Interview #5 - Wing Dam

We recently had the chance to chat with Austin Tally; musician out of Baltimore Maryland, who was gracious enough to take the time to answer a few questions for wasfuersohr about his latest project and its recent self-titled release, Wing Dam. You can read our review of the Wing Dam EP here and head on over to Wing Dam's bandcamp to check out the album for yourself by clicking here.

Interview

Are you the sole member of Wing Dam or are there other contributors?

Yes, I am the sole member of Wing Dam. I make backing tracks on an old Casio CTK-601 keyboard (drum tracks, a few synth voices), a bass, and (on some tracks) a lap steel, and then build vocal and guitar loops live.

Wing Dam's bandcamp site mentions the record was recorded at 'Six Flags (Baltimore)'. Is this a studio on the theme park grounds or an unrelated 'Six Flags' recording studio?

As for Six Flags, that is actually the name of the house in Baltimore city where I live/record. In the past, other bands such as Nuclear Power Pants and Future Islands have recorded there, as well.

I have gotten questions about the name "Wing Dam," so maybe I should clarify: a wing dam is a type of dam that only goes part-way out into a river to create a faster channel in the center. I am originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania, and one of the main hang-out spots when I was living there was at a wing dam on the Delaware River. It is only very slightly higher than the water level, and often floods with an inch or two of water. Gives you the feeling of walking on the river itself.

The music has a very dream-like quality to it, conjuring up images of long ago summers and quiet contemplation. What, if anything from your experiences, did you draw inspiration from when putting the record together?

Well, the five songs on this EP were written over the course of probably three years. Some, like "Dig" for example, came from a while back when I was working on a farm in Pennsylvania for the summer. I work and rework these songs over the years; they change shape. They're informed by the original experiences that were there when I wrote the song, and everything else that has happened to me since. My aesthetic interests change (or maybe 'grow' is the right word?) and I continually try to make the songs the best they can be. I was a poetry major in college, and it's kind of like that-- they always say no poem is ever finished, there's only the most recent draft.

What records were you listening to while making Wing Dam, and did they have any affect on the shape that Wing Dam eventually took?

Well, I'm always listening to a pretty eclectic mix of genres, anything from jazz 78's from the 1920's to music my friends have been making during the past month. I don't stick to anything in particular for too long (but I also don't ever completely leave anything behind); there's too much good stuff out there. Recently I guess I've been listening to a lot of foreign music. I have a tape of Nepalese folk music that I keep coming back to. But if I had to pick, I suppose the two records I've been stuck on recently that might have had the most affect on the Wing Dam EP are Paul Simon's Graceland and the lovely, slightly insane and completely genius unfinished Beach Boys' album SMiLE (the original '66-'67 mixes, not the re-created 2004 version). I really have a place in my heart for percussive back-up vocals, and ever since I bought a loop station I've been digging building them up live.

What do you do in preparation for recording vocal tracks? You've got such a unique sounding voice, I have to assume you do some kind of vocal gymnastics before you record in order to achieve that sound.

(laughs) Hmm that's an interesting question-- I really don't do anything to prepare for recording vocals (except that I developed a little head-cold during the sessions for Wing Dam and had to take a break to let my sinuses clear up before I could record vocals for "Moon.") I just turn on the mic, add a little reverb/delay, and I'm good to go. Maybe that 'uniqueness' you’re talking about comes from a complete lack of any formal vocal training. I've just been figuring it out as I go along.

You mentioned the definition of 'wing dam' earlier, and told me about the feeling you got walking out onto one, sort of a 'walking on water' feeling. Do you try to translate that feeling of wonder and awe into the music you make, at least as far as Wing Dam is concerned? It does seem to have seeped into the cover art, if you don't mind me saying so, in a somewhat humourous fashion.

Yeah, that cover seems to sum up a "feeling of wonder and awe" pretty well, I think. (laughs) This project is all about water. And I guess I am too. Like I explained to you before, the wing dam was the spot on the Delaware River where we'd all go to hang out back in high school, and whenever I'm back in Pennsylvania. It's not sort of a 'walking on water' feeling, it really is walking on water-- the concrete lip floods over with a little sheen of water, you're walking halfway out onto the river and can't see what you're walking on.

