Drop Magazine is happy to bring you Drew Danburry, supporting will be The Alterations, and Marty Cain. If you're in the area make sure to come by, it's going to be a great show, promise.
We wanted something that gave the sense of movement, of elevation. We’re both terribly afraid of flying, so when you think about it, it’s quite strange.How/when did you two meet?
We met up at high school, and almost emidiatelly the mischief began. We listened to dreamy music, and behaved like popstars. We were always being creative in some way, everyday was a new adventure, new barriers to cross and new levels of being disorderly to be reached. We were often told to try to calm down by the principal.Do you think where you grew up had a large impact on the music you make today?
We grew up in small towns, which had it’s pros and cons. The surroundings were beautiful; streams, bright landscapes, forests, glowing sunsets, but also a lot of frustration, boredom and conflict. It was easy not to fit in, and we were treated as such. About a year ago the local paper wanted to interview us, but it soon turned into a farse. The questions were silly, so we gave silly answers, and next thing you know there’s a hateful article about us that our parents had to read for breakfast. It’s funny now, but our folks keep a low profile nowadays haha.Do you think where you reside today has a large impact on your music?
Gothenburg is bigger, but by no means big. It’s an industrial city with a lot of rain most of the year, so it’s only natural that the creativity is blooming here, even though most of what comes out of this city is utter rubbish. This place, when comparing to Stockholm, is more relaxed, more humble minded, cheaper, which makes it easier to spend most of your time on art.Where do you get your ideas, and inspiration from? What's the driving force behind your music?
Ingmar Bergman once said that he could only make happy films when he was miserable, and dark films when he was happy, and that’s kind of how we operate as well. We don’t bury ourselves in self pity and gloom when making music, we try do turn the feeling around, but there’s always some of the melancholy left in there.What is your creative process like? Do you have an idea of what your want to the product to sound like when you start?
No, there’s never any goal we try to achieve, the songs takes us where they are supposed to be. We don’t want to close any routes, we need to keep that naïve attitude about life, there’s no closed doors. You can tell straight away if a song is mapped out, perfectly executed from start to finish. It’s hollow.If you could do a show anywhere, where would you play?
On a beach somewhere in front of a sunset that goes on forever. Or on the roof top of a light house. Or in an old wooden boat house. Or on a cricket field below a harvest moon. Anywhere, as long as it’s not indoors.What's the weirdest thing that has ever happened during a show?
Actually, we have only done one performance as of yet, last summer. It was a freak show. Henning of the Tough Alliance stormed the stage with a drum and took the whole thing over, girls gried his name and climbed the stage and Joel got kicked out from his own concert by the security and the technicians pulled the plug after two songs. At least that’s what we’ve been told, can’t remember a thing haha, we need a bit more practise I think.During your downtime, what do you enjoy to do?
Flying kites, sailing, badminton, swimming. Have you ever seen a sad person at a beach? Like, apart from a kid who got stung by a wasp? No.How do you think the internet affects the music industry?
In the beginning we were happy, beacuse downloading meant the major labels would get a wake up call, but in the end it hurts small time labels even more. What worried us most though, was that the context of the music would get lost in the sea of mp3s, but you’ve just have got to find another way of working with it. Music is only 50% of Air France. We use text, images, geography, anything really, to create other levels of what we want to convey.What kind of music could you go the rest of your days without listening?
We don’t care for most types of rock. There’s no playfullness in most of it, just stupidity, machoism, conservatism.Favorite Expression?
Why have roots, when you have feet? Haha it’s better in Swedish when it rhymes.If you could sum yourself up in a few words, what would they be?
Erratic and erotic.
It never sucks to find yourself outside of The Tinder Box in downtown Brattleboro as parades of punks and hippies and all the in-betweens drift amongst the music in something close to harmony, but it is even better if you find yourself there with people who are making some of the most interesting music out there right now. Washington’s T.v. Coahran creates music that, if it existed in a material form, would resemble some sort of drugged-out carnival. There would be bright colors, shapes that had no name and made no sense, sounds with mysterious origins, a vaguely unsettling and paranoid vibe. These things may come close to frightening you, if they weren’t so damn captivating. Plus, it all carries an exhilarating brand of fun. The lads of T.v. are no less fascinating than the music; Trent Vernon Coahran , the origin of the name and the mastermind at work in creating the psychedelic busted-up-merry-go-round pop jams, approached us wearing a leather pilot’s cap and a Charlie Chaplin-style mustache. Trent was joined by Charles Leo Gebhardt IV, or Leo, and Mike De Leon, a photographer who learned drums quickly for the purpose of joining the group for the tour and had been playing for only three months by the time he reached Brattleboro. Check out the interview we grabbed before their show back in April, and head over to their Myspace to hear and download some of their tracks. They may just make more familiar forms of pop music seem like a waste of time.
Drop Magazine is happy to present Best Friends Forever hailing from Minnesota, with the supporting act from Bob Carlton, and opening Madam Lee. So if your in the area and looking for an amazing show, make sure to come by.
