Dana Westover interview

Back in the early 70s Dana Westover recorded an album titled "Memorial To Fear", which is considered as one of the best "loner" folk LP's right next to Perry Leopolds' "Experiment in Metaphysics" these days. Dana had quite an unique style of guitar playing. Recently he took his time to answer a few questions regarding his album. We also discussed his current plans; he is still recording and playing. 

When did you become a musician? 

Thanks to you for the interest! Well, I suppose you could say fairly early, the first paying gig was when I was sixteen or so, although I had been writing quite a while before that. Pretty standard stuff, a blues band called "East Coast Blues Band" with some friends. I played harp (harmonica) and guitar and pretty much fronted it. I had gotten into the Chicago blues masters (Muddy et al) through folks like Paul Butterfield, and also Mississippi John and Lightnin' Hopkins were big influences on me. I doubt we were much good, but I remember some nights we got cooking pretty well.

You were born in Kentucky. How was it to live there as a young kid? What music did you listen to?

Actually, I was born in New York, and my family moved about a bit before we landed in Appalachia-my father was an MD and was instrumental in running a hospital for the  UMW (United Mine Workers) when the coal companies were refusing to help them with black lung disease. Funny how things don't change much- the people who work for the coal companies are still getting the short end of the stick! We lived on a mountain called Pine Mountain, and I spent a lot of my time as a kid wandering around in the woods with my dog, and it's still where I feel most comfortable. I took one guitar lesson from one of the DJs at the local radio station, but I don't remember what he showed me- I expect I was ogling the equipment in the studio! I remember my first record (that I had saved up to buy) was something called "Little Star" by a band called the Elegants. Great falsetto doo-wop. I learned later that they were locked out of radio play because they wouldn't pay payola. Story of life in the music business... Hmm, also Duane Eddy, Lonnie Mack's cover of "Memphis", and of course Little Richard himself, his was just the best band there was at the time. I could go on and on, of course. My mother was a formally trained soprano (she was born in West Virginia),  studied in Saltzberg when she was young, and so I was immersed in all kinds of great orchestral and vocal music at home. My great aunt gave me a recording of Ravel's orchestration of "Ma Mere L'Oye" when I was small, and I pretty much wore the grooves off the record listening to it. I also remember an old 78 of "Appalachian Spring" which I played to death, too. Funny, I got to the roots stuff later in life, especially bluegrass, which was the soundtrack of those years- I guess when something's your environment you can overlook it on the surface, but it's still in the deepest part of my musical sensibility, for want of a better way to put it.

What were you doing as a teenager in the 60s. Were you a part of any bands or perhaps any scene at the time?

My family moved north when I was in sixth grade, so that was a big change- the world looked much bigger suddenly! I think I began to feel a sort of synergy with a lot of people my age (of course always the case with any generation), and that gradually moved into a desire to see a different, maybe more open ended, and perhaps more truthful way of speaking about personal things. The 50's really were a fiercely repressive time- it's romanticized a lot, but it really was a pretty nasty environment, everyone expected to dress the same, think the same. I think a reaction to that was in the origins of rock n roll, which of course was essentially blues, particularly "urban" blues- why not speak plainly and simply about life instead of hiding behind fake conventions? I played with a few bands, and also played a lot solo, My manager at the time and I went down to NY to audition for the head A&R guy at Vanguard after he had heard a couple tracks of Memorial, but I think in the end my stuff was just too weird for him. When I later arrived in Montreal, I worked with a band called Waldon for a couple years, very interesting and brave breaking of all sorts of musical taboos! The great Bob Thiele took an interest in us, and we were booked for studio time in NY with him, but at the last minute our singer signed an exclusive contract with someone else and left the band, so we had to scrap it- she was pretty integral to the sound.  Big disappointment for me. I did mange to get to London, just for a short time, and really liked the scene there- I remember someone telling me that Jimi Hendrix was great, and nodding as an American, when I had no clue who he was a the time! He was first appreciated in England after getting nowhere over here. A genius, who along with Sly & the Family Stone really changed the landscape completely. It's hard to imagine just how revolutionary they were from the perspective of the present, but what they did had never really been done before. Jimi literally reinvented the guitar, freed it from the tight conventions it had been squeezed into, and Sly moved funk into a whole new world- they both spoke eloquently about simple but incredibly powerful notions of real freedom (the kind, not incidentally, that scared the shit out of the politicians, and even, I think, some record company folks).

When was the turning point in your life in which you began writing songs? What would you say inspired you?

Hmm, well, it was surely hearing so many people singing "folk" music (I put it in quotes because I've never been quite sure what that means exactly- rock is folk music, too, if you look at it that way), but I mean people like Odetta, Pete Seeger, Doc Watson, who were not only collectors of tradition but writers, too. Bob Dylan was a real revelation to me, too, (he was to everyone!). I think perhaps one of the main reasons anyone writes is that they want to hear something that isn't being played by anyone else, you know? I thought maybe I'd try to sort of combine what I knew of a lot of different kinds of music into something that was immediate and tapped the idea of words and music in a different way. As I look back on some of the early stuff, I'm a little embarrassed by it, but it was an attempt, anyway.

