Curse - The Interview

http://cursebaltimore.com/

On a rainy day at the end of June I had the extreme pleasure to take part in, experience, be blown away by San Francisco's Deafheaven as they toured for their brilliant new record Sunbather. This isn't about them though. This isn't about their awesome opening act Marriages either. This is about the band I didn't even know was on the bill. I was only expecting two bands for my $12, but when we got there I saw that a band from Baltimore called Curse would be opening the show. They were an unexpected surprise. The two of them came out , just drums and keyboards, and ripped through a set that was heavier than I thought possible for just drums and keyboards. Metal minus guitars. Logan was kind enough to talk to me for a few minutes later in the evening and even sign their CD for me. Also, they played a show in a cave. That's about as metal as you can get. I asked Logan and Jane a few questions and here's what they had to say:

You can listen to their record while you read!



The Drawer: How did you guys meet and how long have you been playing in bands?
 
Jane: Baltimore is such a close knit scene, we just knew each other from putting on and playing shows. Logan and I started dating in the fall of 2011, and started playing music together soon after. Both of us have been in bands since our early teens, so for me, that’s more than half my life now.

The Drawer: So, how long have you guys been playing together?


Jane: We’ve been playing together since November 2011. We wanted to see how it worked if we played music together, so we rented a lodge in Rhode Island--no running water, tons of animal heads everywhere, the whole bit--brought up all our instruments, and wrote our first song, which was a good thing, because I’d already booked us on a fest in Miami in February. We spent the next few months in high gear-we booked
a tour to Miami and back and had a demo and, you know, songs and a set, by the time we left.


The Drawer: What's the song writing process like for Curse, or maybe the better question would be what instrument do you write most of you stuff on?

J: We usually start with a sequence-both electronic drums and synthesizers. Sometimes I start this and sometimes Logan starts this, but Logan more often than me. Then Logan writes his synth and drum parts, and then we work of the bass line on the Juno, and then we do vocals last. The bones really start on the computer though.



The Drawer: What are some of your favorite local acts?

Jane: There’s a lot of great bands in Baltimore! There’s an awesome atmospheric black metal band called Barbelith that are really heavy but super ethereal. There’s also this bizarre and amazing band called Baklavaa that are sort of an updated emo violence band--sort of like Usurp Synapse or Jerome’s Dream if the songs were long and went a lot of weird places.

The Drawer: How is the heavy music scene in Baltimore, and do you feel like you fit in, do you want to fit in?

J: Baltimore has a very vibrant weird music scene, and I think we benefit from that. Some scenes seem to have a lot of trouble with heavy music that doesn’t follow a specific formula, but Baltimore’s used to seeing people try out new ideas and new configurations. It’s great to be part of a scene like that. Sometimes, a scene means a lot of samey things, or people just imitating one or two bands, and that happens a little here, but mostly Baltimore is full of interesting musicians trying interesting things. It’s a magnet for musicians, because it’s cheap, there’s a lot of places to play and community support, and it’s close to other bigger cities if you want to tour.


The Drawer: What kind of press, if any are you getting down there?

J: We have one major alternative weekly, the Citypaper, and they’ve been really good to us from the start and have been really nice about covering the things we do. One of the writers picked up our demo from the True Vine (one of our favorite Baltimore record stores) when we’d only been a band for about 2 months, and they’ve covered most of what we do ever since.


The Drawer: When I saw you guys opening for Marriages and Deafheaven I was pretty surprised at how heavy just drums and a keyboard could sound. How did you guys decided to perform as a two piece? Have you considered bringing in someone to play guitar for the live shows?
 
Jane: Being a two piece is just an easy way to do a band. Just having 2 people means it's easy to have the same goals, coordinate schedules, etc, but you still have a collaborator to bounce ideas off of and inspire you and do half the work and pay for half the van repairs and so on. 

As far as adding a guitar player live, we like making something really heavy without guitars. We really believe in, you know, making it new, and playing metal with no guitars means you're already different from most bands.


The Drawer: Where did you come up with the idea to screen print your logo on sort of thrift store clothes? That's a pretty cool idea.

Jane: It just seemed like a way to expand the appeal of the things we make. It makes the merch more interactive, because you get to dig through this big suitcase of clothes and you come up with something one of a kind, that no one else has. It also means hopefully there is something for everyone, or at least a chance to include more people than those who like medium through XL black shirts. Or, maybe you don’t like band shirts at all, but you’re cool with band leggings. I screen all our shirts myself in the basement, and making some wacky ones makes it less monotonous. Plus, the shirts are cheap, and they’re fun to shop for!


