Shoot Me Again Webzine. Interview. SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA

Lire cette interview en version originale / This interview in french

Souvenir's Young America est un oiseau étrange... Une musique hybride. Un OVNI que l'on se doit de vous présenter... Bonne lecture!

1.Well, could you introduce the band to us poor kids who would not know you up to now?

Jonathan: A very basic history. The band started at the very end of 2004 as an electronic duo, just Ken and myself. We sounded quite different back then, simple drum machine beats with melodic guitar and keys. After playing 3 shows and doing a demo we realized that we weren’t getting what we wanted out of the sound. So we scrapped everything and started completely over, adding Graham on percussion. He had never played drums before but quickly made things much better. So much in fact that we recorded our first song as a trio for a split 7”. We wrote all new songs and played some shows while we got our first record together. The self titled full length came out on CD on UndeRadar and later on LP on E-Vinyl. After doing a few tours we recorded the “September Songs” EP which came out first on a cassette on Perpetual Motion Machine and then on a 12” on Protagonist. A couple more tours and here we are with “An Ocean Without Water” out on CD and LP on Crucial Blast.

Photo par Kim Frost

2.Your new album was released on Crucial Blast Records. This label is mixing so many different styles and original bands... Are you happy with this? What do you expect from this?

Jonathan: I love what Crucial Blast has been doing over the last few years. Adam takes good chances and puts a wide variety of experimental music out there. Even his recent choices of reissues are fantastic. And Adam has been one of our biggest supporters over the years. I remember being on tour and coming across a feature on our first record up on the front-page of his web store. He was the first store to really help out our small release. After our first year as a trio, we needed to find a larger label to call home and help us move forward. We mailed the “September Songs” recording around, talked seriously to a half dozen labels, and in the end decided Crucial Blast was the best fit for us. After meeting Adam in person, we had made up our mind. He was willing to fit our time frame into his schedule and support us in the ways we needed. Even now, he’s willing to communicate with us and is open to any ideas. We’re pretty happy thus far.

3.Your music is often compared to post-rock. But how would you describe your music? How do you see it? Or feel it?

Ken: “Post-rock” is something we don’t identify with. That genre is completely over-saturated with far too many bands that aren’t really pushing themselves to do anything new. Plus, when a review slaps the post-rock label on something, the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of people is going to be Godspeed, Explosions in the Sky, and a whole bunch of other bands that we don’t sound like at all. For better or worse, we’re doing something totally different, so I’d rather not be lumped in with that genre and the baggage that it carries.

Graham: While there are certainly band comparisons that I don't mind, I think the genre tags and classifications can be indicative of what's wrong with music criticism these days. If you look at the advent of rock journalism, you had writing that was as subversive and interesting as the music being made. We just play music. I’d rather people comment on the music instead of dump it into an easy category.

Jonathan: We listen to such a wide variety of music and we’re bringing elements in from all over the place. It’s hard to describe what we do, even for me. And I think we’re all pretty happy with that. Sometimes you hear elements together that shouldn’t work but do. We’ve got electronic, metal, western, prog, blues, and experimental elements that all come together somehow. I think that’s great. If the music leads the listener to have a connection... to think or feel or see something, then we’ve done our job.

4.Playing the music that you do... Which bands influence your creations?

Graham: We're all big music nerds and that’s why we draw from a lot of different types of music. I've been listening to a lot of 60s French pop music, Turkish psychedelic bands, dub, Molly Hatchet, Ry Cooder, and New Model Army. I could go on for days.

Jonathan: I’m influenced by so many things because so much music is out there. But the steady influences for this project come from Cerberus Shoal, Autechre, His Hero Is Gone, Tom Waits, Miles Davis, and Labradford. Plus anything with great low end.

Ken: For me, a lot of my guitar playing is influenced by bands like High on Fire, The Party of Helicopters (who are the reason I started playing again after not picking up a guitar for years), Iron Maiden, Fugazi, Pleasure Forever, and Les Savy Fav. I don't think that my guitar parts sound that much like any one of those guys, but they're all just musicians who I've drawn on in creating whatever sort of playing style I've made for myself at this point.

