When and where you were born?
I was born in New Hampshire, USA in July 1974.
What was the reason you became musician, the guitar player?
My parents are both musicians and encouraged me and my brothers at a young
age with piano, boys choir, and trombone lessons, but I was not interested
in playing music until I picked up the guitar.
Who was your guitar teacher?
I studied with Tom Cravens, a terrific musician, at Macalester college in
St. Paul Minnesota.
Which are your influences in music and for the guitar?
The first songs I learned on acoustic guitar were by Neil Young. After that
on electric guitar I learned Sonic Youth, Camper Van Beethoven, and lots and
lots of Death Metal like Carcass, Napalm Death, and Slayer. In college I
studied jazz like Mingus, Coltrane, Tim Berne and Bill Frisell, and
classical music like Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich, Gorecki, Stravinsky and all the great romantics. After college I got into acoustic guitar again, especially
John Fahey, Richard Thompson, and lots of bluegrass musicians like Doc
Watson, Bill Monroe, and the Country Gentlemen.
Have you favourite records which you like to listen at home?
These days I mostly listen to bluegrass, ZZ Top, the Cars, and whatever new
CDs I get from other musicians I play shows with.
When I heard your tracks the first similar musician which I could remember was Anthony Phillips formerly of Genesis or Martin Simpson, english
acoustic guitar player, who is living in the US. Which guitar players you
like? Why?
With my first release Nad Navillus John Fahey was a huge influence on me. He
will always be one of my favorite guitar players, but I have stopped trying to emulate him. The power of his simple melodies and strong rhythm in the right hand cannot be touched. There is also the heavy mood of his compositions that will never be replicated. These days for electric guitar I listen to Elliot Easton from the Cars, Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, and Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine from Television. They are all strong, concise players who never play more than is needed. For reckless abandon I have always liked Sonny Sharrock and Sonic
Youth.
How you think, which is the main music or the lead musical style in
Chicago, including underground?
Chicago is a large city with many musical/artistic scenes, some of which
receive more publicity than others. It is impossible to say which is the
"lead style" because some would say electric blues like Buddy Guy, some may
say free jazz like the AACM, some may see pop/rock like Smashing Pumpkins,
and some may say post rock bands like Tortoise.
Many post-rock labels and bands are from Chicago. How you can describe this post-rock movement
living in the same town?
I don't know... maybe its the air, water, decaying urban environment, but
bands always borrow ideas and sounds from one another.
Which band is your favourite?
The best band in Chicago right now is called Cheer-Accident. I believe you
can find a live show of theirs at Supersphere.com
As you know all these bands, which band is the most innovative?
Once again, I would say Cheer-Accident.
What is Songs:Ohio? Band, project or?
Songs: Ohia is Jason Molina and whatever musicians he asks to join him. He
sings and writes all material. In the last year and a half I have been
playing with him.
Nad Navillus. How many people are in this project? Or you are the only
one?
Nad Navillus is my name for whatever I want to do. Sometimes it is solo and
sometimes I get people to help me.
Butcher Shop Quartet. Acoustic or electric instruments?
Butcher Shop Quartet at the moment is 2 guitars(electric), bass (electric)
and drums. This lineup could change based on the project. We have also
functioned as a guitar quartet. Butcher Shop Quartet performs and arranged Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Currently looking for a label...
How you arranged "Rite of spring"?
We used the full score, a piano transcription, and over 15 different
recordings (including one for player piano) for reference.
And what about "A-Z Consolidated"?
A-Z Consolidated grew out of the first Nad Navillus Cd as a more indie-rock
band with shared vocal responsibilities. I believe it will return from
whence it came. We will keep working together, but as Nad Navillus, which
will allow me to make changes in sound and approach as I see fit. EP released in 1999, mp3s found on an outdated webpage www.theproshop.org
How you appeared on De Avonden/VPRO radio?
I got the honor of appearing on VPRO as a member of Songs: Ohia while on
tour. Jason arranged for me to record some music and have an interview after
the Songs: Ohia session was over.
Keep your eyes open for another Nad Navillus release due late this year on
either Secretly Canadian or Jagjaguwar.
Date of birth?
25/07/1973
Hometown?
Hastings, New Zealand
Do you know that Karlis is a latvian name?
I dindnt know that karlis was a latvian name. It's greek too. My parents come from Soulinari and Kalamata in Greece.
Your early influences in music?
Marianne Faithful, Prince, The Smiths, Hendrix
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
Drums - seemed like a good idea at the time.
Which are your favourite drummers?
Jaki Leibezeit (CAN), Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Todd Trainer (Shellac), John Bonham, Robbie Yeats (Dead C).
You are playing acoustic or electronic?
Gretsch acoustic drums and sampled sounds from an akai s2000 sampler and octopad.
Are you using samples, computers?
Samples live. No computers live but we use them in the studio quite a bit.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew. Because it still sounds like it comes from far off in the future.
Mark Hollis - Mark Hollis. Because it is so elegant without relying on classical forms.
Please name 10 best bands of the century?
Led Zeppelin
Miles Davis band c. Bitches Brew
John Coltrane band c. A Love Supreme
Can
Radiohead
The Beatles
Kraftwerk
This Kind of Punishment
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Autechre
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you think so?
