.................PANDA colour BARS *************************************

A Chat With Todd Fink of The Faint

2009-07-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

I first heard The Faint in 2001 when a friend of mine gave me Danse Macabre. For months after that I couldn’t get it out of my head or CD player. The unbelievably catchy beats and vivid lyrics were just too good not to play all the time. Needing more, I went to work on finding out what their back catalogue had to offer me and found the lighter (and sometimes dancier) Blank-Wave Arcade. In 2004, I had the pleasure of getting up early on a Tuesday morning to peel the plastic off of the new Wet From Birth album and proceeded to punish my speakers with it non-stop for the next month or two. The next four years were restless ones; I played their whole catalogue inside out and laid in wait. When word of a new album hit my ears in 2008, I felt an excitement and anticipation that few bands could ever invoke inside of me. Fasciinatiion was an enormous payoff and to add to that, I had the pleasure of doing a phone interview with lead singer Todd Fink.

PC: In preparation of your latest album you guys built a studio and formed your own label. What were some of the benefits of these two things?

TF: Well, I think it’s something that we’d wanted to do for a while. We had had serious thoughts about doing that for Wet From Birth. We didn’t have any concerns with the label, like Saddle Creek not being good enough, we were just already doing a lot of the stuff that a label does. We thought it’d be cool to have our own label since we do so much of our band stuff ourselves, anyways, and we always have. So it just made sense for us to take on the responsibility of a label; especially now that we have a manager to help us with it. As far as the studio, I dunno if we could’ve made an album without that. We tend to over-analyze a lot of stuff and having your own studio is a much better place to waste time than one where you’re paying by the hour.

PC: Where have been some of your favorite places to play in and outside of the US?

TF: I think we all like to play in Japan. That might be our favorite if I was gonna guess how we’d vote. Also, southern California, well California in general, has been consistently really good. I think pretty much all of the major cities are where the bigger shows happen. A lot of times, though, the small shows that seem like they’re gonna be terrible have been the best; I dunno if it’s because we play better to compensate for how we’re feeling about it or what.

PC: I’ve read that you do a lot of graphic art design and collages and things like that. How did you first get into that and what are some of your favorite album designs you’ve worked on?

TF: I kind of go in and out of making visual art, it just comes in phases. Over the last chunk of years the thing that’s motivated it has been needing new designs for Faint stuff like shirts, posters, album covers, singles and all that. There’s enough of that to where even if I’m making collages or something for no reason at home I can go back and pull those out to see if they’d make a good shirt design or stickers or something. I definitely don’t do all of it by myself, though; Dapose and Jacob do a lot of it too. Dapose has probably done the most of it in the last handful of years. We all work together on the major things like album covers and singles. Otherwise, we just kinda share ideas for shirts and that kind of stuff.

PC: Which album cover would you say you had your hand in the most?

TF: Album covers really are super collaborative. Maybe Danse Macabre or Wet From Birth. A lot of times what will happen is I’ll have gathered a bunch of things that I think will be good to put together and Dapose will work with that. Or if I don’t put together anything that he likes he’ll take those elements and do it himself; I usually find that I like his stuff a lot. So, a lot of the elements on those two albums were mine, but we really do it as a group. Dapose will be running the computer while we’re all insulting how it looks until we all like it.

PC: Which would you say is more satisfying to you as a musician: Perfecting a song on a studio recording or recreating it live at a show?

TF: I really can't choose. They are two sides of the same coin to me.

PC: Can you recall, as a child, the first song that overwhelmed you and gave you the chills?

TF: Probably “Revolution” by The Beatles. I really liked that one, I had a 45 of it when I was very young. I haven’t really even listened to it in years, but it just has that real fuzzy guitar and organ sound. That really struck me when I was young because it didn’t sound like the other stuff I had heard on the radio and there wasn’t, of course, internet or MTV in Omaha at that point.

PC: What are a few of the major differences between the original vision of the band and the current feel and sound of it now?

TF: I guess, to me, the band kind of figured out what it wanted to be in 1998 or 1999 when we were making Blank-Wave Arcade. So, to me, that’s the original sound of The Faint even though we had albums and 7”s before that. So, from that point... how is it different? You know, it might sound like an insult to the band as it is now, but it’s a little less focused sounding now, in a way that it sounded a little more cohesive before, not because the songs were that similar to each other, but because we had fewer instruments to work with and devices to manipulate. I think with so many possibilities now it’s hard not to indulge. So, now it sounds a little like us just trying a whole bunch of different approaches to the same thing. I think the original sound of The Faint is kind of a minor key somewhat fast or at least upbeat kind of abstract shards of observations lyrically that’s built on music that was trying to escape from what “indie-rock” meant in 1998. I felt like we were escaping from it when we were making that record, but because people liked it I thought, “well I guess we didn’t really escape it, but at least we came up with something that we like.” And I say we didn’t escape it because all the people that liked it were the same people that liked what we were trying to escape from. Not that we were trying to get away from the fans, it’s just that we didn’t feel like we could contribute anything to that whole scene anymore. I guess we could, though, and we accidentally did.

