The Jesus And Mary Chain performed a new song on Letterman Monday night. Did you see it? Me either. Heh. It’s a damned good thing that YouTube once again came to the rescue and allows me the opportunity to share their performance of “All Things Must Pass” with you.

Upcoming Shows:
Jun 22 Meltdown London, London and South East
Jul 4 Super Bock Super Rock Lisbon
Jul 13 Summercase Festival Madrid
Jul 14 Summercase Festival Barcelona
Aug 12 M’era Luna Festival Hildesheim
Aug 31 Connect Festival Argyll
Sep 1 Electric Picnic Stradbally, Laois

MP3: Jesus And Mary Chain - “April Skies”

I recently had the chance to email ‘interview’ Larry Schemel, the guitarist for Midnight Movies. Their newest LP, Lion the Girl, was released on April 24th. It’s an excellent listen and showcases a darker indie sound. Think of Interpol fronted by Justine Frischmann and you might be in the ballpark.

The band members are - the obscenely gorgeous Gena Olivier on lead vocals, Larry on guitars, Sandra Vu on drums & flute and Ryan Wood on bass & keyboards.

1) Gina was originally singing from behind a drum kit but has now moved to the front with Sandra playing drums. How has that changed the band dynamic?

It has definitely made the band stronger and more versatile,Genas vocals are no longer compromised from behind the kit.
Sandra and Ryan are a very strong rhythm section and that has helped take us to the next level in our live show and in
song writing.

2) James Iha remixed your single ‘Patient Eye’. How did that come about?

James loved the song and asked us if we were into remixes,which we are, we love when other artists remix songs and we thought what James did to it was really cool.

3) Are you all fans of ‘dance’ music?

Yes, We’re into alot of electronic music and and like bands who cross over into rock/dance and electronic..Bjork, Primal Scream, Death in Vegas,David Holmes, CSS and Hot Chip among others.

4) You recently finished up a brief tour with Blonde Redhead. What was that experience like?

It was a great tour, Blonde Redhead are very cool people and had sold out crowds every night, We played to packed houses and the audiences were very receptive to our band, It’s a bit of a challenge to play in front of a crowd who you know for the most part are there for the headliner, Blonde Redhead have a very strong fan base. We were very happy with the response we got.

5) Your band is LA-based. How do you feel the city influences your work (if at all)?

Our music has a definite light/dark thing going on which i feel is a reflection of living in L.A., we would probably sound the same where ever we lived but i think there are certain aspects of living in L.A. that do influence us, especially the landscape- the city, the Hollywood hills, the ocean, it can be all very cinematic at times and we take alot of inspiration from our surroundings.

6) If you could play with any artist - living or dead - who would it be?

That’s easy -The Velvet Underground

7) What’s something everyone should know about you but few do?

I played with L.A. legend Chris D. in a reformed Flesheaters a few years ago, If any artist beside the Doors or X personifies noir L.A. it’s Chris D. Also my big sister Patty is one hell of a drummer ,buy a copy of the Hole record “Live through this”, she kills

TOURDATES:
Jun 1 Spaceland w/ THE RAVEONETTES Los Angeles, California
Jun 2 Cafe du Nord w/ THE RAVEONETTES San Francisco, California
Jun 4 Doug Fir Lounge w/ THE RAVEONETTES Portland, Oregon
Jun 5 The Triple Door w/ THE RAVEONETTES Seattle, Washington
Jun 7 The Detroit Bar w/ THE RAVEONETTES Costa Mesa, California
Jun 8 The Echo w/ THE RAVEONETTES Echo Park, California
Jun 9 The Casbah w/ THE RAVEONETTES San Diego, California

MP3:
Midnight Movies - Parallel Paramour

VIDEO:
Patient Eye

- Sean

First of all, what a beautiful beautiful venue.

