Thursday, September 9th, 2010
We had a chance to catch up with Chris McCaughan of The Lawrence Arms recently. He talks about his second Sundowner album, “We Chase The Waves”, and his love for Cormac McCarthy and literature.
What are some of the major themes explored on the new album?
A: I think the record is based in pretty universal themes but the major ones are love and death and self-actualization and atonement. The record is kind of about coming to terms with who you are and the world you live in. I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s bleak and hopeless. I don’t really think that way about it. I think it’s more about the darkness you travel through towards pinholes of light. So overall I see it as a hopeful record.
What would you say some of the differences are between We Chase The Waves and Four One Five Two?
A: The major difference to me is that We Chase The Waves was written and made with the acoustic form more in mind. I wrote the songs for the record with a more focused idea and imagination of how the album would really sound and how the songs would fit and gel in the format. We approached the construction of the record much differently this time around. 4152 was more meticulously laid out and recorded. Most parts were pre-arranged and written in advance, everything was played to a click track, etc. So We Chase The Waves was more of a renegade production and I think that reflected the songs and in the end, really the whole process. When 4152 came out there was some speculation that the songs were second rate or lost Lawrence Arms songs and that they all could have been electric punk songs. There may have been some slivers of truth to that, not that they were throw away songs but that they could have held up as punk rock tunes. I think the new collection is entirely comfortable in it’s own skin and I guess that’s the greatest difference.
How do you find time to balance Sundowner and The Lawrence Arms?
A: Well, The Lawrence Arms haven’t been heavily active and I’m not doing full on touring for the Sundowner record so I got time. It took me three years to get out the second Sundowner record, and eight months to actually make it. So right now it’s not too hard to do both.
What is your favorite track off the new album?
A: I don’t really have a favorite track. I think every song leans on each other. I know some people just say that shit cuz it sounds writerly or artistic but I think it’s true. If I had to pick one I’d pick “What Beadie Said” which is loosely based on a scene from The Wire, but I couldn’t just pick one. I’d also maybe have to pick “In The Flicker” or even “Araby”. I’m attached to those songs too. I dunno.
Do you stick to a setlist or try to keep it changing and take requests?
A: I generally write a unique set for every show. I haven’t done a lot of shows for the new record but typically I like to have a framework and when I’m playing solo I can take a detour at any moment and take requests or play things that I wouldn’t normally. When I toured through England with Mike Park I found myself playing songs I basically had no business pulling out, songs I could barely remember the lyrics to. It’s always time and place.
What are your thoughts on the way technology is changing the way people access music?
A: I dunno. It’s a different world than I grew up in. I can’t imagine being fifteen and having endless access to music and media or finding new artists by plugging stuff in to internet radio sites. We found bands by going to shows or word of mouth or going to the record store and blah blah blah. The first tours I ever did I was still calling home from a payphone and we actually read maps to find where we were going and we didn’t live in a world of 24 hour updates from every ding dong with a facebook app on their phone. Sound like the rants of a bitter old man? Yeah, well, my point is that you can either get with it and use it to your advantage or you can bury your head in the sand.
Any thoughts on the internet and how it is changing the music industry? The Arcade Fire topped the billboards recently. What do you think has caused this change in independent artists gaining more exposure?
A: I have no idea. Look, I’m not an expert on the industry or how this is all works. I know as much about this as I do about bird watching or econometrics. But it seems to me that kids, people, are more connected than ever before because of “social networking” (Did you know there’s a boring movie about facebook now? Nice!) and the way people interact over the internet. Combine that with how few records even major artists sell and I guess someone like the Arcade Fire tops the charts. Really though, I have no idea. I don’t want anyone to think that I have any kind of expertise on this subject cuz I really don’t. Maybe it’s a great record with awesome songs and it’s finally swimming through the big stream and everyone’s catching on. It seems to me Arcade Fire was a pretty successful outfit already. So they had a pretty good place to launch from. Good for them man. I think it’s a great story.
Going along with the last question, what are your thoughts on piracy and the way it can affect a musician like yourself?
A: You can’t stop piracy. While it may well affect me in some way I think it’s ultimately pretty marginal. Fish gotta swim. Drunks gotta drink. Records gotta leak. Paris Hilton gotsta get busted for cocaine possession in Vegas. Just the way of the world bro. You can either roll with it and adjust or you can stop making records and find something else to do.
