Photo by Lyle Owerko.

September 1, 2009, David Bazan released his, not just critically, but controversially acclaimed album Curse Your Branches: the aptly nicknamed “breakup with God” album. I had a short phone chat with King David about the record and what it meant to him.

Whether you’re a fan of David Bazan or not, it’s hard to be ignorant of his latest album considering the swarms of media attention it received with tracks like “Hard To Be” (Bazan’s argument that “all this misbehaving grew from one enchanted tree?”) and “When We Fell” (“when you set the table/when you chose the scale/did you write a riddle that you knew they would fail?” ). Media attention that, on a beautiful day in Oregon, he says did cause a bit of added stress in his life: “Not so much because it was public, but because the nature of publicity is aggressive. There was an added layer to the feeling of betrayal, to the degree that I experienced guilt over feeling like I had betrayed something true or profound from growing up, even if I felt that my conclusions were true.”

Bazan admits that it made him feel sloppy being unsure of what he believes and having to answer so many fluttering questions as if he was wholly confident. This is entirely understandable when going from the Christian posture of assurance and confidence to a realm of confusion. But his bitter pill with the Church had long since been digested and had begun to take effect. According to a former publicist of Bazan’s, since 2004 he had “been flitting between atheist, skeptic and agnostic.” He tells me that none of his revelations stemmed from anger: “I was critical of the popular practice of Christianity for years and years before I made this transition. I think it is common that people leave Christianity because of their frustrations with the Church. I was comforted by my core Christian beliefs, which ended up shedding light on how distorted the Church is. The logic of the “creator of the universe” character started to fall apart when I examined it more thoroughly.”

After such an exciting chat with David Bazan,  I am even more stoked to go check out his set at The Old Rock House this coming Sunday, (March 14). I’ll see you there!

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On Feb. 23, Eleven had the great pleasure of sitting down to interview DJ Parisian (Ian Jones) and Doctor Phelonious (Sean Price) of Safety Words, along with Bo Bulawsky and Trevor Berkholtz of Exercise, about their upcoming show (Friday, March 5th at the Firebird) What could have been a nice, civil discussion on music and philosophy quickly disintegrated into madness, when an anonymous Eleven staffer showed up with a case of beer and a video game called “NBA Hangtime.” Immediately, civil discourse gave way to barbaric trash talking and nonsensical yelling, and all hopes for a “normal” interview were tossed aside.

Exhibit A:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Hit the break for more interview, trash talking, and an exclusive new track from Safety Words.

As the festivities progressed, Eleven’s team managed to pull it together long enough to ask a question somewhat related to Friday’s show:

Matt:
Ian, here’s a serious question…
How do you plan to make up for your inferior NBA hangtime skills at the show?

Ian:

Are you serious!? I’m dunking all over your shit!

So would you say you are going to dunk all over the audience’s shit next Friday?
Ian:

Oh, I see what you did there.

I can tell you what I’m going to do. Now that I have an sp404 [sampler], I’m going to be taking songs I made from a long-ass time ago (like songs I made when I was in Japan), and piece them all together into two small 20 minute sets.

Sean:

With an hour break in between.

Ian:

An hour break for napping.

I took a bunch of clips from random movies that I like, to go along with the music …

At this point, the trash talking resumed in full force:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Things get fuzzy from there out. More games were played, more beers were consumed, and more nonsense came out of everybody’s mouths. By the end of the evening, I had a pretty good idea of what the show on Friday would be; friends that play great music, playing great music. Nothing else needs to be said.

Actually, there’s one more thing to be said. Safety Words did Eleven the honor of remixing Giorgio Moroder’s “Baby Blue” into a track they call, “I’m Talking ‘Bout my Baby Blue.” Check it. (And be sure to check out the show Friday).

Safety Words – I’m Talking ‘Bout my Baby Blue
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

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Chaz Bundick weaves spacey-funk yet beat driven soundscapes under the moniker Toro y Moi.  He fills Eleven in on the dividing line between musical hobbies and work and how to get crowds dancing.

Toro y Moi – Low Shoulders

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

You are from Columbia, South Carolina, but avidly participate in the open, global music exchange that is the internet. What do you have to say about the geography of music in our generation? Is there a “local” mentality that we should work to maintain everywhere (not just in Brooklyn and Austin)?

Chaz Bundick:

I think that because of the internet more music fans and musicians are able to influence their musical taste. I feel that Columbia’s music scene has not been fully recognized, there are a lot of great bands here. So, with the success I’ve been getting lately I’d like to show as much support to the local scene as possible.

On a similar tangent, do you think this rapidly expanding musical exchange is blurring our concept of genre ? (your music draws from so many varied influences…)

CB:

Thats one way to view it, but it’s not necessarily ‘the internet’ that is responsible for expanding one’s musical knowledge. I think the fact that we are able to access more at a much faster rate, it’s easier to become familiar and jaded with many genres of music. So, inevitably musicians push themselves further.

How are you translating Causers of This to the stage?

CB:

Right now, I’m trying to focus on how i can make my set more organic and not rely on using back-up tracks as much. So, some songs may sound different; some emptier, some more up-beat… I don’t really know yet.

Lo-Fi electronica has been a staple for me this year, but only from my laptop, in my room. I don’t really know how one could dance to this without looking silly. Maybe a strobe-light? How are the kids swinging their hips at your shows?

