Wednesday, July 27, 2011

We Are Augustines Interview with Front Man Billy McCarthy(vocals/guitar)

I originally discovered We Are Augustines recently, when their song "Headlong Into The Abyss" was featured as the free single of the week on iTunes. I was immediately hooked. Drawn to the raw, unique tone of lead vocalist Billy McCarthy and decided that I needed more, and soon. In June, the band released their first full-length, "Rise Ye Sunken Ships" record to a sea of raving reviews (no pun intended). The album is the product of several years tireless work by NewYork residents McCarthy and Eric Sanderson, both ex-members of the band Pela. "Rise Ye Sunken Ships" contains a great deal of personal meaning for McCarthy. Listener's of the album will gain a glimpse into the tragedy and conflicts that McCarthy has faced over the past couple of years, as it unfolds song by song. I had the chance to ask McCarthy a few questions about the release, and his get his reaction on how listener's have reacted thus far...

With such personal and emotional content on "Rise Ye Sunken Ships," do you ever find it difficult to perform the songs live, re-living those memories and experiences?"
McCarthy: It has become such a large part of our life the past nearly two years - it has all blended into what we do. Yes it can be difficult, but the greater good that can come from it is what we choose to take from it.
I recently read that finishing the LP was a big personal accomplishment for you guys. What would you say is the next big accomplishment that you would like to conquer?
McCarthy: Being solid conscious human beings. If this ever gets away from that, it's not worth it anymore and that will be the point we walk away.
Before you wrote the record, did you sit down and discuss the direction that you would like to take it in? Or did you want it to unfold naturally?
McCarthy: No, certainly not. I knew it was time to be brave with writing about all that was going on with me personally, but it took lots of songs to get to the songs we picked, ya know?
Are you surprised by all of the positive reviews and remarks of the album?
McCarthy: Yes. I'm not exaggerating... It moves us to tears at times.
What would you like for listeners to take away from this LP?
McCarthy: Whatever they take, I guess. It is just a collection of songs, just like any body of work, be it a book, album or film, etc. If it resonates then that's amazing. It certainly has for us on our side of things; it was this little bird on our finger, now it's time for it to fly off and see how it fairs in the world. We are proud of it.
What would you say is the biggest difference between this project and previous projects that you have been involved in?
McCarthy: I'd say the looming thought that we should probably quit and that the business of music was perhaps a unhealthy environment for us. We kicked things off broke, in debt, lost, pretty banged up actually, so that seemed to be the starting point rather than a group just wanting to go live the rock and roll dream and play for kicks. It's still unbelievable we stuck it out. Next month is August. It hasn't been two years yet... It felt like much longer.
Who are some artists that you have looked up to in terms of stage presence and live performance?
McCarthy: I think Manu Chao has been a huge influence in the past few years and loads of African and world music … and we are constantly marveling at the dynamics and presentation of old R&B performers from the early-‘60s. Buddy Holly has also been a personal inspiration lately.
How important is social networking/media for artists like yourself? Are you guys fans?
McCarthy: Yes, I don't think we have any purist anti-technology feelings. It's really nice to have a direct dialogue with folks around the world. Hell, it sure beats fax machines, wasting paper, and pricey long distance phone bills of the old days.
Perfect day, driving in your car with the windows down, what are you listening to?
McCarthy: "Sleepwalking" by Santo and Johnny

