A Music Blog Focusing on Los Angeles and Brighton
26.02.2010
NRBW Interview: NEVEREVER
categories: Interview, Mp3
tags: , , , ,


Photo credit: AgAtA.K at FLICKR

Not too long ago, I was passed NEVEREVER’s myspace by NRBW friend Lady P (thanks, missy!) and instantly fell in love. Their music encapsulates everything that’s wonderful about California (you’ll be hearing a lot more about that) but in a completely different way than our other favorite CA band (the Growlers – do I even need to say so anymore?). Jihae’s voice is warm and encompassing, there’s hooks for days and highly hilarious and intelligent lyrics. Summery and beachy, lo-fi etc, Neverever really tick every box I have (even got a bit of the UK in there, can you say perfection?) so I knew I wanted to get some questions in with them. They kindly took time out from prepping their upcoming album to answer all my queries. Read all about them below and download a track after. And definitely keep your eyes peeled for the album – it’s going to be a doozy.

So you guys used to be called The Champagne Socialists – why the change to Neverever?
The Champagne Socialists was kind of a temporary name we had and weren’t quite sure about, it seemed too stuffy in a boring way so we wanted to change it. We got asked to put out a 7″ on Slumberland pretty quickly after starting the band and hadn’t come up with another name yet and we wanted the next name to be the one we would stick with, so we just put it out and thought about it later.

Blue Genes 7” came out on Slumberland early last summer, how was it to release your first single as band? And on such an excellent label to boot…
It was great to have our first single out! To see and hear our efforts as a writing team and as a band come to life in the form of mint-green vinyl was super exciting. Wallace and I had never worked as a husband/wife team yet, not musically anyway, so it was kind of like our little first little baby. That sounds stupid, but I guess it’s true. We felt like Greenwich and Barry having a little Brill baby! It was just an added bonus for it to be on Slumberland. It’s crazy how passionate and excited and full of good vibes Mike (who owns and runs Slumberland) still is after 20 years of doing pretty much everything himself! He’s truly an inspiration!

Your music has a retro quality to it – is that conscious or accidental?
We don’t like to think of ourselves as being retro. We definitely have a lot of older influences and certainly listen to a lot of early pop, but we like to think that we bring our own sound and sensibility to the music we make so that it’s fresh and young in a way. We don’t think of ourselves as any kind of revivalist band or anything, it would be boring to be exactly like the music we admire. Sometimes there are certain sounds or aspects of song-writing that we consciously feel very close to and want to work with, but it always comes out with a flair I think we can call our own, something completely different from what it was inspired by. Most of the time it’s just seeped into our brains and it is an accident, but then that’s gone through your personal filter even more so. That’s where a lot of interesting things can happen, but talking about the process isn’t especially interesting, so I’ll leave it at that.

I read that Jihae and Wallace met in Glasgow… What was the one thing you missed most about Los Angeles while in the UK?
Yeah, we met in Glasgow when I was going to school. I was extremely home-sick for L.A. and my family. There wasn’t just one thing I missed, I missed everything. Everything that I took for granted while I was growing up became things I realized I couldn’t live without, not happily anyway. I never realized how much of a California girl I am, she just came out and refused to go back in! I think I was in denial of it a lot of the time growing up, always wanting to be different led me into a long bout of Anglophilia. But that led me to Scotland where I met Wallace, so it all happens for a reason! Sun, I missed the sun.
[ed note: this could literally not be more truthful. this is exactly spot on what it's like to move from CA to the UK, if anyone out there is wondering and considering it.]

And now what do you miss most about the UK?
We miss Wallace’s family and our friends in Glasgow. The U.K. countryside is beautiful in an otherworldly way. I worked at an amazing Indian restaurant that we miss getting free food from…deep-fried pizza was pretty good too.

There’s such an awesome collective of bands in LA right now – do you feel a part of that scene?
There is an awesome collective of bands in L.A. right now, and that’s great for L.A. since it seemed like kind of a joke to a lot of people, in terms of bands, for a while. L.A. has a crazy history in music and has created some of the best music ever made, I think after hair-metal a lot of people forgot about that, and that’s no put-down on hair-metal.
As for being part of the scene, we don’t really feel like we’ve ever been part of a scene. It has it’s disadvantages I suppose, you kind of have to do more for yourself and have a lot faith in what you’re doing. But in the long run, I think it’s kind of a good thing we stand on our own. We don’t feel like we’re dependent on anything. I think that gives you a bit of longevity and keeps you from getting lost in the crowd. If you can get can noticed without being in the scene, I think that’s a really good thing.

What are your favorite LA bands at the moment?
Our favorite bands in L.A. right now…we really like Animal Style, Allah-Las, garbaj kaetz, Devon Williams, Thee Makeout Party, oki-doki, the Audacity, Schatzi and Hazeltine. . .

What’s in the pipeline for Neverever? A full length? Another single?
We just finished our full length album, Angelic Swells. It was a lot of hard work, there were some obstacles that came up but we made it and we’re really excited! Our first engineer got taken to the mental hospital on our way to the recording studio for our first session, and it rained on the day of our photo-shoot, but everything worked out in the end. The engineer is o.k. now too. The album will be released by Slumberland this May just in time for Summer fun. Next we’re shooting our first music video, putting out another single, and then starting on an E.P., so lots to come!

There’s an awesome kind of beachy-lo-fi-throwback group of bands going right now – are you going to keep heading in that direction or do you have any desire to change and try something else?
Well, we’re a Southern Californian band and like I said before, it’s something I can no longer deny, and have come to be pretty proud of. So, the West-coast beachy aspect is very much a part of who we are and what we relate to and I think will always be a part of our music in some sense.
As for being lo-fi, that’s never been what we aim for. We hope to gain the opportunity to move up the fi-ladder and create the lush sound-scapes that our music aspires to be. We’ve got a lot of ideas that unfortunately don’t always fall under a lo-fi budget, so we do the best we can. We’d have 50 tracks of hand-claps, the L.A. Philharmonic, and the world’s finest echo-chambers if we could!
There seem to be a lot of bands at the moment with similar influences in common, but I think we all take those influences and manifest them in completely different ways. I think if you do something you’re passionate about in your own individual way, that’ll show through. I’m sure our music will evolve and change, as it should, but we’ll always have the same passions.

