Chasing the Dreaming California: An Interview With Friday Nights
May 16, 2009 by Mark
Filed under Interviews
The Ken Andrews and Matt Mahaffey (Self) influences are obvious on the debut record from Los Angeles-based Friday Nights. With sonic guitar work and infectious pop hooks, Friday Nights put their own spin on the alt/pop formula perfected by their contemporaries. The result is a collaboration between two veteran musicians, Mike Castillo and Shon Kornfeld, about to burst onto the scene with their latest musical incarnation. Fishpork got a chance to talk to Mike about the band’s musical tastes, having Ken Andrews mix their record, and what else can be expected this year.
Fishpork: How did you guys meet up and form Friday Nights?
Mike Castillo: Shon and I met ten years ago at a little hole in the wall called Cafe Tara. I was 17 and played bass in a band called “Burning Owen”. Shon played guitar in an awesome melodic hardcore band called “Helen 55″. I fell in love with his band…I even roadied for ‘em for a while. We kept in touch over the years. We both were doing solo stuff and in ’05 Shon offered to record my “best song” for free at his home studio, Moai Sounds, which he had just put together. We recorded demos for the four songs that I had written. Shon also had a bunch of cool songs that he was working on. We both really dug each other’s material so we decided to combine it and form “Friday Nights”.
FP: What was the song writing process like on the album?
MC: The main bulk of the material had already been written before Shon and I started working together. For the most part, Shon’s stuff had didn’t have lyrics or melodies written yet and my stuff needed to be “produced” and arranged. For my songs, I’d basically show Shon how to play the basic song on acoustic and then let him run with it…a few days later he’d send me something back with full guitars, harmonies, bass and a basic drum machine track and I’d be like, “Fuck Yes!”. For Shon’s songs, he’d give me the demos to write lyrics and melodies to. Most of the time they had no vox but if he had an idea where he wanted to go with something, he’d lay down a scat track or a keyboard playing the melody.
FP: What bands did you guys grow up on? Who served as inspiration for Friday Nights?
MC: Everything from pop to obscure indie rock. Hum, Failure, Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine, Autolux, Self, Fountains of Wayne, The Police. We like the spacey rock a lot but we’re also suckers for a good pop hook. We’re huge fans of Steely Dan. They served as a big influence for how we do business as a band. 2 guys writing everything…any other musicians are hired or invited as needed. Fewer egos to deal with and it’s nice to have options. Sometimes one drummer sounds better on one track and another sounds better on a different track, ya know? My favorite band as a kid was Soundgarden and I’m pretty sure Shon’s was Jane’s Addiction.
FP: In an age when digital distribution is king and CD packaging is usually minimalistic, your new album’s packaging looks great. What made you guys go with that presentation?
MC: We’re still stuck in the 90s, I guess….hahahaha! We found a picture that a guy named John Watson took of the 91 freeway and we really liked it. Shon met a guy named Brad Chancellor who does killer design stuff and it just kinda came together. It was originally going to be a simpler thee panel layout but we couldn’t fit all of the lyrics and credits. The weird thing is we’ve sold about five times as many CDs as we have of the digital version. It’s had us kinda scratching our heads. We released the digital copy first and we kept getting responses from people saying “Cool! I’m waitin’ for the CD, though!”
FP: Getting recognition for a new band can also be a struggle in a saturated market. What are you guys doing to promote yourselves?
MC: Since we’re really just two guys and we have to pay other musicians to play live, we’ve had to go about things a little bit differently. We’re just now about to start to play shows. Originally the band was going to be more of a recording project than anything. We mainly use sites like MySpace, Last.FM and thesixtyone.com to find our audience. We look for people who we think might be feeling the material and just send them a message asking them to take a listen
FP: How do you think MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking tools play a role in promotion these days?
MC: Well for one, free music hosting! When MySpace first came out, I remember being STOKED that you could put your music up for free! They also help you find your audience, which is important.
FP: One of our all-time favorite artists, Ken Andrews, mixed your debut record. How did you guys meet up with Ken and what was that process like?