The opener for Feist was Chad Van Gaalen & his compadres. A beautiful composition of folksy & quirky. Chad would stand there softly marching his feet, remarking that he’s usually a one man band, so the feet are his drums. It was very funny. I was weary – sometimes openers aren’t always that great, but the fact that they were opening for Feist probably gave me an idea they would be good. Chad also regaled tales of the past & sang a song about a guy he knows that is a ‘hash fiend’. He made us laugh, I felt like I was in the twilight zone.. At one point, he had a friend come on stage & play the fiddle. All in all a great band. I look forward to seeing what he’ll put out next after Skelliconnection.

The lights dimmed & the audience (I hate calling it a crowd!) started getting slightly excited. And by slightly I mean VERY. She came on, her straightened hair flowing so natural under the dim lights. The first thing I noticed is how beautiful she really is. 13th row, right centre orchestra – and you feel like it’s right up front.

Even though there were tons of people there, it felt like an intimate 200. I would give you a set list, but after the 5th song, I stopped writing & focused my attention all on her. I didn’t want to move my head to look away anymore. I do know that the first song she played was ‘Honey Honey’.

The one thing that I was really impressed about – if you want to get technical – is how REAL her voice is. If you listen to her CD & you hear her LIVE, it is the same thing. There is no overproduced sound like most bands have these days. Acoustics, live, in your ear. The way she looped her voice & sang with it was enough to put someone in a trance. Her witty jokes & modesty really wins you over. The way she made the audience sing with her – you knew she felt she didn’t want it to be all about her – even though you were there to see her.

My favourite song of the night, which is my favourite song off the album – ‘Intuition’. Of course, you know, it happened when she came back out for the encore. I was really sad when she walked off & the song wasn’t played. When she came back – she sang that song & I felt like my whole night had just been completed.

She, also had a friend come out, Ben Mink (Producer, Engineer, Artist, Musician, etc) – he came out to play the fiddle. She also mentioned that if it wasn’t for him, 1 2 3 4 wouldn’t have been on the album as she was going to scrap it off. So thank you, Ben Mink!

Because it’s all about me & my night at the concert, I just wanted to give an insight about how I felt being there. An emotional replay, really.

Leslie Feist, you have made my last 2 months amazing. Your music has inspired my life & many things in it. Thank you for allowing me & thousands of others to see you play live, beautiful & heart wrenching music.

I wish I had photo’s from the night, but being the goody two shoe I am, I complied with the rules & didn’t bring mine. However, everyone else decided they would, oh well!

A brief bio of your label: Who started it? When? First band signed and/or first release?
Eenie Meenie Records is an emerging music label promoting indie pop, rock and electronica. Eenie Meenie artists have been featured in high profile publications such as RollingStone, Newsweek, Maxim, NME, Billboard, Nylon, CMJ and Alternative Press, and interviewed by the BBC and NPR. Our artists have regularly charted on CMJ and have received adds and rotation on AAA and commercial radio stations, such as KROQ and Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, KCRW in Santa Monica and KEXP in Seattle.

Eenie Meenie Records develops artists and markets their music by providing ongoing and extensive press and radio campaigns, tour support, festival exposure, street marketing, online marketing, film and TV licensing, retail marketing and merchandising. Many Eenie Meenie releases contain bonus CD/DVD materials that include music videos or an electronic press kit (EPK) from the artists. And all releases are packaged in distinctive and often colorful casing that continues to add to the value of each project and to Eenie Meenie’s artistic legacy.

Eenie Meenie sets itself apart from other labels by its consistent musical aesthetic, which is both ahead of the curve and commercially appealing. Due to the relationships the label has developed, Eenie Meenie looks forward to releasing side projects from well-known artists, as well as continuing to develop emerging talent.

Eenie Meenie Records was founded in 1999 by Ms. Reiko Kondo in order to release, promote and sell music from talented emerging artists. The label has released 16 critically acclaimed CDs and LPs to date. Redeye USA distributes the label’s growing catalogue. Redeye is one of the premier independent music distribution companies in North America and has the ability to make Eenie Meenie titles available at all of the major chain retailers. Eenie Meenie releases are available across Canada through Sonic Unyon. In Japan, Eenie Meenie releases are available through Village Again Distribution.