Mirror Mirror is a captivating group. This New York City based band has formed much of their forthcoming album 'The Society for the Advancement of Inflammatory Consciousness' around their home, NYC. Through their music you can really start to get a picture of their urban surroundings. 'New Horizon' is a track that is most engaging and you likely won't tire of it anytime in the near future.Davie Riley: I think we were sitting in the park, writing out a list of any names that came to mind. MM was the name that offended everyone the least—which is to say it's generic, hinting at duality and self-reflection and mysticism without really meaning anything. It could be the name of a perfume.How did all of you meet? What made you want to form a band?
Ryan Lucero: When I first moved to NY I went out a lot. I was at this crazy-ass gay dance club where I saw David dancing around on stage in his underwear singing in his old band Navy... DR: I think I was covered in flour. RL: I thought to myself "I need to start a band with this guy!"Did you come from very different backgrounds? Do you think where you grew up had a large impact on the music you make today?
DR: Yes. I grew up in a small town on the coast of Maine. We would sail from island to island, exploring and eating wild peas on the beach. My father is British, so we also spent some time in the UK, and I lived in Denmark for three years, and France for a year. I went to international schools. My friends were from Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Turkey, Romania… I don't know how that affected the music, but it gave me an outsider's perspective. I learned to be diplomatic, observant and adaptable. Good qualities for a musician in the end.If you weren't making music what would you be doing?
RL: I grew up in the suburbs in LA but went to a totally insane arts high-school in LA. I would drive 2 hours everyday to get there and back, but it was totally worth it! It was an audition only school, so the kids were fucking amazing. Everyone was so unique and had such advanced interests in art, music, dance and all that. It was also super experimental.. We were all into really obscure music. I was in a lot of experimental bands with my friends. Around that time, the first incarnation of The Smell opened. I'd hang out and play there a lot. Now when I see all the bands that have created such a scene around that place, I think "Geez I'm old", or "Whoa cool!", or "Wha?"
RL: Painting.What did you listen to growing up?
DR: Ryan went to RISD for painting, and I went to NYU for Film and Video, so I'd like to think we'd be putting our pricey educations to good use. Well I guess we already are. We have strong opinions about what we want to do with the band visually. We make props and costumes for our shows at our studio in Bushwick. I just found a church podium at a yard sale for $5, and I've been re-finishing it. And making a series of ritual objects, like silicone molds, cloth snakes. We've also been shooting the New Horizons video there. Actually, we don't even have a rehearsal space, just an art studio...
DR: I remember driving with my mom when I was 12 and hearing "Dirty Boots" on WERU Blue Hill (my favorite Maine radio station) and thinking "What is this?!". A few years later I was at track practice in little shorts when I heard Kurt Cobain shot himself in the face. Basic 90s. Jane's Addiction, Breeders, Husker Du, NIN, Skinny Puppy. And then there were a whole bunch of Dead heads and Phish heads, you understand you're from Vermont. Ryan went to an arty high school, so he had much cooler taste. RL: I was really into the Swans, Art Bears, This Mortal Coil, Subversion! I was drawn to darker stuff, but in general, I had really broad taste: Stacy Q, John Cage, Wee Papa girls, Harry Pussy, Harry Partch, tons of north Indian music (I took sitar lessons all through high school).Do you think where you live today has a large impact on your music?
DR: Of course. In New York we're surrounded by so many talented artists and bands. It's inspiring but also really competitive. And there are so many crazy characters stalking the streets at all hours. A lot of the inspiration for our album came from the storefront churches in our neighborhood… in the summer, the doors are open, and you can hear all the wild, distorted sermons mixed with off-key choirs. And then that mixes with screaming children and bass-pumping minivans.Are any of your songs/characters in your songs based in reality?
DR: Well, I'm not really based in reality most of the time... but I feel like I've known all of the characters in my own life in one way or another. The album is based around a group of people who reject society, and try to live outside the usual boundaries. I've known a lot of people like that. Some of them were successful, some weren't. Some survived, some didn't. But none of the characters from the album is based on any single, actual person.Have you ever been on tour? What is tour like for you?
DR: We've played in NYC, LA, SF, Miami, Providence and Paris, but never really an extended tour. We're going to be touring in September and October to promote the album. So far we have dates in the UK and France, and we'll be doing an East Coast tour with one of our favorite bands (and Cochon label mates) The Judy Experience. Maybe we'll even get to Vermont...What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you during a show?
RL: We've done some smaller tours. We're planning some bigger ones. I've been on tour with different bands. I just finished a leg tours with Telepathe. It was a lot of fun, but also really hard work. Getting up early and staying up late every night can get pretty draining. I think touring is really just all about showing up to places on time, being hyper-organized and professional. Partying comes so naturally to the environment, but too much of that can kill you.
DR: Ryan would call me up when he was on tour, either ecstatic or completely miserable.