The Drawer: Do you have a way of describing how Curse sounds? It's certainly heavy, but there are also sort of dancey parts thrown in there on the keyboard.

J: We’ve both been in heavy and weird bands for a long time, but also listen to a lot of pop music, as well as a lot of less poppy electronic music. This band is sort of a combination of those interests. People have called us coldwave doom, which I thought was pretty accurate.


The Drawer: You have a limited CD-R album out now that's also available on digitally on bandcamp. I think the art/packaging and homemade aspect of your CD-R is great. How do you feel about physical media vs digital? Personally I like to have something tangible.

J: I think both are valuable. I love having a beautiful object I can hold in my hands, and I love searching through record stores for something rare or special. However, I think it’s a wonderful thing that we live in a world with this other, easier option, and a format that’s so easy to share. I grew up finding out about music through zines and record stores and shows, and I think that’s a valuable, but I grew up in a big city with lots of opportunities to find out about music. It seems like everything is so much more democratic now. A kid who grows up in a tiny isolated town, or doesn’t have any disposable income for the record store has access to a lot more music than they used to.


The Drawer: What has influenced what you guys are doing, and what stuff are you listening to now?

J: I’ve been in heavy bands since I was 14, and the main thing that’s influenced me has probably been the other people I’ve played with, and other bands those bands have toured with, and things like that.Lately, I’ve been listening to Master, We Perish by the Body, the Portland band Fist Fite, my friend Andy pointed me towards this amazing Norwegian black metal band Kvist, and I’m having sort of a PJ Harvey moment, and lots of pop music from your David Guettas to your Taylor Swifts.



The Drawer: What the best show you've ever played?
 
J: We’ve played a lot of really good shows and really bad shows, but Ithink one of the all time weirdest I’ve ever played was last year in Rapid City. I texted a friend of mine a few days before we were planning on taking a day off there and asked her if she still had her vintage store, and if she wanted to hang out. She wrote me back with, “Yeah, I still have the store, I own a cave now, and we can go in it,and if you wanna get lunch I would totally be free to do that!” When I asked her to back up and explain what the hell she meant by “I own a cave and we can go in it” she simply informed me that she has shows in the cave too, and we should play there. Of course, I said yes, and she sent me the address - on Nameless Cave Road. I still had no idea what she meant when she said she owned a cave. When we got to Nameless Cave Road, there were billboards for a now defunct attraction called Crystal Cave. Turns out she had bought a tourist trap: an 1100 foot long cave covered with quartz crystals, plus a gift shop, petrified garden, and some teepees. She’s in the process of building a house above it. The cave itself is incredible: It has a ton of rooms, and 2little waterfalls, and a human skull in it, which Natasha nonchalantly explained had belonged to an explorer who died in there. We played in the gift shop at the mouth of the cave. It was totally awesome.

The Drawer: What did you think of Deafheaven?

Jane: I loved their set, and they were really nice guys. A lot of times you play with a bigger band like that and they don’t watch your set and they don’t talk to you, which I’m not offended by, it’s just normal. They were really outgoing and introduced themselves right away and watched our set and answered all sorts of dumb questions from us and generally were just shockingly nice.


The Drawer: If you could play with anyone, anyone, in a dream tour, who would it be? 

J: We have tickets to see Ke$ha in August. It’d be ideal if we could finish out the tour with her.


There you have it. Curse are currently putting together a fall tour and hope to have a new record ready to go by then. If you get a chance check these guys out. You can get their record right here.

You can also find their demo on bandcamp as a Name Your Own Price download.

I'd suggest shelling out the cash for a copy of their cd-r if you like what you hear. The art is extremely well done, printed on a heavy silver and black cardstock and there's a lyric sheet/poster included.

Portugal. The Man - The Interview

Well it's been a long time coming and I can't quite believe that it actually came to fruition, but I was able have some questions answered by Portugal. The Man's bassist, Zach Carothers. I'd like to thank Zach for taking the time to answer the questions, those guys have been incredibly busy supporting their new record, Evil Friends.

The Drawer: You’ve got a new record coming out in June and it was produced by Danger Mouse, how did that pairing come about and what was it like working with him?

ZC: Craig, the head of Atlantic Records got us together for the most part. We were already in the middle of self producing what we thought was the new album when we found out we had the opportunity to collaborate with Brian. So we scratched almost all of the record and started fresh with him. We learned a lot working with Brian. He had a very unique insight into band life being an artist himself, so he knew a lot about how important it is to keep our artistic intent while trying to write accessible music. 

