Archive for April, 2007
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
1. Shadow of A Doubt by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2. When My Baby’s Beside Me by Big Star
3. Dance Little Sister by The Rolling Stones
Name any musical influence(s)?
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, The Beatles, the Kinks, Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick, Nick Lowe, The Figgs, The Replacements, Springsteen, Flying Burrito Brothers …stuff like that. Oh Yeah, and Wisconsin.
What new music are you currently listening to?
That new Soul Asylum album is pretty amazing. The Marked Men, The Reigning Sound, The New Figgs Album: “Follow Jean through the Sea.”
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
Current: Elvis Costello, or Paul McCartney.
Defunct: The Ramones when Ritchie was playing Drums for ‘em.
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
I’ve always been really intimidated by collaborations. Sometimes I write songs with another artist in mind to record it… but other than that, I don’t know really.
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
I’m not wearing pants right now.
Pela – Anytown Graffiti. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time - as I’m sure many have. Due to come out April 24th.
What can I say about a band that I’ve had nothing but love for and still have insane amounts of love for? How can I not be biased about this album? I get butterflies when I listen to them.
I discovered Pela on Youtube – their song was a video & they were doing Cavalry. This song is the most powerful song on the album in my opinion, only because I have a fixated but weird emotional connection to it & I can’t explain why. It’s what got me hooked on Pela. The thing that stands out the most is the hard hard guitar. It tells you a story.
Song Writes Itself is probably #2 for me on this album. With lyrics like “You have a fragile face in a public place.”
Your Desert’s Not A Desert At All – I sense violin & Billy’s voice is a little softer on this song. I admire a band that can keep their consistency but also sound different in a ‘we don’t change for anyone’ sort of way. “You’re with some divided man just be careful you don’t fall apart.”
I’d love to pick apart each song but I think the whole damn album is awesome.
Pela has a different vibe – they don’t play/sound/look like anyone else. They’re true to themselves and the style of rock they play & portray is only admirable. Billy’s voice is angelically aggressive – the only way to explain it. The guitars & drums synchronize perfectly together on each song.
Listen to this album – it will alter your mood for good.
Support Pela - buy their new album. Close your blinds, close your eyes, sit back & just listen.
Chapel Hill based Sunday Smoke Kit is set to release a compilation of it’s early home recordings - a sort of best of the early years–It’s called Wasting Time, it’ll be the first digital only LP released via Planting Seeds Records and is due out sometime during the Summer 2007. The band at times have been descirbed as: “gorgeously hazy lazy…instantly recalls to mind Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and the Jesus and Mary Chain in reflective moods” Singer/Songwriter Scott Meiggs is presently beginning work on new songs for an upcoming release with some great guest appearances.
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
Scott Walker- “The Old Man’s Back Again”, Johnny Cash - “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, and Drive by Truckers- “Women Without Whiskey”
Name any musical influence(s)?
Byrds, Willie Nelson, Bowie, Joni Mitchell… Although I’ve never managed to sound like anyone.
What new music are you currently listening to?
High Llamas, Richmond Fontaine, Skygreen Leopards
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
Drive by Truckers
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
Notorious Byrd Brothers era Byrds - I want to be in the stall where Crosby would have been.
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
The band Journey has long been a favorite guilty pleasure of mine. Also, I’m a huge Neil Diamond fan. I’m not joking either.
Palm Pictures recently bought the rights to You’re Gonna Miss Me. The Independent Spirit Award-nominated rockumentary tells the fascinating story of The 13th Floor Elevators’ “Roky” Erickson and his struggles with drug addiction and mental illness.
CMJ.com reports: The film will be released July 10 on DVD and will have its first screening next Tuesday in New York City, before showing in other select cities.
Screenings For You’re Gonna Miss Me:
04/10 - New York NY - Cinema Village
06/08 - New York, NY - Cinema Village (Opening Day)
Tour Dates For You’re Gonna Miss Me
04/13 - Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw
04/15 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
04/28 - Indio, CA - Coachella
05/02 - New Orleans, LA - Ponderosa Stomp
06/18 - Sweden - Hultsfred Festival
06/06 - Denmark - Roskile Festival
06/08 - Finland - Ruisrock Festival
08/08 - Norway - Oya Festival
If you’re interested in reading more about You’re Gonna Miss Me, there’s a ton of great press articles here.
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
Wouldn`t it be nice (Beach Boys), KKK took my baby away (Ramones), I`m gonna DJ (R.E.M)
Name any musical influence(s)?
Beach Boys, Ramones, Patti Smith, David Bowie.
What new music are you currently listening to?
Rufus Wainwright (not so new.)
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
R.E.M
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
Anthony & the Johnsons
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
Claes, our bassplayer is the most handsome guy you`ve ever seen!
A brief bio of your label: Who started it? Me, Daniel Johansson When? First band signed and/or first release?
Me, Daniel Johansson. 2000. Per Bergkvist & the Sourgrapes
Where does your label call home? Describe your headquarters.
2 places - Our studio where we record most of our releases, and my apartment where all boring paperwork is done (both in Sweden).
The first video from Moll Flanders’ forthcoming album Out Of Fashion
Your name? What are your primary duties for the label?
Daniel Johansson. Producing/recording.
Who are a few of the bands on your roster? Most recent signee.
Friska Viljor, Lena Malmborg, De La Mancha, Moll Flanders (Most recent signing)
What is the best method for an unsigned band to capture your attention?
Put on a great liveshow
Any upcoming release(s) you’d like to plug?
