I caught up with Surfer Blood recently when they stopped by the Art in the Age store in Philly. We had a fun time discussing their music, time travel, our founding fathers and the brand’s spirits ROOT and SNAP.

Eno interviewed by “Dick Flash” of “Pork Magazine” for Warp Records. Brilliant.

Check out this interview I conducted for Art in the Age with Emil Nikolaisen, the frontman for Norwegian Shoegazers Serena-Maneesh. We discussed the band’s music, his home country of Norway and some of the artists he admires. A really good dude.

The new album is out now on 4AD. Highly recommended!

Here is part 1 of Dangerous Minds‘ entertaining interview with Kim Fowley, the man behind The Runaways…

“Cult figure Kim Fowley, record producer, rock impresario, songwriter and musician. Manager of The Runaways, Animal Man and the original Mayor of the Sunset Strip. “One of the most colorful characters in the annals of rock & roll.” Thrill to gossipy stories of Sly Stone and Doris Day; Sonny and Cher; Cat Stevens, Led Zeppelin, Gene Vincent and more. Part 1″

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with Woods at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

My trip to this year’s SXSW for Art in the Age was certainly a productive one. Between seeing live shows, eating BBQ, and getting to know the city, I managed to catch up with some really awesome bands and interview them for the AITA blog. Having our artist tees and ROOT Liquor with me didn’t hurt of course.

Above you can watch our interview, which turned out to be one of our best, with the highly entertaing G. Lucas Crane — noisemaker for the band Woods.

Watch interviews with The Golden Filter, Warpaint, Bachelorette, First Aid Kit, Talk Normal, Suckers and Real Estate after the jump…

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with The Golden Filter at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with Warpaint at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with Bachelorette at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with First Aid Kit at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with Talk Normal at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with Real Estate at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Art In The Age Presents…An Interview with Suckers at SXSW from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Bonus: Surfer Blood and Japandroids chugging ROOT at Urban! They killed it in 5 minutes!

Double Bonus: Thurston Moore gets down with Art in the Age! Rad!

The end!

The queen of No Wave, Lydia Lunch, was/is a TRUE badass. Watch as she discusses her thoughts on making money, entertainment and FILTH in 2 on air interviews from back in ‘83. And if you are looking to learn more about the No Wave scene, check out the great documentary Kill Your Idols.

(via DM)

Check out a clip of “New Years” over at Art in the Age’s blog.

Awesome! Check out their highly recommended new album Exploding Head, out 10/12 on Mute and catch them on tour.

Sun Airway is easily my favorite new band in Philly. They rose from the ashes of The A-Sides with a beautiful new sound that some might call Postal Service-y or Animal Collective Lite–but those descriptions would be cheapening it. Their debut EP Oh, Naoko is made up of esoteric, yet seemingly personal songs dressed in lush vocals and ethereal soundscapes. In short, it’s spellbinding. I sat down with the two members of the band, Jon (vocals/arrangements) and Patrick (arrangements), to discuss their origins, their EP and more…

Tell me how you guys came to be Sun Airway.

Jon: Patrick and I were both in the and The A-Sides and we had just gotten back from a month long tour. Multiple people decided to quit for various reasons and we decided to do something new. We were trying to do less rock and roll band type stuff and thought this would would be a good opportunity to do new things.

Where does the name come from?

Jon: We have always had a hard time coming up with names (laughs). In the end, I got it from a really cool, old airline poster I had seen once for an airline called “Midnight Sun Airways”.

Patrick: Actually, a friend of mine was really offended by the name choice because he thought it didn’t mean anything…unlike the name The A-Sides. We came up with at a time when we were really into being pompous and considered all of songs to be hits.

I love really love the EP. Was it self-produced? What was the process like?

Patrick: Thanks! We recorded and produced it ourselves, but we took our time because it was the first time we had ever done it. We were both pretty new when it came to recording with ProTools type stuff. We had observed some techniques while recording previous band’s stuff with Brian McTear and we also went to him for some equipment recommendations. So we slowly built a makeshift studio within our practice space in Northeast Philly. Jon brought things he had started at home and we began flushing them out in the new studio. We started off by working on the song “Waiting On You” and it took about 3 months to record, because we were learning as we went. But once we had that song down, we were able to finish the other songs quickly.

{MP3} Sun Airway – “Waiting On You”

Jon: It has been a better process, definitely more affordable. After we finishing recording the songs, we took them to Brian McTear for a final mix.

Patrick: We really wanted Brian to have a listen to it and help us optimize it, since we were so new to the whole thing. we also used his analog console that has some really great pre-amps. So once we had a tight mix we took to Fat City, where almost all Philly bands go, to get it mastered. Those guys are also in a great Led Zeppelin tribute band called Get the Led Out.

Jon: Yea, they are really awesome!

Patrick: They did a great job with the mastering, we are really happy with it.

What were you listening to when you recorded the EP?

Jon: I always like listening to regular indie stuff. I was/am into downloading people’s old vinyl rips of super weird, foreign library records as well. That stuff helped shaped the Sun Airway stuff more than anything. The song “Your Moon” uses samples from this weird Russian sports-themed record about horse races (laughs).

(The waitress asks if we would like anything. Patrick orders a spinach salad. Jon orders a Jamison.)

Patrick: I have been listening to a lot of old rock and roll like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, but that doesn’t relate at all to what we are doing I suppose. (laughs)

Jon: As for new indie stuff we both always stuff like Animal Collective. At the moment I am really into the new Dirty Projectors album.

Why did you decide to give your EP away for free? Do you plan on moving forward without a label?

Jon: Well, we put this one out for free because trying to find a label to put out a record takes FOREVER. The A-Sides record we did wasn’t released until a year after it was recorded, which is really frustrating and by the time you go to promote it and tour behind it, you just don’t care as much. Another reason, we decided to release it for free was because we hardly spent any money to make it.

Patrick: Yea, aside from the mastering and buying equipment that we would’ve bought anyway, it cost next to nothing to make. On the other hand, labels are good because they put your ass to the flame to get things done and it’s nice to have deadlines sometimes. Plus having a physical copy of the record, vinyl or CD, is always cool.

(We are momentarily distracted by some drunken dude yelling out front, sounding as though he is ready to fight someone.)

Jon: Whoa, that was, uh, pretty neat (laughs). Speaking of which, yesterday I saw someone in a Santa hat and someone roller dancing in the Acme parking lot…but back to your question (laughs). We will probably shop the EP around, but since the first thing people tend to say when they hear the record is “Wow, that’s really cool…when are they playing New York” we are going to figure out a live setup first. In terms of the music being free, we are ok with that. We want people to be able to hear without having to buy it. They are essentially doing us a favor by taking a chance on something new…

When can we expect a full length and some live shows? What will they be like?

Jon: A lot of the album is done already. Most of the stuff on the EP will probably be rolled into the full-length, but we are working on a handful of new songs as well.

Patrick: It’s challenging to record in our studio in the summertime because we don’t have AC, we have industrial sized fans. The fans are loud so we have to turn them off while we record so it gets really really hot. In the winter we wear jackets while we record (laughs). In terms of live shows, we are still in the process of figuring that out because we want to finish the album first.

