Interview with Andy Chase of Ivy

Starting out, what was your first taste of success?

"We got signed without ever playing a single show. Two of the demos that got us signed were immediately released as a 7” in both the States and England. The A-side called “Get Enough” was quickly picked by Melody Maker magazine as their Single Of The Week, and suddenly all this excitement and focus was directed at us...we still hadn’t played a show yet, still were totally green and naïve. That sudden attention from the press helped launch our career, for sure."

You’ve been together as a band since 1994. In what way has your relationship with Dominique influenced the group musically?

"I guess it’s helped us through the good times and bad - Ivy might have broken up a few times already if it wasn’t for me and Dominique's commitment towards each other. I also think knowing Dominique so well and sharing her perspective on this world around us – even understanding her own idiosyncrasies – has helped me write songs that speak to her and, as a result, work so well when she sings them as Ivy."

James Iha has appeared in some form or another on almost all of your releases. What kind of an experience is it to work with James?

"Great. He’s been like a rabbit’s foot. Totallt good luck to have him participate. Great guy too, and he's played on every Ivy record since Apartment Life. He’s even played on my Brookville albums. He’s very melodic and I love to just have him noodle around on each song – he’ll grab a fx pedal or two and try something on the fly - and I’ll go through his takes later and pull out the best moments. He likes working this way so it’s always fun to have him contribute."

Both you and Adam have done a lot of work as producers and composers outside of Ivy. What projects do you enjoy working on the most?

"I've done very little producing because being in both Ivy and Brookville take up so much time and creative energy. I usually end up producing one, maybe two, things a year. Because I produce so little the stuff I seem to gravitate to tends to be the projects I feel will challenge me, rather than what might be an easy “job” or pay well. The Tahiti 80 records I’ve done have put me to task because those guys are such accomplished writers and producers themselves, so it always elevates my game and makes me discover things about my own abilities. Working with them I’m finding I’m always trying to push the envelope, which is really rewarding. Right now I’m producing Juliana Hatfield. She is so insanely talented and such a wonderful, captivating person but she really needs to break free of the sound that served her so well in the 90's. She could be so much more than what she's been, so this is my challenge - to bring that out. That’s the kind of thing I enjoy working on – helping an artist blossom and metamorphose, being part of that process."

Besides more Ivy releases, can we expect to see more projects involving film with you and Adam?

"Man, I hope so. Scoring Shallow Hal was such a great experience for Ivy and we are always looking for that next film."

interview with Josef and Esbjorn of Oh! Custer

Tell us about the Composition Process, i've heard a lot of bird sounds and distortion in your voice,and some shoegaze/electro pop sounds aswell. Tell us what's the message behind all that effects.. Is that just for fun.. do you like nature or something?

"Well, we like it when sounds start to live their own lives to become something we can't really control. In all these sounds and noise you can hear things that we did not intend to put there. And of course we like the sound of reverberation and distortion, that's the reason we use them. And yes, we like nature, of course, who doesn't? Maybe that's something that differs us from other bands. We get inspiration from nature (trees, seasons, birds and stuff) and are not afraid to be geeky about it. But we also get inspiration from the city as it is a kind of nature we explore in our daily lives."

How did you come up with the tracklisting for the debut EP "Leaves"?

"Eh.... it was sort of a thing that just happened. The songs are almost chronological. We sat down and made songs.... It was our first EP and our first songs so it was a learning process. We are learning new things every time we record a new song. It just keeps on coming!"

What are your expectations in the next couple of years as a band? Are you planning on taking a tour of europe to help support your first LP?

"First of all we would like to have a proper record deal with some small label somewhere. Then maybe a booking company to help us find gigs. As it is now we handle these things ourselves. And what about a tour... That would be fun but Esbjorn is finishing his master in Landscape Architecture and Josef is fulltime PhD student in Cancer Genetics. We don't really have time to go on tour. But we do play occasionally. We'd love to go overseas sometime..."

