I\u2019m really into the track \u201cGuilty.\u201d That\u2019s one of my favorite tracks on it.<\/strong><\/p>\nPete Feigenbaum: Cool! \u201cGuilty\u201d was mostly inspired by this Happy Mondays song called \u201cWrote For Luck\u201d also known as \u201cWFL\u201d which is at a similar tempo, and also Jagwar Ma. You know them? They\u2019re from Australia. There\u2019s even a little Nine Inch Nails influence in there on the keyboard parts. And the guitar has a Rolling Stones meets Primal Scream thing. A certain chord voicing that Andrew Innes plays on \u201cMovin\u2019 On Up\u201d or Keith Richards plays on \u201cStart Me Up\u201d and \u201cBrown Sugar\u201d–that\u2019s where that song is coming from.<\/p>\n
I guess that explains why I love it so much.<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, there are quite a few different influences funneled into it. We don\u2019t play it live yet but we will soon. We tend to write, record, and release songs first and then decide if we want to play them later, like a production team approach to making albums rather than like a band playing in a garage with microphones rigged up. The production team approach is easier and more cost effective for the kind of music we want to make.<\/p>\n
You do have a lot of material over the past years. Are you constantly writing? Are you constantly going and going and then deciding on albums or..?<\/strong><\/p>\nI wouldn\u2019t say we\u2019re super prolific, compared to some bands who say: \u201cWe just wrote 30 songs last month and we\u2019re narrowing them down.\u201d Rather than write 30 fully-formed songs, we experiment with a lot of fragments, perhaps a chorus or verse or riff. Then we just sit on it for six months or a year and let it marinate and get a sense for whether it\u2019s going to be good and whether it\u2019s going to fit an aesthetic that we might have for the band at a particular point in time. But over the years, we\u2019ve worked in many different ways. Sometimes we\u2019ll jam in the practice space. Lately, it\u2019s been more focused on production sessions in the practice space or in my apartment studio. So yeah, I\u2019ll have many small ideas, but once I decide to actually double down on the idea, that\u2019s where the real work begins.<\/p>\n
Execute it into a song?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah execute, then it\u2019s at the point of no return. I\u2019m not going work to develop a song I\u2019m not going to use. So even though a chorus to a song might only be 20 seconds long, when I\u2019m still in the demo stage, I\u2019ll build up 20 layers, and it will sound exactly like the finished product, but the vocals might be kind of mumble-ey, I\u2019ll be mouthing some syllables instead of singing the final lyrical hook. I don\u2019t generally write whole songs that are fully flushed out and then abandon them or pick and choose between the best. Nonetheless, there are always a lot of pots on the stove, some of which might be half-baked at first.<\/p>\n
Now that the pressure is winding down on getting this album out, I\u2019m already thinking about the next album and I\u2019m looking through my archive. I already have 10 or 12 of these granular ideas where I\u2019m thinking \u201cThis is probably what the future song would sound like.\u201d And that will be the jumping-off point when it\u2019s time to make the next album. I think I\u2019m also getting a little better about having a concept for the album. Not a concept album in the traditional sense like The Who\u2019s Tommy<\/em> or Titus Andronicus\u2019 The Monitor (<\/em>which I play guitar on a little bit), but a stylistic direction.<\/p>\nThat’s funny… I interviewed Patrick Stickles, probably like last year.<\/strong><\/p>\nOh cool! Nice. I played in Titus in 2009 for a couple of tours between Airing of Grievances<\/em> and The Monitor<\/em>. Anyway, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever make a concept album like that, but on future albums, I\u2019ll definitely be trying to hone in on a\u2026<\/p>\nA theme?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, even this album still has a bit of a grab bag approach, but more and more I\u2019m trying to create a nice flow from song to song where sounds aren\u2019t contradicting themselves stylistically.\u00a0What do you think? I feel like Fairweather <\/em>is still somewhat eclectic, but not too much, hopefully.