretty hard right now.
BK: Can we talk about the story behind it?
VM: I would love to talk about the story behind it.
BK: So, there’s this UK band called Swimming, and they called Jared up one day around 8 a.m. while we were in Virginia Beach on our first or second tour. They went on with some ‘manager of the band Swimming’ stuff, and I was like, ‘No, we don’t need a manager, but thanks for the call’ or whatever. Meanwhile, he had this ridiculous accent, so I had no idea of half of the stuff he was trying to say. It pretty much came around to him stating that he was calling because he might sue us if we didn’t change the name.
VM: So, this is how the slashes in the band name came about?
JH: Yeah, that’s how that started. But there’s also this band in Australia with the name Swimming, so we may as well just call ourselves Swimming.
JP: Their main concern was that it would be too hard to tell apart in iTunes, so now we just write it differently.
VM: Well, I guess this segways nicely into another question of mine- I saw that you [were on] a list of ‘Worst Band Names of SXSW’- how do you feel about that?
JH: Well, there’s a good point to that that a friend of mine mentioned- you can literally take any of the ‘best band names’ and put them on the ‘worst band names,’ and it all still works. They’re all easily interchangeable.
BK: For example, I think Perfect Pussy is a fine band name. But as far as how I feel about it, I love that we made that list.
VM: To be honest, the name is what drew us in to check you guys out, so I guess it’s all relative.
BK: Well, that’s awesome. It could always be worse- like, The Goo Goo Dolls or something.
VM: Serious question- are you food truck people or BBQ joint people when you’re Austin?
JP: Can we be all of those people? Because we’ve already done both of those today.
VM: What exactly have you done today?
BK: The Bearded Lady and Austin Daily Press. They’re both dope places to eat, so check them out. They literally have the best hush puppies, and I hate hush puppies.
VM: Where were you when the accident happened in front of the Mohawk?
JH: Still in Fayetteville, actually. We didn’t even hear about until we were driving down here. It was really weird pulling up here and knowing we’re right beside where it all went down.
JP: I was texting my girlfriend on the way down here about how I was worried about the energy we would be coming into, but the vibes have been really good, all things considered.
VM: What’s currently playing in your tour bus at the moment?
BK: We’re all obsessed with the solo record from Kevin Morby, who is the guitarist in Woods.
JH: I’ve listened to it four times in the same day, and I never do that with any record. I’m obsessed with it- you let him know that.
BK: Our drummer is obsessed with The Zombies, so we listened to a lot of that, also.
VM: What’s the best/worst artist comparison you’ve received?
BK: I’ll never understand it, but there was this dude who said we sounded like Hootie and the Blowfish. I’ve also gotten the guy from Dashboard Confessional, and I don’t hear that one, either.
JH: People seem to relate things that they personally like to other things they personally like, even if there is no real comparison there.
JP: My girlfriend always says The Cure, and we’re all totally down with that.
VM: In that same token, what’s the weirdest thing anyone has said to you about their thoughts on your music?
BK: So, this dude named Buffalo once told us that our music took him to the spirit realm, but he was tripping really hard, so I’m not sure how much of that was musically-induced or drug-induced.
VM: Do you ever have those moments where you get those vibes off of your own music?
BK: There are times when you think about something too much that it doesn’t seem real anymore. You can do it with a word, even. If you say ‘orange’ over and over again it becomes meaningless; it’s easy to feel that way when you’ve played something hundreds of times. But, there are those times when you realize that you’re essentially five strangers, and everything worked out so well that you ended up together, and now you’re all playing the same song, and you’re very much in tune with one another. That’s what usually pops in my head and throws me out of it for a second.
JP: Because I live in Little Rock and not Fayetteville, I come to things a little bit later, so I have more of that outside perspective where I listen to the music and can really appreciate what’s being made.
SXSW 2014: Night Riots x Vinyl Mag
What would you get if U2 and The Killers had a baby? Night Riots – that’s what. Hailing from central California, this rock band has such an infectious sound that both MTV and Rolling Stone have taken notice. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat with them during their stint in Austin during SXSW, so read on to hear about how the band formed, their influences, one band member’s premonitions, and what’s in store for Night Riots down the road.
