fork/knife

It’s been a long time since our last interview, but we’re beginning to get back in the groove of it. The latest band to briefly sit down with us was Why? We greatly appreciate them doing it, and strongly recommend picking up their albums including their newest, Eskimo Snow.

Why?- A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under

f/k: The overall sound and lyrical delivery on your new album, Eskimo Snow, is quite different from most of your other work. Is there a reason you decided to go with less of a hip hop sound and more of an indie rock sound with the album?

Why?: No reason really.  It just came out that way.  I suppose we were sort of just interested in having the record sound like a band playing together…A kind of intimate record.

You use a lot of abstract lyrics and phrases that only you get the reference to in all your music, such as an elephant eyelash. Is there some hidden sexual innuendo behind eskimo snow, or is it just like super cold snow?

It is a metaphor.  I wouldn’t say it is sexual unless you are the type of dude/gal that thinks everything is sexual at it’s root.

Anticon is pretty much as independent as a record label comes. Do you guys have any aspirations of moving to a major label in the future, or do you feel like you belong with Anticon?

I feel like we belong at anticon.  It is owned by my friends and I and one of my best friends runs the label.  I feel comfortable there.

Because we deal with the online music industry, we’re always wondering about how musicians feel about where music distribution is today. Are you a fan of the migration from physical to technological vending of music? In other words, how do you feel about the role the internet is playing in music now?

I suppose it is the inevitable next step.  And, like it or not, history shows that it’s never really a great idea to try to stop the flow of technology.  I haven’t quite wrapped my head around the whole downloading thing yet but I’m sure I will at some point soon.

We hear about places like New York or Seattle being hotbeds for musical talent. How is the music scene in the Bay area?

We don’t live there anymore, but I was there for like 8 years and I guess it’s alright.  I’ve never been very much of a scene oriented person.  I have some friends in bands in the Bay and I like them…actually come to think of it, a lot of my friends have moved.  XiuXiu moved, Deerhoof moved, Cryptacize moved…Half Handed Cloud is still there, Thee More Shallows is still there, Themselves are still there.

With your unique sound as a band, we’re curious as to what kind of stuff you’re listening to these days. Also, is there a lesser-known band that you like and think should be getting more attention?

All those bands above, I would highly recommend… I have also been digging Serengeti&Polyphonic lately. And Anathallo.

Finally, if you wouldn’t mind completing/creating the joke: A fork and a knife walk into a bar…

That’s ridiculous.  Forks and knives can’t walk at all.
Thanks again to Why? Hit up their MySpace and catch them on their extensive tour.

-Chandler

Michael Angelakos, Lead Singer of Passion Pit
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Weinberg

Passion Pit busted onto the scene in ‘08 with their infectious EP, Chunk of Change. Now in 2009, they’ve got a full-length album coming in May and a whole bunch of attention. Here’s what keyboardist Ian Hultquist had to say about the new album, Wilco, and the Top 40.

f/k: How’d you come to be a member of Passion Pit? What’s your role in the band?

Ian: I had known and played in several bands with Michael for a couple of years before he started writing as Passion Pit. He did a show that was just him singing along to tracks on his laptop. To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed with the performance, but I had already grown really fond of the music. I confronted him and asked if he would want to take these songs to a live band setting. We eventually got some friends together and started from there.

I am the guardian angel/ parent of the band. Haha! Just kidding…well, half. On stage I play keyboards and guitar, but off stage the rest of the band calls me “mom” or “dad” because of my absurd inclination to responsibility.

f/k: In an earlier time, pre-internet, Passion Pit may never have gotten as big as you guys have become. On the other hand, it seems like relentless attention from the masses could really drive someone nuts. What’s it like to be the center of so much hype?

Ian: It’s amazing to see our names mentioned in such important and influential places like Pitchfork or BBC, but we are all extremely aware of how short-lived and fragile something like this is. I think that we all do a good job of appreciating it, but not reading too much into any of it. I’ve seen too many movies where the fame just goes to someone’s head, and then everything goes to shit. I don’t want to be in that movie.

f/k: Your new album, entitled Manners is due out May 19th. What can you tell us about it? And how does it feel to be waiting for the album to come out?

Ian: When Michael started writing the songs for Manners, I felt like his songwriting had matured at least five years. I was very impressed by it. I think the record will show that we are capable of more than electro-pop. That’s actually a big reason I’m really anticipating it being released. As much as I love MGMT & Hot Chip, I think that the comparison we get to a lot of those bands will fall by the wayside.

f/k: The band has plans to tour pretty extensively in support of Manners. What’s a Passion Pit show like?