MC: We just kind of sent his management the songs and asked if he’d be into it and crossed our fingers. We were pretty thrilled when he said yes. We never actually met up with Ken in person, even though he lives really close. He’s a really busy guy, so we’d just send the songs over with kind of an idea of what we wanted and he nailed it for the most part. Anything that he didn’t nail he’d revise for us.
FP: Were you guys fans of Ken’s former bands (Failure, On, Year of the Rabbit)?
MC: Oh yea, definitely. We’re bigger Failure fans, though.
FP: What can we expect to see in the live incarnation of these songs? When do you guys plan to tour?
MC: We’re playing our first 2 shows in June. We’ve got a great lineup of musicians, right now. We don’t have any solid plans to tour, yet. If there’s enough of a demand, we will. Otherwise, we’re just havin’ fun.
FP: What bands are you guys currently listening to? Favorite album of 2009 so far?
MC: We’re listening to a lot of And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Their newest album Century of Self is disgustingly good. We’re also in love with the new The Life and Time record Tragic Boogie.
FP: What can we expect from Friday Nights for the rest of 2009?
MC: MORE MUSIC! We’re already starting the demo process for our next EP Saturday Mournings. All of the material’s done. We’re really stoked on that. After that, we’ll probably go right into the next LP.
http://myspace.com/fridaynightsmusic
Animal Collective @ Grand Ballroom
Animal Collective got their psychedelic freak on last night at the Grand Ballroom of New York’s Manhattan Center. It was a somewhat strange walk up 7-8 flights of empty stairs and desolated hallways to the venue. We arrived just 10 minutes before AC took the stage, and the crowd seemed thin for a sold out show. Once the lights went out and “In the Flowers,” Merriweather Post Pavilion’s opening track, blared out of the massive floor and ceiling speakers, the crowd went into a frenzy.
Most of the talk during the week on the Animal Collective discussion boards was less about the music and more about what kind of mind-altering substances everyone was going to be bringing to enhance the experience, a conversation I had little interest in joining. The crowd seemed older than I had imagined, especially since it was a 16+ event. However, it was obvious, by all the side chatter, that much of the crowd were not hardcore fans. This was not surprising due to Animal Collective’s recent but small mainstream pull. With their most accessible record to date in MPP, the band has a new and evolving fanbase, which stretches beyond the pages of Pitchfork and Stereogum.
Several interviews informed fans that that band would not practice the same experimental touring style which involved playing unrecorded tracks that were being worked on for future release. The band promised mostly tracks from the new record, as well as some new reworkings from older favorites. For the most part, they stayed true to this approach.
The track listing was not overly impressive but did include some treats. Reworked versions of “Leaf House” and “Slippi” were intoxicating and served as the high points of the performance. Panda Bear’s reworking of the vocals on “Daily Routine” made up for the song’s relentless second half, a point in the show when it was not hard to tell the real fans apart from the wannabes. A 10-minute conversation behind me didn’t ruin the experience but did annoy. The one-two punch of “My Girls” and “Brothersport” to end the show was impressive, but the missing hand claps in “My Girls” was a minor disappointment.
The encore included a 10-minute, reworked version of “Banshee Beat” with pulsating bass that had the front row holding their ears as to keep their eardrums from rupturing. Each pounding beat was like a punch in the face. Either Geologist was taking notes from My Bloody Valentine or wanted to punish the crowd for downloading the leaked version of the new album. The setlist finished with an energetic performance of old school track, “Slippi,” off of Here Comes the Indian. Here is the complete setlist:
Our good friend NYCTaper recorded the show in both FLAC and MP3. His site seems to be down at the moment, so I’ll post the links later.
