Where and when were you born?
Sylvain: I was born in Bayonne, south west of France, in 1971.
Joan: Toulouse, 1975.
Hometown?
Sylvain: Toulouse, for the moment.
Joan: Toulouse.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
Sylvain: I started as a listener, listening to the radio behind the wall of my sister's bedroom.
Are there other musicians in your family?
Sylvain: No.
Joan: No.
Your musical background?
Sylvain: I started the bass and the guitar at 19, playing rock music.
Joan: Self-made musician, sound engineering.
How did your interest in music and composing begin?
Sylvain: Because of the emotions you can feel while you're young and you hear a song that catches your body, with sparkles in the belly.
Joan: By listening to a lot of records.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
Sylvain: I don't really like instruments but I play what is useful to me : guitar, organ, metallophone, piano, melodica, and I can sing.
Joan: Bass, sampler.
What bands/artists/composers were your early favourites and influences?
Sylvain: The first important musicians may have been The Police, The Beatles (after 68), and french singers like Jean-Jacques Goldman and William Sheller.
What was the first experimental music album or concert you listened to?
Sylvain: Maybe Lou Reed's "Metal machine music", that I disliked.
Joan: Einsturzende Neubauten.
Your first band you played with?
Sylvain: A rock cover band, with friends, at 19.
Joan: Les Passants.
How was Watermelon Club formed?
Sylvain: First I was alone, in 1994, with a guitar and a tape recorder. Then we were two, then four. Just the need of creation, right now.
You have released albums on several labels: Alienor, Abus Dangereux, Disasters by Choice, Alice in Wonder, Noise Museum and DSA?
Sylvain: That's because I sent demos to most of them. It was different bands, and different labels. Now I'm on DSA and really happy with it.
How did you sign a deal with them?
Sylvain: Until 3 years ago, there was no contract. Now I try to do it in a more legal way.
Was this easy or not?
Sylvain: Quite easy.
Do you find composing easy or difficult?
Sylvain: Composing can be easy, but making beautiful music is the real challenge.
Have you a need for inspiration to compose?
Sylvain: I have ideas, I use them.
How did you inspire yourself to compose?
Sylvain: Ideas come alone, while reading, walking, playing, watching a movie or listening to music.
Do you compose on the piano?
Sylvain: Yes, mostly, in my solo work. But with bands (Arca, Micro:mega) we create in the studio.
What process do you follow: piano, guitar, computer, laptop, tape recorder or writing notes on a paper?
Sylvain: Anything is good to create music: memory, instrument, paper.
How do you arrange music?
Joan: First I make loops. Then I arrange note by note.
Who would you like to remix your music?
Sylvain: Bernhard Gunter, Silver Mount Zion, Fennesz, Jim O'Rourke, Rachel's, Oval, Labradford, Mark Hollis, Town & Country, Philip Glass, Jean-Luc Godard, Mogwai, Steve Reich, AMM...
Do you use samples or a laptop when you play live?
Sylvain: Yes, with Arca and Micro:mega.
Joan: Both.
Did you ever heard any album or gig by Etron Fou Leloublan, Art Zoyd or Thierry Zaboitzeff, Rock in Opposition legends from France?
Sylvain: No.
Do you have an interest on Avant-Garde and Avant-Rock?
Sylvain: A lot.
Which Post-Rock band from France seems interesting for you?
Sylvain: Man, Encre, Bed, Discom, DAT Politics, Ulan Bator, Don Nino.
Joan: Bastard, Don Nino, Encre, Ueh, Bed.
Your opinion about Air?
Sylvain: I only like "The virgin suicides" soundtrack.
Joan: I think they over-rated, but their soundtrack for "The virgin suicides" is really interesting.
What difference is between French and post-rock of the rest of the world?
Sylvain: I don't know if there is a french identity. Post-rock is anglo-american music.
Do you have plans for the next record?
Sylvain: I'm now working a new solo record based on piano. We have o lot of new Arca tracks. We're working for a second album.
Did you ever heard Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Mogwai or Sigur Rós in concert?
Sylvain: I really enjoyed Godspeed's show. Mogwai are good also. I like Sigur Rós but never saw them live.
Did you like any of them?
Sylvain: Yes, all of them.
Joan: The three of them.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again?
Sylvain: Morton Feldman and Bernhard Günter's records.
Joan: Labradford ("E luxo so"), Arab Strap (self-made best of), The For Carnation (latest LP), Jacques Brel ("Les Marquises").
What was the last album you listened?
Sylvain: "Cornelius Cardew's" pieces by Formanex.
Joan: Boards Of Canada.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
Sylvain: My goal is not innovation but beauty.
Joan: I just want to play my music. I want it to be personal, doing the best I can.
Please name 10 bands/artists/composers of all time?
Sylvain:
Satie
Feldman
Pärt
Gorecki
Ravel
Hollis
Günter
Reich
Glass
Debussy
Joan:
Schubert
Satie
Brel
Pink Floyd
Velvet Underground
Einsturzende Neubauten
Sonic Youth
Massive Attack
Labradford
Dominique A
Your opinion about the last musical year, 2001? How interesting it was for you?
Sylvain: More and more artists, more and more technology, more and more quality but very few things I like.
Joan: Some good records: Hood, Pinback, Dominique A, Bed.
How many concerts you have played in 2001?
Sylvain: One alone, one with Arca.
Do you have a favourite band to tour with again?
Sylvain: Maybe Godspeed.
Joan: No.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
Sylvain: No.
Did you do any session for anyone else?
Sylvain: No.
On February 6th, John Peel on BBC World Service played your track "Doucement, le Grain de sa Peau" which seems to me similar to ASMZ? What
kind of music do you like to listen? Chamber rock as A Silver Mt. Zion?
Sylvain: Yes, i enjoy silver mount zion, and also rachel's. But my favorite composers are Morton Feldman (mainly the piano or chamber music works) and
Bernhard Günter (a german electroacoustic composer). But in my work, in fact, i'm trying to create what i would call "today's french music": melancholic instrumental pieces for piano and strings mixed with electronic glitches. The track you heard on the bbc is taken from my second album, "nocturne impalpable", released by les disques du soleil et de l'acier (dsa).
Why "Nocturne Impalpable" has many short tracks?
Sylvain: That's the shape I choose: something direct, melodic, not boring for someone like me.
Has this album any conception?
Sylvain: The theory is to make this french music I imagined.
"Cinematique" by Arca. Who of you both is the main composer?
Joan: Both of us.
Which instruments are you playing on "Cinematique"?
Joan: Bass, guitars.
How did you find the samples for all these tracks?
Joan: In the streets, in movies, on records, or sampling our own instruments.
How did you record these samples? Did you go to the cinema to do it?
Joan: Taken from videotapes.
Are these samples from the complex films you like?
Sylvain: Yes.
What is the style for Watermelon Club, Micro:mega and Arca?