Photo @ at Alley Katz RVA par Nick Kessler

5.I saw on your Myspace page that in your influences you have put many authors like JG Ballard, HP Lovecraft, A Huxley, and many others. Do they influence your creations in a dramatic way or anything else like giving names to the titles? Or is it just because you each love reading books?

Jonathan: All the titles on the first record came from various authors. That’s why we put an open book on the insert. Plus literature, art, and politics influence what we create with this band just as much as other peoples music.

Ken: Sometimes the songs on the first record were written with the source in mind. "Thirteen for Centaurus," which is a short story by J.G. Ballard, is an example. Then sometimes we just found ourselves with an untitled song that somehow captured something about a certain book and we'd title it appropriately. I'd just finished reading a collection of Ballard's stories before we did “Thirteen...” and a lot of the very surreal psychological and technological themes that are present in his work were on my mind while writing that song.

Graham: Cormac McCarthy's books have recently had an impact on our music. Some songs on “An Ocean...” contain parallels to some of his work.

6.Maybe many people have already asked this, but why did you name the band SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA? Are you still dreaming of the discovery of the western USA? Are you still dreaming about cowboys and native americans?

Jonathan: It’s a question we get way too often but with a name like that I guess we invite it. It can mean whatever you want. We’ve come up with meanings before but I’d rather leave that up to the individual. It’s just something Ken and I put together.

7.Can we expect to see the band on a Euro tour soon? Alone or with a friend’s band?

Jonathan: I really hope so. Europe would be awesome. It’s a goal for sure. Just need the money to do so and the interest to make it worthwhile. Shipping all those keyboards and getting plane tickets is going to be expensive. But people outside the US have been more supportive than people in the states from day one. I’d love to return the favor.

Graham: Wherever we can afford to go, we'll be there.

8.Looking at some pictures of you live, I got the impression that you mainly go into the DIY community of the USA and play house and basement show? Do you love this and do you give any importance to all of this connection you can find in that community?

Jonathan: Actually we almost never play house shows. We mainly play art spaces and bars. I’d rather not do a house unless we know everyone involved and it’s going to be a great time. We all have punk roots and learned so much over the years being involved in the DIY scenes of the 90s. It helped make us who we are as individuals. But I much prefer things being well organized. And playing an art gallery is about the best place I can think of for our music. The crowds are usually older and more diverse too which I love. I like playing to anyone who will listen instead of for a scene of some sort. But I do miss the DIY ethics of days past... seems a lot of that got lost between generations.

9.You come from Virginia, and surely you often play there... any bands you would advise us to discover?

Jonathan: Tulsa Drone does awesome instrumental stuff loaded with dulcimer. Lord By Fire plays some awesome metal. Mouthbreather plays great frantic punk rock. Aughra puts on a cool solo electronic show.

Graham: Richmond is one of the best cities in the world. Cheap to live, people are awesome, the amount of alcohol consumed makes me feel like far less of a drunk. The music scene has produced amazing bands pretty consistently for over two decades and really shows no signs of stopping. From Born Against to Labradford, RVA's held it down. The only downside to that is how spoiled people can get around here. Sometimes it seems like the amount of activity is taken for granted.

Ken: I’ve been in Richmond for eight years now, so it’s pretty safe to say that I like it a lot. It’s one of the most relaxed, consistently fun cities on the east coast, if not the entire U.S. We’ve always been a bit of an odd bird in relation to the rest of the music scene here, but lately it seems like things are starting to click a little bit for us when it comes to hometown shows.

10.Last question before I leave : Which is the best? CD or LP or cassette?

Jonathan: They all have good qualities but the LP will always reign supreme. Vinyl forever.