Ian: Well, they vary. In the UK a Passion Pit show consisted of somehow finding a way to squeeze all of our gear on to a small stage as fast as possible (except for KoKo, that place was enormous), only to have the power go out on stage. Some of the US shows have been known to be pretty similar, some go smoother than others. To be honest though, some of the ones that are rushed like that end up being the best shows.

f/k: As a band, you guys are very, very young. How have you grown as a band during your existence? Any growing pains?

Ian: I’d like to think that we’ve grown as a band. I think the biggest thing is that we’ve grown as people, and have become extremely close with one another.

The growing pains have come in the form of decisions we’ve had to make. This current line up of Passion Pit is not the original, and that was not an easy thing to achieve.

f/k: Passion Pit has deep roots in the pop music genre. What are some personal influences? Have any favorites that are playing on the Top 40 stations?

Ian: I think Wilco will always remain as my favorite band. Between Jeff Tweedy’s songwriting and Nels Cline’s guitar playing, they’ve had a huge influence on me as a musician.

As far as top 40 goes: Beyonce

f/k: What’s something no one knows about Passion Pit?

Ian: Ayad, Michael & I are all actually guitar players. We didn’t really start learning how to play keyboards until we joined the band.

Passion Pit on MySpace

-Chris

Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned is a fantastic band out of Albany with an amazing nine members. We here at fork/knife were extremely excited to be able to work with such a talented band, and I personally am honored to have been able to ask some questions. They gave us a song to post, and I can tell you it’s really fantastic, and that you should hit the play button and then read the interview, as the interview is lengthy (and we love it that way).

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We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the band for taking the time to answer our questions, and we really appreciate the effort and depth of the responses. Please check these guys out, they more than deserve it.

Sgt. Dunbar’s MySpace

-Donovan

The Ruby Suns are a New Zealand based folk/pop group led by California native Ryan McPhun. Their 2008 album, Sea Lion, was a personal favorite of mine, and so it was my great pleasure to ask Ryan a few questions about his life as a musician. For your listening pleasure, here’s an unreleased song called “Dusty Fruit” that will be on their new album. Enjoy it while you read!

The Ruby Suns – Dusty Fruit

fork/knife: What is the New Zealand music scene like? How is it unique?

Ryan: Well it’s very small. A bit insular at times. The touring bands all seem to know each other. But to be honest, we were away for almost all of 2008 so I feel like we missed a lot and I definitely don’t feel like we’re part of any kind of scene. We have our friends and that’s that. There aren’t any bands doing anything like what we’re doing around here. It’s unique because people seem to do only what they want to do. There’s no big scene to be a part of so bands have little reason to follow any kind of trend or whatever.

f/k: There’s no doubt that technology is changing the way that people get music. What do you think about the new role that the internet is playing in the music industry? What effect has it had on your band? Where do you think it’s going to lead?

R: I really like how the internet has made more music available to more people. It’s great!

f/k: What’s it like having your song “Oh, Mojave” in a Microsoft commercial?

R: It was really weird, and a really tough decision. But in the end I decided to go with it for a few different reasons. I haven’t really earned any money since I had a full time job like four years ago so it’s nice to be able to relax a little bit about that for a little while. Plus after that we could actually afford to go on the tour that we were on at the time. It’s pretty hard to make money touring and playing music. Maybe unless you’re Coldplay or something.

f/k: I love the way your record sounds low-fi and distorted. Can you give a brief overview of the recording process that you used for the album?

R: Easy! I just recorded everything too loud. That’s basically it. Lots of doubling up on instruments as well. Plus I used cheap shitty mics.

f/k: I think a great feature of your band is the way your band members blend their vocal harmonies. What kind of practice have you used to hone the singing skills? Do you change around the harmonies in your live shows?

R: Well to be honest it’s mostly me on the recordings. Since last June we’ve been a two-piece so the emphasis has been less on the vocals than on the music. The two of us still sing all the time though. So yeah the vocal arrangements live are quite different form the recordings. Practice? Listening to Beach Boys records!

f/k: What’s the best part about being in The Ruby Suns? The worst?