Who designed the EP cover? It’s really nice…

Jon: Thanks, that was me.

Who is Naoko?

Jon: Naoko is a character from the book Norwegian Wood by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. It’s one of the best love stories I have ever read, pretty tragic though. “Oh, Naoko” and “Waiting on You” are based on her. I heard they might be making it into a movie…

{MP3} Sun Airway – “Oh, Naoko”

Patrick: We should be on the soundtrack! (laughs)

Jon: Yea we should. I read a lot of Murakami’s books throughout the year and they all had very strong imagery relating to night and the moon, which what I had been writing about at the time as well. It really inspired me.

Which current or older artists do you admire?

Jon: We are both really excited about Kurt Vile. We are definitely looking forward to his new record on Matador (Kurt would be djing later that night at the POPE). We opened for him about 5 years ago and there was no one there…and we thought he was the most amazing thing ever. I actually remember asking myself, how is a band like Animal Collective popular and this dude isn’t? He is totally the real deal. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.

Do you plan on staying in Philly?

Jon: For the moment. What’s nice about what we are doing now is that we don’t have to be in any one place to do it.

Patrick: Yea, we could be in separate cities doing it…

What is your fondest music memory?

Jon: I’m not sure. I’ll have to get back to you on that. (laughs)

Patrick: I’m not sure if this is my fondest, but it’s definitely a chart-topper. During an A-Sides show, my Father played a cover of Springsteen’s “Backstreets” with us. He is a piano player who was in a band in the ’60s called Ox that put out one 45 and then split up. So he joined us on stage and did the piano parts because it’s such a piano-driven song. It was really awesome. It went over really well, and the crowd was freaking out.

Jon: Yea, that’s one of my favorites too.

Finally, my friend Krystle is a big fan of your music and would like to share cupcakes with you guys, her treat. Interested?

Jon: I would like to say that I love cupcakes more than anything. My favorite kind is Red Velvet. I just had one at Flying Monkey yesterday and it was SO good.

Patrick: I don’t know what my favorite cupcake is, but the idea of eating cupcakes with Krystle is my favorite cupcake. (laughs)

Thanks to Jon and Patrick for the interview. You can download Sun Airway’s excellent new EP, Oh, Naoko for FREE on their website. Highly recommended! Stay tuned for tour info and album details…

During their stop in Philly with Bishop Allen, I finally got to meet 5 awesome folks from Seattle whom I have been in contact with ever since one of them (you know who you are!) sent me a cryptic and entertaining video nearly a year ago on MySpace–before the band had recorded a single song. Since then, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band have signed to a label and have released an awesome album, which has garnered praise from blogs like Stereogum and magazines like Spin. Last Friday I finally had a chance to meet them and ask them a few questions…

Ok, hey guys! First off, What are your names and what do you do?

Traci: My name is Traci Eggleston and I play Jumbo Jingle Sticks, Keyboards, Floor Tom and Glockenspiel

Jared: I’m Jared Price and I play the Bass.

Benjamin: I’m Benjamin Verdoes and I play Guitar and sing.

Marshall: I’m Marshall Verdoes and I play drums!

Matt: I’m Matthew Dammer and I play Guitar and Synth.

Cooool. Tell me how you came up with your awesome band name.

Benjamin: When Marshall was 11 or 12 he used to come up with the worst band names you have ever heard in your whole life. He would change one or two letters of existing band names–like Fall Out Boy would become Fall Out Troy. One day he just blurted out the phrase Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band and I said “Yep. Done.”

Haha. Nice one, Marshall! Describe your music in 5 words or less

Traci: intense, artsy, wild.

Jared: Indie-prog math pop-rock?

Excellent, I may use that. So not only do you guys create awesome music and videos, bt you also have a line of anteater soap. I noticed that it doesn’t have a tag line. Can you make one up real quick?

Traci: “Made from REAL anteater fat!” (it’s really not)

Haha! Any new products on the horizon?

Traci: We did have some ice cream. It was coconut flavored with chocolate chips and huckleberry sauce! Everything we do is pretty spontaneous and random. I’ve been wanting to do stickers and a back to school kit as well.

Ohhh that sounds rad, but let’s not give away too many ideas just yet. Moving on…If you guys were gonna start a cover band what would it be and why?

Marshall: Probably Led Zeppelin or Par Corliss.

Par Corliss??

Benjamin: They are an obscure math-rock band from Seattle that are no longer together. Matt and I were obsessed with them. They had a big influence on our music and it would be great to play some of their songs because they are so good and so few people have heard them.

Traci: It took me like 3 years to “get” their music, but now that I “get it” and I’m really into it.

Explain what you mean when you say “get it?”

Traci: Well, the first few times I wasn’t really into it because I thought it was too busy and it had no vocals. It was just different. I mean, it’s…math-rock. Then I went through my prog-rock training listening to Yes and I got more into it.

Oh you should definitely check out the prog documentary I posted the other week–very educational.

Matt: Oh really? I love prog-rock! ELP, King Crimson, Genesis with Peter Gabriel. It’s ridiculous, but amazing. It’s analog, it’s classically influenced and there is a lot there–if you can get past the silliness.

I do like it, but it can get tedious. However, one thing that is never tedious is eating at my favorite restaurant in Philly, Vietnam (all puns so intended!). What are your favorite restaurants in Seattle?

Traci: Icon Grill!

Benjamin: Gorditos

Marshall: I’m a foodie and I’ll second Ben’s Gorditos and um…Taco Bell

Traci: Really? That’s disappointing…

Matt: Mae Phim Thai for me.

Nice. Ok here’s a fun question. What are your favorite and least favorite trends at the moment?

Benjamin: My least favorite is definitely Ugg Boots!

Marshall: Uck!

Benjamin: We were counting Ugg Boots on tour and in Iowa city we found 13 pair in less than an hour! I don’t really like typical college fashion in general–the sweatshirts, the jeans, and the Ugg Boots. I don’t get it.

Traci: My favorite trends right now, and they are going to be HUGE this Spring, are Onesies and Rompers. I found the one I’m wearing now two years ago at a thrift store in Stanwood.

Ah, so you’re an early adopter?

Traci: I’m such an early adopter and I’m running with it!

Speaking of adoption, tell me about your family/band situation.

Traci: Yea, I was adopted by Benjamin…

Marshall: (burp)

Benjamin: Then I married her…Oh wait, never mind that’s Woody Allen. Traci is my wife and Marshall is my adopted brother, even though I pretend to be his dad as much as possible. Matt is my soul-mate and Jared is still trying to get adopted.

Haha. Whats next for the band?

Benjamin: We are working on our second record and we are really excited about it. We are going to try some new things with this one. We will also be touring throughout the year, and hopefully we can go to Europe. That’s the plan!

Excellent! What can we expect the new record to sound like? Will it be a departure?

Ben: My answer to that would have to be…5 and 7.