The Drawer: How does the sound of ‘Evil Friends’ compare to your earlier works? Purple Yellow Red and Blue is almost like dance music.

ZC: Every record sounds a lot different from the last one. Evil Friends is just more put together. We took longer on this one and put a lot of thought behind it. PYRB is a little tongue in cheek. I would say its our version of Money by Pink Floyd. 

The Drawer: Is there a concept behind this record?  A lot of your previous records seem to focus on a central concept or theme whether musically or lyrically.

ZC: There always themes in our albums. We normally write all the songs in the studio, in a relatively short amount of time. We like to make connections to songs by repeating melodies and lyrics. Make for a more solid album as a whole I feel. 

The Drawer: When you guys sit down to make a record what are you listening to? Do you sort of keep yourself in a bubble musically and hole up with the songs you’re working on or do you listen to other things? Did anything in particular creep in to influence the sound on the new record?

 ZC: Things obviously creep in, but nothing in particular. Everything influences us. I was listening to a lot of Nirvana, La Roux and Kanye before we went in. I guess that makes sense. Once we get in the studio, we pretty much only have time to listen to the music we're making.

The Drawer: What’s the writing process like? Does John come with the songs pretty well formed or are things sort of sketches until you get into the studio/rehearsal space?

ZC: It really depends.. On this album he went in with Brian a week or two before we came in. So most of them were put together pretty well. Chords and basic structure. Melodies to build off. But lyrics always come the last week of tracking. Ha.

The Drawer: What do you guys like to listen to? What’s in the cd/mp3 player at the moment? 

ZC: I've been very anxious and stressed out lately. Whenever I have that aggression I need aggressive music. You'd think I'd be curling up to some Jeff Buckley, but no. Metal and hip hop. Kanye, Slayer, Kendrick, and more Slayer.

The Drawer: You’ve been pretty prolific since the band came about, releasing an album just about every year since 2006, has that been a goal you’ve set out for yourselves, or has it been the result of just writing a lot of material or just sort of a natural process?

ZC: A natural process that became a goal. John and I grew up in Alaska and with that, a very good work ethic was instilled in us. We know how lucky we are to be in this position. We won't take anything for granted. We'll work our ass off everyday.

The Drawer: The first Portugal. The Man album I ever listened to was ‘Church Mouth’ after picking it up on a whim at a record store largely in part because of the band’s name and the cool looking album cover.  You guys recently reissued that record for Record Store Day 2013 in a really small run of 500. How much input does the band have in something like that? Where did the decision to press ‘Church Mouth’ for RSD come from?

ZC: We're very involved in talking to our fans. I'm always outside talking with them at our shows, or reading emails and blog post. People really like those special limited runs of things. We have input and also have people we trust on our side.

The Drawer: Along the same lines, how do you feel about digital vs physical music? You released a limited number of physical copies of the ‘American Ghetto’ cd and it seems like the days of a listener wanting to have something that they can hold are maybe coming to an end. Would you prefer your fans to have physical copies of your records or does it even matter?

ZC: I have a lot of digital music. That's how I check out new things, but when I hear a record I love, I've got to have it on vinyl. I don't care how fans want to listen to it. I'm just glad they do. That's for them to decide. There are a lot of ways to support a band you like these days. We appreciate it. 

The Drawer: You just got done playing Coachella and you’ve played other large festivals like Bonnaroo, what’s it like playing for all those people? Do you enjoy playing huge shows like that or would you rather play more intimate clubs?

ZC: It's a tough call. Playing festivals is unreal. So amazing to see all those people that love music so much. The energy is just crazy. Quite a party. But it's also good to play smaller clubs. We get to make it our party. Our lights, our playlist in between the bands. It makes it a special night for us. Both are beautiful. Luckily, I don't have to choose. 

The Drawer: In 2011 you posted several concert recordings on your website for free download. Why did you decide to make them free and is that something you’d consider doing again?

ZC: Of course we would do it again. It was just something fun we wanted to do for our fans. A little thank you for coming out to our shows. 

The Drawer: What advice, if any, would you give to all the people out there that are making music in basements and bedrooms that are trying to be heard?

ZC: This day and age there is so much you can do on your own. You just have to do it. My advice is to just play music everyday. 

The Drawer: Finally, where does PTM go from here?