Vinyl Mag: So you guys have playing together since you were teenagers, how did the band form?
Travis Hawley: Well Matt and I met in middle school, and then the rest of us started playing together when we were little kids. We grew up playing music together and it has just been that way ever since.
VM: Comparisons have been drawn between Night Riots and big names such as The Killers, The Clash, and U2. How would you define your sound?
Nick Fotinakes: Sort of like a mix between The Killers and U2. I don’t know; I like it. I think it has the nostalgia of U2 or maybe some 80’s stuff. But, we also grew up listening to a lot of punk music, so it still has a lot of angst and darkness. I don’t know; it’s just rock with a listenability.
VM:You guys had to change your band name due to copyright infringements. How did you guys settle on the name Night Riots?
TH: It came to Mikel in a dream.
NF: Mikel has a lot of premonitions. Like on the flight over here, he thought we were all going to crash.
Matt DePauw: No, he saw a ring of light, and it was hopeful. He grabbed my wrist and was shaking, and then his eyes went completely white, and he saw a vision…
VM: You raised the money to put out your EP Young Lore independently. How was that experience?
TH: It was fun; it was a actually a cool way to give back to our fans. You know, they would donate surprising amount of money, and then we just tried our best to make worthwhile things to give back to them. So, we just had a bunch of cool little perks.
VM: Who would you guys say are your biggest musical influences?
TH: I like INXS.
NF: Travis.
MD: Dr. Dre, 2001. I mean it, it’s a great album. It inspired me a lot.
VM: So, welcome to the heaven that is South by Southwest! Any really cool experiences yet? Or anything you guys are really looking forward to?
Rico Rodriguez: South by Southwest is just pure chaos. You have people throwing up on people, Lady Gaga flying around on meat, barbeques.
MD: Pretty much in the streets, too. She’s throwing up on stage, then you walk outside. Mikel saw that one in a premonition. He saw us eating gyros later, too…
VM: What is your favorite venue you guys have played?
TH: I like the Great American Music Hall in San Fransico; that’s pretty awesome.
NF: I like this place called Humphrey’s by the Bay in San Diego. It’s like a big outdoor amphitheater. You saw people on their boats pull up and watch the show.
VM: You were featured on Rolling Stone and on MTV Buzzworthy in 2011 and 2012. How did that feel to get that exposure?
NF: Pretty cool – like surreal. It’s something you never really think is going to happen, but then it does, and I don’t know. It doesn’t really click in until someone tells you it’s cool, and then you think it’s cool. I am really peer-pressure-influenced.
VM: How would you say your music has evolved since the beginning of the band?
TH: Since the beginning of time. It has just evolved. It has all been pretty organic, and I think recently we have been exploring a lot more textures and sounds and rhythm, so I think that’s the biggest thing. But also, just pushing ourselves to be a little bit more outside of the box.
VM: If you could play a live show or collaborate with any band or artist dead or alive, who would it be?
MD: Freddy Mercury. Or that guy Death Grips.
VM: What can we expect from Night Riots after SXSW?
Mikel Van Kranenburg: Lots of gold, gold rings. That’s what I saw.
TH: We are going to come home, and then we are actually just spending a couple of months just writing music, get[ting] a couple of music videos done. A bit of touring, and then we are going to start it all over again.
SXSW 2014: Bert McCracken x Vinyl Mag
As frontman of the well-known rock band The Used hailing from Orem, Utah, Bert McCracken is far from inexperienced in both performing and interviewing. During SXSW, we were lucky enough to sit down and talk with the veteran rocker for a few minutes of his jam-packed schedule. Despite his experience, we chatted about how he still gets nervous to perform, his fondness of Australia and the new The Used record that’s coming out this month.
VM: The Used manages to combine heavy rock and roll with strong, catchy melodies. [What is] your main focus when writing a song?
Bert McCracken: My main focus is the lyrics first, then melody second. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Neil Diamond, and so I appreciate pop melody and pop sensibility. I want to write a song that I want to hear.