CB:

That’s one thing that confuses me myself. I approach a lot of my songs from a pretty basic starting point, either piano or guitar. Some people like to listen to the lyrics and some like to listen to the music and dance. For me, when i watch a band i usually like to watch for chemistry between the players which is what i’d like to include into my shows soon.

Causers of This unfolds in a dreamy haze. What of your personal dreams are communicated on this album?

CB:

There aren’t any dreams conveyed really at all. it’s mostly true events that have happened in a past relationship.

You share so many sentiments about personal relationships on this album. Would you say that commitment to truth/vulnerability is your central theme? If not, then what?

CB:

I’d say that’s about right. Once the meaning behind the lyrics become routine and dull it’s lost true emotion.

So many of us twenty-somethings are bumming around, more focused on creativity than “career.” We are even skeptical about the money-making possibilities in art spoiling our creative processes. Has your practice changed, now that you’re making music as “work?”

CB:

That’s a good question, I think it’s hard to do what you like as a career and still maintain the motivation to do it. Before it was work, it was just a hobby. I think the best way to keep your art as pure as possible, you have to constantly put yourself into positions that got you to the point of ‘hobbies turn to work.’ Whether it was depression or happiness, that’s the only thing that’s going to make interesting to you and that is the most important thing.

It is as if this time in our lives has become a dreamy haze between care-free childhood and responsibility-burdened adulthood. Is this your experience? When do we “grow up?” How do you think Causers of This flows out of this mentality?

CB:

I think we grow up when you mentally try to make things simpler but on the outside things become more cluttered. I’d like to think Causers of This has similar attributes, simple meanings with complicated structuring.

Who were you listening to while writing this album?

CB:

I did reference back to Daft Punk’s Discovery a few times, but I mostly had the sounds in my head already – which were influenced by J Dilla and My Bloody Valentine.

Do you have a title or date for the next album?

CB:

Not yet, we’re shooting for August.

Related posts

As one of the founders of the French house movement, David Guetta has been rocking dance floors around the world for more than two decades.  While he was in St. Louis for his DJ set at Home Nightclub, Eleven talked to David about the collaborations on his most recent album, One Love, and how to correctly DJ an airplane.

What’s your favorite club to play in the entire world?

David Guetta:

Wow, that’s very difficult.  OK- the only place where I’m actually a resident playing every week during the summer is Pacha (in Ibiza) – Ibiza is like really the Mecca of dance music, it’s really incredible.  But, I’d have to say that in the moment, because of the bridge the I’m creating between electronic music in Europe and urban culture from America with my album, it’s very nice to play in America for me.  Like, this tour that’s going on right now for me is absolutely unbelievable – it’s like the excitement of the people is unreal.

11: Does an airplane count as a venue for you? I saw a video of you DJing on a plane – it looked crazy.

DG:

Yeah, that was really, really cool.  I was DJing my new album for the media and some competition winners, and that gig was perfect because it was from Paris to Ibiza, and then after that we went to my party (called Fuck Me I’m Famous) at Pacha, so it was really terrific.  And, people were dancing on the plane, which was pretty nuts.

Did they have problems getting people to buckle their seatbelts and stuff when the plane was landing?

DG:

No no no, because already people were already like, “that’s weird.”  So when the captain was saying something, they would listen. At some point, everybody came close to [where I was], and then the captain said “hold on, you can dance but you need to stand where you are because of the balance of the plane,” you know?

That’s awesome.  So on your last album, One Love, you’ve got a ton of big name collaborators like Akon, Estelle, and Kelly Rowland.  Did you choose the right people for each track, or did they come to you?

DG:

They came to me – I know it sounds crazy, but it is what happened. It started with Kelly Rowland and Will.i.am, and the thing is that Kelly started to play [our stuff] to her friends and Will started playing “I Got a Feeling” to his friends.  [People] asked me to produce tracks for them, and my answer was like “yeah I wanna produce tracks for you, but you need to do a feature on my album.”  That’s the idea, which is I think very cool – because it’s not like a business thing.  It was more like, you know, we like each other’s music and we want to help each other.  And then there was some accidental stuff, like Akon.  We met when we were both performing -  I was performing before him, and when I got off the stage, he was like “this is crazy, “Love is Gone” is my favorite song,” wait for me.  And then he got on stage, and when he finished his songs, he was like “man, we need to work together.”  So I said, “listen, we can’t wait.”  He was leaving at six in the morning, so I said “we [should] go to the studio now and you will sleep on the plane – I will sleep on the plane too.” We went to the studio last minute, and we made “Sexy Bitch” in one night.

11: One night?

DG:

It’s crazy, yeah?  But after, I worked on it in my studio. But, the main thing was there in one night.

One of the artists you feature, Kid Cudi, comes from a very different vein than the other artists you’ve already mentioned.  How did that collaboration come about?

DG:

The whole album’s story is really strange.  It looks like this huge project that was really planned, but it was totally not.  So the Kid Cudi story is, the Black Eyed Peas invited me to the shooting of “I Got a Feeling” because I produced that song, and I was at that scene in the video with Kid Cudi. And, on my way from Paris to Los Angeles, I made a track on the plane with my laptop – I was thinking about a different sound, more dirty than what I usually do.  I didn’t know I was going to see Kid Cudi, it was like destiny.  And between two shots, I was like “man, I love your work, I can play you this dirty track I made on the plane.” And imagine, it was not even finished actually. Between two shots, I took my headphones and my laptop and played the track for him, and he was like “wow, I love it, and let’s meet tomorrow at 3 at the studio.”  The day after, we were at the studio, [and] we recorded it in like 3 hours, and that was it.  That’s the story, you know, [what] was really interesting with this album is [that] it’s only people who I met by accident. All of it was like [tracks] we really wanted to make happen.  It’s not organized by management and lawyers and stuff.You’ve been making French house music essentially since the genre started – how have you seen it change?  Did you think you and your colleagues would have such an impact on electronic music as a whole?