Sylvain: Watermelon Club was a neurasthenic rock band (r.i.p., 1994-1999). Micro:mega is an ambient-rock duo (third album out in april 2k2). Arca is a cinematic avant-rock band (first album out in november 2k1).
You have recorded 3 albums with Watermelon Club. Why did this band break up?
Sylvain: It was one album and 2 EP's. It stopped because we had no more label.
What other ex musicians of "Watermelon Club": Ariane (g), Julien (bass) and Antoine (drums) are doing now?
Sylvain: Julien plays electroacoustic music as Daigoro. Ariane and Antoine don't play music anymore.
What was the idea for Micro:mega when you started composing together with Frederic Luneau?
Sylvain: We wanted to play ambient-rock.
Which ambient artists you both like?
Sylvain: Labradford.
What do you think of Post-Rock & Experimental movement in 2002? Did you see any evolution?
Sylvain: Experimentation is very active and there are searches in a lot of directions. I don't know what the evolution will be.
Your opinion about The Third Eye Foundation and Hood?
Sylvain: I like both.
Do you like very sad music and tragic tunes as Bark Psychosis, Hood, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, A Silver Mt. Zion, Early Day Miners, The
Third Eye Foundation, Sigur Rós or Arab Strap compose?
Sylvain: I like all those bands, except Early Day Miners that I don't know.
6
Do you like albums "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" by Radiohead?
Sylvain: I don't really care.
Joan: Yes, I prefer "Kid A".
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Sigur Rós, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Hood, Encre or Graham Sutton of Bark Psychosis, who would you choose?
Sylvain: Probably Godspeed.
Joan: Hood.
When did you last cry listening music and what was that music about?
Sylvain: Listening to Léo Ferré singing Verlaine's poetry, a song about the ashes of love.
Any radio show, magazine, Internet zine or distributor's news holds your interest? Which media you prefer to read?
Sylvain: English musical newspaper "The Wire".
Are you involved in any other band or project not mentioned here?
Sylvain: No.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
Sylvain: Mainly cinematographers like Robert Bresson and Jean-Luc Godard.
Where and when were you born?
Thessaloniki, Greece, 25.08.1978.
Hometown?
Thessaloniki, Greece.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
The whole metal concept was the first thing i ever got really excited about. I must have been seven or eight at the time.
Are there other musicians in your family?
Nope.
How did your interest in music and composing begin?
Music is our chosen path as a means of expression and self-evolution. I think the initiative was given to all four of us by the heavy music in the mid 80's.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
Guitar. I like the Marshal feedback.
What styles of music do you prefer to listen to?
Mostly metal.
What bands/artists/composers were your early favourites and influences?
I grew up on a strict diet of Guns'n' Roses' "Apetite for destruction",
Slayer's "Reign in blood", Metallica's "... and justice for all", Megadeth's "So far, so good, so what", Iron Maiden's "Seventh Son of a seventh son" and Wasp's "The healdless children".
Which bands have influenced other musicians of 2bB?
I think that we share similar taste in music more or less.
What was the first Post-Rock or Electronic music album or concert you listened to?
The first record of this kind i bought was Mogwai's "Summer" 7inch. The
concert was Tarwater in France.
Your first band you played with?
It was the band that finally resulted 2 by bukowski. All four of us played music together since our teenage.
How was 2 By Bukowski formed?
After a short brake Nik, Jiannis and I started playing together again in 1999. Soon, Achilleas joined in and it's been like that since.
Please name musicians of your band.
Nik, Jiannis, Achilleas, Jiorgos.
Did all musicians of 2 By Bukowski like they play?
No, Jiannis is the leader and we all have to obey his commands, otherwise eternal pain will be inflicted upon us.
Do they have the same taste as you?
Again, not really. I'm more into meat, Nik likes homecooked food, Jiannis is into healthier stuff and Achilleas like to eat everything, as far as i can tell.
How did you sign a deal with "TeleRAN Records" in Hong Kong?
There wasn't anything singed. It is a collaboration based on mutual appreciation and it is a one-off thing.
"TeleRAN" released 2 track 3 inch CD "Doom/Metal". Please tell me about this record.
"DOOM/METAL" is supposed to be an abstract interlude between "What a long,
strange journey this had been" and "Tech Thrash". Also, in it there could
be hints of things to come...
Do you like to compose long tracks?
We are fond of the evolutive, mantra like progression in songs, so sometimes they tent to become longer. But we never write on a "time code". Our songs become in the process and we have no conscious control over their length.
On April 15th in the UK was released "Tech Trash". Is it so?
This is accurate.
On which labels are your records released?
We have had releases on Jonathon Whiskey, Liquefaction Empire, Poeta Negra, TeleRAN, Popart Records, and others. Our only album so far has been released by Poeta Negra..
When was released your debut album?
In June, 2001. We recorded it on the Christmas holiday of December 2000.
Is your debut album sold out?
It is not a limited edition release.
Do you find composing easy or still difficult?
Given the alignment of our individual spirits, writing is simplest and most genuine process we have encountered.
Have you a need for inspiration to compose?
Who doesn't?
How did you inspire yourself to compose?
We read comic books and horror novels.
What do you write your songs about?
Mostly death, sometimes the near death experience in particular. We are interested in unfolding the basic Secret of All Existence. Some songs are about Ozzy.
Ozzy means Ozzy Osbourne?
Exactly.
Do you think that music can change the world?
It certainly changes ours and that's enough at the moment.
Are 2 By Bukowski popular in Greece or in your city?
This is far removed from our concern.
What do you think of the current music scene in Greece?
Same as above.
Do you know any other Post-Rock band in Greece?
I am not really aware if there's such a thing. There's our friends
A To Fade In. And i have heard of another band called Garden Box who, i think,
are from Athens. Poeta Negra has some quite interesting electronic releases.
Is Vangelis still popular in Greece?
I reckon Vangelis is still very popular everywhere.
His collaboration with Jon Anderson of Yes was very innovative direction. Did you hear any album by Jon and Vangelis?
No, i haven't, although it sounds interesting. Maybe i should check it out...
Do you have plans for the next record?
We are currently in process of recording an album.
How long will be your new album?
We have not decided on the release details of the album just yet.
It will be your second album?
That is correct.
Do you know on which label it will be released?
The most likely one at the moment is
Poeta Negra.
Did you ever heard Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Mogwai or Sigur Rós in concert?
I have once seen Mogwai at the Brixton Academy, in London.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Tool "Lateralus", "Aenima"
Electric Wizard "Dopethrone"
Slayer "Reign in blood"
Entombed "Wolverine Blues"
Metallica "Ride the lightning"
W.A.S.P. "The headless children"
Suede "Dog man star"
Megadeth "Peace sells..."
Kyuss all albums
Guns'n'Roses "Apetite for destruction"
Because this is the kind of music i like to listen to.
What was the last album you listened to?
Tomahawk "Tomahawk" on Ipecac.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
That would be very pleasing, indeed.
10 your favourite bands/artists/composers of all time?