Soon after I moved to Baltimore and came back to PA to visit, I realized how much of my life had been spent by water. Everywhere we'd hang out back home was by water: on a railroad trestle over a creek, under a bridge, on the wing dam. Or at the beach, where I've been going consistently since I was old enough to walk. That's why I'm not looking at Wing Dam as a temporary project -- it really [hopefully] sums up who I am.

As you've released music under your own name and obviously now as Wing Dam, do you see yourself expanding your musical palette further under any other monikers in the future?

Like I said earlier, I can't ever stick to one genre. Or one instrument. Or one musical project. I used to play in a folk duo called Silent Whys, I had a lo-fi dub side project, an electronic metal side project, an improvised dance music side project, some folkier stuff released under my own name. I'm sure I'll never stop 'expanding my musical palette' -- what I really want to do right now is find a bassist and a drummer and make some brutal, grinding, blackened death metal, or doom. Surprised? (laughs) But I'm definitely going to keep going with Wing Dam on top of whatever else I get into.

As a one-man band, is there any one aspect of the music that really grabs you? Perhaps you're in your element while mixing and mastering, or you've got your own little world while playing the guitar and everything else can wait.

Not quite sure what you mean by 'grabs,' but maybe this will answer your question: I love mixing/mastering, it's fun to get really focused on the little details, but the best part for me is definitely playing live. When you're recording it can be easy to lose track of the spontaneity of the music and get bogged down in EQ and post-production stuff. The real satisfaction for me comes from seeing it all come together, and sharing it with an audience.

As someone who lives and records in Baltimore, how would you describe the music scene there to someone that has never come into contact with it? [Like say, myself for instance.]

I was just home in PA last weekend actually, and I was trying to describe this to some of my friends there. It's hard to explain. Basically, there is a ton of music going on in Baltimore. No one genre has more presence than any other, I wouldn't say -- there's just lots of different acts doing their thing. Some bands are the only ones with that specific sound, others can sort of be grouped together. But there's a lot of individuality.

That being said, the music scene as a whole (or rather, the city as a whole) is very tightly-knit. They call it "Smalltimore" sometimes, and that's not far from the truth. Everyone knows everyone (for the most part). There's lots of collaboration, and people helping people get shows, or recording as guest musicians on albums/EPs, etc. I would say the only real way to get a sense for it is to come to town and see the range of types of great shows in any given week or so. It's impressive.

As sort of a follow up to your 'death metal' response earlier, I will say that after listening to Wing Dam, yes that is a bit of surprise. With that in mind, do you think your open-ended approach to the music you create allows you to come back refreshed and interested in a project or specific sound?

I definitely think so. Whenever I find myself in a rut, or stuck in a particular chord progression, or blanking on lyrics, I usually switch to a different style of music or a different instrument (probably why I play upwards of 10). Because of that, I master none of them, but get good enough to do what I want to do. Some projects come and go, but certainly all of them serve a purpose. They let you see things from different perspectives. There are only a few genres of music that I flat-out do not like. Only problem with that is, I have to have some kind of focus or I wouldn't get anything done (laughs).

As we're all fans of music here, do you have any recommendations for the readers/listeners that you think they should check out? From obscure to headlining acts, go buck wild.

Shoot, I got a bunch of recommendations (laughs). You asked for it! I'll stick with my friends' projects, and I'll still probably forget a couple. These all totally rule:

Amanda Glasser, who I used to play with in Silent Whys, has an amazing, hauntingly beautiful solo project called Saint Julien (saintjulien.bandcamp.com). I have another friend who records instrumental space-rock/krautrock-influenced stuff as Omoo Omoo (omoo-omoo.bandcamp.com).There's my friend William, who records under the name Baraka (facebook.com/barakajams). My friend Sara's band, who I played slide guitar with for a couple shows, is called Which Magic (whichmagic.tumblr.com / whichmagic.bandcamp.com). My roommate has an awesome electronic project called Skyway (no website at the moment, but if you're ever in Baltimore and see that on a flyer, check it out for sure!). Back home, my friend Ty shreds in a band called Mach 22 (findable on Facebook), my friend Bee plays in a sick punk band called Big Attack (bigattack.bandcamp.com). And last but certainly not least, my friend Chris Lyons (chrislyons.bandcamp.com) from PA (now living in New Orleans) -- one of the most talented songwriters I've ever met.

Any final thoughts on Wing Dam or in general?

empty acorn shell

reveals a small mandala --

the paths of water.

Thanks for listening!