R: Being able to travel lots of different places that I wouldn’t have gone to if I wasn’t touring. Getting to meet lots of other awesome bands. We’ve met so many amazing people since we’ve been touring round the place. Maybe the worst thing is that it’s so expensive to tour and get around. We’re not a super huge band so we’ve never had a tour bus or even a tour manager for that matter. So it’s a lot of work. It’s ok though. It’s not so bad at all.
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We’d like to thank Ryan for taking the time to answer our questions in the midst of his busy schedule. Look for a new album from The Ruby Suns coming soon! Here are some links where you can find more of the band’s music. Stay tuned for more interviews from fork/knife!

The Ruby Suns MySpace
Official Band Website

-Chris

I have featured the Local Natives, a phenomenal band from Southern California, a few times, including having them be a Band to Watch, and I must say I was delighted when I checked our inbox and saw that they agreed to do an interview with us. After way too many emails, and probably interfering with their lives too much, I finally have an interview to post, and I’d like to thank the Local Natives for taking the time to answer our questions.

I could go on and on about my love for Local Natives, but as I said, I have featured them a few times so you guys can check out those posts to see what they’re all about. But now it is time to see what the boys over in California had to say…
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fork/knife: Alright, I have to start out by asking if you guys are locals/natives of Southern Cal?

Local Natives: Everyone but Andy, who is from Colorado. Ryan Kelcey and I [Taylor] grew up in south Orange County. We’ve been playing music together since high school.

f/k: So you guys just finished up your first tour. How did the band handle being on tour together? What’s some advice you could give to future first-time tourers?

LN: We already live together, so we see a lot of each other, but nothing can really prepare you to have to cram into the same 40 cubic feet with five people for the majority of a month. Luckily we get along really well. It’s the sort of thing where when we got home from a month long tour we all went out together that night. Sounds sort of psycho-therapy, but I’d just advice communication and wariness towards the need for space. Oh, and rotate who rides in which van! If you get sick of hanging out with your band, hang out with the other band for a while.


f/k: What was the best place to play? Worst?

LN: Best places we played were the east coast and a little place in Hattiesburg, MI. We had never played in NYC or Brooklyn before, and yet somehow a good amount of people had found out about three small LA bands that were playing for the first time at Pianos and The Public Assembly. We were welcomed with open arms at both venues and everyone out there was more than nice to us, except the ice queen bartender at Public Assembly. She found it quite amusing to pour cocktails half full and give us a look that could kill a puppy when asking for a drink.

Half way through the tour we puttered into a small town in MI called Hattiesburg. The town was literally dead minus these creepy giant painted Swan statues, which seem to be crawling over every street corner. We barely found the venue called The Thirsty Hippo at around 8pm. By 10pm this unique little venue was packed with music loving people and it turned out to be one of the best nights on tour.

f/k: The band is formerly known as Cavil At Rest. What prompted the name change? Did the change act as afresh start for the band?

LN: We had been toying around the idea of changing the name for awhile. Ryan and Taylor had been playing under the Cavil name since they were in high school and since then the music style and band members had changed quite a bit. While finishing up the album it became pretty apparent that the band had become its own separate style with the rest of us in the mix and we all felt it needed a new identity. It was our sound, our first full length and the first time that we had ever decided to try and be a full time band. Up until a few months ago none of us had really been doing the band as a priority in our lives. The timing was right for a change, and I guess you could say it did act a fresh start for us, it helped put us in the mind set that this was a real, legit band that is going to try and get ourselves out there.

f/k: What was it like living in Gorilla Manor and recording Gorilla Manor? Release date set yet?

LN: To record Gorilla Manor, we stumbled upon a gentlemen by the name of Raymond Richards who runs a little studio out of a garage right outside LA called Red Rockets Glare. All of out prior recording experiences had been very stiff and stale so one of our biggest goals going in was to get more of a natural and more relaxed sound. Raymond’s place served perfectly for this and we spent the next five to six weeks hashing out all the songs. A nice experience all around.

We are hoping to release the album within the next 2-3 months.

All living together is like having the giant dysfunctional family that I never had growing up. Constant people in and out, tripping over left over pasta and pizza from a week ago, Kelcey’s usually shouting in the background and yet somehow there always seems to be at least one or two of us hiding in the corner somewhere with a guitar or piano playing with melodies.

f/k: If you had to beat up one member of the band, who would it be? Why?