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Stately Ghosts Interview

For people that haven't seen your live performance before, what can they expect when they come to one of your shows? A life altering music experience. Well we can only hope for that but we can promise an amazing rock show with a spoonful of soulful blues. We always try to mix things up, have fun on stage, and not take ourselves too seriously. Playing live is where we feel most comfortable, it is really where you get to prove your worth to the public, so we give it our all. We play a lot of original material that has a 60s blues garage sound but we will cover your not-so-typical rock song like “Mr. Charlie,” by the Dead or blues tribute like “Corrina” by Taj Mahal.
How did you guys originally get together?
Like a caravan looking to pick up hitchhikers. Nick, the gorilla glue to this band, played with Matt and Craig in two different bands before and he also went to college with Joe. Nick and Matt met Garen through a Craiglist ad, and soon we developed the foundational sound that is the Stately Ghosts. Shortly after, Abi responded to a new Craiglist ad we put out and with the bribe of a pepperoni pizza, she agreed to join. Joe came on board after guest guitaring at an Arlene’s Grocery show.
Super cliche one, but how did you arrive on "Stately Ghosts?" Is there a story behind the name?
Abi mentioned to Nick she was having recurring dreams of a wolfman. Nick, useful for random facts and objects, had a book of dream interpretations in which the author’s biography said he had previously written, “Stately Ghosts of England,” a popular TV show overseas in the late ‘60s. Somehow the name stuck after Nick said it would be a cool band name, however, Abi continues to dream of wolfmen from time-to-time.
Your sound seems to combine several genres of music, how do you think that developed?
With six band members, we bring several genres of music because we're all into different styles. Garen loves metal and classic rock, then you got Joe and Nick who are huge Phish fans and into the whole jam band scene. Abi and Matt tend to listen to a lot of indie music from Rilo Kiley to the Heartless Bastards, and then you have the X-factor, Craig, who will out of nowhere start playing anything from the Beatles to some gospel lick on the keyboards during practice.
How did your single "Dominoes" originally come together?
Dominoes was one of the songs that Garen had written on guitar before we had even found Abi. We knew she was a perfect fit for the band after she nailed the vocals for this song on the first try. She even wrote those killer lyrics immediately after the first practice. Dominoes is one of the few songs we still play from those first practices and it's been through a lot of changes. Originally a heavy blues rock tune, it now has a relaxed, natural sound with acoustic slide guitar and piano. We do switch it up when we play live though and will be debuting its acoustic sound at an upcoming fundraising show.
When can we expect a full length album?
We are going start the recording process in September with a full-length album hopefully completed by October. We got some great material that we are eager to put down including “Stones,” and “7 ½ Minutes.” We actually recorded Dominoes in Matt’s basement one-by-one, but want more of a live performance feel for our first album.
How does the writing process normally pan out for you guys?There are a few ways it works out for us but we someone will usually come to the band with an idea for a song, whether it is just a riff or a full tune front-to-back, then every member in the band will add their own spin to it. Something that was brought to practice as a slow acoustic tune can easily turn into a calypso dance fest by the end of the process.
Do you write continuously? Or are you more periodic writers?
We are always writing. Matt or Joe will have an idea for a song and will quickly record it and send it to the group to be green lighted. Or Garen will come to practice, with a fully composed song and totally blow us out of the water. Recently, we have been pulling out some older jams that never came to fruition and have been modge podging them together with some new ideas to make some really funky jams.
Are there any artists/bands that you are really into right now?
We almost had to have an intervention with Nick because of his recent obsession with Ra Ra Riot but with our collection of band members there probably isn’t an artist or band that one of us hasn’t listened to yet.
Any tour dates coming up in the near future?
We just finished playing several gigs back-to-back in NYC and Astoria, so we are taking a small break to gear up for the recording studio. We’ve have been getting a lot of slack from our friends and family since we haven’t played on Long Island yet so we put together a mini-festival, informally called Lundystock (in honor of our the guy that keeps us together) and getting together a few of our music friends we’ve met a long the way to play Cedar Creek Park in Seaford on Sunday, August 14. We will also be playing the Astoria Music Now! Festival in Astoria Park, Queens, NY on Sunday, August 21. You can stay in touch with our latest gigs by signing up for our newsletter at wwww.statelyghosts.com.
Who are some artists/bands that you have looked up to in the past regarding stage presence/live performance?
Nick says anything by The Who, “I’d love to blow my drum kit up on stage like Keith Moon. Kick it over, smash it up. It's a shame we're our own roadies and that I only have one good drum set.”
Garen prefers anything by Springsteen, while Matt has his three-CD changer on overdrive with Led Zeppelin, The Band and Red Hot Chili Peppers, claiming they all can back up their stage presence with their musical ability.
Joe stays true to his Phish roots by saying “If I could ever even be an ounce of what they provide to their fans live, I would die a happy man.”
Driving in you car on a perfect day with the windows down, what are you listening to?
Garen lives in the city so he recreates this special moment by blasting music with the sweet summer city stench blowing through his hair with the windows open and putting his face to floor fan. His musical choice would be AC/DC in either scenario. As two die-hard Phish fans, Joe and Nick would no doubt be listening to Jam On via Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Matt prefers some really good live Grateful Dead circa '70-'72. Abi and Craig’s iPods are jammed pack with such unpredictable music that we are not sure where to start.
Website: http://www.statelyghosts.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/statelyghosts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/statelyghosts
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/statelyghosts

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Future of Forestry Interview with Eric Owyoung

I recently had the chance to speak with Eric Owyoung(formerly of Something Like Silas), Future of Forestry founding member about his current projects and future plans...

