MP3: Superchunk “Precision Auto”

You are reissuing No Pocky for Kitty. The album is considered by many to be your masterwork. Do you feel it is your best album?
No, I don’t really think it’s our best album. It’s pretty raw. We toured our way to recording it, writing and practicing the songs at sound checks and during shows as we played our way to Chicago. It was recorded at CRC with Steve Albini during the pm hours to get a cheap rate. We recorded and mixed it in all of about 48 hours. But maybe the immediacy of that is what makes people like it so much.
What is your fondest memory from the recording sessions of No Pocky for Kitty?
I enjoyed Steve’s dryness very much, and also the fact that he was so very fond of Pepperidge Farms Chessmen cookies. There was also this one hilarious moment when we finished a good take of a song that we were having trouble with, and before the cymbals had even quit ringing, our drummer at the time yelled “That was easy!” thereby rendering the take worthless. It is hilarious in hindsight.
Re-listening to the album, is there anything new you have noticed about the album?
I can’t believe how many mistakes are in there that we and Steve just let slide while we recorded it. It’s punk rock!
Do you have a favorite song on the album?
Probably “Skip Steps 1 and 3″ because the lyrics bring back a lot of memories from the tour leading up to the album. By the way, step one is
talking about doing something, step two is doing it, and step three is talking about what you just did.
You are also reissuing On the Mouth which was considered a transitional record for you. Was the change in sound a conscious decision or just evolution?
We made a conscious decision to spend a little more time recording this album, and I think that made a big difference in how it sounded, also we had a different drummer than the previous two records, so that was bound to change something. Plus we had been together longer as a band and all knew better how to play together and compliment each other.
On the Mouth was the first album with Jon Wurster on drums. What was the difference between him and Chunk Garrison?
Chuck is a really great drummer and so is Jon. But they are great in different ways. Chuck swings, where Jon is tighter and more efficient. I also have found playing with Jon to be really different because he puts all these markers in the songs, especially when we are playing them live…and I don’t know if he does it consciously or not…but those markers tell me where we are in the song and what is coming up. It’s kind of amazing!
Later this year, you will release your first new full-length since 2001. What can fans expect from the new album?
It’s pretty old style Superchunk. One might call it “a return to form.” Our last few albums before this were stretching out in new directions a bit…moving away from our punk rock roots..and this is swinging back that way.
After the release of Majesty Shredding, what’s next for Superchunk?
Some touring to support the record, and then we shall see!

MP3: Pernice Brothers “Jacquline Susann”

