Montag, 17. September 2012
Mittwoch, 12. September 2012
Montag, 10. September 2012
Samstag, 1. September 2012
''Back to Reality'' on Ragged
You’ve said that with this record, you wanted to make an “honest statement.” What inspired that new focus?
I wanted to fabricate something that worked with the modern state of music but still had our genuine sound. In early 2011, we made an entire record but we threw it out. Radio stations were hearing it and basically saying, “Hey, these are great, but give us mixes without the guitars.” Well, there are two guitar players in our band! We kind of felt like the scene that embraced us had died and we needed to find a new place for ourselves while still sounding like us. So, we took a little hiatus and during that time I went to Nashville, which was a huge influence.
Tell me about Nashville. What inspired you to go down there?
Everything is different in Nashville. Producing music in LA, it’s just, like, two or three people hovering around one computer screen. The focus is all on the demo, just having something presentable by the end of the day. In Nashville, there’s no computer. It’s really old-school in the way that it’s about the song, which is nice because you’re not worried about production or presenting what you’re writing during the day. That made it so much easier to isolate melodic and lyric content, and focus on, “Man, let’s really create something great before we think about how we’re gonna present it to anyone.”
What inspirations did you have for the sound, for the production side of things?
Really, it’s all what benefits the songwriting most. When I wrote a lot of these songs I was thinking of great Americana, like John Mellencamp. I also listened to great records that are cohesive experiences, like Graceland by Paul Simon. Then, going to Nashville and hearing the country sound—the players are so incredible, the production is so nice and clean. I tried to ask myself, “What do people sing along with? What do they relate to?” Then, it’s about matching the music to that, finding the right blend. Warm, organic stuff—mandolin, acoustic guitar, elegant lead parts, and making that work with the programmed elements.
Does the concept of this album—living in a “crazy world”— come from just being tired of the rat race of being in a touring band with a busy schedule or reacting to what you hear on the radio?
I think it’s a combination. If you look out at the crowd at one of our shows, you see that 70 percent of the crowd is not looking up, they’re looking at their phones! And I’m a sucker for technology, too; I’m out with my friends, posting an Instagram of what’s happening rather than experiencing it. The only thing that slows people down and keeps us sane is music, and the challenge is trying to get a nugget of reality into it.
I wanted to fabricate something that worked with the modern state of music but still had our genuine sound. In early 2011, we made an entire record but we threw it out. Radio stations were hearing it and basically saying, “Hey, these are great, but give us mixes without the guitars.” Well, there are two guitar players in our band! We kind of felt like the scene that embraced us had died and we needed to find a new place for ourselves while still sounding like us. So, we took a little hiatus and during that time I went to Nashville, which was a huge influence.
Tell me about Nashville. What inspired you to go down there?
Everything is different in Nashville. Producing music in LA, it’s just, like, two or three people hovering around one computer screen. The focus is all on the demo, just having something presentable by the end of the day. In Nashville, there’s no computer. It’s really old-school in the way that it’s about the song, which is nice because you’re not worried about production or presenting what you’re writing during the day. That made it so much easier to isolate melodic and lyric content, and focus on, “Man, let’s really create something great before we think about how we’re gonna present it to anyone.”
What inspirations did you have for the sound, for the production side of things?
Really, it’s all what benefits the songwriting most. When I wrote a lot of these songs I was thinking of great Americana, like John Mellencamp. I also listened to great records that are cohesive experiences, like Graceland by Paul Simon. Then, going to Nashville and hearing the country sound—the players are so incredible, the production is so nice and clean. I tried to ask myself, “What do people sing along with? What do they relate to?” Then, it’s about matching the music to that, finding the right blend. Warm, organic stuff—mandolin, acoustic guitar, elegant lead parts, and making that work with the programmed elements.
Does the concept of this album—living in a “crazy world”— come from just being tired of the rat race of being in a touring band with a busy schedule or reacting to what you hear on the radio?
I think it’s a combination. If you look out at the crowd at one of our shows, you see that 70 percent of the crowd is not looking up, they’re looking at their phones! And I’m a sucker for technology, too; I’m out with my friends, posting an Instagram of what’s happening rather than experiencing it. The only thing that slows people down and keeps us sane is music, and the challenge is trying to get a nugget of reality into it.
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