Thank you again for taking the time to talk with us.

Interview #4 - wHaT iF? [EN]

 Click here to read the review and listen to their latest album

Deutsche Übersetzung dauert noch ein wenig

The next band who agreed on an Interview with me is wHaTiF? Another band based in Sweden and also part of the upcoming Promo CD with their song Rainy Days. Be sure to check out their other albums if you like their music. Furthermore, they recently put up a video to their single Heart Box.

Interview

You are the first band I interview with more than one bandmember. How did you three come together? And how did this result in making music together?

Back in 1980, Pål and Conny started talking about doing something together. They had a plan. “Lets make music!” The only problem was that the plan included Påls yet unknown and unborn daughter, Linnea. So they had to wait. In the years that followed, Conny joined up with experimental film-group “fRa-film” and Pål played in various bands and set up several studios in every basement he lived above. In the year 2005 the time was right. Påls daughter, now well known (and of course, born!), started to sing on Connys forthcoming album. Pål contributed some vocals and guitars. The collaboration expanded to such a degree that the “trinity of creativity” decided that it was time for wHaTiF?


Speaking of your early beginnings.. How did the band name come about? And the decision to write it as wHaTiF? instead of a normal capitalization?

We talked a lot about it and asked our friends for suggestions. We werent't sure about that, but somehow we decided to go with wHaTiF?, wich we took from one of the song titles from the first album. It stands for the spirit of the band, like "What if we do it like this?" or "What if we go this way?". Basically meaning that everything is ok, as long as it sounds good to us. Regarding the capitalization, well...we wanted it to look more like a logotype, and we thought it sort of stand out that way.

While we are at naming conventions: What is the meaning behind the latest album title "the final meltdown"? And since I am always interested in that.. is there a deeper meaning behind the album cover photo?

In the beginning, we realized that we had a number of new compositions that did not really fit together in a particular way (as usual). The problem is how to view a collection of songs as a coherent album, but does it really matter?

Hence the concept of The Final meltdown as a description of the convergence of a series of different ideas without a common denominator. The title got a different significance later in the album recording process when we added the song  A Dream of Peace, which expresses thoughts on difficulties for anyone of us to live without any positive vision of the future. However, our playful way to make music established that we rarely get boxed in with clear messages and this song might be an exception with our normal insanity, or something like that. The cover photo is related to the reports of global warming in general. And it was a picture that we all liked, and the idea to put our faces on the three people in the middle was to good to resist. (The photo is from Connys parents vacation on Iceland)

I already know that Conny has his own solo projects (http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/olivetti) he is working on. How about the other two? And how often do you find yourself together to work on music?

Paul and Linlea are working on a Swedish album and they are aiming at live performances at local clubs. As a group we rarely meet in real life. Most of the music is made over the net which sometimes is a challenging process.

Why did you choose to release your music for free? Do try to specifically tell people about your music?

There was a lot of discussion within the band regarding this. Our first album was initially released on iTunes, so we had our hopes that we would be able to sell our music. Working on the second album and talking a lot about what we wanted and what was most important for us, we finally decided to release our music for free. Its more important for us to reach out to people with our music, than to sell it to a few, who are willing to pay for it. And these days its very hard to actually sell your music. At the moment we are working on two new songs for  a release later this year, together with videos for each song.


When working on your music, is there a clear distinction who is responsible for which part? Meaning one bandmember writes the lyrics and another one is working on the general beat and rhythm or is this a balanced collaborative effort? And where do you get the inspiration for your songs?

Paul and Linnea write all the lyrics and handle the singing, sometimes as a collaboration between them, but many lyrics are written by one person. Paul sometimes even writes text directly for Linnea. Some songs are a collaboration between only two members, perhaps Linnea and Conny. Sometimes there are only texts but often it is music that comes first. During work on the albums, we have all contributed with song ideas and then finished them as a group.  The production however has been more of a responsibility for Conny. While Paul plays guitar, keyboards and drums, Conny ads them into the mix with already finished electronic parts.


I can imagine that if a band is making music for quite some time now(or in your case even living together), that there are individual tics that you get to know about the others. What are the most obvious ones?

