Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category
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Interview: Joe Pernice
Joe Pernice’s two decade music career has fronted Scud Mountain Boys, Chappaquiddick Skyline, and most recently Pernice Brothers. The Pernice Brothers’ released Goodbye, Killer last month and in our interview I discuss with Joe the album, his career as a novelist, and the Boston Red Sox.MP3: Pernice Brothers “Jacquline Susann”
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Interview: (The) Juan MacLean
Juan MacLean has been one of the most critically acclaimed dance musicians/producers of the last decade. The Juan MacLean’s albums, Less Than Human and The Future Will Come both received stellar reviews from the likes of Pitchfork Media, Allmusic, and NME. His latest album is his first full length DJ mix for the DJ-Kicks series. I had a chance to talk to MacLean about DJ’ing, DJ-Kicks, and the future!How did you get into DJ’ing?
I had never dj’ed outside of bedroom before making my first 12,” By The Time I Get To Venus. My dj’ing experience at that point consisted of having raves in my underwear, alone, in my apartment. After Venus was released, it blew up a bit, and I started getting offers to DJ. Everything just sort of went from there.
You just released a DJ-Kicks compilation how did the opportunity come about?
I think it was mostly a case of my getting in touch with them. I had never released a commercially available dj mix up to this point, mainly because I was waiting to see if I could do a DJ Kicks. It was my all-time favorite mix series and I was really holding out for it. It’s sort of liking saving your virginity for your marriage to Kate Moss. Maybe she is a bad example.
You chose to be credited as “Juan Maclean” rather than “The Juan Maclean” for the compilation, any particular reason?
Yes, there is a conscious decision here. In terms of bookings, when it is the band playing it is billed as ‘The Juan MacLean.’ When I am dj’ing, I am billed simply as ‘Juan MacLean.’ James Murphy gave me the ‘the’ a long time ago, he said it would make me sound more important, and it really has. It seems like girls are really impressed by it.
How different is organizing a DJ-Kicks type mix than a traditional album?
Remarkably, there are some important similarities. When organizing and sequencing an album, I put a lot of thought into the album flowing in a way that makes sense. The goal is to make something that is a listening experience as a whole, not just like one or maybe two great singles surrounded by filler. THe same is true with my DJ Kicks. It’s a bit trickier because it’s dance music, but I tried to make something with peaks and valleys, with themes that repeated, and somehow held the listener’s attention over time. DJ mixes can be quite boring if they don’t change very much. Mine is pretty much at the same tempo, all 4-on-the-floor House beats, so right off the bat there was the potential for it to be monotonous.
How did you decide what tracks would go on your DJ-Kicks mix?
At first I just made a list of anything that came to mind, things I had been imagining I would use over the years. It was a list of about 100 tracks, and it featured House, Techno, Post-Punk, Disco, just all kinds of stuff that I had been influenced by over the years. IT was very comprehensive. From there, I narrowed it down to about 50 that I submitted for licensing approval. Only a few were denied at that point, mainly for licensing issues with samples. So I was left with 30 or 40 tracks to choose from. I tried out endless variations of mixes, at first with this idea of wanting to b as all-encompassing as possible. What I found, however, was that the mix felt more like a history lesson than something that could be enjoyed. So in the end, I ended up with a pretty genre-specific compilation of House tracks. What I realized when I had settled on the tracks I had is that they mostly sounded timeless. IT’s hard to tell if some of them are older or contemporary. But in general it made for a more fun, coherent mix, at the risk of being monotonous. BUt I think I pulled it off.
Are there any songs you wish you could have squeezed on your DJ-Kicks mix but did not make it?
The big one was this track by Joris Voorn, ‘We’re All Clean.’ It had a lot of samples to it so we couldn’t get clearance, but that was one of my favorite tracks of the year, I still play it nearly every time I dj.
You’re on tour now in promotion of the compilation, what can people expect from your current live show?
Mostly my dj sets sound pretty much like the DJ Kicks compilation. Maybe I get a bit tech-ier, harder or whatever when I DJ live, depending where I am. Like in Berlin I have to play pretty dark. In London I can be more upbeat. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, I think the Germans are still bent of shape about the war or something.
After the tour, what’s next for The Juan Maclean? Are there plans to record a new record?
Yes that’s exactly it, I will be working on a new album. No idea what it will be like at this point. It could go in a couple of different directions. Either an album of Happy Houses or an album of One Days.Catch Juan MacLean at one of his tour dates below:
3rd June The Moct, Milwaukee
4th June Green Dolphin Street, Chicago
5th June Fixed Party @ Public Assembly, Brooklyn
8th June Beauty Bar, Austin
9th June Square One, Jacksonville
10th June Makin’ Time @ Voyeur, Philadelphia
11th June Wrongbar, Toronto
12th June TBA, Los Angeles
13th June Days Inn @ Camelback, Phoenix
20th June La Santernera, Playa Del Carmen
24th June PM, Dallas
25th June Boondocks, Houston
26th June Respectable Street, West Palm Beach
30th June W. Lounge, Salt Lake City
2nd July La Rumba, Denver -
Interview: You Say Party! We Say Die!