DG:

What is even more crazy is that it’s not only in electronic music, it’s on pop music. It’s like I cannot believe it myself – it’s crazy, but that’s what I always wanted for this music.  You know, I always wanted to share my passion with more people, and I always felt that dance music was so underrated. I never understood why it wasn’t as big as rock or hip hop or pop.  So, I think we’re getting  there, and it’s a great thing!  But no, I could never have imagined that this would happen one day.  And especially not for me, I could not even imagine it for anybody, for any DJ.

What do you think truly makes a good DJ set?  How do you get the crowd really into it?

DG:

You know, for me, it’s really simple.  I come there and have a party with the people.  So, again, it’s like when I make my music: if I’m having fun DJing, probably people are going to have fun being there. That’s the main thing – I don’t take myself too seriously, I just come and party, and trying to do it with my own style, obviously. That’s what probably makes the difference.

Related posts

Choosing to shed guitar atmospherics and rerecord select songs acoustically, Asobi Seksu is definitely mixing things up.  Be sure to catch them on their Rewolf acoustic tour at the Old Rock House this Thursday, February 4th.  Eleven had the chance to speak with vocalist and keyboardist Yuki Chikudate about recording in the world-famous Olympic Studios and what “shoegaze” really means.

How did you guys decide to take on a project like Rewolf?

Yuki Chikudate:

I wish we could take credit for it, but I can’t (laughs).  It was really our label head in the UK, Derek Birkett, from One Little Indian, who kept talking to us about it, and would send us not so subtle messages about why we should do it – like put on Pixies acoustic stuff and be like, ‘see, see them do it.’  He was being so idealistic and just talking about it, and finally we just gave in and said OK.  We kinda went in dragging our feet a little bit, we were just being bratty (laughs).  It was really fun, I’m glad that he got us time and we had a day to go in on our day-off during a tour, and we just went in and had fun for like ten hours.  That was basically what Rewolf was.

How did you get the opportunity to record the album at the world renowned Olympic Studios?

YC:

It was Derek.  Derek is a guy with lots of cool friends, you know, he was friends with Bjork for a long time, and he’s friends with Paul McCartney – he knows a lot of people.  He’s just an incredibly cool guy, and had an in with Olympic, and they weren’t booked that day, and it all worked out!

Was it really inspirational with the energy of the building?  So many music legends have recorded there!

YC:

I can’t say I felt anything.  I was excited for sure that we were going in there, but you know, [but] it looked like any other studio, really.  I wish I could say I felt the ghost of some of those musicians, but I didn’t really, but it was really exciting. And U2 and Brian Eno were in the studio at the same time – I didn’t run into anybody, but they were occupying 99.9% of that place.

You didn’t get Bono to do any guest vocals on the album?

YC:

(laughs) Well, if that happened, this album would be getting much more attention.  But, you know, Paul Walton, who engineered the record, was saying that Bono is a nice guy and he’s come into his studio in the past when he was recording bands, and he’d come down and give them some advice and suggestions.  So, I guess, he’s (Bono) one to help out young musicians still – that’s nice to know.

So, are you guys excited to be playing a more stripped down acoustic set during your upcoming live shows?

YC:

Yeah, I am excited!  We’re actually rehearsing for it right now, I’m sure you can hear the other guys making a racket in the other room.  It’s nice to not have any gear, not really have a load-in or a load-out – that’s very very exciting for us (laughs).  And to play a really quiet, subdued, hopefully pretty show, anything new like that is interesting to me and to the rest of the guys, and we’re up for the challenge I suppose.

I’d like to hear about how you managed to help finance your European tour through Kickstarter.com – it’s a very avant-garde system.

YC:

Matt Lunsford, the President of Polyvinyl– it sounds so official (laughs), he’s just a dude to us, he’s such a nice guy – he’s friends with the guy who started Kickstarter.  Polyvinlyl had a project up on Kickstarter as well, and they were really successful, they were like 350% successful.  Matt knew that we were going through some tough times with money, and touring was just really draining all our funds, so he invited us to be one of the projects on Kickstarter. And thank God, because we didn’t make all the money back on these two tours, but [at least] we don’t have to go sell all of our instruments or anything.  And we consider that a success (laughs).

Do you think the label “shoegaze” is been being used too loosely lately?  What does that label really mean in 2010?

YC:

I don’t know anymore, to be honest.  You’re right, everything is described as shoegaze or influenced by My Bloody Valentine, like you hear that about almost every band.  It’s like ‘what, that’s almost nothing like My Bloody Valentine!’  I don’t know, I don’t really pay attention I suppose. People can call whatever they want, whatever they want.

I can imagine it gets frustrating to have every group with atmospheric guitars labeled as MBV.

YC:

Well, its good press for My Bloody Valentine, and it made them come back and tour, so in that sense, I’m glad they did that so I got to see them!  So it’s OK by me, if that means more of those bands come back, even though I guess I’m a little torn about the whole reunion thing.  But the My Bloody Valentine reunion was awesome!