VM: You have a new album, Imaginary Enemy, coming out in April. What can we expect from your sixth studio album?
BM: It’s really a more selfless record than we have ever written. We wanted to ask some big questions about some really serious issues facing the world, inequality, and love and humanity, and what are we all doing not treating each other with respect…these kinds of things. So, we really keep the writing general enough so you can take it for what it means in your own personal life. But this record is going a bit deeper than we have before, and just like your typical Used record, I think there are a lot of colors that paint this canvas. So you have your heavier songs and your lighter songs and your more experimental stuff, but I think the focus is more on the consciousness of the message.
VM: How do you feel like you have evolved as a band and stayed relevant since starting out 13 years ago?
BM: I think the relevance is in part to do with our passion, and also directly a product of honest, pure love of music…there are a lot of bands out there like The Used that are just truly passionate about what they do, because they love music. And I think that is the most important thing for us – status aside, money aside, attention aside, everything else aside – other than this unadulterated love for music.
VM: Let’s talk about the heaven that is SXSW. What’s your favorite part of the Austin festival?
BM: My favorite part of SXSW is just the camaraderie and the freedom of music. There is a band here, there’s a band there, there’s a band there, there’s a band there – how great is that? Purely for the music.
VM: What’s the coolest venue or event that you’ve ever played?
BM: The Gorge in Washington is really awesome. It’s this outdoor venue that’s right in front of this cliff.
VM: What has been your most outrageous experience with a fan?
BM: There is a fan that has this fake leg that he always throws up on stage, and we always talk about it. He’s got a beer keg in his leg, so there’s a tap, and he’s got drawers, adult cigarettes and all. But we also had a Make a Wish Foundation cancer victim who chose to come spend a day with the Used in 2005, and we became super close. We talked on the phone all the time. His name was David Smith, and he lost his battle with cancer about a year ago. But that was the most outrageous fan experience.
VM: Do you still get nervous before you perform live?
BM: Very nervous. And if I didn’t, maybe I would need to re-evaluate my passion a little bit. I care a lot about what I do, and I want everyone to have a really amazing time. I want that healthy escape to be as enjoyable and memorable as possible.
VM: How have you managed to preserve your voice after years of recording and performing?
BM: I don’t know. I don’t think I have. I just take it easy, really really easy.
VM: Who are some of your biggest influences?
BM: I would say a Brazilian Revolutionary named Paolo Freire is one on my major influences. Noam Chomsky, T.S. Elliot, Umberto Eco, Charles Dickens…George Orwell is one of my main influences. I would say authors influence me a lot more than other artists. I am a writer first.
VM: If you weren’t making music, what do you think you’d be doing?
BM: Writing.
VM: So you have a pretty sweet set-up living in Australia. What is your favorite part about living in the land down under?
BM: I love the Australian way of kind of protected market systems. They have really strong protection for family-owned independent business. I think the whole world should feel that out.
Recap: Athens Slingshot Festival
With over 70 bands spread out among 12 different venues, 40 artists, a technology panel, a comedy night, sold out 1,000-person shows, and after parties, it’s safe to say that Slingshot Festival 2014 was a success. With the numerous acts and artists, it’s difficult to summarize, but we’ll hit some of the highlights of the weekend.
The festival kicked off Wednesday night with a performance by Tinariwen, a desert blues band from northern Mali. These guys could not have been a more unique start to the festival. The energy from Tinariwen was contagious, and the contrast between the band’s traditional dress and modern instruments was striking. Their harmonies were stunning, and despite the communication barrier, the passion in their performance was felt by the packed-out Theatre.
To top off the great start to Slingshot, Creature Comforts previewed – and quickly filled to capacity – their lovely new space. The after party featured DJ List Christee, better known as Kevin Barnes. Barnes provided an excellent after party soundtrack to break in Creature Comforts in the best way. Thanks to Dos Equis, free beer was provided, and danceable beats from KB pleased the partygoers.
