A while ago, I had the priviledge to interview pop folkist Aaron Schroeder on his new album, "Black & Gold". Due to the hectic nature of moving back to the dorms and adjusting back to the chaos of college life, it took me an unforgivable amount of time to transcribe it, but here it is in all its glory:
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The Milk Lounge- "Interview: Aaron Schroeder" [Removed]
TakeoffZebra: Alright, first of all, is there an official release date for the new album, "Black & Gold"?
Aaron Schroeder: Well, I'm gonna be getting them back from the pressing plant Wednesday, so that's as good as any official date. So what is Wednesday? The 22nd? I guess it'll be Wednesday, August 22nd then.
ToZ: Alright, and was there a goal from the new album that you were looking to achieve?
AS: I suppose that the main goal of the record was to take a style, you know, pop or country music, and stay in those same parameters where you have a verse and chorus and bridge, but do something a little different with it and a little exciting so it doesn't sound like it did 60 years ago. Also, I wanted to make a record where every song is really important, where there aren't any lazy sounding or throw-away sounding tracks.
ToZ: Do you think you achieved the goal?
AS: Yeah, I think we, and not just me, I mean I'm speaking for the whole band as well, that I think that with their help we totally achieved that goal. I'm actually really really excited about the record. I'll listen to it every now and then and there's always something new in there that I didn't even know that the guys were playing. We all kept ourselves very entertained and were able to make a record that's cohesive without being boring.
ToZ: You've lived in Los Angeles, California, Portland, Oregon, Boston, Massachusetts, and now Kennewick, Washington. Did your music differ between cities or at least, did the changing settings influence your music?
AS: Yes and no. It really depends not so much as the city I'm living in, but my living situation itself. Like when I was in Boston I was sharing a room with a buddy of mine and when I was living in Portland I had my own little tiny shithole apartment where the bathroom is down the hall and the hallways were just always filled with people and noise and drug dealers. But as far as the actual city itself, I'm not sure. It's more just my personal situation. When I was living in Portland, I felt like shit constantly because I was in kind of a bad situation, but in Kennewick I feel that everything has gone real well. The songs can take a storytelling aspect instead of being so centered around my journal, or some "poor me" type of shit.
ToZ: One of the more prominent styles on "Black & Gold" is folk. Your personal setting influenced your style more than where you lived, but did you study any of the local folk music in the places you've lived, or were there certain artists that influenced your folk styling?
AS: Not necessarily, I look at the record as a folk record primarily because its got acoustic guitars and I paid attention to my lyrics. I think pretty much the only thing that makes something a folk song really is the fact that its got some kind of lyrical aspect that is very different from a pop song. Generally, folk songs should tell a story, rather than communicate a mood, I guess. So the stuff that influences me is generally older stuff like Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash or something like that where the recordings are not so much what makes them special, but really the thing that makes those are the lyrics that they contain. But I would say in that aspect, Black & Gold is a folk record.
ToZ: What instruments did you play on the new album?
AS: I played guitar, piano, and the band did everything else. They did all the organs, glockenspiel, and violins and tubas, clarinet and mandolins.
ToZ: You have a lot of notable guest spots on "Black & Gold" including Ben Barnett from Kind Of Like Spitting, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen of Beck, Air, and Ladytron. Did these guests help you achieve the diverse sound on your album, because I noticed that every song is pretty different.
AS: That was definitely one of the goals with the album, I'm glad you picked up on that. I guess I wanted to kind of treat it like a hip-hop record, with lots of interesting people guesting on my music. I don't really care so much to showcase myself if I can bring in somebody else who can play something better than me, I suppose.
ToZ: Well, speaking of guest spots, what would your dream collaboration be, as far as artist and producer goes?
AS: Ah, didn't expect that one... guest producer would maybe be Trevor Horn, because I really, and I know that they get a lot of flac for this, but I really like what he did with "Dear Catastrophe Waitress", the Belle & Sebastian record.
ToZ: You've been around lots of different cities, so, East Coast or West Coast?
AS: Oh definitely the West Coast, definitely. I don't know where you guys are based out of, so I don't wanna talk too much shit about the East Coast, or say anything bad about it - but when I was in Boston, there's so much old money there, to the point where there are so many kids who go to high school, and then they don't have to get shitty jobs, they go straight to college and then straight from college they'll go to get a job where they'll get overpaid or whatever. I'm not used to that and it kinda freaked me out a little bit. I'm not used to being around people who have a shit ton of money without having to really have worked for it. So I'd say I prefer the West Coast, because people more have to make their own living I think a little more. A bit more DIY attitude, I suppose.