Tool
Kyuss
Slayer
Metallica, before "Black"
W.A.S.P.
Black Sabbath
My Dying Bride
Electric Wizard
Mötley Crüe
Björk
Your opinion about the last musical year, 2001? How interesting it was for you (maybe you have heard interesting bands or albums)?
In 2001 was dominated by Tool's "Lateralus". Anything else was trivial
compared to this record.
Last year King Crimson toured with Tool. Do you like music by King Crimson?
They're cool. I prefer their slow numbers more. It's nice when some bands put a little more effort in their compositions. To me, this translates like they respect and cherish their music more.
How many concerts you have played in 2001?
Four, if my memory serves me right.
Do you have a favourite band to tour with again?
Not really.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
Never.
Did you do any session for anyone else?
No.
How many days of rehearsals did you do for the show or going to do the tour?
Few to none. But this is gradually changing.
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Sigur Rós, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Hood, Mogwai, Mark Hollis or Graham Sutton of Bark Psychosis, who would you choose?
None of them. We are not fans of those bands.
Any radio show, magazine, Internet zine or distributor's news holds your interest? Which media you prefer to read?
I don't have a personal favourite. Brainwashed.com is worth mentioning and
i also enjoy Phil's reviews on the Norman Records site. I don't listen to
the radio, i prefer picking the music i listened to myself.
Are you involved in any other band or project?
No, my main interest is 2 by bukowski. Nik has a deep/tech project in which
he appears as Tekkie (sp?) and also plays with prog band Electrine.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
Heavy music that challenges thought and inner exploration should be number one. The "seeking the palace of wisdom through the road of excess" concept of bands like Mötley Crüe is a very interesting approach, as well.
Where and when were you born?
I was born in Japan 1960.
Hometown?
My home town is a coutry side of Osaka.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
Some Beatles track on the radio.
Are there other musicians in your family?
No.
Your musical background?
Pink Floyd, etc.
How did your interest in music and composing begin?
I think it is just by natural consequences.
Which instrument you are playing? Why?
The guitar. I can not remember why I chose it.
What styles of music do you prefer to listen to?
Rock music.
What bands/artists/composers were your early favourites and influences?
70's Pink Floyd.
What was the first Experimental music album or concert you listened to?
Terry Riley "In C".
Your first band you played with?
A typical student band played pop song in early 70's.
How was Nagisa Nite formed?
I think it is just by natural consequences.
Nagisa Ni or Nagisa Nite means On the Beach?
Yes, Nagisa Ni te means On the Beach.
Nagisa Ni te are the duo of Shinji Shibayama and Masako Takeda. Are you playing live also as a duet?
No, when we play live show, we take the form of electric band.
Do you improvise playing live or recording in the studio?
Yes, of course.
Have your music a Japanese inspiration, sounds?
Yes, of course, because we are Japanese.
Do you use ethnic instruments?
Sometimes.
Have you a need for inspiration, meditation to compose?
It's only sweet inspiration.
How many albums you have recorded?
These are the releases of Nagisa Ni Te up till now. These have been released
by the Japanese label, "P-Vine Records".
What do you think of the current music scene in Japan?
Sorry, I do not know well about the current music scene in Japan.
Which Japanese bands or artists are the most innovative right now?
I do not know.
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Sigur Rós, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Hood, KK Null, Acid Mothers Temple, Boredoms, Cornelius, Merzbow, Mono, Otomo Yoshihide, Sangatsu, Yoshihiro Hanno, Nobukazu Takemura or Melt Banana, who would you choose?
I do not want to spend my time with those unknown (for me) people.
On April 12th I heard your track "The New World" (about 8:46) from your album "Feel" on the "Night Train" radio show (VPRO, The Netherlands). Did you like to perform the long tracks?
Sometimes we play the long track over 25 minutes, but sometimes we play the short track under 30 seconds.
Do you use samples or the laptop playing live?
No.
What process do you follow: piano, guitar, computer, laptop, tape recorder or writing notes on a paper?
A memory in my head.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again?
King Tubby "Roots of dub".
What was the last album you listened to?
The Band "Rock of ages".
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
No.
10 your favourite bands/artists/composers of all time?
Naoki Zushi
Ken'ichi Takayama
Dino Valente
Robby Robertson
Robert Wyatt
Pink Floyd ('70s)
Roy Harper
Cartola
Roxy Music
13th Floor Elevators
Your opinion about the last musical year, 2001? How interesting it was for you (maybe you have heard interesting bands or albums)?
Terro in NY was so terrible.
How many concerts you have played in 2001?
1 time.
Do you have a favourite band to tour with again?
Nagisa Ni te does not go on live tour. I believe that over-doing live performances may ruin our music.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
No, we had not have it.
Did you do any session for anyone else?
No.
What do you think of Post-Rock & Experimental movement in 2002?
Sorry, I don't know well about Post-Rock & Experimental movement.
Do you like sad music and tragic tunes as King Crimson, Bark Psychosis, Hood, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, A Silver Mt. Zion, Early Day Miners, The Third Eye Foundation or Sigur Rós composed and performed?
I like early King Crimson. But I have not ever listened to the others.
Did you like King Crimson 1994-2002?
Yes, I think after 80's King Crimson is also great, but I would prefer to
listen to their early era 1969 to 1974.
King Crimson and Yes are among my all time favourites. Last year on October 29th Yes with symphony orchestra played in Riga. Did you like Yes?
Regarding to Yes, I feel the same, my favoutite is "Relayer".
When did you last cry listening music and what was that music about?
I can not remember it...
Any radio show, magazine, Internet zine or distributor's news holds your interest? Which media you prefer to read?
I prefer to read a magazine.
Are you involved in any other band or project?
No.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
I like an old style Rock band, just like Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
Where and when were you born?
Napier, New Zealand, november 18th, 1975.
Hometown?
Napier.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
my father has always been a big music fan and a guitar player himself, so i grew up listening to guys like miles davis, john mclaughlin, allan holdsworth, jimi hendrix and bill laswell etc. so i didnt really have much of a say in the matter, i was always going to be a musician.
Which genre was the first: classical or rock music?
actually it was jazz, but it was "fusion" i suppose so you could say it was rock.
Are there other musicians in your family?
my grandfather and his sister were concert pianists, my father and 2 of my uncles are (were) guitarists and my younger brother is a musician also.
Your musical background?
i started playing around on the guitar when i was about 5 or 6, me and a friend the same age started noodling around on the fretboard trying to sound like jimi hendrix, eventually i picked up a few chords but i was mainly interested in scales and modes, my influences slowly evolved the way i approached the guitar and i finally joined a band when i was about 13. my first band was an industrial/metal band, i was listening to a lot of godflesh at the time. at around 16 i met jason (johnston) and we started up a jazz fusion type band which followed into a more hardcore version (kind of helmet-ish). by the time i was 20 i was getting sick of the sound of guitars so i moved to Auckland and bought myself an mc303 and started writing soley electronic music. after a while i started incorporating guitar into it and jakobs initial songs/ideas came from that.