In 1972 you released an album titled "Memorial to Fear". What's the story behind it? What do you recall from recording it?

Well, I had been fiddling around with tape recorders for as long as I remember, and so had a lot of recordings, but I finally sat down in a real studio (the old RCA studios in Montreal) in the spring of 1968, after I heard about one of the engineers who moonlighted there for people, so I went in at around midnight or so and slapped down all of it, first takes, until we had to leave in the morning. I actually overdubbed a harmonica onto the last track, which was a fairly new idea for him, but eventually left it off the LP. I still have it around somewhere, maybe I'll resurrect it if I get the thing pressed again. "Song to Sally" and The Effigy" were recorded in Maynard, MA in 1969 (in the summer) at a nice studio that one of the folks who worked there offered to let me use for a couple tracks. I think I had a couple reasons for doing Memorial, the primary one to try to shop it around to get  work, and I realized a little later, to get the old stuff down and out of the way so I could move on. Most of it was written when I was still in my teens. On the later copies I had on the sleeve "This is a collection of bits I wrote primarily while stumbling through the rather bleak desert of adolescence - if any of it offends, please have a little patience with my clumsiness - it was really put together to lay to rest music that I would never play again. I hope there is some value in it somewhere for someone".

You had quite an unique style of "drone" guitar picking and the lyrics were very personal. I heard, the songs were written from 1969 to 1971 and you recorded them in 1972. Where did you record it?

I can't really say exactly where the guitar sound came from, just that when I first picked one up that's pretty much what came out. I was very lucky to find a second hand Epiphone Texan when I was fifteen or so ($75), and I remember hitchhiking around with an old wool shirt buttoned up over it as I couldn't afford a case. That guitar is surely my longest relationship, I still play it every day. I love the sound of open strings, and have always been after tunings that let me get the most of that kind of sound. I remember hearing Buffy Saint Marie sing a song about codeine ("Codine") addiction that I thought was amazingly moving, and she had dropped her two E strings down to D, which made this great open fifth on the bottom, and I wanted some of that! Later on I realized lots of beautiful things were available if I also dropped the B string down to A. Many years later I got to know Pierre Bensusan, and had to chuckle when he told me he invented DADGAD! He's an amazing guitarist from France, if you're not familiar with his music. As for drones, I just have always had a sort of instinct for melodies over static harmonies. Now that I think of it, I immediately understood exactly what Coltrane was after with "My Favorite Things", you know, riffing over a vamp instead of just following changes. It's something that goes back a long way in musical history. As for the lyrics, you sort of have to write what's real to you, I suppose- all of it was just poetry set to music. I read a lot of philosophy and poetry when I was a kid.

Our rehearsal space in Montreal that we shared with Jessie Winchester. The handsome guy with the beard is Mark Gold, my bassist.

This was totally a DIY project and it was self released with no label credit. How many copies were made? Was there any possibilities for distribution? Where could people get ahold of your LP?

Yeah, I sold them at shows. We made 100, not exactly a boatload! RCA had a pressing plant in Montreal, so I did them there. Funny, when I first came to the Boston area one of the owners at Rounder Records offered to distribute it, but I didn't really think anyone would be interested. I tried pretty hard to get folks to listen back when we released it (in 1972), and one of the (new) progressive rock stations there played it for a while, but it certainly wasn't hot stuff!

This was in a studio I built in Sutton Quebec during a session, probably around 1975.

What can you tell me about the cover artwork?

I lived with a fine graphic artist named Christine Musello, who did the watercolor for the cover, and the photo was from some press release or other back then. Chris was a big help on the whole project. The idea was of clouds with a little fragile plane flying out of the center, but the plane never got added. The title was supposed to be Memorial to Fear, but that had to be added later, too. If I remember right, we had a pretty finite time window!

Album is quite dark sounding...Let's comment songs, that appeare on the LP.

Yes, a lot of adolescent angst, I suppose. I would have liked to record them again, to get the singing better.

Beginning

I had a habit of starting every show with a small instrumental piece, so I wrote lots of them (still do), and this was the one that got on the record.

Dedication

An odd love song, for a friend who was struggling with an oppressively religious family.

Little Flame

Just a poem that was inspired by the guitar lick. I was looking for ways to expand the use of the harmonica, too.

Crooked Frame Wind

A raggedy observation on the repressiveness of the day.

The Effigy

How to be an artist? So many people grapple with it, only to be sidetracked into other things.

From A Tower Window

A portrait of wasted love.

Meet Me There

Dancing with madness, I think. Lots of chemical craziness in those days, but often an earnest search for some meaning at the bottom of it.

Whisper

Just a simple little love song. This is the only one from the record that I still sing once in a while.