ZC: We've got a long tour ahead of us. It's been too long and it's so nice to be back out on the road. We get to go to Japan for the first time! So excited about it! I imagine that we'll start working on a new album as soon as we get the chance.

The Drawer: Thanks so much for taking to the time to do this with our little blog and best of luck with the new record. I know I’ll be picking it up on 6/4.

ZC: No problem bud! Thanks a bunch!

Set list from 6/8/13 show @9:30 club in DC which I was fortunate enough to attend.

Above is a clip of the band performing Day Man/So American/People say from the DC show.

Here's Sleep Forever/Hey Jude from the same night.

If you get a chance to see this band, please do it, they put on a great show.

Here are some tour dates:

http://www.portugaltheman.com/tour-dates

Doctor Coldtouch - The Interview

Mike from Doctor Coldtouch was kind enough to answer a few questions for The Drawer. First you'll need to hit play on the bandcamp player below and checkout their EP on Bandcamp. Then as your ears are awash in the sounds of the good Doctor you can check out what Mike had to say about the band, where they're from and where they're going.


 
The Drawer - We'll start with some basic stuff, How long have you been playing together, where are you from and, If you don't mind, where did the name Doctor Coldtouch come from?

 The trio's been playing together for about a year now.  My brother John and I have been jamming for years now in a number of different bands, Doctor Coldtouch being our latest project with the addition of bassist Joe.  All three of us grew up in central NJ. As far as the name goes, (while it would be fun to keep some mystery intact) i think its better to clarify the story as opposed to having people assume we're a band of gynecologists. The name comes from the psuedonym Joe gave to some guy his friend's mother was having an affair with. He claims that this strange man "made no introduction aside from an unsettlingly frigid handshake". He also swears that the man entered the house late one night and pressed his finger gently to his lips before vanishing into the dark hallway. It's been debated whether or not he did so by gliding without moving his legs. The stories of Doctor Coldtouch often refer to him with varying levels of magic abilities. So basically Doctor Coldtouch is a real dude. Whether he's a human being or some sort of malevolent spirit however, has simply never been answered.

The Drawer - You guys play some pretty technical stuff, how long have you been playing your instruments?

I've been playing guitar for 12 years, and John about the same on drums. But Joe's only been playing bass since the band formed, having been a guitarist since 15 or so.

The Drawer - How well are you able to pull of your songs live as a 3 piece? Listening to the EP it sounds like you should have a whole pile of guitar players.

We were actually slated to be a four-piece, originally, but I think it worked out for the better.  Two guitars would have either muddied the live sound, or completely redefined the writing process.  In practice, the most challenging part of recreating the EP on stage is keeping everything super tight.  With only three members, there's not a lot of cushioning for fuck ups.

The Drawer - I hear several influences in your sound, you guys describe yourselves as if "Rush had grown up  listening to Cannibal Corpse," other than those two, what bands are out there current/past that have influenced you?

The Coldtouch sound is a weird one to try and pinpoint.  Obviously The Fall of Troy and Protest the Hero have been tremendously influential for us, as well as bands like Dream Theater and Coheed.  But at the same time we each dig on such different shit, from The Faceless and Decapitated to The Mars Volta and Glassjaw. I think that's why I love this project so much.  Because we don't have any one sound, and we get to condense all of these genres that we love down into a capsule of scary fun.  

The Drawer - How about lyrically, what influences you?

I really like telling stories with each song.  Vocalists like Trevor Strnad of Black Dahlia, or Tommy Rogers from Between the Buried and Me are just excellent at spinning these epic tales, and doing so in as few words as possible.  And as grandiose as these concepts can get, they never lose the human aspect that makes a song so powerful.  I try to bring that same idea to the table lyrically.

The Drawer - What albums are you guys listening to at the moment?

A friend just burned me a copy of Lamb of God's As the Palaces Burn, and that won't be leaving my car stereo for another week or so. John's been fixated on the new Daft Punk CD, and Joe listens almost exclusively to rap music.

The Drawer - What's next for Doctor Coldtouch? Playing locally?

We're in the process of organizing a small tour of the Northeast with our friends in Lightning Lord and SYKA, aimed at the middle/end of August.

The Drawer - If you could tour with anyone who would it be?

I don't know, I like to think we could fit in well on any bill.  Maybe Slayer.  Or Morris Day and the Time, that dude knows how to party.

The Drawer - Are you guys looking for a label or are you content to continue the DIY approach?

We are definitely open to the idea of a label and the next tier of musical professionalism.  But at the same time, we love doing what we're doing, and if at the end of the day I have a few more stories to tell, I'll be a satisfied man.