All three of us are very headstrong and, knowing what each of us wants, often fight to get the music in a certain direction. Different sound ideals and aspirations are sometimes a reason for heavy discussions. At the same time, our talents are so different that virtually all the songs called for everyones contribution. One problem has been that we do not have the same ways of expression to describe music, which made discussions over the net really hard and frustrating. After a while, you learn to have patience and know that this process needs time. Working on  these three albums for the last four years has made us longing for more work together in the same room. Which is something that is going to be a work  process for the next album.(Editors Note: And apparently, working together for a long time leads to something like this)


I couldn't find any information about live concerts on your blog. Were there some? Is this something you still are considering in the future? Or actual CD's to buy? What are your general plans regarding your music in the future?

We are still struggling to make it happen. We are in contact with some musicians who would love to perform live with us. One problem is to transfer all the ”laptop music files” for live use, or perhaps do a mix of it with real instruments.


What were your individual greatest moments regarding your music?

Conny: When our first album got attention and someone was interested to put it up on iTunes and when we had completed the third album. At that time, I felt we managed to do an album that worked as a whole for me. Every song was good and together they formed a greater good, so to speak.

Linnea: Actually, there have been three moments. The first album, the second and the third. When we listen to the albums in the car and just feel the strength of the music we made ourselves. It's a great feeling to have your own music in mind when doing other things as for example humming the music on the way to work.

Pål: As a drummer and "computercomposer" I have actually never before written lyrics or sung any songs. My main interest has always been instrumental music. When Linnea suddenly developed to a real singer I realized that a hole new world had opened: The world of making pop and beeing in a band or at least a mad trio. Therefore, the first album was a real turningpoint for me.


I cannot believe how many incredibly talented people I find are from Sweden. I bet I easily found thrice the amount of interesting bands from Sweden than any other country (for example Exit Island, from the first interview). Can you explain that to me? You must breathe a different air than the rest of the world or something. :)


Sadly, we dont have any idea why. But this is  a theory that often comes up:

There is a belief that the municipal school of music is the foundation for the success of Swedish popular music worldwide, by performers like ABBA, Roxette, Robyn and others. Others argue that it comes from recreation centers and their rehearsal rooms. However, there is great potential here for basic music education in the music and culture schools.


A question I love to ask since I always love to discover new music: Any other music recommendations you can share with us? Or bands which you think of as too unknown as well?


Well, we have a few bands/artists that we really like:

Fiktion
http://www.myspace.com/vardagspaus

Fredrik Jonasson & The Hoarse Horses
http://www.fredrikjonasson.com/

SoundCombustion
http://www.myspace.com/soundcombustion

Tublenco
http://www.myspace.com/tublenco

Any last words?

Thanks for the interest in our music!

Thank you for taking your time!

Interview #3 - Bill Coleman [EN]

Click here: Listen to his music and read the review

Deutsche Übersetzung

Another artist I asked who was interested in giving us a little insight about his personal thoughts is Bill Coleman. If you havent listened to the album yet: Its basically a Singer Songwriter Indie Pop album thats perfect for easy listening. But be sure to check out his new stuff as he has released quite a few different things since then. He is also going to be featured on an upcoming Promo CD for wasfuersohr that I am going to hand out to music stores for free.

Interview

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to ask you those interview questions. Let us immediately start with the first one: Since it is always interesting to start off an interview by asking about the beginnings of everything: Where did your interest in creating music came from?

 My interest in creating music came from family get togethers we have around Christmas.  Back when I was 15/16 these started and a few of my cousins would show up, bring their guitars and lash out a few tunes.  I'd always been singing to myself in my head and those parties really gave rise to a hunger in me to write and sing.  While I'd had lesson for a load of instruments when I was young none of them had ever really stuck I think because I was taught from a very technical viewpoint.  It was all about playing the right note, at the right time, exactly as it was written on the sheet.  Those parties were very informal affairs, and it was as though I suddenly just realised that I didn't have to make the music that was on the sheet, that I could do whatever the hell I wanted to.  So, from there, I picked up a guitar book, learned a few chords.

When looking at your released records I noticed that there was quite a big gap between your first record A Long Time Coming and your second release I'll Tear My Own Walls Down. What happened for you to make such a long break or why did you decide to come back to release music after 4 years?