Who are some artists/bands that you have looked up to in the past regarding stage presence/live performance?
Sigur Ros. They were the most incredible spiritual emotional music experience I had ever seen.
For people that haven't seen your live performance before, what can they expect when they come to one of your shows?
We’re pretty crazy in terms of the amount of instruments and uniqueness of instrumentation. All the players switch from one instrument to another within the song. It becomes a bit of a dance on stage. Makes things very interesting.
I am fascinated by the Travel EP series, how did that idea come about? Do you see a Travel IV in the future?
I wrote the song "traveler’s song" and the series was born. The idea was summed up in "if you travel here, you will feel it all, the brightest and the darkest. If you travel here, listen to your heart, and take with you what lasts forever." The next album will be a regular full length
What was the idea behind releasing "A Film & TV Collection?"
The record label felt like the songs really lent themselves to film and television. The songs have a strong visual scope to them.
How does the writing process normally pan out for you? Does it differ each time?
It’s different each time, but I often start out with a musical feeling or a bed of sound created from anything that makes noise. I form melodies from there and shape lyrics as I go.
How would you say your faith impacts the music you produce?
Completely. Everything around me affects my writing. Mostly, my understanding of being loved by God has been such an important realization and milestone. It’s one of those notions that it’s a lot easier to say you believe and to believe with your head, but when it comes down to it, experiencing being "loved by God" with your heart is a matter that takes a long time to absorb and experience.
Do you write continuously? Or are you more periodic writers?
More periodic. It’s exhausting for me. I need a break from it!
How important is social networking for artists like you?
Pretty important, but I don't do a whole lot of it. I’m not as social as some artists. Don’t get me wrong, i love people. But more one on one. I find social networking to not be the deepest form of relationship.
What kind of advice would you have for an artist/band just starting up?
Work hard on the music and the rest will come. People focus on networking and promoting before they even have good music. That’s counterproductive. Practice like mad, write like mad.
Driving in your car on a perfect day with the windows down, what are you listening to?
Been listening to Kiss Away Trail
Any tour dates coming up in the near future?
Yes, we have a national fall tour September and October and a Christmas tour in December. See you there!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/futureofforestry

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Carrollhood Interview with Nathan Young, Reed Murray & Tim McTague

Newly formed , Carrollhood, just released their first song titled "Remission" which can be heard on their website (http://www.carrollhood.net/). The band, consisting of Tampa, Florida natives Nathan Young(Anberlin), Tim McTague(Underoath) and Reed Murray(Marksmen), set aside a few days in between separate hectic touring schedules for some face-to-face collaboration and writing. "Remission," recorded in a matter of days, features vocals from each of the three members, shows incredible promise and a good bit of diversity. I had a chance to chat with each of the guys briefly on their new side project and discuss their instant chemistry, future plans and even the age old question of how their band name came about....

Cliche one to begin... How the name Carrollhood come about?

 Young: I grew up in Carrollwood my whole life. Carrollhood was the neighborhood gang that used to spray paint their name all over the rich peoples cars and mailboxes. I was terrified of them. Every time I'd ride my bike around I was scared they were going to kill me. Then when I was older I realized they we're all probably the rich people's kids that were my age that discovered their dad's spray paint in the garage. A solid gang name though for sure.

How did you guys originally meet up?
 McTague: We are old friends in the Tampa scene. Played in different bands together and just hung out. 
 Young: I've known Tim since I was a kid playing in other bands around Tampa. Then later on in life, we married sisters and became brother in laws. I met Reed when I was younger too and have been best friends ever since.
Where did the idea for the project begin?
 Young: Tim &; I had been trying to do a side project for like the last 6 years. We messed around with a few different things, but due to separate busy schedules it never happened. About 6 months ago I asked Reed to start writing with me & throwing around ideas. Tim basically started with us right after that and the ideas came fast as crap. Reed was the missing link to getting Tim and I to finally jam together.
 McTague: Nate and Reed were jamming on some demos and I got looped in on the production end etc. We all started riffing on ideas and all of a sudden we had a band going. Chain emails, emailed demos and 48 hours in the studio we had Remission and a bunch of other ideas that will be recorded later this year.

What would you say are your goals for this project thus far?
 Young: To write jams together that we all would want to listen to. Because of nature of this project, we'll be able to avoid a lot of the "conventional band" stuff. We'll just write and record as much as we can, and put it out as soon as we can.
McTague: To spread our music and ideas as far and wide as humanly possible. I hope to play some shows sometime soon and hopefully muster up a tour or two somewhere in there as well.