If you had to have one last meal, what would it consist of?
Ummmmm, probably a cheeseburger with fries and a root-beer float, with a Havana Banana Split to follow. Maybe throw in a sampler plate before-hand too.

Do you guys have a favorite hole in the wall eatery in LA? Dish.
Neptune’s Net in Malibu. Sampler plate!!! [ed note: NRBW are fulling planning to check this out ASAP. March 21 after SXSW meal? Yes, please!]

And finally, what’s your favorite Smiths song?
Tutti-Frutti

DOWNLOAD -> Neverever (formerly The Champagne Socialists) – The Young Runaways

23.02.2010
NRBW Interview: KING CHARLES
categories: Interview, Mp3
tags: , , , ,

After watching a really awesomely mind-blowing gig by KING CHARLES at the December Communion event in Brighton, we were so keen to get our hands on King Charles’ music. So we got his two singles (highly recommended – Time of Eternity is. so. good) and got hooked. Naturally, we had a bunch of questions and luckily for us, Charles gave us a little time to answer some of our niggling questions. Check ‘em out below and download a King Charles track after….

You started making music four years ago – what’s been the hardest thing about working your way up?

Well, I never really thought about working my way up, I suppose I hoped something exciting would happen along the way but I felt that what I was doing was a matter of expression rather than developing a product.

Things have naturally changed and now the hardest thing is maintaining this ideal.

The first time I saw you live was at a Communion club night event and you’re kind of intertwined with the Communion scene and certain bands in that scene (Jay Jay Pistolet, Mumford and Sons). Do you enjoy that link? Do you like feeling a part of that community?

I love being part of a community. I like music made by my friends most because it means the most to me. Whats is extraordinary is the standard set by so many of the people with whom I started my musical direction.

I heard that you like bluegrass and old-school folk – where does that love come from? Can you recommend us an amazing bluegrass album?

Its quite a difficult question to answer, ‘where does love come from’! I don’t really know why I loved that kind of music so much at search an early stage of my musical exploration. It turned the musical side of me on, I don’t even really know why, though I don’t think it was purely about the music. I think there was a aspect of interest in the creators of that music which could be the origin of the connection. Now I think about it, with bluegrass it was the sound and folk it was the content. It seemed to be about real life in an honest way and in unpretentious terms.

If I were you I’d buy the o brother where art though soundtrack, its a great mix tape collection

Where do you find the inspiration to write your songs? Is the inspiration for something like a beautiful love song like ‘Love Lust’ or a heavy, spiritual song like ‘Time of Eternity’ the same? Do you have an all encompassing muse or is it a bunch of different things?

I have 3 main subjects or muses that I write about and that will feature on my album. The First is Girls, The Second is God, The Third is The Passage of TIme. These three things are ceaselessly inspiring creatively and personally and often all three get jammed into one song.

Your music is really kind of primal and even a little bit ethnic, even. Is that inspired by extensive travel?

I’ve been around a bit I suppose, mainly Africa and the Meditarranean, I m no hippy though. All sorts of ideas come from ones experiences overseas.

You have a really awesome sense of style and a very unique image. Is your style important to you? What’s your favorite clothing item you own?

You’re very sweet! I do like clothes quite a lot, and i am quite attached to some of my favourites. I don’t over value style though. I like wearing what I like wearing and try not to over think it.

What’s your plan for music in 2010? We were so sorry to hear about your accident, but we reckon you’ll soldier on valiantly. Are you planning on recording an album, another single or just touring?

Im very close to finishing my very first album, which I am excited about. Im going to release it, tour it and release another single from it. 2010 so far has been very interesting and as the beginning of a decade I don’t intend to let it pass me by. Im getting there in the recovery and youre very kind to be supportive.

If you could have a jam session with anyone in music (dead or alive) who would you choose?

Hmmm… Probably Robin Hood or Marilyn Monroe.


We love Charles and can’t wait to see what KC’s debut album brings to us. Check out our favorite KC track below…

DOWNLOAD -> King Charles – Love Lust

19.02.2010
NRBW Interview: LAIL ARAD
categories: Interview, Introducing, Mp3, Tour Dates
tags: , , , , ,

We got the opportunity to get in some questions to one of the burgeoning stars of 2010, the witty, intriguing, talented Lail Arad. Blessed with a beautiful voice and a sharp voice, Lail answered some of our questions prior to the release of her debut album – soon! – on Notify Music.

Hi Lail, thanks for answering some of our questions!

Hello!

Is having a definite narrative in a song important to you? How consciously do you write coherent tales in your songs?

Its true a lot of my songs seem to be story songs. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I guess it’s a natural way for me to relay my experiences. I like a lot of singers (Loudon Wainwright III, Jonathan Richman) who tell stories so well. Its definitely not a rule though.

I’ve read a lot of people saying your lyrics are introspective – do you agree? Or is there a part of you in the songs and a part of a character?

I largely agree… Most of my songs are very honest, based on real events, real feelings.. But of course I use my poetic license liberally, and twist or zoom in on details if it serves the song better. I’m not sure I’d choose the word ‘introspective’, its equally about looking outwards at other people, but yes, its very much me in the songs.

Having said that ‘Who Am I’, the first download, is probably the song from the album that’s furthest from reality – the sentiments are based in truth but the character took over in that one!

Your song to Adam Green was hilarious – how important to you is it to have a sense of humor in your music?

Its important to me to have a sense of humour in general…and that extends to the songs! That particular Adam Green video I made quite a while ago and it uses humour in a very direct and…exploitative way! The songs on the album are more bitter-sweet I’d say. The humour comes from an honest place.

You say you’ve always had a slight outsider perspective, but your songs are so relatable, what do you attribute that to?

I’m happy you think so – for me a good song is one in which you can be very specific and intimate, and yet a lot of people can relate. Maybe being able to look at situations from a different angle allows you to see them more clearly? I don’t really know.

What was your favorite gig that you played last year? What was your favorite gig that you saw last year?