Song To Sally

I spent a while in Los Angeles working on the music for a play a friend of mine (Michael Franks) was writing, and I lived in a rooming house down in Venice that was run by a woman I got to know a little who had lost her son in Vietnam. This song was for her. She used to wander around in her bathrobe looking lost, she was completely devastated. She was caught between her support for the war and the reality of the pointlessness of it. I guess it seemed horribly unfair to me. Here's a song I wrote in the 70's that focussed a little on the soldiers themselves: http://www.danawestover.com/images/01_Track_01_1.mp3

Teacher

This, I think in retrospect, was for a friend who taught English literature in Montreal and who was kind of a mentor, He was brilliant in his own way, and I learned a lot from him. He was an American, too, and conflicted about that and many other things, as we all are at times. It's kind of a one-note samba, with a chromatic harmonica.

Everyday

I played a lot of blues in those days, and thought I should have at least one on the record. I think it was the last thing we recorded, and I just wrote it right then.

Did you do any shows?

Yes, I played around a lot, mostly coffee houses and such solo, and clubs with bands. There was a place called the Yellow Door in Montreal and a couple places in Ottawa and Toronto that were regular.

This is the bus I built and lived in on the road in Eastern Canada. She finally died of rust about ten years ago.

How did you saw the folk scene at the times? Now we call this kind of music "loner" folk and you are among the best in the genre…

Well, the same as now, people were listening to each other and passing around old songs. I suppose you get a little from everything you hear. There was a lot of interest in traditional American music as a form of social commentary, you know, and Dylan's recognition of Woody Guthrie was inspiring to a lot of people, just for starters. The idea of writing songs and performing them yourself was something that seemed new at the time. Things tend to go in cycles, and that was when there was a yearning for more connection with tradition, too, much like the present interest in acoustic music. I was looking for ways to expand the use of words into more abstract images from that stating point.

What happened after the LP was out? I know, you are still involved with music. Would you like to share a bit more about that?

Well, I've worked as a producer and audio engineer for many years, and also have been doing radio (down to one 4 hour show playing music from around the world now). As for the LP, I sold it at gigs and that was about it. It came as a shock that people would have any interest in it now! I've been writing all my life, and have recorded quite a bit- a couple new CDs in the works now (one of which is actually some new recordings of old songs that got neglected), so I hope folks might check some of that, too. Here are a couple recent things: http://www.danawestover.com/images/landscape_90_for_Jane_mp3.mp3  /  http://www.danawestover.com/images/2011-master-02.mp3

Thank you very much, Dana. Would you like to send a message to It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine readers?

Thanks to you, I think it's great that you are running the magazine, lots of much more interesting folks than myself!

Interview made by Klemen Breznikar/2013

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013

Hampton Grease Band - Music to Eat (1971) review

Hampton Grease Band “Music to Eat”(Columbia, 1971)

When purchasing a record guide book, I have learned to look carefully. The way I have learned to go about this is to skip to something I have a very strong opinion about anyway, like for instance, Funkadelic. Yeah! Funkadelic is a great example because most guide books, the ones that use the "star" rating system seem to go by maybe the Billboard chartings, I guess. Most will tell you that Funkadelic's greatest Lp, the one to start with, is "One Nation Under A Groove". That's the "5 star". And my favorite, "America eats It's Young" gets 1 1/2 stars or some shit. Know what I mean? Does this confuse what I already think? No. One of my biggest problems is that I tend to become a "superfan" of a group and if I like them I will end up buying them all, usually starting from the beginning and going until it washes out for me. But during a groups best years I will defend them for making their artistic statements! I will stick it out. And know that some of the best records are the ones that "grow" on you, right? There are also reasons for digging something from just a musician's perspective, ya know. Like guitar tone, drum sounds, room reverb. Just sink in and become close to the atmosphere of the recording. Picture the scene outside the building the music was recorded in.......

In 1971 it was a world of muscle cars, beer cans with pull tabs (that you could "daisy chain" together to make necklaces out of). The slang was different in 1971....the word on the street. The air smelled a little different, the sky was a little different blue. All the dudes had thier cut of shorts on at the swimming hole. Rolled up American flag bandanas for headbands. Chics with their bikini's. Joints rolled in strawberry papers. 8 tracks were as easy to come by as records. The street signs were different. Close your eyes and listen to the record and let it take you there. Because it is there, isn't it? When the tape is rolling it is getting all that. When you hear the audiophiles talk about listening to the room. You get the word on the street, the daisy chains, the strawberry joints, the muscle cars....those are in the room too. That's what was going on, in conversations,  just before the tape started rolling.

In 1970, Columbia records, signed the Hampton Grease Band from Atlanta, GA. A band that had been around since the mid-60's. A band that opened for the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band. It is rumored that Hampton Grease Band's 1971 Columbia masterpiece "Music To Eat" was the lowest selling Lp that Columbia had made, at that time.

Hampton Grease Band is Bruce Hampton (later of Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarian Rescue Unit fame) on vocals and trumpet, Jerry Fields on  drums, percussion, trombone and vocals, Mike Holbrook on bass, Harold Kelling on guitar and vocals and Glenn Phillips on guitar and sax. This album, classic double album is right away much like Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band...or The Mothers or The Fugs. In fact, after this album Frank Zappa supposedly signed them to his Straight/ Bizarre labels. I can't find that they actually recorded and released anything as this band after Music To eat. There are a few reviews out there who just hate this record. It is a very noncommercial record. But hey....