Are people generally surprised by the English translation of Asobi Seksu? (note: it’s ‘casual sex’)

YC:

I guess so, I guess some people are.  I’ll admit, I sometimes get slightly embarrassed when somebody asks me.  Like, ‘aw why did we choose that name, I’m so sick of explaining, and getting slightly embarrassed.’  But we stuck by it, and we’re kinda stuck with it, and some days I’m happy we chose that name, and other days I’m like ‘what was I thinking?’

Well, it’s pretty original, I’d have to say.

YC:

(laughs) Yeah, it is original!

And, Asobi Seksu is a nice sounding name – but people have a double take when they find out what it means.

YC:

That’s kind of why we stuck with it, to be honest, it sounds nice – we liked the sound of it.  And then, I guess there’s a bit of a wink in the meaning.

Finally, what are you guys looking most forward to in 2010?

YC:

I’m excited about our new songs – we’re going into the studio in April.  I love going into the studio, and we’re recording with our friend Chris again.  It basically turns out being a bunch of friends getting together and making something cool, it’s all stuff to be excited about.  I’m sure we’ll have a fight and be mad at some point (laughs).  But for now, I’m excited about it!

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Oklahoma’s indie six-piece, the Uglysuit, are poised for a big 2010 break.  The band has been lauded for its excellent live performances; lucky for us, they’re playing Off Broadway tomorrow night (Wednesday, January 27th). Eleven spoke with drummer Crosby Bray about the Uglysuit’s upcoming album and the records in his current rotation.

the Uglysuit – Iceland

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

What should we expect with the new album? How does it compare to your self-titled debut?

Crosby Bray:

Honestly, we’re not completely sure what to expect. Songs as we record them become something we never would have expected. Each one starts one way and ends totally different.  Something we do expect is a more expansive use of melody and instrumentation, hoping to create an even more vivid sound of happiness than the last record. The new record compares to the old one in the fact that we have had heaps of time to music come to us instead of us chase after it.

You’ve been likened to the likes of The Shins and Wilco, how do
you feel about these comparisons?

CB:

First of all, both of these bands are pioneers in what they do. So all in all its an honor to be compared to them.  We don’t know if we sound like them or not we just create what comes to us with no preconceived ideas or notions.  We’ve also been compared to the likes of Pink Floyd and Coldplay. So it really depends on how you take it.

As music blogs continue to influence the music scene more and more, do you feel listeners are more likely than ever to seek what they think they should like, rather than what they really like?

CB:

People are going to listen to what they want to listen to. Maybe some will be influenced by the blogs and radio but really people just want to listen to what feels right at the time.

Are you happy with where you are as a band? Where do you see The Uglysuit in three years and how may your sound evolve?

CB:

If we are playing music we are happy. Life as a musician and an Uglysuiter is always changing and trying, and taking it as it comes is just a part of it. So yes, we are happy in this crazy adventure they call “following the yellow brick road.” In three years the Uglysuit, will be celebrating the anniversary of you asking this question. Who knows where we will be in three years, but we all have hope we will be in a great career. Sound evolution comes with life experience and the atmosphere that we abide in.

Every day it seems another band is toying with aspects of electronica, will you guys ever test those waters?

CB:

Sure. We have and will.  Its just one more aspect to throw in. Its not like its never been done, but we don’t want to overuse it – just make it like another instrument in the mix. Honestly, we all have grown to really like the electronic realm. So yeah it’ll probably shine through.

The reviews of your live shows are impressive. How is this tour going? What is the typical pre-game routine?

CB:

This tour is just now starting, but so far so good  - we’re excited about the opportunities involved. Our pre-game routine is relax enjoy the other bands or a movie on the bus, and then scramble to find everyone when the time comes to play.

What bands are currently making an impression on you? What albums are in your current rotation?

CB:

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Andrew Bird, The Dodos, Any Notwist album, Sin Fang Bous- Clangour, Crystal Castles, Birdy Nam Nam.

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While Alone in India may never be a household name, the stellar arrangement and impressive lyricism demonstrated on their premier demo raises the question:  Why not?  Its members, currently pursuing degrees at UMSL and STLCOP, show a love of music that transcends the need for money or fame – though I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, thank you very much.  ELEVEN recently got a chance to interview band leader Ben Venker.

Alone in India - Bullets

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Not really.  We spent a lot of time coming up with names and changing things around.  Our friend Kevin [Stephenson] actually came up with Alone in India iteration, and it just stuck.

Eric, Brett and I are brothers, and Kirt goes to pharmacy school with them.

Eric and I started messing around together a few years ago.  I moved to New York in 2005 and was there for two years, but we would collaborate informally online and whenever I was back in town.  I moved back to St. Louis in 2008, got a space at Utopia Studios, and just kept writing as much as I could.  ”Bullets and Innocence” were mostly written while I was in New York, but everything else on the demo was written since I’ve been back.  Eric’s been great about pushing to get songs out.  I’m a perfectionist when it comes to music, but we’re not audio engineers, so it can be hard to make things translate on the recordings.  At the same time it’s easy to lose perspective after working on a song or recording for ages. You can lose the immediacy and roughness that made the initial idea great. Eric came up with Halloween as a deadline for a demo, and that really pushed me to just kinda decide on versions that were good enough.  Once that was done, we started sending it to friends and got a lot of encouragement, which was really the impetus for getting a live set together.  Eric had sent Kirt some of our stuff before and he liked it, so we asked him to join up.  We still needed a bass player and didn’t really have any avenues for that besides Craigslist or something.  We talked to Brett about learning the bass, and he’s really stepped up to the plate on that for us.