Andy: Hmmm…well Matt, Ryan and Kelcey are all MIA at the moment so I would first break Kelceys writing hand because he never emailed me back his answers to a couple of the above questions. I would then proceed into Ryan’s room, wake him up, and as soon as he opened his eyes I would mace him. I don’t know where Matt is so I think I’m just going to set up the old bucket filled with tacks and water above the door prank. Then I wait.

Taylor: What? What a divisive question! Alright well…if I had to beat up one member of the band it would be Kelcey because he is the nicest and has the slowest temper, that way he wouldn’t get mad at me until it was too late and he was unconscious.

Ryan: Andy is out of the question, as he could clearly destroy any one of us (see: the scar on Taylor’s forehead). It would definitely have to be Kelcey because he is soft like dough and has the memory of a goldfish. We’d probably be back to normal like five minutes later.

f/k: Lastly, fork or knife? Why?

LN: From a logical standpoint it would have to be knife. I mean a knife can essentially be used for the same function as a fork. However, forks are just a better looking and all around more stylish piece of steel, and who the hell wants to be logical anyways? I remember when I was in 5th or 6th grade I was a little metal-head and had this album with a picture of a fork jabbing into an eyeball being served on a plate and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.
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Be sure to watch out for Gorilla Manor, due out in “2-3 months”. Included is a track from the upcoming album entitled “Airplanes”.

Local Natives – Airplanes
Check out a few other tracks on their myspace.

Again, we’d like to thank Local Natives from the bottom of our hearts for taking time out of their busy schedule and dealing with our pesky emails. Hope you enjoyed it, because it’s all for you.

-Bishop

The Antlers caught my attention a few months ago when I really began to branch out for new music, and I even made them a Band To Watch. The first song of theirs I heard was “Bear”, of their upcoming album Hospice, due out March 3rd. Peter Silberman opens the song by using the all-so-familiar “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” melody to capture the listeners attention, and then quickly distances himself from the monotonous motiff and brings the song to a whole other level of raw emotion.

Recently, Silberman was able to take time out of his schedule to sit down and answer a few of our questions, so we thank him for that. And not just because Peter is a great guy, but also because his music is astonishing, be sure to pick up a copy of Hospice on March 3rd. Or pre-order it here.

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fork/knife: Peter, in the winter of 2006 you moved to Manhattan and “disappeared for a year and a half.” What brought you to this and what was it that you did for a year and a half?

Peter: Well, it’s a really long story, and it’s one I’m not all that good at telling anymore. The record itself is probably the best explanation of all that.

f/k: The two songs off your newest album, Hospice, that you’ve made available for download seem to be very intimate. Could you take us through your writing process?

Peter: The writing process seems to change with each album. With Hospice, it was labored over a lot, but in a way it happened organically. Whenever I would get ideas for lyrics, I’d start writing them down, and they’d all have the same melody in my head. Because of this, there’s a couple songs on Hospice that have the same melody, as well as one on New York Hospitals, and about four other songs that weren’t released. They all have the same melody, and share some lyrics, but they’re all different songs. But I don’t know if that quite answers the question…really that’s just the answer to one part of the process. My process is pretty disorganized, so I’m not sure I could say there’s one particular way I write a song.

f/k: How much do your personal experiences influence your writing?

Peter: I’d say every Antlers song is based on personal experiences. Some are more directly personal than others, like Hospice, while the songs on In The Attic Of The Universe were still very personal, but more about something going on inside my head that I didn’t quite understand at the time. So Attic was a little less overtly about my life.

f/k: We all know that times are continually changing with the advancement of technology, and the arts seem to be taking a big blow due to this. Your music is fantastic on so many levels, from composition to musicianship. What are your thoughts on this movement of sorts? Do you think it is helping or detracting from the modern music scene? And where do you find yourself in it?

Peter: I think there are some definite drawbacks to technology advancing music, but it all seems overwhelmingly positive to me. So many bands I’ve come to know and love over the past few years have been the result of this forward movement, bands I would have never heard without the internet. It creates enormous opportunities for people making music in their bedrooms, music that would likely never see the light of day if it weren’t so easy to send people. As for where I stand in it, I doubt I’d be doing what I’m doing now if not for the way music’s changed.

f/k: New York City is obviously a huge breeding grounds for bands. What’s your favorite thing about being involved in the NYC music scene? Least favorite?

Peter: Lately my favorite thing has been the small-world-ness of New York. I’ve lived here for a little over three years now, and it still amazes me how few degrees of separation can exist between people in such an enormous city. For music, that means everyone’s connected to everyone else, in one way or another. Sometimes that’s a really incredible feeling. My least favorite part of New York is how easily it can convince you to quit.

f/k: Do you guys have a favorite city or venue to play? Or do you prefer recording over playing live shows?

