Dead Flowers: Anglophiles Anonymous

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

From the Vaults:
Interview with Mr. Razzcocks of The Libertines

Through a mutual acquaintance, Timeforheroes.net was fortunate enough to start a correspondence with Paul Dufour, aka Mr. Razzcocks. The original Libertines drummer, Paul's work can be heard on the 'Legs 11' demo. These days, Paul stays busy with a number of recording projects. Here are some highlights from our correspondence:

You've been playing drums for years. What experiences stand out for you?

When I first started gigging at sixteen (I'm fifty-five now--so way back when!), I was working with a band that every week supported The Who (pre 'Pictures of Hilly'), Donovan, Tom Jones, The Hollies, P.J. Proby, The Merseybeats, and a bunch of other bands over a whole summer period. What stands out from that period of music in Britain ('65-'75) was the individuality--the wealth of different musical ideas and approaches, and the sharing of musical ideas--musicians getting together to jam. Fewer musicians and bands work this way now, I suppose because the musical scene is different in England.

What drummers/musicians have had the biggest influence on you over the years?

Drummers? Where do I start! I suppose for me jazz is the highest musical art form, because it involves a high technique, and yet it throws that away and says 'be creative, improvise'. So I hope this doesn't sound snobbish, but I'd have to say Elvin Jones. He died this year at 72, whilst on stage playing! I met Elvin at Ronnie Scott's in London on several occasions--the most wonderful drummer. He was into polyrhythms, or additional rhythms that wrap around a basic rhythm, which give the music a floating effect. That was his style when he was playing with John Coltrane.

I recently completed a CD of world music entitled 'Visions of Rhythm'. This has led me to work with a great percussionist named Mamadi Kamara. We're now working on a track in London at Odessa Studios with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. It's exciting--Airto has recorded with everyone: Miles, Dizzie, etc.

Technically you're a jazz drummer, so the Libertines connections seems a bit strange. Then again, The "Legs 11" material is quite a bit different than "Up The Bracket"...are you proud of that demo? How did you become involved with the group?

I may be a jazz head, but I've always enjoyed playing a variety of styles–blues, rock. It's all experience!

How did I become involved with the Libs? I'll tell you, but realize you’re one of a lucky few!

I was partner and friend to Gwyn Mathias, a brilliant recording engineer/producer. We met in '75 at Berwick St. Studios--he was working with Cat Stevens and The Sex Pistols. We got together and ran Odessa Studios for five years. Gwyn is still running it. He phoned me one day to come and do three tracks with a young band that had booked studio time. Of course, they'd turned up with no drummer! I turned up and we played through the songs and recorded them. They were rough, but they had a quality that I hadn’t heard in a while–an originality, a freshness, interesting lyrics, and musical angles which sometimes made no sense! That was The Libs.

At this time, there were three songwriters: Pete, Carl and John. I was left with the rhythmical element. I stayed with them for two years or more and in that time I recorded them as much as I could. We worked all the usual free London venues and built up a name. I left when I could afford it no longer--we had no management, etc. Pete and Carl signed to Rough Trade when I left. John isn't involved in that. I still keep in touch with John...

At the moment I have 16 tracks (including masters) of The Libertines while I was the drummer, and I'm thinking about doing something with these. The "Legs 11" stuff is just some of the demos that I sent out for the band to get a deal--somebody, somewhere got hold of that!

Not proud of any of the 'Legs 11' tracks, but compared to 'Bracket'...well, the later stuff just isn't my scene!

I think a lot of people thought this bit in the Libertines bio:

And they employed a 70 year old drummer called Mr Razzcocks who used to be in The Sex Pistols (that's what he told them anyway).

...was probably just another one of Pete's tall tales. There's always a blurring of fantasy and reality with The Libertines, which makes them more endearing to fans who are on the outside looking in. Is it the same when you're on the inside?

That's just Pete's bullshit! When I knew them they were 20 years old and me 50--it was no problem--and that was the fun of it (no ageism). I’ve always been told 'never work with children or animals’--The Libertines were both!?! Pete, being a very talented wordsmith, always loved creating a mystique!

Did you leave the group when (former) manager Banny came in and instructed the group to write some 'punchier material', or had you already gone your separate ways? Have you met Gary? If so, what do you think of him as a person and/or drummer?

I was still in the band when Banny Puschti came in--just a young girl without a clue about music, working for Warner Chappell Music and wanting to manage The Libertines?!? I was at the tail-end. I just needed a paying gig, so I left the bullshit behind.

When I left and Pete and Carl signed up with her, she got Gordon Raphael in and said we want you to sound like The Strokes. The rest is familiar--she has been dumped and now Alan McGee is the manager. 'Punchier Material' meant rougher, quicker, fewer and more basic chords. In other words, crap!

I've met Gary once at the reunion gig after Pete got out of prison, so I don't really know him. He seems alright. I believe he uses a kit like mine--a Yamaha Custom Maple. They're a different band with him on drums. I have not ruled out working with them again under the right circumstances. The most recent history is blurred...

