Category: Interviews (Page 9 of 11)

Interview: Natasha Agrama

January 11, 2013 / aftertheshow

I recently talked to LA based singer Natasha Agrama about what makes a good jazz club, her upcoming debut record, and how the recent death of close friend and collaborator Austin Peralta has shifted her philosophy on life.

After The Show: What is it about jazz as a genre that appeals to you?

Natasha Agrama: I grew up in jazz. My stepdad is Stanley Clarke, legendary jazz bassist, one of the trailblazers of fusion in the early 1970s. With Chick Corea he was in a band called Return to Forever, and growing up, he was always shoving Ella Fitzgerald under my nose.

I went to art school. I studied painting and performance art and video production. I spent a lot of time not studying music, loving jazz the whole time — it’s the family business.

I loved singing — it was my favorite thing to do ever since I was a little kid. It’s what I need to do on this planet, and a lot of people need to hear…That’s the situation I find myself in, in this body, in this lifetime. It’s about jazz music for me, there’s nothing that I love more.

Also, I’m half Egyptian and half Chilean/Argentinian. I’m first generation American on both sides of my family. I felt totally ostracized…I’ve always felt displaced, both of my parents are transplants, my parents are not normal. I just never had a place, and in jazz, I have a place. I have a home, and I’ve been accepted. And the music accepts me. That’s my art form and it’s American — jazz music being the great American art form — and it’s built by people who never felt that they had a place. I feel a really deep connection to the music and the history of the music.

You’ve played at clubs like Blue Whale in LA and Blue Note in New York. What makes a venue good to perform in and do you have a favorite?

Actually it’s my dream to have my own venue. So I will be researching this question more and more in my life. And I’m just now starting to ask people and to formulate my own opinions. Stanley always makes fun of me because if you were to talk to him, he’d tell you that for the last 3 years of my life, I go to jazz clubs every single night of the week. That’s not true all the time, but it certainly is true a lot of the time.

Every time I go to New York…7 days a week. I’m at Smalls, I’m at Blue Note, Village Vanguard, the Jazz Standard.

And in Paris, I love all of the underground jazz clubs, like Le Caveau des Oubliettes which means ‘the cave of the forgotten ones.’ They have an old, functioning guillotine and carvings on the wall of people that were in there being tortured and suffering God knows when.

The first place I ever got on stage repeatedly was this place called Caveau De La Huchette. In World War II it was a bomb bunker! And then I love how Blue Whale is quiet and like an art gallery for jazz.

You have to have good sound and it should be affordable so that people can access it. People should come to the music. A good jazz club nurtures the music and makes it available to people. It should have beautiful drinks, and food probably, although I don’t think that food is necessary. Personally I can’t eat and listen to music at the same time, it’s like eating and crying — I just don’t want to do it at the same time.

Lighting is something I want to explore more, visuals with jazz music – no one’s going there. They’re so compartmentalized – it’s like Art. Jazz. Dance. Cooking. It’s all different worlds, and I’m kind of a jack-of-all-trades with a deep passion for singing, so I want to bring it all together…that’s my destiny. I have to, to be fulfilled in this life.

The last show that Austin Peralta played was with you (November 20th, 2012)…how are you processing his death?

It was my second show at Blue Whale, and it’s a show that will go down in history. People came up to me that night that I had never met, and I got messages from people like this German guy who had already gone back to Germany, who told me he couldn’t get this show out of his mind…it’s the best show he’s ever been to.

It was a magical show and it’s because I was so hyper aware that playing with Austin was my dream come true. I’m so glad I was present enough to get that and to not let it pass me by without really taking stock…it’s a huge gift.

Let’s talk about how you arrange. It seems like there’s almost an infinite amount of possibilities and directions you could take in making a song your own.

For me, arranging is really a team effort – it depends who I’m playing with, what their vibe is. My foundation is in performance art, where anything can happen. You have a concept and then you bring it to the world, and you put it out in the vacuum of the world, in the elements and it weathers your idea, breaks it down, smashes it or it picks it up in a whirlwind and takes it and it touches someone…you never know.

I like to let things come up organically…I heard the other day, Miles Davis never told anyone what to do — he just picked the right players. And this is in a live setting of course.