Autechre for their twisted vision
Radiohead for their use of texture in a pop context
Oval for showing us that glitches are music
Aphex Twin for his irreverence and humour
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Rotor+
Cloudboy
Dimmer
Are you involved in any other band, project?
not right now
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
I dont know - Its not a term I like.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
Shellac
Tortoise
Autechre
Radiohead
Pole
Rotor+
Wu Tang Clan
Dimmer
Brian Eno
deconstructed beauty
beautified ugliness
all musical styles, all approaches that keep quality
at their core
Date of birth of your band?
Early Day Miners formed in during the summer of 1998
Hometown?
Bloomington, IN
Your early influences in music?
my personal first influential record was U2 The unforgettable Fire.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
guitar / vox primarily. I wanted to write my own songs, and found the guitar,
like most kids who enjoy rock music, to be the most appealing way to write
music.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
stars of the lid - the ballasted orchestra
u2 - the unforgettable fire
early eno all stuff from 1975 to 1987
daniel lanois - for the beauty of wynona
windsor for the derby - calm hades float
ry cooder - paris texas
loren mazzacane connors - in pittsburg
talk talk - laughing stock
miles davis - bitches brew
all of the above are records that take you somewhere - i enjoy travelling
music.
Please name 10 best bands of the century?
this is subjective for sure
talk talk - showed the ability to turn a very horrible band into something
genuinely beautiful. It's never too late.
u2 - early greatness, unfortunately they've become a mockery of themselves
in trying to re-attain their early greatness. money + success = bad music
sonic youth - are arguably doing their finest music now - droning, melodic
music without too many effects, which is difficult to pull off.
rodan - used to see them play live while growing up near louisville. one of
the few bands able to pull off compositional music using traditional rock
instrumentation without sounding like ridiculous music like gentle giant or
frank zappa. much better than slint although most people would give me a lot
of shit for that comment.
red house painters - dramatically beautiful, epic arrangements.
rem - another band that although now are not very good, did have a really
great thing going for a while with that whole cryptic, southern gothic
traditional music style.
stars of the lid - glacial music.
red red meat - i liked them very much when 'jimmywhine majestic' came out.
everything i liked about the stones + robitussin.
brise-glace - only one full proper full-length. a self-proclaimed this heat
tribute band. were much more than that though dark, damaged art rock.
This Heat - Way ahead of their time. late 70's - early 80's minimalism in
rock music.
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you think so?
well - although a band may be innovative, that doesn't necessarily mean they're any good. I have a hard time believing there are any innovative bands out now. If you want innovative look to newer, modern music like drum and bass or minimalist techno. if you want music with heart, check out bands that fool around with traditional structures like red house painters or even jim o'rourke. i could rub sandpaper together and get a lot of attention because it's new and innovative, but it would also be unworthy of listening to because it has no emotional value whatsoever. i try and not make that type of music, even though it's very unfashionable right now.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
yes -
panoply academy legionnaires
on fillmore
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Ativin
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
a label used by lazy journalists.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
composers
gorecki
pärt
kancheli
Date of birth?
Ack. It's 8 December, 195fuckin7. Old fart, ain't I?
Which is your real name? Or Little Fyodor is your stage name?
Yes, Little Fyodor is my stage name. I would ask to not reveal my "real" name unless you require that.
Hometown?
Now? Denver, Colorado. Originally? Maybe try Wayne, New Jersey. The suburbs.....
Your early influences in music?
Wonder how early? We'll hit a few stages: Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Shocking Blue, The Ramones, Pere Ubu, Throbbing Gristle, Wild Man Fisher, Syd Barrett......
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
My main two instruments are guitar and slide whistle. Guess my early infatuation with rock got me playing guitar, and then the punk rock thing got me playing songs on it. The slidewhistle is easy to play and easy to improvise on and sounds like a theremin if you treat it right!
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Lately, Beatles, jazz (Mingus mostly), Hawkwind, Greatful Dead (you may barf now if you like), Ramones, This Heat, Leo Kotke.... Guess they hit me deep down. Otherwise I just listen to homemade stuff sent to me for my radio show or by friends.
Please name 10 best bands of the century?
I'll pass. I'm a musician, not a critic.
I have read that Liitle Fyodor are prog or avant band. Is it so?
I would say yes, but maybe not everyone would agree. We are not trying to fit any mold or style, so it would be up to the listener to decide. But we are definitely unusual and interesting, so I think we would qualify. I noticed that one of the bands receiving awards on your website is Thinking Plague, and we have worked with one of their current members, David Willey. So maybe that helps to say "yes"!
It seems that in your band are russians?
Ha-ha, well, we do have some Eastern European heritage, but no, we're really more pretend Russians than the real thing. I take my name from Fyodor Dostoevsky because he had a big influence on me when I started writing songs about alienation and spiritual turmoil. And Babushka--well, she's a feisty, crusty gal and the name just seemed to fit and sound good!
But alas, we're really just wacky Americans!
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now?
Ditto.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Thinking Plague, Hamster Theatre, Winona Righteous, King Leah, Amy Denio, Perry Weissman 3, Space Ape Experiment, Clear, Lords Of Howling, Art Of Flying, Clark and Drake, Jack Wright......
Have you played with them?
Let's see.... David Willey has played with me, and he is in both Thinking Plague and Hamster Theatre. I recently toured Europe with King Leah. I did a show with Space Ape Experiment in Denver in February. I occasionally play with members of Lords Of Howling and with Dave Clark of Clark and Drake. I have played in the past with Jack Wright.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Improvise a lot, whenever and wherever I can!
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
Friends.
Future plans? Recordings with...?
Oh, I do not know what the future holds!
Your date of birth?
July 30th, 1976
Hometown?
Rosario, Argentina
Your early influences in music?