So you were at the reunion gig when Pete got out of jail. It seemed like a genuinely touching night. Would you agree?

I wrote to Pete in jail...I hadn't seen him since I left the Libs (1 and a half years?) and was concerned about his circumstances and situation. He sent me a nice return letter and we agreed to do a 'reunion' when he got out. John, being the professional he is, was at the gig early so we could rehearse...we hadn't played together for ages!

Pete and Carl turned up late--we went straight on to an enthusiastic crowd. Lousy sound, scrappy, half-remembered songs and arrangements...but the audience loved it. I played a set of all the songs we used to do when I was the drummer: "Love On The Dole", "Hooray For The 21st Century", "Music When The Lights Go Out, "France", "You’re My Waterloo", etc. A lot of people hadn't heard this stuff at the time. After my set, I came off stage and Gary joined them and did the 'Bracket' stuff.

As it stands now, Pete is in a sort of limbo, and the band are going to doing their touring/promotional commitments without him. What’s your take on Pete’s ongoing problems with drug addiction?

With Pete now--knowing him and reading various stories in the papers--it will go one way or the other. I really hope he can get out of the drug trap--he has a lot of support and a good family, etc. However sometimes it's the industry itself that does not help...the hype, the touring, recording, etc.

If Pete can get away from all that for a while, he may be repaired. I'm just sad about the waste of talent–he's an excellent songwriter and I love him dearly, but sometimes people go too far and there is nothing you can do. It's sad, I know, but let's hope Pete turns it around.

Timeforheroes.net thanks Mr. Razzcocks for taking the time to write to us. All the best Paul!

Labels: features, interviews, libertines

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Dead Flowers Interviews Amiina

Maria Huld Markan, Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir, Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir, and Hildur Ársælsdóttir, together known as Amiina, are a group from Iceland. Their debut LP "Kurr" will be released on March 21st. Many initially got to know the group as Sigur Ros' string section, and they share that band's adventurous approach to music and instrumentation. Listeners who enjoyed the more contemplative sections of "Takk" will find Amiina's music a welcome addition to their library. I spoke to Hildur from the group, who you might have seen playing the saw, among other instruments.

Thanks to Greg at http://aminamusic.com for general assistance and question help. Thanks as well go to the band's manager, Edna Pletchetero, for making the interview possible.

Dead Flowers: You started as a string quartet rather than as a rock band. How has that affected your approach to music?

Hildur: I'd say to some extent, the way we think is very influenced by our classical upbringing. the importance of instrumentation and nuances for instance. and also the fact that we don't depend on one main melody. it's more about layers and weaving independent melodies together. but this isn't classical music we are making, the cords and the structure of alot of the songs are more pop orientated.

DF: Your songs create a very specific mood. Do you set out to evoke certain emotions with your music?

H: Not really. but we seem to be an endless source of melancholy.

DF: Now, an existential question: Why Amiina? What do you feel you can do in the context of the group that you can't do with Sigur Ros?

H: We have worked with Sigur Rós for a very long time, and had creative input, but we are not in the band. with amiina the process of starting a song from scratch is ours, the direction and the mood of each song is solely in our hands. when we were doing creative work with Sigur Rós it mostly consisted of adding our work to their world of sounds. it's actually two very different things. Although both very enjoyable.

DF: What is your favorite instrument to work with? When on tour, are you constantly on the look out for new instruments?

H: Haha, that's a good question to ask a band with 30 instruments on stage! it probably depends alot on which member you ask, and also on periods. we had a period where we could not make a new song without using our table harps in it, and we ended up traveling with 4 of them everywhere we go. but now everyone is tired of tuning them, so for some reason no one mentions the harps when we are writing new material! the metalophone seems to end up used in every song, and we are all in love with the celest, but that's a rare and expensive instrument, so only when we are lucky enough to borrow one. i think the best answer to the question would probably be that which ever instrument is the newest at any time is the most popular one. today it's probably the nord-compact we just bought to replace the beautiful fragile harmonium on tour.

On tour we don't really have that much time to look out for new instruments. but of course if we get free time and there is a place with interesting stuff nearby, we're very likely to be seen there yes.

DF: Your songs move at a slower pace than most pop/rock music today; new layers are revealed gradually over the course of each song. Was this approach intentional, or is that just the most natural tempo for you?

H: I guess it's what comes natural for us. usually we don't start out saying:
"ok, let's make a really slow song with many layers". on the contrary, even
if we start out wanting to do a simple, cheerful song, this is what comes
out. we can't help it.

DF: The "Seoul" b-side "Ugla" has vocals on it, while your earlier work was instrumental. How did you decide to incorporate your voices?

H: There are 4 of us on stage, and a lot of the time we are in desperate need of
more hands. because when we are writing and recording, we tend to add more
layers than is physically possible for us to perform with 8 hands. here the
voices come in handy, four layers that don't take away any of the already
working hands. this is at least one of the reasons why we are incorporating
our voices more and more into our songs. but for now, we like to use them
more as additional instruments, rather than a lead melody.