Well, now that there’s a band, the roles are more defined.  Eric and I played everything on the demo ourselves, just because we didn’t have a group together, but Eric’s primary instrument is piano/keyboards and mine is guitar.  In the current lineup, I play guitar, Eric’s on keys, Kirt on drums and Brett on bass.

All of us are full time students, so that keeps us pretty busy.  I TA Intro to Microeconomics at UMSL and tutor in the Econ lab as well, Eric and Brett climb, and Kirt’s into biking.

I think we’re influenced by everything we listen to, but we take different things from different artists.  Bands like the Beatles or Dylan are probably what I’m looking toward personally.  Not in terms of sounding like them, but they consistently put out quality records and changed their sound throughout their careers.  That combination of accessibility and originality is rare, and it’s the reason why their work has stayed relevant.  Their knowledge of different musical styles was wide and deep, and as an artist I’m interested in the process that caliber of artist went through to get that power.

On a more sonic level, some bands that we like are Radiohead, Aesop Rock, Dirty Projectors, TV on the Radio, Andrew Bird…too many to name really.  Anything that hits you when hear it will end up influencing you, no matter who it is, and whether you want it to or not.

That’s tough.  Maybe The Band?  Watching those guys on the Last Waltz and seeing how tight they all are together…they started playing together when they were like fifteen years old and their chemistry was insane.

I think we have a pretty diverse range of songs on the demo, and there haven’t been a lot of comparisons as far as the sound of the band as a whole, but different people have said specific songs sound like anything from Bob Dylan to TV on the Radio.  As long as we don’t sound like we’re trying to rip someone else off, I think any comparison to a band we like is flattering.  People have said that if they had to describe our sound to someone, they wouldn’t know what to say.  When people ask me what kind of music we play, I usually say pop music, which to me is just means good music.

Well the next release will likely be an “official” album.  We called this one a “demo” mostly because it’s our first effort, and the group has doubled in size since then, so I’m not sure we’ve established much of anything yet.  The dynamics will definitely change and that’s really exciting.  There’s tons of sounds and styles that we want to explore and make our own so I hope the most consistent thing people can expect from us is exciting, quality work.

“Keep That to Yourself” and “Mercy.”  That’s two, but both those songs are very personal and one was written in about fifteen minutes, the other took about 2 months.  They’re kind of emotional opposites, and I think I wanted to prove to myself that I could write a more positive, major key song without it sounding forced.  It helped a lot to have something good to write about.

Probably 60s, 70s, 00s, 80s, 90s.

Favorite song of the new millennium, so far, for Eric and I, is “You and Whose Army” by Radiohead. I went through about a 2 year period where I had to hear that song at least once a day. I still freak out about it.

Favorite new artist of the new millennium…probably Arcade Fire. I know everyone loves them now – and they should, but Funeral blew me away when it came out. I couldn’t remember the last time I heard a record where I loved every song on it from start to finish, and the band sounded like they were having so much fun.  It got me excited about rock n’ roll again.  Also, I love the new Dirty Projectors record.

We’re playing at Felix’s in Dogtown on Feb. 4th. You can get details about the show (and download the whole demo for free!!) at http://www.aloneinindia.com if you want to check us out first.  The show is a benefit for ALIVEstl, a hotline and help center for domestic violence victims, so come hear some good music and support a great cause.

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I think that my upbringing just fuels the story – I’m telling my story, that’s what really fuels most of my lyrics. As far as the music for me, I think I have a certain ear for music I guess, like I love beats and specific people and I reach out to them and most of the time we connect, but I don’t think my upbringing had a big influence on my style because I have many different styles…

F:

I started writing at 12, when I heard this song called “Trilogy” by this artist named Corrupt. And that like was the first song I like memorized, it was an average song but it was a lyrical destroyer, just…chaos. It was one of the first songs I learned and I wanted to write my own type of stuff like that, so I started at 12 and I haven’t stopped ever since.

Being only 22, it’s amazing what you’ve accomplished already.  Your album is produced by Exile, a big name rapper/producer, you’ve been acknowledged by HipHopDX and XXL,  and you have a number of big name collaborators on your album Boy Meets World. How did you manage to progress in the industry so quickly?

F:

I think its all the years of preparation of being outside the industry. Just studying the industry, like ‘yo what am I gonna do when I make it,’ like this is me at like 13 being like ‘how am I gonna make my introduction’… just being concerned about how I would get people to pay attention to me, and care about me. But I guess when I dropped my album with Terry Urban, I think people started opening their eyes, and ever since then I’ve been dropping material and the responses have been great.  I wouldn’t call it quick though from my eyes, a lot of people only heard me a couple months ago or like a year ago, but I been doing it awhile now so I wouldn’t say it was quick.

There have been articles written about how some of the greatest MC’s of all time have been giving you respect and recognition.  How does it feel to have the support of such amazing artists?

F:

It feels surreal, it’s a surreal feeling, its real gratifying feeling. I’m a big fan of these guys and I don’t want to make them seem old, but I grew up on that reflection eternal, Black Star, the sound bombing era, in that respect, people like Talib, Dilated. It means a lot to me, that price or recognition,  you can’t pay for that.