ToZ: You're what, 22, 23?
AS: 23
ToZ: Okay, how long have you been writing music?
AS: I've been writing music since I was like, 13 in various punk rock bands and all that. I grew up listening to stuff like Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bad Religion, and some of that NOFX stuff. I was always one of those kids that was in a bunch of different bands and had a bunch of different projects going on at all times. I didn't really start writing good music until a couple years ago.
ToZ: With such accessible song structures and pop stylings, do you have any plans to, you know, take over the world?
AS: Haha, I would have plans hopefully to have someone pay my rent long enough to go on tour. That's pretty much as big as my plans reach at this point. I would love to be able to go out on tour, I just don't have a label, so I don't have any funding to do that. But as far as taking over the world, no, I like all my buddies here and I like hanging out in Kennewick, so I feel pretty comfortable where I'm at right now.
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I've been listening to "Black & Gold" for quite some time now, and it still impresses me everytime I hear it. It's calming, yet uppity, and it has such a positive feeling to it. I highly recommend buying a copy, and I think you'll agree after hearing "What We Don't Know", the 1st song on the record. Seriously, you must listen!
Aaron Schroeder- "What We Don't Know" [Removed]
Aaron was also kind enough to share an exclusive demo with us from his upcoming third album. The song is called "Platforms", and "will appear on the album in massively edited form".
Aaron Schroeder- "Platforms [Demo]" [Removed]
So a big thank you to Aaron Schroeder for giving us his time, his answers, and a Milk Lounge Exclusive demo track from his upcoming album. Enjoy!
Labels: aaron schroeder, interviews
Tigercity - "Powerstripe" [Removed]
Tigercity - "Solitary Man" [Removed]
The Milk Lounge - "Interview: Tigercity" [Removed]
Pipe- Is there a reason why you chose to release on iTunes?
Joel- We chose a digital release because we had a slew songs we needed to get out in some way, we didn't want to pay to do our own physical copies. Where all of the sudden we have 10,000 copies and we have to work by ourselves to get them all to stores or wherever we are touring. Versus a simple digital release; where it can still be treated as a real release, like as it has been. More and more people don't real care, they get their music. Go listen to it and throw review up. So it's the easiest thing we could do, for where we're at. We don't have a label.
Pipe- Do you guys ever plan to release a physicial copy of the album?
Joel- Yeah! I mean we have pro cd-r's that we made, with nice graphics and pictures and such, we sell them at shows.
Aynsley- If someone would've wanted to put it out we would've taken the deal. Or if the timing is not right and we have more music by the time we get in touch with a label that is going to be a good situation for both parties, it might just be new music.
Joel- And the other thing is that we've been offered a couple of deals and they're just shitty. And there is no reason to sign five years of your life away for something thats just not right.
Bill- We had already gotten the work done and stuff. So with the means that we have, it was the easiest way to do it. And get it to the most people.
Pipe- Being unsigned... Where are you guys most excited to go or where have you been most excited to be?
Bill- This tour has been awesome 'cause its been all about swimming in peoples pools and the ocean. So I'd have to say that I'm liking the East Coast tour better than going to the Mid-West. Not that to diss the Mid-West or anything. We did a West Coast tour back in June, that was awesome 'cause a bunch of us had never been to California... It was also our first expensive tour. So it was just a really awesome expierence and we got to see a bunch of friends we haven't seen in a long time... I don't know; do you guys have any one place?
Aynsley & Joel - Well, Miami.
Bill- Miami was fuckin' awesome.
Aynsley- Miami has been good to us. We went there before, we have a friend there who threw good parties. We're confidant that shows going to be the best show so far.
Pipe- Something I've just got to ask... Your album cover is four white stallions galloping on a beach, what drove you guys to choose that?
Bill- Actually our friend CAS who's done all of our design work... showed it to us one day - he's like, "I think I just found the cover of your album." We're like, "Fuck yeah you did!"
Pipe- You guys are currently unsigned, how much longer do you plan to stay unsigned?.. What would your dream label be?
Joel- I think its about the terms of your agreement. Could be an unkown label... it doesn't matter... It could be a major label or totally unknown... Working with the right people... the right personalities... people who understand what you're doing, and meeting good people.
Pipe- ...How's it been touring with Stylofone?
Bill- Dude their awesome, their amazing. First of all their not only one of our favorite band in New York, but their some of our best friends in New York. Their an absolutely amazing band. For that reason this has been my favorite tour.