<\/p>\nActually,\u00a0the reason I loved it was that it was not all over the place. It was ever-changing but on the same wavelength, I guess you could say. Like you had all these references- like weather, water, geographical nature, and things of that sense \u2013 and I felt it in the music itself<\/strong><\/p>\nIt has a pastoral mood for sure, probably subliminally inspired by The Stone Roses. I feel like they have a lot of references to nature in \u201cWaterfall\u201d or \u201cMersey Paradise\u201d but my use of these themes is mostly a reflection of how I see the world visually.\u00a0This visual approach translates back to the music in terms of landscapes, so I guess that\u2019s one of the main psychedelic aspects of the album. The album is psychedelic in a lot of ways but there are also moments when it\u2019s not, where it\u2019s very direct or clubby as well. But still I think the vocals and the lyrics keep things on the same wavelength–that\u2019s a good point you made.<\/p>\n
Yeah yeah, for sure. There are different things you said, like it being clubby and the different variables here and there but I feel like it really is all you know in one thought, wave, that you\u2019ve made. And that\u2019s what I really love about it, you know.<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, I think some historically great bands have put out some pretty eclectic albums from Exile on Main Street<\/em> by The Rolling Stones, to In Utero<\/em> by Nirvana, andScreamadelica<\/em> by Primal Scream \u2013 one of my all-time favorite albums, which has Chicago house moments, garage rock moments, and down-tempo piano ballads. I feel like the best bands always try to be ambitious in mixing things up.<\/p>\nI know you guys have had some lineup changes; right now it\u2019s you, Meaghan on bass, and then you have Max, you have Dan, how did you guys come together?<\/strong><\/p>\nLet\u2019s see, well, Max and I have been playing together for almost five years now, I guess. We met him through our friends Ava Luna so\u2026<\/p>\n
The current lineup consists of four mates, correct?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah yeah, that\u2019s the lineup. To complicate my explanation, on Fairweather<\/em>, my former bandmate Liam Andrew had a pretty large input, but he moved to Austin for a job just as we finished mixing, so he\u2019s in the liner notes, but no longer part of the live crew. Then at his last show, we met Meaghan. It was at Alphaville–we played with Spires, who no longer exist but they were one of my favorite bands. I like to think Matt Stevenson, who\u2019s one of my good friends, also incorporated Madchester stylings into Spires because he was inspired by some of Dinowalrus\u2019 stuff. Anyway, we were playing with Spires and Meaghan was there to see them. I was talking to her at the bar, and she said something like \u201cI liked your set\u201d and then I said, \u201cWell Liam\u2019s leaving the band in a month if you wanna try out,\u201d and she did and was a great fit. We also had a lot of mutual friends.<\/p>\nThat\u2019s awesome.<\/strong><\/p>\nI always like meeting people organically like that. And then we met Dan online.\u00a0I leave no stone unturned when finding people to play in the band. On the topic of Titus, Patrick always amazes me, how he\u2019s always able to find new people to play in the band, I don\u2019t know how he does it. I mean obviously, they\u2019re highly successful so that helps, but they also work super hard; they\u2019re always on the road, so it\u2019s not for everyone. But it seems like he\u2019s always able to find good people on very short notice to play in Titus.<\/p>\n
You have as well, you got Meaghan in two months.<\/strong><\/p>\nOh yeah, well, it wasn\u2019t quite that<\/em> simple–we couldn\u2019t play shows for two or three months while getting up to speed. And Liam was talented and so versatile. He could play synthesizers and bass guitar at the same time–which was kind of mind-blowing to watch–by playing open strings on the bass and using his left hand to play a chord on the synth.<\/p>\nWow.<\/strong><\/p>\nI essentially replaced him with two people because I didn\u2019t want someone to be stressed out by multitasking. I wanted the band to be more about having an extroverted on-stage vibe and persona rather than incredible displays of acrobatic musicianship. Before Liam left the band, even, we were mostly playing as a four-piece with my friend Tyler McCauley, from Soft Lit, on bass. So with that experience, I thought it\u2019d be best to officially become a four-piece. It makes going on the road a little tougher–like, we have a couple shows in New Haven and Providence, and I\u2019m still unsure how we\u2019re going get there\u2014but\u2026<\/p>\n