It's really blury for me but I think they could be the noise bands from the late 80's and the early 90's, like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Swervedriver, Slowdive and some indie rocks bands like Helium, Yo La Tengo and Pavement.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
I play the guitar.
At the age of 13 I began to study drumming. After 6 months of studies my mother said to me: "Emiliano, you can continue studying drumming but I am never going to buy you a drum set because we haven't enough space in the apartment." Considering the less space it could took I began playing the guitar.
So my first approach to the guitar was less aesthetic or with artistic purposes than practical. But after some time I discover a very versatile instrument, and I realised that it was what I like it. I could make the most warm, peaceful, earcandy notes and, at the same time, the most annoying, harsh full noises. With the guitar you can create incredible aural images which lead someone to some beautiful place or you can construct something such as a really suffocated room. That's very interesting.
I play the keyboards too, I chose it because all the sounds and spaces you can create with it.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
I believe it could be Pavement's Crooke Rain, Crooked Rain (1994). Clearly I don't know why but it could be because it's melodies and because it's great!!!.
Please name 10 best bands of the century?
Without any preference order:
The Beatles
Sonic Youth
Can
My Bloody Valentine
The Velvet Underground
Kraftwerk
Autechre
Pixies
Pere Ubu
The Beach Boys
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you think so?
I don't have a specific band but it could be The Sea and Cake, Tortoise, Kid A by Radiohead, groups to feel free to do what they feel. Nowadays the most innovative things in music came from the electronica side.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Yes, I believe that all the bands and soloist of the Argentinian label "Planeta X" made the best experimental music in Argentina so far.
They made electronic music, post rock, experimental rock, post-pop, contemporary music.
The bands and soloist are: Sinapsis, Juani, Sumergido, Gina Valenti, Maru, Mentes que Brillan, Audiodélica and Equus.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
I am into a project with drummer of Equus, Mauricio. It hasn't a name yet. It's direction is the abstract electronic music.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
I believe that Post Rock is when you focus your attention in what a total concept of a band or group is. When you are more into building textures, timbres, moments and not into showing the virtuosity.
Is using the rock process to create something which is non-rock. Where you are free to use the studio as any other instrument, trying to give the albums a "plus" and not a mirror of the stage performances.
Is a place where someone could feel free to mix all the eclectic influences to find something new.
Is creating a synergy between the technology and the musicians and resulting in a hot, adventurous new start.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
I'm interesting in the music and musicians who are not afraid to use two anthological confronted concepts, the technology and the traditional form of representing music (I mean, guitar/bass/drum).
Date of birth?
4/19/1976
Hometown?
I was born in New Brunswic, Canada but, I grew up in
Hermon, Maine and now I live in South Portland, Maine.
Your early influences in music?
Judas Priest, The Police, The Doors, Peter Gabriel, The Misfist, Danzig, Metallica, Fugazi, Dag Nasty, All, Nirvana then punk and hardcore like Merel, Downcast, Still Life, Native Nod and Hoover.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
I play bass guitar and guitar (this is where I started) I sing (this is what I really enjoy doing) I play percussion (something i'm getting into) and I play some flute (this i'm just starting).
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Bob Dylan "Another Side of Bob Dylan" - I listen to this a lot I guess because it was one of my first Bob records and I love to sing along to it.
Can "Cannabalism One and Two" we always listen to these for dancing.
Fats Waller "This Joints a'Jumpin'" This is on more of a recent rotation. It is great music for sitting around and doing nothing.
Steven Reich "Music for 18 Musicians". We listened to this all through our European tour and I just can't stop.
Please name 10 best bands of the century?
Erguner Ensemble
Pink Floyd
Can
Fugazi
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
Necdet Ensemble
Miles Davis (Bitches Brew troop)
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Radio Tarifa
The Sun City Girls
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you think so?
I think that the Sun City Girls are a great group of
today because they experience their music and they
take chances and don't seem to stop growing.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Panoply Academy of Legionnaires from Bloomington, IN.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Not really, I write some songs of my own for singing.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock or Avant-Rock today?
Hopefully, it is music that is fresh and happening now
with yesterday in mind but today in the heart.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
Traditional folk of all kinds especially Turkish,
Indian and Middle Eastern.
Date of birth?
19.10. 1960.
Hometown?
Helsinki, Finland.
Your early influences in music?
Progressive and 70's electronic music.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
Keyboards, as they enable me to explore the sonic universe. Guitar, as it
is the instrument I started playing first.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
ELP - Brain Salad Surgery: This more or less made me want to get my hands on a synthesizer, one of my favourite prog albums. Yes - Relayer; Ditto Yes - Talk: This underrated album is the best "Pop Yes" album in my opinion. Sparks - Kimono My House: This is the kind of pop music I like to listen. Quirky but fun. Wendy Carlos - Beauty In the Beast: This album opened my ears to microtonal tunings. Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine: I changed my style drastically after getting into Kraftwerk seriously when TMM came out. Zinkl - Circus Maximus, Plexus Andromeda and Underwater (with Alquimia): Very original and intriguing modern progressive electronic music. Ozma - A Huge and a Silent Place: great dark ambient stuff.
Please name 10 best bands of the century?
Impossible - there are too many good bands!
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you think so?
There are many innovative bands and artists outside the mainstream, like Zinkl.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Höyry-Kone and Alamaailman Vasarat (related bands), Nemesis.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Not really, but I'm going to do some collaborations with other bands and artists in the near future.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
In my case it means sharing some of the rock (in all of its flavours) aesthetic but essentially trying to create something new that's never been heard before.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
I'm trying to develop my style further away from other styles, so I can't
specifically name anyone here. All innovative and interesting, or just
plain beautiful music is important to me.