Normally I have a feeling of how I want it to go, and it either happens that way or it doesn’t. I never really tweak what people are doing. I’ll set the tempo with my body because I dance too. When you set up a song it’s a theatrical thing.

Like the last night at the Blue Whale, we did this song called “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” and it changed my life…I’m a different person after singing that song and playing it with Austin. We play one of these songs that everybody has done, it’s a classic Duke Ellington song, in my favorite key F, and it’s “Solitude.”

So I said “Solitude,” and Austin said “can you give me the quarter.” And it came in and it was EXACTLY what I wanted, deeply what I wanted. I say darken it up a bit, and he adds this tension…and the perfect arrangement came out. I just sang the whole form through twice and it got so dark, so heavy, it went into a shuffle feel…it was grinding. And it found its way because truth was guiding it.

What’s the breakdown between covers and originals on your record [hopefully out this spring]?

I think I’m shooting for 4 originals and 8 other songs. Out of those 8 other songs there are some jazz standards. One’s “All Matter” by Bilal. There might be Little Dragon…There’s Mingus, there’s Ellington, Joe Henderson…so not even ‘standards standards’ but songs in the jazz family.

As you know I love your song “Stand Still” ~

I was challenged to write a song about beauty. And I did it over this little loop – D minor G minor, D minor G minor, D minor G minor, F major 7, A minor 7. And that repeats. It just came out…our beauty is that we will never be/this will never be right.

What’s your philosophy on life and how does it affect your music?

I’m learning a lot about life right now. Well, we never die. I’m pretty positive about that. Every go around we have, let’s see how much weight we can lift up this time around. You get thrown in this world and all these things make you forget your purpose. Society tries to turn you into a mindless zombie slave, and there’s evil everywhere…like shallow modes, staleness, and depraved humanity on every advertisement, and it’s just the lowest vibration.

My philosophy is: I’m here to heal and I’m here to elevate, and music is the way I’m doing that today, and it’s the way I can get my voice heard, and it’s something I love.

When I first started dedicating my life to music I didn’t realize that I’d have to become a different person. My body is my instrument…I have to take on this responsibility. Austin has made my sense of purpose blossom and I know the path that I’m supposed to go down now.

On Austin Peralta ~

I know the path – I’m very lucky in that he’s showed me. I want to play with the musicians he’s played with in the same venues and cities. I can’t believe it, but I got to play his last show on earth with my idol.

The way that he lived his life, enjoying everything. He loved things so much. Everything is so much more beautiful since he died. It’s crazy that death makes me want to live more. And my dad brought this up the other day…That’s where humanity is at, that we still need people who we love to die to get it, but one day we’re not going to need that.

His death is an enlightenment and it’s changed my philosophy on life and music– I got this tattoo that says ‘the love the music forever,’ because as long as you have the love and the music, which are synonymous, then life is full of purpose and music is full of purpose.

People make music that is not full of heart, it’s full of ego. Even people whose music I enjoy…their process is squelched of passion. I never want to make music for the wrong reason, and I have, because it’s scary to put your soul out there and be vulnerable, but I really want to get into it and die every time. Then rebirth every time. Remind people without having to die for them why we’re alive.

Now I’m really serious about life. I’m not this raging soul, consuming life fast and hard. I used to be kind of like that. But I’m a nurturer. I’m serious. I’ve wasted a lot of time not taking life seriously. It’s a really dark scary place without the love and the music, and without the understanding of infinity and forever.

It’s so exciting that we exist and we can enjoy music. That’s exciting. This is a privilege and a chance and I want to uplift — I really take that very seriously these days. I’m not going to let it fade it away — I’m not going to let Austin fade away.

Thank you Natasha!

**People in LA – you can catch Natasha performing this Sunday, January 13, at Room 5.

Interview with Jacques Brautbar

December 13, 2012 / aftertheshow

Jacques Brautbar is an LA-based songwriter, producer, and founding member/guitarist of Phantom Planet.

I talked to him about the typical day of a songwriter, music licensing, and getting signed to Geffen as a high school senior. Check out the interview below!

After The Show: You co-produced and co-wrote Jasmine Ash’s album Beneath The Noise, which has been so successful getting sync placements. Do you approach songwriting thinking about what would appeal to supervisors, or is licensing an after-thought, completely separate from the creative composition process? 