The first band signed was From Bubblegum to Sky in 1999.

The first release was From Bubblegum to Sky’s Vinyl 45 - containing “My Thousand Years With Robots” and “Hello Hello Hi” and the first full length CD was From Bubblegum to Sky’s “Me and Amy and the Two French Boys”

Where does your label call home? Describe your headquarters.
We are based in West Hollywood, CA. The office is comprised of two main rooms: one where we, the label reps and worker bees sit and work complete with a killer sound system which you can view here.

and the other room is the boss’s office which houses, you guessed it, the boss and also the print ad archives from all the magazines where our artists have been featured.

Outside is a lovely patio with a fountain and seating area decorated with a southwestern flavor and a private parking lot for guests and clients.

Your name? What are your primary duties for the label?
Angela Poe and I handle online promotion, online tour support, blogging and generating local interest via the web and local media companies.

Who are a few of the bands on your roster? Most recent signee.
A few bands on the label:
Great Northern
Scissors for Lefty
Irving
Goldenboy
From Bubblegum to Sky
Pine*am
Oranger

Most recent signee is: Scissors for Lefty

Any upcoming release(s) you’d like to plug?
Today (5/15) Great Northern’s Trading Twilight for Daylight comes out and next month (6/12) Scissors for Lefty releases Underhanded Romance

There are a lot of great mp3s available for download on the Eenie Meenie site, so visit the band links I’ve shared above…and enjoy!

This is the video to the forthcoming Tacticians single “Hardcore Porn” which will be released in June on Setanta Records.

Kildrifter is a local band from De Pere, WI that’s been on the scene since May 2005. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them open for the mighty Supernova.

If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
1)Babysitter-Hawaii Show
2)Rocket Queen-Guns n Roses
3)Wester-AFI

Name any musical influence(s)?
Tom Enright, Riverboat Gamblers, AFI, The Hellacopters, Pretty much every band we’ve ever listened to.

- pic

What new music are you currently listening to?
Avenged Sevenfold, Billy Talent, Priestess

Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
Against Me! or Riverboat Gamblers

Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
Anybody that is willing

Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
We use pictures of Carmine Appice in our practice room for inspiration, ha.

Vanity Band is a local Green Bay group who has made it to the semifinals in the Music Nation music video competition. Only 12 artists out of more than 450 entries made it to the pop quarterfinals. If you like what you see and hear, vote for them as often as you can April 30 through May 13 by clicking here. Joel Nass was kind enough to answer a few questions for the site…return the favor and let him know what you think of the video and make a point of downloading their song “One I’d Like”.

If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
if i were making a mix…I’d go first “wild honey” Beach Boys, second “wild honey” U2, third “wild honey pie” Beatles. wild honey just sounds good right now.

Name any musical influence(s)?
Musical influences, well my choir teachers were Mrs. Holwerda, and Mrs. Dau in primary and secondary school respectively. So there’s that. and I grew up in the nineties, so groups like green day, weezer, and oasis, a bit of a band thing in my head, the more music you can get exposure to the better, it’s a huge world, nose around a little, no?

What new music are you currently listening to?
Currently listening to the radio, as my current automobile has no cd player and I’m saving my pennies for an i-pod. One takes for granted listening to one’s music of choice, listen to a lot of junk, not only will you find some wild production techniques, but you will learn to be thankful for the good stuff.

Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
If I could open for anyone, Bob Dylan or maybe he could open for me, ha.

Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
I really have a desire to collaborate with this guy I know, Caleb Widmer, but so far no luck. I will admit being difficult to work with, though.

Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
Not a ton of stuff comes up if you google Joel Nass, so that makes this question nice-n-easy…I once lived in a shed in Idaho, at the time I wasn’t really taking great, good care of myself at the time, my girlfriend called me and told me she had arranged a plane ticket to visit her, that weekend in Malibu, CA where she attended classes. I had to bathe, shave, brush teeth, moisturize, do something about that rash on my leg, it felt good. Upon my return to Idaho, I fell once again into squaller. These days I shower every other day or so, brush teeth twice a day etc. You can’t find it on google but fact is my wife makes at least my world a much better/cleaner place.

Our Earthly Pleasures finally arrived stateside yesterday and one of the most obvious singles on the album is ‘Girls Who Play Guitars’. It’s a great introduction to the band for anyone not familiar - crunching guitar riffs, happy synths & Paul Smith’s distinctive and somehow commanding yelp. The thing about Maximo Park is they have this amazing ability to sound joyful and happy regardless of the subject matter. In the British post-punk resurgence of ‘05 they tend to be overlooked in favor of juggernauts like Bloc Party or The Rakes but they really have something that - I believe - gives them staying power. A Certain Trigger was one of my favorite albums and OEP is slowly becoming a new favorite.

You can see for yourself below as the band perform live at London’s Astoria.

- Sean

I feel I’m forced to preface everything I write or report on with a disclaimer that I have no idea what I’m doing. I suppose I do that so no one is disappointed when they read on and realize they’ve either descended into madness or what I write makes no sense (or both).

That being said, in this case I need to warn readers that the pictures accompanying this article were taken with a camera phone because the Marquee wouldn’t let me take in my real camera (though much to my chagrin I noticed quite a few people with cameras once I was inside). The pics aren’t terrible but they certainly aren’t super either.

So onto it.

My friend Nicki and I started the night with some Cinco De Mayo margaritas at a Macayos in Mesa. There was this fantastic Rasta guy on the grass acting as a sort of one man band with some keyboards and steel drums. It’s possible those margaritas made us more daring because we then headed on to the Marquee but thought we’d be clever by parking in her friend’s apartment complex instead of having to pay to park. After a game of cat-and-mouse with the gate, we finally walked the couple of blocks to the venue. Of course, at that point I was told no cameras so we walked back to the complex at which point Nicki tried to climb the security gate (which was really entertaining to watch). A car pulled up at almost that exact moment so I yelled to her and we both ran in an extremely conspicuous way toward the sidewalk. After waiting what seemed to be an appropriate amount of time we scurried through that gate and put the camera back in the car.

We then made the trek back to the theatre and discovered we’d missed The Black Angels. I also noticed that the crowd was thinner than I would have thought. The Marquee was maybe 1/4 full. The stage setup was pretty cool, with a huge BRMC banner hanging as a backdrop.

As the band finally took the stage it was covered in a soft blue but as the first drumbeat hit the entire stage lit up like a supernova. Nicki and I took turns with our camera phones snapping shots here and there. I did find some satisfaction in seeing a few of the people that did manage to get cameras in getting busted by security (I’m mean, aren’t I?).

That’s a horribly out of focus Peter Hayes, by the way. The band jumped right into things with the opening track off Baby 81, ‘Took Out A Loan’. It was a great way to start the show and really demonstrated the strength of the new album when played live. Still following the album pattern, they then shot straight into ‘Berlin’. The song is really carried by Nick Jago’s spot-on drumming. I’ll mention here that I tend to fixate on drumming, I think because of the whole DJ thing. You find yourself immediately drawn to the rhythm in every track you hear.

The next song was one of my favorites off the self-titled, ‘Spread Your Love’. I thought Robert or Peter might go hoarse with the passionate, near-screaming of ’spread ya love like a fevaaaaaaaaah’. It was intense and you felt it right in your gut. Right around this time I looked behind me and realized a pretty decent crowd had formed, though it was still not the crowd I expected. Oh well, more BRMC for the rest of us, right?