Peter: We’ve toured only a bit (several weeks), and have mostly been in the Northeast, East Coast, Midwest, and South. Bloomington, Indiana was pretty great, and Portland, Maine stole my heart.

f/k: Is there a band that you’re listening to that you wish more people knew about?

Peter: I discovered this album about a year and a half ago, and think it’s criminally underrated. Gowns’ Red State. I’ve been obsessed with it for awhile.

f/k: Lastly, fork:knife::_____:music. Why?

Peter: Enthusiasm. Music can exist without enthusiasm, but barely. It thrives when you’re thrilled about the music you like or thrilled to make it.
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We would like to thank Peter from The Antlers for taking time out of his schedule to answer our questions, and it would be an understatement for us to say that we’re looking forward to Hospice. Be sure to check f/k in the future for more updates.

Silberman was also nice enough to allow us to post “Bear”, a song off the new album. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Antlers – Bear
Pre-order Hospice

-Bishop

Viernes is an up-and-coming band from Florida that creates soundscapes to get lost in. The band is a duo comprised of Alberto Hernandez and Sean Moore, 25 and 26 years old, respectively. After stumbling upon their music, we here at fork/knife had to learn more about the band. Viernes was gracious enough to sit down and answer some of our questions.

fork/knife: You guys are called Viernes. How’d the name come about?

The Globes are an amazing Seattle band that caught my attention with their 2008 EP. The EP had just five songs, but it was an undeniably beautiful release that left me begging for more. Luckily for me, The Globes are hard at work on a full length album! Lead singer Erik Walters was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and answer some of my questions. Here’s what he had to say about the day in the life of The Globes:

Erik: The future is always a mystery. Hopefully the future of The Globes includes making records and touring Japan.
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We look forward to hearing what The Globes have in store, and we would like to thank Erik for taking the time to answer our questions! From everyone here at f/k, we encourage you to check out The Globes. Stay tuned to fork/knife for more updates on the band’s full length record.

As a sample, here are two songs from their 2008 EP, songs called “The Glower” and “Little Slickers.” They are two of my favorites, and together they provide a great snapshot into the heart of The Globes’ music. Enjoy!

The Globes – Little Slickers
The Globes – The Glower
Buy the EP: iTunes

The Globes on MySpace

-Chris

It’s safe to say everyone here at fork/knife are really big supporters of The Deadly Syndrome (DS), despite the fact that they’ve released only one album. It was a pretty stellar debut, and we were lucky enough to get them to answer a few of my questions. The pictures were provided by The Deadly Syndrome.

f/k: I should probably start off by asking how you guys met and give you the ole ‘one, two, how do you do.’ Instead, I have a more pressing question in mind. I heard a rumor that one of you was in a commercial for a Verizon phone appearing as Old Saint Nick, or someone along those lines. Anyone care to comment on the experience or validity?

DS: We have no idea what you’re talking about.

f/k: Now that’s that out of the way, could you briefly walk through how you guys started to where you are now?

DS: We’re all currently living in Los Angeles, we met through jobs, girlfriends, and other friends.

(Will’s note: Jesse and I were living together in Los Angeles – as roommates, not in the Biblical sense – and we started writing some songs. Then we met Mike, and then we met Chris. And then we were formed. Then we really stumbled into a recording contract almost accidentally, and recorded our first record. That brings us up to this afternoon. I’ve been doing some illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, and editing spreadsheets in Excel, which I prefer to iWork because it seems to use less RAM.)

f/k: I first heard you guys when you did your Daytrotter session, which I still uphold as one of the best sessions I’ve heard due to your great live sound. Many people also say you put on an amazing live show. Besides apparently handing out gold to the crowd, what are you doing that makes you so good live? Do you enjoy your sound more during shows than in studio? As New Englanders, we are anxious to know: Are there any East Coast shows in the works?

DS: First of all, thank you very much for the compliment. When we first started the band, Daytrotter was a “wouldn’t that be nice” kind of idea. When it actually happened, well, it was a very wonderful moment. Walking in there and thinking that we got to be a part of something that a lot of our favorite bands are a part of, that was all very exciting too.