Hard to choose! I really loved playing for Book Slam – their crowd manages to be attentive and boisterous at the same time. That might be the perfect combination!

I saw over 150 gigs last year so this one’s really hard to choose… can I have two if they both begin with the same letter?! Jeffrey Lewis’ secret gig at the Betsey Trotwood and Jonathan Richman at The Hoxton Square Bar, both just incredible.

Would you ever live anywhere else but London? Do you ever get overwhelmed by the city or do you draw inspiration from it?

Well I was born here so funnily enough after all the talk about being an outsider and a second-generation immigrant and people asking me about my dubious accent… London is home. Its pace suits me, it would be hard to find somewhere else that competes culturally, where there’s so much choice that you can build your own village. But there are many cities I love…and many more I’ve not yet reached.

What can we expect from your debut album?

12 songs! It was important to me to make each song its own boss and give it what it wanted – some were very greedy and thought they deserved horns and strings…others wanted to be left alone..

Better not to expect anything, then you can only be surprised!

I read that you play the piano and the guitar – do you man any other instruments on the album or is it piano/guitar driven?

I learnt piano and taught myself the guitar enough to write on and play shows – but I have a musician that I work with, Roi Erez, who plays both much better than me and he’s playing most of what you hear on the album, as well as lots of guest musicians we brought in.

What are your touring plans for 2010? Are you going to gear up for the release of your album by doing a big UK tour?

I hope so!

One of my favorite parts of going to gigs is finding the late-night, hole-in-the-wall food places – do you have a favorite joint to eat after gigs?

The 24 hour bagel shop on brick lane has served us well. There is a Planet Organic above the studio where we recorded the album. We owe a lot to them!

Don’t forget to check Lail out (especially on her date at Communion at Notting Hill Arts Club!) throughout the next couple of months, and download a track off her album ‘Someone New’ below….

Feb 20 2010 8:00P *** Pecha Kucha for Haiti @ P3 *** London
Feb 25 2010 8:00P Beatroot Rendez-Vous @ The Old Queens Head London
Feb 28 2010 8:00P writer’s football team party.. London
Mar 7 2010 6:00P Communion @ Notting Hill Arts Club London
Mar 15 2010 8:00P Unplugged @ The Windmill (mayfair not brixton!) London
Apr 12 2010 8:00P Le Bataclan supporting Rose Paris

DOWNLOAD ->Lail Arad – Who Am I

25.01.2010
Black Lips vs. LA Record = VERY TAME
categories: Interview, Mp3
tags: , , ,

LA Record posted a very tame interview with the Black Lips as they make their rounds in LA whilst, of course, I am 5,000 miles away. Mother fuck! Anyway, read it below…

Black Lips have been to or narrowly avoided jail in more countries than many schoolchildren can even locate on a map and they do a ripping cover of Jacques Dutronc. They meet here between time and space to knock out this abridged print interview. Complete interview coming soon—both by Vanessa Gonzalez.

What are you talking about in the song ‘Short Fuse’ when you say, ‘Hey Humpty Dumpty, I guess you learned your lesson / You got made into breakfast by some fat old Texan’?
Joe Bradley (drums, vocals): It’s supposed to be a metaphor for a head of state or someone in power that goes against the grain too much and then they get taken out. The song is supposed to be somewhat about predicting the future—every line in it, to some extent. But like most prophets in their writings, it’s real vague. It can be applicable when it needs to be.

The whole new album seems to have a vaguely religious zeal to it.
JB: Religion sells.

Is that a conscious direction?
JB: No, it’s not a direction. It’s just something to dabble in.

Jared, I know your dad is a prominent religious figure in Atlanta. Does the Black Lips’ irreverence towards religion cause conflict between you and your dad?
Jared Swilley (bass, vocals): Not at all—my father comes to all of my shows. And we channel the same energies as they do. We sing about bullshit, and they sing about God. They don’t even drink at their shows and they go crazier than any punk show I’ve ever been to and pass out and fall down. So trying to recreate that passion is something I’ve always tried to do through my music.

What makes you think there’s a ‘Black Baby Jesus’ on the way?’
Cole Alexander (guitar, vocals): [That song’s] like an ode to a really bad-ass black person—Obama, Jack Johnson, people that become more than a politician or an artist. They become almost superhuman. They’re almost like a messiah-like person. But it’s kind of like a fantasy I have—black Jesus coming to Earth and just being like the most bad-ass person ever.

Who is this Baby Gusty that wrote the essay in your new album?
JB: That’s Jack Hines, our second guitarist.

He says the Black Lips ‘have carried to fruition the plan that’s been hatched, and will continue to be hatched, in the minds of dizzy, dumb and desperate youths the world over.’ How have the Black Lips made that happen?
JB: Luck.

You think it’s just luck?
JB: It’s definitely some luck. You gotta have the right attitude, too.

How would you describe the Black Lips’ attitude?
JB: The best. El mejor.
JS: What brought it to fruition is just doing what you want to do. Unlike other people, we sacrificed everything, like family relationships and personal relationships. We just did it—for years and years and years. We spent a lot of time as homeless people, spent a lot of time sleeping in the van. We just never gave up. Other people coward out really soon. We just wouldn’t take no.

Is there anything that stands out as the most memorable show amongst the thousands you’ve played?
JB: Playing in Palestine was really cool—something different than we had ever seen before. We rented acoustic guitars and we crossed the wall into the West Bank into Bethlehem—just found a courtyard and set up and started playing.
Ian Saint Pe (guitar): I’ll never forget a show we played in Brussels back in 2007. I had a broken bottle go into my hand. I lost mucho blood and was carried off stage after I blacked out. I have a big scar on the top of my right hand. Jared rode with me to the hospital and as he brought me into the emergency room he made me promise to hang in there because the doctor was gonna be hot, and it turned out she was smokin’.