Good answer, 7 is a powerful number. After all, 7 8(ate) 9…

Traci: Good one! I like that!

Speaking of jokes, do you guys have any good jokes or stories?

Traci: I don’t have a joke, but I do have some anecdotes. I used to ride Benjamin around on the back of my Vespa and he would yell “Oh Mama!” because he would be so scared that I would crash—that was kind of cute. One time he left me some strawberries and a poem on my Vespa while I was in class, which was really sweet!

Benjamin: I also wrote her a Waltz…

Traci: He did write me a Waltz, which was very impressive!

Wow, really? Will it ever see the light of day?

Benjamin: Yep…it’s on my MySpace page.

How beautiful! Well, thanks guys, it was great meeting you!

MSHVD: Thanks Michael, it was great meeting you too!

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band is currently on tour with Bishop Allen (photos + review). Their debut album is available now on Dead Oceans.

Visit No Age’s blog to see pics of the band at the store and pick up their awesome T-shirt “String Break ‘08″ from AITA.

No Age’s acclaimed album Nouns is available now from Insound.

If you have yet to get into the dark-disco sound of Portland’s The Chromatics, then I have only one question for you. What the hell are you waiting for? Their music is a cinematic melange of sex, violence, mystery, more sex, more mystery, and every other cool word you can think of…so what’s not to love?

Recently, I chatted with lead singer Ruth Radelet about The Chromatics recording process, their live shows, the future of the band and other top-secret stuff. Check it out:

Michael: First off, you should know that The Walrus is a really big fan of The Chromatics. However, one thing escapes me. How come you haven’t played Philly yet? Do we have koodies?

Ruth: No! We definitely aren’t avoiding Philly on purpose, it just hasn’t worked out for us to play the East Coast yet. We concentrated on touring Europe this last Spring and Summer, and now we are taking some time off to write, so…

Ok, I can forgive you, recording new material is definitely a good reason. Speaking of which, what’s up next for the band in terms of sound? Can you drop any hints about what we can expect? Is it a departure? Feel free to tell us everything!

The band is going through some changes, actually. When we re-emerge there will be a slight member shift and possibly a name change. The sound will be similar, but much has yet to be written, so there may be a few surprises!

Name change? No. No. No. No! Ok, let me regain my composure. Ok, I’m better now. So, it’s great how your songs are so simple, yet so evocative. What is the process for recording songs? Do the songs start out simple or does it take a while to get to that point? Do you ever argue while recording? Can you give us some examples?

All of the songs were already written before I joined the band, so I couldn’t really tell you about the writing process, but I do know it takes some time to streamline an idea, and songs may start out quite different from how they end up in the end.

I have definitely been in some arguments while recording, but I think it’s just part of the process! It usually resolves itself pretty quickly. Some examples of arguments would be: “There is an 8 bar musical break between verses here.” “No, it is definitely 4, are you kidding?” “You’re crazy!” “No I’m not! That’s the way the song goes!” “Oh wait, you’re right.”

I have one word for you: adorable. Now, just a few moments ago you hinted that there may be a line-up change happening soon. Is this definite? Will it affect the sound?

Well, I guess I already let the cat out of the bag! Yes, you can expect a line-up change, but not a big change in sound.

Oof. Ok, I’ll remain optimistic. On the subject of live shows, although I have yet to see you guys live, I hear you are pretty awesome. Do you take a certain approach to live shows? Do you have a vision for what you’d like your live show to become in the future?

I am almost never satisfied with my own performance, so it is nice to hear that people are saying good things! In the beginning I was very nervous, because I didn’t have any experience singing in front of people. So, for me, the goal has always been to get to the point where I am completely comfortable on stage, and I am a lot closer to that point now than when we first started playing shows last spring. I don’t think anything we do live is too thought-out. We just try to be ourselves and give our all to the music.

That’s terrific! The very next time you give it your all, make sure it’s in Philly Another thing I love about you guys and your label Italians Do It Better is that you give away a lot of songs for free. The Walrus has never once been asked to take any music down, and I have noticed other blogs haven’t either even if its a demo version. Is it the kind of thing where the label and the artists want to invite the listeners into the process or are there other reasons?

We want our music to be accessible, and I think putting free songs out there is a great way to reach new listeners, as well as give existing fans a little something extra, like a demo or a different mix that you wouldn’t find on our official releases. I think it’s important to focus on the music, and how you can best share it with people, rather than worrying about losing money. And by the way, sales are good!

Wow, being generous actually does pay! Speaking of labels, the music of The Chromatics (and Johnny’s other awesome band Glass Candy) has often been tagged with the term “Italo-Disco” (I am guilty of this). Do you think this is due to the fact that your record label is named Italians Do It Better? Are you guys big fans of that genre or is it a misnomer? Related question: Have you ever stared directly into Giorgio Moroder’s moustache on the cover of From Here to Eternity? I almost went blind!

I think it’s mostly a misnomer. We don’t really consider our music to be Italo Disco, but a lot of people seem to put it in that category, probably because of our label. The name “Italians Do It Better” has definitely caused a little confusion. Some people even think we are Italian! We do like Italo, but we listen to other stuff a lot more. I don’t think I have ever looked closely at Giorgio Moroder’s moustache, but I do love that record cover!

Haha, yes it truly is a masterpiece! He looks like a pizza man from the future! But back to your music. The current sound of The Chromatics is very cinematic lyrically and sonically. Who are your favorite filmmakers at the moment? of the past? Do you and the guys have any desire to score films? I would be happy to put you in contact with David Fincher or David Lynch

Most of my favorite filmmakers are pretty obvious. I love westerns and gangster flicks, so of course I would say Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Brian DePalma, Clint Eastwood, Sam Pickinpah and Sergio Leone. I am not that well-versed in foreign films, but I love Frederico Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Wong Kar Wai and Fernando Meirelles. The cinematography in their movies is incredible! I would also have to say we are all inspired by the films of Roman Polanski. I have only seen one of David Lynch’s movies (I know!), but Johnny is a long time fan of his work. As far as doing soundtracks, we are definitely open to the idea. It’s just about the right thing at the right time, I guess.

Well if it ever happens, I’m sure it would be amazing! Let’s talk about cover songs because you have done some great ones lately. The Boss, Dark Day, Kate Bush, etc. Are there any songs that you are dying to cover now (old or new)?

Johnny and I are both huge Neil Young fans, and we are considering covering one of his songs for our next record, but of course I can’t tell you which one yet!

Son of a…ok, cool. I can wait. Ok, so the bottom line is that you are really beautiful and we all know that MySpace can get pretty seedy. Have you ever gotten any weird messages (other than mine) from obsessive fans on on there? Offers of marriage?

I think I have received one offer of marriage, but I really haven’t had any creepy messages. Thank God!

Good to hear! Ok, finally, this last question is very important, and I ask that you take it very seriously. Do Italians really do it better?

Yes.
I knew it!

Well, Ruth thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to do this interview. It has been wonderful talking with you! I look forward to hearing new material and seeing you guys when you play Philly (sooner than later, I hope!)

Thanks, Michael!!