Jacques Brautbar: The licensing success for Beneath The Noise was a complete afterthought. She and I started the songs with no agenda. She and I just thought it would be fun to write a few songs and make an Ep as a sideproject. Then I got my friend and former bandmate, Sam Farrar, involved and we decided to make a full record. I find, if I try and write something “for sync” it never comes out well. I just write/produce the way I like, and it seems to be what supes [music supervisors] like too! So far…

What do you think about the future of music licensing/supervising? Will getting placements in film, TV, and commercials still be as lucrative or popular in 5 or 10 years?

I have no idea. If I knew, I’d make a killing in Vegas.

You’re a songwriter for EMI (now Sony/ATV?). What does your typical workday as a songwriter and producer look like? How many different artists do you work with at any given time? 

I did switch over to SONY. I am constantly working with new writers and artists… A typical work day involves me drinking a lot of coffee and writing a song with a complete stranger. Which is totally bizarre. A lot of my writing sessions are like blind dates. Sometimes the chemistry is undeniable, while other times it’s best to stop early and get a bite to eat. I am, however, starting to have a balance of regulars and new people now in my rotation.

You’re also a music consultant for film and TV. What does that entail?

It basically means I help in whatever capacity the director wants. From authenticity in performance practice, to music suggestions for scenes.

What role has education (music or otherwise) played in your career? You started Phantom Planet at 15, so how did you balance the band with high school and homework? Did getting signed to Geffen & touring come after you graduated?

Phantom Planet got signed during my senior year of high school. By law, I needed to have a tutor at the studio on days I missed school. Other than that, it was just double duty. School during the day. Studio/rehearsal at night. Then homework late at night. We didn’t start touring until after I had graduated, so that wasn’t ever an issue.

What was your experience like at USC School of Music, especially as a musician who was in an already established, successful band?

It was great. I mean, I loved taking the music classes – music theory and music history especially. I never actually graduated though. Phantom Planet’s touring schedule kept me pretty busy. I went to USC off and on as a part-time student for a few years… over about a 7 year period.

You played guitar and toured with Uh Huh Her. How was that? What was it like going from a main band member to a more anonymous backup guitar player?

I had a lot of fun on that tour. At the end of the day, though, I didn’t like being a “hired gun” because I had no real connection to the music.

What songs did you write for Phantom Planet? My impression was that Alex was the primary songwriter, but you’re also credited as a songwriter. How did the band divvy up writing lyrics and music?

Alex was the primary songwriter. I wrote songs earlier on in the band’s career… mostly stuff on our first record Phantom Planet Is Missing and some things on the Polaroid collection.

Thanks Jacques. Check out Jacques Brautbar’s Twitter + Black Unicorn Music bio.

Interview: David Penn of Hit Songs Deconstructed

December 7, 2012 / aftertheshow

David Penn is the founder and editor-in-chief of Hit Songs Deconstructed, which gives in-depth analysis and commentary of hit songs and trends in pop music.

After The Show: How did you decide to start Hit Songs Deconstructed? 

David Penn: The idea came about while I was attending a music conference in Los Angeles. During one of the panels, the moderator asked “how many of you study the hits that are currently topping the charts?” No one, including myself, raised their hands. It then occurred to me that if I really wanted to get to the root of what makes hit songs successful, I should start analyzing them to their core to see what makes them tick.

As soon as I began “deconstructing” the songs, I started to see immediate results with my own songwriting. I was learning things that I never would have realized without doing the exercise. Equally as important, it was keeping me current with what was going on in the mainstream. It was then that I realized that this could be a really valuable tool for other songwriters and producers. Soon after, we officially launched Hit Songs Deconstructed.

How do you compile the research that goes into your reports? 

I developed a methodology for evaluating hit songs which allows us to track “like” elements and see how hit songwriting may be changing over time and across various genres. It’s all done manually, centered on LOTS of listening!

Are there noticeable cultural differences that change what kinds of songs are popular in different countries? On a micro-level within each song, are there commonalities between a hit song in Korea vs. Mexico vs. Australia, for example? 

Culture does play a role in what types of songs are most popular in different countries. For example, lots of the songs that top the charts in Brazil have a distinctive native Brazilian vibe and are performed by Brazilian artists. In Japan, the charts are currently dominated by native boy bands and girl groups like AKB48 and Kis-My-F12, all of which have a sound and vibe that’s distinctly J-Pop. In both these cases the native artists and songs don’t really translate into other cultures (markets).