You Say Party! We Say Die! released their fourth studio album, XXXX last month. The album got positive reviews from All Music, Pitchfork, and I even gave it a pretty fair review. I got a chance to ask a few questions to bassist, Stephen O’Shea. We talked about R.E.M., the Winter Olympics, and Saved by the Bell.
What were some of your early musical influences?
Our earliest influences are Jem and the Holograms, Barbie and the Rockers and the bands from the Smurfs, the Snorks, and Fraggle Rock, and AC Slater playing the drums on Saved by the Bell.
You covered R.E.M.’s “Nightswimming” for Stereogum’s Drive XV. Did you have any great emotional ties to the song or was it just a good opportunity to get your name out there?
Becky and I chose to cover this song because of the connection we had to the song. Growing up as an early teenager, Automatic for the People was one of our favorite albums. Beyond the obvious singles, we chose “Nightswimming” because of our shared experiences of having run away to the local lake to swim. The lyrics of the songs were moving enough that we felt it was the most honest song we could cover. For more insight, feel free to go to the Stereogum Drive XV site and read our comments we made about the song at that time.
You’re new album is a called XXXX. The letters XXXX appear to replace the word “love” in the lyrics and as the album title. What was the reason for that?
Our first EP, the DANSK WAD EP, had 4 paper X’s on the cover. Becky created that album artwork and as she made it, she thought “there, those 4 X’s are my mark of love”. Those 4 X’s have been in the album artwork of every album since. When we were making this record and were considering the lyrical content, Becky brought up the use of the X’s and suggested XXXX as the title. We all knew it was perfect; we didn’t consider a different name at all.
How do you think XXXX compares to your previous albums?
It’s our most thorough work. We spent a lot of time on it, writing and recording. We wanted it to be our best record yet, one that we could be proud of having really invested ourselves in. Our previous albums were great, but they were rushed and we didn’t end up really communicating our vision as we had seen it.
What’s your favorite track off the new album?
“Dark Days”
You guys got to play at the Olympics. How did that come about? What was it like?
There was a cultural Olympiad component to the Games, lots and lots of shows for music, art, drama, etc. We were asked to perform in 3 events. Due to the complex make up of our band, not everyone was interested in being apart of the games. In order to reach consensus, we agreed to donate part of the proceeds to the Pivot Legal Society, who provide legal aid to individuals in the downtown east side of Vancouver, whom we felt were most affected by the games.
Did you get a chance to watch the Olympics? Were there any events you were particularly interested in?
I became totally obsessed with watching women’s curling. Also, we performed on the mountain the day of ladies ski-cross. That was really interesting to get to be on site and see the crowds as it happened. the venue seemed to be alive,
You are about to head out on a US tour. Do you see any major differences between US crowds and Canadian crowds?
Due to not having toured the USA for the last 3 and a half years, it’s hard to say. Being banned from entering the USA was a difficult time and it’s hard to remember back to shows from 2006 just how it was. Regardless, we look forward to playing to new crowds and new cities. It’s always exciting.
Does the band have any plans past the US tour?
Right after the US tour, we’ll be touring across Canada and playing all our favorite cities and venues. Our album comes out on may 17th in the UK; we have plans to head over there in April and tour till June. Probably head back to China after that. -
Interview: Fred Schneider of the B-52′s
As a blogger, we’re not often given opportunities to interview legends. So when the offer to interview Fred Schneider came up, I had to jump at it. As the creative force behind the B-52s, Fred Schneider helped write such immortal songs as “Rock Lobster” and “Love Shack”, both of which were included in Rolling Stones’ 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time. Schneider is currently involved with The Superions whose debut EP will be released later this month. Over the course of our interview, Schneider and I covered such varied topics as his childhood, Athens, GA, and the future of the B-52′s.
Growing up, what were some of your musical influences?
I never really sang around the campfire. Growing up I liked Halloween songs and nutty Christmas songs. When I started collecting records, I was into Motown. I was the only kid at the dance that didn’t care to slow dance but was happy for “Dancing in the Street” or something equally wild. Everybody else wanted to neck, I wanted to do the jerk.
So pretty eclectic taste then?
Well back then you had your top 40 which was eclectic. You had your Supremes, your Beatles, the Four Seasons. That was the times.
Did you always want to be a musician or did you have other aspirations?
No, I never was a “when I grow up I want to be…” kind of kid.
So if music didn’t work out, what do you think you’d be doing now?
Probably waiting tables. I’ve got no skills so I really lucked out.
Your vocal style is pretty distinct. How did you develop it?
Well, I’m more of a writer. I’ve always felt my strong point is writing. That’s how it started. Keith and I used to make basement tapes; he would play guitar and I would just recite stuff off the top of my head. I can sing but I don’t know maybe I just freeze up and forget melody.