And thank you also for the live comment. We don’t know what we’re doing. Anytime I (and I feel like I’m speaking on behalf of my co-workers [bandmates]) see an amazing performance it’s because the artist was completely lost in it. Whether they’re spitting on themselves while wallowing in their own filth, or in a completely focused trance while playing a Tchaikovsky concerto, it’s that “connection” to the music that is the most important part of the live process, and we try to write/play music that we can feel close to.

As far as the studio question, I believe that’s a question that will be best answered once we’re finished with our next record.

East Coast shows? We’re broke, we need a bigger band to take us out, or a phenomenal spike in our fan base (maybe this interview will attribute to the latter?).

(Will’s notes: I think our live sound is less stressful for us, because it’s really loud, and it isn’t on the global permanent record as The Best Version Of This Specific Song That Has Ever Existed. That’s what recording is. And that’s why it’s maaaaaakkkiiiinnggg meeeee feeeeeelll CRAAAAZZZZZYYY!!!!! )

f/k: You named your debut album The Ortolan. Where did the name come from? Did you consider other bunting birds like, The Yellowhammer?

DS: It came from one of our producers of that record, Nico Aglietti. He had heard the story about it on This American Life. It was hard for us to believe that is was real thing partly because of the way that Nico tells stories, and partly because it’s hard to believe that anyone would want to chew on a broiled bird, feathers and all.

(Will’s note: Sometimes Ortolans sing, and sometimes they get fattened up and boiled in liquor. Nobody seems to have such specific fantasies about other small birds, and how they’d like to boil them, which must mean that Ortolans are pretty special. )

f/k: The Ortolan was released in ‘07, and since then I’ve been giddy as a school girl waiting for new material. Any idea when we’ll see something new? Are there new songs in the works that you’re playing live?

DS: We’ve played two of the songs live, other than that just a lot of writing and hashing out. If you go to our imeem page, you can hear “Doesn’t Matter” in our “live at the Hammer museum show” playlist.

(Will’s note: Seems like, with the rise of “emo” as a subculture, and the popularity of the “woe is me, life is hard” aesthetic, school girls are less giddy, and more depressed. “Sad as a school girl.”)

Doesnt Matter – The Deadly Syndrome

f/k: There’s a story inside The Ortolan about a guy named Thomas that left me somewhat perplexed. What’s the story behind that?

DS: Mike wrote and illustrated that. If I recall correctly he just did it to do it, and the rest of us thought it would be a great addition to making the iTunes version of the record a bit more special.

(Will’s note: I think there’s a little bit of Thomas in all of us. Ring ring ring.)

f/k: Are there any rather unknown bands you’re listening to now that you think should be getting more publicity?

DS: US! Just kidding, no seriously, The Deadly Syndrome! No really though, um well, we just (Dec. 13^th 2008) played a great benefit show for Doctors Without Borders with Castledoor (MySpace), Amnion (MySpace), The Pity Party (MySpace), The Happy Hollows (MySpace) and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (MySpace). It was a really great show, we raised about $4800 for the charity. But the reason why we played with those bands is because we think they’re all really great, so yes, that’s my answer.

(Will’s note: Spleen United [MySpace])

f/k: Finally, you have to eat a steak with either only a fork, or only a knife. Which one do you use and why?

DS: Does this count? I took these photos of Hanson when they took the stage right after us at a SXSW-2008 party. Turns out us and Hanson are into the same things: just playing some tunes with your bros.

(Will’s note: Jesse, do you have that on the actual hard drive of your computer, or an external drive? And you took three separate photos? You took three separate photos.)

I didn’t really get the answer to that last question, but anything regarding Hanson is A-Ok with me. We really appreciate The Deadly Syndrome taking some time to answer our questions, so show them some love. Visit their:

Official website here

MySpace here

Daytrotter session here

iTunes page here

-Chandler

Joseph Weber is creating catchy electro pop under the moniker Mass Games (MG). He introduced himself to us a few days ago, and then sat down to answer some of my questions:

f/k: So I’m under the impression that you’re in Thailand, but you’re MySpace says you’re in New York. Where in the world is Joe Weber?

MG: I am really in Thailand! I’ve been living in northern Thailand (up near Myanmar and Laos) for about a year now. I didn’t want to be part of the “MySpace Thailand” feature so just thought it would be easier to say ‘Brooklyn’ for listing purposes. I lived there for a long
time, maybe it’s my “real home”? I do not know.