Thursday was predominantly art exhibits at Creature Comforts, Bulldog Inn and Lamar Dodd School of Art. One art exhibit by Christopher Nelms and Ted Khun, at Bulldog Inn particularly stood out, involving 40 pounds of bananas, vodka shots, and karaoke. All of the art exhibits throughout the week were each completely unique and spanned a wide range of mediums.
Friday was a packed schedule, and it was tough to decide what to go to with the abundance of options. Lera Lynn graced the Morton Theatre with her style of rootsy Americana. During a few technical difficulties, she even gave an impromptu tap dance to entertain the eager crowd.
The New West records showcase was at the Caledonia Lounge, and all were exciting up-and-coming artists. Dega performed their synth-heavy compositions, which featured dreamy vocal harmonies, making quite the impression on the crowd for what was only their third live performance. Ruby the Rabbitfoot followed with her soulful, organic style of indie pop. Ruby had great stage presence and kept the crowd entertained with her quirky comments in between songs.
Powerkompany packed out The World Famous later in the evening. The cinematic electropop trio filled the room with powerful and convicting vocals the crowd seemed to enjoy.
Friday was also Japan Nite, featuring five bands from Japan performing at New Earth Music Hall. Peelander Z was the headliner for Japan Nite, and did not disappoint. The energy of the “action comic” punk group was electric, and the crowd responded with chanting, crowd surfing, and joining the band on stage.
The 40 Watt, had three of Athens favorite bands: Programs, Elf Power, and Space Trucks. Urban Outfitters sponsored free Weaver D’s, and there were several sightings of Michael Stipe, so clearly it was a true Athenian experience.
Kishi Bashi headlined Saturday night at the Georgia Theatre. As usual, it was a high-energy show featuring unique music. Kishi Bashi, with frosted tips and friendly smiles, revealed a handful of new songs, while making sure to play fan favorites like ‘Bright Whites’ and ‘Manchester’. The show was visually appealing as well, featuring an art piece that was progressively altered throughout the performance.
Following the Kishi Bashi show, much of the crowd moved down the street to The Green Room, where Washed Out treated the house to a DJ set, complete with trippy projections and experimental rhythms.
To end the night there was a second after party at Creature Comforts, more free beer and even more dancing. Slingshot brought Athens a multitude of international and local artists, with so much to see and experience we cannot imagine what Slingshot will bring in the coming years.
SXSW 2014: Charli XCX x Vinyl Video
Reunited, and it feels so badass! You know it’s going to be a good SXSW when your first interview is a follow-up with pop princess Charli XCX.
You may remember her from our video interview last year. OR you may know her from her awesome collaborations with artists like Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea (no, but seriously…anyone who has been in my office or in the car with me over the last two weeks month can attest to the fact that I can’t. Stop. Listening to “Fancy”). OR you may just be obsessed with her last album, True Romance and counting the days until her next. Either way, every one of you should know and love this girl by now.
We caught up on a balcony at the Hilton in downtown Austin for a quick reunion on the first day of South by Southwest to talk about her new projects and what’s next for her (but not before she viciously attacked me with my own microphone – don’t worry; we hugged it out). Enjoy.
Kristin Hoffmann: ‘New Directions’ EP
Kristin Hoffmann recently released a follow-up EP to her full album, The Human Compass. The EP, New Directions, is comprised of three remixes to songs from the previous album. While the EP attempts to transform her ethereal Renaissance pop songs into something more electronic, it fails to realize the true purpose of a remix, which is to take an old song and shed new light/offer a different perspective by adding and subtracting certain qualities.
The original album has some undeniably beautiful piano melodies. Add Hoffmann’s distant, ethereal vocals and you’ve got a catchy pop tune, right? Unfortunately not. One of the qualities that the original album lacks is the presence of a single catchy hook or pop-ish melody. While melody is certainly important in any remix, it often does not have to drive the track like it does in most pop songs. With this in mind, I was hopeful that the three remixes could offer something that the original album did not.