Check out some previous posts here, here and here. You can stream more great sounds on their MySpace page, and buy their records from the Italians Do It Better store.

Last Tuesday, one of my favorite bands, Germany’s The Notwist (officially pronounced “know-twist”) performed an awesome set in support of their new album The Devil, You and Me at The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. For those of you who are not familiar with their music, it’s a mix of glitchy electronics, looped melodies, guitar riffs and gentile vocals that come together to form a powerful and honest brand of post-everything pop.

After their set I had a chance to sit down and speak with lead singer and main songwriter Markus Acher and programmer Martin Gretschmann aka Console (who notably uses Wii sticks to control some of his electronics during live sets) about their music and other things…

So guys, great to meet you! How has your mini-tour been going so far?

Gabe: Awesome to meet you! Thanks for The Walrus shirts! It’s been going really well.

Drew: Yep, it has definitely been a lot of fun.

Awesome! Have you guys ever played Philly before? What are your thoughts on the city? Tell me about your experiences, good and bad.

G: Yea this is our 4th show here I think. Someone asked me earlier what the differences are between Philly and New York audiences–and now I remember–the heckling! But it’s heckling with good intentions. It’s like “hey you are in our city now, we like you, but don’t get too comfortable because we are still going to give you shit.”

Ah, the casual heckling of Philadelphia…

G: Haha, yes.

D: Yea it’s never demeaning or aggressive.

G: It’s actually sort of nice, considering the fact that a live show is really a two-way street. I’d much rather have some reaction than none at all.

True, plus it keeps it fun. In regards to the new album, Migration, there is a meditative vibe going on, especially on songs like “Monkey Forest Road” and “(The Optimists Were Right)”. Gabe, I recently read on the band’s MySpace page that it stems from your mom’s new religious conversion. Could you elaborate?

G: Well, there are several threads of meaning going on within the record. I’d definitely say that one of the narrative threads in the lyrics is about my mom becoming a holy person.

Yea I definitely picked up on that vibe while listening to it. On the other hand, “Homebreaker” has a real funky sound at the end of it. Were there any direct inspirations behind that?

D: That’s our “Thriller” section!

G:Ha! That song was a total experiment. I didn’t want any parts written before-hand. It basically started with percussion and bass parts, and then we recorded individual parts in secret hoping that, in the end, everything would come together. Until the end, it was really difficult to know what it would end up sounding like. But, in terms of influences, there is definitely some Talking Heads in there!

How about Peter Gabriel? I know you guys get that one a lot…

D: Yea we both like Peter Gabriel, but we weren’t trying to mimic the “World Music” sound or anything. There are some specifics sounds in his music, like how he recorded toms, that we wanted to emulate, but that was it.

Gabe, you also wrote that sometimes this record is about where you came from and how you got there. Is that alluding to the musical process or just the feeling of it? Can you elaborate?

G: It’s both. The thesis of the record is “moving from comfort to discomfort.”

Interesting. I’m sure, like many bands, your recording process differs from your live show. Do you prefer one over the other or do they both have pros and cons?

G: I love recording. The live show is necessary though.

D: I love recording for what you can do, there are no limitations, but I definitely prefer the live show.

Cool. On that note, what was the worst show you ever played? The best?

G: Not sure about the worst…Best? Haha, you tell me. I used to know this guy when i was working, he was an India Stone Dealer and I would always say to him “Hey Rajah, how’s it going?” and he would respond (in an Indian accent) “I don’t know you tell me.” The show at the Black Cat was definitely awesome.

D: Ummmm, the MRoom in Philly!?

Haha, yes, this was in fact your best show. I’m sure of it! Speaking of Philly, is there a musical connection between you guys and Alec Ounsworth/CYHSY? Or are you just friends and tour-mates? Are there plans to collaborate in the future?

D: We love those guys, they are our good friends…

G: (sarcastically) No. There will be nothing in the future at all. We are planning on distancing ourselves as much as possible!

Ha! Say guys, the name Takka Takka wasn’t, by any chance, borrowed from a Lichenstein painting was it?

G: Yep! That’s exactly where it comes from!

D: Haha, how did you know that?

Uh, a little birdie named Earfarm told me.

D: Ahhhh, yes!

I’m curious, who directed the video for “Silence” and where did all the toys come from?

G: Our good friend Amy Finkel directed it. She is awesome. Yes, those are all her toys! Unbelievably enough, she still makes mini models!

D: Yea! She is really awesome!

Remixes are really popular these days. Personally, I sometimes become sold on a remix of band’s song before I ever hear the original. Have you guys considered doing some?

G: The idea that the remix can become more well known that the original song is really interesting to me. It’s kind of Warhol-ian. We really like the whole Crystal Castles/HEALTH thing. HEALTH blows me away!

D: Yea we are working with some people that we really like on future remixes, but at the same time we aren’t really sure why we are doing them…

Well, I think it helps bring in an audience that may not have necessarily known about you before…always a good thing! Ok. My last question is a fun one. What is the weirdest message you have ever received on MySpace?

G: Haha, Drew got one recently…

D: Umm, yea I played in a Guns ‘N Roses tribute band recently and a girl linked me to Takka Takka. She sent me a weird haiku through MySpace, just letting me know that she existed. A little freaky, but harmless…

Or at least you think! Ok guys that’s it for the questions. Thanks for taking the time to hang out. Great show!

G: Thanks, Michael!

D: Thanks, man!!

Check out photos from the show:

Thanks to Gabe, Drew and the rest of the band (as well as Gillian) for taking the time to hang out and do the interview and for putting on an awesome show!

You can grab a free download of their awesome track “Silence” here.

Takka Takka’s new album, Migration, is highly recommended. Grab it now over at Ernest Jenning and on iTunes.

The band plays Chicago’s Darkroom tonight and Brooklyn’s Glasslands Gallery on the 10th. Catch ‘em if you can!

The Brooklyn band Asobi Seksu, (Japanese for “playful sex”) comprised of Yuki Chikudate (vocals, instrumentation), James Hanna (various instruments) and friends is one of our favorites here at The Walrus. Often compared to My Bloody Valentine, their melodic, ethereal noise-pop certainly has it’s roots in late-80’s/90’s Shoegaze, but its beauty is timeless.

I recently had a chance to speak with Yuki about the in-progress follow-up to 2006’s excellent album Citrus, as well a few other points of interest. Check it out:

Michael: Hi Yuki! How is the new record coming along?

Yuki: Good! We are mixing right now. It’s been an interesting and longer process, longer than we thought. But we’re are excited by the end result.

M: Awesome! Is it a change in direction from Citrus? If so, can you give us some hints? Are you working with any one of interest? Feel free to spill all the beans.

Y: I don’t think that it is too much of a departure from Citrus…it’s a natural progression, but who knows what people will think. We are recording at Gigantic Studios again with Chris Zane and Alex Aldi. It’s been fun! As far as “guests” go, we’re are using a lot of this organ that The Walkmen keep at the studio. Does that count!?