The Drawer - Are there physical copies of the EP?

Na.  We tried handing out simple burned copied of our EP at the last show.  No one seemed really into it.  It seems a better move now to keep the music itself digital, and focus on printing up some sweet shirts and other garments. 

The Drawer - Any plans for a full length in the future?

Absolutely.  We've already got two new tracks done, and few more working their way through the writing process.

The Drawer - You guys alternate between screams and clean singing, do you favor one style over the other?

I can't specify any preference between the two.  I think both can evoke some kind of feeling, and it's really at the music's discretion on which fits best.

Speed round stuff:
Favorite Band: The Black Dahlia Murder
Favorite Record: Thick as a Brick
Favorite Book: The Necronomicon 
Jelly or Jam? Pass
Favorite Television show? Full House

I think Mike's having a go at me there with his Black Dahlia Murder answer. Clearly the correct answer to the favorite band question is Jessie and The Rippers.

So there you go. Check these guys out if they come near you this Summer or if you're in the Jersey area.
 

People Like Us - The Interview

People Like Us enjoy coffee and living rooms.

So a few weeks ago I had the extreme luck and pleasure to stumble across a nifty little band from Canada called People Like Us. I think I was just searching bandcamp for prog rock or prog metal or maybe just prog, and two album covers, you'll get to learn more about them below, really caught my eye. I decided to click on one of the covers and spend some time listening. Initially I was pretty floored at what I was hearing. People Like Us are a blend of progressive post hardcore and metal, with complex song structures and a surprising amount of melody and harmony. They sound like a mix of Protest The Hero and Coheed and Cambria, which is a good combination if you ask me. In mid-May these guys released two albums, A Nightmare and The Royals for FREE, or pay what you want via Bandcamp. They were kind enough to conduct an email interview with me. I encourage you to go grab those albums immediately, turn them up, and then read my interview with the guys from People Like Us.


The Drawer: How long has people like us been together in it's current form?

PLU: This 5 member lineup has been running strong since about 2010, so 3 years. Two current members, singer Shane and guitarist Bradley branched out from the founding band Cellar Door adding drummer Benjamin around 2006 and later bringing in guitarist Jordan and bassist Mark in 2010.

The Drawer: Where are you guys from/currently located?

PLU: We are all originally from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Bradley and Benjamin are brothers, and they met Shane and Mark way back in elementary school (we’re talking 1995 here). Jordan came into the picture in our high school days and currently members are spread out over Burlington, Toronto, Waterloo, and even sometimes California.

The Drawer: You recently released two sort of longish EPs A Nightmare and The Royals via bandcamp. First off, why two releases at the same time? It seems like there was enough material for just one record, but you guys broke it up, why?

PLU: The reason we have them split up into two EPs is because they are each their own story. Both were recorded and released together, and their respective artworks were designed to match in order to give them the appearance of a double album.

The Drawer: The song titles seem to suggest that there might be a concept behind both records. Can you give me any insight into what A Nightmare, and The Royals are about?

PLU: Yes, the two EPs are each a six-song short story. Here’s a brief overview of the concepts:

A Nightmare is about a man who is unsatisfied with his daily life and finds more enjoyment in his dreams. He approaches a Doctor for help and the Doctor’s interest and curiosity leads him to take his experiments a little too far. This collection of songs includes a peculiar love story that details the patient’s dreams and nightmares from the perspective of both doctor and patient.

The Royals is set in a society that has been plagued with corruption throughout all of history. Finally, one citizen decides to stand up and make a change. He forms The Deathmachine: a collection of fellow citizens whose goal is to start a revolution by kidnapping The King. Little did they know that The King was merely a puppet to The Advisor: a dark, malicious man. As the Deathmachine attempts to change history, things do not go according to plan.

The Drawer: Over what kind of time period were the records written? Was there a process of "hey guys, let's make a record." or did you just sort of come in with a bunch of material already written?

PLU: Unfortunately, making music is not yet our full time job so the exact timeline is a bit fuzzy, but a few songs from A Nightmare date back to 2006. Our new line up in 2010 really kick started the band into writing mode and inspired us to revamp the old songs and gave birth to our second album. The 12 songs we’ve just released were completely written by 2011 when recording began.

The Drawer: Is people like us a collaborative thing or is there sort of one driving force behind the song writing? Walk me through the process for putting together a song.