Date of birth?
January 20th, 1978
Hometown?
Born in Paisley, Scotland. Currently living in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Your early influences in music?
Probably the songs that my mom sang to me when i was young...
scottish folk songs...
rod stewart.
neil sedaka.
the beach boys.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
I play guitar and sing. My friend was a drummer... so i bought a guitar...
Your musical direction?
Individual influences melt together, into one another, at the core. Embracing one another, dancing harmonies, weaving the sounds into a blanket of fleece, painting with the sound, the song, from a palette of sounds, notes, rhythms, and poems. Everything comes across the chasm to
meet a single set of ears another mind that will repaint the song on it’s own canvas. The goal is to make the chasm pulse and glow with the sound, warm the space and invite the listener in. Shorten the distance across. Absorb them.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
slowdive - souvlaki
spiritualized - lazer guided melodies
verve - storm in heaven
mojave 3 - ask me tomorrow
godspeed you black emperor - lift yer skinny fists...
radiohead - OK computer
swervedriver - ejector seat reservation.
Great music.
Please name 10 or more best bands of the century?
swervedriver
the beatles
radiohead
elvis presley
portishead
verve
spiritualized
slowdive
tortoise
jimi hendrix
velvet underground
the doors
godspeed you black emperor!
wait, it's a new century isn't it....
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
godspeed you black emperor! - why? instrumentation.
tortoise - why? instrumentation and time signatures.
future sound of london - why? mood
spiritualized - why? volume/noise balance(i.e. intro on live at the royal albert)
portishead - why? balance between jazz grooves and funk grooves
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
I think our band, a northern chorus, is pretty innovative...
you'll have to hear it and decide for yourself...
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Nope. No time.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
Everything i guess...
Gotta hear to learn...
Date of birth?
i was borne on a pirate ship...
Hometown?
St.Catharines, Ontario and Victoria, BC.
Your early influences in music?
when i was really young - like paper-route young (7-9), i would take ALL the collection money and go to the record store... I was buying King Crimson, AC/DC, J Geils, Velvet Underground, and Bauhaus...
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
i am playing guitar, bass, keys primarily, but exploring other stuff...i chose it because it was there...but i play it because i am sadly not proficient or necessarily
talented...but these sounds - i love these various sounds...
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
oh my goodness...i feel dirty even considering this...well let's see - this is what is coming to mind at 4:23 AM...and will always change moment by moment...readers: i am sure you sahre my pain...even as i am answering other questions, artists keep entering the radar
Velvet Underground - any, Bob Dylan - Another Side..., King Crimson - all early pre-76, the Cure - 77-82 material, "The Harmony of The Spheres" compilation... perfect from beginning to end (on Drunken Fish Records), Spacemen 3 - Dreamweapon, Joy
Division, - all New Order - Movement, Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy, Low - Secret Name, Cream, - all Jimi Hendrix, the Police (pre Synchronicity), Sun Ra, - any Miles Davis, any Thelonious Monk, any Charles Mingus, any Radiohead - Ok Computer ONLY (i hate all other RH),
REM - first 2 rekkids this list is actually just going to continue on and on - for the record - with the exception of the Early Day Miner's, inclusion of U2 (of which i was shattered to read and needed to go get drunk),... i think everything all the other bands have
listed also readily falls into this category.... A Silver Mount Zion - stark and wonderful, Swearing At Motorists - Number Seven Uptown, Early Day Miners - "Placer Found", Bedhead, Codeine, Slint - "Spiderland" - a touchsrtone record if ever there was one Bastro - their cover of My Dad Is Dead's "Special" is beautiful, Bitch Magnet, Yardbirds, Flaming Lips, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag (pre Rollins), Stooges, Bowie (early), T Rex, Seam, Mule, all Butthole Surfers - Rembrandt Pussyhorse - this bands 80's output
was far beyond, it's time Zappa - Absolutely Free, Melvins - Gluey Prch Teatments, Killdozer, M. Gerald was such an underrated lyricist, Echo and the Bunnymen - early LP's Didjits - Hornet Pinata, The Ex, NoMeansNo, Alice Donut, Stars Of The Lid - any Dirty Three, Rachels, Rodan, Labradford,
Stockhausen, Eno, Conrad, Tenney et. al - because i find all their work and toil and efforts so rewarding when you give it the time..
Trans Am - D.C., Jessamine - Portland, Oregon, South Pacific- Toronto, Ontario, Isobella - Jacksonville, Florida, It Rains Into The Sea But Still the Sea is Salt - Knoxville, Tennessee, Tiger Saw - Newburyport, Mass., 27 - Easthampton,
Mass., Hollowphonic - Toronto, Ontario, Thanatopop - Toronto, Ontario, Couch - Berlin, Germany, Mogwai - Scotland, Smog, US Kammerfilimmer Kollektif, Unband - Easthampton, Mass., The Fugs - NY City, NY, And You Will Know
Us By The Trail Of Dead - Austin, Texas, Drain - Texas, Cherubs - Austin, Texas, Beaver - Amsterdam, Engine Kid - Seattle, Washington, Superconductor - Vancouver, BC, Panic Coast - London, Ontario, Thinking Fellers Union San Fran., California, Sun City Girls, Tarwater, Calexico, Steve Reich, Tortoise, Gastr Del Sol, Duster, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Papa M plus all of the bands listed by other bands(including all the other bands that have participated) with the distinct EXCEPTION of U2, and Elvis...(I had to go have a few stiff drinks to accept that the Early Day Miners, who I am huge fan of, had listed U2) and i would also
like to add that listening to early Delta guitarists (1900's to 1940's) and big band music was also a huge early influence on me
Please name 10 or more best
bands of the century?
these questions make me feel dirty because i just know that i will be walking along and something else wonderful will pop into the brain.... i WILL list 10 new records i have received in the mail that are gettign frequent plays...