MG: Well, there isn’t really a legit music scene at all! Maybe in Bangkok it’s a little different, where an “international” DJ will make their way to one of the cheesy clubs. But in northern Thailand, you’ll see a lot of reggae bands, cover bands playing The Cranberries ‘Zombie’, and awful imitations of USA “rock music.” I’ve heard some more traditional Thai music though, and that sounds really cool – especially the hissy old vinyl recordings.

I must say the band names here are incredible. There’s a band called Big Ass, another called Calories Blah Blah, and then there’s Potato! I am not joking. BIG ASS, CALORIES BLAH BLAH, and POTATO – and I’m pretty sure they sing love ballads…

MG: I came across the learn-to-speak English stuff through teaching. Each textbook will have an audio tape/cd that accompanies it. It’s so incredibly hilarious to hear someone say “I like dance music. Do you like dance music?” completely out of context. Reminds me of my old Spanish classes. “Donde esta la discotech?” Like c’mon! Each textbook has a certain idea of what “children” are, and it’s funny to hear those audio projections, and then put them in a very unintended context. I’ve been surprised at how creepy it can turn out.

MG: North Korea’s Mass Games are incredible, a really insane spectacle. Being in Asia, I just became more aware of the history of the countries close by. The Mass Games performance is very human but also mechanical and robotic, beautiful but essentially evil in my opinion. It’s like the essence of electronic music. In a musical context, the name “Mass Games” is very appealing and strange. The idea of a “game” – what is game? Aren’t all games “mass” games??? It’s a loaded set of words, and I was definitely attracted to the different levels of meaning. There’s music in the words.

MG: I use a combo of reason and logic, and also the software programs Reason and Logic :) I tried Ableton for a while…but then I stopped. At one point I had a whole ‘mini studio’ of actual
instruments. But my setup now is just so much more economical and sleek!

MG: Well I have a lot of bits and pieces at the moment, and there’s gonna be vocals too. I have the picture in my head, but I’m still waiting to see what takes shape. Everything is crazy in my life right now… It’s going to be an ugly album… I really like what Of Montreal did on ‘Skeletal Lamping’, sort of an extension of ‘Alien Lanes’ but in a very different way. I don’t feel a need to make “dance floor” or DJ-ready music anymore, or have a song be a certain length or anything. So it’ll be interesting!

MG: Yeah I love Mr. Oizo! Just kinda happy that he exists and there’s an audience for his stuff. When ‘Moustache (Half a Scissor)’ came out on Mute, I don’t remember people saying much about it… it was a crazy album, one without any ‘hits’ or “Uffie appearances.” Maybe not a USA kinda thing? I guess his people are in Europe?? I don’t know, all I know is that he is the best.

The Radiohead nolikes is sort of a joke. When you’re trying to spread the word about your band, and no one knows about it – you have to say what your ‘influences’ are or say things like “for fans of….blah blah blah”… just stupid stuff. So I think it’s funny to have a whole list of influences and just one band you just don’t like. I really tried listening to T. Yorke! When I play one of his tracks on my iPod, I just start thinking about other stuff I should be doing, like watching “Spanglish” or something.

MG: A1 Bassline!!! (A1 Bassline MySpace) Also, my friend sent me this link to a singer-songwriter called Huey Lewis. He’s gotten some blog buzz recently. I’ve been listening to his jam about wanting new drugs. Not sure if it’s a remix but I’m really digging the 80’s vibe. Oh, and The Hipster Runoffs! (Hipster Runoff MySpace) I think they’ve signed up to score “Slumdog Millionaire 2: Back to Bombay” starring Adult.’s Nicola Kuperis in a Mickey Rourke-style comeback performance. My Hollywood source also tells me Alice Glass is considering playing “the Indian boy,” although it’s not confirmed….yet.

MG: Knife, man! I could more easily stab the steak and then turn it upside down and pretend it’s a lollipop, corn dog, or rainbow cotton candy.

Mass Games- What’s Your Favorite Music?
MG: I made this song relatively quickly, after one of the worst weekends in my life. It just sort of popped out, like it was hiding somewhere just waiting to come out. It’s pretty rudimentary compared to other songs I’ve made. The accusatory sample “What’s Your Favorite Music?” reminds me of the BBC reporter in “I’m Not There”, kinda the distorted echo of the music critic, the interpreter.

Go check out Joe on the Mass Games MySpace page here.

Purchase his EP from Insound here.

Thanks Joe. And everyone keep an eye out for his full length effort.

-Chandler