On the web : http://www.syarva.com/

Interview par Julien ajoutée le 25-09-2007

Voir la fiche de SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA

	S'identifier
	Lire cette interview en version originale / This interview in french Souvenir's Young America est un oiseau étrange... Une musique hybride. Un OVNI que l'on se doit de vous présenter... Bonne lecture! 1.Well, could you introduce the band to us poor kids who would not know you up to now? Jonathan: A very basic history. The band started at the very end of 2004 as an electronic duo, just Ken and myself. We sounded quite different back then, simple drum machine beats with melodic guitar and keys. After playing 3 shows and doing a demo we realized that we weren’t getting what we wanted out of the sound. So we scrapped everything and started completely over, adding Graham on percussion. He had never played drums before but quickly made things much better. So much in fact that we recorded our first song as a trio for a split 7”. We wrote all new songs and played some shows while we got our first record together. The self titled full length came out on CD on UndeRadar and later on LP on E-Vinyl. After doing a few tours we recorded the “September Songs” EP which came out first on a cassette on Perpetual Motion Machine and then on a 12” on Protagonist. A couple more tours and here we are with “An Ocean Without Water” out on CD and LP on Crucial Blast. Photo par Kim Frost 2.Your new album was released on Crucial Blast Records. This label is mixing so many different styles and original bands... Are you happy with this? What do you expect from this? Jonathan: I love what Crucial Blast has been doing over the last few years. Adam takes good chances and puts a wide variety of experimental music out there. Even his recent choices of reissues are fantastic. And Adam has been one of our biggest supporters over the years. I remember being on tour and coming across a feature on our first record up on the front-page of his web store. He was the first store to really help out our small release. After our first year as a trio, we needed to find a larger label to call home and help us move forward. We mailed the “September Songs” recording around, talked seriously to a half dozen labels, and in the end decided Crucial Blast was the best fit for us. After meeting Adam in person, we had made up our mind. He was willing to fit our time frame into his schedule and support us in the ways we needed. Even now, he’s willing to communicate with us and is open to any ideas. We’re pretty happy thus far. 3.Your music is often compared to post-rock. But how would you describe your music? How do you see it? Or feel it? Ken: “Post-rock” is something we don’t identify with. That genre is completely over-saturated with far too many bands that aren’t really pushing themselves to do anything new. Plus, when a review slaps the post-rock label on something, the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of people is going to be Godspeed, Explosions in the Sky, and a whole bunch of other bands that we don’t sound like at all. For better or worse, we’re doing something totally different, so I’d rather not be lumped in with that genre and the baggage that it carries. Graham: While there are certainly band comparisons that I don't mind, I think the genre tags and classifications can be indicative of what's wrong with music criticism these days. If you look at the advent of rock journalism, you had writing that was as subversive and interesting as the music being made. We just play music. I’d rather people comment on the music instead of dump it into an easy category. Jonathan: We listen to such a wide variety of music and we’re bringing elements in from all over the place. It’s hard to describe what we do, even for me. And I think we’re all pretty happy with that. Sometimes you hear elements together that shouldn’t work but do. We’ve got electronic, metal, western, prog, blues, and experimental elements that all come together somehow. I think that’s great. If the music leads the listener to have a connection... to think or feel or see something, then we’ve done our job. 4.Playing the music that you do... Which bands influence your creations? Graham: We're all big music nerds and that’s why we draw from a lot of different types of music. I've been listening to a lot of 60s French pop music, Turkish psychedelic bands, dub, Molly Hatchet, Ry Cooder, and New Model Army. I could go on for days. Jonathan: I’m influenced by so many things because so much music is out there. But the steady influences for this project come from Cerberus Shoal, Autechre, His Hero Is Gone, Tom Waits, Miles Davis, and Labradford. Plus anything with great low end. Ken: For me, a lot of my guitar playing is influenced by bands like High on Fire, The Party of Helicopters (who are the reason I started playing again after not picking up a guitar for years), Iron Maiden, Fugazi, Pleasure Forever, and Les Savy Fav. I don't think that my guitar parts sound