M: Oooh secret Walkmen organ…sounds cool! When you record is it a very meticulous process? Do you do any improv or is it more planned out?

Y: Yes, it’s an anal retentive, obsessive compulsive process, but a lot of this record was arranged and written on the spot. Citrus was written and arranged to the 98% mark before we went into the studio. We left more room for experimentation this time.

M: Does it disappoint you when your albums end up on file sharing networks? Would you ever consider using the “pay-what-you-want” / release when finished model, similar to what Radiohead and Girl Talk have done, in order to curb leaks?

Y: Yes and no. The Internet Machine has gotten us a lot of attention that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. But it is disappointing when people make entire albums available on ftp servers before they are even officially released. I definitely thought it was cool when Radiohead did the “pay-what-you-want” thing just as their album was released.

M: Yea, but then again, they are Radiohead and they can pretty much do anything they want and get away with it. In regards to remixes, I really love the Cassettes Wont Listen remix of “Strawberries” and The Twelves remix of “Thursday.” How did those come about? Do you plan on collaborating more with djs/electronic artists in the future? If so which ones would you like to hook up with?

Y: Thanks, I really like them too. The CWL mix was done by our friend Jay, and it’s probably may favorite remix. The Twelves one is dope too. That one was arranged by our UK label, One Little Indian. I would love to have Daft Punk remix our stuff!

M: That would be really cool. I’m a big fan of the lyrics on Citrus. I’m curious, are the lyrics of “Strawberry” referencing the Beatles?

Y: Kind of. I realized that after I wrote it. I like that it’s kind of a shout-out to them. It’s about a field of strawberries screaming, “Don’t forget about me!”

M: Haha, weird! The music and vocals on “Thursday” sound very bright and dreamy, almost uplifting, and yet the lyrics are sad. Was that a conscious decision to juxtapose the content of the lyrics with the feeling/tone of the music, in order to create balance? (ie, Beach Boys Pet Sounds)

Y: Yeah, we like to do that (smiles)

M: Without a doubt one of your influences must be My Bloody Valentine (probably sick of that reference!). It’s pretty crazy that they have gotten back together and are touring, possibly recording. Any thoughts on that? Are you going to see them live? Will you promise to wear earplugs if you do? I hear it’s INSANE!

Y: I know! It’s sick! We are there with bells on. I really hope they play “Lose My Breath.”

M: Me too! Another thing I love about you guys is your cover art. It’s really beautiful, especially the artwork for the Holiday EP and Stay Awake 7”. How did you hook up with the designer, Sean McCabe? Did you approach him?

Y: He just wrote to us one day out of the blue. He makes all of our stuff look amazing. Get ‘em all, if you know what’s good for ya!

M: How do you typically discover new music? What bands are you listening to at the moment? Are there any bands/albums old or new that we should know about, that are perhaps more obscure or lesser known?

Y: I guess I find out about new music the same way everyone else does. We recently found out that James’ old friend from Long Island is in this Hardcore band called Sex Vid. They are pretty sick! (note: they don’t seem to have a website or MySpace page)

M: What are your influences outside of music? Do you have favorite films, designers, trends at the moment? Ones that you dislike and feel like complaining about?

Y: Eh, we are not part of the “Hateratti.” James’ favorite movie is Stranger than Paradise and my favorite director is Herzog.

M: Do you have any thoughts on the current Presidential Race?

Y: I labu Obama! It is amazing that there is a Japanese city called “Obama” that goes absolutely crazy for him. I love how nuts Japanese people are.

M: If you could play on the same bill with any band that is currently active, whom would it be and why?

Y: Mogwai. We love the Scottish.

M: What are your thoughts on Philadelphia? Do you like playing here?

Y: You guys are pretty nuts! Buncha drunkards! I’m kidding, of course. The shows there have always been fun, although we hate the Phillies. We are Mets fans, but don’t hold it against us!

M: Don’t worry, you are still cool with me. I’ll turn my head, just this one time though. Finally, If Asobi Seksu was a fictitious/mythical creature, describe what it would look like. Maybe draw us a picture?

Y: James says “My Little Pony” and Chris, our producer, we would be a squash, but I don’t know what that means. Unfortunately, I can’t draw.

M: Aw, that’s ok Yuki, thanks for your time, and I’m definitely looking forward to the new record!

Y: Thanks, Michael, have a great summer!

Asobi Seksu’s debut album, as well as Citrus and their recent EPs and singles are available now from Insound.

I must say, going through with the interview was a good decision. Midnight Juggernauts are more than their slightly pigeon-holed, yet duly-earned “Justice-approved” moniker. Plus, they rocked the Art in the Age threads I brought for them! Follow along as I head into the proverbial unknown with these intergalactic chaps…

Robin: Who are you and where do you come from?

Well, I’m Andy, I’m Daniel, and I’m Vincent. We’re Midnight Juggernauts and we come from…Mars!

Vincent: Andy and I come from Melbourne, and Daniel comes from the surfin’ beaches. He spends his life sunbathing with surfer chicks, playing the guitar, watching the waves…

Daniel: Not true!

Don’t worry, I believe you. So how and when did you meet?

V: match.com!

Andy: Vincent and I have known each other since high school. Daniel and I were in Sydney when we met for the first time. He was a young boy, a keen young man…

Where does your name come from?

V: It comes from a fortune cookie we were eating, that said, “What is a midnight juggernaut?”

A: The answer? It’s an unstoppable force in the middle of the night.

So to go along with your unique band name, if you had to make up your own genre to place yourselves in, what would you call it?

D: It would be in another dialect from another planet, or something with “new” in front of it. Isn’t that what they’re doing nowadays?

V: We wouldn’t have a word. We’d have a symbol, like Prince! It would be a dollar sign with a question mark and then a no smoking sign to keep with the times.

Ok, now for the good stuff! Ha! Since you’ve known each other for so long, do you want to fess up to any embarrassing musical obsessions from your past?

D: When I was a four-year-old…I listened to Bing Crosby records. The most embarrassing? East17, an English pop act from the early 90s. That was one of the first concerts I ever went to.

V: It’s funny thinking back to big acts from the 80s and 90s like Elton John, Billy Joel and Paul Simon. When you’re young, you cringe because you think they’re so cheesy! Your parents liked that music! But sometimes when you look back without all that baggage, there are some pretty good songs.

No worries. Billy Joel and Elton John = totally allowed (in my book, at least). So beyond being avid music listeners, do you have formal music training?

V: I started playing violin when I was 7. I got pretty good and joined string ensembles. This was the peak of my powers.

A: I had guitar lessons twice. I was into metal music, so I played some harsh distortion. My teacher told me what I was doing was wrong.

D: I used to play the tuba in my school orchestra. I was this teeny little kid carrying around this huge thing. It was the worst! Then I learned all sorts of percussion.

V: We’re still trying to uncover pictures of him as a kid with the tuba wrapped around his whole body!

I’m sure they’re well-hidden somewhere.
Besides music, are you involved in visual art? How much of a role do you play in the direction of your videos and album art?

V: We are involved as much as possible. Just like with the music, you want to create this other world.