Being a new band in the market makes you depend on a large number of people from reviewers and critics to agents and managers. Are you feeling the new life style stress?

"No, we consider the band as a social project most of all. It's not something we really think about. It's for fun. So far everyone has been nothing but nice to us. Curiously enough...."

Which band in Sweden would you like to recommend to your fans?

"Radio Dept., Franke, Fireside, Silverbullit.... there are many good bands you know! "

interview with Pekka Portfors

What role does relocation play in your music?

"Relocation means new impressions, faces, places and sometimes new problems to deal with, these are all things that tumble around in my head when I am writing a song I guess. It can also give a new perspective to old places and people. "

Have you started a band since moving to england?

"No I haven't, I am here for only 5 months, and having to pay rent and all that forces me to work most of the time, but me and two friends, Ben Sheard (http://www.myspace.com/benwizzy) and Vicky Chapman are messing about with some retro computers, such as a commondore 64, an atari, the first ever casio keyboard and other strange, old equipment, we are called Giftbaskets for the Unfortunate. But yeah, as for the time I am trying to get material for another full length record since my last one never made it to the factory and has been outdated. "

What was it like to be in a song with Taxi Taxi?

"It was ace, worth meantioning is that this song did only feature Johanna B.E from Taxi, Taxi! This was a very strange project though, I got the idea one night, asked Johanna if she wanted to sing on one song, which I then recorded the music for and sent to her over the internet. Taking lazy to a completely new level, but it turned out alright! Haha. "

In music what is the difference between the live music scene in Sweden and the live music scene in England?

"It is alot bigger in England I would say, here it feels more like you are going to a club than to a show, which is a bit more relaxing, also it is cheaper and more bands play here. "

While sharing the stage with Jose Gonzalez what did you experience? What did you learn?

I got to support one of my favorite singer/songwriters! Just that is enough for me. The night was fantastic, but I am not sure if I learned anything, maybe that Jose likes to listen to Iron Maiden-type bands to warm up for his shows, but that could just have been a one time thing, haha.

Interview with Stee Docherty

Who would you consider to be your biggest influences and/or most inspiring people?
"My friends Rich Tee and Leo Coulter are definitely big influences. I used to be in a band with them called Sport, and we self-produced an album. We learned a lot about music-making and recording together. They are both working on something called 'The Rest' now, which is due out soon, I expect I'll be emailing you about it when it happens - I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to sound unconventional. I suppose if there's a panel of inner critics that I sometimes run stuff by when I'm writing and I can't figure out what to do - they are on it. But of course, the reality is, it's just me talking to myself all the time. "

Your songs are very well produced. Do you record at a studio or are they home recordings?

"A mixture of both. I'm still working out what I like in terms of recording. I try not to think of studio or home recording as better or worse than one another - just different styles, different ways that each have a strong effect. Rich did the majority of the production on the Sport album. The stuff with just me has been carried out by a mixture of people with different recording set-ups at their disposal, including my 4-track. "

Is there any certain process that you go through when you're writing a song? Lyrics first? Melody first?

"Writing On the Streets, for instance, was a collaboration with Leo from Sport. That was a really natural process of throwing ideas back and forward, progressing music and lyrics bit-by-bit. His expression was 'like animals fucking'. I try and keep the creative process fun and alive whatever happens. When I'm making stuff up I try and stay in the same state of mind as performing live: ie, fun, spontaneous, awake. If those things aren't happening the music can turn out a sad mess. But I still think the music so far has an element of sadness in it - in that sense - I'm trying to be better with the future material that is building up quite rapidly! The other thing is I try and keep writing even when the song seems finished. I keep changing things and adding bits or taking stuff away. A recording is just a version of a song at that point in time. But it's always changing. "

Will you be releasing anything in the near future? If so, what can we expect?

"Yup, there's definitely going to be some stuff happening. I'm hoping to make a mini album - with a band. So more of a set group of musicians playing stuff together and recording. I'm working on stuff for that right now. I hope we'll also do a lot more shows. You will be first to know as and when it happens. "

You have very full sounding tracks on your myspace . Do you have a supporting band for live shows?