Where have you experienced the most severe culture shock?
JS: America. I’ve never experienced culture shock, except maybe a little bit in India. But everywhere else in the world people think rationally, and I come back to America and . . . I know it’s not all Americans, but it’s like, the ones that are insane are the loudest. I’ve never heard such inane banter as I’ve heard here. Especially since Obama’s been elected. Yeah, America bums me out really bad. I spend most of my time in Europe and when I get back, that’s culture shock. Affluent white people are insane. I don’t know. I love America but I just can’t believe it. It’s so hard to swallow.
JB: India. They have a built-in classist system where you’re just born into something that just sucks or rules. It’s not fair and it’s not equal.

What’s the most mystical experience you’ve ever had on acid?
CA: One time I became an invertebrate. I lost all my organs and my skeletal system just turned to mush on the ground. I don’t know if it was mystical, but I was really mushroomed out. It was really brief, it was like—bbbbbblllllllllaaaaahhhhhhhhhh, turned into a blob, and then I was back up again. That was intense. I’ve taken acid a bunch and I’ve never had anything like that.

Do you feel everyone should try psychedelics?
CA: Well, I don’t think people should abuse them, but if you take it once a season, I feel like it helps clarify all my thoughts. Some people take ecstasy and say, ‘Oh, I had an epiphany’ or ‘Oh, I saw God.’ But with psychedelics it’s somewhat legitimate because it makes you think outside the box so much. Everything you know is so distorted. It just makes you think in different ways. The scientist that created LSD—Albert Hofmann—he took it until he was like 90 years old, and he did it responsibly, so that makes me feel like it’s not just some recreational tool.

Is there anything you miss about being a DIY band?
JS: There was . . . but not anymore. There was a big set of bands that were like all the people we knew in the beginning. They’d stay with us, we’d stay with them. We’d book tours for each other. Now they all hate us and talk shit because apparently we’re like . . . I don’t know. I don’t really miss it, but that’s the one thing that’s missing. A lot of the kids that supported us at the beginning hate us now. Even though we didn’t do anything to them. I think it’s that Maximumrocknroll mentality. That doesn’t really mean anything now, but people stay with that—like if you do anything beyond sleeping on people’s floors then you’re a sell-out. But that’s retarded. I have a lot of friends in awesome bands right now that are really successful and I love that. Like the [Fuck Yeah] Festival even. There were a ton of really good bands that played for tons of people and it was awesome. But some people get really bitter about that. I don’t know why. It’s a really negative mentality. And I don’t like that.

Read the rest over @ LA RECORD

DOWNLOAD ->Black Lips – Jack the Ripper

23.12.2009
Woven Bones – LA Record Interview
categories: Interview, Mp3
tags: , ,

My most favorite new musical discovery, Austin TX’s WOVEN BONES, did an excellent interview in LA’s LA Record right before they played at 5-Star Bar in LA and way before their awesome show at the Smell that I caught last week. Read the interview below and download a Woven Bones song after that….

I couldn’t find a single interview with you guys online and it’s not for lack of blog and press coverage. And most all of your EPs have sold out. It feels mysterious.
Andy Burr (guitar/vocals): Yeah, it’s pretty remarkable how our music has spread around for how small the pressings of our records are. But there’s not really a personal identity out there for us as a band.


I think it’s better that way sometimes, though.
Andy Burr: I think so too. It’s random that you might actually get somebody who’s going to portray the band according to exactly what we said. And fuck it—I think the music should speak for itself.

So what should we tell L.A.?
Andy Burr: We just wanna rock out for people and hope that they get it, you know? We don’t have any sort of mission, like …

Like melting brains?
Andy Burr: We would like to melt faces. If the sound guy can make it loud enough for people to really get into it and get melted that would be pretty cool. At the most, I just hope when we come out to California, all the people who have been asking us to come out there come out and get to see us for the first time. We’ve been sort of like ghosts.

There’s a lo-fi/neo-garage scene that’s been developing into this critical mass—especially in L.A.—over the past few years, and Woven Bones seems to be getting a lot of recognition alongside it.
Andy Burr: Yeah, there’s definitely an element of appreciation for old bands that have been really influential in what we’re all doing, but I think the scene for what we’re doing is more eclectic. Instead of being a carbon copy of one of those bands, I think there’s a youth to it and an understanding that all of these bands are standing out in a very modern way. All these bands—like Dum Dum Girls, Crystal Stilts, Times New Viking, the Crocodiles, Jacuzzi Boys, Blank Dogs and Thee Oh Sees—none of us are making throwback ’60s psychedelic posters or any of that shit. At the heart of it, we’re all kind of like punk bands that have evolved out of our influences. The Velvet Underground was a punk band. Whatever people think we sound like at the core, the Velvet Underground is my favorite band. I’ll sit around and listen to that shit for the rest of my life. It’ll never get old. I know people keep talking about this ‘lo-fi’ thing and how there are so many bands like that now. It’s kind of like what happened in the ’60s with the garage scene. There were so many garage bands. When you think about it, there were just as many garage bands then as there were punk bands when we were in high school. We’re just trying to take the past hundred years or whatever and move forward. It’s the dawning of all the nerdy kids who were sitting around and listening to the same stuff and wanting to do something. We’re recording all of this stuff ourselves and putting out records on our own, or through strong, small labels. Now that the record industry is no good for the most part … you get the idea.

You’re not trying to get into a TV commercial.
Andy Burr: Whatever happens, happens. We just wanna be on the road. We wanna play and we want to put out records. We have no ambition to sit around town and be bored because we’re not doing what we want to do.

Even though your music is really primitive and minimal, your lyrics resonate in this broad and powerful way.
Andy Burr: I think that comes with keeping everything—even lyrical content—on a simple but intelligent level. I write about stuff that’s relevant to me and my everyday life and stuff that I’ve been through. Some of the lyrics are about a really dark time in my life when I dropped off the face of the earth. Sometimes they’re just about me and my friends—honest dudes who go through regular stuff. It’s less of me feeling sorry for myself as it is more of me belting out a story about what happened at the darkest point in my life.

Would you rather that some crazy shit happened than not?
Andy Burr: I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I might have turned out to be some graphic designer dude living in New York, wearing really expensive jeans. When I hit ground zero, the only thing I had to keep me moving was a guitar and an amp. It was something that was totally self-gratifying. So lyrics, you know, sometimes they’re just about girls—or a girl—some bad ass girl that rules your mind and you’d rather have her kick your ass than ever think about another girl.