What inspired you to write “In the Flicker”? (The opening lines remind me of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”)
A: The opening words to “In The Flicker” are loosely inspired by Cormac McCarthy. I’m a huge fan of his books and there’s more than one reference on the record to his work. The song initially borrows his apocalyptic vision but morphs into a sort of desert dream old west death march, or something like that. I guess I was trying to write a song that lived in a dusty lonesome western landscape. I certainly wouldn’t say the song is about “The Road”, or any McCarthy book for that matter, but I’d say it’s vaguely inspired by it. The title of the song is actually a reference to Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”. All this kind of stuff is totally inspiring to me but it doesn’t necessarily get to the heart of what the song is truly about. That’s open to interpretation and it probably reflects a lot of what I’d been thinking about at the time. To simplify: it’s a bit of a rogue song about finding your own way.
What inspires you to write your music? Literature, film, family?
A: Certainly all those things inspire me. As you’ve kind of already seen literature plays a large part in my creative output. I like fiction, stories, poems and words. There’s plenty of other stuff on the album that falls into that category. Also, as I referenced earlier, “What Beadie Said” was initially a lyrical response to a scene from “The Wire”. So television/film is a hotspot as well although it’s not as dominant or directly referenced. The places I’ve traveled, the people in my life all add to the landscape I write from. I think my lyrical output is a way of understanding and translating the world I live in.
How do you think your music has changed and evolved since you first started writing?
A: Honestly I try not to think about or consider that too much. I don’t know that it really gets me anywhere. Of course, my hope is that it continues to get better. But other people will always be the judge of that and stack it up against what you’ve done before. I try not to write lyrics or songs to rewrite what I’ve done “successfully” on prior albums. I think that would be a waste of time. I try to do this so it’s fresh and compelling to me and hopefully, as a craft, my abilities have progressed and evolved. I started writing lyrics and punk songs when I was 16. I think I’ve followed my instincts as a songwriter and I like to believe that We Chase The Waves has a unique quality and new perspective from the work I’ve done before and that it’s a new and evolved place to land for the time being.
What advice would you give to anyone that wants to become a songwriter?
A: I don’t know that I’m the best person to ask or that I have a great answer. I think you have to write lots of songs and keep working at it. I don’t think writing great songs, or even just mediocre songs, is about being “inspired” although it certainly helps from time to time. I think it’s about always working at it, finding your own unique voice as a writer and trusting yourself to take risks and write some real garbage along the way.
How does the music making process usually start out for you?
A: I play some guitar. I jot down some lines that are sticking with me or some notes. I’ve got something crawling through my head. If I’ve got some writing I skim through it and then I let all of it percolate for a bit and then try to hit the ground running. Usually back and forth, guitar, melody, words, and I start to cut and paste and piece together the puzzle. When I was writing We Chase I taped sheets of butcher paper to the walls and wrote lyrics and diagrams on them with a sharpie.
What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of being on a major label? What about the pros and cons about staying independent?
A: I’ve never been on a major so I have no idea. It probably has some great perks, like maybe you get a foot rub while your tracking guitars or there’s a sushi bar in the studio. It probably has drawbacks as well. Honestly I feel really fortunate to have anyone believe enough in the music to put out records I make. Being on an indie has worked in this way for a long time. It’s tough to just play music for a living in this day and age so I’m happy I get to share it in the way that I can.
Any last words?
A:“Poo-tee-weet?”
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thesundownermusic
Twitter: @sundownermusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SUNDOWNERMUSIC
Blog: http://www.chrismccaughan.com/
Cover Art: Jourdon Gullet
Picture by Michael Maxner
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
By Alex Waage
The turritopsis nutricula is a genus of jellyfish that has been proclaimed by the experts to be “immortal”. It achieves its seemingly perpetual existence by riding a life cycle in which it grows to maturity, shrinks down to a polyp, and then burgeons back into adulthood only to revert to the start of the cycle again and again and so on and so forth.