Why did you name the album Boy Meets World?

F:

Because I knew this would be my introduction, now is the time for me to meet the world. Now, this is my time, you know now, the time is now, just need to bring them into my world, that’s why I called it that – it’s my world.

What have you been up to the past few months? What has life been like since your album dropped?

F:

Oh man, well I’ve been on tour, when my album dropped I was in San Francisco, and life’s been crazy. I was just touring and doing a lot of work, shows shows shows, shit man just promoting, doing certain projects. I’m used to being inside the studio but I guess this is the other half of the process.  A lot of promo’s and tours, meeting a lot of my fans all over the world…its only been 2 months in America, meeting people out here.

Who are your biggest influences and who do you think the best MC’s in the game are right now, mainstream or underground?

F:

I would say that my biggest influences are people who stand for something, people like Pac, or Bob Marley Janis Joplin, real people that will be remembered forever, Jimi Hendrix, those are the type of people that influence me… as far as the game right now, I like this kid name J. Cole, I think he’s pretty dope, just signed with Roc Nation.  This cat named (ec see), Lupe is dope, I like what he does, Nas, Jay-Z, all the greats, I like Snoop’s new record, listen to that in the morning…Blu, you know, everyone from my crew, we ill, you know so.

What are your plans for a second album? Are you touring right now?

F:

Just got off tour with Ghostface and I’m going back on the road Dec. 2^nd, with the Grouch and Mr. Fab.  Right now I’m trying to figure out, like evaluate what people like about me and my style of music, what I’m presenting, see what they like so I could give them more of that on the second project. I’m still debating if I should continue working with Exile, or if I should call on my people and the relationships I’ve gained this year, like the Alchemist. I’m wondering if I should do an album with like supreme production like all my favorite producers, but its hard cause I’ve gained a strong relationship with Ex that is really unmatched, but it’s something I’m still pondering I think.

Who is someone you hope to collaborate with in the future?

F:

I would like to work with Just Blaze, I think his beats are really versatile, any style he does from like “Song Cry” to “Never Been in Love Before,” everything, he does it all, I’d like to work with him, he’s someone I would want the chance to get to know.

People are saying that you’re the future of the game, where do you see hip-hop going?

F:

I see hip-hop just progressing and evolving, we need fresh acts, bringing freshness to the table, that’s the only way to bring a lot of new life, that’s the only way it’ll go forward, what its evolving to right now, its different cause you know you got your mainstream rap and your quote-on-quote underground rap. So technically nothing’s changing in underground rap cause we abide by the basic elements of hip-hop, the culture, so as long as we respect the foundations and the architects, as long as we know where its been, we should know where it’s going.

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Peter Bjorn and John can’t sit still.  The three Swedes have created indie-pop anthems, remixed tracks by artists ranging from Depeche Mode to Miike Snow, and collaborated with Mick Boogie to release the hip-hop infused Re-living Thing.  And, as anyone at their recent St. Louis concert can confirm, PB&J can play a mean cover of “Roll Over Beethoven.”  We had the chance to talk with drummer John Eriksson about his favorite influences and why the hip-hop world can’t get enough of his band.

Peter Bjorn and John – Objects Of My Affection

It’s been ten years since Peter Bjorn and John formed. What does it feel like to have been playing music together for a decade?

John Eriksson:

It feels a bit surreal but we are dealing with it in a very adult way. We´ve been having spontaneous miniature meetings all year where we remind ourselves that we actually are doing what we have always wanted to do. In three more years our band will hit puberty, so we are trying to figure out how we want this three headed boy to act in the future. 10 years ago some of us couldn´t connect a guitar to an amp, and 10 years ago we couldn´t drink coffee after 5 in the afternoon, but we have learned some stuff since then.

Things like “Young Folks” are a world apart from the stuff on Living Thing. Was that progression natural or was there some event or inspiration that altered your musical path?

JE:

I think that our inspiration comes from doing things in a difficult way. That, combined with spurts of total freedom, stress and improvisation sort of drives our music forward. It might have been easier if we had been a band like Motorhead, but I think we need to reinvent ourselves all the time. For instance, I hope Lemmy could produce our next record.

In between Writer’s Block and Living Thing, you released Seaside Rock. What role did that album play as a link between the other two?

JE:

Seaside Rock was very important for us. It was, like, you wake up on a Sunday with a nice perfect hangover and start to refurnish your apartment (or castle). It´s the same stuff that you move around, but the result feels new. Also, we went back to our Swedish childhood roots looking for forgotten feelings and sounds from the past. It was like a restart or something.

How have other styles of music influenced the music you create? How have your influences changed since Writer’s Block?

JE:

There is a constant flow of new influences. Everything you see, read, taste or hear something it changes you. I like it when you go back and listen to a song that you hated two years ago, only to discover that you now love it. For the moment, I´m always looking in the “other” section in record stores, searching for some music I never thought I would hear. Like Tibetan Monks singing, Japanese courtyard music, and Finish soul.

Is there anything particularly challenging about combining different styles of music? What about it is particularly rewarding?

JE:

Well, we don’t try to mix different styles of music, like “lets combine a grunge song with a Frank Sinatra big band ballad,” even though that might sound fantastic. It´s more like you use some spices from different things we’ve heard.  It could be a piano sound inspired by John Cage or a drumbeat from Afrika Bambaata. There are a lot of hip-hop elements that can be heard on Living Thing.