PC: As far as the old stuff I agree with you about it sounding more sporadic. Where as with the new stuff, it’s completely clean sounding; you guys have some kind of a tick or bell or note inserted into every empty crevasse and that’s what really impressed me with the new album is how absolutely complete it is. I guess that really comes with what you were saying about having all these devices at your fingertips.

TF: Yeah I think we were trying to fit in a billion things. As fun as it is, I don’t know, it’s probably not a good idea to have so much stuff in it, but we found a way to fit it all in the mix.

PC: Listening to it, it sounds phenomenal, but mainly it sounds like a ton of hard work finding enough stuff to constantly maintain the songs like that.

TF: That’s an interesting take on it; I hadn’t really thought of it like that before. Although, when we played it for a friend right when we were finished I kind of wondered if that was his impression. He said he liked it a lot, but was gonna need to listen to it a lot more to understand all the things that were happening in it. I hadn’t really thought about it being complicated before or detailed.

PC: “Detailed” is absolutely the right word. I was completely blown away by that the first time I heard it; even now I still take away something new from it every time I listen to it.

TF: Well cool, thanks.

PC: Last but not least, what’s next for The Faint and how long are you guys gonna make me wait for a new EP or album?

TF: Haha, well I dunno. If history is anything to go by I don’t think it’s coming very soon. You never know, though, we’ve got a studio and we’ll probably put something together. I think after making this record and touring extensively on it, right now it’s just kinda time for a break. So, we’ll see how long the break lasts.

*The Faint is:
*Todd Fink - singer/keyboards
*Jacob Thiele - keyboards, backup vocals
*Dapose - guitars
*Joel Petersen - bass
*Clark Baechle - drums, percussion
*for more, go to www.thefaint.com

A Chat With John Martin of The Peekers

2009-04-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

PC: One day, a person went to horse racing area. Instead of counting the number of humans and horses, he instead counted 74 heads and 196 legs. Yet he knew the number of humans and horses there. How did he do it, and how many humans and horses are there?

JM: This person likely counted the horse heads first, multiplying by 4 to calculate number of legs, then counted humans heads multiplying by 2 for legs. By reversing his procedure we can come to the conclusion that there were 71.09803 humans and 2.90197 horses.

(horse heads * 4)(human heads *2) = 196
4x*2y = 196
8xy = 196
xy = 24.5
x = 24.5/y

horse heads + human heads = 74
x+y = 74
24.5/y + y = 74
24.5(24.5/y + y) = 24.5*74
y + 24.5y = 1813
25.5y = 1813
y = 71.09803
human heads = 71. 09803

total heads - human heads = horse heads
74 - 71.09803 = 2.90197

PC: What marker was introduced in 1964 and has since expanded into a world-wide product line and multiple colors?

JM: Sharpie! It's funny because my Spanish teacher was telling me about this the other day. The company was originally named Pointie, but they were sued for copyright infringement by a scissors company in '71. Weird what could have been, huh?

PC: On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate Senator Sam Brownback (R - KS) as far as shoelace length?

JM: There isn't really a market for that in Louisiana. If he lived here I think he'd go with a slim DD length, but that's only opinion. Too bad we can't just call him up and ask. Probably just end up talking to a form letter.

PC: Have you ever...

JM: Me or the band? How can you ask that of a whole band? No.

PC: If the Oakland A's were a band, who would be the bassist?

JM: We spent the first 3 weeks writing and recording on a non-linear SWAIF system. Because of that, hardly ever were all six of us in the studio at once. Also, that was the same year Contact came out in theaters so John was tied up with leech duty during the work week. So on average, about thirteen at a time.

PC: How many bulls will die during bullfights this year alone? (clue: 100%)

JM: Thats a trick question. Some are killed before. Spain is actually the last country to deregulate replacement jockeys, which are technically not bulls. The clue was suspiciously helpful.

PC: What is an area of research where mathematical concepts from high energy physics are applied to the seemingly more prosaic field of quantum mechanics? In theoretical physics, supersymmetric quantum mechanics is the answer...

JM: I've heard that very little but phen- omenal progress has been made in Equilibrium Definitions. Ahh and did you know that Pat Cowllingstat was the first to predict a valid collision between a gravitational brown-body and an elemental mogulate. Little extra tidbit for ya.