With the exception of the “Ghosts” remix, New Direction doesn’t do much for the original tracks. While the songs do manage to maintain their prettiness, there isn’t much there electronically. I kept wondering when the track was going to “hit,” and then the song ended. For me, the piano and the vocals only carried the tracks for so long until I started drawing comparisons to Evanescence minus the crunchy guitars.
I do feel as though New Directions more successfully captures Hoffmann’s ideas and the original album’s ethereal goals, but it is unfortunate that the EP lack the sort of electronic punch that remixes need to be cool remixes that are worth a listen. Hoffmann sings about “a distant lullaby” in “Ghosts,” and that seems to be what this endeavor is: A distant lullaby that is too far away to serenade us to sleep, but just enough to keep us awake, like the ticking of a fan or the dripping of a faucet.
SXSW 2014: Aer x Vinyl Mag
New-age hip hop duo, Aer, is comprised of Boston natives Carter Schultz and David Von Mering. Having just released their sophomore album earlier in March, the evolution in their style over the years is not only prevalent, but pioneer-style impressive. During SXSW, and (literally) hours into their arrival in Austin, we sat down with the two to pick their brains and find out what’s going on in their world. Give it a read, and follow that up with giving them a listen (I recommend “Feel I Bring,” but note that it’s been in stuck in my head for weeks now, and that’s a commitment in itself).
VM: It appears March and SXSW are the beginnings of an extensive tour for you two- what is the ratio of time spent on the road as opposed to off?
Carter Schultz: I’d say about 65 percent on the road and 35 percent off. It’s definitely what I prefer; I get stir crazy when I’m home in Boston.
VM: Are there any artist comparisons that you frequently get that you’re over hearing about?
CS: Anything “Frat Rap” – get out of here with that. I hope you didn’t have all of these bands you had compared our sound too…
VM: Well, I did have one in mind, but I wouldn’t consider Gym Class Heroes “Frat Rap.”
CS: Oh, no, I’ll take Gym Class Heroes any day. I just hate being put into that pool of college rap, or anyone who is just doing it really “normal.” If you really listen to our music, it’s clear how different it is than that, but I honestly think the real comparison solely comes from our age. We are of the typical college kid age, but that’s as far as it actually goes.
VM: What are you most excited to see and/or do, being that this is your first year at SXSW?
CS: I want to go to Iron Works; I want to see The Felice Brothers, and I’m really excited to be playing the same showcase as Dom Kennedy and Casey Veggies.
David Von Mering: I’m looking forward to everything Carter listed, but also to finding a new artist.
VM: Do you feel like you’ve had a breakthrough moment into the industry yet?
CS: I feel like we’re not even close. We’ve had our moments where we’ve had sold out shows where it felt a little surreal, but I wouldn’t say there’s been a “break.”
DVM: It’s funny, because I feel like five years ago the big “break” was just signing a deal, and now deals aren’t really prominent or even normal. I wouldn’t say we’ve had a break, but the “Feel I Bring” video did a lot for us.
VM: Currently, what are your favorite releases of 2014?
CS: I’ve been bumping Satellite Flight (The Journey to Mother Moon) by Kid Cudi a whole lot lately, and obviously the new Arctic Monkeys has been on replay non-stop since it came out.
VM: Are you two hands-on with your own social media accounts, or does anyone handle that for you?
DVM: Our manager usually does boring, dry announcements, but other than that it’s one of us.
CS: I think it’s so important to give that personal interaction. It takes tweeting, “Haha thanks” or a little smiley face, but that means so much to the fans. I’d say that we owe most of our success to the tools on the internet.
DVM: I’m not totally satisfied with my Twitter, personally, but I’ll get there. The thing with that is you can tweet one thing, and it gets totally misconstrued into something else. I do love Instagram, though, and all the photos from artists that I follow- I like that sh*t.
VM: Have you ridden in a pedicab yet?
CS: A bike cab? I have not, but our hotel is like seven miles away, so maybe they can take us that far. It’d probably take like eight hours or something insane like that. I did see this beautiful girl today who was a pedicab driver, and she had these leopard pants on- I may have to find her later.