This record is wild happy craziness! It is basically just 5 songs. Like I said, sort of like Capt. Beefheart's Magic Band. Two absolutely excellent guitar players. An absolutely fantastic drummer and bass player, crazy spurts of horns, not a lot, just a little and not often. The guitar playing is so matched to each other. Not very distorted, just over driven a little, no effects. There are 4 songs reaching to 19 minutes plus and one song just over 5 minutes. The band plays together in that telepathic way on these long passages, it's easy to just get lost in the jamming. And it's not just one long "same" rambling jam either it goes from this to that in different, well arranged parts. The lyrics are, well....let's just start from the beginning... the first tune is called "Halifax" and he sings it as if he is reading descriptions from the World Book encyclopedia about Halifax (Canada?) or Halifax travel bureau or something. "wouldn't you like to come to Halifax?...air mass is moving eastwardly...." Maria is the only tune under 6 minutes. It speaks of a 13 year old boy named Sancho lusting after Maria who is 5 years older. They tell the story well with crazy laughter and all. At one point he is reading from a spray paint can (or that's what it sounds like to me) "keep out of reach of children"...."contents are under pressure". The last song "Hey Old lady and Bert's Song..." they get into a southern rock jam that is right up there with early Allman Brothers with the dual guitars weaving together like snakes dancing. It is, to me, as focused as it is experimental.

Yep put this one on and listen to THIS sound of 1971. Hot summertime in Atlanta 1971. It is a light hearted beautiful trip....I love it.

Review made by Phillip R. Eubanks (of Plastic Magic)/2013

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete interview with Lorena and Alberto

© Rene

Mexico might be known for some of the best garage rock on the planet but Lorelle Meets The Obsolete leaves the competition in their cosmic fuzz fueled dust!  Captcha Records has long been home to some of the sickest albums I’ve ever heard.  Killed’Em Deader’n A Six Card Poker Hand by The Epsilons is literally one of my top twenty favorite albums.  But until the recent LP reissue of that album I didn’t really know much about the label that had released it.  However after the release I found their webpage and started digging into the back catalog.  There were some really cool surprises awaiting me in the Captcha vaults, but none of them were more stunning or striking than Lorelle Meets The Obsolete.  Encompassing nearly everything that I love about music from stunningly audible lo-fi production to fuzzy, reverb drenched guitars, chocking out sludgy gnarled rock and roll with crazy space sounds and plenty of feedback swirling around in the mix, it was love at first, well sound…  If you just add some organs for ambiance along with a husband and wife duo to that formula you have Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, it was simply perfection in my eyes.  Their second album Corruptible Faces was released not too long ago and while ordering my copy I decided it way past time I talked shop with them.  It isn’t easy pinning the couple down these days between tours and recently relocating, but I luckily managed to catch Lorena and Alberto before they headed out on the road across the U.S. and Europe, limited tour edition 12” in hand.

© Rene

Where exactly is the band located?  How long have you been there? 

Alberto:  We’re currently living in Ensenada, Baja California but it all started in Guadalajara.  We moved to Mexico City in February of 2011 and finally got here in January.

How would you describe the music scene there?  Has it played a large role in Lorelle Meets The Obsolete’s existence?

Lorena:  We’ve been in Ensenada for barely five months and we’ve only played here once so we’re not really aware of the music scene.

Alberto:  On the other hand we could definitely talk about Mexico City’s scene and I’d say as a whole it’s a bit funny and it’s constructed over really loose structures with weird priorities.  It’s definitely not stable or sustainable.  Its’ behavior is what helped us form our ideology as a band and shape our work ethics so yeah, I think it did played a major role in our existence.

Are either of you in any other bands?  Have you been in any bands that released anything?

Lorena:  This is our only band for the time being.  Before Lorelle Meets The Obsolete Alberto and I used to play in a band called Soho Riots.  We released an EP and recorded an album but it never came out.  We also had another band going on called Holy Mountains and played live a couple of times but never released anything.

How long have you known each other?  How did you meet?

Lorena:  We’ve known each other for about nine years.  A friend of mine from college introduced me to Alberto.  They used to play together and I played bass in a girl band.  Alberto wanted to jam with me but we never had the chance to get together.  I felt intimidated by him because I didn’t really know how to play but we started dating, became a couple, eventually formed our first band and haven’t stopped playing.

What led you to start Lorelle Meets The Obsolete?

Lorena:  Playing in other bands was the main reason we started Lorelle Meets The Obsolete.  We were tired of being incapable of communicating with our former band mates.  Soho Riots, our previous band, was a complete chaos and a total mess in terms of communication and teamwork.  So I had been working on several songs and didn’t felt like sharing them with the band.  Alberto helped me record them and that’s how everything started.  Now we’re just a duo.

What inspired you to take stage names?  What are your real names?  What does the name Lorelle Meets The Obsolete mean?