PC: What time is it?

JM: Recreation has its limits. When the big hand is almost erectly straight up gay up, its noon. No more sleepies. 9 is eternally morbid, gutworm dark outside, not in.

PC: ¿Qué hora es?

JM: ???? SWAIF is a Significant Waste Article Iteration Form. It's just an old school method of converging scrap sound bytes with new, updated ones. I think it's also easier to translate chord signatures in SWAIF, but it takes soooo long to process I don't know why anybody still does it. I don't even think they do maintenance on them anymore.

PC: Is it true that the answer to this question is false?

JM: I would if it worked on the first try.

***Bonus***
What number shows up most often when you roll 10 dice?

JM: January 2010 is our third annual rule 12 tournament. We'll see who really can "push" the limit. I'm not going to name any names, you know I can't do that. Pete Zephir.

--
www.myspace.com/thepeekers
www.parkthevan.com/peekers

A Chat With John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees

2008-12-26T00:14:00.000-08:00

It's been close to two years now since I first heard Thee Oh Sees (then The Ohsees), and I can honestly say that I'm still just as intrigued. It's no small feat when a band can make you clinch your teeth and truly want to blowout all your speakers, then turn around and completely overtake you with the softest melodies and most beautiful reverb you've ever heard. Their newest album "The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In" is definitely one of those teeth-clinchers. Thank God they've got such an extensive catalog, because nothing will satisfy you after listening to Thee Oh Sees except for more of the same.

PC: What about the original OCS project did you like enough to have kept it up now for more than 6 albums and a handful of EPs?

JD: Once Patrick Mullins left, shortly after the recording of "Sucks Blood," I lost interest in doing solely mellow stuff. Although enjoyable at that time, it was time to move along. I still write the occasional mellow number.

PC: How long have you been playing music and what inspired you to pick it up in the first place?

JD: I've been playing drums for maybe 15-17 years and guitar for like 14 years. AC/DC is always my answer to that question because I was obsessed as a young teen.

PC: Can you recall, as a child, the first song that gave you the chills it was so good?

JD: Maybe "Misty Mountain Hop?" My folks liked the stoner stuff quite a bit, so I guess that would explain a lot.

PC: The album artwork for Thee Oh Sees really compliments the eeriness and distortion of the music itself. Who makes the majority of the art that goes in and onto the albums?

JD: Usually it has been me, but "The Master's Bedroom..." and the upcoming "Help" are both dominated by the art of William Keihn.

PC: Do you feel that the addition of a full band over the years has helped to fully carry out your original vision or turned it into a completely different animal?

JD: Different animal..me-ow.

PC: You must be thrilled to have a voice like Brigid Dawson's backing yours. How did she come to be in the band?

JD: I do love her. We met through online dating.

PC: Are there any new artists or bands that you've come across lately that have really floored you?

JD: The Fresh & Onlys, Ty Segall, and Chris Woodhouses' super secret no one's heard em home recordings..

PC: Which of the two would you say gives you more satisfaction as a musician: piecing together a new Oh Sees soundscape in the studio or unveiling one for the first time on a live audience?

JD: Both are so different, but if I had to choose I would say live ...that is a great feeling when you pull it off.

PC: Are there any live acts touring right now that you've been itching to play with?

JD: Not off the top of my head, money would be nice though...so maybe Radiohead will hear my call...scratch that, they are terrible.

PC: Finally, what can listeners expect next LP/EP-wise and how do you see the band's sound changing in the next couple of years?

JD: A full length on In The Red called "Help"...maybe a single or compilation track here or there...I think it sounds better than the last one, but I get sick of my shit by the time it is released so hard to say...it's a burner though, I think.

"Help" is out now on CD, MP3, and pink vinyl.

A Chat With Nima Kazerouni of So Many Wizards

2008-11-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

Nima Kazerouni is a 26 year old singer/ songwriter/ musician living in Los Angeles, CA. My introduction to his music was very much the opposite of the way this process usually goes. Instead of me finding him, he actually introduced himself and his music to me via a short, but personalized, message on MySpace. Now, I usually don’t pay much mind to bands on MySpace, but I appreciated the effort of sending out individual messages to complete strangers and decided to give him a listen. I hope after reading a little about Mr. Kazerouni, you’ll give him the same chance and be just as pleased as I was.

PC: First things first, what prompted you to branch away from your band China Room and start this side project?