PLU: Getting into the second half of The Royals EP the writing became very collaborative. This is when the chemistry of the current lineup literally caused an explosion. Prior to this it was mostly Bradley and Benjamin writing the musical arrangements of the songs while vocalist Shane wrote the majority of the lyrics and concepts. But with all the rewriting, revamping, and rearranging of the older songs throughout the demoing process it is hard to look at a song and remember who did what, so we just credit all songs as written by People Like Us.

The Drawer: You made the records available for free/pay what you like. Was that a tough decision and why did you choose to basically give the records away?

PLU: This was not a tough decision at all, we just feel it’s better that we get heard and get our music out there making it as easy as possible for the listeners (and especially our friends and family). We’re proud of what we’ve made and we want people to hear it, if they think it’s worth something then they can pay what they want, but we don’t want to lose any listeners because of a price.

The Drawer: I stumbled across you guys on bandcamp just searching for prog rock or something. How large of a role does your internet presence play in what you're trying to do as a band?

PLU: At the moment the internet is our most important tool, next to our instruments of course. The fact that you were able to find us, hear us, liked us, and are now blogging about us is incredible. Having access to all these free tools like BandCamp for distributing music, and Youtube for presenting our music videos makes it really easy for new independent bands like us to be heard around our country, and apparently outside our country too!

The Drawer: Are there any plans to make physical copies of A Nightmare, The Royals available?

PLU: We have said all along that if enough people want them, then we’ll make them. Be it CDs, or vinyl, we’ll take on the cost to get them made if people are interested. Right now we’re just starting with the free online digital-only distribution to get out there and get the interest we need to be able to make the physical copies.

The Drawer: How do you feel about digital vs. physical media? If it were up to you would you rather someone hear your record on vinyl or cd as opposed to an mp3 file or does it even matter as long as someone is listening?

As we mentioned earlier, to us it is most important that people get to hear these songs we are so proud of, but obviously we’d love for people to get the full physical experience of holding our album art in their hands and placing the needle down on the vinyl. Physical media is really special to us, all of us enjoy all types of art other than just music: Shane being a photographer specializing in film photos, Bradley and Jordan being graphic artists, Mark having a large film and vinyl collection, and Benjamin being on the iPhone/iPod design team at Apple. In fact, both album covers are physical collages made from bits of magazines that are glued together and photographed. It took forever to find that perfect vulture head for the Royals cover, we couldn’t believe it when we finally found that guy! To drive home our love for physical media, as we sit here typing these responses we are drawing a poster for an upcoming show using crayons. We just love making homemade things ourselves.

The Royals Cover, featuring the perfect vulture head.

 

A Nightmare Cover

The Drawer: When I listen to your records I'm reminded of groups like Protest The Hero, Coheed and Cambria and even early Thursday, I guess the whole "progressive post hardcore" melange. So, who has influenced you stylistically and do you mind being compared to bands like the ones listed above?

PLU: We are honoured and amazed that you picked out our two favourite bands from listening to us! Or maybe that’s a bad thing, maybe we just stole their songs entirely... But to add to the list of bands influencing us we would say The Fall of Troy, RX Bandits, Tera Melos, Boys Night Out, The Darkness, and Rush along with the obvious two of Coheed and Protest. We all agree that a song with a typical pop-structure is just not fulfilling enough and does not fuel our musical A.D.D. as we call it. We like to explore time changes, and tempo changes, and genre changes, and instrument changes as much as we can to keep ourselves from being bored.

The Drawer: What are you guys listening to at the moment? Any albums you just can't get away from?

PLU: Ourselves. That’s why we made it! You’ve got to be your own biggest fan, right? But seriously...We’ll break this one down member by member for you.

Bradley: Drugs to the Dear Youth - Tera Melos

Benjamin: Everything Under the Sun - Jukebox the Ghost

Jordan: The Afterman: Descension - Coheed and Cambria

Shane: 20/20 Experience - Justin Timberlake

Mark: Stay What You Are - Saves the Day

The Drawer: Are you associated with a label, looking for one, or content to self release stuff?

PLU: We are not associated with a label at the moment. We’re not actively looking either, but the kid in all of us does want to be a real band, on a real label, and live the dream the proper rockstar way. But for now we are content to self release stuff and continue with our homemade/do-it-yourself mentality towards everything we do.

The Drawer: Are you currently touring or are there any plans to tour behind the records in the works?

PLU: We’ve been playing as many shows as possible in the Greater Toronto Area since the release of our albums. Not really a tour per-say, but we’re just working on gathering local interest. However, an experience like this, with being found online has made us start to think about the possibilities of gaining popularity in other cities. We all are definitely looking forward to one day hitting the road with our music.