Jerk With A Bomb - Same Old Noise
Mercury Program - And all the Suits Begin to Fall Off
Mahogany - The Dream Of A Modern Day
Fontanelle - F
Raising The Fawn - s/t
Picastro - Red Year Blues
Panoply Academy - the newish one
Havergal - Lungs for The Race
Windy and Carl - Consciousness
Songs: Ohia - Ghost Tropic
What is Picastro? Also from Canada? First hearing?
ahh, Picastro - one of my 2 favorite Toronto bands... Picastro is Liz Hysen's band - she writes this beautiful anthemic melancholia...it would really be hard to compare them to anything but i would say Shipping News fronted by a female, with a tinge more dissonance...
You are the third musician who named The Panoply Academy. I saw that they have three names. What they are playing?
ahh yes - the multiple suffix names...i think that it might be a fun way for them to assume slightly different identities and be a little glib at the same time. Although i didn't ask them directly.
Musically? hmmm. if the Talking Heads had been left to obscurity in the 70's then that might be a good starting point to describe Panoply Academy...although i find elements of the Ex, MX 80 Sound, etc. in their delivery...very off kilter...I finally saw them live when i went with Picastro on a little tour-playing in Easthampton
MA with Cerberus Shoal, Panoply Academy, and Picastro..., Cereberus was also fantastic..., Cereberus sounded what it would be like to hear Captain Beefheart crossed with vaudeville done by Tourettes' Syndrome victims, in the middle of a howling windstorm.Very intense. Very dark. but not nihilism dark. there were also beaming rays of light.
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
well i'll try to keep this short - but the following bands all contribute to broadening my scope and palette, and either show me i am on the right track or are vindicating in some fashion - like The New Year, Stars of The Lid, Pan American, Molasses, French
Paddleboat, Raising The Fawn, Sigur Rós, Kammerflimmer Kollektief, Charlambides, Flying Saucer Attack, Bardo Pond, Cerberus Shoal,
Grandaddy...
i think many will agree there are so many wonderful artists out there...i have heard all this empty grumbling that "nothing good has been released in the last few years...what a bunch of hooey! like books - there are so many great artists to explore that i fear i will never have time - but at the same time...i hope i don't exhaust the search either...
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
currently in Toronto, and Canada in general there has been an explosion of great music over the last 2 years - whether they be new bands or bands that have been around longer and just getting their stuff together...some examples...Mean Red Spiders, Raising The Fawn, Test Tone Channel, Weights and Measures, Kepler, Radio Berlin, Two Minute
Miracles, Tally Hum Orchestra, Hot Hot Heat, Pigment Vehicle (I think they have now just broken up), Kid Sniper, another list that could end up way too long...
Are you involved in any other band, project?
well - the thing with White Star Line is there are is no situation where if something is written, i have to think in terms of "gee, that might not fit" - White Star Line is the band where all the misfit songs go...but i do have another little soundtrack type thing...just for my own learning experience...called Motor Neuron... it's a lo fi affair...something may get released, or it may never reach other ears...i will just have to see. Of course, i am also not averse to having some experimental label that dabbles in ephemera approaching me about including a track on a comp or a split single with another band etc...
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
I think of it in these 2 ways - on the negative side, post rock is part of the corporate tradition of attempting to label something it does not understand...in the same way 'alternative' was used in the 80's...nasty product positioning, and terminology for confused journalists... but at the same time, for the bands that use this term to self describe, it's a way for them to project an identity based on their peers or the artistic community they wish to be a part of... will this question ever really be answered?
Which musical style, direction,
composer is important for you right now?
anything i find intriguing is important...music will be an unending experience of learning, self identity, creative expression etc. - so if there is something that tickles my ears, it's important. i am currently finding myself relearning about 20th Century composers like Xenakis, Tony Conrad, Varese, Kerenuk etc. because the unexplored areas they entered are still relatively unvisited...it's kind of thrilling to discover the areas they were mining... but i am not schooled in music in any fashion, so it takes a bit longer to learn about these individuals outside of an academic setting...
Essentially, the most important thing is whatever aids in the process of self discovery...something that might make me go "hmm, why not try this?..."
Date of birth?
I was born on December 12, 1973.
Hometown?
I grew up in a very middle class town in Northwest Indiana named Munster.
The Panoply Academy have several names: the Panoply Academy Glee Club, the Panoply Academy Corps Of Engineers, The Panoply Academy
Legionnaires. Please explain this.
What happens is that people come and go. We don't want to continue the current band without all its members so we rename it. Each incarnation has a slightly different flavor depending on who is in the band. The Panoply Academy is a loose body of work under which each version does its own thing. There is little crossover. We have played some of the other Panoplies music but typically we don't.
The Panoply Academy Legionnaires:
Darin Glenn - vocals, guitar, sampler
Marty Sprowles - guitar
Pete Schreiner - drumset
Nick Quagliara - bass
Your early influences in music?
