1. You guys have released your debut album on Sub Pop. How it come about you signing with them?

I met some people from the label at SXSW in Austin, namely Dean Hudson. They came to see me play as King Tuff because they liked my album. We started talking and the relationship blossomed into them putting out our record. I really didn’t have any other labels talking to me, and I like the label so it just seemed like a good match.

2. On you’re your debut record, there seems to be a lot of different influences. Who would you say are the bands influences collectively?

We all love The Beatles. I had a ton of unfinished songs in my head for a long time and they were all really different from each other. Once we started the band we just kinda randomly decided which ones we wanted to work on, so that’s why it’s all over the place.

3. There seems to be a very special scene in the US at the moment including bands like you guys, Vivian Girls, Real Estate and Tune-Yards – there is a very communal feeling about it, how do you think this has come about?

Well I have known Katy from the Vivian Girls for a really long time, and obviously Tune-Yards is Ruth’s sister. Once you start playing shows you realize that all these bands know each other and are friends because we’re all in it together. Most of us were teenage punx, and I think its more acceptable nowadays to have a more DIY approach. Of course it all gets lumped together as “lo-fi” but its not true, most of these recordings actually are pretty clear sounding.

4. When did you guys start? And what made you want to be in a band and make music?

We’ve all been playing together for a long time, first in Feathers in 2004. I was in punk bands before that and I made my solo albums but didn’t have a band. It’s really cool to play with other people because they always have ideas you never would have thought of. I just always wanted to be a musician and be in a band since I was a kid, I can’t really do anything else except draw dots on everything.

5. Where do you see the band in 5 years?

I just want to be able to support myself from my music. I don’t need to be rich, I’d just like to pay rent and eat sometimes. I hope that happens sooner than 5 years from now.
Thanks to Kyle for answering the questions!

Brandon: We’ve finished tracking everything, but it all still needs to be mixed. We’ll have the first single ready soon and that should be out hopefully by mid june or something like that. As for the actual album – due to touring commitments, we won’t be able to mix it properly until probably July, so hopefully the album will be out by the fall.

Charles: Either on tour- there are 5 new songs in the set and we’ll be touring the uk beginning next week- or when our album comes out in August!

2. I’ve heard you being compared to bands like the Velvet Underground and Jesus & Mary Chain – but who do you think of as your influences and who are you currently listening to?

Brandon: Both those bands we would consider influences, particularly Velvet Underground. We listen to a lot of stuff but I think our actual songwriting, when you strip it down and just play it on guitar and sing, is mostly influenced by 60′s pop music and garage rock. We write those kinds of songs and then try to put it through a weirdo filter of all the other stuff we like; krautrock, suicide, dub, spacemen 3, early punk – all that stuff.

Charles: I think our influences change all the time, Brandon and I are always getting each other into cool stuff. German prog rock like Neu, Harmonia, and Cluster are always around, so is Frankie Valli and Bo Diddley and the Mamas and Papas and the Sex Pistols (of course)!

3. Does the recording process just involve the two of you? If so, how do you make the transition from studio to live show?

Brandon: Our friend Jon Greene has always been an integral part of recording. He’s produced everything we’ve done so far with us. James Ford produced the newest album, but Jon was with us engineering everything and we’ll be mixing the record ourselves with Jon. As far as instrumentation and tracking stuff, it’s 90% Charles and I but James Ford, Jon Greene and our touring organ player, Robin Eisenberg, have all contributed bits here and there. When we record we don’t really worry too much about how we’ll be able to replicate something live, we just try and get it too sound as interesting to us as it can. When we assemble a live band we try our best to match what we’ve recorded but part of the fun of it is changing it around so that it’s do-able live. It doesn’t always sound 100% the same as the recordings, but to us that makes it a lot more interesting.

Charles: It is mainly the two of us but we get by with a little help from our friends! Jon Greene is the “3rd Crocodile” and he produces most of our recordings and helps us attain a lot of great sounds- this process we call “screaming chrome”. When it comes time to work the songs into the live set, he helps us with that too- seeing as he is a very capable sound engineer as well. As of late, Robin Eisenberg, our touring keyboardist, has been playing on all of our recordings. She is an incredible talent and can nail whatever style of playing were looking for, plus she is one of the most enthusiastic people you’ll ever meet. While the writing will always remain Brandon and I’s thing, we are always happy to have great people around us helping to make something wicked.

4. There seems to be a very special scene in the US at the moment including bands like you guys, Best Coast, Woven Bones and Dum Dum Girls – there is a very communal feeling about it, how do you think this has come about?

Brandon: Over the past few years we’ve all just met each other through touring and playing shows. Me and Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls have been married since before either of our bands have been around, so I’m not counting that obviously. But as far as Best Coast or Woven Bones go, we’ve just met them through playing together and mutual appreciation of what the other are doing. Same as everywhere else, there is an overwhelming amount of crappy music here. So when we find kindred spirits we try our best to make friends and engender a coalition.