That being said, many songs do cross over and top the charts outside of their native countries. This is especially the case with “phenomenons” such as “We Found Love,” “Gangnam Style” and “Somebody That I Used To Know,” for example.

On a micro level there are hit songwriting commonalities that traverse all cultures throughout the world. The songs might be sung in a different language, utilize different instrumentation and possess a unique vibe that’s indigenous to a specific country, but at their core they all utilize the same effective craft fundamentals that enables them to connect with the largest possible audience and resonate. This includes lyrical themes (i.e. love/relationships), simplicity, repetition, short intros, choruses hitting early within the song, amongst many others.

How do you account for the inexplicable element in something as creative and emotional as music? Does applying mathematical, rational criteria to a song’s components sometimes not fully explain why listeners connect viscerally to a song?

Both craft and the “inexplicable element” are equally important. The craft is the vehicle for delivering the “soul” of a song so that it connects and resonates on the deepest level possible. There needs to be a perfect balance between the two.

Has the importance of hit songs changed over the last few decades? Are they less valuable to artists now since major labels are putting less resources into an artist’s career longevity, just pursuing the latest hit? Rebecca Black’s “Friday” was a hit song, but that story ended so quickly. 

Rebecca Black’s “Friday” was a “hit” for all the wrong reasons, and her 15 minutes of fame came and went in a blink of an eye because there was no substance behind it. Remember, people love to see train wrecks and much as they love amazing talent. It’s all about the entertainment value.

I would say that hit songs are even MORE important now than ever before. Why? First and foremost it’s a singles driven business. The song can’t rely on an album to carry it – it needs to stand on its own.

Additionally, if you want any chance of getting a deal with a publisher or a label and securing longevity for yourself, you need to be writing songs that are undeniable hits – the best of the best – pure and simple. If you’re delivering, and they’re selling, publishers and labels would be more than happy to keep you in their ranks. That’s for sure.

It’s interesting that most hits today have some synth incorporated into other instrumentation. What’s your view on the staying power of EDM? 

All “fads” come and go. Disco, 80’s New Wave, Hair Metal and Grunge all had their day, but they never fully disappear. It will be the same with EDM. Electronic Dance Music is always going to be around in one manifestation or another, but it’s prominence in the mainstream will vary with the times.

What’s the role of individual, subjective musical taste in what makes a song a hit song? How important is timing and context (what other songs are on the charts at any given moment)? 

Musical taste is 100% subjective. The listener either connects with a song or they don’t – it’s that black and white. As for timing, it obviously helps. For example, if the Pop scene was completely being dominated by songs possessing an Electro Pop, Hip Hop/Rap influence, and that’s what was being pushed and marketed, then songs of that ilk will definitely have the best chance to succeed at that point in time.

Another good example is the grunge scene in the 90’s. Every label was scrambling to sign grunge bands. The ones that were the best (and most commercial) hit it big. But #1’s are a different kind on animal. They might be in-line with what’s going on within a particular scene, or they might go against the grain (i.e. Adele, Gotye, Fun, PSY). It usually comes down to the combination of the song plus external factors such as the video and dance associated with “Gangnam Style.” Or Fun’s “We Are Young” being featured on Glee and in a Super Bowl commercial.

Can it impede an artist’s natural creative process if labels, publishers, or managers tell artists and producers what kind of song to compose, based on your reports/what’s popular right now?

All songwriting and inspiration is “unique and creative” at its core. However, in the mainstream, producers, labels, songwriting teams, artists and others all have input into WHAT types of songs should be recorded and HOW they should be written. Remember – these songs need to be methodically structured to succeed with their intended audience on a mass level. That being said, the songwriters involved will always bring their “unique creative process” to the table each and every time they write. Sometimes there’s flexibility to push the envelope, and sometimes there’s not.

Where’s the line between trying to stay ahead of the curve and just writing in search of the next hit?

It all depends on what you want to do as an artist. Are you looking for mainstream success in Pop? If so, you should be paying attention to what’s going on within your core genre and thinking about ways that you can push the envelope to stand out from the pack and get noticed. You want stay ahead of the curve BECAUSE you’re in search of the next hit. They work hand in hand.