Young and McTague recording studio
I read that you guys began writing in January of this year. How has the writing process panned out for you guys thus far? Do you find that it varies from past projects you have been involved in?
Murray: The interesting aspect of our writing process is that we have yet to sit down together and write out these songs face-to-face due to our busy, conflicting schedules. Instead, we've been writing numerous demos on GarageBand and sending them back and forth to each other in an effort to nail down the best structure and melody to shape potential songs. The result has been so open and natural - we couldn't be more excited!
 McTague: The writing process has been awesome. I have never been in a band where there are so many co-writers/collaborations. In my current band I usually end up heading up the writing side for the most part, and it is crazy to have full songs dropped in my lap without me working on anything. It makes things super productive and creatively freeing. Everyone is pulling weight and contributing. It's awesome.
 Young: It's been great! It's been way more natural than I thought it would be. We never sat down and said, "lets sound like this. Or write a certain way". We just started demoing songs and it came out the way it did. I think with the next few songs people will see how eclectic all of it will be. And yeah, definitely different from our other bands.

Do you guys plan on touring anytime soon? Or will this stay a studio project for now?
 Young: For now, just writing and recording songs. When we have enough jams I'm sure we'll play live at some point
 McTague:I would love to play out when it is possible. It's just so hard with conflicting schedules.

How would you describe your sound, in comparison to the other projects that you have been involved in?
Young: Not sure really. I'd like other people to decide our sound for us. But they'll probably need more than 1 song. So I'll let you know in a few months.
 McTague: This is way more raw. WIth Underoath everything is taken, then retaken and pondered over. Carrollhood is just all about " what do we want and what feels good." which is super freeing.

Murray in studio
How did the song "Remission" come together? What would you say inspired the song?
 Young: Just by us throwing around ideas. Reed brought the base of the song, then we all just kept adding and adding until we thought it ruled. The lyrics are inspired by Reed's sister going through and recovering from cancer. Hence the name, Remission. She's been cancer free for over 4 years now, which rules beyond belief!
 Murray: "Remission" started as one of the first few demos we had written for this project. I wrote the foundation of the song and with the great help of Nate and Tim, we constantly made revisions until it felt right. When it came time to write lyrics, they were inspired by my sister having cancer in the past, overcoming it, and being in remission for over 4 to this day, which is nothing short of a miracle and a blessing!

Any idea when the debut EP will be released? Do you have a time frame you are shooting for yet?
McTague: We hope to record end of the year and see what happens from there. As soon as possible is our goal. We have tons of songs and just need to set the appropriate time aside to make them happen.
Young: This fall we will definitely do the majority of the recording though. So maybe the end of this year to have an EP. But hopefully more songs and such before then.

Perfect day, driving with the windows down, what are you listening to?
Murray: Peter Bjorn & John!

Young: Right now, Cults.
McTague: Bon Iver...new record, Kanye West...new record.....that's it!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Ari Hest Interview