Charles: Its wicked! All of these bands, I’m sure get posed with this question alot, can remember the early stages of their friend’s bands and now for instance a lot of us are playing Primavera this year. In 2008 when Crocs started touring and having 7″s released we played with our friends a lot, as we were all starting out. I’m sure there was a feeling that came across, I know I felt it when I saw them, (this includes Cold Cave and Reading Rainbow and Beaters) that we were all excited to be out of our towns, playing and having fun with likeminded people. I can’t really explain it. But its cool. And completely unforseen.

5. A recurring theme amongst a lot of the bands on the scene over the past couple of years is the DIY ethos. You yourselves tend to release a lot of one off singles with different indie labels. Is this independent / DIY ethos something you believe in?

Brandon: We’ve both been involved in punk since we were teenagers. It’s the culture we feel most a part of and at home in. Small labels and self releases are things that we are used to and comfortable with and it means a lot to us to be able to keep some semblance of control over what we are doing. Obviously there is a point where you need the money and assistance that only a bigger label can offer but we would never divorce ourselves from the culture that we feel a part of. And even when we’re working with bigger labels, I have a small label with Dee Dee so that we can release our friends bands and solo stuff.

Charles: Absolutely, no one’s gonna do you any favors especially when you’re brand new and no one knows who you are. Reverting back to your last question, all of these bands just started booking tours and releasing singles however means possible and eventually they worked hard enough and got somewhere and now they can steer the path a little more and give themselves more freedom to create whatever it is they see their music being.

6. Where do you see the band in 5 years?

Brandon: I don’t even know where we’ll be in 5 months

Charles: Hopefully releasing singles and albums and touring just like we are now!

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2009 TRACKS OF THE YEAR

1. YEASAYER – AMBLING ALP
2. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – MY GIRLS
3. GRIZZLY BEAR – WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE OTHERS
4. MAGIC KIDS – HEY BOY
5. GIRLS – LUST FOR LIFE
6. THE SOFT PACK – ANSWER TO YOURSELF
7. LOCAL NATIVES – WHO KNOWS, WHO CARES
8. MIIKE SNOW – BLACK & BLUE
9. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – SUMMERTIME CLOTHES
10. PHOENIX – LISZTOMANIA
11. JAMIE T - STICKS & STONES
12. GRIZZLY BEAR – TWO WEEKS
13. MAGIC KIDS – GOOD TO BE
14. FYFE DANGERFIELD – WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM
15. AMAZING BABY – HEADDRESS
16. MICACHU – CALCULATOR
17. FOREST FIRE – I MAKE WINDOWS
18. GAOLERS DAUGHTER – SISTER ON THE STAIRS
19. SNOOP DOGG (FEAT. DREAM) – GANGSTA LUV
20. YEAH YEAH YEAHS – HEADS WILL ROLL

2009 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

1. GRIZZLY BEAR - VECKATIMEST
2. GIRLS – ALBUM
3. CROCODILES – SUMMER OF HATE
4. LOCAL NATIVES – GORILLA MANOR
5. NODZZZ – NODZZZ
6. FOREST FIRE – SURVIVAL
7. WOODEN SHJIPS – DOS
8. MICACHU & THE SHAPES –  JEWELLERY
9. THE BLACK LIPS – 200 MILLION THOUSAND
10. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE  - MERRIWEATHER POST PAVILLION
11. LEISURE SOCIETY –  THE SLEEPER
12. MIIKE SNOW – MIIKE SNOW
13. THE SOFT PACK – MUSLIMS
14. FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS –  I TOLD YOU I WAS FREAKY
15. PHOENIX – WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX
16. DEAD MAN’S BONES –  DEAD MAN’S BONES
17. COCONUT RECORDS – DAVY
18. JAMIE T – KINGS & QUEENS
19. WILCO –  WILCO (THE ALBUM)
20. THE HORRORS – PRIMARY COLOURS

2009 GIGS OF THE YEAR

1. WOODEN SHJIPS – BORDERLINE – 19-08
2. PHOENIX – BRIXTON ACADEMY –  28-10
3. GRIZZLY BEAR – BARBICAN CENTRE – 31-10
4. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – HYDE PARK – 28-06
5. CROCODILES –  VICTORIA – 23-10
6. MGMT – DIGITAL – 21-08
7. THE SUPERNOVAS – ROOZ STUDIOS – 24-01
8. SCREAMING TEA PARTY – SOCIAL –  13-06
9. JAMIE T – FLOWERPOT – 01-07
10. GAOLERS DAUGHTER – TOMMY FLYNNS – 12-12
11. AMAZING BABY –  QUEENS HOTEL – 14-05
12. SMOKEY ANGLE SHADES – FLOWERPOT – 30-08
13. OF MONTREAL – SHEPHERDS BUSH EMPIRE –  14-07
14. BLACK LIPS – ISLINGTON ACADEMY – 15-02
15. NO PICASSO – PUNK – 21-01

And that’s it for another year… 2009 was good, but I’m sure 2010 will be better…

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