You’ve rolled out auxiliary products like the Song & Artist Development program. What do you envision for the future of Hit Songs Deconstructed?

We have a lot of new and exciting things planned that will really benefit both songwriters and the industry alike. We’ll keep you posted!

Check out Hit Songs Deconstructed

Like Hit Songs Deconstructed on Facebook

Interview: Drummer Nicole Childrey

September 24, 2012 / aftertheshow

Nicole “Nico” Childrey is a drummer (The Mynabirds) and writer (for publications like SPIN, CMJ, Rolling Stone, Billboard, USA Today, Modern Drummer, and Nylon).

After The Show: When and how did you know that you wanted to play drums professionally?

Nicole Childrey: I started drumming a little later than most, I think — around 18 or 19 — but I got drawn into playing music at 14. A friend had an old, out of tune acoustic guitar in her bedroom, and I picked it up and started poking around, eventually finding a melody. The thrill of creating music out of nothing — even just a weird bleating melody on a beat-up out-of-tune guitar — was all it took to keep me permanently stuck on it.

And I think you have to be that ridiculously, illogically glued to the pursuit of that feeling to keep doing it nowadays, when it’s certainly not getting any easier to keep doing it.

How do you balance drumming and writing? Is there enough down time on tour to write and run your website East Nashville, With Love?

For about five years, I kept a full-time writing job while I was touring, with a band called Cassino, then with Destry, then with The Mynabirds. I’m really appreciative that that’s even possible — I had a broadband aircard, and worked eight-hour days from the hotel, van, club, etc., and it made me able to pay my bills and still tour, even if we weren’t making much money.

My intent when I started East Nashville, With Love was to work from the road, too. I started the site while our singer, Laura, was touring as part of Bright Eyes, so we had a long stretch of downtime. But once we started touring heavily, things didn’t work out exactly as I planned, mostly just because of the cost of keeping an aircard. But I do freelance work from tour, usually just four or five assignments a tour, and I work late at night or on off days. I’m really thankful to be able to do it; having a second job that can be done from anywhere is pretty ideal, and it’s helping me be able to keep touring, which is all I’ve ever wanted to be doing.

Creating a website that focuses on a very specific locale seems like a reaction against the more peripatetic lifestyle of touring. Have your feelings about touring vs. staying in one place changed over the years?

I get really fidgety when I stay in one place for a while, which is probably part of why touring appeals to me as much as it does. I think most of what led me to creating East Nashville, With Love boils down to East Nashville itself — it’s a really unique community, with a really unique culture, and most folks who live here have a really unique sense of pride about it. People in Nashville kinda pick on how self-obsessed East Nashville is, which I’ll admit is true (and funny). But there’s this great focus on entrepreneurship, support of local mom-and-pop businesses, overall creativity and creative culture, and the community’s really diverse and devoted.

I never get bored in East Nashville, and when I get home from moving around so much, I’m really glad to have that. So starting a website about the neighborhood was largely just a response to that, and an opportunity to love on a place that’s really given me a lot.

You’ve played with The Mynabirds, Brendan Benson, Destry… Do you alter your setup when you tour with different musicians? How does your drum set-up differ for live shows versus recording in a studio?

I wouldn’t say I alter my set-up too much, but there’s definitely a different approach in general with different people. A lot of the early Destry stuff was Americana-based, so I was playing a lot of country-rooted stuff; Brendan has some incredible, explosive rock songs that come from a totally different angle. It’s really fun to get to play with different moods. And The Mynabirds I think has become really broad these days when it comes to mood — we play stuff that’s rhythmically rooted in soul, rock, hip-hop, dance music.

It makes things really challenging and interesting. I don’t change the set-up much between shows and studio, but the mental/emotional challenge of recording is definitely a different animal, for me. It’s the challenge of trying to be precise and controlled, but retaining the energy and looseness that comes through at shows.

What do you do to keep your playing fresh and continue to grow and challenge yourself as a drummer?

Playing for a lot of different people has been the most helpful and challenging for me — just learning songs, playing with rhythms that’ve come out of drummers who play completely different from me. It’s kind of … constantly being taken out of your comfort zone, and I think that resets you in a really good way.