Was that always a big influence, or is that a more recent development?

JE:

Well, I´ve been listening to hip-hop more and more during the last 10 years, and when we recorded Young Folks, for instance, we wanted to create a James Brown kind of groove. A lot of the hip-hop beats are samples from James Brown records, so it´s kind of a development. When I think about it, that´s kind of our sound… some wierd Swedish sort of soul-funk indie-pop. It´s just that on Writers Block, it sounded a bit dirtier and on Living Thing, we wanted it to sound luxurious.

What do you think it is about your music that attracts hip-hop artists to it, like Kanye West with “Young Folks” and Drake with “Let’s Call it Off?”

JE:

I dont know, it might be the minimalistic drum patterns and our sparse arrangements. We have always put a lot of work into the beat, groove, and the drum/percussion sounds of each song, and if I was making hip-hop, I would sample our stuff all the time.

After the release of Living Thing, Mick Boogie put together Re-living Thing. What role did you play in that?

JE:

Just before that project, I had been in contact with the awesome hip-hop record label Stones Throw,trying to get Madlib or MF Doom to do something out of a PB&J “rap-track” that we recorded for Living Thing. So when the idea about a PB&J hip-hop remix album came up, we were all in. We wrote down a list of MCs and rappers that we liked, and Mick had his list – and then Mr. Boogie curated the whole thing with bravour. I think it´s amazing!

Most of the artists who worked on Re-living Thing are American. What’s the hip-hop scene like in Sweden?

JE:

There is a small hip-hop scene in Sweden, one group is called Latin Kings and another one is called Rune Korv Stroganoff, but since they rap in Swedish, we will save their remixes for our Swedish album in 2041.

Some of the top rappers from different eras have mixed with your songs, such as Kanye, GZA, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. Is there any artist in particular you’d like to hear work with your music?

JE:

Well, just having the persons you mentioned doing something with our music is mindblowing. I almost cant believe it. We are up for working with a lot of people in the future. Benny Andersson, Brian Eno, or Daft Punk would be some of our dream producers for instance. And doing the opening theme for a James Bond movie is another dream. Or even better, being James Bond…

Recently you’ve done some remixes and producing in several different genres, with Kidz in the Hall, Depeche Mode, and Miike Snow. How do those things come about?

JE:

Sometimes people ask us and sometimes we ask people. The Depeche Mode remix we did as a special feature – that would have been fun to have during the tour that we did with Depeche this summer. But I think it´s gonna be released now instead. It´s very nice, and it felt very cool sitting by the computer working with files, combining sounds from us and Depeche Mode.

Do you feel that work across genres, like Re-living Thing, is something that’s going to continue to grow in the future?

JE:

Maybe.

Where does Peter Bjorn and John fit in? Do you see a lot happening for yourselves in terms of collaboration with hip-hop artists and producers in the future? If not, in what direction can your listeners expect to be led toward?

JE:

We still got that PB&J “rap-track,” so we might start a TV-show called “Are you sure you can make Peter Bjorn And John rap.” The winner gets all the credit, and we might get a good sounding song. Apart from that, we will start rehearsing new stuff in a couple of weeks, and I think you will be surprised when you hear our next record…

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Photo by Cameron Wittig

Volcano Choir, the union of instrumental rock group Collections of Colonies of Bees and indie-folk luminary Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), started simply from an electronic tape trading project.  But the band’s sound is far from plain -layers of light electronic tones, guitar, and percussion mixed with the intimate resonance of Vernon’s voice make Volcano Choir’s debut album, Unmap, a sonic masterpiece.  Eleven spoke with guitarist Chris Rosenau about the collaborative efforts in the creation of Unmap and how to come up with a good, fitting band name.

Volcano Choir – Island, IS

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

You and the other members of Volcano Choir have had a history of playing music together. How does Unmap reflect that friendship and how has it shaped the evolution of the album’s sound?

Chris Rosenau:

We know Justin (Vernon) through touring together and playing shows with his old band, so we’ve been really good friends since 2005/06. We always hung out and played shows together whenever we could. The whole project has always been about having fun and challenging each other musically. We started in early 2007 when I had some song sketches in my head that I’d always wanted someone to sing on — they were really stark ideas, but I thought they’d be good for vocalists. We ended up sending them to Justin and he started working on them in this really interesting new way that we really hadn’t heard anyone do before— that was around the time he was getting For Emma together.  From then on, it was just a really fun electronic tape-trading project! No pressure, no goal. Just trying to blow each other away musically.

How did you come up with the name Volcano Choir?

CR:

For half the time we were working on this project, there wasn’t really any name. Last year we all agreed that we really had no idea what the hell we had. We’d been working on this for so long that everyone was getting very myopic on the song they were working on at the time, so we ended up taking a step back and getting together at Justin’s to look at what we’d actually come up with. As we were doing that, we really dug it and started arranging, adding stuff and editing. We eventually realized what we had was a real band. After that we were like, man we’re screwed because now we have to call it something! Over that weekend, we tossed names around and somehow ‘Volcano’ got caught up in the mix. And actually, a lot of the tracks Justin had sent us over the years had been titled something involving ‘choir.’  So John Miller (the drummer) suggested Volcano Choir a couple of days later and it was just instant — it resonated with everyone. We like it because it incorporates the ‘choir’ aspect, the whole process we went through, and also stemmed from that weekend of hanging out.  And maybe for no other reason than that we just thought it fit the music.