‘Janie’?
Andy Burr: Yeah. We were in art school together and we promised to move to New York afterwards. In the meantime, I fell into this dark abyss and didn’t end up graduating, and she did. It was a really fucked up thing and I was left behind. We sort of both knew what was going to happen and then one day she was just gone. It wasn’t either of our faults. You can read that song from my perspective, or from hers. You know, ‘My baby left me crying.’ I really love the lyrical style of the Modern Lovers and Jonathan Richman. Or like when Lou Reed sings, ‘She hit me with a mop,’ you know exactly what that means. It is what it is.

I came across a blog that likened your music to ‘drinking warm beer out of a carburetor’ and someone else said one of your songs reminded them of ‘waking up too early on a Saturday morning, shuffling into the kitchen and noticing the table is filled with a bunch of empty beer bottles.’ Another called your music ‘venomous, sweat-stained rock.’ Are you guys really as feral as your music seems to suggest you are?
Andy Burr: I mean, we party with all our friends and I’ll wake up on somebody’s couch because we were too drunk to go home or whatever, but I think a lot of that perception has to do with the drawl in my voice, or the fact that we’re from Texas. Our songs are dirty and I see that as more about our influences than us being from Texas. None of us are even from Texas, anyway. I mean, we like to get just as fucked up as anyone else. We just play primitive rock ‘n’ roll, so take it or leave it.

You’ve mentioned that in the past you’ve felt a little ‘green’ up on stage. I remember when we saw you in St. Paul you broke a string mid-set.
Andy Burr: It takes crazy voodoo to unite the three of us. If it’s not there, it’s really stressful. Now we’re not worried about it at all. Once we had been together and played together for about five shows, we felt solid. Since Colin—our drummer—has been with us for a while now there’s not really much of that green-ness left. And Matty’s my best friend, so at this point we’re just running on our subconscious.

Which album would you request to be buried with?
Andy Burr: Velvet Underground—self-titled. I could listen to ‘What Goes On’ forever.

DOWNLOAD -> IF YOU’RE GOLD, I’M GONE by WOVEN BONES

18.08.2009
Complete Monday/Tuesday news roundup!
categories: Funny, Interview, List, News
tags: , , , , , , ,

  • The Growlers did an amazing interview with LA Record here, in which they say things like: “The ultimate party? All the money in the world? I dunno. A wall made of snacks.” AND “Yo, we just got siiiiiiiiigggggnnned. Comin’ out in September! so yay for them and they best come to England. So Growlers, if you by chance read this…. Get in contact, you need to get to England.
  • Reading and Leeds Festivals banned those weird annoying flags. We don’t do that shit in America. @ NME
  • Johnny Marr (aka the nicest man in all the world) is going to be in the movie adaptation of the book ‘Powder’. YES! @ NME
  • Bob Dylan’s catalogue removed from Spotify among others. To see his publicists comment, read the funny news story about him below for they are the same. @ NME
  • The Strange Boys play August 23 @ London Rough Trade East (6pm)
  • Girls debut their new video for ‘Lust for Life’:
  • The Horrors debut their new video for ‘A Mirror’s Image’:
  • Wavves debut new jam, “Hula Hoop”:
    Wavves from TERROREYES.TV on Vimeo.
21.07.2009
Black Lips make an art of breaking down.
categories: Funny, Interview
tags: , ,

In case you don’t keep up on the Black Lips every move, you know you’ve come to the right blog to hear about it all. So this weekend they played Pitchfork Festival, and none other than Pitchfork interviewed them about some things. For the tl;dr crowd, I have bolded the excellent parts.

Interview: Black Lips | [by Zach Kelly]

Pitchfork: So what’s new with you guys?

Cole Alexander: We got a new record coming out as the Almighty Defenders.

Pitchfork: You hopped over from India, and then you were hanging out in Berlin with King Khan, right? And that’s kind of how it came to fruition?

Jared Swilley: Well it’s freezing cold in Berlin, very inhospitable to humans, especially humans from Georgia. So we didn’t go outside– we were just gonna record a Black Lips EP, and then it just turned into, like, they [King Khan and Mark Sultan] had songs and we just started just hanging out. King Khan’s kids are on it. Just really spur of the moment.

Pitchfork: He fucking killed here last year. You guys have to live up to that.

JS: I saw that video; he burned money. We’re gonna burn hair.

Pitchfork: Sounds good.

CA: It’s a bad smell.

Pitchfork: Well, there have been a lot of bad smells at this festival so far.

Joe Bradley: It’s only gonna get worse.

Pitchfork: I talked to Wavves earlier today…

JB: Did he break down in tears?

Pitchfork: He did not break down in tears…When is your imminent breakdown?

CA: We’ve had it multiple times.

JS: We’ve had it a few times but never in the public eye.

CA: We make an art of breaking down.

Pitchfork: Well the India thing was pretty highly publicized…

ISP: Well my girlfriend is from India and I was trying to impress her parents. I fell real short. We had a real nice record, we got kicked out of India and went to Berlin, it was really cold, we were stuck indoors and we recorded an Almighty Defenders record. And we’re all real proud of it. It’s coming out in September.

14.07.2009
Breaking News: P. Doherty is clean, Pope is Catholic, Water is wet.
categories: Funny, Interview, News
tags: ,

From the NME (thank you, thank you):  Pete Doherty has spoken about the next Babyshambles album, which he says is close to being written.

In an interview with French radio station Inter on July 6, Doherty revealed that Babyshambles’ guitarist Mik Whitnall is writing all of the music for the album, leaving him to focus on the lyrics.

“Even as we speak, at this very moment in London somewhere, Mr Michael Whitnall – my erstwhile guitarist and songwriting partner in Babyshambles – is getting the demos together for our new album,” Doherty explained in the interview, which you can watch by scrolling down now.

“He’s got most of the tunes ready, I’ve just got to write the lyrics now,” the frontman added.

When asked if Stephen Street would produce the album – as he has with Doherty’s solo record ‘Grace/Wastelands’ and Babyshambles last LP, 2007’s ‘Shotters Nation’ – the former Libertine replied: “I think so, he’s a geezer.” [ed note: Bad Idea]

Doherty also spoke about his recent arrests (the singer was detained by police on two separate occasions in June, both relating to drugs).