Pipe- You mentioned the West Coast-California, so you have no intentions of leaving the East Coast to go to the West?
Bill- ...Well when we get our huge acting contracts and movie deals, then we'll definantly move to 90210. I don't think we have any plans right now. We dream about pretty much about every nice place we visit, we're like, "Yup we'll have a house here" so far we have no houses anywhere. [Laughter]
Pipe- You guys list influences such as Prince, Daft Punk, Chic... if you could share the stage with anyone who do you think that would be?
Bill- Current band? I'd say Daft Punk, for me.
Pipe- Each song has its own unique stylings, does the album have a specific theme you were trying to follow or does the theme differ from song to song?
Bill- I feel like there's actually a trend that runs through all of them... Joel and I wrote pretty much all the lyrics together... we didn't start off with them like "this will be about that" It was just kinda what we were thinking about... It's about living in New York being single... Just dealing with the ridiculous New York lifestyle. Just the way relationships come and go, the different kind of modes your in throughout that track.
Joel- A lot of the lyrics kind of reflect a fantastical-exgeration of that.
Pipe- What do you guys have planned after your final tour date?
Bill- We go back to New York, and we're gonna record some stuff. We have a bunch of CMJ shows... a show in Boston.
Joel- A couple of one off shows, we're recording a new track or two. One of the songs we play "Red Lips" has yet to be recorded.
Bill- We're gonna work on that. We'll be back during October, and then we leave again for all of November.
Pipe- Would you ever like to do a European tour?
Bill- Of course!!! Fuck yeah. No... I've heard that place is lame and doesn't believe in freedom... [Laughter]
TakeoffZebra- I don't wanna fool any suprises but do you guys play any kind of cover songs or anything like that?
Bill & Joel - We have. But not so much on this tour.
Pipe
Labels: interviews, live reviews, tigercity
Interview: A Place To Bury Strangers
0 Comments Delivered by Anonymous on 11 September 2007 at 11:27 AM.
The psychedelic-thrash-noise-pop three piece, A Place To Bury Strangers, isn't just another band that is lively sprouting up out of the New York underground music scene; they're just starting their take over... The Milk Lounge recently has had a chance to do an interview with APTBS's guitarist/vocalist Oliver Akerman:Anywhere you read about A Place to Bury Strangers you're bound to read "The Loudest Band in New York" - Many readers have only heard your studio recordings; how would you describe yourselves in a live set?
We're loud as fuck, blistering guitars, lights, 16mm film projections, smoke, chaos. We have as much going on as possible so it's a sensory overload for ourselves and the audience. To experience the full effect is like being on drugs.
You only released 500 copies of your album which was recently reviewed on Pitchfork with a 8.4/10. Do you think this has encouraged you to manufacture more of the album? If so when will these be available?
Definitely. The second pressing will be ready to ship by September 23rd from Killerpimp.com
While listening to your music I made a special notice that no one song sounds the same, was this a major goal for the release? What other goals did you have for the album?
This was not a major goal for the album. Every song on this album was recorded and written as a song; as apposed to the album being written as an album. There was no goal for this to be an album at the time that it was conceived. The next album is going to be similar in that respect it is just a lot of songs that we have held on to and didn't ever release or record on purpose... When recording a demo or the first time you record something really magic happens in that you are writing the song while you record it. When you capture that, it is fresh and really makes the track what it is meant to be. Not some rerecorded rehashed idea.
The New York music scene is blowing up right now, what do you think separates your band from the others; besides genre?
We are just doing our thing. There is little musical inspiration coming from other bands in the area except the whole raw energy of the scene. It just feels great to be in New York. It is expensive, hard to afford to eat, live, work and that just makes your own personal inspiration stronger. I feel like the scene is blowing up because some people who really want to make something happen in their lives are gravitated towards New York and those people are amazing players/songwriters who thrive on ambition.
Most of your live performances stretch across venues in New York City; where would you prefer to tour/where will you be touring?
We would love to tour all over the world. I think that should be a dream of everyone in the world. Getting to travel and experience new things, it can only help you as an individual.
Pitchfork put up an article stating that APTBS had landed a record deal with Chicago based Highwheel Records and have begun to book a tour. Be sure to look out for these guys in your home town; Oliver's description of their shows is reason enough to go!
A Place To Bury Strangers - "To Fix The Gash In Your Head" [Removed]
Find more music by this artist at The Hype Machine.
Labels: a place to bury strangers, interviews