D: We started our own label to put this album out. It’s all about independent projects. We wanted to do our own artwork, our own videos, and make the entire thing one big piece of art! All of that stuff is really important, like what you were talking about with the artist-driven shirt brand. People that make art in the world have to support each other.

After all this touring and art-making and thinking and dancing, how tired are you, seriously? Do you ever have crises and want to sit in a silent dark room for a week?

D: Yeah, all the time. That “dark room,” is called The Tour Bus, or our “coffins.” We have these cubicle beds. We’ve got our laptops and headphones. That is the escape.

V: I wonder what it’s like to just sit and do my taxes.

It’s probably not as fun as what you’re doing. Seriously. After all of your experiences, can you give me any piece of advice or a recommendation?

A: When in Washington, go to Ben’s Chili Bar, it’s incredible!

D: Stay away from The Dark Side….or embrace it.

V: If you’re going to check in a lot of luggage at the airport, make sure you find a young pretty girl to check in with, and not an old grumpy man who is going to charge you $3000 in fees.

Haha! Ok, finally…how do you take your eggs?

A: Scrambled.

D: An omelette…with lots of different stuff.

V: Raw. No, actually, fried.

Ok, that’s all I’ve got! Thanks so much, it was a pleasure!

SHOW REVIEW: Notoriously late, I arrived just as Shy Child was trucking their gear off stage. The crowd seemed a bit sedated and I was nervous to see what the response would be to the pounding Juggernaut beats. Man, was I wrong about the sedation! As soon as the Juggernauts began their set, the floor became crowded and throbbing with guys and gals shakin’ it…hard! There were no breaks in the set, which was pretty impressive, as the transitions were seamless. I described it later to a friend as “one giant, live mash-up of songs” Additionally, Vincent and Andy switched between keyboards, vocals and guitar throughout the set. Their energy and consistent solid mix of instrumentation is what truly sold me on the band.

Need more Midnight Juggernauts? Visit their MySpace page for more info and tour dates. Their debut album, Dystopia, is available now via their official site. Also, download the Knightlife remix of “Shadows” below! NOICE!

Midnight Juggernauts – Shadows (KNIGHTLIFE Remix)Download audio file (643mp3_shadows_knightlife_r.mp3)

On Tuesday night, Robin and I headed over to Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia’s Fishtown section to catch Sweden’s newest pop chanteuse, Lykke Li. Yep, we were psyched! It was a beautiful night and we sat outside eating chicken tacos and hummus, as we awaited her arrival. Soon enough, Lykke and her crew, including the super-talented El Perro Del Mar, arrived out front in a giant dark blue bus. When Lykke got settled in and made her way outside for some air, we quickly introduced ourselves and invited her to our table for a quick chat before soundcheck.

R: We’re glad that this is the first stop on your US tour! Have you heard about Philly before your arrival?

LL: No, but I am really into Philly performers like Jill Scott and The Roots!

M: Awesome. Don’t forget the Fresh Prince, haha. Speaking of fresh, how do you usually get introduced to new music? Blogs? Friends?

Friends give me stuff. This whole blog phenomenon makes people open to new music, but it’s often out of context. I don’t really read blogs myself. People tend to judge artists based on one song and that’s not really fair.

M: Yea, and it’s rare that people actually “wait” for albums to come out these days.

I used to love waiting for albums to come out. I would study the artwork and read what they wrote in the jacket and liner notes…things like, “Thank you Mom.” These days, it’s hard for artists to grow or have careers, because it’s so fast. People that write about the music, sometimes seem to think they know the artist, but they don’t really know them. What they write becomes the truth for a lot of people, and that is kind of scary.

R: Do you ever feel like you have been profiled unfairly?

Sometimes when older men want to review my album in Sweden, they don’t get my music. They’re like, “What is this? She can’t even sing…it’s so sparse!” But that was my point, not to try so hard or overdo it.

M: Definitely, I think that’s the best part of your music. It’s sophisticated in its simplicity. I tend to like my music that way, lately anyway. What bands/artists are you listening to at the moment?

I always listen to Nina Simone. Always. I also really like A Tribe Called Quest. I’m definitely into newer bands like Cat Power and Panda Bear as well.

M: Cool, your taste is pretty diverse. That’s something that really comes through in your music. Growing up, were you exposed to a broad range of music, or did your tastes evolve over time?

I went through phases. My dad played a lot of reggae and other music. As a really young kid I listened to Madonna and Michael Jackson. I had blonde hair, a black bra and a costume like her, and I was a really good dancer! Later on though I was into a lot of soul music, and when I heard the music of Cody ChesnuTT, I thought, “Oh my god! Wow! I want my album to be like this!” It’s really raw and he takes risks with his lyrics. He just doesn’t give a fuck!

R: Haha, awesome! In regards to your music, do you prefer performing or recording?

They’re two totally different things, so you really can’t compare. Being in the studio is really hard work, but it’s an important part of music, so you have to do it. I love performing, because it makes me feel alive and free.

R: What kinds of places do you prefer to play?

Small places and I like the mixed audiences.

R: Then you’ll like Johnny Brenda’s. When you play smaller places, specifically bars, what do you usually drink?

Whiskey, Champagne, or white wine are the only things i drink. Maybe I’ll have a gin and tonic. I don’t like beer! I’m such a girl!

M: When you are in the studio, what’s your process like? Do you improvise, or is it more pre-meditated?

Yes, sometimes improv, sometimes not. It’s usually pretty spontaneous, which is the way I think it should be.

M: If you could work with any producer or artist on a collaboration, who would it be?

There are so many good people! But just because they’re good doesn’t mean you’re going to work well with them. I would love to work with Chris Cunningham on some music videos though!

M: Yes! He does great work! Do you think you will be recording another album any time soon?

I’m going to be on tour for at least a year, and then I need some space to relax. After that, yes. But I want to live more and meet new people, and not just drive around in a bus, because what would I write about then? I need to go out and party and have relationships and enjoy life!

R: Ok, let’s talk about life! If you weren’t touring and performing, what would you be doing?

I would be traveling. I would love to go to South America and just hang out, study philosophy, hike, or learn how to dive. I would also like to go to Africa and help teach in a school. I feel kind of selfish now, so I would really like to give to others and get involved with charity programs.

R: Besides music-making, are there other art-forms that you are interested/involved in?

For sure! I love films, particularly European films and especially Spanish films. European films are great at capturing life. I just don’t feel a connection to Hollywood movies, actors, and dramas…it often feels fake, maybe because of all their Botoxing. It’s important to be real. I also really like fashion and photography. I really enjoy spending time looking at photo-books and I take photographs, but just for fun.

R: Do you have any pet peeves?

Pretentious people and bad food!

M: Did you enjoy Johnny Brenda’s chicken tacos?

Yes! I ate it all, didn’t I? God, was that a lot? I love eating! I eat eat eat eat like a horse.

M: Haha! Do you have a favorite food?

I’d say grilled street food in Morocco.

R: What about eggs? How do you like yours?