How did your interest in music and composing begin?
basically from being inspired by the music my father was playing to me.
Which instrument you are playing? Why you chose this?
i mainly play the guitar, but lately i've been playing a lot of organ/synth stuff and sampling quite a lot, as well as writing quite a bit on fruity loops.
What styles of music do you prefer to listen to?
there really isnt 1 particular genre or style i prefer, a good lesson i learnt when i was young was "there are only 2 forms of music - good and bad" so if there is good hip hop (which there definitely is) i'l listen to it, if theres good folk music i'l listen to that too. i do listen to a lot of post rock but its definitely not the only thing out there.
What bands/artists/composers were your early favourites and influences?
john mclaughlin, miles davis, steve hillage, mark knopfler, jimi hendrix, van halen, beatles, dylan, material, allan holdsworth.
What was the first Post-Rock album or concert you listened to?
bailter space - "robot world" (1993).
Your first band you played with?
septic carcass.
How was Jakob formed?
i had played with jason in a few other bands before moving to Auckland. maurice had been singing for the band, jay and i were playing in before i went to Auckland, i demoed some songs and sent them to jay and morri and told them i was coming back to Napier, when i got back we just started jamming around the demoed songs and it evolved from there.
Please name the musicians of Jakob.
jason johnston (drums)
jeff boyle (guitar)
maurice beckett (bass)
Did all musicians of Jakob like they played?
?
Do they have the same taste as you?
pretty much, but we all have a very wide range of tastes in music.
Your album on "Midium Records" is with number 03. How did you sign a deal with Midium?
verbally yes, a friend of ours paul mclaney (gramsci) had hooked up with "kog" (midium's mother label) and he had a copy of "subsets" on him (we had just finished recording it). hes a big jakob fan so he gave his copy to the guys at "kog", we got a call from them a couple days later saying it was all they
were listening to and they really wanted to release it for us, before that we were talking with "flying nun".
How many albums you have recorded?
we recorded a self-titled/self released e.p/album at the end of 1999 called "jakob", then we recorded a 7inch for "crawlspace records" called "erfo" in mid 2000, then we did "subsets of sets" in late 2001.
Do you have plans for the next record?
we've just recieved another grant from "creative n.z." (government funding for artistic music as apposed to
commercial thanks) (we got 1 from them to record "subsets" as well) so we're in preproduction for "cale:drew" which will be the title of our next album, we'll be hopefully in the studio in july to start recording it, we'll be using "venn productions" studio once again.
Are Jakob popular or unknown band in New Zealand?
yeah i suppose we are, we're quite popular on the student radio stations and our gigs up and down the country are usually full. we've sold a good amount of albums.
John Peel on BBC World Service played a track "Tokyo 2005" by Meterman from their album "The Silver Age" (Midium). How can you describe their musical direction?
meterman, i think, look at a similar direction in music as we do "from a different angle". theirs is more angular and black and white, much more percussive and riff orientated, theyr a great band and a good bunch of chaps.
Are Meterman from your city?
no theyr from Auckland.
Both your songs played on BBC WS on May 9th and 16th: "Calm Rock" and "A Moment From Different Angles" have very good done pauses. Is creating pauses in the tracks a part of Jakob's style?
the use of space in particularly our form of music is a huge part of it dynamically pause and the more quite parts help to accentuate the more intense parts.
Your tracks seemed for me similar to not aggressive Mogwai. Is Mogwai your main influence?
mogwai have been an influence on us since maurice saw them at Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 1998. they're definitely not our main influences but they just came out nowhere playing pretty much what we were doing and it was great to see another band on the same wavelength.
Which of Mogwai's albums is your favourite?
"ten rapid".
Who are the main Jakob influences?
godflesh, smashing pumkins, for carnation, bailter space, straitjacket fits, radiohead, massive attack, tricky, portishead, labradford, high dependency unit, slint, shihad, tool, sonic youth, mogwai, nin, u2, dj shadow, miles davis, bill laswell, helmet, jimi hendrix.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
yeah, it would be nice to considered among our influences of course, but it kind of seems a little out of reach. i think coming from our musical backgrounds that we are always trying to produce something new or innovative, we are definitely not satisfied by whats already out there.
Did you compose tracks longer than 10 minutes as Mogwai did?
yeah, quite a few of our tracks are 10 minutes plus, there is a song on our first release called "means" which is 25 minutes long.
Dadamah, Dean Roberts, Dimmer, Dissolve, Dust, Flies Inside The Sun, Galerie Dessford Vogel, Hash Jar Tempo, High Dependency Unit (HDU), Lovely Midget and Roy Montgomery are listed in my Post-Rock bands' directory page. What do you think of the current music scene in New Zealand?
the current 'commercial' n.z. music scene is really booming right now thanks to a major injection of funds from our beloved labour government, unfortunately the point is getting kind of lost and most of the money is going to american or u.k sounding clones. most of the "big" bands in n.z. seems to be imitating rather than innovating. the main funding system is called 'n.z. on air' which is really not the case, its more like 'american imitaions on air', which is sad because the whole culture of n.z. music, which thrived with bands such as bailter space, straitjacket fits and the chills has been eclipsed by this new influx of commercial concerns, i.e radio play formulas.
Did you hear High Dependency Unit in concert?
i've seen them live around 12 times and have been in awe just about every time ive left the venue.
Do you see any difference between New Zealand's and post-rock of the rest of the world?
we all basically thought that "postrock" was just what we were doing musically, bailter space and straitjacket fits were the biggest influence on most of the bands doing the "postrock" thing in n.z so we simply thought it was the norm, its our heritage, but all these bands from all over started doing similar things and it got labeled "postrock".
Did you see any interesting gig in New Zealand in 2001 and 2002?
murmur, a band from Eellington, who have now disbanded unfortunately, played with us about a year ago, they were great. tortoise, tool also in Welly, shellac and hdu in Napier, mogwai in Auckland, and gerling at the bdo.
What do you think of Post-Rock & Experimental movement in 2002? Which band's album will beat the others as A Silver Mt. Zion, Mogwai or Hood did in 2001?
ive never heard of asmz or hood, i'll have to check them out, if the next for carnation record (if there is 1) will be amazing, looking forward to hearing what dj shadows up to, the new massive attack should be very intersting, hdus next album will be something to look foward to after "fireworks" sounding a little rushed, gramsci - "object" is definitely something to look into.
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Sigur Rós, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Hood, High Dependency Unit, Graham Sutton of Bark Psychosis, who would you choose?
it would have to be sigur rós, they're at the front of whats going on right now.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
high dependency unit - "higher", simply them at their best
bailter space - "wammo", their most cohesive album
radiohead - "kid a", "ok computer", brilliant albums
smashing pumpkins - "siamese dreams", rock at its peak
u2 - "zooropa" - gave innovation to the masses
tori amos - "little earthquakes"
massive attack - "mezzanine"
tricky - "maxinquaye"
for carnation - "for carnation"
gramsci - "permanence"
jeff buckley - "grace"
jimi hendrix - "axis:bold as love"
slint - "spiderland"
looma - "continuum"
What was the last album you listened to?
boards of canada - "geogaddi".