You were in Scud Mountain Boys from 1991-1997. When the band broke up, was there ever a time you thought you were done in music?
No, because when I was in that band I wanted to do something else. I never thought I was done in music, I was chomping at the bit to do something else in music.
When starting Pernice Brothers, was there a conscious decision to make it different than the Scuds?
Yeah, definitely. Scud Mountain Boys was a pretty stripped down affair and had a lot of country stylings to it just because of the influences of the guys who were in the band. I Just wanted to spread out, use more instruments and make a different type of music than something that was pretty much bound to a country sound. That band, also, recorded pretty much live when we made records with few overdubs. After doing three records that way, I really wanted to spread out and take advantage of multi-track studios and orchestras and things like that.
Pernice Brothers first album, Overcome By Happiness contained “Chicken Wire” was named the #1 Most Exquisitely Sad Song in the Whole World by AOL Music.
Apparently so.
Did you mean for the song to be exquisitely sad?
I knew it wasn’t a toe-tapper. I knew it wasn’t a realy pick-me-up so I suppose I did. I was just trying to write a song from my heart. I don’t think about it too much when writing a song but every once in a while you sit back and think “wow, that’s pretty dark”. But when I was doing it, I was just doing it.
Do you have any favorite exquisitely sad songs that you think might trump “Chicken Wire”?
In the whole world?
Yes.
Oh God, there are millions of them. It’s hard to name just one. I always liked the tune “Frederick” by Patti Smith. It just gets me as very sad but there’s millions of them, that’s just the first one that popped into my head.
Overcome By Happiness was released on Sub Pop. All kind of rumors swirled about why you left Sub Pop, is there anything you’d like to clear up about that situation?
It wasn’t all that dramatic. I kind of knew back then, which must’ve been about 1998, that I probably wouldn’t have a long future in music if I was signed to someone else’s label. I would probably always be broke if I was signed to someone else’s label. So I knew to make a better living playing music and to have control, do what you want to do, make the records you want to make, put out records on your own schedule, I knew I had to go do my own thing.
How have you seen the music industry change since your start back in 1991?
When I started there was still the idea that you really had to break a song on the radio. There was touring when your record came out. That’s part of the old school. You had to be on tour when your records hit the stores because in the stores was the only place to buy the record besides mail order which was not so big. Now things are just different. There’s not a lot of rules. When you release a record you still try to get a lot of press and all that kind of stuff. But the internet is such a big part of making music now as far as bringing people’s consciousness up to speed as to what is out right now. Also, record companies are way more in the background now. It seems like they do less and less. I think you don’t need a record company anymore. When I started playing, it was expensive to make a record. If you wanted to make a record that had a certain amount of production value, you had to spend a lot of money. Now you can buy, for a fraction of the cost of what I spent on records back in the day, you can buy all the equipment and make a world-class sounding record. And I don’t just mean a very polished record, you can buy equipment that let’s you do crazy stuff, really excellent experimental stuff. It’s easier to make music and it’s easier to get music out there.
We used to make videos. We used to spend a lot of money because we actually thought MTV2 or whatever was going to do something for your career.
Now you just mentioned touring, you don’t tour anymore. Right?
Not much. We do some here and there, but not much.
What’s the reasoning behind that?
For me, I like to play live. I enjoy it but I don’t need to be on stage. Some performers love to get up there and be on stage every night but I don’t care about that to be honest with you. So if I don’t feel like playing, I don’t do it. I’m not going to do a tour that’s going to cost a lot of money to put on and not play to a lot of people. There’s really no point to it from a business stand point. I also don’t need it to feel good. I don’t need to be on tour all the time so it doesn’t make sense to do it. Not as much as we used to, that’s for sure.
You recorded “Pega Luna Manny”, a song for then Red Sox Manny Ramirez. My question is, who on the current Red Sox would make a good muse for a song and why?
Beats me. I’m done writing songs about the Red Sox. That was a one time thing. I like the game but that was the one time a tune popped into my brain while I was watching baseball. I love to just sit back and watch it. I’ll let Steve Wynn from The Baseball Project write the songs about baseball.
In 2003, you publish a book about The Smiths‘ effect on your teenage years. What are some of your other influences?
Back then I was really into R.E.M., The Jam, The Clash, The Chameleons, The Dream Syndicate, The Three O’Clock, I liked a lot of bands but those were the big ones for me. I liked The Psychedelic Furs quite a bit back then. Talk Talk, Elvis Costello, those are all big bands for me.
So if you could write another book about just one record, what would you choose?
Honestly, I wouldn’t do it again. The Smiths’ record was the big one for me. If you just asked what was the biggest record for me, I’d probably say Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello was the most influential record from that period on me. That’s hard to say though, that’s not really true. That record, I was a really big fan of the Jam’s live record called Dig the New Breed. That changed my life. And R.E.M.’s album, Murmur. Those records were all super influential for me.
Most recently you have released Goodbye, Killer, how does the album differ from Pernice Brothers’ previous work?
This record is pretty spacious. There aren’t a ton of overdubs. We tried to strip it down to the bare essentials of the record, not over doing it with a ton of overdubs. If it sounded good the first time, we just left it and moved on. We tried to not over think stuff.
So you kind of went back to the Scud Mountain Boys style of recording?
Not especially, because Scud Mountain Boys recordings were mostly live. We all played together in one take and we didn’t do overdubs. This record, we did overdubs but we didn’t pile it on. If one rhythm guitar was carrying the weight, good enough. We didn’t second guess it, instead of laying another one on and cluttering stuff up. We tended to just leave it alone.
The album’s first single “Jacqueline Susann” drops several literary references including name checking authors Jacqueline Susann and Ford Maddox Ford. If you could recommend one book from either of those authors, what would it be and why?
Oh, it would have to be Valley of the Dolls cause it’s great and The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford because it’s a classic. Two classics.
Are they big literary influences on you?
Not especially. Maybe Ford Maddox Ford back in the day but I’m not like a Ford Maddox Ford freak. I was creating a character. I was just using it in the song.
Last year, you published your first novel, It Feels So Good When I Stop. Is there a plan for a follow up novel?
I think so. I have an idea that I’m starting to scribble some stuff out about. It takes a lot of energy to write a book. It’s a big commitment of time at the exclusion of other things. So I have to make sure I’m ready to say “I’m not going to do these other projects. I’m going to put everything else aside and work on this book”. You know, it’s a lot different than writing a couple songs. You actually have to spend day after day after day for months working on the same thing. For me, writing a book is not something I can come in and out of like “today maybe I’ll work for a half hour, tomorrow I’ll work for a couple hours”. I need to be in the rhythm of at least three or four hours in a row uninterrupted to make it work. I need to make sure I’m willing to make that kind of commitment and whether I want to make that kind of commitment.
So what do you think will come first: a new record or a new novel?
Probably a record just because turn around time is a lot faster. I have some plans to do some recording. We’ll see how it turns out. My hunch is it would be a new record. I own a label so we can turn around and release a record in a matter of months after its done. With Penguin [books], when I deliver the book they usually have a year of set up time. So even though you might give them a finished book in say August, they might not put it out until the following August. It’s a slower process.

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

MP3: The Juan MacLean “Happy House (Cut Copy Remix)”

MP3: You Say Party! We Say Die! “Nightswimming”

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)”