There are a few reasons for that gap.  Firstly, there was almost a year where I did nothing at all, because I was working, had a girlfriend, was going to college at night and so music got the put on the long finger.  Secondly, I couldn't put an exact figure on it, but I think every song on that record got recorded three or four times.  We frequently binned versions and started from scratch because I changed my mind, or to be more accurate, didn't really know what I wanted the record to sound like.  Additionally, I frequently wanted to hear things that I couldn't play, so I had to go away and practise some more, then come back, more than likely having re-written something again.  Also, I think we worked on something like 23 or 24 songs in total.  So basically there was a break, and then a long process of recording, re-recording, binning, writing more songs, recording them in three or four ways, until I came to the record as it's been released.
 

I described the album I reviewed als typical "Singer/Songwriter" pop album. You are free to disagree :) However recently, I got more and more the impression that the term "singer/songwriter" got a slightly negative ring to it. Would you agree? And do you have an explanation for that?

Yeah.  Hate that term, purely because it's got a terrible rep in these parts :-) As a descriptor of what I do it's accurate in fairness, just like you could describe Villagers, Jape, Gillian Welch, David Bowie, Elton John or Duke Special as a singer-songwriter.  People hear the term and generally tend to groan and say "Not ANOTHER one!"  Possibly because it's very easy to just be out some night and see someone, on their own on stage, with a guitar, only just starting to write songs, being very nervous, not playing very well, voice quavering because they're bricking themselves and it's very easy to dismiss that as crap (we were all crap once) because they're only beginning to learn their craft and this is what people most associate with the term "singer-songwriter".  Once they put in five or ten years of work, become totally amazing and you're watching them on Jools Holland you probably aren't going to think of them in the same way.
 

I got the feeling that you made a very distinct step forward after I'll Tear My Own Walls Down regarding the type of music you want to play. Was it just the need to expand into other musical territory? Where did that decision come from?

It was probably less a conscious decision and more a process that happened over the period before and after releasing I'll Tear..., playing with a band for the first time.  Playing with the band was a lot of fun :-) I'd always probably been more energetic live that we ever captured on that "I'll Tear..." and in playing with other people more energy started bouncing around the place and I started writing more in that direction.  Also, I'd have to admit that I became much more confident in what I was doing having released that record, began finding my feet musically and was much more single minded about what I wanted, actually knew exactly what I wanted before we ever approached recording the new songs, as opposed to a lot of groping around in the dark that happened with I'll Tear....
 

I read that you take your inspiration from things surrounding you. Since I would love to feature The Pull of the Pint on the Promo CD, could you explain what inspired you to write this song? Also I recognized that most of your songs are directed to one person. Is this some sort of diffuse "you" or were you thinking of someone specific? (If this question is too personal please by all means feel free to leave it out)

You could easily think of a lot of my songs as conversations I guess, but they're directed at many different people - including myself some of the time. Pull of... is a conversation with an alcoholic.  Which came I guess from being close to them for a long time, witnessing the pain and damage caused by their addiction, and trying to understand why they drank and how the drink helped them to function.

I love the thoughts and efforts musicians put into their album names and cover art. So first off: Would you explain the meaning of I'll Tear My Own Walls Down and is there any connection to or hidden meaning behind the cover art? Why did you choose to name your latest release after colours and do you plan to release these songs also on a full release album?

I'll Tear My Own Walls Down is about simply deciding that you're going to take control of your own life, make your own decisions and not live according to the rules of another.  As regards the album art, there's a connection between the title and the image but you'd have to ask the guy who designed it, John Dunne, to explain it!
The latest releases are colours because they reference back to an ep I did before I'll Tear... which was the Black & Yellow EP.  I liked the packaging and other people seemed to find it unusual and memorable so I decided to use the same idea and change the colours for the EPs in advance of the full album release, which will be coming in Ireland and digitally hopefully in October of this year.
 

Speaking of which: What are your general plans for the future?

The new record is going to be called You Can't Buy Back Your Life and it'll be physically released in Ireland in October of this year, all going to plan.  It'll be available digitally for everywhere else.  As regards other general plans I hope to play as many gigs in as many different countries as possible, and hopefully get it released physically in as many different places as I can possibly manage  ;-)
 

I saw that you already got quite a bit of experience playing live. What would you say was your greatest moment regarding your music and how is your relationship to your fans? Any amusing story regarding that you would like to share with us?

I love my fans - need I say any more?  :-)  They make it possible for me to do what I love doing!  Amusing story?  I've split the arse of my trousers TWICE while playing - I guess maybe sometimes I go for it a little bit too much!