Like the immortal jellyfish, Weezer seem to have been on the alternative rock scene forever, fluctuating between being a band capable of brilliance and being a band capable of making a great punch line. After the release of their self-titled 1994 debut and their sophomore album, the cult-classic Pinkerton, Weezer became wedged between a proverbial rock and hard place. While The Green Album, Maladroit and Make Believe were too bland and uninspired, The Red Album and Raditude were too bold for their own good, experimenting wildly with styles untouched by the band and resulting in some of the lowest points in their career. With each album, Rivers Cuomo and company were trying their hand at the futile balancing act of appeasing calloused critics, a cynical fan base, the general public, and themselves. However, it seems that the unabashedly nerdy quartet has come as close as possible to achieving such a feat with their newest record, Hurley.
While a pleasant surprise for die-hard fans and casual observers alike, Hurley is anything but a return to form for the band. It serves more as a summation of their career, flaunting the band’s strengths while blending in the kind of sonic curve balls that have baffled the masses for the past decade, albeit in a way far more successful than before. Throughout the ten tracks that make up the album, a plethora of sounds are tinkered with, but never once do they feel forced. The result is a surprisingly cohesive album that recalls moments and textures from the Weezer back catalogue. Songs like “Smart Girls” and “Ruling Me” are chugging pop sing-alongs in the vein of The Green Album while “Run Away” and “Hang On” are reminiscent of Make Believe-era balladry. Even the meat-headed riffs featured on “Where’s My Sex?” and “Brave New World” are not unlike those on Maladroit.
Despite the vague likenesses that they bear to songs from Weezer’s past, the tunes on Hurley are far better than their predecessors on the aforementioned albums. For instance, “Hang On” is a poppy ballad, but that in no way prevents the band from experimenting with the instrumentation featured within. In fact, Michael Cera of Arrested Development and Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World plays mandolin on the track.
This is not to say that the entire album is as perfect and inspired as one might hope. Sprinkled throughout the album are awkwardly constructed couplets like “And if you take this away from me/I’ll never forgive you can’t you see” from the otherwise-brilliant “Unspoken”. Still, no song is as lyrically insipid as “Where’s My Sex?”. The song is the album’s undeniable low point in every way and its awkwardly placed bridge certainly doesn’t help. Seriously, it’s completely shoehorned in.
Listening to Hurley again, I feel about as satisfied as a Weezer fan can expect to feel. Rivers, Pat, Brian, and Scott are finally heading in a creative direction that feels natural and appropriate for the band at this point. It’s no Pinkerton, but Hurley is a quirky, imaginative record that the band can be truly proud of. Fans of the band can expect even more solid music in the future, considering that November sees the release of the two-disc Pinkerton: Deluxe Edition and Death To False Metal, a compilation of unheard and unreleased songs from the band’s recording history. With Hurley released and these gems on the way, 2010 is a good year to be a Weezer fan.
Monday, August 30th, 2010
Orbs hit up Bottom of the Hill last night along with Junius and Disastroid. I love Bottom of The Hill in SF because for one it is a really small venue so you are able to get up close and can see the band clearly from practically anywhere in the room.
Along the walls you will see calendar after calendar of past shows, and you can’t help but be amazed when thinking of all the bands that have rolled through within the past ten years. The likes of Cat Power, Metric, Iron & Wine, Queens of the Stone Age to name a few.
The crowd gathered near the front of the stage, faces melted after each set. All in all it was a great show with some great bands and I can’t wait to go to Bottom of the Hill again!
Orbs – Video of Orbs can be found at http://youtube.com/thebayareanative
Junius
Disastroid
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
What’s the origin of the band name? Have you changed the band’s name before?
We actually used to be called “The Dawn Treader,” a reference to the ship from C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. But we were concerned that we would encounter potential legal issues from that in the future. So we decided to change it while keeping it very Narnia-related: The Lion, referring to Aslan, and The Sail, referring to The Dawn Treader. We miss being called The Dawn Treader. I always liked that story best. Sailing home to The Utter East…what could be better?
How long have you been all been playing? Self-taught?
I think it varies from person to person. Most of us, I think, are self-taught. I know Jared, our lead guitarist, has had a good deal of lessons, but he has taught himself things as well. I taught myself how to play the piano when I was probably twelve or so, and starting taking it more seriously around fifteen. Most of us have been in little bands and projects before this: punk rock, metal/hardcore, acoustic jams or indie dream-pop…lots of different styles coming in.
Who are your major influences? Any major comparisons to certain bands that your music may receive?