I was influenced by the 120 minutes staples of the late eighties. I listened to a lot of Camper Van Beethoven, the Smiths, They Might Be Giants, Sugarcubes. You know bands like that.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
I am playing the bass and keyboards. I guess I didn't choose the bass. I was sort of invited to play bass with the Legionnaires. I had previously played bass with the Glee Club. I just started adding keyboard to the music. I have plans to be playing a wider variety of instruments on future projects.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
I listen to "Pet Sounds" by Beach Boys over and over. I love the way the album was produced. The songs are seemingly simplistic but have a lot of nuances. Those are the albums that keep me coming back. I can't give up "Purple Rain" by Prince. "Perfect Teeth" by Unrest is a perfect pop album to me.
Please name 10 or more best bands of the century?
Bauhaus
Sonic Youth
Unrest
Beach Boys
Elvis Presley
the Beatles
Can
the Clash
Velvet Underground
Birthday Party
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
I think that a lot of the innovative music being made now is electronic and dance oriented. A lot of the punk music out there now is as generic as anything I've heard on the radio. A lot of top 40 artists have these amazing compositions behind them. Hip hop seems to be having a resurgence of innovative styles.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
I really enjoy Early Day Miners.
Two of musicians, who are also included on The [Gri:n] Files, named The Panoply Academy Legionnaires among the most innovating bands? Why?
I think we have taken the time to think out songs and intentionally try to defy pop convention. Obviously that is not our whole motivation. We like to experiment with different time signatures and song structures.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
I have a lot of projects that are in the idea stage. I've been sequencing music a lot lately. This is fairly entertaining but I prefer working with others. I am trying to do some solo shows with the stuff I've been working on. It's a time consuming process because I'm writing all the parts not just my bass line or keyboard part.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
I don't know. People label us that.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
I want to be more involved with electronic music and then on the other end of the spectrum acoustic instruments. At times I need a break from the loud. I want to get into writing music that is very simple but builds up layers over time. I want to work on music with a lot of thought dedicated to vocal arrangements.
Date of birth?
October 7, 1974.
Hometown?
Valparaiso, Indiana, USA
The Panoply Academy have several names: the Panoply Academy Glee Club, the Panoply Academy Corps Of Engineers, The Panoply Academy Legionnaires.
There was a personnel change with each name change. In addition, new music was written each time. The spirit was consistent, so we didn't completely change names, but the songs were different, so we changed the names somewhat.
Your early influences in music?
The first time I bought my own albums, my dad took me to Rose Records in Chicago. I bought a Dizzy Gillespie record and a Dead Milkmen cassette. I traded some bike parts for a Stray Cats tape, a Quiet Riot tape, and an NWA tape soon after. I grew up listening to my parents folk, and a few rock, records; and hearing them play and sing folk music. I also listened to classic rock radio.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
I played bass in the Corps of Engineers and drumset in Legionnaires. I played trumpet in junior high and high school. Some high school friends needed a bass player, so I picked that up back then. I was always watching the drummers I played with and sort of picked some things up. Some other friends in college needed a drummer so I bought some drums. I like both instruments--being rhythm section, but also melodic instruments.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again?
In general albums that give me some strong emotional reaction.
Two of musicians, who are also included on The [Gri:n] Files, named The Panoply Academy Legionnaires among the most innovating bands? Why?
People think we play wierd stuff, I think. So we are interesting to watch or hear, compared to bands with verse-chorus-verse structures. I don't think our music is too out, compared to other things. I try to make music I would like to hear.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Three of the Panoply members are in other rock bands that come and go: Intro to Airlift, Turn Pale, Sway Kiss.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
Rock elements used in ways that the masses haven't heard. It's really a misnomer in my opinion--just creative(hopefully) rock music.
Date of birth?
Born October 7, 1977.
Hometown?
City: Moncton, Province: New Brunswick, Country: Canada.
Your early influences in music?
Extremely Varied... at an early age: - early country music, instrumental piano music, classical music, Led Zeppelin, any cheesy eighties rock - later in my teens: Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
I play piano, drums, guitar, bass, but in the band I mostly play guitar because I have played it so long and have a decent knowledge of it.
Which guitarist was your favourite, maybe as external teacher?
There are too many to list but probably somewhere between Billy Corgan, Jonny Greenwood and Michael Hedges.
Talking about the most innovative players, I can name Robert Fripp, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, David Torn, Jon Durant, Trey Gunn. I think
that you will name another names...
I am not a huge fan of prog-rock as a genre so I will steer away from that. I am interested in the guitar players who were very unique yet still allowed a listener to connect to the music: Billy Corgan, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Michael Hedges, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Jeff Martin (Tea Party).
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Smashing Pumpkins - MCIS, Siamese Dream, Gish
Radiohead - OK Computer
Wilco - Summerteeth
Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
Brendan Benson - One Mississippi
Rufus Wainwright - self titles
Paul Oakenfold - Tranceport
Michael Hedges - Oracle, Aerial Boundries
I keep listening to these because I am still able to make the emotional connection with the music.
Please name 10 or more best bands of the century?
of the bands I know... these were the most influential:
Beatles
Led Zepplin
Radiohead
Neil Young
Jimi Hendrix
Pink Floyd
Smashing Pumpkins
Nirvana
Björk
Kraftwerk
Cure
Which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
Sigur Rós, Radiohead, Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, Björk... all of these people are pushing forward with a new sounds whereas most of
us are emulating them in some way or another
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
I would like to think 'hummyr' but in my region innovative is a seldom spoken word, everyone sounds the same.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
yes:
- Jason Haywood (solo act... alt. country)
- have recorded and produced other groups
What is the reason for success for Godspeed You Black Emperor! or Mogwai?