Moll Flanders - Out Of Fashion, De La Mancha - TBA
The Retrosexuals are Neck Doppler (Baritone guitar/Vocals), The Render General (Falsetto guitar/Vocals) & Nina Nina (Keyboard/Backing vocals). The three hail from Glasgow, Scotland. Like all great musicians, their music defies conventional explanation so they’ve invented their own genre - contortopop. For minds that cannot yet wrap themselves around contortopop, they’ve also been described as tragi-funk. Still not getting it? Ok, how about synth-rock (though that’s not nearly as interesting, is it?). Their track ‘Telephone’ has recently entered heavy rotation on the Rocksellout Jukebox & the band have already had tracks played on RADIO 1, Beat 106, Artrocker radio, Flora radio in Germany and have done a session for Radio Magenetic. They completed a brief European tour in August & wish to blow our American minds very soon. Their motto is simple: GIVE UP OR BE DESTROYED!
1] Who are some of your musical inspirations?
Well, the only inspiration all 3 of us share is the mighty QUEEN!
Apart from that:
RENDER - From an early age I was heavily influenced by the music from the cartoon Gummie Bears (‘… bouncing here and there and everywhere..’). I was later moved by the crafting of Thundercats (particularly Liono’s Theme). By the time I had reached my twenties, however, I had moved away from illustrated rock music to such complex pieces as, The Cosbys and Chips where I have been ever since.
NECK – Early 50’s rave, Steve Reich’s legendary ‘clapping’ series and Kenny Loggins (we always play ‘Danger Zone’ just before we go onstage)
NINA - Brian Eno, the legendary Laurie Anderson and Divines’ performance of ‘Walk Like a Man’ which turned me on to Burlesque at an early age.
2] Can we get a brief history of the band’s formation?
In 2004 Neck was bored of being in a noiserock band and wanted to hit some melodies and at exactly the same time his younger brother Render was bored of cleaning test tubes and wanted to pick some notes, so they got together and had a jam with a drum machine, detuned guitars and a cheap keybored. They had fun. Yes they did. They liked what they heard. It made them happy. So they decided to take it seriously. But they needed a keybored player. So they asked Nina Nina to join. She had never played an instrument before but agreed anyway and was very bored. And the rest, as they say, is awkward….
3] What would you do if you weren’t musicians?
Render would be a Cosmologist
Nina would be a Storyteller
Neck would be unemployed/unemployable
4] What’s been your favourite live gig so far?
Supporting the mighty Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Salt Lake City, 2005. There were only 20 people there but they went mental for us! Apparently only 13 people stayed to see ELP which was a shame as Keith Emerson was using a laptop instead of his organ for the first time and he was really self conscious about it. I don’t exactly know what happened but I know they’ve not played live since. ELP…RIP?
5] Neck and Nina, you just became parents. Do you think being a parent will influence your music?
NECK: Our music is likely to become slower as we won’t have the energy to play as fast. We’ll probably end up doing down tempo sludgebeat, illbient trunkscapes or perhaps folkfunk. It really is a gamble, but in this game the steaks are never too high, they’re usually just overcooked.
NINA: Well, Harry has been on tour with us already and played a number of gigs so far…he’s expressed an interest in taking over the bass from his father, but until we find him he’s looking for Neck’s job.
RENDER: I am already teaching young Harry the ways of the Drums and hopefully he will be disappearing in gigs later rather than sooner.
6] What are the upsides/downsides to working with your significant other?
NECK: upside: we spend most of our time together
downside: same as above (oh darling Nina, I don’t mean it….truly I don’t. I’m just using this as a technique to endear people to us through the use of humour and other band member deprecation. You know I love spending every waking second with you and if I could I would do what Steve ‘Aerosmith’ Tyler does and not sleep at all….”Cos I don’t wanna miss a thing…” yours forever, Neck x)
NINA: Oh dear…well, since we spend so much time together I’ve realised how little he washes…
7] What can we expect from the Retros in 2007?
AKTION, FRAKTION AND DISTRAKTION!!!!
Also Render’s going to a cosmology conference in Italy and he might meet Brian May from Queen there as Brian has just completed his Phd in Astronomy and is now doing the conference circuit………WELL DONE BRIAN!! However John Deacon is apparently furious at Brian’s potential career change and now refuses to play the bass line to Bohemian Rhapsody in the right key! Roger Taylor seems indifferent to the whole affair as he has a degree in boilogy (the study of boils) and his field of study doesn’t clash with Brian’s. Freddie was unavailable to comment although the singer who replaced him (the guy from the band Free) is delighted……. allegedly.
8] What’s one thing people should know about the band?
None of us are musicians.
And thus ended my wild Q&A ride with The Retrosexuals. The simplest conclusion is this - The Retrosexuals will make your body do things you didn’t know it was legally allowed to. If your mind is still intact after reading, congratulations! You’ve earned access to tourdates & mp3s!
SPRING/SUMMER TOURDATES:
Apr 8
ORAN MOR Glasgow, Scotland
Apr 19
BAR BLOC Glasgow, Scotland
Apr 27
STEEL TAPE @ Frog and Parrot Sheffield, Midlands
May 18
THE HALT with Eye Contact Leads To… + more tbc Glasgow, Scotland
May 26
CAPITOL Glasgow, Scotland
Jun 1
MONTYS with Nanobots + more! Dunfermline, Scotland
The Retrosexuals - Too Many People
The Retrosexuals - Blood In Your Eyes
The Retrosexuals on Myspace
- Sean
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