Lorena:  My real name is Lorena Quintanilla and The Obsolete is Alberto González.  Taking stage names was part of the plan being a duo.  This way people would always know we’re not a full band.

Alberto:  The name is actually a joke.  Lorelle came out from this Seinfeld fictional film called “Rochelle, Rochelle”.  We’re huge fans so I started calling Lorena ‘Lorelle’.  As for my stage name, The Obsolete was taken from a Twilight Zone episode called “The Obsolete Man”.

Sometimes I forget that there are only two people playing on the records.  Why a two-piece band rather than a traditional trio or larger rock band?

Lorena:  It all comes down to the same reason we started the band to begin with, we were tired of playing with other people who didn’t share the same ideas as us.  We definitely prefer to record everything ourselves and just have guest musicians at our live shows.  It may sound complicated but for us it’s just easier that way.

What are some of the major advantages working as a duo?  What are some of the downsides or limitations?

Alberto:  Well, since we’re a couple we’re really connected in lots of ways.  That’s definitely a plus I guess.  We share the same ideology, work ethic and have the same expectations so it’s easier to make decisions and get things done.  We also don’t have to go through these annoying democratic meetings that bands are used to ha-ha.  On the other hand there sure are lots of limitations.  For us, the recording process in a studio is slower; we also don’t share responsibilities or expenses like studio time, merchandise bills or touring costs with anyone else.  Above all it’s very comfortable to play with someone you love, admire and respect as a human being and as a musician.

How do you handle live performances?  There’s definitely more than two parts on a lot of your songs…

© Vale Arendar

Lorena:  We have guest musicians, a bass player and a drummer.  Alberto and I take care of the guitar duties.

© Vale Arendar

You just released your second album Corruptible Faces through Captcha Records.  Your first album, On Welfare, was a bit of a sleeper hit but ended up garnering a good deal of critical attention.  It seems like there’s a lot more hype and attention surrounding the release of Corruptible Faces, why do you think that is?  Are people finally just catching up or do you think it has something to do with the recent “psychedelic” revival that’s getting so much attention?

Alberto:  I’d say it’s a bit of both.  When On Welfare came out we were complete strangers to the U.S. audience, not to mention the rest of the world.  In fact, we had only played around five shows in Mexico before our first LP was released and at that point we couldn’t tour the U.S.  So the bit of attention that album received was thanks to the hard work of Captcha Record’s Ben Funke who emailed press releases and mailed physical copies to all sorts of good people around the world.  And Corruptible Faces came out right after Sonic Cathedral’s Psych For Sore Eyes compilation so that was definitely a good awareness push.

How did you two get hooked up with Captcha Records?  (Captcha is based out of Chicago for anyone not in the know - http://www.hbsp-2x.com/)

Alberto:  Ben from Captcha liked Soho Riots and when Lorena and I finished On Welfare we dropped him a line.

How is your relationship with Captcha Records?  You’ve got a 7” (Ghost Archives) and recently released your second album Corruptible Faces with them, which I believe is your entire catalog.  Most other bands seem to use them as a kind of spring board to larger labels; do you plan on continuing to release records through them or are you looking to make a move as well?

Alberto:  We feel very close to Ben and we’re super comfortable working with him.  It hasn’t really ever occurred to us to leave the label.  Our next album will be out on Captcha in the U.S. and on Sonic Cathedral in Europe so basically instead of hopping from label to label what we’re trying to do is setup collaborations through our music and hopefully this way we’ll contribute to Captcha’s and Sonic Cathedral Records’ growth.

Lorena:  For us, being independent includes a strong sense of community.  It’s not about growing as a separate entity.  It’s about growing along with our community.  That's why we don’t use our labels as springboards.

Tell me a little about the recording of Corruptible Faces.  Where was it recorded?  Who recorded it?  What equipment was used?

Alberto:  It was all recorded and mixed at our home in Mexico City and I was responsible for this job.  There’s nothing fancy about the equipment, just a TASCAM audio interface, a Joemeek Studio Channel, a dbx compressor, an Akai reel-to-reel machine and a bunch of guitar pedals. 

Was the recording for Corruptible Faces much different than the On Welfare or Ghost Archives sessions?

Alberto:  Not at all.  It was pretty much the same equipment.  On Welfare was recorded at my parent’s house in Guadalajara and Ghost Archives came out from the same sessions as Corruptible Faces.

Are there any plans for any other recordings this year, a 7” or some other morsel for hungry fans?

Lorena:  We have a new LP coming out in September.  This one was recorded last year in Chicago and Steuben, Wisconsin.

Can you talk a little bit about the songwriting process for the band?  Is it a collaborative effort worked out together or does someone have a more finalized idea and bring it in to work out with the other?

Lorena:  Our creative process is very asymmetrical.  I wrote most of the songs on the first album On Welfare.  Alberto added layers of instruments and then recorded a couple of songs he wrote during the recording process.  Corruptible Faces was a bit more collaborative. I had some tunes ready and so did Alberto, but most of the pieces on that album are songs we worked out together.  Our upcoming record is our most collaborative work by far.  None of us worked on this one alone and we had the best time.  But now it's different, we’re working separately once again.