Mainly... it's a very rooted connection with the emotions in the music and originality of the format... mainly instrumental music.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
Radiohead, Classical music (Vivaldi, Dvorak), Sigur Rós, Ron Sexsmith,
Brendan Benson, Wilco, Kent, Björk, electronic music (paul oakenfold, john digweed, squarepusher, u-ziq, etc..), and last but not least the Beatles.
When Illford was founded?
Illford was formed in 1999.
Your date of birth?
1972.
Hometown?
Lausanne, Switzerland.
Your early influences in music?
Very early: The Smiths, The Cure, Talk Talk.
Later: Gastr del Sol, Van Dyke Parks, Red Krayola, Robert Wyatt, Beck.
Why you chose the guitar?
Guitar and vocals. Why Guitar? Why love, why sunshine, etc.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Beatles (all albums): the ultimate songwriting test
Slint "Spiderland": where it all began
Rufus Wainwright, self-titled: genius, that's why
Pink Floyd: early albums
Heavy Vegetable "Undersea Adventures..."
Fugazi "End Hits"
Schostakovitch's "10th Symphony"
Messiaen's "Turangalila Symphony"
John Zorn's "Masada"
Beach Boys "Smiley Smile"
Please name 10 or more best bands of the century?
Red Krayola
John Coltrane
Beatles
Beach Boys
Radiohead
Robert Wyatt
Beck
Nick Drake
Scott Walker
Captain Beefheart
Frank Zappa
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
Radiohead
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Velma.
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Sombre, my solo project.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
Rock without attitude.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
Robert Wyatt.
Date of birth?
5th June 1970.
Hometown?
Birmingham, England (originally Staffordshire).
Your early influences in music?
I suppose my first real influences started around the age of thirteen or so. There were 4ad Records, The Smiths, The Cure and I discovered older artists like The Velvets, Tom Waits and Buzzcocks, etc. Listening to John Peel helped me out a lot.
Which instrument do you play?
Guitar, plus whatever else comes to hand. I just decided I wanted to play it, so I got one and taught myself how.
Which are your favourite albums, that you like to listen again and again? Why?
Slint - "Spiderland" (to remind myself how it should be done)
Buzzcocks - "Another Music from a Different Kitchen" (first sunny day of the year, driving a car)
Sigur Rós - "Ágætis Byrjun" (a new favourite. it just keeps on growing)
Captain Beefheart - "Clear Spot" (dance music!)
Violent Femmes - "Violent Femmes" (memories)
Björk - "Post" (I adore her)
Tom Waits - "Swordfishtrombones" (sing-along-a music)
Velvet Underground - "Velvet Underground and Nico" (I like bananas)
Billie Holliday - "Best of..." (lights down, drink in hand)
Please name 10 or more best bands of the century.
14, in no particular order: (and these are just personal favourites; who's to say who's best?)
Slint
Radiohead
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
The Fall
Sonic Youth
Motorhead
Buzzcocks
Sebadoh
Michael Nyman Band
Velvet Underground
Stereolab
Portishead
Violent Femmes
Led Zeppelin
The Smiths
Which are the most innovative bands currently? Why do you think so?
I think the most innovative are the artists who develop regardless of current trends, so a lot of post-rock bands, I would say are really "following" or "interpreting", rather than "innovating". Radiohead are doing a great job of bringing innovative music to the mainstream. (Blur also, on the last two albums). Stereolab continue to drift, almost seamlessly into new areas. magnétophone are great. Broadcast make music that is instantly recognisable, but unclassifiable.
Do know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known. Who are they?
There is a really good scene in and around Birmingham at the moment and there are some truly great bands about: Jameson, Avrocar, Magnétophone, Starries, Broadcast, Pram, Plone, San Lorenzo, Tele:Funken, Los Planetos Del Agua, Epic 45, Twist, and others. Oh... and Grover!
Your opinion about Broadcast, Novak, Bearos, if you have not mentioned before.
Bearos Records has become a really important force in the local music scene. Also, the label is beginning to get a reputation nationally, if not internationally, for releasing some very strong material. I think the timing has been right, but also a major factor in the label's success is that there's a real sense of co-operation amongst the artists. There's no real competition. We all realise each other's strengths and people seem genuinely happy for any band that is successful.
Broadcast have become almost the figureheads of the Birmingham sound, and in many ways, they are typical of a lot of the stuff coming out of the city: very synth based, quite sophisticated post-rock. It's all very different to the Heavy Metal that Birmingham still gets labelled with! In the UK, Birmingham has never had much of a "cool" reputation (something to do with the accent, I think!) but just recently, things have really picked up.
Novak were one of the bands a few years ago who, with Pram, Plone and Broadcast were, I suppose, the beginning of the current scene. That said, I didn't move to Birmingham until Novak had split up, so I never really heard them!
Are you involved in any other band or project?
I do some solo live stuff, when the mood takes me. I also plan to work with Steve Hough on some new stuff very soon. He has produced most of the Grover recordings and works in a number of bands; Godflesh, Line, Torque, Cable Regime, etc.
What is Post-Rock? How would you describe it?