Again, these really vary. Personally, I draw a lot of influence from older/classic bands (The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc.), to kind of progressive/post-hardcore type of things like The Fall Of Troy (RIP) and I think a lot of the rest of the band would agree. And then we have our influences like Death Cab For Cutie, Brand New, Thrice…really mixed and endless influences. A lot of jazz and swing, too.
I think we get compared to Eisley a lot, which is funny to me. I think it’s because Kelsey and I are sisters, we’re both from Tyler, and we’re both really melodically driven, emotional bands. But outside of those factors, I think our sounds are completely different. Eisley has that really cool, dreamy sort of sound, even on their new record. I think we have a bit of a harder sound. And I think that goes back to influences, too.
How long have you all known each other? How did you meet? When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
As a collective group, we’ve known each other for almost two years. How we met is kind of funny. Obviously, Kelsey and I kind of already knew each other. And I introduced her to Jared, her boyfriend, so they knew other, too, I suppose. [laughs] Austin and Juno came to an acoustic benefit show that Kelsey was helping me with, after which they approached me about going full band. And Austin really pursued that. We really hit it off right away and started writing. So we had all these little songs we wrote and I was like “Dude, we need a drummer.” Austin and Juno had worked with Dan before so that’s where he came from. And Tim was a friend of mine, and was sort of our lead guitarist before Jared actually joined the band a couple of months later. So technically we weren’t all officially together until September 2009? That seems crazy because we were working most of the summer. I think what inspired us, honestly, was just a great love of music. And in Tyler, where we live, there was a really strong hardcore scene and I think we really wanted to break through that. And I think we sort of have, in a way.
Where have you performed?
We mostly have played in Tyler. Tour was an amazing experience. If Eisley hadn’t asked us to go, we’d probably still be doing what we’re doing, I guess. But that exposure…making all those new fans and friends…it was incredible. And that was such a great first tour, too, because it was just like touring with your family. We’re all really close. Gary, our dad, actually produced their new record that’s going to be coming out. I think we all had different favourite cities, too, which is great, because I feel like we really made a connection with so many of those people. It’s always nice when you feel like someone genuinely bonds with your music. And we really can never thank Eisley enough for taking us out, because they really didn’t have to do that.
So there is a new album in the works. Tell us a little bit about it. What are some of the themes in the songs? Is there a title for the album yet?
There is a new album in the works, yes. We really have just started writing it. I think it’s going to be a really strong first record, both sonically and emotionally. We’re still in the very early stages, so it’s hard to say much about themes at this point. And yes, it’s titled, but it’s a secret!
What albums are you currently listening to and would like to recommend?
This really great band from Arkansas, PMToday has a new record out called “In Medias Res” that’s out on Rise Records. I think we pretty much listened to that every day on tour in Austin’s car. Tegan & Sara’s last two records are phenomenal. One of my favourite bands, Menomena, has a new record that just came out called “Mines.” Some other things we’ve been listening to: Portugal. The Man, Foals, Ra Ra Riot, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, The Dead Weather, As Cities Burn, Monsters Of Folk, The Dodos, The Black Keys, Band Of Gypsies, Maps & Atlases, Arcade Fire…tons more stuff but this list is getting kind of long.
Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers?
I don’t think there’s been a show where we haven’t played “Soul.” Maybe one, actually, but that was out of necessity for time (Chicago). I think our friends and fans would be tremendously upset because that seems to be a favourite. We usually play everything off of our EP, though. Sometimes we play older, pre-EP songs, and sometimes we play new songs. On tour, we played two new songs that will be on the record that are as-of-yet unrecorded. We’ve never really played covers. Austin and I did play an acoustic cover of “Your Love Is My Drug” by Ke$ha as a joke for a friend once, though. Oh, and we do sing “Dayman” from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia before every show.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
Generally what will happen is that I’ll write a song and take the skeleton to either Austin or the entire band, explain my vision for it, and we’ll just sort of hash it out until we’re happy with it. Other times, we’ll all come up with something together and I’ll add lyrics when they come to me. I don’t really sit down and try to think of something to write. That makes me pretty uncomfortable. The idea for “Laura” came to me while I was driving to Austin’s old apartment. He ended up helping a lot with that song. And with “It’s Not,” too. He wrote that “I’ve got a lot of things to say” line. That’s one of my favourite parts.