Photo by Laura Means
  Ari Hest is a singer-songwriter that has essentially found success through every stage of his music career. After releasing two successful album on a Columbia Records, Hest decided that the major label platform was holding back his musical creativity and process. In 2008 Hest left the record company and began the challenging himself by putting out a song a week for an entire year, properly titled “52.” The songs created were sent weekly via e-mail to fans, who paid a small flat fee.
  Over the past year, Hest has been very busy touring, collaborating and has relaesed two very impressive albums. In the fall of 2010, Hest released an album with fellow NYC resident, Rosi Golan album under the project name The Open Sea. Most recently, Hest released “Sunset Over Hope Street,” which ahs recived rave reviews from fans and critics. I had the chance to sit down with Ari,while on tour, to discuss his latest album, working with producer Alex Wong, and future side-project plans...
How is the actual set-up of this tour. Just you and a drummer?
Hest: It's just myself and the drummer. I play acoustic guitar and also some keyboard. The drummer has kind of a hybrid drum kit, where he sits on a hone. He loops himself, he's running a couple of tracks at some different places, and he is also just playing a kit. It's pretty interesting.
Sounds like fun to watch. I know you get this all the time, but the "52 Project" that you did a couple of years back, after you completed that, what were some of the things that saw that you had grown from? Can you crank out a song now, no problem?
Hest: Well, I tell you what happened. I released that I could crank out a song if I practiced it a lot. If I am in the practice of writing songs everyday or every other day, getting ideas and following through with them, and not just saying "I've got this idea, but I will get to it at some point." If I actually sit down and not be lazy, and follow through with it then you just get in the practice of doing things. It feels very productive, and then it gets a lot easier, because you are working the muscle in your brain. The "song-writing muscle" so to speak.
What about right now, you have the new album out (“Sunset Over Hope Street”),but do you continually write?
Hest: I try to, but on tour it can be difficult. What I do, when I'm on the road and even at home actually, my cell phone has a voice recorder. If I get an idea, I will sing it into the phone. On this tour, I haven't really been able to sit down and flush out the ideas, but I will when I get home. I'm still getting ideas, but it is difficult to get everything down when I'm tour managing and have a lot of responsibilities.
So when you get an idea, is it usually a melody first?
Hest: Yeah, the melody first and then I try to build some type of parts around it. Usually guitar(parts), but sometimes piano.
Are you a music guy first?
Hest: Yeah, I have always been a music guy first.
Have you ever tried it a different way?
Hest: Yeah, I have. I like to separate the two. I have trouble writing everything at once, but I have done lyrics first and then the music after and it has been okay. I just prefer music first, because I get more music ideas. So it just makes more sense to start with that.
For the writing process for this album specifically, what were some things that turned out differently in terms of the process of creating the album?
Hest. It was a similar process I think. There were very few songs on hear that were written after the production started. The producer (Alex Wong) had heard a bunch of the stuff I had done, and he heard those 52 songs also. There were a couple that he was interested in re-working. So we kind of started with those. Then we did some stuff that I did after "52" and there really wasn't a shortage of songs, but I decided that I had time to release the album so i am going to wait to see if something comes up. I waited a little while to see if something would come, and a couple of songs did. "If I knew You'd Say Yes" was like the last edition to the whole thing, and "A Good Look Around" also.