“I’ve kind of just come out of a bit of a car crash,” he explained of the arrests.

He added: “I got nicked in England, arrested again, and since then I’ve had to go to rehab. Since then, I’m clean – the last 11 days I’ve been clean for the first time in quite a long time.

He continued, before trailing off, by saying that he is keen to start writing music again whilst not on drugs, saying: “I have to address my creative standards soon, because I haven’t written a song whilst not under the influence of something for…[trails off]”


I can’t believe he walks around looking that way still. SHOWER, DAMNIT, SHOWER.

25.06.2009
Ugh @ Nylon, Woo @ Doherty
categories: Funny, Interview, News, Video
tags:

God, I really hate Nylon. But I hate it even more when they show me the side of Pete Doherty that sometimes I allow myself to forget and that makes me remember why I love him and his music. So infuriating. Also, I like his secret message in the eating of the banana.

24.05.2009
LOWER HEAVEN Interview
categories: Interview, Tour Dates
tags: ,

Lower Heaven is one of the coolest bands in Los Angeles right now, and lead singer Marcos and bassist Christina were kind enough to answer some questions for us about their music, influences and most importantly Tex-Mex.

What made you decide to bring the auto-harp into the picture? who writes the parts for it?

Marcos: Bands like Echo and The Bunnymen, The Telescopes and Spacemen 3 used the autoharp as a single strum arrangement to accentuate a change in a song. That made me wanna get one with the intention of doing the same thing but instead, I ended up writing songs with it, using it to come up with chord progressions.

Los Angeles obviously has a very rich and colorful psych-rock scene that continues to flourish….where do you think Lower Heaven fits into this scene? What sets you apart?

Christina: There are a lot of great bands from LA and it seems like even more psych bands are moving out here from different parts of the country. Were a fairly new band and i think compared to other psych bands just getting started. At the same time i think our new sound is somewhat inspiring to bands that have been around longer, the music is basically a fresh interpretation on our influences both iconic and modern. I do feel however that we are somewhat a central part to the scene, most of our friends are musicians and most of them play psych music but at the same time I feel like every band is unique and our songs are unique.

Do you find Los Angeles a creatively inspiring place to be? Do you see yourselves staying here or eventually relocating?

Christina: LA can be inspiring, we all are lucky enough to live in Silverlake where being a musician or artist seems to be the norm and there is a rich history of writers and old Hollywood that still lingers in the environment. LA can be a very hard place to live though for a struggling musician, the east side is becoming more and more gentrified and rent prices are going up, people are having to move further east.

Marcos: We’ve been living in Los Angeles for quite some time now, we have cool jobs and a lot of friends here. But aside from that we really like it here, we’re not looking into relocating anytime soon.

What is your biggest NON-musical influence?

Christina: Probably film, we’ve been told that our music is thematic it would be great to be able to have one of our songs in an epic movie someday.

This year was your first playing SXSW, right? How did you like it? Exhausting, inspiring, both?

Christina: We weren’t actually a SXSW band, i’ve heard from friends that by the time you are accepted as an “official” SXSW you really don’t need to promotion. We had 9 shows booked in Austin some of them were great others were okay.

Marcos: SXSW was OK but not as fun as Psych Fest. SXSW has been degenerating year after year from what it stood for originally.

How did you like the crowds and the atmosphere at the 2nd year of Psych Fest?

Christina: we were really lucky to get a great slot on Friday night, it was surprising to see that people in Austin had heard of us, somehow you could tell they were curious. There were a lot of bearded dudes that liked our music.

Marcos: Yeah, we had a great time playing Psych Fest, we felt good after playing the show as far as the sound and our performance. The crowd response was really warm.

You guys have already got your first record out, but you’ve been recording new material, correct? Will it be an EP or a second LP? When can we expect the release?

Marcos: We’re probably going to release it as an EP for the time being, possibly with the option of adding more songs down the line and making it a full length. We don’t have a release date yet but will probably be in a couple months. Since we are currently doing it ourselves there’s no rush or pressure. We’d like to find a label to put it out on vinyl.

Lower Heaven has shared a stage with many, many great bands. Do you have a favorite band to play with?

Christina: I think our 2nd show which was at the Wiltern opening up for BRMC, set the bar pretty high. We also had a great time opening up for the Black Angels last year at a sold out Troubadour show and playing Clean Air Clear Stars in 08 right before Dead Meadow.

When you guys were in Austin did you have any spectacular BBQ or Tex-Mex? Have you discovered any little gems on the road that you’d like to reccomend?

Christina: There really wasn’t much to stop at on our way to Texas we did 18 hours drives and drove through Arizona and places like Juarez to get to Austin. I think we were just as excited about eating Texas BBQ as playing music out there, we all went to Iron Works our 2nd day in Austin and tried to hit up another BBQ place 2 days later called Artz Rib House we were pretty much BBQ’d out the rest of the trip.

Remember, Lower Heaven is playing tomorrow night at the Silverlake Lounge with Golden Animals. They go on at 11pm, Golden Animals at midnight. DON’T MISS IT!!

27.08.2008
Adam Shambles vs. Peter Robinson
categories: Funny, Interview, News
tags: , ,


Hello, Adam. What can you see out of the window?

“A fire engine chasing a man on a bike.”

Surely the man on the bike is of no concern to the Fire Brigade, unless he is on fire.

“There might be a little bit of fire coming out of the back.”

Maybe it’s a rocket bike.

“Maybe.”

Talk me through the steps involved with getting an album out. This DIY business is all the rage, it seems.

“All the kids on the street are into DIY now, B&Q is doing a very good trade. It all started with the programmes on TV that concentrated on DIY.”

Are you by any chance the Handy Andy of indie?

“I wouldn’t go with that, no… it would be nice to be able to say yes.”

How about Carol Smilie or Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen?

“I’m a cross between all three. If you genetically mutated all three into one person and put some melodies in their head, that’s about where I am. So the way you do it is you write a song, or two, or three, or four.”