DF: You have what one could describe as a 'symbiotic relationship' with Sigur Ros. Some tracks on "Takk" sound very similar to Amiina's music. What do you think the group has learned from you? What have you learned from them?

H: Hmm. i don't know. we have spent a lot of time together, playing together and as friends. and certainly you are influenced by your surroundings to some extent, but i really can't speak on their behalf. And I'm sure they are a big influence on us without us necessarily noticing it, it's eight years since we played the first concert with them. i think working with them and spending so much time in this environment has made us feel certain that you don't have to make music the same way everyone else does. so maybe that played a part in us wanting to start making our own music, i don't know. but then again if they had been the "traditional" pop/rock band we would probably not have lasted this long together.

[Pre-order Amiina's Debut Record, "Kurr"]
[Amiina on Myspace]
[Official Amiina Website]
[Aminamusic.com Fansite]

Tour Dates:
march 21 Madison (Café Montmartre ) tickets
march 22 Minneapolis (The Varsity Theatre) tickets
march 23 Chicago (Lakeshore Theater) tickets
march 25 Cleveland (Cambridge Room, House of Blues) tickets
march 26 Detroit (Magic Bag) tickets
march 27 Toronto (The Music Gallery ) tickets
march 28 Montreal (Le National) tickets
march 30 Philly (World Café Live) tickets
march 31 Boston (The Remis at Museum of Fine Arts) tickets
april 1 DC (9:30 Club) tickets
april 2 NYC (The Wordless Music Series) tickets
april 6 Cincinnati (Cincinnati Now Festival) tickets
april 9 Seattle (Triple Door) tickets
april 10 Portland (Doug Fir Lounge) tickets
april 12 San Francisco (Swedish American Hall) tickets
april 13 Los Angeles (Silent Movie Theatre) tickets
april 14 San Diego (House of Blues-5th Avenue Stage) tickets

Labels: amiina, features, Iceland, interviews, mp3

Monday, March 05, 2007

Dead Flowers Interviews Matt from Foreign Born

Matt Popieluch is the lead singer in Foreign Born, one of Los Angeles' very best bands. In the group, he's complimented by Ariel Rechtshaid's melodic bass playing, Lewis Pesacov's distinctive effects-laden guitar, and Garrett Ray's innovative drumming. They have had one proper release, the "In the Remote Woods" EP on Startime, and have had their debut LP "On the Wing Now" available to buy at shows for the past few months.

I got in contact with Matt because "On the Wing Now" is the best LP I've heard in years, an unusually confident mix of rock influences that never retreats into nostalgia. While "In the Remote Woods" showed promise, "On the Wing Now" realizes the band's potential on songs like "In the Shape" and "Letter of Inclusion".

Matt also performs solo under the moniker Big Search. Big Search's debut "Mysticism vs Classicism" was released in 2003.

Dead Flowers: As I understand it, you recorded "On the Wing Now" without label support, and then shopped it around. Can you talk about the process of finding the right label?

Matt Popieluch: It's been a little exhausting to be honest. It's turned into a dream-like state where we're walking in a dark field. not much is real anymore.. I guess the "right label" for us would be one that has a bit of a spine and that doesn't wait for other labels to get interested before they do. We've encountered a lot of this behavior and it's been lame as the hills. There are a few things happening right now, and I believe one way or another the record will be coming out in early June. Even if we have to strap it to our backs! We have a lot of material brewing for the next record and we want to get on with the show. On the plus side, we have gotten to know the local Kinko's staff pretty well, making the booklets for all our self released - releases.

I remember driving on tour this last fall in our van running on vegetable oil, with our recycled album covers and zero tour support realizing that we were the most D.I.Y., punk rock band that we knew! Hand stamping every CD, jumping into barrels of grease behind the club for fuel! And it was all kind of by accident! So this whole experience of being without a label has forced us to be both resourceful and creative, and broke! But we never stopped to consider not doing it.

DF: Are the details of the album's proper release now set in stone?

MP: If the stone could be crushed by a child, then yes.

DF: One of Foreign Born's signatures is your almost hyperactive acoustic guitar. How did that come about?

MP: Well, I got this acoustic guitar you see... An old Martin that channels all of my energy. I walk around the house with it, and unfortunately it gets banged up against the hallways and doorways. People yell at me for treating it with such abandon, but it's really just an extension of me at this point. I write all my songs on this guitar, and it carries quite a rhythm when strummed like hell.

I think the acoustic adds a unique texture to the band. I switch between an amplifier and the house p.a., sometimes in the middle of a song, just for that extra push over the cliff. It adds a warmth and an intensity that I would be hard-pressed to achieve in a different light. It feels like a direct line into the audience through which I can "up the ante" if you will, accentuate rhythms or just straight up mess with other members of the band.

DF: Along those lines, percussion seems to be a very important aspect of your music. There's a genuine understanding of how it can make a song more exciting. For example, the second half of "In the Shape"...

MP: Yes, we are percussion enthusiasts! Lewis (guitar player) is an avid collector of percussive things. He has a large collection of goat claws! Those come in handy when you least expect it..