What attracted you to Alex Wong for the production of this album? I am a big fan of the paper raincoat...
Hest: I had heard the Paper Raincoat before, but I actually got hooked up with him through a tour I did with Vienna Teng. He does a similar thing to what Doug (drummer) and I do, with Vienna. So I toured with him a little bit, got to know Alex a little bit, and he was interested in getting involved with the "52 Project" if he could for a song or two. I sent him a song that is actually on this record, "Sawn Song," towards the end of the year and he put this interesting percussion around it. He kind of gave it a vibe that wasn't there when I wrote it, and I really liked it. At the same time, it was a different mentality that I was used to and I wanted to get away from being the producer, because I had just done that with so any songs. I wanted to get away from the same kind of ideas and work with someone who was challenging for me and kind of looked at things differently. Alex was that guy.
Alex is definitely known for his amazing orchestral arrangements. Did he do all of those arrangements on the record?
Hest: yeah, he wrote the string parts and got the string players to come in. My band, wound up playing on most of the record, the drummer bass player and guitarist. But aside from that, he played a little bit of drums and some other little things. A lot of different people contributed.
So with this album(“Sunset Over Hope Street”), do you feel that you have achieved your "true sound?'
Hest: I think vocally, these have been the best takes that I have ever had on the record. I think that this is the closest thing to a cohesive album, that I have had. What I mean by that is you hear different instrumentation show up in different. Its not just what you may be used to with me, where I will take a folk song and follow it up with a rock song, and I will follow that up with something else, and they will all sound different. I have always approached things that way, not really caring if there was an overlap of sounds. I don't know which way is better for me. I like to be varied, but I do think that he (Alex) did a good job at keeping the songs varied, but instrumentation close enough to where it sounds sonically similar throughout the record. I think that is what most people want in an album, to have themes come up again and again, which makes it a cohesive album. So this is the closest thing that I have done to that.
I read that on this album, most of the songs were written as guitar driven and then you shifted them into piano driven. Was that a challenging process?
Hest: That was a challenge. It was one that I had though a bout a little bit, but one that Alex kind of forced the issue with it. Which was a good thing. He took songs and said things like "let's try an organ for this one." I had never played an organ before, and we ended up with it on a song called "One Track Mind," which is essentially an acoustic/vocal song that I wrote a year ago. He just changed the vibe of it completely, which is great! That's what I wanted, for him to take it in whatever direction that he wanted for it to go.
I'm a big fan of "The Open Sea" project, with Rosi Golan. How did that originally come together?
Hest: I met Rosi through my manager, who is a fan of hers. He gave her my last CD, "Twelve Mondays" and she liked it. We met about two years ago, and became friends and starting writing together a little bit. We noticed that or voices sounded really good together, so play each others shows from time to time. We became very good friends, we live near each other in Brooklyn, and we just kept writing and writing until we had a collection that was interesting and enough for us to put something out. It took a while, because both of us had touring schedules that were pretty involved. She does a bunch of co-writing, and trips to write songs for other people and with other people. It was definitely a long process, even though the EP sounds like it is stripped down and not a lot of thought went into it. I'm actually glad it does. We could have very easily thought too hard about it, and we didn't(laughs).
How did you decide to go with just the two voices and piano?
Hest: Well, we knew that the point of it was hearing the voices together, so we didn't want whatever else is around it to get in the way. If it was going to be there, it needed to be complimentary. The songs that we wrote were sweet songs that you may not hear the lyrics, if there was to much going on. We wanted the vocals to be at the forefront, so that you could hear what we were saying. So that is why we made something that is stripped down.
Any future plans with that project?
Hest: I could see something happening, but she is about to put out her next record. Maybe after she supports that for a while and tours, maybe the end of this year or early next year we will get together and start writing again.
You mentioned co-writing earlier, is their anyone that you are specifically working with right now? Or any future releases soon?
Hest: There are plenty of people from back home that I write with. I have other side-projects in the works, but I am not sure when they are going to develop into something because of schedules, more than anything. For instance, Sarah Siskind who I just tour with for a while, we have been writing a bunch of songs together too. She is about to put out her record, so we kind of have to wait for that to happen to really look at recording the songs we wrote. That would be the one that I am most excited about, because I have been a huge fan of hers for a while now, and we have become very good friends too. The music (that we have written) is interesting. I really like her chored voicing, and her voice is just like nothing I’ve heard before. So I am looking forward to that whenever it happens.
What kind of advice would you have for a musician starting up right now?
Hest: I would say do everything yourself. D.I.Y. is not just about being able to record yourself, although that is an important component. It is kind of getting easier and easier to do that. There is really no excuse at this point to not do it yourself. I could see if you wanted to have a producer help you because you wanted to figure out your sound and you want help with that, then it makes sense to go outside of your own space. If you learn how to record yourself, and you can at least put together a decent demo, than it just makes more sense to do it that way without any one's help. If you have a laptop or computer, you can get Apogee Duet and you are set. Sarah just recorded her whole album on Duet, a laptop and one microphone. You don’t need much, that’s what I was getting at. D.I.Y. means that you need to figure out how to be a businessman, which is a very hard thing for a musician because most of us, including myself, are pretty scatterbrained and don’t really like to schmooze. You have to be “that guy” a little bit, in order to get what you need done. I have learned that over the course of ten years of doing this. That you need to find opportunities yourself, and can’t wait for other people to do it.
What is your take on social networking as an artists. Are you a fan of it?
Hest: I am a fan of it, but I am also thoroughly confused by all of the different ways you can access people. It is kind of overwhelming at times. So I like to keep it as simple as possible. I also like to be private, some what. So talking about what I am eating for breakfast is not something that I would be tweeting about(laughs). Things that are personal, you are not going to hear from me. I am going to keep it about music and shows and whatever I am doing music wise. I think that it is a great thing for someone who is starting out to be able to have that kind of access, but it is also not for everybody. That’s also one of those things that I feel like I have to suck it up and be apart of it even though I’m really not nuts about tweeting or blogging. I want to just play, but that is lost now. It’s not that world anymore. So I have to do a little bit, and its not that I don’t appreciate that people want more from me, I get it. But the point of what I’m doing is my music. The purpose of me touring and writing is to create music and nothing else. Its really not about updating people about things that have nothing to do about music. If I take a picture on the road that is interesting or video that is funny, I might throw that up there. But that is the few and far between stuff. In general I am going to keep it light.
I can respect that. Sometimes, as a consumer of music, I feel spoiled...
Hest: Yeah, I am just overwhelmed by it. I don’t really follow people on twitter just because. I have like my friends, and I know what kind of music I like and things I like and I will seek it out if I’m interested in something on a certain day or certain time. For me, it isn’t worth it to be interrupted every so often by something. I don’t understand why someone would want an update every fifteen seconds from some other person they are following(laughs). To me, you aren’t living in the moment at that point. Its all about information, whatever. Information is here and now.
Perfect day, driving with the windows down, what are you listening to?
Hest: Well, there are many answers to that question (laughs). We have XM Radio in the car, and we listen to the 80’s station. It is very hard to go wrong with that station, especially on a nice day. We listened to Tears For Fears all day, so maybe “Head Over Heels” or “Shout” even would be appropriate. It is bang on the top of your car, type of thing as you are listening. So something like that(laughs).