I don’t like to try and label or classify music, it’s a kind of art and I don’t think that approach is the best way to translate sound.  How would you describe Lorelle Meets The Obsolete’s music?

Lorena:  I wouldn’t dare to classify or label it either.  What we’re trying to communicate is in our records and I couldn’t say anything else about our music.  That’s why we make music, so we don’t have to explain ourselves; because we’re terrible at it.

What do you have planned as far as touring goes this year?  Is there any chance of a US appearance or two?

Alberto:  Absolutely.  We’re touring all across the U.S. starting on June 12th in San Jose California, from coast to coast!  We’ll also be playing in Europe in late September.

Who are some of your favorite acts you’ve played with?

Alberto:  Holy Wave, Nothing People, Purling Hiss, Thee Oh Sees, Has A Shadow & Blunt Reyvnols?

Do you have a funny story about a live show you’d like to share with our readers?

Alberto:  A couple of years ago we played this small festival in Mexico City and pissed off the guys who rented the backline because they felt we were playing too loud.  They just kept turning the amps volume down.  Lorena got super angry and at the end of our set she started to smash her guitar against the amp until one of the owners got on stage and took her guitar away.

Lorena:  I felt like a little grounded girl. 

Do you have any plans or goals that you would like to accomplish this year?

Lorena:  I’d like to record our next album.  I’m really really excited about the new tunes; can’t wait.

Why do you think it is that Psychedelic and Garage rock have come back to the forefront of the industry after all of these years?

Lorena:  I think what got bigger is media attention because psychedelic and garage rock are genres that have always been there.  Why?  I don’t know.

Alberto:  I guess there’s a fashionable attribute that’s appealing to the masses and that it has nothing to do with the music itself.

How do you feel about digital music and distribution?  There’s a lot of stuff, you are a prime example of actually, that I’d never ever have the chance to hear and be exposed to otherwise.  It’s rapidly changing the face of the music industry to be sure though and I was wondering how you felt about that as an artist during these somewhat turbulent times.

Alberto:  From our standpoint I think the Internet as a distribution method is great.  There are some great tools that give us the chance to create a very strong bond with the listeners in a more direct way.  We’re not trying to make a living out of our music so I don’t feel very pessimistic about the decline of the music industry as we know it.

Lorena:  Internet’s immediacy makes some things easier but there are other things that stay difficult.  For me art, or whatever it’s called that we do, has to do with transcendence (in one or a thousand people) and in that sense it doesn’t matter how long it takes your music to get out there.  What matters is how long it can survive in people’s minds, its influence and interaction with the social environment, etc.  There have always been people taking advantage of technology but it’s really easy to forget Internet one hit wonder bands.

Everything you have put out has been on vinyl with the exception of the digital live EP that comes with Corruptible Faces if you order directly from Captcha Records; do you intentionally avoid CD releases?  If so why?

Lorena:  We definitely prefer vinyl but it’s not like we’ve avoided CD releases.  In fact, Captcha Records just released On Welfare and Corruptible Faces on CD.

I love having a digital copy of the album to listen to wherever and whenever I please but there’s something magical about holding an album in your hands; having something to look at and experience along with the music.  Do you have any such sort of attachment to physical releases?

Alberto:  Absolutely we do.  What I love about vinyl is that it’s a format that demands your complete attention.  When you place the needle on the record there’s not much you can do besides listen to the music due to the fact that you’ll have to change the side in twenty or thirty minutes.

Traditionally rock has been a total boys club but thankfully I see that changing more and more.  In fact only a handful of the bands that I’ve talked to haven’t had at least one female member.  How do you feel about how women are treated in the rock scene?  Do you think it’s still even an issue?

Lorena:  I don’t think I’m treated differently from my band mates.  I know there are women who fought in the past for that fact thought and my way of thanking them is by trying to preserve what they’ve accomplished and not seeing myself or others through gender.  Sometimes people try to help me carry my stuff but I don’t know if it's because I'm a girl or because I'm really small ha-ha.

I ask everyone I talk to this question as I have this compulsive, gut gnawing fear I’m going to miss out on my next favorite band.  Who should we be listening to that we might not have heard of from your local area?

Lorena:  Has a Shadow.

Alberto:  Blunt Reyvnols?

What about nationally and internationally?

Alberto:  Dahga Bloom.

Lorena:  Nothing People and Camel Heads.

Is there anything that I missed or that you’d like to discuss?

Alberto:  Thanks a lot for this great interview.  We’ll see you on tour!