"In the Shape" is a good example of a rhythmic upheaval, it really just lifts the song to another level. A quickly strummed, dry, distorted guitar, a million shakers, and the rhythmic background vocals just really make it drive.

DF: There's such a rich musical tradition being mined with Foreign Born that it's sometimes hard to peg your influences. Personally, seeing you live, I always thought of the sort of west coast bands heard on the "Nuggets" compilation. Is that just me?

MP: That is just you, unfortunately, but it's a nice compliment. I would imagine it's the song "Into Your Dream" that coaxes the comparison. It does sound like a sixties, garage rock riff, and um.. like a Fall riff we know.. but you didn't hear that from us. Other influences include John Lennon, Roy Orbison, Fleetwood Mac and Roxy Music

DF: Your solo project Big Search has a song called "Oh Gypsy Davy", who also gets a mention in Dylan's "Tombstone Blues". How much would you say Dylan has influenced you?

MP: Hmmm, the influence of Dylan. The "Gypsy Davy" concept was lifted from a Woody Guthrie song, and we all know who else lifted things from Guthrie.. Dylan has always been a huge influence for me, it didn't occur to me with this song, but it's unavoidably underneath a lot of what I do, being a dude who plays guitar and sings lyrics at the same time. Otherwise I'm not currently in a place where Dylan is looming very large on my horizon. That particular song was recorded almost five years ago..
DF: The members of Foreign Born are pretty busy with side projects. Does that ever create tension within the band?

MP: Not much. Foreign Born's been the main focus for quite sometime now. It gets a little hectic when a different band's show happens during the same week as another, which always seems to happen somehow...but it's cool. Lewis has a new band with Luke Top called "Fool's Gold". It has a heavy African influence, and involves incense, Luke free-styling in Hebrew, robes and lots of people on percusion and many guitars! Including me. It's really fun. We're just trying to make as much music as we can, and different combinations of people yield different results.

DF: You have an incredible drummer in Garrett Ray. Does that affect your songwriting process?

MP: Yeah. The dude's a one man drum circle. When we write, we look forward to our wildest dreams coming true.. We write in different ways. Sometimes the songs are brought to rehearsal with strong ideas of how they should go down, and other times with out them.

The best part of the process is how the songs evolve as we play them live. For instance - Garrett and I instinctively working out little synchronized fills where the acoustic guitar and drums mirror eachother, just for a second! Its very cool! We never talk about it, it just comes about. He's also got some pipes on him when he's singing harmonies! He does a mean Michael MacDonald!

DF: This is sort of an obvious point, but in an age of mid-tempo bands, it's refreshing to hear FB playing fast and slow songs. Tempo has as much effect on the mood of a song as anything. Would you agree?

MP: That's the damn truth! Its a statement! Speed it up or slow it down!
Accept the music for what it is. If it's really slow, then be patient and calm the hell down. If it's fast, then get ready for hell on Earth!

Thanks to Matt for sitting down with Dead Flowers. Watch this space for Foreign Born updates. To get your hands on any of the music mentioned in the interview, contact the band through the links below.

Labels: features, foreign born, interviews, mp3

Friday, February 23, 2007

From the Vaults:
Interview with Jez from Swervedriver

Last month, as part of the Glamorama Classics series, I did a piece on Swervedriver's LP "Mezcal Head". Much to my surprise, Swervedriver's drummer Jez got in touch to say how much he appreciated the feature. It was a great honor, to say the least. But even more surprising was that Jez agreed to sit down with me during my recent visit to London, in order to break his silence on the state of the band.

One of the most criminally underrated bands of the 90s, the band was founded by lead singer/guitarist Adam Franklin and guitarist Jimmy Hartridge. Originally signed to Alan McGee's Creation Records in the UK, and licensed to A&M; in the US, they released their debut "Raise" as well as the aforementioned "Mezcal Head". Jez joined the group in the time between the two albums, after the band's first drummer Graham Bonner went AWOL at Canadian customs while Swervedriver were on tour.

The band was often the victim of label mismanagement, a tragic state of affairs that no doubt played a hand in their demise. Their blinding third album "Ejector Seat Reservation" received little-to-no promotion in Britain and has never been released domestically. After being signed and dropped by Geffen before they could even release an album, the band returned with "99th Dream" in 1998 on the now-defunct American independent Zero Hour. It was to be their last full-length release.

Besides the opportunity to sit down with one of my musical heroes, I thought the interview could serve a higher purpose: to restart the dialogue on a band that truly deserves a greater level of recoginiton, and hold out the prospect that the Swervedriver backcatalog might some day see a proper reissue including bsides, demos, and live numbers.

Jez struck me as an optimistic, artistically driven individual who is just as enthusiastic about making music today as he was during Swervedriver's heyday.

Glamorama: Was it at all intimidating for you to step in after Graham, who was also a terrific drummer?