10 your favourite bands/artists/composers of all time?
miles davis
smashing pumkins
radiohead
slint
tricky
bailter space
massive attack
jimi hendrix
godflesh
u2
How many concerts Jakob have played in 2001?
40 odd.
Do you have a favourite band to tour with again?
looma.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or
De Avonden/VPRO radio?
no.
Did you do any session for anyone else?
bfm, radioactive and controlfm.
Any radio show, magazine, Internet zine or distributor's news holds your interest? Which media you prefer to read?
"q magazine" is always interesting, "wire magazine", "rip it up magazine".
Are you involved in any other band or project?
i've done a bit of collaborating with paul mclaney for gramsci, and my brother (who has also collaborated with paul) and i are in the middle of writing songs for a project called clayborn which we hope to release in the near future.
Where and when were you born?
Born in Reykjavík, January 31st 1977.
Hometown?
Reykjavík, Iceland.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
When I got my Shakin Stevens tape when I was like 5yrs old.
Are there other musicians in your family?
My grandfather plays some piano and my other grandfather played trumpet I think.
Your musical background?
Actually there is none.... Just some college band I played in... maybe I'm just experience that period now!!!
How did your interest in music and composing begin?
I always been a fan of music, just listening to tons of wonderful music I just started playing, creating my own tones.
You are playing the guitar? Why you chose this?
Guitar is such a great tool. It's such a complex instrument that you can create some magic sounds out of. I always try to find some way to create something new out of my guitar every time I'm playing.
What styles of music do you prefer to listen to?
I just listen to all kinds of music. I don't prefer classic or pop-rock!!! I just listen to whatever sounds exciting. I prefer all styles.
What bands/artists/composers were your early favourites and influences?
I started listening to music "seriously" when I was like 13. Artists that were the biggest influence on me were like Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones (1968-1975 era) and the Pixies.
What was the first Post-Rock or Electronic music album or concert you listened to?
Can't remember. We didn't have any concerts around here. If I have to name some concert, then I remember seeing Sigur Rós, Stilluppsteypa, Curver and some other bands at my school in 1995. It was very experimental and I it was quite interesting then. Sigur Rós playing at Ingólfstorg in Reykjavík in the summer of 1997 was really something.
Your first band you played with?
Band called Sullaveiki Bandormurinn which was found in a biology class at school. We only played one time live, but we were playing together for 3 years or so. Actually when I play live, all of the members from that band are playing with me.
What do you think of the current music scene in Iceland?
It's pretty interesting. Lots of good bands/artists around. The scene is just so small over here. It's quite hard for bands to get their albums released on Icelandic labels.
Which band is the most popular or innovative in Iceland right now: Björk, Sigur Rós or Múm?
I would say Sigur Rós, because of their unique style. They've created their own thing that is not similar to anything else. They are definitely pioneers. Múm have also done a similar thing, but not as prominent.
Which of Björk's albums you rated as her best?
I don't listen to Björk.
Is "Vespertine" by Björk more popular than "Ágætis Byrjun" by Sigur Rós in Iceland?
??? don't know.... I guess Sigur Rós is more popular.
Had you participated in the Dr. Gunni's poll "The Best Icelandic Albums Of Last Century" for his coffee table book about Icelandic rock music "Eru Ekki Allir I Studi?"? Did you agree with the results of 200 "professional people" and 4000 "regular people"?
No I didn't... I think he just did the list by himself ?? But I'm not sure, so I didn't even get a chance doing that !!!! Well I haven't listened to all of the albums on the list.... but Spilverk Þjóðanna are great lots of stuff on there... Instead of Spilverk Þjóðanna at #3 I would have put Hinn Íslenski Þursaflokkur - "Þursabit"...
etc.
Your Top 10 Icelandic albums of all time?
Here are some... but I guess I will forget something though...
Lárus Sigurðsson - "Jarðhörpusálmar"
Sigur Rós - "Ágætis Byrjun"
Hinn Íslenski Þursaflokkur - "Þursabit"
Sofandi - "Ugly Demos"
Bag Of Joys - "Nú á ég vermand vini"
Múm - "Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today is OK"
Sigur Rós - "Von"
Gunnar Jökull - "Hamfarir"
Curver - "Haf"
Náttfari - "demo"
Lárus Sigurðsson - "Encounters"
Which other bands in Iceland are very innovative? Borko, Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive, Kuai, Sofandi?
Sofandi are great. Their album "ugly demos" was the best Icelandic record of 2001 for sure. Borko (Iceland)
I've heard once live, and he's quite Múmish. Kuai are also pretty good. Dr. Heckle & Mr. Jive
, haven't heard them. Sofandi are the most innovative of these bands. There is a band called Náttfari that are brilliant. Kimono is also quite good.
Your opinion about Rymi, Trabant and Úlpa?
I've heard Trabant and Úlpa, but not Rymi... Trabant are pretty good though I've only heard them live once and Úlpa are also pretty good, but only heard them live so far.
I heard a track by Leaves on BBC WS this year. Maybe next big (pop) thing from Iceland?
Haven't heard much... but what I've heard sounds poppy and that's not bad at all !!!! I guess they'll be more popular in this year... getting bigger....
Do you know what is Heida of ex Unun doing?
Probably baking pancakes or working as and truckdriver... No I'm not sure... I think she's doing her own stuff... I really don't care or know anything about her !!!!!!!!!!
What means Stafrænn Håkon?
Actually Stafrænn means Digital. Håkon is just a name!!!! So Håkon is digital(!!!), but he's not in fact... That's because he's called Stafrænn Håkon, he's more of like analog Håkon in fact!!!! The name is just funny, so I started using it... doesn't mean anything to me!!!
Do you find composing easy or difficult?
Both. It depends in what kind of shape you are. Mostly it's just coincidence, something just happens and suddenly a song is born.
Have you a need for inspiration to compose?
Not necessarily. Most of the music is just compiled energy from some period in my life, that explodes into sounds or something.
How did you inspire yourself to compose?
Don't have certain thing going on for an inspiration. Maybe something comes into my mind and the sounds are like connected to that.
What do you write your songs about?
Whatever. I don't use any song themes or whatever, the sound is the main thing, built with my boiling mind.
How do you write songs?
The melodies are mostly created on my acoustic guitar. Then I make some kind of a drum loop for the main line. Then record the whole thing using my 4-track & CPU, it's as simple as that.
Do you use samples or the laptop playing live?
I always use samples from a cd or mini disc.
What process do you follow: piano, guitar, computer, laptop, tape recorder or writing notes on a paper?
Just whatever, there is nothing specific. The process depends on each song. Some songs are born on the
4-track recorder, some on the piano, but most of the songs are written on guitar.