Next came my new favorite off Baby 81, ‘Lien On Your Dreams’. Something about the point at which the stuttering drums kick in just gets me going. Plus the way Robert - I think - sings ‘I nee-eeeded more’. The song just kicks ass, no sense in overcomplicating matters. As if that weren’t enough, they absolutely pummeled the audience with ‘Whatever Happened To My Rock N Roll’. There was a girl in front of us from London who had just come back from Coachella…she kept complaining to another friend there that ‘the Americans won’t dance’. It’s true, though there were some hilarious examples of ‘dancing’ going on in the crowd. My favorite was a guy you can see in the lower left-hand side that looks suspiciously like Tommie Sunshine.

Next came the double-threat of ‘Weapon of Choice’ & ‘Six Barrel Shotgun’. After the sonic assault from those two, Robert sat at the piano and said he’d play us a song they hadn’t yet played live, ‘Windows’. The song reminds me of ELO for some reason, but I think I’m suffering from a mental disorder lately that causes me to think everything sounds like ELO.

It’s at this point that my memory has started to fade and I don’t quite remember the setlist’s order. Still, I know right around now they blasted into ‘666 Conducer’ & ‘American X’.

As I recall, they played ‘Not What You Wanted’ adding to the Baby 81-heavy setlist. Peter took center stage as he played two (mostly) acoustic pieces and then ceded the stage to Robert for a solo take. I’m pretty sure it was a song from Howl but I can’t recall the title [I've since conferred with a few other people and we agreed it was 'Mercy' - Sean].

Everyone came back out and then Robert told us we’d get one more song. It came in the form of ‘All You Do Is Talk’. It was a great finale, though I thought for sure we’d get an encore. The band waved their goodbyes and the house lights blinded us by showing us the way out.

In conclusion? Awesome set, Baby 81 sounds really nice live and Americans need to dance more. You’d think a band focusing so much of their set on a new album might be frustrating but like I said, it really just showed how fantastic an album Baby 81 is. The Marquee failed the band a bit as some of the vocals were drowned out but overall they did well. My only disappointments were no ‘Love Burns’ or ‘Stop’. Honestly though, I have no room to complain given how smashing everything else was. The years of intense touring Robert talked to me about the day before have clearly paid off as the band has the live thing down to a science.

- Sean

PS-
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention one of the funnier highlights for me - Big Audio Dynamite’s ‘I Turned Out A Punk’ being played in the pre-show soundtrack. I almost never hear BAD being played ANYWHERE, so it was cool knowing somebody in the BRMC camp is a fan.

I had the good fortune to speak to Robert from BRMC over the phone today. I wasted that good fortune by rambling and essentially forgetting every question I’d written down in large sharpie letters on a piece of paper right in front of me. Oh well. Robert was gracious and friendly. I’ll do my best to transcribe what transpired (ooh alliteration).

Robert: Hey man.

Sean: Hey.

R: Sorry this got pushed back so late.

S: No big deal man, I know how it goes when you’re touring.

R: Yeah, it’s been a big day [laughs]. It’s a good thing to be busy.

S: Better than not busy, right?

R: Oh man. True true.

S: Well, I’ll warn you right up front, I’m not a professional journalist.

R: [Laughs] I’m not a professional anything.

S: I tried to think of interesting questions, but realized I’d probably be asking what someone else has already asked you 15 times today.

R: Yeah, it’s really better if you don’t know what you’re doing. [Laughs] It can actually be quite interesting.

S: Well alright, maybe that’ll work to my advantage today. What are you up to today?

R: Well uhhh…you know no one has actually asked me that today. [Laughs] See, it’s already better. Uhhh well we’re scrambling to get out of town, get out of dodge by the strike of 12. The first show is tomorrow in Phoenix and we’re rehearsing this week trying to get, ya know, the final things ready for the tour. Trying to uhhh, make sure the cats have weeks of food to eat while we’re gone…

S: Actually, I was going to ask you that. It’s a weird question but I was going to ask if you were a cat person or a dog person.