I like them scrambled. But I like omelettes and poached eggs, too! Ok, I have to head up for sound-check. Thanks, this was fun!

Thanks Lykke!

Show Review: When I returned to the venue to watch Lykke’s performance, I was a caught a bit off-guard due to the fact that she and the original headliner, El Perro Del Mar, had switched slots. At first I was disappointed, because I was super anxious to hear Lykke, but as the show progressed it seemed irrelevant. See, both singers shared the same backing band, and the ladies joined each other on stage during their respective sets. Lykke’s performance was more energetic than the beautiful and introspective set by El Perro. Keep in mind that’s just the nature of Lykke’s music…it’s more in your face and dramatic. In terms of her stage presence, she’s a natural performer and has a compelling presence.

She charmed the crowd throughout her flawless set, and when she pulled out the megaphone and began singing the opening lines of “I’m Good. I’m Gone [MP3],” I had to put down my camera and cut loose! Cheers to Lykke, El Perro Del Mar and the entire band for putting on an awesome show!

Visit Lykke’s MySpace Page for streams, tour dates and pics. Her excellent debut album Youth Novels is available now at Rough Trade.

Avoiding the requisite Tom Waits and Frank Zappa comparison questions, we chatted about important issues of the current age – from ladyfolks and defecating bums to how ridiculously psyched we are for MAN MAN’s record release show this Tuesday night right here in lovely Philadelphia!

My apologies, World of Academia. I find myself more excited for MAN MAN than my next project. Read on and you’ll understand why…

As a member of MAN MAN, What are your thoughts on WOMAN? Are we inherently good or inherently evil?

Women are complicated. Women are human. Women are crazy. But they’re also inspirational. They’re like Michael Vick and fighting dogs…nobody wins. Heartbreak is a big influence on this band.

Why do you love Philadelphia? Can you sum it up in a sentence or less?

Yes. One word: Attitude. The tone of “Im gonna do what I’m gonna do. If you don’t like it get out of my face.” Also the combination of affordability and lack of an exclusive, closed creative arts scene. I lived in Philly for about 12 years. It’s a good city to mess up a lot in and experience all of your early 20’s meltdowns.

So as someone older and wiser, what advice can you give me?

Have a sense of humor about everything. That idea is in our music, too. Give everything a shot because it’s better to have the experience than be afraid to fail or be hurt. If you’re afraid, then what’s the point?

How do you take your eggs?

Poached or over easy. A little bloody. Nothing serious about a little blood in your mouth. That applies to most things…but not everything.

If you had the chance, what would you want to relive or redo?

I don’t wanna revisit many things or relive my early twenties and definitely not high school. Everyone has to have that asshole, self-destructive period. To some extent, it leaks into “The Now,” but it all adds character. At this point though, I don’t want anymore character. I’m not putting on a play.

So how do you reconcile this sincerity with the extreme theatricality of your stage persona?

It’s hard trying to separate the two. The live persona is still me, but it’s a whole different element of me. If there wasn’t that sincere me, the stage persona wouldn’t translate as well. Live performances are an outlet to get garbage out of my system and have fun at the same time. It’s funny, when people meet me not on stage they’re surprised that I’m not out of my mind like I am during the show. If that was me all of the time, I would be in a straight-jacket…or in prison.

Describe your ideal show – bands, location, time, etc.

Philadelphia, obviously. We’ve had some ideal shows in Philly. Last summer’s free show in Rittenhouse Square was one of them. It was raining all day, but when we played, there was this weird mist and there were kids crowd surfing in the park. It embodied everything I love about this band, and all of the people in the restaurants nearby, not here to see us, were having their snotty-ass dinners with this abrasive music ruining it.

Is abrasiveness a goal of your music-making, because you seem to be just toeing that line?

I like that this band has a polarizing effect on people. They either love us or hate us. I don’t want that “Middle Ground Effect.” I also feel really lucky to have found like-minded musicians who can put up with me. The other members of the band don’t get enough credit. They’re amazing musicians and people.

This reminds me of a funny thing that happened. When we were on the cover of the Philadelphia Citypaper, I was riding my bike and saw a bum leaning up against the weekly box with us on the cover. He was defecating on the box, and I thought, “that is an amazing review of the article!” That’s kind of how we are – no pretense, cut straight to the shit, literally!

What predictions do you have for the future of MAN MAN?

First of all, I don’t take any of this for granted. It could all be over tomorrow, and kids could hate this new record, who knows? Honestly, it’s great that the word is spreading. It’s hard to think about the future though. We can do anything we want to since we’re not necessarily locked into being “The Guitarist”, “The Vocalist”, etc. As long as my throat holds up…

Have you ever canceled a show due to throat complications?

We had to cancel a set once. When we tour, we tour really hard. The only way to earn fans is to tour, to get out there in the trenches. People know about this band because we spent the last 3 years touring. We’re really lucky that people will come out and see us.

So what about this upcoming record release show? Any thoughts before The Big Night?

We’re really excited for the show. It’ll be on the early side so everyone can come out. I’m really pysched, and I love people knowing that our band is from Philly, because God DAMMIT, I love Philadelphia! Haters be damned, I love Philadelphia!

And dammit, I love MAN MAN!

Rabbit Habits arrives April 8th on Anti Records. Please consider pre-ordering online now, and I’ll see you Tuesday night!

I’ll admit, when I first heard the L.A. noise band HEALTH, I wasn’t that into them. I was a bigger fan of the remixes that artists like Crystal Castles and CFCF had done for them. Over time their album began to grow on me like a fungus. It really doesn’t sound like anything else at the moment. So, when HEALTH came to perform in Philly I made it a must to attend the show and catch a few words, er a lot of insightful words with the band’s multi-instrumentalist John…

So, how has it been touring with Crystal Castles?

AWESOME. I think it’s an amazing bill, in terms of style. They’re my favorite band. For the past 2 years, I have been listening to Crystal Castles, Glass Candy and Chromatics everyday. So yeah!

Yea I’m a big fan of those bands. On your album there are a lot of moments that sound almost random or spontaneous. In terms of process, would you say that HEALTH’s sound is more calculated or more improvised? Or both?

Yea it’s very calculated. There is very little improv, only a few instances. It is extremely calculated, pretty much everything is done for a reason.

Interesting. The record also has a very cinematic vibe to it. Have you ever considered doing film work, like scoring a movie? I could see you guys doing a horror film or a suspense/ thriller.

Haha, I’ve never really thought about it actually. We love film but I’m not sure if we would ever want to do that, fearing we would get in the way of a director’s vision. It would be interesting…

Understandable. I think you guys would be perfect for that type of work! Anyway, you are currently part of a ever-growing scene out in L.A. that once centered around The Smell. Tell me how that all got started.

The L.A. scene started waaaay before I moved to L.A. The scene as we now know it, I believe really started started in 2004-5, and a really awesome unique show culture was born. The press didn’t get involved until 2007.

How about the future of the scene. Do you see it becoming a cohesive movement?