I took a look around your Myspace blog for a while and really need to ask you to explain which ONE SMALL CHANGE gets a person one step nearer to becoming a musician. Please elaborate :)

Very simple Marco, you buy a little handcart with wheels so you can lug your heavy equipment around :-)

(Editors note: Click here to read the whole blog entry)

I can't refrain myself from asking other people's opinion about music. So for you: Is there any band/musician you would like to recommend? Or any unknown talented musician you can think of, who deserves more listeners in your opinion?

So many. But off the top of my head, around Ireland and the UK anyway people should check out Jape, Cathy Davey, Villagers, Juxebox Gypsy, Driftwood Manor, Duke Special, James Vincent McMorrow, Heathers, Resurrection Fern, Julie Feeney, Heliopause, Norabelle, Herm, SJ McArdle, Arrow in the Sky, Henrietta Game ahhh... I could keep going... ;-) 

Thank you for taking your time!

Interview #2 - Changing Clocks [EN]

Click here: Listen to their music and read the review

Deutsche Übersetzung dauert noch ein wenig.

Celebrating their newly released single Chance, you can now read the Interview with Changing Clocks. Check http://changingclocks.com/chance-free-download to download the new single.

Interview

Great that you found the time for the interview! And good job on getting out that new single. Let me start with the first few questions: The two lead singers in your band do a pretty good job at complementing each other. How did you get together? Is Changing Clocks the first and, for now, only project for everyone involved?

Thanks. Matt Rod put together the band in 2008. It had been through various forms with different members. Erika Cole is actually a country singer but when Matt heard her he knew the she'd be great for his music, so he called her and Erika happily agreed to perform the music. Everyone is fully dedicated to Changing Clocks. However, we are also all involved very much in other musical projects too. Seth Botos is currently organising a music festival in Boston, Carl Eisman is a working jazz guitarist, Matthew Edwards is too and plays with the Dropkick Murphys when they are in Boston, Erika performs in a wedding band, Matt is president of the Berklee Music Business club and always collaborating with others, and we all play in any bands we think are worth it!   

Since you release a new Single this thursday, could you tell us more about it? How did the song come about and how long did it take to work on that song?

The song is called Chance. It actually came about as a follow up to the song Anne. In a way, it is a continuation of that story. A love affair between 'Anne' and 'Chance', hence the dialogue between both vocalists in verses of 'Chance' and the somewhat similar harmony (on occasion) in the choruses of both. The song was recorded quite some time ago, but because of University life and gigging we hadn't had time to finish it. Matt Rod went back home this summer to South Africa, and was able to finish recording all the guitars, editing, and mixing the whole song in his room. Overall it took about 6 months, but we were not working on it most of the time! 

While we are at it: How would you describe the creative process of writing a song? Where do you get your inspiration from? Is this a collaborative process or do you have clear defined roles when working on a song?

In Changing Clocks, Matt Rod writes all the music. It's a group he put together with a very specific vision and sound in mind, and each person contributes with their performance of the music. Matt writes all the stuff.

How come that your first EP was recorded in Boston and South Africa?

We all met and continue to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, so we did the 'basics' sessions there. As in, we recorded as a band 'live' and used those recordings as the basis for overdubs. We chose to not use any click-tracks to keep a more organic feel for the EP (although Chance was recorded to a click!). Erika's vocals, the live strings, the backing vocals (girls) were all done in Boston. Last summer Matt came home to South Africa and finished recording all the guitars, his vocals, edited and finished the music in South Africa in his room (it was cheaper than going into a studio!!!) 

Is there any plan to work no and release a LP in the future? Speaking of which, are there any other general plans for the future?

Right now we'd like to continue gigging in and around the East Coast of the USA. So far we've had a great response in Boston, Brooklyn NY and NYC. If we can afford it we'd love to record a couple more tracks around October but for now we want to play as many shows as possible. We have a hell of a live show! 

Speaking of your future plans. While searching for a way to contact you I stumbled upon "http://changingclocks.com" Do you plan to update it to a proper website representing your band in the near future? While this project is still in the works, what is the best place to get news about you right now?

Sorry about that. Haven't set up the redirect yet. It's currently under development. For now there is: www.changingclocks.bandcamp.com And of course, our myspace and facebook pages etc.

While that is still far away, what were the greatest moments you already experienced regarding your music?