Nashville’s also a great place to constantly get inspired by players. Some of my favorite current drummers live here, like Patrick Keeler, who has this incredibly inspiring fluidity, and Rollum Haas from the Features, who has this perfect balance of explosiveness, feel and precision. The person who gets me the most inspired about drumming, though, is Levon Helm — I think he’ll always be the most perfect image of a gut-forward drummer, and all I’ll ever really strive for as a drummer is to be as in the moment as he always seemed to be.

How do the music scenes in New York and Nashville compare? When you first moved to Nashville from New York, were you concerned about the preconception that Nashville is all/just country music?

I’d spent a fair bit of time in Nashville before I moved, so I was aware of how great the music scene is, and how broad it was. I feel like there are a million different experiences of the music scene in New York. Mine was a struggle, which probably had more to do with me than New York — but it was so hard to afford a practice space, to always have to rent vans to tour since I was largely living month-to-month, everything else that goes along with trying to do something that’s financially challenging in an expensive city.

Nashville’s much more affordable, and that makes playing music more doable. That there are so many incredible players here is a great bonus, too. In the nine years I’ve been in Nashville, the rock scene’s become a lot more fractured, I think, but also really fertile. There’s a lot to get excited about across a ton of different aesthetics. I was born in New York, and I’ll always love it, but Nashville’s really become home.

Are you discouraged or encouraged by how the business of music has changed? What’s your view of new models for artists to finance record releases (sites like Kickstarter and Pledgemusic)?

To be completely honest, I’m still just confused. I can’t figure out whether I’m more encouraged or more scared about where we’re at and where we might be going. I’m excited that there are other viable ways to finance the creation of music, but I don’t know how sustainable that is, and I don’t know if we’re moving toward a point where new ways of bringing money toward musicians are offsetting all the places where musicians aren’t making money anymore. Ultimately I just hope as a culture that we’ll all put energy toward supporting musicians we believe in by sending money their way, in whatever form that might take.

Check out Nicole Childrey’s twitter.

Interview with Magneta Lane

August 27, 2012 / aftertheshow

I had a great interview with Lexi Valentine, lead singer and guitarist of Toronto band Magneta Lane.

Check out the interview over at Baeble Music or read below!

Magneta Lane is a three-piece rock band from Toronto. I got to speak with Magneta Lane frontwoman Lexi Valentine about the songwriting process, their upcoming EP Witch Rock, and being in a genre of their own. Lexi was super nice and professional. She even apologized for calling at 3:01 — one minute late!

After The Show: Let’s start with your songwriting process. You write the main melody and lyrics. How do you know when a song is done and you’re not going to add anything or change any details?

Lexi Valentine: To be honest, I don’t think that ever happens. Of course, we have a certain timeframe when we’re doing records, but as an artist you’re always looking back at things — maybe I could have done this or changed that. As long as I’m satisfied with the lyrical content and feel the story has been told, I’m satisfied. Lyrics are the most important thing to me out of everything.

It was definitely different on this EP we just did. It was nice to get feedback from people and have fresh ears say maybe you should go back. Having someone there to guide us and say try again and see what you can come up with took those songs to another level. But it’s a lifelong process of feeling like songs are never really finished.

What about composing guitar riffs? How do you come up with them?

It’s funny because I’m self taught, and I’m always pretty honest about saying that I’m not the best guitarist in the world, but I can write a melody. I usually just sit there, pick up the acoustic guitar, and pick whatever chords feel natural, starting with what sounds good to the ear. I never really think too much into it.

Nadia [drummer] helps a lot and she’s really great with writing bass lines that harmonize. She creates something in the background that works and makes the bass more prominent. And French [bassist] is great at picking skills — she’s really fast.

You’ve said that people think you sound too indie for the pop world, but too pop for the indie world. I think it’s good to sound unique and not fit into any rigid sonic category, but have you encountered resistance to your music because of this?

Oh man. You’ll be servicing a song to radio, and they’ll say “I don’t think our demographic will get this.” Some stations say it doesn’t sound mainstream enough, but then it’s too pop sounding for indie. At the end of the day we just write what we like and what we can write.

With the EP that we just finished, we cracked a joke in that in choosing the title for it. Our producers were like “I don’t even know what this is.” Our upcoming EP is called Witch Rock. It’s different and doesn’t really sound like anything. We make our own genre and don’t really fit in anywhere.