I'm pretty much with Simon Reynolds (who is generally credited with coining the phrase) on this one: "using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes... using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs and powerchords". I don't know if it's a broad enough definition anymore, though. In essence, I think there are certain recognisable elements: a more limited use of vocals (if not entirely instrumental), often slower in tempo, changes in time signature and tempo, the quiet/loud aesthetic, a tendency to stretch the boundaries of a song. Obviously, none of these traits are exclusive to post-rock, but certainly a lot of the bands have them in common.
A worrying thing I find is that, at the moment, there seems to be a real backwards trend towards lengthy prog-rock jams, which can't be a good thing. I mean, isn't that why punk was invented?
Which musical style, direction, composer or band is important for you at the moment?
Same as ever really: Grover.
We are aware of what is going on, but to be honest, we don't take too much notice of other bands in terms of what we are doing ourselves (unless we think a song is beginning to sound too much like someone else, and then we change it!)
Date of birth?
6th august 1976, parma , italy.
Hometown?
i live in cavriago(re), in the north of italy...a boring place.
Your early influences in music?
the clash, minor threat, ride.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
guitar. i started couse someone told me that girls are strongly attracted from guitar player....
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
slowdive-souvlaki.....immense songs. "alison" kill me every time i listen to it.
unbroken-life.love .regret...........heavy with feelings
the clash-s/t......couse change my life
belle and sebastian-if you feeling sinister......"and they follow you
don´t look back, like dylan in the movies..."
sophia-the infinite
circle........great songwriting.
mark hollis-s/t.....a genius, i hate talk talk when i was a child and my cousin listened their album...but after i had listen that record i consider my self a talk talk fan.
mogwai-rock action....couse it´s the last one, i could say all their works...
death cab for cutie- we know the fact, we´re voting yes (brilliant indie rock)
Please name 10 or more best bands of the century?
the velvet underground (i love all their works...with nico...with dough yule..)
the clash
my bloody valentine
joy division/new order
ride
u2
slowdive
fugazi
the smiths
clikatat ikatowi
stereolab (from the beginnig to "emperor tomato ketchup")
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
oh i´m not interested about innovation in music. i love the artist that make me cry... and i love song that i´d like listen all the day. so my picks today are:
air - (couse make beautiful songs),
boards of canada - (briallint and heartfelt electronic touch),
arab strap - (they have too many good songs),
Múm - (icelandic, rural beat....),
kim hiorthoy - (immense electronic artist),
joan of arc - (tim kinsella is a genius),
stars - (pop is a serius thing)
.... and a lot of interesting german based artist that work with electronic gear.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
no i´m sorry... not for you...but for my land
Are you involved in any other band, project?
maybe in the future... when i´ve got a new computer.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock?
post rock is the sound of the early seefeel...listen to quoquie on too pure.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you now?
musycal style: shoegazing
direction: new electronic things like fleischmann, kim hiortoy,
múm.....soft digital melodies with an incredible human touch
composer: arvo pärt ...and who wrote the ussr national hymn
band: boards of canada
Date of birth?
28 october, 1977.
Hometown?
Southampton, UK.
Your early influences in music?
Er, Nirvana, old Radiohead stuff, Soundgarden etc.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
Guitar. I started off playing bass (and still enjoy playing bass) but I just felt guitar was a bit more interesting to me.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again?
Why? A Minor Forest "Inindependence" and "Constituent Parts", all the
Fugazi records, Tarentel "from bone to satellite" and "In Utero" by
Nirvana.
Please name 10 or more best bands of the century?
For me, A Minor Forest I think are the best band I've ever heard,
Fugazi come close second. Other favourites are:
Sweep the leg johnny
Deftones
Dillinger Escape plan
Ben Harper
Leonard Cohen
Tarentel
Threnody Ensemble
Minor Threat and
Lungfish (in no particular order).
How you think, which are the most innovative bands now? Why you are thinking so?
A Minor Forest, Fugazi, American Heritage, Dillinger Escape Plan, Rumah Sakit and all that kind of stuff really. I just think they're good because they seem to be doing things in their own way, they're all making music that they want to, whether it has mass appeal or not. I have a lot of respect for people like Fugazi who are prepared to do things their own way and don't try and sell themselves with some kind of "image". It's the music that's important to me, not what your advertising campaign says.
Never have heard about Dillinger Escape Plan...
Crazy Jazz-Power-violence metal insanity. Incredible musicianship.
Maybe you know bands in your region which are very innovative and original but are not well known?
Trophy Girls (sort of like Rumah Sakit), Four Man Ghost (very very quiet and haunting, lots of atmosphere)
Are you involved in any other band, project?
Not right now, I'm too busy with other stuff to play in more than one band at the moment. Disoma tends to play quite a range of different things anyway, so I'm happy.
How you can describe - what is Post-Rock? Maybe the new movement of avant-rock?
I really have no idea, I tend not to worry about these sort of "labels" that bands get. I think it's ok to give an idea of what a band sounds like but I think often it can put people off a band when they get given a particular label when in fact those people would probably really like that band if they heard them. Does that make sense? I think it's better to just listen to a band rather than say "oh, they're supposed to be an "emo" band, I don't like Emo so I won't like them."
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you today?
Anything or anybody who is trying something different or trying to do things their own way. It seems to me there's so much Fake music everywhere, stuff that's just produced, bands that are just put together by record labels and managers to make money and I just despise all of that completely. I don't even consider it music really. It's just marketing. So anything that's making a stand for real music made by real people who have to work really hard to produce that music, I think they're the ones who deserve the support.
The Green Dolphin's Poll,
© Dainis Bushmanis, P.O.Box 345, Riga, LV-1050, LATVIA.