Don Was - who has produced Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan etc - happened to hear the Changing Clocks EP when he was visiting Berklee. Matt received an excited text message from a friend saying "Don Was just heard your music and wants to come to a rehearsal or gig!". Unfortunately we didn't have any shows booked while he was in Boston but he did come out to our rehearsal and sat in on it. It was a wonderful experience. Don Was is a truly humble, friendly and genuine man. He was extremely complimentary and called the EP - Blooming in particular - "Magical". That was really great for all of us.

In Germany we had a pretty significant revival of that style of music you are making (namely one million sold albums for Roger Cicero which is not really the same music but you get the same blues/swing vibe from it), while I can't remember anyone else making this kind of music who was that succesful during the last few years. Would you say that this genre is on the edge of a comeback?

Funnily enough, we often struggle categorising ourselves. Which, for marketing purposes, is very important. I'm not so sure that particular genre is coming back. But I do believe the general public is much more open to different kinds of music than one thinks. You just need to get their friends to like it! Then, they can feel 'OK' about liking something a little different.

 

I love to ask about music recommendations. Bands you love? Or bands you really think deserve more listeners? Any hidden gems?

Matt: "Yes check out The Cat Empire. Australian band who I absolutely love. If you have to get one album, get their self-titled album The Cat Empire. Now there's music that defies a single genre! Brilliant!" 

Thank your for taking your time!

Interview #1 - Exit Island [EN]

Click here: Listen to his music and read the review

Deutsch: Hier klicken für die Übersetzung des Interviews

After trying out quite a few things I finally managed to get the first interview with an artist online. I think its quite fitting that I started the feature with the one artist who managed to grab the 5/5 LP's. I am relatively satisfied with my first try regarding the interview. What do you think?

Interview

Great that you got time for the interview. Lets start with some simple questions. Why did you start making music? Was there anything that inspired you?

I started making music just after getting into music when I was maybe 16 and fell in love with Depeche Mode. I've always been pretty creative I suppose, before music I was heavily into film (which I am still) and was making up stories and writing scripts and stuff like that. When I was little I was into comic-books and drew my own comics. I started making music because I love the artform and I love creating things.

I was inspired by the album as a format I think, how a cohesive collection of songs or sounds could contain a little world of it's own which you could escape into at any time. At home by your stereo or while waiting for the bus from work.

What are you doing when you are not busy with creating music?

Listening to other peoples music mostly. However, other things I spend a considerable amount of time on include taking photographs, drawing, watching film and reading books.

How did the decision to start a band and release music instead of just playing for yourself come about?

I started out playing by myself and still do. Exit Island (the project has gone through many name-changes) is still only me writing, playing and recording everything by myself. I do play in a band called From Antarctica (http://www.myspace.com/fromantarctica), and I love that aspect as well, the collaborative element. I like both ways of making music, both by myself as a total control-freak and with other people as part of the sum.

I started sharing my music with others when I got a bit confident in my musical abilities a couple of years back. For a long time I kept my recordings only to myself, but recording and mixing music started to consume a lot of my time and my friends were curious as to what I was up to. At first I was very nervous about playing people what I had recorded, but grew to enjoy it. I think most artists, whether they admit it or not, likes showing people their art.

Who do you want to reach with your music? Is there any plan to release a CD people can buy? By the way. Be sure to tell me when that is the case.

I'm not trying to reach anybody in particular, when I write my music I don't do it with anybody else in mind. Of course, if other people like the what I do, that's amazing to me and I'd like to reach as many as possible. I'd love to release a CD at some point, but I'm not sure where to go or what to do to make that happen.

What do you think of Myspace or other internet media in that regard? Were they a big help for you to get your music out to others?

Yeah, they are convenient channels to help people access your music by posting links and such. However, so far I use it mostly to share my music with friends. There are so many singer/song-stalkers on myspace, for example, that the mediocre stuff sort of drowns out what's worth hearing. I don't want to be the guy spamming message-boards or shoving my music down people's throats.

Speaking of your band. What is the meaning of the band name? Or while we  are at it, the meaning behind the album title "The Giant Owl"?

I'm terrible at coming up with band names, Exit Island is just a name that wasn't taken and that stuck. Before that I called Exit Island "Reverb Is Your Friend", which is also the name of the record I made before The Giant Owl. As for The Giant Owl, the album has no real overarching theme or message, so I named it after the ambient section in Winter Can Kill You where I sample an actual owl.