I think relationships come up in our songs a lot, but not just typical romantic relationships. Really, life is a big part of our music. I think that’s why it sounds the way it does. And we’ll have a song here and there about something fictional. We have this old song called “Nightmares” that’s based off a sort of nightmare I had after reading House Of Leaves. One of the songs on the record, “What’s In Your Heart?” is about transparency; seeing through others and through yourself and even how sometimes failure to do so can affect your life. But we draw a lot from life experience, whether our own or from the experiences of others. So I think the content of our songs might change over time, but the life part certainly won’t.
Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
I think it differs for everyone. For us, I think it has been hectic, beautiful, unpredictable, dark, light, and everything in between.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
When Austin and I first started writing together, things were a lot brighter. “Poppier,” or whatever. That’s when we kind of regrouped and started over. I didn’t want to write a poppy sounding record. I don’t think he did either. I’m glad it has evolved into being something much more emotional and defined. And it never would have if we hadn’t swallowed our pride and scraped off our plates.
What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
I think our biggest challenge has been overcriticising ourselves. But I think that’s also been our biggest asset. I’m a major perfectionist when it comes to our art, and if it’s not perfect, we’re not doing it. [laughs] And that gets frustrating sometimes, but in the end, I think we’re all really happy with what we put out. Everyone works really hard at rehearsals, even when things go completely wrong, and I think it really shows.
It seems a lot of bands find success when using the Internet and social media quite extensively to gain a fanbase. What are the bands thoughts on the way musicians can gain exposure via technology while still being independent from a label?
Endless self-promotion. I mean, you have to throw yourself out there full-force, constantly. It’s exhausting. We’re actually really bad at it. Before MySpace died, it was really easy. But there are other ways to do it. YouTube is really useful, as well as Twitter. Even Facebook is picking things up now. We love Facebook, personally. I feel like it really keeps us connected with our fans really well. And a lot of times labels can be pointed to your band or whatever through those sites, whether by happenstance or fans’ pointing. We wouldn’t mind that, Equal Vision. No pressure.
Going along with the last question, think of technology in light of albums leaking early, and people downloading your album somewhere. What are your thoughts on the way technology has changed the way musicians release their music and make it accessible to fans?
You know, I actually saw one of our songs floating around Twitter the other day. It’s weird. On one hand it’s like, “that’s money our band could be making to help us record or buy a van.” But on the other hand it’s exposure. Who knows how many people have that mp3? And people are going to pass your stuff around no matter what, you know? So really, all you can do is make the best music you possibly can, and hope that people will like it and support you enough to buy it so that you can keep doing it.
What’s the ultimate direction for the band?
I think we just want to keep doing this as long as we can. I know I’ll always make music as long as someone wants to listen to it. And even if they don’t. [laughs] Our vision is and always has been to make good music that we love. We can only hope that if we love it, other people will love it. We don’t compromise with what someone else thinks it should be or sound like; we are who we are. So I think the ultimate direction is forward. We’ll see what happens.
What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
If you have an original idea, please go for it. And not to be cliché, but don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. And if you fail, you fail, but at least you tried. And most importantly, surround yourself with people you love and who love you and have fun.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
Endless amounts of people have offered us endless amounts of support so there is no way we could list them all. However, we would like to firstly thank the Cunningham family, certainly, because we wouldn’t be where we are today without their support. Also, mega-huge thanks to the Baloches: you know what you did; the Leach, Bickham and Denson families for every single thing; all of our families for supporting a bunch of crazy kids playing a bunch of loud, moody music; Rosewood Studios for helping us get what we needed and believing in our project; The Vineyard Church in Tyler for letting us practice in your building: we love you; anyone who has listened to or purchased our record, come out to a show or bought a shirt: you are awesome; and last but certainly not least Kari Denson, for being our guardian angel in Heaven and believing in our band before anybody even knew who we were.
Any plans for a show on the west coast?
We are dying to play out there! It’s not financially feasible at this time, but we really would love to make it happen as soon as possible.
Any last words?
Keep your eyes out for news on our record. We’re putting our hearts and souls into it. Also, you can buy our EP “Things To Say” on iTunes! And check us out at the following sites:
http://www.myspace.com/thelionandthesail
http://www.facebook.com/thelionandthesail
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
Johanna of First Aid Kit was nice enough to take some time to answer some questions about their music, future plans, and some of their major influences. If you haven’t heard their magnificent cover of Tiger Mountain, Peasant Song by The Fleet Foxes yet, be sure to search for it on Youtube. They are playing Bottom of the Hill on October 3rd!