© Rene

DISCOGRAPHY

(2011)  Lorelle Meets The Obsolete – On Welfare – 12” – Captcha Records

(2012)  Lorelle Meets The Obsolete – Ghost Archives – 7” – Captcha Records

(2013)  Lorelle Meets The Obsolete – Corruptible Faces – 12” – Captcha Records (Limited to 500)

Interview made by Roman Rathert/2013

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013

Brainbox - Dark Rose: their 45s (2012) review

Brainbox “Dark Rose: their 45s” (Pseudonym, 2012)

The persuasive buzz of 'Down Man' and the sublime rendering of Gershwin’s perennial ‘Summertime' from their eponymous debut are but two offerings that should make people acutely aware of the greatness of Dutch masters Brainbox. And if you’ve never copped an ear to the group before, then Pseudonym’s recent release of Dark Rose, a compilation of their 45s and more… is the ideal place to begin.

Jan Akkerman’s (pre-Focus) fiery-riffing that can be heard throughout the title cut is utterly superb, and will have you heaping high praise onto these guys instantly; it appears twice too, once in much shorter, delightfully crunchy demo form, while the other is a much lengthier interpretation, but with less of that particularly primal, guttural feel spewing from the guitar, that won’t be everyone’s cup of cocoa. There's also two variations of 'Sea Of Delight' on offer; the brevity, sharpness and sustained vibrancy of the first is, for me anyway, one of the standout tracks here, and indeed across the complete Brainbox canon.

Also highly impressive, and supremely melodic is ‘The Flight’, a compelling, and quite astounding piece of work that seems to want to push things - atypically for Brainbox - in the direction of the later Byrds. While I’m not overly keen on a lot of McGuinn and Co’s post-60s material, I love this track to bits and wanted to play it over and over again when I first heard it, but didn’t cos I didn’t want to disturb the record’s fine momentum. One of the group’s most thunderingly propulsive prog-psych slanted outings is ‘Virgin’, built around a heady dose of whirlwind guitar and battering-ram drums, of which the longer demo version has ex-Dragonfly man Rudy De Queljoe, and Frans Smit duelling for all their worth; not unlike the sounds frequently made by Can's Michael Karoli and Jaki Liebezeit.

There’s also a 23 minute plus demo of 'Sea Of Delight' that can, and does, get a trifle boring sometimes, but, fear not, as it also contains some seriously wiggy, and highly experimental passages. A wonderful set of photographs has been included, and informative sleevenote information flows from Mike Stax’s pen. Altogether this is a fantastic and very welcome release that you’ll need if you want to experience more of the Netherlands’ out-there sounds from the mad 60s and early 70s.

Review made by Lenny Helsing/2013

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013

The Vliets interview with Ty Bohrnstedt

Forget about thunderous drum beats. Forget about heavy distorted guitar/bass riffs. At least for now.

The Vliets, currently working on their full length debut, drink from nowadays electronic scene as much as they do from 60s psychedelia, trapped between avant-gardism and nostalgia, meandering between Austin and Chicago. Their first release, The Vliets EP, dates back from 2011 and was followed by last year’s God’s Drug EP, having both of them revealed a very mature sound as well as a band that knows how to spice up things without overdoing it.

We wanted to know more about this promising band and so we had this little chat with Ty Bohrnstedt, The Vliets’ front man and guitarist. We talked about those commonplaces like their influences and stuff but we also had some time to discuss UFOs and God’s drug.

The Vliets started out as a duo but, as far as I know, it now includes two more members. Would you like to briefly tell us your story as a band?

Right now it's myself, Daniel Gonzalez, Max Anderson and Preston Smith.  Everyone has been involved since the beginning, or before this band, just at different times.  I've been playing music with Max since we were like 14 years old, he's always been the drummer.  Preston recently became more involved in our live show production but will be contributing to the music as well, as he has some in the past.  We had some distance issues the last few years, which is why we didn't play many shows.  I live in Heath, TX, Max lives in Austin, Daniel lives in Chicago and Preston lives in Dallas so it was extremely difficult to all get together.  We've made it work though.  Daniel and I wrote and recorded our last EP over the phone and email.  We also incorporated the lap top into our live sets so we don't have to actually rehearse together before shows, everyone just rehearses on their own. 

When did you first come in contact with music? What were your first instruments?

One of my very first memories was hearing The Beatles for the first time.  Not sure how old I was, maybe 2 or 3, but I was pretty much obsessed after that.  Guitar was my first instrument, my buddy sold me his for 50 dollars when I was 12 and I played it for about 7 or 8 hours a day until I figured it out. 

Was there any major figure in your childhood who introduced you to great records like your parents or some older friend? And if you have any interesting episode that influenced you as musicians at an early age please be my guest.

Yeah my parents always made sure I was listening to quality music and not radio shit.  My grandfather was also a composer and a doctor of music, so I was exposed to a lot of classical music as well. 

In what other musical projects were you involved before the existence of The Vliets? Were you always interested in psychedelic rock?

Our first band was called Dubious Rothchild which was essentially just The Vliets.  Max and I started it and then Daniel joined.  We just didn't actually record any music.  We changed the name to The Vliets because I had moved from Austin and I didn't think Max was going to play with us anymore, otherwise we'd still be Dubious Rothchild.  I was always interested in 60's rock.  It's all I listened to as a child.  I think it pretty much goes without saying, the 1960's can't be topped, in the psychedelic genre.