Personally, I think that your latest Album was a big step up in quality from the one before. Is there any reason to that? I mean they were just about 8 months apart. Did you put in even more time and effort?

Hmm, I guess it's a learning-curve thing. With Reverb Is Your Friend I was just learning how to properly put stuff in the mix, and when I set out to record The Giant Owl I started out with all the knowledge I had gained from the recording sessions of the previous record. I had also been mixing an EP for From Antarctica in between these two, so I had the opportunity to refine my knowledge a bit.

Regarding your album covers: The last two albums had a shape on a real photograph. Is there any meaning to that? Did you came up with the idea and created it yourself? Do you plan on using this as some sort of trademark for your album covers if there are more albums to come?

In many ways, those two albums are linked together. They are both pop-records and contain the same type of songwriting. I think of The Giant Owl as a more aggressive, dark and immature companion to Reverb Is Your Friend and I let the similarity between the covers mirror that. Also, the subject matter of the lyrics is pretty angsty, so using the cartoon characters may provide a little well-needed self awareness or distance to the music. It was a good way to avoid self-parody, and I also very much enjoy drawing those simplistic characters. Yes, I came up with the idea and did the cover art myself. The picture is a photograph I took of a lake called Storsjön in northern Sweden. I may continue to use the same type of imagery for Exit Island, though it depends on the music.

Since you tend to try out different ways of making music, how would you describe your music overall?

I'm never quite sure what to answer when I get this question... As melodic, expressive pop-music influenced by everything from The Cure to Neurosis.

Recommendation time! Another band you think of as criminally overlooked?

On a bigger scale, a band called IAMX (http://www.myspace.com/iamx) who makes amazing and unique electronic music. The singer Chris Corner was in the 90's trip-hop band Sneaker Pimps, who were also amazing, everything he touches turns to gold basically. Definitely deserves more exposure, even though IAMX has a very devoted following in Europe. They are based in Berlin now I think, so you might have heard of them.

On a smaller scale, a Swedish band called Kommun (http://www.myspace.com/kommunswe)who recently put out thier debut, self-titled album. These guys have released a lot of great music before that though, but sung in Swedish. It's pretty straight forward indie pop-music, but don't let that description put you off.

Any band or musician you would love to work with on a song?

Definitely Bradford Cox from Deerhunter, because he seems like such a nice person and because I adore all his music.

Since you are undeservingly unknown as a musician I guess you havent played much live? What was your personal greatest moment regarding your music?

I have actually never performed before an audience larger than ten people. Even with the band (From Antarctica) we haven't managed to get any real gigs and when we did manage to get one, something usually got in the way. But I'm working on that.

My greatest moment regarding my music must have been recording and listening to the album Goodbye Songs I made in 2007. I almost feel embarrassed to say it, but I remember being moved by my own work of art and then also realizing that music is probably going to be my biggest passion for the rest of my life. Listening to it today, that record is kind of all over the place and unfocused, but I have some heavy sentimental feelings towards it.

Also, playing together with Miro from From Antarctica for the first time, that was fantastic. Just meeting someone with the same creative mindset was amazing, it's never happened since.

What are your plans for the future? Some concerts? New album? Other things you would like to share?

As of now I'm working on an album sung in Swedish, the project is called Vintergatan and translates into The Milky Way. I recorded an EP with three songs about two months ago and the proper album should be ready by September. (http://vintergatan.bandcamp.com/) It's more focused around the songwriting and lyrics, so I'm writing in my first language.

Also, in about a week I'll play with From Antarctica a maybe record a song or two, we'll see what happens. We live really far away from each other, so when we do get together to play it's really intense and we have a lot of fun. I think there could be some pretty great results if we're lucky.

After I'm done with those, I'm planning to take Exit Island in a more experimental direction. It's going to be dark, weird, electronic and noisy. And hopefully good as well.

Is there any question you ever wanted to be asked? And please share the answer with us :)

Yay! How about: What is your favorite sound in the whole wide world?

I think my favorite sound is the sound of wind blowing through trees, as cliche as that sounds. No birds or anything, just the sound of wind rattling the leaves, coming closer, blowing over your head and moving into the distance again. No matter how bad I'm feeling, that sound always makes me calm. I should try and record it sometime.

Any last words?

Thanks for listening to my record and being interested in my music! It's what I put my heart in, so it's amazing for me when people actually take time to listen and appreciate my art.
 
Thank you for taking your time!