Jez: No not really, because I’m a totally different sort of player. I went down to the studio at EMI, and they were demo-ing what became "Harry and Maggie" and what became "Duress" with drum machines--interesting recordings (laughs). A few days later, when I tried out for them, I walked in and Adam and Jim were looking really forlorn. They had forgotten to bring their pedals...and that's a truck's worth (laughs)...so we sat around for ages waiting for these pedals. Finally we tried to do "Kill The Superheroes" without bass, and I don't know if you've ever heard the song without drums and bass but it's like ffffaaaaooowoowwwwowowowowowwwwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, pretty much. So I didn't know where the hell we were. But I guess it worked out.

In the end we did Mezcal Head without a bass player, which was fine, because Adam and Jim are both really good bass players. I was looking at the demos the other day. I think people would be interested in that sort of thing. There’s a real sense of spontaneity about those recordings.

G: It seems like today there's a lack of ambition, of bands wanting to push things forward. Like it's adequate to just emulate great music, rather than take it somewhere else. When you were playing, was there some sense of mission?

J: Every sound had to be questioned. Like “is there another way to present this argument?” Take the sound and twist it...even if you end back where you started. We used to call Adam and Jimmy the “the man with two brains” because of the way they played together, interweaved, seemingly without conscious thought.

This is a true story: we were playing one of those arenas with the Pumpkins (in '93) and Jimmy was down in the dressing room playing something, I walked up to the stage and Adam was playing something really quietly - it was the same thing, but it was a counterpoint.

People understate the importance of Jim's guitar parts. The really strong riffs, they're mainly Jim.

G: You did a lot of engineering work with Swervedriver, now you're focusing on producing. How did/do you approach the recording process?

J: With Swervedriver generally there was always some other way of approaching something. Even if it's a shaker. Instead of using a shaker, hit the shower door! There's a shower near the control room...let's mic it up! When we were recording "Last Train To Satansville", we had a Harley Davidson in the studio with four mics on it. We recorded with a mic next to each of the cylinders and a mic next to each of the pipes.

As a producer, the main part of my job is to remove stuff, just strip it back to the basic elements. The drums, for example, don't need to be ‘stand alone’ interesting. The hardest thing to do is to just play quarter notes. Every week a band comes to me and overplays. If all you do is rehearse and talk about where you're going to be in two years, you're going to end up with this cram-jam of parts where the essence of the song is hidden. Some bands think there's a need to impress with individual virtuosity & technique. It almost comes from desperation, you know what I mean? But it’s bullshit. For me, dynamics are the key. My whole thing is just trying to get dynamics back into the song. To get the song to breathe.

I think if you can learn some fundamentals of recording on your own, and then take what you’ve learned with you to a bigger studio... and don't change the game, then you’ll be much happier with the results. If the engineer tells you 'this is how I want it', tell him you know how you want it, and do it that way. And you'll up the ante. You'll do really good recordings, but better. With the technology available now I think in a basement you can do the basis of your tracks, and then take them to a studio, and use a really nice mic for vocals. Or a really shit mic! Some of my favorite recordings are like that...I'm totally into picking up gear at junk shops – every piece of kit has a sound, so I reckon it’s worth a few bucks here and there to see if you can find some interesting ones.

At the end of the day, the old recording techniques are still valid. If someone plays a harmonica, put it through an amp and mic it up. And if you want it to sound reverb-y, put the amp in a big room and move the mic away from the fucking amp! Simple as that. Even with programming, I work from the fundamental principles of recording: “if you put shit in, you get shit out”. I guess in some ways I'm a luddite.

The studio environment is almost a narcotic in its own sense. You're kind of in a dream state. You can shut the door, tell reception “no calls!” and leave the real world for a while. I tried reality a while back – I wasn’t into it…

G: Swervedriver was always a strong live band. Many would probably argue even better than on record. What was touring like with the band?

J: Everybody on tour knew what their job was. You never had to give someone a bollocking if they did something wrong. The person would know. Like if I fucked something up, or the lighting guy, or Adam, or whoever...why tell 'em? Cause they know man. That's the way it should be. Some bands forgot that and kind of went "I'm better than you". Well join a different band, you know what I mean? Do something else!

(Members of our road crew) still say that touring with the Swervies was the best touring that you could do because it was a real ‘gang’. Getting into the bus with those tinted windows was like travelling the World in a huge set of sunglasses. It was all about playing.

We're very different people, but we were all there for one reason - music. Soundchecks were often the best part of the day, because you could have a musical conversation. We did the Sydney Metro back in 1995...the midnight show was one of the great shows for me...you know like when you're playing and everything you imagine happens effortlessly? And I remember listening and thinking "This band is really good", and then I realized I was in it! The soundcheck that day...was kind of like...there was an apology required for an argument the night before. And we had this jam, and the jam was kind of like the apology. Music was our way of communicating.

G: When there's this balance within the group, doesn't it, at the same time, make the group more susceptible to outside pressures like Creation dropping the band, or the issues with Geffen?