"Ironically, the tracks sound full because I didn't have a set band. I was freer to add instrumentation or take it out. For live stuff it's really stripped down - sometimes just me and a keyboard - but I really haven't been doing much live stuff - that's what I'm looking forward to now. "

interview with Kevin Mcadams of Elefant

Was the decision to play in Argentina something to do with Diego's own expectations of making a comeback to his own roots?

"That was definitely a big part of it. Everything sort of lined up perfectly for the trip to happen. If we could have gone there on SMMP we would have, but that album was never released in South America. This time the folks at Universal Argentina, who were aware of Diego's ancestry, loved the record and were extremely excited to introduce us to the country at large, which took place back in July. It was an incredible experience! Universal Argentina did a fantastic job, and the people were overwhelmingly enthusiastic. It definitely felt like a great home-coming for Diego, which became a proud moment for all of us.

"What was it like to play live to those in Argentina? How do you feel this next time when you play alongside Patti Smith and the Beastie Boys?

"It was pretty ridiculous (in the best way)! The crowds are always massive and the kids are just going bananas! When we played the BUE Festival with Patti Smith and the Beastie Boys last month, everything just felt right. It was a big moment, yet we were all super relaxed and in the zone. I am not sure why, but we always seem to feel right at home on big stages in front of large audiences. Maybe, because our inflated egos can have room to breathe (j/k). :) I am not quite sure...it just seems to be our natural element. We can be as animated and retarded as possible all in the name of good fun. btw. Patti Smith sounded great, and the Beastie's put on the most entertaining show I have seen in a long time. When "Brass Monkey" started, I thought there was going to be a riot!

"The songs "Lolita" and "Brasil" from the Black Magic Show to me are the most interesting titles on the record. What inspired them?

"Diego's best songs are always inspired by women, and tumultuous relationships are always good inspiration. He was trying to express his inner anguish through the majesty of song (j/k)! Personally, I think too much attention has been paid to their literary and cinematic references. "Lolita", for example, only uses Nabokov's character as a loose construct, but is primarily about a personal relationship, not the character. The same is also true for "Brasil". The basic theme of the Black Magic Show is "temptation", in all its mediums; from causes to consequences."

Do you consider this album an evolution? If you consider it that are you adding some of your musical influences as well?

"Definitely. We are different people to some degree now than we were three-four years ago, and that reflects in the music. We have gone through a host of different experiences, not to mention extensive touring which inevitably makes you a better musician. We recorded SMMP in New York City and the BMS in Los Angeles. In regard to the BMS specifically, the songs are more advanced, yet subtly, in terms of song structure, rhythmic approaches, and layering than SMMP, and this comes from experience. On SMMP, less was more, and on the BMS, more was more. As to which approach is preferred is up to the listener. One guarantee I can safely assure, for better or worse, is that every Elefant record will sound different than its predecessor."

Have you considered making songs in spanish?

"Yes. We considered translating some songs from English into Spanish, but in the end we determined it would probably be better to just write a new song(s) in Spanish from the beginning. Translations, no matter how good, are always skewed to some degree."

Interview with Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart

Interview With Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza from May of 2005.

What was it like having such a great influence living right next door?

"Well that was actually a misquote(being neighbors) from some other publication. We lived in the same neighborhood (elliott and i) but never next door to each other."

How would you describe your own music to those that have not yet heard it?

"songs to fall asleep to, and songs to wake up to."

"First Instant Last Report" means?

"love at first sight kinda thingy."

In particular what has helped shape the Earlimart sound over the years?

"um... age and relationships. having around 13 members over the course of 7 years."

Interview with Calla guitarist Peter Gannon

Interview with Calla guitarist Peter Gannon from April 2005.

What is your inspiration for making music?