VM: Do you both participate in songwriting, or is one of you more prevalent than the other in that aspect?
CS: David is the one who is most prevalent, because he produces all of the music that you hear. But in terms of songwriting, we each collectively come up with a concept, and I’ll write my verses to the concept, and David will write his hook to the concept. So I’d say we each have our respective duties, but David takes on the bulk of it.
DVM: Our songs usually start with instrumentation, so I usually try to let that dictate where I personally go with it. Also, if I have an idea but Carter doesn’t like it, we scrap it or vice versa. But definitely instruments come first and play the most part.
VM: What can we expect from Aer for the rest of 2014?
CS: Over the summer, we are touring the UK, and later in the summer we’re going on another tour that’s still in the works. In the fall, expect videos, more music, and just more.
DVM: This is just the beginning, kind of like one of those sitcoms like Seinfeld or Friends; there’s still a lot more to come from us.
SXSW 2014: Sol Cat x Vinyl Mag
Sol Cat grooved all the way to SXSW from their home base in Nashville, Tennessee, and boy are we glad they did. Filling the airwaves with explosive psychedelic guitars, Sol Cat made an impressive showing at the Austin music festival with several showcases. We were lucky enough to get to sit down with the Johny Fisher (guitar) and Taylor Craft (bass) of the band and talk about their sound, funny stories from tour, and what is next for them.
Vinyl Mag: So you guys have an eclectic sound that brings together different elements from such a range of genres; how would you define your sound?
Johny Fisher: I would say we have a rock ‘n’ roll sound, where we really just like to get funky and groove. There are six of us, and we all have pretty simplistic parts, but we are fooling everyone with so many of us. We really just like to play music that we can groove to and bob our heads. The groove defines us.
VM: You guys have been touring for quite awhile now – any favorite memories or funny stories?
Taylor Craft: Every time we go on tour is great, but we have a running joke where we call Tom, our drummer, anything but Tom. One time we had the people at Chick Fil A people call him Toby, and he had no idea that was him. He is the newest member of the band, so we have to give him a hard time.
VM: So you all played last night at the Thirsty Nickel. How did that go?
TC: Yeah we did; it was our first gig of South by [Southwest] for Big Picture Media. It was kind of nutty, and the sound was out of wack where you couldn’t hear much. But we had an absolute blast playing for a packed crowd.
VM: Any showcases you guys are super pumped to perform?
JF: Yeah for sure! The Big Picture Media showcase yesterday was awesome, and we are really excited to play all of the others, but especially the Audio Tree party tomorrow night.
VM: You guys have been at SX a few days now; any other artists that have really impressed you?
TC: Well, we saw Snoop Dog hanging out, which was really cool. He is such a crowd-stopping guy. But as for bands, most of us are friends, and it is tough to discover new ones, because we are trying to support the ones we know. Also, we roll about ten deep everywhere we go, so that makes it kind of difficult to move around too much.
VM: Do you guys have a favorite city or venue to play?
TC: Laredo, Texas has definitely been one of our favorite spots. It’s almost like a little mini festival before South by Southwest every year. We are always treated like family there.
VM: What is the song-writing process like for you guys?
JF: We usually write songs part by part; no one writes each other’s either – we all just write our own. When we find something good that we can all agree upon, we build it up from there part by part. It is impossible to go into the studio and record a good record in a week with everyone rushing. Nothing great is made quickly; it’s about sitting on a track and seeing what comes to you with fresh ears.
VM: Would you say your music has evolved, and if so, how?
JF: Yeah, our music has most definitely evolved. We started with two and now we are a six-man group, so that has definitely changed the dynamic of the band. I would say our sound has changed as we have grown up, but if you don’t evolve as a band, you are doing something wrong. We really just focus on not being anything we aren’t, and if something isn’t turning out well, it is helpful to have five others telling you that it sucks and being honest with you.
VM: If you guys could collaborate with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
JF: Wow, it’s really hard to narrow it down to only one. We are all influenced by such a variety of artists and genres. Our keyboardist really likes hip-hop, and the rest of us are so different as well. But if I had to narrow it down, I would say Willie Nelson, Herb Alpert..really anyone that’s real.