Hmm. Not really. I mean the bands out there aren’t as unified in terms of their sound like, say, the Baltimore scene. Although they each have their own sound, there is still a common thread running through the Baltimore sound. People like Dan Deacon, Ecstatic Sunshine and Videohippos, a band that I’m really into these days, all seem closely connected in terms of their sound, where as L.A. has bands in the same scene that are extremely different from each other. Band A is often times a lot different than Band B. For example, we are way different from Abe Vigoda…

Yea, it definitely seems that way. What are your thoughts on Philly and its scene?

Aw man, I love the veggie cheese-steaks and the pretzel place you have here. Haha, it’s open ’till 4am! Fucking amazing! So good.

Haha, yea the Pretzel Factory is definitely tasty!

Yes! You know, I used to hear horror stories from friends, growing up, about how violent Philly was, but it doesn’t seem that bad. I guess it might be in some areas. In terms of music, Philly has a really great DIY scene. I really dig the bands on Badmaster Records like Tickley Feather. Plus, you guys have really cool bands playing shows at Danger Danger. Philly is definitely coming up.

Awesome! Yea, I think so too. In fact, you guys are playing at Danger Danger in April right?

Yep. April 3rd I think. We are stoked for that one!

I’ll come check it out for sure. It seems like you’ll be touring for quite a bit. Are you starting to think about the next album yet?

Well, we will be touring for the next 5 to 6 months. Once we get back to L.A. we are going to record stuff really quickly.

Will it be self-produced again this time around?

Yep, we will be self-producing again, but this time we are going to be working with an engineer. The next album will include a few collaborations, but I can’t spill the beans on the details yet. We are also planning on some one-off singles with other artists.

Awesome. I am definitely looking forward to that. Do you think the next album will be a departure? Do you plan on experimenting with other sounds?

Experimentation will always happen and it’ll definitely be embraced, but we are really happy about the sound we have now, so we are going to keep honing in on it.

Cool. Yea there isn’t anything new out there that sounds like Health and I really can’t relate it to any specific style of old music either. It’s kind of crazy now that I think about it.

Yes! That is definitely what we are going for. We want to make intense music that these kids can really own. I feel like a lot of stuff out there now is being rewarded for retreading on past styles, and we don’t want to do that at all. HEALTH is all about writing relevant and timely music. Music for now.

That’s what we need!! Well, thanks for your time John. The music is great and enjoy the rest of your tour!

Thanks man, this was fun!

HEALTH will be on tour throughout the States until the end of April. Make sure you see their awesome live show! You can check out their MySpace page for the specifics. The band’s debut album is now available through Lovepump United and their upcoming album of remixes, entitled HEALTH: Disco, is due out in May.

Special thanks to Paul from Philthy.us and Tiffany aka The Yoonabomber for the kick-ass photos!

I recently caught up with the band, at a gig in Philadelphia, and proceeded to pick their brains about aliens, influences and the future of the band…

So first off, great set, I really enjoyed it! I love the choreography aspect! How did you guys come together as a band?

Tim: Thanks! GANG was essentially born on MySpace. Nicole and I were making music and beats as The Big Kids. Amanda and Jacklyn were putting together songs on their own and they asked Nicole and I to put some beats to their songs…so we did…and it just went from there.

So do you two (to Nicole and Tim) primarily write the songs?

Jaclyn: We all do. Amanda and I do the choreography and Nicole and Tim let us know if it sucks.

Haha, nice. Yea it is definitely a really fun, entertaining show. It’s pretty intense. Tell me about the name, are you trying to evoke a certain level of toughness?

Amanda: Haha, do we come off that way?

(sarcastically) I was very intimidated.

Jaclyn: Well, in the dictionary the word is defined as: a group of youngsters or adolescents who associate closely, often exclusively, for social reasons, esp. such a group engaging in delinquent behavior. So, that pretty much sums us up.

Perhaps if you doubled the name and called it GANG GANG it would be even more powerful…kind of like Duran Duran. Think about it. If they were just called Duran they probably wouldn’t be as good.

Nicole: Yes, but unfortunately there is already a band who does that, Gang Gang Dance, so we should probably just stick to GANG.

Amanda: Yes, all in caps too. We wince when people write it in lowercase!

Yea it looks lame in lowercase (ex: gang…ew!) So who would you guys cite as major influences on the band?

Amanda: Well, after The Walrus turned me onto Klaus Nomi, I have been pretty obsessed with his music and his whole persona. I think I may be him, reincarnated.

Tim: Amanda weren’t you born in 1983…the year that he died?

Amanda: Oh my god!

Haha. Yea that guy was really amazing! You definitely have a similar approach with your vocals. Did you catch the documentary Nomi Song?

Amanda: Three times! It’s so great!

Nicole and Tim: Haha, we kind of fell asleep watching it…it was really late.

Jaclyn: Yea, I watched the first hour and Amanda filled me in on the rest. I definitely enjoyed what I saw though.

Well, I’m sure Amanda will provide you with many more opportunities to watch the whole thing. It’s a fascinating documentary. If there were to be a documentary on GANG, who would you want to film it?

Amanda: Hmm, David Byrne? I think he would get us. Or maybe John Waters?

Tim: Yea I think John Waters would be perfect because of his whole weird persona but also because he is such a great filmmaker.

Amanda: David Byrne could definitely make it into an awesome Power-point show though.

Haha, yea he could! So your songs have a lot to do with space exploration and aliens. If aliens invaded tomorrow, and they asked you to play a set, what song would you lead off with and why?

Amanda: Probably “Past, Present, Future.” I think it would speak to them, and after all, it is a true story.

Really? That is definitely my favorite GANG song. Have you guys ever seen the 80’s film Explorers, where a group of kids build a spacecraft out of junk and go to outer-space after being contacted by aliens? Have you guys ever considered doing something like this?

Amanda: I’m not familiar with the movie, but yes we have done something similar. Unfortunately, it’s sad and hard to talk about these days.

Tim: I sometimes have nightmares about it…

Yikes! So what do you guys do when you aren’t creating music and contacting aliens?

Jacklyn: I’m a fashion designer and I make the GANG T-Shirts that we sell at shows.

Nicole: I enjoy photography very much. The GANG music video was really fun to direct.

Awesome! So what’s next for the band?

Tim: We are going to release a free single, featuring the song “Earthquake.”

Nicole: Yes and after that, we hope to do a full-length album.

That’s great. I look forward to hearing that. I think your live shows are definitely where it’s at. In terms of gigs, is there anywhere you guys hope to play in the future?

Jaclyn: A bigger place, with a bigger stage, so that I can run around more!

Amanda: A place with better acoustics.

Nicole: I’d love to open for Fischerspooner…or better yet, Peaches. I think we would be a great opener for her.

Yes! I agree. I’ll have the Walrus get in contact with her people right away!

Nicole: Haha, thanks!!!

Well, guys that’s about all I have for ya. Thanks for taking the time to sit down and talk with me.

GANG: Thank you, Michael! Thanks for coming out!

Add GANG to your MySpace Page so you can stay updated on upcoming shows. You can also purchase their EP at Hot Dog City Records.