"As a band we have shared experiences and tastes in music and film. Other art and music is certainly inspiring. I think a real motivation for me is to create music that makes people react the way I react to my favorite music. Hopefully, it's giving back in a way. I can be inspired by different things. It could be just from the day and mood I'm in to establishing some sort of challenge for myself, doing something I've never tried before. There are no set conditions for making music. Sometimes you make it when you are not inspired, but that helps to weed out bad ideas and options and can be just as important to the process."

From album to album the sound of Calla's music keeps changing. Is that the way the future releases will be or is that something permanent?

"I've been in Calla full-time since January 2003, but have had small contributions to each of the previous records. On "Collisions" I was a full contributor. I know that with each album Calla has tried to progress and take new steps forwards; never to repeat ourselves. I think the lineage of albums traces the bands experiences. The first is much more experimental and isolationist, "Scavengers" explores some more formal songwriting, and "Televise" is more of a band album. "Collisions" (new album due out this summer) is another step in that direction, more "song"orientated aimed at getting the listeners attention immediately. I think the challenge for the future is to sum up all the parts while still keeping things fresh. We are very conscious of not repeating ourselves."

Can you attribute any imagery to your songs?

"I've always seen Calla's music as a opposition of urban and rural. Not opposed in a violent way, but that the music represents both and agnologes both."

What are some of the bands coming out of New York at the moment that you feel are unsung?

"It's not like New York is being over looked by the music community or anything. I haven't seen many shows lately, but I'm planning on checking out AnimalCollective, The Winter Pageant, Gang Gang Dance,Akron:Family, and Inouk when they play next....."

Interview with Elefant drummer Kevin McAdams

Interivew with Kevin McAdams from February 2005.

What are some of the New York bands that strike your fancy?
"Here are some of the New York "area" bands that strike my fancy: The Occasion, Tarantula, The Fame, Ghetto Blaster, Radio 4, Megatronix,and Ape Fight."

Does Mod have a real name?
"In essence, his name is more real than mine, or anyone else's given name,because it relates to the nature of his personality.. the lurking psyche below.So yes, it is quite real, although, if you unearth a copy of Teenbeaters' (our old band) "My World, My Sky" record, you may find a different name..Would a Mod by any other name, not be a Mod?"
How would I describe the album "Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid"?
"It is really a succint and brief introduction to Elefant, which is primarily agreeting to the world. We had only been together as a band for a few months before it was recorded. It was a very innocent time.I think it is cinematic in the journey it takes from sort of a youthfulwhimsical sunlit vibe that lasts until the storm clouds of "Static on theChannel 4" roll in and then the paranoia begins. "Ester" (the last song) sort of ties everything back together and brings up the lights.Which, on a side note, is something that annoys me about iPods, in that with constant "Shuffling", you lose the impact of creating an album, or laying out amood in placing certain songs with, or against each other."
Does changing labels mean we have to start all over?
"Actually, we are still on Kemado, but are distributed by Hollywood Records,instead of Palm Pictures, but to answer your question, no, we do not have to start all over, we just have a larger family.The beauty of music is that it evolves continuously."

Interview with Chris Lee

Chris Lee interview from January 2005.

Since writing for Spin and now releasing records, what's next?

"I'm planning to make more records. I imagine I'll keep writing songs and recording them as long as I can. I'm learning to play piano and picking up a better understanding of the traditional language of music. I've become bored with my punk-inspired, self-taught, primitive technical level. Intuition is of course of paramount importance, but only geniuses can get away with complete ignorance of the grammar of their given field. I want to have every tool possible to express myself. I'd impose restrictions on myself by choice than by necessity.I also think I'd like to get deeper into record production, the technological side of things, really get on top of the physics of acoustics, the physiology of how we hear and how our bodies react to music, as well as understaning the principles of electrical engineering, even though that stuff doesn't come very easily to me. I'd at least like to understand more than I do now."Writing for Spin" actually sounds more substantial than it was. I wrote one review for them in the late 90s. There was a period when a fellow named Simon Reynolds was the reviews editor, and he assigned stuff to a number of writers, myself included, whom he knew from a British magazine we all contributed to called The Wire. He was also a fan of a little magazine me and a bunch of buddies published in college, called Tuba Frenzy."