J: I think initially they actually bonded us a little bit more. When it first happened we had an attitude of "Fuck You" and it strengthened our resolve. Every time it happens, let's not mess about, it hurts. When you're really, really proud of the work you've done and you hand it over and then the record company dumps you, it’s a kick in the teeth. That album is the most personal statement you can make; it's like your most intimate secrets. After a while it takes its toll. Then you just think, should we bother with this?

In '98, we decided about two thirds of the way through the year that we were going to get to the final show (in Margaret River, Australia) and then stop doing it. We were working so hard and felt like we weren’t getting anywhere. That year I was splitting up with my first wife as well. Everybody had issues, things going on in their lives. And we weren't making any money or selling any records. It was great to go on tour, but we had toured a lot by then. There's got to be a reason for touring. We could quite happily be in a rehearsal room just playing great music. The downside outweighed the up. We just couldn't deal with it. No matter how strong you think you are, everyone's human in the end...everybody's vulnerable.

G: It seemed like timing had a lot to do with it. That time in the record industry was a particularly troubled one with mergers, labels downsizing their rosters, etc. At the same time, the internet hadn't really developed. I think for a band like Swervedriver, at the level you guys were, there would be a stronger support structure now and the band could somehow keep going.

J: For sure. At the time, Creation would get a big wad of money from A&M; for licensing us. As soon as we got dropped in America, we were no longer bankrolling other bands at Creation, so we had no valid use. Their press campaign for Ejector Seat Reservation was pretty much one quarter page advert in the NME. It was a shame. I don't think Alan McGee really wanted that to happen...

G: I remember being an American fan before the internet took off, and after Mezcal Head it seemed like you guys just vanished. I didn't even realize you had released a third album ("Ejector Seat Reservation") until years after it came out.

J: There were a couple of key moments. If Ejector Seat had been released in America, I think the timing wouldn't have been bad for it. There was enough radio interest; some good songs on the album, and a lot of people who had started at college radio and had moved on to alternative commercial radio were into us. When it didn’t come out in the US we just kind of lost momentum. Even when 99th dream came out, unfortunately it wasn't as good a record, but you could still see the support in the run up to that. People were prepared to give us a chance.

We always said we didn't sell a lot of records because all the people who really liked us were in the industry and they got the music for free!

G: I wrote about this in my original feature on "Mezcal Head", but you know Ride had a pretty nice box set released recently with a greatest hits disc, a live concert, a b-side collection. I always thought Swervedriver were the superior band. I'm not sure what it takes to have something like that released. [Update--The compilation "Juggernaut Rides" was released in 2005]

J: It doesn't take much. It's just the recurring theme with us of the lack of talking. I haven't spoken to Jim, not for any other reason than I haven't spoken to Jim. He's got a lovely family, he's a lovely bloke. Steve lives outside of London now. Seems really happy, but has no aspirations to do more Swervedriver music. Adam’s doing his thing and I’m producing & running a business. Christ! How grown up does that sound? I might have to get into Jack Daniels again!

G: At the end of it, you had decided to hang it up. What I've read from Adam in interviews--maybe he's doing it for the fan's sake--but it seems like it's an open proposition that the band could come back at some point. Talking with you however I don't really get that impression.

J: That's a tricky one. I look on the website (www.swervedriver.com) every month or so just to see what's going on. I think it probably helps Adam with gigging and what he's doing to kind of perpetuate the myth. I'd say 'never say never'. At the same time, I turned 38 a few weeks back. You know. Rock ‘N' Roll for old people...

Sometimes I've thought - for the fans’ sake - someone should just say "we're not going to do any more stuff, or we are, or whatever "...but it's typical again with us...we used to have meetings where none of us would really talk. I can't see it myself. Let's be realistic about it.

I guess ultimately the best way to think about it is that I’m incredibly proud of what Swervedriver achieved and the music they made. It was truly an honour to play with those people. The passion and loyalty of our fan base never ceases to amaze me. I often get a flash of a memory and smile to myself – that show in Chicago, playing on the roof of RRR in Australia, doing Duress at Reading (Festival ’93) as the sun went down... But you have to move on. I don’t want to feel like the drummer in my own tribute band for Christ’s sake! I’m into what’s happening now, here, today. I just produced an album for a band called Cardboard Cowboy and that’s where it’s at for me. New bands. New music. New ideas. Then again, I’d never say “never”.

Another beer?

:::If you're interested in getting in touch with Jez regarding his work as a producer, please email him at badearth@btinternet.com. I also recommend checking out his new book "Rider" at http://www.lulu.com/browse/book_view.php?fCID=508316:::

Labels: features, interviews, mp3, swervedriver

Monday, February 19, 2007

Dead Flowers Interviews Pete from Adorable

Pete (Piotr) Fijalkowski was the lead singer of the Creation Records band Adorable in the early 90's. Their first single, "Sunshine Smile", was NME's single of the week in May 1992. They went on to record the phenomenal debut record "Against Perfection", which unfortunately failed to live up to the success of their debut single. Another record, "Fake", followed in 1994, but testy relationships with Alan McGee and the all-powerful British press meant that it would go largely ignored.

With the help of Stewart at http://creation-records.com and Nat at Sonic Cathedral, I was able to interview Pete. Enjoy...