I came across with your music at a time when I was starting to pay more attention to electronic music and it was a little bit strange because all of a sudden you were wrapping this laid back psychedelic rock with a hint of electronic music and it made complete sense. How did you guys come up with this sound of yours? 

Well we've all always loved electronic music, we just don't really know how to make it.  I think it came about because we were just so ignorant when it came to recording techniques and music software.  All of the music on our first two EP's was recorded through a mic and physically making the sounds, for the most part.  I think it was only natural though because it's a good mix of all the music we listen to (Grandaddy, Beck, Radiohead, John Frusciante, Neil Young, Captain Beefheart, múm, The Kinks).  I've recently started experimenting more with the lap top, I think our next album will be a little more electronic than our previous releases. 

By now you have only released two self-produced EPs and yet you managed to get some media attention, with, for example, Deli Magazine considering your band as one of the most promising bands around. How does it reflect on the attendance of your shows? Do you notice any difference? Is there more public or is it too soon to notice the effect of that exposure?

I think there has been some effect.  We were on a short tour in California a couple weeks ago and some people came up to me who were fans prior to seeing us and knew all about the music, that was pretty insane because we're virtually unknown in Texas, only our friends show up for the most part.  It becomes very political in our hometowns though, it's hard to even book a show and I'm pretty sure it's like that for all bands you know?  Unless you actively participate in the scene and be everyones friend, you kind of get left out.  We're just not that kind of band, I'm a pretty shy person anyway, networking is not my thing.  Writing and recording is what we really love to do.   

These EPs artwork feature your friend’s Edgar Cardoze paintings which complement quite well your music. How did you meet him and when did you decide that his paintings should be on your EPs covers?

Edgar is a master.  He was one of my good buddies roommate.  I was invited to their house for a party a few years ago and Edgar's paintings were hanging on their walls.  I immediately was in love with his work and I already knew I wanted real paintings to be the covers of any music we released.  When I was writing the lyrics to 'Velvet Sea' I was staring at one of Edgar's paintings.  When I finished the song, I sent it to him and asked if I could use the painting as the cover.  That's pretty much how it started, and hopefully he'll continue to let us use his masterpieces.

God’s Drug EP was your first work to see a physical release just a couple weeks ago. How can people get it? Do you intend to make other physical releases of this or other works?

It's available to order on our bandcamp page vliets.bandcamp.com.  Not ourselves, but someone did press vinyl of both of our EP's onto a single album.  It's only available through their website.  It's sort of a new model for record labels, I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to say anything actually, they don't disclose the names of the bands and it's subscription based.

You were telling that your debut album will probably be more electronic than your previous releases. What else can you tell us about it? In what stage is it?

Yeah I think it will be a bit more electronic but I can't be certain, things just sort of happen as they will.  It's still in it's infancy though.  The songs are written, and by that I mean there are melodies and chord progressions and beats.  I add in everything else as I record so there's still quite a bit to do.  I'm thinking it will be done this fall sometime.

What about The Vliets lyrics, what inspires them?

Love. Life. Experiences in general.  I usually only feel like writing when I'm in a heightened emotional state.  A lot of times it doesn't make sense to me until way later and I'm 'ohhh that's what that means'.

To some of the greatest bands ever (Pink Floyd, The Beatles, even Brian Wilson) the studio became an instrument in itself. Since you do all your recording at home do you think it influenced your sound? Does it push you to experiment more?

Oh yeah for sure.  A majority of the writing happens during the recording process so experimenting and trying different things is a huge part of our process.  I try not to think if it will translate to a live show or not because I don't want to limit our music that way.  To me the really enjoyable part of music is the actual creating and shaping of the songs.  I couldn't rent time at a studio and go in and try to record songs in a day, I'd need months in there to try different things and to really translate what the dimensions or spirits or whatever is trying to get across.

Some people claim they have seen UFOs materializing during your gigs. Do you confirm that?

Yeah!  There is a UFO that flies over the crowd during our shows.

How important is it to The Vliets to put on something more than just a concert? What other tricks do you use to enhance your audience’s live experience?

Pretty important.  It's just more fun for me as a performer to have more going on, and hopefully more enjoyable for the audience.  Preston Smith is in charge of our live production.  He built the UFO, flies it during the shows, and does live VJing through a projector.  He also setup an HD camera in the center of the UFO, where the light beam is, that sends the live video to his computer and then it's projected on stage.  So it records and projects everything the UFO sees. 

Besides recording do you have any plans you would like to share with us?

We just got back from a short tour in California but we're planning on a northern tour this winter including New York, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and possibly Philly or Nashville. It's still in the planning stages though.

Time for some mystical stuff. What do you think is God’s drug?

God's Drug refers to morphine.  Whenever I recorded that song it was just an instrumental and it felt really warm like the sensation of morphine.  To me it's a combination of things though like love, dmt, the mind of 'God', suffering, happiness, life and death.  The song is about all those things, it's not just about morphine, well really it's not about morphine at all, it just gave me that feeling.

Interview made by Hugo Pereira/2013

© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013