What difference is between Icelandic and post-rock/Electronic music of the rest of the world?
None I guess. There is just not as much going on over here. Not as many live shows going on, so the bands here are not as well practised as bands from other countries. When bands come over here to play, they are much more tighter than Icelandic bands are. So we should do more practising.
With S. Sammi (g), S. Stulli (bass), S. Kjarri (keyboards) and S. Töddi (trombone B-39: playback) on March 13th you have played at Icelandic Opera House before Godspeed You Black Emperor! Did you know personally musicians of GYBE! before that gig?
I did not know any of them before, and I still don't. I didn't get a chance to even speak to them at all. I spoke a little with one member and he was really nice. And yeah I talked pretty much with the guy on the lights who is the bass player for Fly Pan Am, he's a really nice guy.
Was this your first performance at Icelandic Opera House?
Yes first time I played there, and probably the last. It was pretty weird playing in front of all the people. We only played for like 100 or 200 people before, so this was really something. I mean all the people were quiet and actually listened to the music, most of them were there to hear some music, not to meet other people and drink their beers.
How was the reviews and reaction of the audience after your performance?
I've heard good and bad things about the show we did. That's quite normal, so I don't care actually because I was quite satisfied with our performance.
Who asked you to play before GYBE!?
Kiddi Kanína asked me to play. He runs the Hljómalind Record store here in Iceland, which is like the only cult record store over here. He's has done lots of things for the music scene over here, and without him the scene would not be the same.
Árni Viðar Thorarinsson of Spur Pópunar about your music wrote to me: "The music is kinda similar to Flying Saucer Attack, sure... only without the vocals. It also reminds me of Windy & Carl, Labradford, Charles Atlas, Papa M and even Godspeed You Black Emperor! & Sigur Rós. Jónsi from Sigur Rós is also quite a fan....." Is it true about Jónsi of Sigur Rós?
I guess he's not a fan, but I've met him few times around here and he told me once that he liked some of the stuff. That really surprised me, didn't know that he bought my records. That's fine if he likes it, a great honour for me since I've been a big fan of his music for a long time.
As you have played with Will Oldham and Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Árni Viðar Thorarinsson wrote, that you are "quite a cult figure in Iceland". Do you agree with him?
I'm not sure of that, well if Árni says so, then it could be true!!!. I'm not trying to though, I just write music my own way, trying to entertain myself and that makes me more enthusiasm creating my own thing. I'm quite happy with my music, it's relaxing and that does it for me. I like slow ambient music, it clears my mind.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Velvet Underground "White Light, White Heat" - very inspiring, very raw, just a very cool record.
Nick Drake "Pink Moon" - probably the most emotional record ever made.
Slint "Spiderland" - this is a killer record that really changed my musical
interests.
Bob Dylan "Blood On The Tracks" - Dylan just doing such a great songs on this record, especially "Idiot Wind".
My Bloody Valentine "Loveless" - one of the first records I bought that could be considered as indie music.
Neil Young "Unplugged" - best unplugged album I've heard and it's just a wonderful record.
Teenage Fanclub "Catholic Education" - these guys make me happy every time I listen to them, excellent summer music.
Mogwai "Stanley Kubrick" - it's a really beautiful record, actually one of the best EP ever.
Labradford "Mi Media Naranja" - just simply one of the most beautiful ambient albums of all time.
Lárus Sigurðsson "Jarðhörpusálmar" - my favorite Icelandic record.
Aphex Twin "Selected Ambient Works 1 (86-92)" - just so chilling and cool.
The Folk Implosion "One Part Lullaby" - Lou Barlow is the best songwriter ever and this record is the best pop album ever.
Sonic Youth "Evol & Sister" - just so dark and the sounds are stuck in your head for the rest of your life.
Smog "Red Apple Falls" - one of the finest country music I've heard.
Sebadoh "Rockin' The Forest/VS Helmet" - this is just so cool sounding I don't know what to say.
What was the last album you listened?
Górecki's "III Symfonia". The most beautiful thing I've heard in a long time.
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
I don't think about such things. I just try to have everything as simple as possible, I hate to complicate things. If my music ever gets innovating that's just a great thing. I don't care though. I'm happy about the 50 people who bought my album already in Iceland. The music will probably never get big in any way.
10 your favourite bands/artists/composers of all time?
Nick Drake
Sonic Youth
Lou Barlow (Sebadoh/Sentridoh/Folk Implosion etc)
Teenage Fanclub
Neil Young
Talk Talk
Mogwai
David Pajo
Górecki
Velvet Underground
Low
I am also a big fan of Talk Talk. Which of their albums do you like?
I think Talk Talk are fantastic... I can't make up my mind about which is my fav album of theirs!!!!! I guess at the moment "Spirit of Eden" is my fav.... because I last bought that one... "Laughing Stock" is at the same level as "Spirit of Eden", so they are pretty close sounding !!!! "The Colour of Spring" is also pretty good but not as good...
Your opinion about the last musical year, 2001? How interesting it was for you (maybe you have heard interesting bands or albums)?
There was a lot of interesting things going on last year... Jim O'Rourke's album was fantastic, also the Papa M record. I discovered the brilliant band Explosions In The Sky which are pretty good. Lot's of great albums from 2001... Low, Labradford, and also Tindersticks (the soundtrack they made).
How many concerts you have played in 2001?
I think we played 4 or 5 times.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC or De Avonden/VPRO radio?
No.
Did you do any session for anyone else?
No.
What do you think of Post-Rock & Experimental movement in 2002?
It's always growing bigger, it's probably going to be like the "shoegazing" thing. "Post-Rock" is just so big scene, everything is post rock now, I guess it's just experimental rock or something, don't know though. This movement will explode soon.
Your opinion about The Third Eye Foundation and Hood?
"You guys kill me" by The Third Eye Foundation
is a great album, I used to listen to it at some point. I haven't heard Hood that much, just that "Cold House" album I have that, but haven't listen to that much yet.
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Björk, Sigur Rós, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Mogwai, Sigur Rós, Radiohead, Hood, Graham Sutton of Bark Psychosis, who would you choose?
I think I would choose Sigur Rós or Mogwai. Well it would be interesting to play with all these artists!
When did you last cry listening music and what was that music about?
I'm pretty close crying when I listen to "Get On Jolly" by Bonnie Prince
Billy & Marquis De Tren. It's such a sad album, also Górecki's "3rd symphony".
Any radio show, magazine, Internet zine or distributor's news holds your interest? Which media you prefer to read?
I usually read the Fakejazz site, and also Pitchfork sometimes. I don't
listen to any radio show, sometimes just some special Icelandic shows here like "Alætan" (Dr. Gunni) or "Sour Cream" (Hr. Zíri) or "Rokkland" (Óli Palli) or "Karate" (Andri) , these are the only ones playing some nice music.
Are you involved in any other band or project?
I've been working with an artist called Lárus Sigurðsson. We are going to release some stuff this year together. That music is just total improvised guitar ambient drones. Also I've been playing some guitar with the electro band Ampop.