Uber!<\/strong><\/p>\nWe\u2019ll rent a van or take two cars. But money\u2019s always tight, so we have to be strategic about it. But back in the old days, with only three people it was great because we could cram into pretty low-end rental car…\u00a0With all our gear. We would have to borrow a drum kit but we could basically cram all the gear, the band and kind of clown-car drive up to wherever the show might be. But anyway, yeah, a four-piece is nice. Everybody has a little less responsibility so they can focus more on having fun and rocking out.<\/p>\n
Yeah, having a good show!<\/strong><\/p>\nExactly, Meaghan also does a lot of backing vocals and has been really great. The album was basically done right around the time she joined the band, and then in the process of learning the songs she added some great vocal ideas here and there We decided to \u201cunfinalize\u201d the album and record her vocals on it. So, we went into the practice space and cranked it out over a couple hours; it was easier than I thought.<\/p>\n
That sounds sick. Well okay, so it\u2019s going be tough for you to go to like Rhode Island \u2018cause I was going to ask\u2026 you know, you\u2019re released in Japan. I was wondering if you wanted to you know go over there and check it out– play a few shows.<\/strong><\/p>\nThat would be awesome! I hope that happens. We\u2019ll see how the release does there. I know Ringo Deathstarr has done well out there so it\u2019s not out of the question. I\u2019m sure we could go there at any point, it\u2019s just that it would be much better if we could go there, not have to spend our own money, and have a scenario where the shows and festivals cover all the costs. Otherwise, all these things can end up being a huge money pit. Luckily, I\u2019ve been to Japan already and it was awesome. Not to play but just as a tourist\/student. That\u2019s my general feeling about touring. I love to do it when it makes sense financially.\u00a0Still, I\u2019m sure it would be a lot of fun even if we lost money on the tour. I know Japanese psychedelic rock fans are very enthusiastic.<\/p>\n
I do have half-Japanese siblings that spend half the year there and you would have a blast playing there. I feel like you know you\u2019ll have really great reception and the crowd would really love you.<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u2019m sure it would be great but all these things are expensive so\u2026 if the label could hook us up with a festival that would pay for everything, I\u2019d do it in a heartbeat. Luckily, as I\u2019ve been getting further along I\u2019m less anxious about borrowing gear. For some reason when I started the band, even though our sound was rough, there were a lot of synthesizer arpeggiators, voice manipulation effects, and samples. We still have all that stuff but now the success of the live set doesn\u2019t depend on the technical stuff as much. In the future I want the synthesizers to mimic guitars a little more, where they\u2019re gritty and thick rather than airy or bleep-ey.<\/p>\n
That sounds like you had\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\nI was a big fan of that Justice album, Cross<\/em>, from eight years ago.<\/p>\nOh, yes. Me too.<\/strong><\/p>\nIt uses plenty of hard sounding synths. Mixing that with guitars might be a cool thing to do moving forward. Staying somewhat electronic, but more hard-nosed.<\/p>\n
Oh man, that album is great! It sounds like you know your next album, what you want your \u201cconcept\u201d to be. Hah. Something a little harder\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u201dm picturing something like biker-rock\/shoegaze. The shoegaze-y aspect would probably come out in the vocal melodies. Like the heavier side of Spacemen 3, or Loop.\u00a0Like the first Spacemen 3 album where there are plenty of power chords with a big muff pedal–that kind of approach, but a little more electronic. It\u2019d probably be more song-oriented than Spacemen 3, as well. I feel like that might be a good progression. This album might be the end of a body of work that started on the second album where we were really going for the Madchester sound \u2013 where it\u2019s groove-heavy, with a lot of synths, organs, and a bunch of Chicago house beats and the guitar is a little more atmospheric. This future shift also has something to do with the sounds of the scene we\u2019re in currently. On our second or third album we pushed ourselves towards pop, thinking it might yield good career results and help us get to the next level, but it didn\u2019t really pan out. It was a delusion of grandeur. The songs were good, but in terms of career momentum, it didn\u2019t really accomplish anything. So, now I think we might as well just double down on what\u2019s going on directly around us and try to tap into some of the niche fanbases that are centered around psych, garage rock, and shoegaze. If you identify yourself as a band in one of those genres, there\u2019s probably a lot more solidarity and niche interest in your band, even if it means you sacrifice the possibility of massive mainstream success. But solidarity and a sustainable fan base seems better, at this point.