Dead Flowers: How has your Polish/Catholic background affected your music/worldview?

Pete Fijalkowski: Growing up I always felt a bit of an outsider. My families traditions and upbringing were different to those of my friends, and I've never really felt completely English (nor Polish for that matter - I don't speak Polish much to my eternal shame). Although my parents aren't Catholics, it was quite a catholic (with a small 'c') moral upbringing.

DF: Was there ever a point in Adorable where you felt like an insider? When 'Sunshine Smile' got NME single of the week perhaps?

PF: Not really. We lived in Coventry, and the music scene at the time felt very London-centric. We didn't really want to part of any scene. We were excited when we got single of the week, but it didn't make me feel an insider.

DF: In early interviews, you were painted as being incredibly arrogant. Was it an accurate depiction?

PF: It's hard for me to say. There's very few people who would admit to being arrogant. I was certainly very confident of what we were doing, and though I feel we were somewhat mis-labelled, the general perception is probably not without some merit. I remember when we came to the USA we were excited, because we felt it was a time when we could start anew. It had all gone wrong press-wise in the UK , and this was our chance to come somewhere with a fresh slate or so we thought- when we arrived we discovered to our horror that the label had decided to run a campaign dubbing us as "the band you love to hate". Cue heavy sighs as we spent half an hour each show tearing down posters with this slogan that had been painstakingly put up at each venue by SBK employees. Overall I'm quite glad from a personal point of view that Adorable imploded as it did, because I think I'm a far better person for it.

DF: You were dealing with some pretty heavy themes in your music (the father/son relationship and growing old in "A to Fade In" and revenge in "Vendetta") a fact that I think was obscured by the tone of the articles in the press. Was that frustrating?

PF: I think the image of the band overtook any discussion of the music, but hey - that's pop music.

DF: How much have The Smiths influenced you and what do you think of Morrissey's recent success?

DF: At the time I liked rather loved The Smiths, but now I'm coming round to them, as is my style, about 20 years after the train has left the station. I was given a ticket to see Morrissey last year for my birthday, and went expecting to be mildly dissappointed, but he was great. I'm really hoping that he'll stand for the Eurovision Song Contest, as has been rumoured. It's a great kitsch-fest that I absolutley love. I've written some songs for the competition, but haven't found anyone to sing them yet.

DF: Naturally, one notices the vocals first in your music. But there are some amazing guitar bits as well, such as the beginning of "Glorious". Was that a priority when it came to writing songs?

PF: We tended to write the music first. Most, though not all, songs stemmed from guitar lines that I'd write (including Glorious), or occassionally a bass line from Wil (Homeboy), and from these sketchy beginnings we'd jam out a song.

DF: I would say that's unusual...or at least unusual that the songs turned out so well. With most bands, it's obvious which songs come from jams and which ones are the product of focused writing.

PF: There was usually a vague vocal melody, but nothing very concrete. Often we'd have a couple of bits that we had worked out seperately and we'd glue them together in the rehearsal room. These days I write songs totally differently - they appear pretty much fully formed in my head, and I jam them out up there, whilst walking down the street. I get strange looks from passers by.

DF: Which Adorable song are you most proud of? Is there one song where you think you really 'got it right'?

PF: Homeboy ,Sistine Chapel Ceiling, & Breathless are three of my favourites. I just played A to Fade in on my guitar today for the first time in 10 years and I really liked that as well.

DF: A friend pointed out a recent song by Pete Yorn called "Ice Age" rips off "A to Fade In" [Link]

PF: It isn't the most complicated of melody lines, so it's not surprising it's resurfaced, and "Ice Age" is a really nice song, so that's ok. Hadn't heard it before.

It was pointed out to me a while ago that 'You Stole The Sun From My Sky' or whatever it was called by The Manic Street Preachers sounds like the 'Sunburnt' riff (1st single b-side), but again, it's mainly because my guitar lines are quite simple that means it's inevitable that they will resurface somewhere else (and if they weren't accidently nicked from somewhere in the first place!)

DF: It seems like being on Creation was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you have the exposure to and the attention of fans of similar bands like Ride. On the other hand, when a band like Oasis comes along, you're yesterday's news. I interviewed Jez from Swervedriver and they seemed to be in this boat.

PF: We struggled on Creation as we didn't really have a connection with anybody there. Overall though it probably did us more good than harm, so I can't complain. We came quite close to signing to Food (Blur & Jesus Jones' Uk label) and that would have been interesting as I'm sure our career would have gone down a different path, but until I find a time machine, I'll never know how that would have panned out.

DF: There's a thriving myspace page dedicated to Adorable. Are you surprised that people are still discovering the music?

PF: The interent has re-opened the possibility of discovering new music easily - without your link I wouldn't have heard Pete Yorn's track. It's nice that we still have a presence even after Adorable have long since gone to the big gig in the sky, and that the memory lingers on.

DF: After Adorable broke up, you started the band Polak. Were you satisfied with that project?