Lyrically, your songs are pretty unorthodox. Where does that inspiration come from?
I’ve always been into crazy stuff even as a kid. Even with the B-52′s, a lot of the later stuff that we did comes from those early basement tapes. I’ve always been into surrealism. I always thought that once I had to do a final project in college I was going to drop out. But a friend of mine did a book of poetry and I thought “…I’ll just write a book of poetry”. I just sat down and wrote everything that was in my head and I got an A. The teacher wrote “I didn’t really understand any of this but I can see that you’re serious”. It was ridiculous. I had to read it in front of the class and everyone just sat there like “what the hell?”. Except my friend who was in the class who just kept laughing at everything.
Then after that I was a janitor for three days. Then I went to work as a chauffeur who drives elderly people to doctor’s appointments and delivering meals. I never really thought I’d go into music. We did this one show in 1975 where we played the same four songs for three hours. We had like fifteen people on stage including three violins; I don’t know where we got some many violins. I don’t think we had a drummer but Keith played guitar.
Speaking of the early days in Athens, when you started off Athens wasn’t really…
BORING! Athens was really boring.
How do you compare Athens back then to today? And how has it developed?
Well there was really no place for us to play back then so when we signed with Warners and we moved to the North. While we were gone it became a little hot bed for great music. So we started it all and then left. But you know I think its more difficult now to start a band and do anything because there are so many bands there. We started just all hanging out and we thought “what should we do now? Let’s go to a friend’s house and jam on something” which turned out to be “Killer Bees” which we played out a couple times but faded from the repertoire.
That’s how the B-52′s came together. Your new band is the Superions, how did you guys come together?
Well, I’ve known Noah and Dan for a while now. When I’m in Orlando, we hang out because they’re just as nutty as I am. One night when I was there, they said “we have this track would you put some words to it?” and I said “sure”. I had a couple glasses of wine and came up with “Totally Nude Island”. We thought “this is funny. This is great.” We all loved it. Then we asked Ursula 1000 do a remix; I’m a big fan of his music. And he did and it really took off. “Who Threw That Ham At Me?”, I was original too embarrassed to release. I thought “this is stupid” but it got everyone laughing so I thought “yeah okay, let’s do it”. There was some really nutty stuff that came out.
We were originally going to be called “The Delmorons” but a friend said “they’re gonna think you’re a comedy group, you should change your name”. So we came up with the Superions. It’s all very spontaneous; they have the music and I either write down lyrics first or put some lyrics to the music. Now we have a little music career going. We signed to Happy Happy Birthday to Me. Mike, who runs the label, is a great guy; I like a lot of the bands on his label. Originally, we were gonna put out a 12″ then it snowballed into an EP. Then we signed to Revolver Records for the rest of the world. It just all sort of happened. Dan and Noah still have their full time jobs and I’m still with the B-52′s but now I’m putting a ton of effort into the Superions. We’re really shooting for a full length CD, a Christmas LP, and either a Halloween EP or CD by the end of the year.
Wow, so you’ve got a lot going on there.
The Halloween thing is gonna have TV shows on it. Really nutty stuff.
You’ve done collaborations with everyone from Sleater-Kinney to RuPaul. Is there anyone you haven’t collaborated with that you’d love to?
Peaches.
You think it will happen?
Well Peaches I know. She seems interested about it but with being busy with the Superions and the B-52′s still tour a lot. I’ve got my hands full. I’m so busy right now. Plus I’m really enjoying the writing process now; it’s really fun. I know I’ve got something good if I just burst out laughing and keep laughing. We’re our own best audience.
We’ve mentioned the B-52s a couple of times. What’s your future plans with them?
We recorded a show in Australia for a live album. Other than that, we had a remix album; I don’t know what the hell happened with that. We got really shafted by the record company we had in Europe because they just fell apart right after our record came out. It’s our first new record in 16 years and EMI tanks. I don’t see how we do a new record the way we do them. We have to all fly to the same place and then write. We pay for the studio ourselves and then you can always download it for free…what’s the point? Our last record broken even and that’s it. It’s our first new record and we think it’s one of our best.
So you’re skeptical if there will ever be a new full length from you guys?
I really can’t say. It would be great but what’s the point of putting out a new record if no one buys it? All these people think music should be free; maybe they should go to work for free.
Have you given any thought to the new music model Radiohead pioneered with “pay what you want” downloads?
I’m not sure. I think most people probably would say “I think I’ll just pay a penny”. I don’t know how that worked for them.
No, I’d rather work with the Superions because we do everything digital. We use Protools and its easy. With the B-52′s, we do need a studio, we need an engineer, we all need to fly down, we need to rent cars, we need to pay for hotels. We still use Protools but we still need to be there to write. We don’t really write on the road.
You know, I shouldn’t say “we’re not gonna do another full length”. You never know. We might do some covers or things like that but right now we’re gonna concentrate on the live album coming out and make sure that’s really good.MP3: The Superions “Totally Nude Island (The Lolligags Remix)”