Did you know that Ampop's track "Made For Market" was played on BBC-1/John Peel on May 21st?
Yes they told me... it's pretty good for them getting aired on John Peel!!!!
How do you feel about these news?
Uhmm ... I guess I'm happy for them... They've been working hard on their recent material and they deserve something like this... they are pretty interesting electronic band that i like... i think their music is exciting and has beautiful sounds!!!
Where and when were you born?
Oswego, New York, February 6th, 1971, as men were walking on the moon for the second time.
Hometown?
Oswego, NY, USA.
Do you remember how you first got into music?
In Elementary School, friends and I would sing Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"
into a tape recorder through a portable microphone attachment.
Are there other musicians in your family?
My Grandmother was so good a pianist that the instructors at her High School wanted her to join the concert cirquit as a professional pianist. She refused, wanting instead to wed her High School sweetheart and start a family. That's the only musician in the family I know of.
Your musical background?
Clarinet in 4th and 5th grade, chorus in Middle School, and self-taught guitar from age 16 on. I bit of dabbling with keyboards as well.
How did your interest in music and composing begin?
My friend Josh bought an acoustic guitar and started taking lessons when we were both 16. It struck me that I should like to have a guitar as well, and so badgered my mom into letting me buy a cheap Alvarez. I started writing my own stuff right away, but didn't get at all good at it until well out of College.
Why you chose the acoustic guitar?
It was soft enough so as not to irritate my mother, and that was key in regards to talking her into letting me buy the instrument. I wanted to take it in Elementary School, but they didn't offer the instrument.
When you started to sing which of vocalists were your idols?
Mmmm, I didn't really idolize vocalists, but at the time I liked Peter Gabriel, Aerosmith, The Cult, Led Zeppelin and stuff like that. I was more into the guitarists.
Which are your favorite vocalists in music you are listening (no boarders)?
Scott Walker, Chan Marshall, David Bowie, Jason Meritt, Jenny/Jane Sorenti, Catherine Ribiero, Diane Cluck ... there are so many its hard to list them all.
What styles of music do you prefer to listen to?
Variations on folk or acoustic music mostly hit the mark for me these days, but I also love the heavy shit, like early Bowie, proto-prog, Krautrock, anything with strong melodies and conservative use of compression. Today's heavy rock just sounds like crap, for the most part. It's squeezed into a band with the size of your hair.
What bands/artists/composers were your early favourites and influences?
Chronologic influences:
Peter Gabriel
Adam Ant
Duran Duran
Aerosmith
The Cult
Black Sabbath
Deep Purple
Led Zeppelin
Sonic Youth
Mudhoney
Nirvana
Slint
Polvo
Erectus Monotone
Leonard Cohen
Nick Drake
Joni Mitchell
Tim Buckley
Biglietto Per L'inferno
Osana
Saint Just
Catherine Ribiero + Alps
Guru Guru
Paternoster
Forest
Mellow Candle
Supersister (The Netherlands)
Scott Walker
then countless others
Who are your influences?
Filmmakers, musicians and artists who deal with melancholia, grandeur, sweeping themes, or unflinching self-examination.
What was the first Experimental or Avant-Garde music album or concert you listened to?
Cripes, I dunno. Liggiti's work on Kubrik's 2001, I guess. The first one I attended would have been the Japanoise fest at the old Knitting Factory. It was Fushitsusha.
Are you the same Greg Weeks who has written an article on Univers Zero, an avant-rock band from Belgium?
I'm not sure if I've written an article on them, but I've written about their albums in the New Sonic Architecture catalogues. There was an article about them in one of the NSA books, but I can't remember who wrote it, me or Matt Martens.
Are you the same Greg W. who named his 13 top albums of 2001 for Almost Cool Readers' list?
I don't think so. What was the list? How many Greg W's can there be writing top ten (or thirteen) lists? It must have been me, right?
Your first band you played with?
We didn't have a name. It was me, my friend Josh, and our friend Tom playing
covers of Hendrix, Skynard and Grateful Dead in Tom's basement. After that I
started a band called Wormwood Star, which never went anywhere. Then I did a project with this other guy before I started writing solo acoustic material.
How did you sign deal with Ba Da Bing and Keyhole?
Ben from Ba Da Bing! found my record in a 99 cent bin in Other Music in NYC,
based on the cover art and what he thought was the band name. He asked if I'd contribute a track to his compilation, we had dinner, and he ended up re-issuing my self-pressed debut.
Michael from Keyhole and I met through an e-list for Smog. We swapped music,
liked each others stuff, and the rest evolved from that.
You have released 3 albums, can you describe them?
"Fire In The Arms Of The Sun" is me cutting my teeth in the studio. To my
ears the songs sound mostly incomplete and amateurish, if not embarrassing. It's primarily myself on guitar and vocals, with a few tracks supporting cello, mellotron, mini-moog and Fender Rhodes. Some people really love this record. I view it as an evolutionary step forward.
"Bleecker Station" is an EP built around voice and acoustic guitar recorded
to 4-track. Thematically it revolves around an idea I had to write a song a day for my girlfriend of the time. It lasted 8 songs. I like this record quite a lot, but it's tough to listen to.
"Awake Like Sleep" is a fully realized studio recording which abandons the
emphasis on acoustic folk, and instead explores a dark-edged chamber-folk, laden with psychedelic and progressive rock elements. I'm quite proud of it, but do not intend to duplicate it with future recordings. It stands alone as a specific time in my life that I can't repeat; a very grim time that managed to spawn something beautiful, at least to me.
How many tracks are featured on Acuarela Songs?
Of mine? Only one. One song from each artists asked to contribute.
Are all these tracks new?
Almost all of them, I believe. My song, "The Waves", is brand new. It's a
trilogy, and a rock song. I had a blast doing it. Rocking out is fun.
How do you write songs: with or without the guitar?
With an instrument. Guitar, piano, whatever. I rarely write melodies in my head first. It always starts with a few notes on an instrument, for me. I search for something which tonally compliments my mood, then I write in my head from there, finding on the instrument what i want to come next after those first few notes.
What do you think of the current music scene?
The folk underground is healthier than it's been in 30 years, but the overall state of the industry side of music is abysmal. Music exists only as a hobby for those who glean from it any satisfaction. There is almost no way of making a living on music here in the States. The system is fundamentally corrupt, and needs to be razed to the ground and rebuilt. There are
promising technological developments surfacing which can help rectify this situation, but policy makers fed by corporate greed are doing all they can to quash these emerging resources.
Do you think that music can change the world?
No. The Beatles proved that it can't. It can play a small role, but on its own its most effective in swaying individuals, not nations.
What is the avant-garde or innovative-rock scene in New York right now?
The big thing here in NYC is electroclash, which really doesn't exist as a
movement, but more so as an aesthetic. Many of the bands categorized by this term rebel against its very notion. There is no emerging avant-garde, just a sustaining of the same small forces that have been working in the vein all along. To that end, Tonic would be the main avant-garde venue in Manhattan.