\u00a0If you try to do something more pop-oriented you can get caught in the middle, where the pop side of the world doesn\u2019t catch on because what you\u2019re doing might not be 110% in line with the flavor of the month, and the more underground-oriented fans don\u2019t really care because they think your album is too fluffy and saccharine for their taste. So we definitely wanna tap into something a little edgier moving forward. My biker-rock\/shoegaze idea might not be the most right kind of edgy, but I don\u2019t really care.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>No, you shouldn\u2019t care. You\u2019re an artist. If that\u2019s what you feel like doing, that\u2019s what you feel like doing.<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, no doubt!\u00a0However, I think there are a lot of garage rock bands around now, and I don\u2019t necessarily want to go down that road either.\u00a0I still want Dinowalrus to be muscular, groove-oriented, and mid-tempo. So, almost \u201chard rock\u201d. Whatever hard rock will mean in 2017, you know?\u00a0Outside the band, I really like 80s metal, like Judas Priest and Saxon. And even some \u201cindie-approved\u201d bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain went off in that direction, like on their third album, Automatic<\/em>. I think it would be fun to tap into that sound.<\/p>\nHell yeah.<\/strong><\/p>\nI\u2019m just kind of rambling here but\u2026<\/p>\n
No, I love it! I love your honesty, and the creativity is just flowing. It\u2019s really inspiring.<\/strong><\/p>\nWell, thanks! I think that\u2019s what the band is all about. That\u2019s what keeps it moving forward. It\u2019s a vehicle to be creative and engage with songs and music around us that I\u2019ve liked or been inspired by. Because other than that, the industry aspect is very difficult and usually bands like us don\u2019t exist beyond an album or two, once the going gets tough.<\/p>\n
Well you\u2019re on [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][album] four!<\/strong><\/p>\nWell, it\u2019s only because of our creative drive and energy. Because there\u2019s certainly no money. There\u2019s not much fame. There are very few perks in general \u00a0and many pitfalls. In contrast to the strung-out rock stars of yore, you have to be really organized, self-reliant, and on-the-ball to keep things together as a band these days. I view it as an exercise of persistence, really. Luckily, we always have small but exciting victories here and there, like connecting with our Japanese label, Moorworks. I\u2019m hopeful that might open up some possibilities.<\/p>\n
Yeah, more work. They had some other awesome bands too.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, they have a great roster! Maybe we could team up with one of their bigger bands, like Of Montreal, to hit the road at some point.<\/p>\n
And then you\u2019ll be on tour. Just have fun, meet people, and all that jazz.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, exactly! That\u2019s the way to go. We want to open for bigger bands, but it\u2019s tough. I don\u2019t understand booking agents and what motivates them. I assume they\u2019re barely making any money so they have a tough, tough gig. But they still have a large role in helping bands get their careers off the ground. Occasionally we get a bone thrown our way. Unfortunately, there are a million bands and there are a million reasons why your band is not a good fit for a show or a tour. Again, that\u2019s why we are mainly content to play shows with our friends and have a good time. It\u2019s almost like a stamp collecting club or something where we all just hang out and show each other what we are working on and if a few extra folks stop in to check it out, all the better!\u00a0That\u2019s pretty much where it\u2019s at. Having fun and hanging out with our friends, and having a creative outlet. It\u2019s kind of amazing how much that still motivates me!<\/p>\n
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