R: Uhh yeah I actually hate cats but I ended up with them for some reason. I do like dogs, I wanted to bring a dog - ya know one of those wolf dogs - to be our mascot on tour. But then it’d probably just shit everywhere. Probably not as much as our crew [laughs]. It’s funny how these strange things happen on a bus but I don’t really want to go into it, I kinda wish I was joking. I’m sure a dog wouldn’t be that much worse [laughter].

S: Haha, yeah we won’t go there.

R: There’s this one animal though, I can’t remember the name of it. They’re for ships, ya know, they’re good for taking on sailing ships. Cause they know how to go to the edge and shit off the boat, ya know? They stick their ass out. They’re this kind of dog you can train to do that. Maybe I’ll get one and teach him to shit in Nick’s [Jago, drummer] bunk. [laughs]

S: I thought you were going to say you’d teach it to shit off the side of the stage or something, in the audience.

R: Nah, I’m still working up the confidence to do that myself. I think Iggy Pop did something like that.

S: Yeah, I think he’s done that in some pretty interesting places.

R: Yeah, that’s a lot of pressure on a person though. I don’t know, to perform, to perform above and beyond I guess. [laughs]

S: I’m actually going to be seeing you guys perform tomorrow.

R: Oh in Phoenix?

S: Yeah.

R: Oh cool.

S: Usually the first shows, the energy levels are really there.

R: Oh yeah definitely. Though it’s the nervous energy levels.

S: Have you guys been, I mean you guys are in San Francisco, right?

R: We moved to LA actually. We started there [in Frisco] but uhhh, this is kind of the city to get your music going. It’s just not as, I don’t know. The city actually, I wish things were different. Even bands I know, they’re still trying to get stuff going from back in the day. No one’s listening up there. It’s a drag. But that’s kind of the way it is, cities change and evolve, some are more the place than others at certain times. It’s just on a downward slope right now. Maybe it’ll come back up again someday.

S: Now, do you guys know who will be supporting you on the tour now? The Fratellis, they backed out, right?

R: Yeah, The Fratellis and The Horrors actually. It was a pretty fucked up week. The Fratellis, right after Coachella apparently, the lead singer collapsed and he basically ended up going to a doctor that said he shouldn’t play for three weeks. Which is ironically the exact time their big UK festival thing starts. [Laughs] It’s kind of like, it’s a little odd. And then the Horrors, they dropped off the tour for completely different and slightly more believeable reasons. Their record label, indie label Loog, they didn’t have enough money, tour budget wise, to give them so they could do all the dates in a row, it was a lot.

S: That sucks.

R: Yeah, they both kind of, it was kinda weird because it’s ended up better. These friends of ours, the Black Angels, were down for taking over for The Fratellis for the west coast. You’ll actually see them tomorrow.

S: Oh cool, I’ve actually heard them before.

R: Yeah, they’re really good.

S: Well, The Fratellis seemed like kind of a weird match to me. They just seem very poppy in comparison to you guys.

R: Yeah, they are. I like a lot of their stuff too. It just worked out for that. And The Cobbs, they’re taking over the Horror’s dates. And they’re really good too. It’s kind of weird, I thought it was going to be a disaster but it really turned around.

S: So at least you got that worked out before going out on tour.

R: Yeah, I mean it was right to the last minute [laughs].

S: Hey, that’s what makes life exciting, right?

R: Yeah, it reminds you that it’s not perfect, it’s not the smooth running machine like it can seem to be. It’s all just a bunch of amateurs running it anyway.

S: So we’re all just screwing up all the time.

R: I hope so. [Laughs]

S: Well, I guess I should probably ask you about the new album a little bit. Howl was very, I don’t want to call it ‘mellow’…it was unplugged I guess. But Baby 81 is a bit more, well plugged in. Haha. I’m trying to think of a better word. Louder? More aggressive, more energetic…[Robert begins laughing] sorry, I’m just kind of turning into a drooling idiot here. What I’m trying to ask is, was Howl sort of an experiement or was that just where you guys were at at that time?