What’s the origin of that name?
When Klara was 13 she started thinking about making music, inspired by Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. She looked through an English dictionary and randomly found the word “First Aid Kit”. She liked it and went with it. When we formed a band together we decided to stick with it. We want our music to be a consolation for people. A plaster for the soul.
Have you changed the band’s name before?
No. We wanted to be called “Yellow Bird” for a while, but we found out that there was another band called that.
How long have you been playing? Self-taught?
Klara – guitar. Klara has been playing since she was 13, so for 4 years. She is self-taught, but got a little help in the beginning from our father who is a professional guitarist.
Johanna – keyboard and auto-harp. I have been playing keyboard and autoharp for 2 years. I’m self-taught.
Who are your major influences?
Bright Eyes, Joanna Newsom, Leonard Cohen, Simon & Garfunkel, Townes Van Zandt, Devendra Banhart, Bob Dylan, Karen Dalton and many more.
Any major comparisons to certain bands that your music has received?
We’re often compared to the Fleet Foxes. I think the main reason is that we did a cover of their song “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”, but also because of the importance of harmonies in our music. We are also compared to Alela Diane a lot and I can definitely see similarities there.
When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?
We formed in 2007. Klara had been writing some songs under the pseudonym “First Aid Kit” on Myspace that year. I recorded harmonies for the demo of her song “Tangerine”. She really liked what she heard and we decided to make music together after that.
Do you have a record label?
Yes, we have our own record label called Jagadamba. We have licensed our music to the British label Wichita Recordings.
Where have you performed? What are your favorite venues?
We’ve performed a lot in Europe – Scandinavia, the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy etc. We also recently did a tour of the US. Our favorite venues are many. Among others, we love The Union Chapel in London, King Tut’s in Glasgow, Södra Teatern in Stockholm and Tavastia in Helsinki.
What albums are you currently listening to and would like to recommend?
Stars and Angels – Turid, Have One On Me – Joanna Newsom, Album II – Loudon Wainwright III.
Which songs do you perform most frequently?
Hard Believer, I Met Up With The King, You’re Not Coming Home Tonight
Do you ever play any covers?
Yes, we play Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by Fleet Foxes and Still Feeling Blue by Gram Parsons. We also perform Universal Soldier by Buffy Sainte-Marie sometimes. We love playing other people’s songs.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
Some songs are written by Klara only. Some songs are written by the two of us. We want to tell stories with our songs. Common themes are love, relationships, nature, religion. I have no idea if these topics will change, let’s wait and see. We write whatever feels good in the moment, we don’t really plan what to write about.
Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
The music-making process is very difficult to describe. It’s often very spontaneous – a songs just “pops” up in our heads.
What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?
When we were only a duo performing live our rehearsals were more spontaneous since we could rehearse at home whenever we wanted. Now we have to set up certain times each week when we practice with our drummer at different rehearsing spaces.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
I feel that our music is always evolving, I hope it is for the better. I don’t know how our it has evolved exactly, it’s hard to tell. I know we have become better singers and I’m better at harmonizing now than I was in the past.
Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
Yes, we love old American folk like The Carter Family, The Louvin Brothers and Bill Monroe. We also love Swedish 70′s music like Turid and Anders F Rönnblom.
What’s your ultimate direction for your band?
We don’t really have an ultimate direction or a set goal. We just wish to be able to continue making music for as long as possible. We hope to make music that we and other people can enjoy. It’s that simple.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
Our parents, without them we would not be here. They are incredibly supportive, both financially and emotionally.
Any last words?
World peace.
First Aid Kit US Tour
9/30 – Seattle, WA – Vera Project
10/1 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
10/3 – San Fransisco, CA – Bottom of The Hill
10/4 – Los Angeles, CA – Largo at the Coronet
10/5 – Los Angeles, CA – Echo
10/9 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
10/11 – Nashville, TN – The End
10/13 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
10/15 – Toronto, ON – El Mocambo
10/16 – Montreal, QC – Le Divan Orange
10/17 – Allston, MA – Great Scott
10/19 – Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
10/20 – Washington, DC – DC9