DR: That's difficult because we really try to cultivate weirdness at our shows, it's part of the job. We've led sing-alongs, served audience members food, given them massages. Whatever it takes to make them comfortable. We played a really fun show with our friends Ryan Trecartin and Veronica Gelbaum in LA, they're really great artists. They bought a ton of stuff from Target and glued it to their clothes: fake fruit, seashells, bath soap, teapots. The weird and wonderful Dynasty Handbag played that show too...How do you feel about today's culture? If you could change one thing what would it be?
DR: I don't know where to start. This country simply can't survive in its current form, it has to adapt. In a word, simplify! Consume less, pool resources, grow a garden on your roof. Share pants with your lover. That was one of the reasons we wrote an album about a sort of visionary society looking for "answers". It's not new age bullshit, it's survival. Also, radio is terrible, let's change that.What are some of your favorite acts circulating these days?
RL: I'm really into Girls from San Francisco. They are such amazing song writers! Chris has a totally captivating voice.If you could play with any other band/musician in the world who would it be?
DR: Our friend Lispector, from France, writes wonderful lo-fi Casio symphonies. The new Telepathe album, which Ryan played on, sounds incredible. Not sure when it's coming out though.
RL: Kate Bush. She is a major inspiration, especially now that she's older. I'd love to play a few tunes with her and then have tea, talk about life. DR: I heard she has a circular, glass-walled bedroom with a 360 degree view of the forest. I don't care if it's true, she's an idol of ours.As people from an internet site, how do you think the internet affects the music industry?
DR: We're not a major label with a terrible business model, so we're very happy with the internet. It means that people everywhere in the world can hear our music. And we have immediate access to so much great music, old and new, that would be impossible to find in most record stores. I find it very exciting.If you could sum yourself up in a few words what would they be?
DR: We've been called mercurial. I like that. I think we're a little moody and hard to pin down. Also: organic, interactive, synergistic.What can our readers look forward to? New releases, tour etc..?
DR: They can look forward to the dawning of another day. And our album The Society for the Advancement of Inflammatory Consciousness comes out September 16th. We'll be starting a tour around the same time.
Out thanks to Mirror Mirror for answering our questions.
'New Horizon' - Mirror Mirror
If all bands from Alberta, Canada are this good, Drop Magazine is going to have to relocate. Women is the kind of band you listen to over and over again. They are talented and just make good music. 'Black Rice' is an engaging song that will have your right from the start. Everything about this band makes you want to listen to them. They make you want to take a road trip to Canada,(the entire time listening to their music) just to catch one of their shows.We were hanging out in my apartment and Matt suggested it and we said "Alright". Not an amazing story unfortunately. Picking a band name is the most painful process because most things sound really stupid. We definitely like that our band isn't called "okay panda sex tiger go" and we like that it's a word that doesn't stand out.How did all of you meet, and what made you from your band?
2 of us came out of the same vagina, and the others we've known since elementary school.
Our parents were usually listening to horrible movie/television show soundtracks (Dances with Wolves, La Bamba, Northern Exposure etc.) but also listened to alot of other things like Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Patsy Cline, CCR, Roy Orbison, Django Reinhardt and Lenny Breau.Chris' parents actually met at a Captain Beefheart concert. His dad is an amazing jazz drummer.
It's really hard/weird to write about how we come up with our music but here's a long list of bands that we really enjoy / wish we were : Black Tambourine, Scars, Les Rallizes Denudes, Fire Engines, Orange Juice, Artery, Tim Hecker, Azeda Booth, Deerhoof, Autechre, US Maple, the Doers, Daughters, the Famines, Knots, Psychic Ills, Kleenex, The Clean, Storm and Stress, Aids Wolf, Normal Humans, METZ, Metropak, Mt. Royal, the Neighbourhood Council, Eddie & Ernie, Your Food, Swell Maps, Drive Like Jehu, Glenn Branca (Static and Theoretical Girls), Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Skeeter Davis, This Heat, Delta 5, One Last Wish, Vangelis, Sonic Youth, Josef K, the Urinals, DEVO etc.Have you ever been on tour? What is that like for you, how do you get along with your fellow band mates?
We recently toured Canada (30+ shows) w/ our friends from Medicine Hat: Mt. Royal. It was totally fine. If we were going to get sick of eachother I think it would've happened by now.
It's just second nature at this point. . . recording, touring and being on a computer alot of the time doing band things. We really enjoy it.We'll probably be those creepy old facial hair guys lounging around at shows.
Tour is alot of fun. Sometimes people drink alot of beer. I've found that most of the time it does not result in a good story.Favorite Expression:
" Utah! : get me two! " - Gary Busey
1. The internet is really taking off. 2. The internet is an excellent resource.
We are touring out to Pop Montreal at the end of September, after that we're playing some stateside shows. In November we are touring in the UK/Europe. Our record is coming out in the States and the rest of the world in the next 6 months. We are already demoing/working on new tracks. We now have vinyl which is exciting, and cassettes are on their way.