Your music videos are pretty interesting, especially “Lady Bones” and “Shatter.” How do you come up with the concepts for the videos?

The three of us have a really dark sense of humor about things. We try to have fun with that in terms of our videos. With the last two videos we’ve done (“Lady Bones” and “Shatter”) we got to be very hands-on. “Lady Bones” is my favorite — Mike Maxxis directed it.

We sat down and talked about ideas like Day of the Dead culture. I love that and want to show it in the video. We wanted something really raw, to show our sense of humor…even the way the video ends is us having fun. We have these ideas and were lucky enough to work with people who help us make them happen.

What was the outcome, short-term and long-term, from the “Girl From Mars” cover on the Microsoft spot?

That was a really fun experience. It was really different than what we were doing at the time. We got to go to LA. That commercial was actually used more internally as a Microsoft video. It was really cool that we got to do it. The sad part is that the song was never made available for purchase on MP3. We always get emails from people asking where to buy it. It’s just too bad that we don’t have the song to share with people.

But we invited people into our world and what we do who never would get to hear. There was so much work that went into the shoot — the set, the actors. It was cool.

I know you’ve done guest vocals for bands like Tokyo Police Club. In the future, do you see yourself writing for other artists or producing other bands?

It’s definitely something that I want to get into. It’s just a matter of finding the time. People approach me and ask can you sing on this song? It’s so much fun — I get to do it on the side for fun. Now it’s time to get back on the grind with ML [Magneta Lane]. For me, I definitely have to do one thing at a time. I can’t spread myself too far around because I get really focused on what I’m doing. We need to give birth to this EP first, then I can think about the future.

Next year, it’ll be 10 years as a band.

Oh my God, that’s scary [laughs].

What’s your headspace at this point in your career, and what can you share about the upcoming EP Witch Rock?

It’s been quite a ride. We were super young when we first started. The three of us have grown into very responsible, hardworking women. It’s great that we share that.

We’ve been reassessing and cleaning up shop the last three years, getting out of things that didnt necessarily work for us. With all those downs and times to reflect you really start to appreciate what youre doing.

Weve become smarter people, harder workers…we dont expect people to do things for us. Im really happy about that — music is our first love, but its even greater when you learn the business side too.

We’re really excited to start fresh and push forward with new minds and new hearts. I think with the music we’ve done to date, the character lyrics-wise is almost uplifting, about celebrating your inner villain. That’s kind of the way we’re facing the world — we want to move forward. We love to do this and no one’s forcing us to do it. Hopefully people will see that in the new music. We’re still who we are — we’re just smarter and older.

Interview with Hope For Agoldensummer

August 23, 2012 / aftertheshow

I spoke to Claire of Hope For Agoldensummer, a three-piece band led by sisters Claire and Page Campbell from Athens, Georgia.

After The Show: Starting mid-September, you’ll not only open for Patterson Hood but you’ll also sit in with his band during their sets. How are you preparing for that?

Claire Campbell: I actually just texted Patterson yesterday because we haven’t had any rehearsals since last time we played a show together, so as of now we haven’t started preparing yet. What happens is we have marathon rehearsals at Drive-By Truckers practice space. Sometime after dinner we’ll rehearse, rehearse, rehearse until we can rehearse no more.

With his sets, there is no set list – he just works off a giant list of songs we know, so we have a huge catalogue of songs that have to be ready at all times for whatever he decides he wants to play. The other thing about Patterson is that he doesn’t always call out songs, so sometimes he’ll just start a song and we’ll have to figure out which song it is in the first few bars. I’ll be playing banjo and realize I have to quickly change instruments!

When you’re playing shows in the south or in cities in the northeast, have you noticed differences in how audiences react to your music?

At first it seems like more of a novelty thing to people who aren’t from the south or from the southeast. But we win them over with our terrible jokes and stage banter. I feel like we get a pretty good reception across the board. Some places take longer to warm up.

What was your experience using Indiegogo to fund your fourth album, and why did you choose it over KickStarter?

We chose Indiegogo because we had a rather lofty financial goal of what we wanted to raise. If you don’t meet your goal with Kickstarter, you lose everything. In our case, the album was mostly in the can when we started fundraising. We were raising to cover the material cost of making the physical album and then to hire a publicist for the album – those things are the expensive things, and why we wanted to pre-sell it and do the fundraising campaign.