that much like any one of those guys, but they're all just musicians who I've drawn on in creating whatever sort of playing style I've made for myself at this point. Photo @ at Alley Katz RVA par Nick Kessler 5.I saw on your Myspace page that in your influences you have put many authors like JG Ballard, HP Lovecraft, A Huxley, and many others. Do they influence your creations in a dramatic way or anything else like giving names to the titles? Or is it just because you each love reading books? Jonathan: All the titles on the first record came from various authors. That’s why we put an open book on the insert. Plus literature, art, and politics influence what we create with this band just as much as other peoples music. Ken: Sometimes the songs on the first record were written with the source in mind. "Thirteen for Centaurus," which is a short story by J.G. Ballard, is an example. Then sometimes we just found ourselves with an untitled song that somehow captured something about a certain book and we'd title it appropriately. I'd just finished reading a collection of Ballard's stories before we did “Thirteen...” and a lot of the very surreal psychological and technological themes that are present in his work were on my mind while writing that song. Graham: Cormac McCarthy's books have recently had an impact on our music. Some songs on “An Ocean...” contain parallels to some of his work. 6.Maybe many people have already asked this, but why did you name the band SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA? Are you still dreaming of the discovery of the western USA? Are you still dreaming about cowboys and native americans? Jonathan: It’s a question we get way too often but with a name like that I guess we invite it. It can mean whatever you want. We’ve come up with meanings before but I’d rather leave that up to the individual. It’s just something Ken and I put together. 7.Can we expect to see the band on a Euro tour soon? Alone or with a friend’s band? Jonathan: I really hope so. Europe would be awesome. It’s a goal for sure. Just need the money to do so and the interest to make it worthwhile. Shipping all those keyboards and getting plane tickets is going to be expensive. But people outside the US have been more supportive than people in the states from day one. I’d love to return the favor. Graham: Wherever we can afford to go, we'll be there. 8.Looking at some pictures of you live, I got the impression that you mainly go into the DIY community of the USA and play house and basement show? Do you love this and do you give any importance to all of this connection you can find in that community? Jonathan: Actually we almost never play house shows. We mainly play art spaces and bars. I’d rather not do a house unless we know everyone involved and it’s going to be a great time. We all have punk roots and learned so much over the years being involved in the DIY scenes of the 90s. It helped make us who we are as individuals. But I much prefer things being well organized. And playing an art gallery is about the best place I can think of for our music. The crowds are usually older and more diverse too which I love. I like playing to anyone who will listen instead of for a scene of some sort. But I do miss the DIY ethics of days past... seems a lot of that got lost between generations. 9.You come from Virginia, and surely you often play there... any bands you would advise us to discover? Jonathan: Tulsa Drone does awesome instrumental stuff loaded with dulcimer. Lord By Fire plays some awesome metal. Mouthbreather plays great frantic punk rock. Aughra puts on a cool solo electronic show. Graham: Richmond is one of the best cities in the world. Cheap to live, people are awesome, the amount of alcohol consumed makes me feel like far less of a drunk. The music scene has produced amazing bands pretty consistently for over two decades and really shows no signs of stopping. From Born Against to Labradford, RVA's held it down. The only downside to that is how spoiled people can get around here. Sometimes it seems like the amount of activity is taken for granted. Ken: I’ve been in Richmond for eight years now, so it’s pretty safe to say that I like it a lot. It’s one of the most relaxed, consistently fun cities on the east coast, if not the entire U.S. We’ve always been a bit of an odd bird in relation to the rest of the music scene here, but lately it seems like things are starting to click a little bit for us when it comes to hometown shows. 10.Last question before I leave : Which is the best? CD or LP or cassette? Jonathan: They all have good qualities but the LP will always reign supreme. Vinyl forever. On the web : http://www.syarva.com/ Interview par Julien ajoutée le 25-09-2007 Voir la fiche de SOUVENIR'S YOUNG AMERICA
All content by Shoot Me Again 2004-2007. Coding and design by Erik Ce site est protégé par les droits d'auteur. Copier ou diffuser l'une ou l'autre partie de ce site ou son contenu sans l'autorisation de l'auteur constitue un délit.