What was it like to play along side Cat Power?
"We had a very memorable gig with Chan and Calvin Johnson in Olympia Washington at a venue called the Capital Theater. It was one of those magical nights where the audience and environment was just perfect and we played a great show for them. That coincidence only happens once every dozen or so gigs, and it's what makes performing professionally worthwhile. All the bad nights, bad crowds, bad spaces are forgotten for awhile. Olympia is a pretty special town, definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in that part of the country. (Capital Theater is) a huge old movie theater, but the shows are held with the band set up "backwards" -- in other words the 200 or so people were standing behind the stage, and behind the performers was the ascending seats of the theater, the balcon, etc. Very unique atmosphere, you can probably imagine."
Is there any parallel from the books that you read to the songs that you write?
"If you mean are the songs influenced by things that I've read, sure. But it's in an indirect and oblique way -- what I've read makes me a certain kind of person at a given time, and that person (who is constantly developing and changing over time) writes the songs. I've very rarely been able to write specifically about anything, without sounding too deliberate and forced.I think if an artist opens his subconscious and trusts its flow all kinds of interesting things emerge that are perhaps identifiable after the fact. Or at least that apoproach seems best for me. There are plenty of writers who excel at being literal and autobiographical and topical. Woody Guthrie, of course; John Lennon, Curtis Mayfield, and Billy Bragg also spring to mind. I've never been good at it, so I try to stick to what I consider my own strengths.Reading for me is the ultimate nutrient. Nothing compares in terms of food for the soul. Music primarily engages our more visceral aspects, as does cinema. You don't necessarily have to think about what's happening to enjoy it. Literature demands a singular, and to me more sophisticated, healthy, vital type of engagement."
While playing South By Southwest were you able to take in any of the shows?
"We've been down there several times now and I have been able to catch some other gigs. Perhaps the worst performance I've ever seen in my life was in Austin, in fact, by Billy Bob Thornton. He had people not just booing, but screaming, cursing, *begging* him to stop. We had to swing against a current of people were heading for the doors just to view the trainwreck. For the finale he insisted on playing *drums* on the Isely Brothers' "It's Your Thing"!! Just to twist the knife. Then the Yardbirds played. It was quite surreal.Usually we're either in and out in the same night, or just have to do too much running around to get to our own gigs to be able to catch many other artists. I can't say enough about Austin, though. One of the greatest cities in the country. And my favorite contemporary songwriter, Will Johnson, who I'm proud to call a friend and touring companion, lives there."

What differentiates your upcoming album from your previous three albums?

"I'm taking my time, experimenting with some new processes, trying not to fall back on the same techniques I used for the others. I banged the first three out very quickly and with the songs barely sketched out. Usually the band had only played them a few times, if ever, and sometimes they were hearing them for the first time, especially lyrically. That can be a fun, spontaneous way to work but I'm trying to avoid that this time around, to shake things up if nothing else. See what I come up with having a longer gestation period, and the players and I having a more solid grasp of the material before we start to record. There are some different players invloved, and some songs I have been developing simultaneously with different lineups. I'm also singing and playing on some other folks' records, which I hope will give me some new ideas to bring back into my own stuff. The first three albums to me are pretty much a single work, and for now a closed chapter. I want to take what I learned from making those, both the successes and especially the mistakes, and put it towards writing stronger material. I'm trying to broaden my scope, think of what I'm doing in the context of 100, 150, 200 years of English-language songwriting. From Robert Burns to Stephen Foster, George Gershwin to Hank Williams, Smokey Robinson to Bob Dylan. Try and figure out what animates all of that, and what, if anything, I can do to possibly contribute to that heritage."

interview with The Chameleons Mark Burgess

Interview with Mark Burgess from January 2005.

Out of all of the songs that you have written which one do you feel was the most personal?