The Drawer: If you could tour with anyone currently living who would it be?

PLU: If we could tour with Coheed and Cambria that would be unbelievable! Like, did you see that recent biker crowd surfing video from the Coheed show?! That’d be fantastic. If we’re really dreaming big it’d even be a three way lineup of Coheed, Protest the Hero, and us!

The Drawer's Note -  I would totally go to that tour because there are never enough Coheed shows.

Speed round: Brought to you by Pizza, Coffee, and Tera Melos

Favorite album: Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV Vol. 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness - Coheed and Cambria (Another note from Me: This might also be my favorite record, I think these PLU guys are pretty smart.)
favorite food: Pizza - every band practice has pizza.. and coffee..
favorite movie: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
favorite book: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
favorite zoo animal: Elephant
favorite amp: Orange amps are cool
favorite place to play: Any house party / outdoor bonfire

There you have it. Please check these guys out, especially if you're into story driven prog metal, both albums are concepts, or short stories as the band described it. They deserve to be heard by more people.

 Also, if you're going to be in the Toronto area June 21st, go check out their show, they'll be playing

June 21 at 10:00pm Moser's Patio & Grill in Burlington, Ontario.

Here's the aforementioned  hand drawn flyer:

  You can find more info on their facebook page.

Fun with mirrors.

Ohio Sky - This House is Old and Full of Ghosts

http://ohiosky.tumblr.com

***** UPDATE: Bought an extra copy of 'This House is Old and Filled with Ghosts' to give away, that's right, give away. You want it? Leave a comment or follow @crookedsparrow on twitter or figure out some way to get my attention and I will  pick somebody at random to send it to. ********

As we run through our semi-annual spring/summer revival here at the Makeshift Desk I've decided to dig a little deeper into the back part of the drawer and pull out what I hope will become a regular feature around here: Artist interviews. Vince DiFranco, singer and guitarist from Cleveland's Ohio Sky, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us. Please check out both their full length 'Curses' and their new EP 'This House is Old and Filled with Ghosts'. You'll be greeted by a wall of sound that is at times both crushing and beautiful and songs that are just plain good

Q: You guys are from the Cleveland Ohio area and I'd read an
article from a few years ago where you sort of said that
you weren't quite sure how the band fit into the Cleveland
scene. Do you still feel that way or have you sort of
found your niche, if there is such a thing? 

A: I think that the music scene in Cleveland has been getting stronger in the past 5 or six years. There has always been talent in this city but its very diverse. We have been going through growing pain as far as us carving out our own niche, but we've begun to truly develop a cohesive sound in the last 2 years. This has helped us establish a stronger and more diverse audience as well as more confidence in our live performance.

Q: How long have you been playing together?

A: About 3 years with the current line up. 5 years all together.

Q: Are you guys working with a label right now or self
releasing everything?

A:As of right now we are self releasing everything through our production company ELECTRIC PYRAMID.

Q: The new EP sort of plays like a mini concept album to me,
with the 3 longer songs broken up by the two shorter
tracks,The Silence, which sort of sounds like a weird
seance to me, and Daybreak. The record is described on
cdbaby as "A haunting journey through the shadows of the
mind." Is there a specific concept behind the record or am
I just making that up?

A: Its definitely not a concept record but all the songs come from a similar place. The tracks all serve to paint a picture of a time and place where the future is uncertain and the past still haunts us.

Q: You recorded the album at SUMA studios and have posted
several teaser videos of the making or the record. It
seems like you guys were having a good time. What was the
recording process like and is there any reason why you
decided to record at SUMA instead of where you recorded
Curses?

A: We recorded at SUMA because it has an amazing live room and had the rustic vibe we were after. The 2" tape machine did not hurt. We only had two days to record all the music so there was a general panic and anxiety throughout the whole process. After we left the studio we had no idea what we had created, bad or good. 

Q: The guitar leads on this record have a sort of Pink
Floyd/David Gilmour feel to me. Was that a sound or style
your were shooting for? What did you guys use to record
the guitars?

A: We were not shooting for a sound or style, we were just doing what was best for the songs. We used alot of equipment to make this record. The rhythm tracks were done with a telecaster and a 66 gibson es125, the leads were played on a strat.

Q: Stylistically the EP seems a little mellower than Curses,
what was the song writing process like and was it a
conscious effort to sort of make a quieter record?