Both Justin Vernon’s work as Bon Iver and Collections of Colonies of Bees’ previous records seem to evoke the wintery, wooded landscape of Wisconsin. To what extent does being in Wisconsin influence your music? Do you feel your sound reflects or embodies the North Woods?

CR:

Yeah, maybe, there’s definitely an openness and warmth that people from Wisconsin have that I really like. The records are really open though, we weren’t trying to create anything in particular, but maybe living in Wisconsin has somehow ended up in there.

Aside from each other, what are your musical influences, and which contemporary artists do you think have the most impact on your sound?

CR:

The musical influences of the people in this band are just ridiculous — they span every genre and style of music throughout the past two centuries. Literally. I don’t want to name any names, but I think everyone definitely has their own influences that inform the way that they play, and then they can pick and choose what they want to bring to the table. It ends up being a really diverse record, but at the same time, it’s informed by some similar places — and while the influences between us are different, there are definitely some cross sections. It’s hard to pinpoint a style that we channel for the record, it’s all over the place.

What track on Unmap are you most proud of/excited about? Is there one track that you think “sums up” the album’s ideas?

CR:

I really think little aspects of all the songs are referenced in all the other works on the album. I guess maybe “Seeplymouth” is kind of the framework for the record because it runs the gambit from polar opposite ends of the spectrum, from the really quiet stuff to total blast off.  Even though there are elements of all the tracks in every song, I think that one might encompass everything the most. If you were going to play one song off that record as a litmus test or predictor, maybe that would be the one.

People are used to hearing Vernon’s voice as it sounds on the Bon Iver records, but on Unmap you experiment with lots of unusual vocal textures.  Do you think it might surprise listeners to hear Vernon’s voice with such a different sound?

CR:

We weren’t trying to do anything like Justin did on For Emma, but we also weren’t trying to avoid it.  It wasn’t really a conscious thing. He orchestrated a lot of it, but we have some guys who do some computer manipulation and stuff, and it was this organic process that just grew out of itself. I like that idea too, because it is unmistakably Justin singing, and people at this point are pretty familiar with what that is, but I like it for two different reasons: you can see how talented the guy is and see that he doesn’t pigeonhole himself into one thing. I also love it because people are familiar with his voice, and it gives them a kind of a doorway to get into the project. It gives them a point of reference to expand on as the record itself expands.

Collections of Colonies of Bees has collaborated with vocalists Davey Von Bohlen, and of course, Justin Vernon. Being a previously instrumental band, what’s it like for you to work with vocalists?

CR:

The way that it’s worked for us is that the addition of vocalists has always stemmed from people we’re friends with. Davey actually lives down the street from me, I can see his house right now — I’ve known him for like ten or twelve years.  In general, I think both of those guys have this quality about their voices and the way that they approach music that doesn’t necessarily fit that “singer in the band” thing. Both of their voices lends themselves to fitting in as an additional instrument, (though not to say it’s not just another instrument) but their attention to melody, rhythm, percussion and blending with everyone is unique. It’s not like, “here’s a verse, here’s a chorus.” Another thing you bring up that’s really interesting is that working with Justin specifically for this record was significant because a lot of people think that since we’re this instrumental band and Justin’s a singer, we wrote the music and he came in and sang it.  But a bunch of songs on that record started out just as vocals before any music was added — specifically “Seeplymouth” and “Still.” In both of those cases, especially “Seeplymouth,” since we got that in an email and it was a beautiful thing by itself — I didn’t even want to touch it — but at the same time, your brain starts cranking out ideas. It was a big challenge to approach song writing when you started with vocals. To his credit, there is a lot of rhythm and percussion already there, but it was a really different way to write —we had to develop motifs around his vocals. It made the songwriting process very innovative and challenging — it was great.

Do you have a favorite city and venue to play?

CR:

We actually met Justin at the House of Rock in Eau Claire, WI. So as Volcano Choir, that’s a really great place for us. We also like playing at the Cactus Club in Milwaukee.  It’s a bar that my wife’s aunt used to go to that was like this weird little dinner place people used to go to in the fifties. Then a friend of mine bought it in the early 90’s and it had this little tiny stage we used to play on all the time. Now it’s expanded and gotten a lot nicer, but it’s still one of my favorite places to play in Milwaukee.

How did you approach writing lyrics for Unmap? They’re not really abstract, but definitely tend to be more evocative rather than descriptive.  Are they more like departure points for the listener to interpret their own meaning?

CR:

Yeah, I think that’s exactly what it is. The way that Justin approached most everything—and actually, we all witnessed this, especially on the third track, “Island, IS” — this was one of the ones that was less fleshed out over the years between us.  We brought it to him to work with instead of vice versa.  On that one weekend last fall, Justin got there at maybe eight or nine o’clock, and started messing around with at 11, and was done with the whole thing at two o’clock. It was amazing to see him start the song with nothing but the melody and the percussive aspects and flesh it all out — the words just kind of started appearing. It’s stream of consciousness for him. I really like that. I think that’s why us working together turns out so well— he’s not like this rock lyricist or vocalist. Whatever words come out don’t make lyrical sense, but more importantly, they can be interpreted in a variety of ways depending where the listener is in their head. It doesn’t act as a rudder to guide you through the song. It just kind of “is” as part of the music, like any other instrument.

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