Even if we didn’t meet our goal we’d still get to keep the money we raised on IndieGoGo. The album was going to come out regardless of how much money we raised.

You play with some really interesting, unusual instruments like banjo, singing saw, and even a cheese grater. What’s your favorite and/or most unusual instrument you play?

My favorite is just the guitar; it’s the most fun. That’s what I write most of my songs on. I don’t tour with it, but I have a tiny old nylon string guitar from Vietnam and that’s what I mainly just sit at home & play – it’s effortless.

The weirdest thing I play is the singing saw. It’s a beautiful sound, in small amounts…it can definitely be overused. I can get tired of hearing it sometimes. We try to use it very sparingly, whenever we do use it. I don’t release a lot of raging singing saw solos in our folk songs. For Page, her current favorite weird thing is probably an Echoplex tape machine. We don’t tour with it and rarely use it.

I love the line “Mr. Bloom / I’ve made some room / in my mind / for thoughts of you.” Do you want to discuss the meaning and evolution of the song “Daniel Bloom”?

It’s kind of a long story. Daniel Bloom is a really good friend of mine who lives in Athens. When I first moved to Athens in ‘98, he was the first or second person I met. I was studying religion and he was studying philosophy so we had a lot to talk about. We had been talking about bugs…I said you can eat cockroaches – they would be protein & safe to eat, but it turns out after research that you can’t eat them because they carry terrible diseases. We made a bet that whoever was wrong had to write a song about the other person & perform it in public. The song slowly evolved to involve what I had written about him for that bet, but also parts of a love letter from someone else.

Hopefully that song will have a music video to go along with it – our plan is to do a motorcycling music video where I drive and Page stands on the foot peg mouthing the words to the song. We’d then have different members of a motorcycle gang chase us…we’ll see what happens.

What aspects of the business of music do you like and not like?

I don’t like hardly any aspects of it. I’ve been in it for so long that I’ve gotten really weary of it. I don’t really like booking shows anymore, and I don’t really like publicizing my shows. We hired a publicist for this album and tour, but I honestly feel like we could have probably pulled most of it off ourselves & gotten the same results, for the most part.

I got sort of disenchanted with the whole rat race and competition, and my ideas and priorities changed as far as how much time I wanted to devote to music & how much time I wanted to devote to all the other things in my life. At this point, I try to keep my nose out of the business of music as much as possible, and it’s probably to the detriment of our band.

Page is a graphic designer now & I’m a doula – we have other passions that have come to the surface. They haven’t overtaken music at all but are definitely of equal importance as music.

You’ve said that music isn’t how you make money; it’s how you spend money. That’s such a powerful, succinct statement about the current state of music and the struggle of the majority of bands.

Yes. For most people it’s an expensive hobby…I hate to say the word hobby, but is money the determining factor? Probably not. Our band breaks even, although we have massive amounts of credit card debt after the last tour. Except if you started actually figuring in the man and woman hours, we definitely would be in the red. None of us are pulling remotely a fair wage from being in this band, but we love it & we do get fulfillment from the other ways we make a living, so I think that’s okay.

I am happy where we are, for sure, right now. I’m not unsatisfied & I don’t look back at decisions we’ve made & have massive amounts of regret. I feel like we are successful whether or not we earn our living from music. I waver back and forth – on the business of music. I know it’s frustrating for everybody. This town [Athens] is great for being a musician because people are used to hiring people who go on tour, but most people here are not making a living wage.

You do great covers like “Time After Time” and even an Aaliyah song. Are there any covers people can expect on your upcoming tour?

Well actually I was just thinking of pitching some Elvis songs to Page. We do a lot of old R&B from Georgia like James Brown and Little Richard, but I was thinking like an Elvis song maybe…and Chuck Berry. Then there’s this really weird song about “why would you wanna break up.” Do you know that song?

No…

It has really strange timing – the rhythm is weird and the chorus is amazing – sorry I don’t know who it’s by. Patterson’s band is going to be our backup band so we’re trying to keep things simple, and we’ll probably be playing the exact same set every night because we’ll have to teach people our songs. I have pieces of songs but nothing new. We might do a new song of Page’s. But Page is insanely prolific, which is good when I have writer’s block.

*Thank you Hope For Agoldensummer — catch the band on tour — list of shows here