NK: I’d always wanted to start a project that was a more complete personal representation of my point of view in music. China Room was the democratic version of that portrayal. Most members who help back up So Many Wizards, though, were former members of China Room and they are extremely helpful in successfully portraying my vision. I guess you can say SMW was the natural evolution of China Room and I am grateful to have friends who continue to support what I do. As for China Room, in early 2008 we put out a 5 song demo, recorded live in the studio, that we are all extremely proud of. We didn’t push it or promote it so not a lot of people out there know about it. It’s our little secret. As for another China Room album, I don’t see that happening in the near future. Together with Furcast (Johann’s new project) and SMW, we have our hands full.

PC: How long have you been playing music and what inspired you to pick it up in the first place?

NK: It was actually my dad who had much to do with my introduction to "playing music." Being a musician himself, there were always keyboards, violins, drums and guitars around the house so as a wee child of about 6 or 7, I would find myself sneaking into the music room to try my hand at whatever instrument was left behind that day. Being a "lefty", the keyboard was the main instrument of choice. I would get so much satisfaction on the old Yamaha synth playing melodies I would hear in movies and on the radio. I think the first melody I put together was that epic melody in "Top Gun" where the good guys beat the bad guys in the air dog fight... Eventually, recognizing my knack for this, my parents put me in piano lessons at around 9 or 10 at a very aggressive rate for a couple years until I gave it up for more "common" adolescent distractions that I won't get into here. It wasn't until late high school that I finally picked up the guitar and learned the basics. From there it was something that just formed into part of my identity.

PC: Which would you say gives you more satis- faction: playing a flawless live set or laying down an incredible new track?

NK: While these are two very different pieces of pie, I have yet to experience the status of "flawless live set. " "Incredible new track" I have much more experience with and that is an extremely fortunate and joyful matter for me and I'm sure any artist. I'll let you know when the former is experienced. . . slowly getting there. . . .

PC: What was the first song you remember that gave you the chills it was so good?

NK: What immediately comes to mind is Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." It's obviously still very epic, but hearing it for the first time in grade school from beginning to end was extremely overwhelming.

PC: What were the last two day jobs you held?

NK: Summer Camp Counselor and more currently, Substitute Teacher for for the L.A. unified high-schools. I've met some cool kids with some high aspirations which is always refreshing to see.

PC: How is SMW different now than when you started the band?

NK: Well, initially SMW began as a solo side project in every sense of the word and within the short months of its creation, it's developed into a very open collaborative effort. I still maintain that sense of independence of a solo project but with some very good people behind me at virtually every angle. Thank you guys!

PC: What was your process for making the art cases for the TREE EP?

NK: The idea here was and is to create a unique one of a kind artistic extension of myself. I wanted to keep it personal and special and the response has been more than amazing. I first hand cut each card board frame and "TREE." Then I paint and glue the TREE figure which creates the cover. Sewing the two pieces together then creates the Case. Afterwards, I go on my typewriter and make a special note that is attached on the inside of the EP along with the CD itself. The animal is the final touch that clasps the EP shut. This takes a bit of time but well worth the effort and my amazing girlfriend has been very helpful in assisting me with this long process. Each one is always completely unique and special.

PC: Tell us a little about your involvement with worldvision.org and what the organization does.

NK: World Vision is a great organization that immerses itself in third world regions of the world to help children and families get through all kinds of hard situations associated with hunger and poverty. Half of the TREE EP funds are actually used to sponsor kids from different areas. So far, I have amassed enough contribution from friends and fans to sponsor a child from Columbia and maintain the sponsorship for at least a whole year. There are other smaller donations that come up with creating clean water sources that I have been able contribute to as well. Hopefully this is only the beginning with what I can do to help out.

PC: What do you struggle with most when making music and what do you feel is your greatest strength?

NK: My greatest weakness I would say is staying focused to a see a great half written song finished. I have volumes of ideas that have yet to be created into completion. The level of A.D.D. and the tangents it creates sometimes gets a bit overwhelming. I think though on that same level, the greatest strength is also the ability to flow so many different ideas for lyrics and melodies which I am very thankful for. I guess I am constantly trying to find that balance that would make me a much more prolific songwriter.

PC: Who are some current bands that you've recently discovered?

NK: My friend Jeff is the know-all of all great genres and the artists that fit into them. Not too long ago, he turned me onto Jay Reatard and I have been hooked ever since. I also became a huge fan of Beach House after seeing a "flawless" live set at the Echo.

PC: What's on the near horizon for SMW and where would you like to be in the next few years?

NK: So Many Wizards is a true work in progress in every sense of the word. I continue to develop this project musically and visually. This process is a lot of work but a great joy. I'd like to be able to take this project to the east coast and overseas in the next couple of years and continue making such great friends along the way. I can't ask for more than that.

Check out So Many Wizards at http://myspace.com/somanywizards or around town, live in concert, if you’re in the Los Angeles area.