A: We wrote the record at our home in Cleveland with acoustic guitars, A casio, and a piano,

as opposed to being in our rehearsal space with our amplifiers on. We wanted to make a record that picked up where "curses" left off.

Q: How do you approach writing lyrics, does the music generally come first or do you bring in lyrical ideas and try fit musical ideas to them?

A: The writing process was one fluid effort where the music and lyrics informed each other.

Q: Patrick did the art for the EP, was this a piece he did
specifically for the record? It seems like it might be tied into the concept of the record, was it a collaborative effort or an image he came up with on his own?

A: The artwork was conceptualized after the record was complete. It was Pat's vision. He built a shadowbox inside of a suitcase, so what you are looking at on the cover is a photograph of the piece itself.

Q: When and where will people be able to get their hands on a
physical copy of 'This House is Old and Full of Ghosts'?
Also, are any physical copies of Curses available?

A:Physical copies of "Curses" and "This house is old and filled with ghosts" can be purchased at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ohiosky3 .

Q: In between Curses and This House you recorded some other stuff at, I think, SUMA, a Beatles cover and an acoustic version of Van Gogh that were both released as Youtube videos. The Beatles cover is also available on Bandcamp. Was anything else recorded during this time and if so will any of it be made available? .

A: We are constantly recording new material, a lot  of it wont be released, most of them are demos but the songs will eventually be re-recorded for our next record.

Q: I've seen the band described as anything from prog rock to
psychedelic to space rock to even post rock. Do you
think you guys fit in a any particular genre, do you even
want to fit in a particular genre?

A: We don't want to fit into any specific genre, we consider ourselves to be a rock band. Especially in a day and age when there are sub-genre's for every bullshit style of music out there.

Q: Last summer you guys played a show with Torche in front of
the Rock Hall. How how well are you guys received by a "metal" crowd?

A: We are usually received very well by fans of heavier music, but the Torche show had a very diverse crowd. Which is encouraging to see.

Q: What music/ artists do you find interesting at the moment?
What are you listening to?

A: Our band is comprised of very different styles and tastes that cover a vast amount of ground, too many to list.
 

Q: It seems like the internet has made it easier to
gain an audience, but it's also made it easier for
everyone and anyone to try to gain an audience. In a time
where pretty much anyone can release a record on their own
how hard is it to stand out and not get lost in the
seeming endless number of bands out there?

A: Sometimes it feels like your swimming through a sea of shit, but every once and a while great bands rise above the rest. All we can do is improve and make our presence known.

Q: Along those lines, how do you feel about digital music?
I'm still the kind of person that likes to hold a physical
album, look at the art and all of that stuff, but the
internet has made the distribution of music so much
easier. Do you prefer to have a physical copy of a record
or are you content with mp3s? Do you think there's a
difference in the experience?

A: There is something to be said about the ritual of going to a record store, filing through the bins and finding something because your hunting for it. You might just pick up a new record you have never heard of because you thought the artwork was rad. On the other hand you can  spread your music across the world for a price that just about anybody can afford with the internet, it has its pros and cons depending how you look at it.

Q: Do you guys have any plans to tour for the EP outside of
Ohio?

A: We are working on dates outside of Ohio as we speak and will be posting them as soon as they are confirmed.
 

Q: What would your dream tour be?

A: Any tour that would put us in front of people who truly love music.
 

Q: Any plans to go back into the studio?

A: We will begin recording a new full length in the fall of this year. We really want to release a body of work every year.

THE MAKESHIFT DESK RAPID FIRE SPEED ROUND BROUGHT TO YOU BY TACOS, BEER, AND THAT THING OVER THERE

 
Favorite book? Atlas Shrugged
Favorite TV show? Mad Men
Favorite Album? Downward is Heavenward by: HUM  

(a note from Fanch: this album is awesome and should be heard by all)
Favorite food? All of it
favorite guitar?  The Thinline Telecaster
favorite amp? Anything with tubes
favorite band?  OHIO SKY

For all info on OHIO SKY go to http://ohiosky.tumblr.com/

To purchase THIS HOUSE IS OLD AND FILLED WITH GHOSTS go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-house-is-old-filled-ghosts/id635643069

The band is also playing a couple of shows in Cleveland so if you are in the area check them out.

May 19th at NOW THATS CLASS w/ ANCIENT VVISDOM and IDES OF GEMINI
June 12th at THE GROG SHOP w/ BEN KENNEY of INCUBUS
June 21st at THE BEACHLAND TAVERN w/ FILMSTRIP