Do you have plans for the next record?
Yeah, I'm gonna with old the two albums of folk-related material I've worked on (for budgetary reasons) and head straight for the more rock-oriented, synth-based, band-centralized material I've been working out. Should be cool. Actually, the next record is an EP for Acuarela that has been recorded and is now in the mastering phase. It's electro-folk-rock stuff.
Did you ever heard Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Mogwai or Sigur Rós in concert?
Mogwai, yes. They didn't do much for me. I don't care too much for Sigur
Rós. I saw Molasses, a Godspeed side project, and they were quite good,
excepting the vocals.
Which are your favourite albums you like to listen again and again? Why?
Love's "Forever Changes", because it's so of and outside its time. "Scott 2" because it's so god damn powerful and perfect and bittersweet. "Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath" and "In Rock", because they are by turns ferocious and hooky
and drugged out cool. "Macy's Day Bird" by Diane Cluck, because her voice
and delivery and songwriting is otherworldly. "Rosemary Lane" by Bert Jansch
for its understated beauty. Really, I could list 20 more records, so ...
What was the last album you listened?
Jeffrey Lewis' "The Last Time I Did Acid and Other Favorites".
Have you a wish to be among the most innovating and important bands in the world and to beat the band from which you have got the main influence?
I don't wish to beat any bands who have influenced me, but it would be nice to meet them on their own terms. The thing about influences, if you're good enough yourself, is that you transmute them into new influences for the next generation of musicians coming up. It's not about trumping them or showing them up, it's about the spirit of the music itself.
Your 10 favourite bands/artists/composers of all time?
I couldn't possibly complete such a list. If you have the right perspective on life and music, this list should be ever changing.
Your opinion about the last musical year, 2001? How interesting it was for you (maybe you have heard interesting bands or albums)?
It was one of the most disappointing years for music I've experienced. 2000 was a fantastic and exciting year for new music and return bands, but 2001 was rehash central, and boring to boot. I couldn't even finish a complete top ten year end list.
How many concerts you have played in 2001?
Oh, more so than in any year previous, I'd say. Europe, west coast, east coast. Lots of fond memories. Most are documented on my website: www.gregweeks.net, and I'm working on filling the holes.
Do you have a favourite band to tour with again?
I always love playing with my pals in Timesbold. I'd be keen on doing dates with Shannon Wright, who, aside from being a lovely person, has the best moves in Rock and Roll.
Have you recorded a session for the BBC radio?
No, that would be awesome! I don't know if John Peel has ever even heard my stuff.
Is this your first session for De Avonden/VPRO radio which was broadcasted on September 13th, 2001, 2 days after the tragic day when was released your album "Awake Like Sleep" too?
Was it broadcast then? Yikes. Yeah, that would have been the first one, cuz the second sessions were after the 11th. I recall this because of something one of the on-air personalities said to me when I was waiting to get into the building. He, very confrontationally, mentioned something about those deaths being the fault of American policies in the Middle-East. This is true, but it hardly waranted the deaths of all those people who had nothing to do with covert political actions. Anyhow, I knew he was fishing for a reaction from me, so I didn't satisfy him by giving him the angry reaction he wanted. It was in poor taste on his part, and not in keeping with the
high level of hospitality we get from the VPRO staff, who are great, great people.
Did you compose a track "Cold Water" exclusive for De Avonden's Christmas Show?
Yes.
Did you do any session for anyone else?
Not as of yet.
Do you like sad music and tragic tunes as Bark Psychosis, Hood, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, A Silver Mt. Zion, Early Day Miners, The Third Eye Foundation, Sigur Rós or Arab Strap composed?
I like most of those bands, and am very much predisposed to liking melancholic or dark sounding musics. The minor key is a beautiful thing. Sadness can be glory.
How was your performance with Irene R. Tremblay, Nonloc and Timesbold?
Very good. The entire Sunshine Plague Tour was a joy. All these people are warm and giving and just great to be around. It was a near perfect tour.
Have Nonloc and Timesbold similar directions?
Not really. Timesbold are very refined in their approach to folk. Nonloc is
more direct in message and attack. Nonloc draws more from the folk progressives of the 60s such as John Fahey, and searches for mantras as much as melodies. Timesbold's tunes are brittle flowers that crumble to reveal stems of truth.
Which of them you like more?
Timesbold are perhaps my favorite band on the planet, no offense to Mark's
music, by any means.
Did you like Low?
I like Low, but more so their older material. As an entity they are very inspiring. Their bass player is a bit too surly, though.
If you could spend one hour to record a session with either Sigur Rós, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Hood, L'Altra, 100 Pets, Savoy Grand, Timesbold, Early Day Miners, Low, Jason Molina, Coldplay, who would you choose?
I just spent an hour with Timesbold, adding a vocal harmony onto their
Acuarela Songs contribution, so ... Who are 100 Pets?
When did you last cry listening music and what was that music about?
I cry most often when film weds music. The two together transcend the individual parts to create something deeper and more penetrating. My answer would then have to be the cover of "Mad World" at the end of the film "Donnie Darko".
Any radio show, magazine, Internet zine or distributor's news holds your interest? What media do you prefer to read?
I don't really listen to radio or internet radio. Index, Mojo and Nylon are
my favorite mags, i guess. I read a lot of biographical stuff, and horror fiction. I just finished "Positively 4th Street" about Baez, Dylan and the Farinas. I like reading magazines a lot, and compendium books on horror and pop culture.
Are you involved in any other band or project?
I have a psychedlic folk band called The Espers, which is in the recording stage right now. I also have an electro-synth-pop outfit called Superstarshine which just played its first gig opening for the band Múm [see the picture!]. We're currently shopping a demo for a deal. Lastly, I'm doing soundtrack work for a small documentary about AZT and pregnant mothers called "This Child Of Mine". It's being narrated by Susan Sarandon.
Did you hear Múm's performance?
Yeah, we (Superstarshine) were the opening band for that show, so I got to hear a whole lot of them, seeing as they soundchecked for six hours!
What is the work/score to Sergei Eisenstein's historical movie "Battleship Potemkin"?
It was Múm using all their usual instruments, but providing non-album material as the film's soundtrack. There were some stunning moments, but a lot of the work dragged. I felt I had to compare Múm's effort to The Alloy Orchestra' soundtrack for Dziga Vertov's "Man With A Movie Camera", which was a mindboggling accomplishment by the latter band. Múm's overall aural passivity proved unmatched to Eisenstein's seething dynamics. The Odessa Steps sequence was especially disappointing.
Which musical style, direction, composer, band is important for you at present?
Style is unimportant. Whatever works and sounds good is what I do. Direction is always forward. No retracing steps. I don't have a particular favorite composer or band, for the above stated reasons.
The Green Dolphin's Poll,
© Dainis Bushmanis, P.O.Box 345, Riga, LV-1050, LATVIA.
