03/27/2008
The Now Sound: An Exclusive Interview with John From HEALTH
Photo by philthy.us
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...
Photo by philthy.us
Photo by Tiffany Yoon, aka The Yoonabomber
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!
MP3
Download 'Health - Crimewave'2:04 | 4.82MB
Posted by Michael on 03/27/2008 10:20 AM in Experimental, Rock, Neo-Psychedelic, Interview
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