R: No uhhh…well just to say really quick, it’s totally cool, I was making a very light-hearted joke because the truth is it’s almost impossible to talk about music ya know. People very rarely say that but it’s just one of these things, it’s a high…well not a high paying job but a job to write these articles and even the ones that aren’t, kind of, high and lofty, they use a lot of big words like they’ve had an education. But the truth is, they have no fucking clue what they’re talking about. So it’s kind of, I’d rather not even try [laughs] ya know to try and go into some particular thing because it’s an art form in itself to write about music and I think it’s a lost art that I haven’t seen many people able to do. You kind of have to be an artist yourself to achieve it. I’d just like to say that. At the same time, I mean, the simplest most honest answer - which no one ever likes but it’s the truth - is that Take Them On [BRMC's second album] was just a full-on assault on the senses, and it’s kind of like we made that record and as soon as we were done we were like a kid that’s tired of playing with a toy. It’s like ‘I don’t want to play with that anymore’ and then you throw it away and just do something else. And that’s kind of what we did with Howl. It was a completely different toy. It was a very gentle kind of record that was, the whole time we were always trying to go by that less-is-more sort of ethos and we’d put something on and if we thought it was taking away from the music rather than adding to it we quickly get rid of it. The songs themselves, they were all really delicate. Delicate to handle. It was like walking around with a glass egg all the time. And uhh, after doing that for like six months your nerves are so on end you just want to throw the glass egg against the wall and break it. And from that came Baby 81. [Laughs]. Everything is just kind of a reaction to what came before it…

S: So this record really was just a reaction in a different way to Howl…

R: Yeah, just like the glass egg, you have to destroy that. You’ve handled it for so long it’s the only way you can get that energy out. It’s not pretty but it’s the truth. Everyone hopes for very conceptual answers but we really just went out and kicked into the next one.

S: Well, I think people sometimes assume that the most complicated answer has to be the truth so they’re waiting for a really really elaborate crazy explanation for everything. Like your entire family died or you had a spiritual transformation.

R: Yeah, I guess there’s that record too [laughs]. I mean, there is a lot of depth to music that shouldn’t be joked about or made any less of but don’t be fooled by trying to cover it over with words either. It’s something that you can’t come up with using words and language. I think one of the reasons we still love music but don’t admit to is it’s the last form of magic left on this earth [laughs]. I mean, in that no one can fully understand or explain why or where it comes from and that’s why it’s kind of a beautiful thing. There’s not too many other things in life that are like that. Ya know, everything else you can kind of see the strings where the puppetmaster is and this is really one of the last things that hasn’t been just completely gutted and torn up and it’s kind of impossible to do that. I like that about music.

S: That’s true. At least if you aren’t involved in an American Idol kind of music [laughs].

R: Hey, I’d be happy to get one of them.

S: Yeah, you guys can get together and perform on American Idol.

R: Maybe that’s what we should do, that actually might be pretty decent.

S: You’d probably get a good paycheck at least.

R: I wonder what that would be like. I mean, I wonder if all the people that go out for that show, I mean I guess you get what you put into it really. Maybe good bands should go into it and try to actually prove they are the next American Idol.

S: That’s interesting and scary at the same time.

R: Well, if you don’t try then you’ll never know it.

S: That’s true, you guys really could be the next American Idol.

R: [Laughs] Exactly.

S: You’ll have to explore that, it’s a new horizon.

R: It’s only ourselves keeping us from the dream. [laughs a lot]

S: Alright well let’s see, I’m running out of thoughts…so you guys are going to go to Phoenix tomorrow, and then how long is the tour? A few months or?