PF: I think that Rubbernecking is up there with Against Perfection, so musically I'm satisfied with what we achieved with Polak, but we couldn't get any reviews for it, so it all just fizzled out which felt very frustrating, as I felt we had really hit our stride. A to fade out.

DF: Now you're launching a proper solo career. What can we expect?

PF: Bad organisation. This is less launching a solo career, more just ambling along in that general direction. There is an album finished, and another being recorded, but I haven't sent it to anyone. It's my own private thing at the moment. Only 5 people have ever heard it. It's like a very exclusive club.

Many thanks to Pete for sitting down with Dead Flowers. Watch Dead Flowers for future updates on Pete's solo work and Adorable.

Labels: features, interviews

Monday, January 22, 2007

Dead Flowers Interviews The Delta Spirit

The Delta Spirit are a San Diego five-piece on the verge or rereleasing their excellent debut EP, "I think I've found it". This time around, the EP will be featuring a new track called "People Turn Around". One of their tracks, "Crippler King", made it onto the Dead Flowers Best of 2006 [Download]. Thus, I thought it would be worth talking to them ahead of their Spring tour. Here's what they had to say:

Dead Flowers: I heard a recent interview with Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy and he was lamenting the waning influence and popularity of the Blues. Are you trying to spread the word?

Delta Spirit: Hmm. Interesting. For a while all that you would hear of the blues was watered down bar blues or adult contemporary blues. That stuff is pretty painful, so it is no surprise to me that the popularity declined. As of late though bands like White Stripes and Black Keys have made a name for themselves by playing blues. We don't consider ourselves a blues band by any means, so it really doesn't concern us too much. I think that blues as played by those early musicians is something that is no longer possible to create. it can be imitated, but the social and cultural climate that produced those songs is no longer here. They were slave spirituals and chain gang songs. Great things came out of that horrible obscurity, but now people would just be trying to empathize with those emotions. There may still be good blues, but they are inevitably different than the early blues.

DF: Closer to now, I also hear a Libertines influence in your music, especially on a track like "Crippler King". Am I just imagining things?

DS: No. You are right. We all really like The Libertines. Old Petey is an interesting character.

DF: On a related note, what bands going today do you relate to?

DS: Despite popular opinion we think there is still some great music coming out today. We most closely relate to our friends... Cold war kids, The Colour, The Prayers and Sparrow Love Crew. We are constantly blown away by the creativity that comes out of our small group of friends. There are a bunch of other bands we like that are making great music today... Dr. Dog, Richard Swift, Elvis Perkins, U2, My Morning Jacket, Tom Waits, Foreign Born, Phoenix... just to name a few.

DF: With the label releasing music by Cold War Kids and The Colour, Monarchy Music seems like a good fit for you...

DS: More than anything we just wanted to be working with our friends. Scott (monarchy) is a great friend. We also wanted to be a self sufficient band, a band that doesn't depend on a label for our welfare and sustainability. I hope that more bands choose that road.

DF: How has San Diego affected your music? I think most people would think of the city as a sunny, soulless place, but one doesn't hear that in your songs.

DS: Yeah, it kind of is. San Diego is a truly beautiful place, but as far as culture is concerned it is pretty desolate. I think we identify more with America as a whole than with the local culture. When we started the band we wanted it to be a thoroughly American sounding band. i don't think that we will always stick to that so closely cause there are a lot of British bands that we love like the Zombies, Beatles, Oasis and such. Nonetheless, part of the reason for our name was to at least anchor ourselves to the soul of American roots music, which is our true home.

DF: What's your recording process like?

DS: Honestly it is different every time. We record at Kelly our piano/ect. player's house. Most of the stuff we do live or at least mostly live. Then Matt will grab a mic and throw a sock over it and sing in the control room. That is how we recorded the ep. The quality of recording is getting better and better. We are about to re-release the ep with a new version of "people, turn around" on it and we are constantly writing and recording new songs in the studio. We just got a tape machine and are really excited to mess with that.

DF: Do you think modern music is too polished?

DS: As a whole, yeah. That's why it is exciting when a band like The Libertines comes along and has a record that sounds like the whole things was done in one take. it feels alive! But at the same time when you get a pop record like Kylie or Lily Allen you don't want to hear them singing off key. That would just be weird. There is a balance. Ultimately we just want our recordings to have a life to them and nothing will stifle a song's life like overproduction.

DF: Along those lines, it seems like there is a greater focus on capturing the energy of a song than on having every note exactly
perfect. Was that intentional?

DS: The focus at least for the ep was to get a good feeling. I think we achieved that. Originally these were just demos and then we decided to release them. We always want to retain a bit of a live sound, but we don't want the recordings to sound sloppy and unlistenable. We are always working on being better musicians. We would just rather do that in real life as opposed to having the computer make us sound better, ya know.

Many thanks to the Delta Spirit and to Scott from Monarchy Music for arranging the interview. Thanks also to Jake Drake for question help. Be sure to catch The Delta Spirit in concert this spring.

[Order the EP @ Monarchy Music]
[The Delta Spirit on Myspace]