"I would say probably 'Verboten' from the 'Venus album', which is the last studio album before the Chameleons reformation.. That whole album was cathartic really in terms of the lyrical themes.. My marriage was breaking up at the time, I was questioning everything and preparing to finally leave the Uk for good and all of that was kind of laid bare on that record."

Who would you rate as the single greatest lyricist of the eighties?
"Well I'd have to say Morrissey to be honest.. I mean you can say what you like about his persona and his eccentricities but there's no denying he's a brilliant lyricist.. Maybe its because, having pretty the same cultural background you know, growing up amongst the working class of north west England, I can relate to a lot of The Smiths stuff so much. Having said that Mark. E Smith of The Fall gives him a run for his money, which would probably be more widely recognised if anyone outside Manchester were able to actually understand what the fuck he's going on about."
How does it feel to have your band listed among coldplay and interpol's main influences?

"It's nice to get name checked from bands that are themselves turning a lot of other people onto guitars.. I mean in that respect it kind of makes me feel that we were a valid link in that long chain of artists that made us want to make records ourselves.. I think it probably means more to us because we didn't break in the commercial sense, you know, we stayed very much underground, slagged off by most of the press since we started, so it's a sort of a compensation that a lot of exceptionally talented guitar bands reference us. I think that's where the influences are for these people, in the guitars really. Dave's ethereal guitar melodies and Reg's weird progressions.."

Which active bands today do you feel would appeal to those that listen to The Chameleons?


"It's hard to say really because to be honest I don't feel I have that much in common with the general base of our audience.. I mean I really like the first couple of Coldplay albums, but the general consensus on the band's forum site is that they're rubbish, which totally mystifies me.. At the same time a lot of people said to me "oh, you have to hear Interpol, they're SO like The Chameleons." And then when I did I couldn't hear what they were going on about, they didn't remind me of us at all, which is a good thing I think. No matter how influenced you are by a band you still want to forge something that is totally your own.. I used to hate it when reviewers used to say "Oh this band are obviously influenced by blah blah.. Especially as, half the time, it wasn't even true. I'd expect that people who loved us would really like Radiohead.. I think that's the kind of direction we were heading in ourselves when we split up in 87.. I think they'd dig Mercury Rev for sure.. Mogwai ... Early Sigur Ros... But like I say you can't ever tell. I mean I read an NME article some years ago with Moby. They asked him about being single and what he was looking for in woman and he said "well for one thing, 'Script of The Bridge would have to be her all time favourite album." Which totally stunned me, I mean I would never have suspected that he loved that record so much given his direction. Pleased too though 'cause I really love his records..."

Interview with Desaparecidos guitarist Denver Dalley

Interview with Denver Dalley guitarist of Desaparecidos from December of 2004.

I believe that music plays a major part in many people's lives, what message would you like to convey with the music you are making and how do you think your music does affect those who listen?

"I would really like to hope that my music either makes people nostalgic of a time that came before they ever heard it, or that it would become a marker for a certain time in their lives. For example, if you have ever had an album or a song that makes you think of a particular summer or a particular event in your life. That would be an unbelievable honor for me. I feel like music is the soundtrack to life, and i would love to be a part of a listener's life- the same way that they inspire meant are a part of my life."

What is the status of the previously announced new Desaparecidos album, and what is the status of Desaparecidos in general?

"desa is extremely hit or miss- very off again, on again. The alleged new record is the same way. We are all excited to work on it, but its just a matter of getting us all together and actually working on it. I think that it will be a recording session that is divided into many smaller sessions, instead of us all just banging it all out at once."

What are your thoughts in response to other projects that the members of Desaparecidos have been working on?

"I think that they are all fantastic. I could not be more proud of each one of them. Obviously bright eyes gets plenty of attention and praise, but they have earned every bit of it. The 89 cubs record is amazing and they have been touring like mad- you can really see it in their live show, it's incredible. I think that when rigge eventually comes out its going to blow people away- i've heard some tracks and its unreal. Very excited to see all of this."