R: It’s scary to look at. Forever. It’s 36 shows or something like that. About 7 weeks. Then we go straight to the UK and do European dates & festivals and that stretches into July or August. And that’s just the beginning. I’m sure they’ve got more shit for us after that. It’s great but it’s a lot, I mean even for us. We’ve kind of got a reputation for endlessly touring. You kind of really pay your dues and then some. Yet at the same time it’s been a little while since we’ve gone at it this hardcore.

S: Yeah, I remember seeing you guys when you toured for Take Them On, and I think you guys came through Phoenix at least twice that year. It seemed like you were doing it pretty intensely.

R: Yeah and we have been since then really. It’s pretty spooky. But ya know, there’s really two different kinds of bands. There are the ones that tour and the ones that make records. And uhh I mean everyone does both but there’s really two. And we’re more a live kind of band then maybe a Radiohead or a Beatles kind of band.

S: Do you do that as a desire for the human connection, interaction that happens live?

R: Uhh yes and no. It’s more of a kind of wanting to, a choice to kind of bite into the fruit and really really kind of take life on because there’s something very different about experiencing life in a box and writing inside like that rather than going out and travelling the world and every outlook and going out and experiencing what the world has to offer. I’m not saying one is really that much better than the other because they’re both valid. It’s just kind of there and there’s the inside and the outside and you take your pick. It’s fair enough if you’re afraid of the outside and you can dig inward deep enough to find ya know, uncharted territories still then it’s good.

S: Alright. Man that’s a good answer. [We laugh]. Well and the thing I always notice with bands that tour a lot - it’s only my observation - is that they’re different from bands that only, like you said, stay in and make records because those bands seem to get a little detached from everybody, in terms of their audience. It seems like when you’re touring and are constantly in front of people you seem to get a lot more feedback.

R: Yeah, the only thing I’ve figured out is it takes a long time to filter the feedback. I feel like I’m still just cracking that and getting to the truth. It’s strange, it helps having four albums now because in a way we’re a band that’s not on the radar but not really off the radar so we’re kind of flying in the slipstream somewhere and it’s given us this strange sort of perspective where you don’t, ya know, you don’t have a hit on MTV and all of a sudden you’ve got all these fans but thankfully we’ve kind of earned a lot of fans on the road and it makes it so you get to know them in a way and they get to know you and so after four albums I’m starting to figure it out a bit better that they are good reflections of your heart and what you make and it’s partially theirs as much as it is yours after a while. You always have to remember that. I guess it just takes some time. You can’t expect to just jump out there and be in touch with people. It’s kind of something you have to learn.

S: Well it sounds like it’s something you have to develop, like any other human relationship where you have to develop like a trust with your audience.

[At this point the RCA rep stepped in to remind us we needed to wrap things up]

S: Woah, that was kind of unsettling. It was like a dark ominous voice.

R: Yeah, sort of like the voice of god. [Laughs] Yeah, I guess the whole thing is, I mean it’s difficult but it is like a relationship because you’re kind of sorting this new relationship but for the most part it’s liars, cheats and thieves who just get better and better at telling you bullshit. And they come and go, and you don’t really miss them when they’re gone either so you learn that. Who can be two-faced and you kind of figure out your own truth and it’s a good lesson to learn. But it takes a while.

S: Ooh, that’s a good answer too. Haha. Well I guess I should let you go then, you’ve probably got other people waiting to talk to you as the man said.

R: Nah, really the truth is I have to get to practice. The whole rehearsal thing. But I think I did 5 interviews today so that’s pretty good. Sorry you were the last one.

S: Oh no problem man. Sorry if I was an all-over-the-place, rambling crazy person.

R: Likewise. [laughs]

S: Well hey, it’s late in the day right. Can’t expect us to be totally awake.

R: Well, I was kind of just waking up actually.

S: Oh, well either one works. Haha. Thanks a lot Robert.

R: Take it easy man.

BRMC’s Baby 81 was released on Tuesday and they will be starting their US tour tomorrow at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, AZ.

- Sean