How good do these songs need to be, considering you’re putting it out yourself and nobody’s going to tell you it’s not good enough?

“(Laughs) I think they need to be, in your own opinion, a good enough song to put out on an album.”

But shit bands always think their music is good enough ‘in their own opinion’.

“It’s difficult when you’re trying to quality control yourself, actually. But because it’s me funding it I don’t care.”

It’s your own money…

“Yes, I can waste it if I want! (Laughs) No, I think they’re good songs.”

When you went into the Babyshambles board meeting and said, ‘I’m doing a solo album’, do you think it was a bit like when Cheryl Cole told Girls Aloud she’d be doing The X Factor?

“Probably exactly the same. Knowing Cheryl as I do, I know she had a lot of problems doing that but she gave me a lot of advice. And it really helped, especially as the two bands are so similar in the way we approach our music.”

How are the band members similar?

“Like Girls Aloud we have different types to appeal to different facets of society.”

Who in Babyshambles looks best in a yellow frock?

“Probably me – but it has to be a certain yellow. Not lemon. Sunflower, maybe.”

You’re the Nadine Coyle of Babyshambles.

“That makes a lot of sense.”

Do you make any art, apart from the art of popular song?

“Well, I try to draw now and again.”

Do you draw with YOUR BLOOD?

“No.”

Good.

“The problem with blood is that it’s not a very nice shade when it dries, it’s like a weathered tattoo on an old man’s arm. Some people like the weathered look of retro, home-made, prison-style tattoos.”

Prison tattoos like ‘paedophile’ written across your forehead?

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”

What do you like to draw?

“Circles.”

Can you draw a perfect cirle?

“No. Show me a man who can draw a perfect circle and I’ll show you a liar. Or a lunatic. Or a man with a pair of compasses in his pocket.”

There has to be a joke there: ‘Is that a pair of compasses in your pocket or have you just got a small prick?’

“I think the next part of that joke should be left to another band member.”

The next time I interview one of the ‘Shambles, I’ll bring it up. How long do the band have left?

“Who knows? Not even the stars know that. We take every day as it comes.”

That’s the sort of thing said by a man in a band about to explode.

“Right. ‘We take it day by day’. Ha ha…”

The Shambles is a better name than Babyshambles.

“You grow out of being a baby… maybe Manshambles should be the next name.”

FYI…
* Adam would like backwards walking to be an Olympic sport.
* “Or backwards running.”
* What a polite chap.

04.07.2008
Keepin’ It Real With Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes
categories: Interview, Pictures, Review
tags: , ,

Colette, Robyn and I got the absolute pleasure of speaking with Sune Rose Wagner of the Raveonettes before their only US-tour date this summer, in our old stomping grounds of Pasadena. We discuss the Raveonettes possible Christmas EP, Keepin’ It Real, Kurt Cobain, Moz and the Smiths.

B: We heard you talk about trying to release 3 EPs this year. 3 EPs is almost a full album, so what made you decide to divide it up into EPs rather than a single album?

SRW: Well, I mean there’s no um, three was just a number, I think its just because I wanted to do another full length album this year and so i would just divide them up instead of doing one, you know? And also you can do different stuff, I think the first one is going to be strictly electronic. And the next one is probably going to just be a noisy one.. and then the last one, I don’t know, it might be a Christmas EP.

B: Really? Are you going to do Christmas covers?

SRW: Well, I don’t know, we have a couple of songs written already that are our own Christmas songs. I think that’s going to be it really.

B: Is it hard to work when you and Sharin live on opposite coasts? How much does each city figure into the music?

SRW: I dunno, I mean, I write all the music, uh, and do everything. I send files to Sharin so she can hear the song and then she’ll comment on it, what she likes and what she doesn’t like or the particular songs and stuff. I dunno, I wrote the first EP, “Whip It On”, when I lived here.

B: Did you not like LA?

SRW: No, I like it fine when I was here but I don’t like to drive that much, you know, and I don’t like to… I like to just walk out of my apartment and go into a bar and meet people and go to restaurants so that’s primarily the reason. And I like the seasons, I really don’t like hot weather that much, even though New York is very hot in the summer time, theres still a lot of seasons, you know. I always liked New York, I lived there for 5 years, I always felt very comfortable in New York. But I do like it out here, inspiration wise.

B: What made you want to play such a small, random, free festival like the Make Music Festival Pasadena?

SRW: No idea. I think its because you know, Sharin is pregnant, you know and she won’t be performing, and then I knew that we weren’t going to have another US show probably this year, and so when that came around that maybe we should do a US show this year, so I think that was why.

C: What are you going for today, as the lone Raveonette, I mean you have Loui, but…

SRW: Lisbeth her name is, and we’re actually using a drummer that we never played with before, too, so it’s a completely different line up today, a Danish guy we know called Chris, he’s sitting right there in the checkered shirt.

B: So did you guys rehearse much?

SRW: We just came in from rehersal now. Cuz we never played with Christopher and Lisbeth. We flew in yesterday and we rehearsed this morning. I played two festivals with Loui and Lisbeth in Europe already, and so we’re doing that for the rest of the summer. Yeah, we’ll see.

C: We’ve noticed you take a very DIY-Personal approach to your band and your fanbase, such as scheduling this interview on your own via text message, basically.

SRW: Yes! Of course.

C&B: Is it important to you to keep it that way as your popularity rises?

SRW: Yeah! I mean, we always want to be in control of everything that we do anyway, so… Sometimes its just easier than if I have to go through my manager and then it has to go through my publicist and I get 5 different confirmation emails for one interview and its just like, so its just easier to do things other ways. I mean I do the other stuff to because I have to, but sometimes if something comes up or if a friend is asking, its just easier.

B: When we saw you at the Terrorbird party at SXSW, we noticed immediately that you have fantastic shoes.

SRW: Oh was it those? [Points to shoes currently on his feet.]

B: Yeah! I think it was.

SRW: They’ve been around now!

B: Is your look totally organic or are you going for something?

SRW: I don’t have that much clothes at home actually, and I always wanted to keep it basic stuff – you know, T-shirts and jeans.