VM: So, what can we expect next from Sol Cat? Any new music in the works?
JF: Yep! We have a whole slew of new tracks sitting in our computer at home. Probably 40 or 50 tracks that we are just sitting on, tweaking. And we probably have about 50 more that we are in the process of making.
Children of the Stones: ‘The Stars and the Silence’
Extended Play, the first EP released by the collaboration of Mark Van Hoen (of Black Hearted Brother, Seefeel, Locust, Scala) and Martin Maeers, has proved only to be a tease- the best is still yet to come.
Children of the Stones is the new project from Van Hoen and Maeers, and they will release their upcoming LP, The Stars And The Silence, on March 25th. Joining them on this album are Rachel Davies (Esben & The Witch), Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Black Hearted Brother, Mojave 3, solo) and Al Forrester, plus Angus Finlayson, amongst other friends. For over 30 years, Van Hoen has been creating and innovating the electronic music genre. With the help of vocalist Maeers, it seems that The Stars And The Silence is the next step in the right direction and perhaps just what electronic music needs.
Where the EP, Extended Play, displayed a bleak sadness, The Stars And The Silence explores a lightness that can be found within the shadows of love’s darkness. “Love’s Last Loss” is a subdued and humbled testament of what was and a realization of a love and life that will no longer be. The composition of this first track is somewhat a cut and paste of appropriate sound bits, bleak glitchy transitions, oceanic dream, and mournful raw emotion. “Love’s Last Loss” is an appropriate choice as the start of this album as it introduces the listener to Van Hoens’ use of technology as a catalyst for creativity and expression.
The Stars And The Silence takes an upbeat turn with “Out of Reach.” As one of the more uptempo compositions of the album, this track is reminiscent of songs found on The Postal Service’s 2003 album, Give Up. The title track, “The Stars & The Silence” follows and maintains the form of a mystic lullaby that hypnotizes the listener into a dreamlike state which was first introduced on Extended Play.
“Just Like Coming Down” is a seductively somber track with heavier downtempo wobble. It is easy to immerse oneself into this track and, as the title of the song suggests, allow the vibrations to bring the mind, body, and soul completely down. The eight track on the LP, “Every Word You Say,” has similar vocal and musical composition to the song “Guiding Light,” found on Extended Play. Where as “Guiding Light” is disjointed with low monotonous vocals and overpowering electro beats, “Every Word You Say” is is more united and cohesive.
One of my favorite tracks on this album was the triumphantly dark “Toward the Umbra.” Similar to the undertones conceived in many MUSE songs, the composition of this song sets the tone of go forth and conquer, Musically I found this track to be the most commercial of all the tracks found on The Stars And The Silence.
Overall, The Stars And The Silence was a pleasant surprise. The variation and play of technology keeps this LP interesting and entertaining and I look forward to more releases from this collaboration of artists.
The Stars and The Silence will be released on March 25th.
Craig Bicknell: “Hymmmn”
Craig Bicknell’s new single “Hymmmn” is meditative and soothing. The track starts with a simple humming. I wait for lyrics but none come. The track is composed of layers of “hums”, “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” and seamlessly grows.
This is the beginning of Bicknell’s “Hymmmntronica”, a new style composed of intermingling sounds. The track begins to grow with more harmonizing “hum’s” but becomes lighter. Electronics are present, but not to the point of overpowering the main attraction. The piece reaches highs and lows and even combines the two. Bicknell can layer soft on soulful to create a beautiful melody of “hums.”
It’s odd quoting a sound rather than a lyric, but for Bicknell it works. More layers create more depth, and the listener becomes totally relaxed, and I can’t help imagining the movement of mouths. The track carries an airy, southern feel, like a hymn. The track is that of a contemporary composition; it ends with the same, simple humming to complete a piece with an opening and a closing.
Yet, I wish it would go on. In fact, after listening to the track several times, the melody stuck in my head like lyrics, and I continued to repeat the humming cycle even after the track had ended.