B: And your ornate rings?

SRW: Yeah! These are great because those are very old ones that I found in a vintage store once. But other than that, like I said, I don’t put too much thought into it because this is how I’ve always dressed. You know, and I don’t dress up for shows. You know what I mean? Like when I woke up this morning, I put on these clothes and this is what I’ll be playing in…

R: You don’t want to compromise your style?

SRW: Oddly enough, when I played music back in the early nineties, uh, and Nirvana was big at the time, I remember Kurt Cobain saying once that he always thought it was like ridiculous for people to dress up for shows, and he just wanted to wear what he was wearing because he kept it real, or whatever. And for some reason that has always stuck in my head. I don’t mind people dressing up for shows, like you know the girls put on nice dresses, or whatever, its fine – but I guess I always liked that line and it always stuck with me like, he’s absolutely right, I mean I am who I am and I’m not changing when I’m on stage like, you know what I mean? I am the same person.

B: Morrissey says the same thing.

SRW: Yeah I just wear what I wear!

R&C: Is it safe to say that Sune keeps it real?

SRW: Yeah! Keepin’ it real!

B: We read you were on your way to becoming a pro-tennis player as a youth!

SRW: I was a semi-pro tennis player.

B: What made you switch from being hardcore into tennis to music?

SRW: Because I lived in a small town where I couldn’t take it to the next level. And my mom wouldn’t allow me – because I wanted to go to tennis school in Sweden at the time, to get to the next level – but she wouldn’t allow me to travel because I was young at the time, 14 or 15, I dunno. So I decided to stay and go to school, whatever. I just couldn’t take it to the next level so I just decided to do something else.

B: Do you miss tennis? Do you ever get to play anymore with your hectic schedule?

SRW: Sometimes, when I go home for Christmas, I’ll play with a friend of mine, yeah!

C: Who has been your favorite tour-mate?

SRW: Depeche Mode. Absolutely, by far! Absolutely!

[Some unintelligible laughing between Colette, Robyn and Sune]

B: Is it more fun to have a tour-mate for the entire tour, especially in large countries like the US or to have different local bands in each city?

SRW: No, I prefer a band to have on the leg of a tour kind of thing– for sure. Because you get to know people and you know, you become friends with them and that’s nice.

B: Do you like the sense of community?

Yeah you see the familiar faces every day and it makes you feel kind of nice. Especially if its band you really like – its great because you get to see them every day.

C: What bands are you into currently?

SRW: Um, right now I’m listening to a lot of French music from the 60s. Like Francois de [Roubaix] and Silvia Vartan. And Serge Gainsbourg, of course! And Anna Karena. Uh, and Franz Gaul. Gaul. Gail. I don’t know how to pronounce it.

B: We saved the most important question for last. What is your favorite Smiths album, and more importantly why?

SRW: The Queen is dead is probably my favorite one, because it has my favorite song of almost all time, “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” on it. Can’t beat it!

All: It’s impossible!

04.06.2008
Carl Barat gives interview; Girls love him more.
categories: Interview, Video
tags: ,

What’s on your rider?
Whisky, crisps, water, towels and the odd razor.

What would be on your fantasy rider?
The cast of Blackadder.

What’s your pre-gig ritual/routine?
Dutch courage.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Rage Against the Machine & The Prodigy, Reading festival. Can’t recall the exact year. It was the first time I went to see bands live that I knew.

And the worst?
When I went to see Ray Davies play – for various reasons I missed the whole show.

Arena or pub gig?
Pub gig every time.

Who is the most famous person to have shown up at one of your gigs?
Liam Gallagher.

Most embarrassing on-stage moment?
Running away from a wasp.

What’s your crowd pleasing number?
At this point it’s probably Bang Bang You’re Dead.

Chatting between songs – good or bad?
Good if you can do it, bad if you are me. The songs should speak for themselves.

Groupies – would you?
Hmmm…

Touring – blessing or curse?
Both really. It depends on where you are. [Read: blessing if in England, curse if elsewhere]

When did you last play a free gig?
Last week at Filthy MacNasty’s in Twickenham.

Do you like to meet and greet fans after the gig?
Yeah, usually.

Any useful stage tips?
Don’t be late.

What’s the worst thing ever thrown at you?
The Libertines were rained on by Converse shoes (all of them odd)

Oh and thanks to friends at the best DPT community, I present you the wasp moment:

16.04.2008
INTERVIEW: Adam Ficek of Roses, Kings, Castles
category: Interview
tags: , ,

8 NOT-SO RANDOM QUESTIONS WITH ADAM FICEK

How did Roses, Kings, Castles come about?
Have always written songs, some of them don’t make the shambles albums, so I wanted a way to get them out there, It was purely for selfish reasons, I just wanted to get the songs heard. I didn’t expect people to be that interested…

Where did you come up with the name?
I like those three words together, there’s no real inspiration just that they fitted the music I made.

Who are your inspirations?
I really enjoy listening to melodic indie stuff such as c86esq, belle and sebastian, the housemartins, but also bands such as blur, the smiths, syd barret, but then’s theres the classical and jazz influence…..it goes on and on.

Do you and Drew support each others’ projects outside of ‘Shambles?
Yeah, Mik also, we’re all planning to go on a solo tour together very soon.

Who did the Roses, Kings, Castles artwork you use on the myspace?
Giorgia Di Lello, an aspiring young artist I met in Italy….

What are your aims for Roses, Kings, Castles over the next year?
release two eps, and play some small libraries and launderettes across the uk and europe, when not babyshambles-ing, obviously that’s my band, so it takes priority. It’s just nice to have something to do when we have time off.

What is your dream Glasto lineup?
Reform the stone roses and the smiths joint headline.

If you could collaborate with any artist in the near future, who would it be?
I’ve written a duet for tracy anne campbell from camera obscura but she isn’t aware of it yet…

Nu Rave Brain Wave would like to thank Adam for being our (omg) first interview! Luckily for us (and you guys obviously) he thought up some great answers to some really fucking boring questions and was super nice to pass along his single, which if you haven’t downloaded yet, you simply must. So definitely download Sparklin’ Bootz by Roses Kings Castles!