Deerhunter @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
November 13, 2008 by Mark
Filed under Shows, Upcoming Releases
Last year at this time, a talentless music blogger named Jeff Weiss from L.A. wrote about Deerhunter being the worst live band he’s ever seen:
Deerhunter’s live show reminds me of the first scene in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, where Bill and Ted awkwardly flail at their instruments while bitching elliptically about the necessity of making a triumphant video to get Eddie Van Halen to teach them how to play guitar. Nowadays, you don’t even need a triumphant video, you just need a good Pitchfork review, which is what the Atlanta noise-rock outfit Deerhunter got earlier this year. Suddenly, in an Emperor’s New Clothing–esque turn, a group whose biggest discernible talent is its knack for self-promotion became one of the biggest buzz bands in indie rock. Let’s hope that, in the span between now and the Fuck Yeah Fest, George Carlin can drop down to Earth in a phone booth and teach them how to no longer be bogus.
Mr. Weiss represents the only reason Fishpork exists. Sure, it’s a great place to keep a journal of all the great shows and records I listen to. However, music is subjective and ALL reviews are ultimately meaningless. The only thing that interests me is writing about things I enjoy. For those bloggers who choose to write about how bad they think a band sucks, I feel bad for your shallow personalities and outlook on the world. Music can heal you. And if you were part of the crowd on Friday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, you experienced this first hand. I recently read a review of Deerhunter that stated the band can only be listened to in a state of intoxication (with your drug of choice). This statement is rather offensive to me. Deerhunter makes music that replaces your drug of choice. Their songs, especially when played live, are a revelation and are changing the way I perceive music.
Peter and I arrived at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn toward the end of New Times Viking’s opening set. They sounded great, but we were experiencing too much anticipation to fully comprehend. As the set ended and the techs began to set up for the headlining act, we made our way to the front of the stage. This was a completely different experience than the previous night at the NIN show at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. At that show, we were in the midst of the most obnoxious crowd of all-time. Nine Inch Nails’ fans are notorious for booing opening acts, and this was no different. It was a shame that a very good live band like Health had to deal with a crowd (only there to hear “Closer”) with absolutely no taste in music. Fortunately, Trent Reznor’s knack for choosing opening acts has been a major source of discovery for me, including TV on the Radio, Autolux, Saul Williams, Crystal Castles, and most recently Deerhunter on the first leg of his current tour. Enough about how much NIN fans suck.
Before Friday night I suspected that Deerhunter was less about Bradford Cox than I originally imagined. That inclination was squashed immediately after the ubiquitous frontman took the stage. Cox has been known to occasionally wear dresses on stage, a habit he admits was picked up from Kurt Cobain. “Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain kissed, and Kurt wore dresses. There’s no way to overestimate the influence Nirvana had on me,” he admits. The Deerhunter frontman was the center of attention, not because of his extroverted personality, but because of his play on his heavily reverbed and distorted lead guitar, xylophone, and drowned out vocals. Cox even sang the lyrics and played lead guitar on “Agoraphobia,” which features guitarist and Cox’s best friend, Locket Pundt, on vocals on the album.
The show included an epic performance of new fan favorite “Nothing Ever Happened,” which included a mind-numbing guitar solo from Cox and impeccable attention to detail by the rest of the players. The three guitar arrangement on many of the songs creates a sound that relies on noisy, droning textures and borrows from bands like My Bloody Valentine and Liars. But Deerhunter avoids what has already been done and creates their own sound. The soundscapes they create contain other elements not present in those bands.
As good as Deerhunter are and as inspired as they are to release meaningful music, it’s important to keep in mind how young they are (Cox is 26). That youthful exhuberence showed Friday as Cox joked all night, especially with new guitarist and old high school friend, Whitney Petty. Cox asked the audience if they’d rather see Whitney play the blues on her guitar or do a hand stand (Petty was a cheerleader in high school and has been known to wear her uniform during shows). Before the crowd could respond, she was in the middle of the stage on her hands. Petty then snuck up behind Cox and played a blues riff on his guitar. The antics hit their climax when Petty proceeded to lift the lanky Cox on her shoulders, as the crowd stood by and admired.
A highlight included Cox taking two song requests to end the show. The band played the first song shouted from the crowd, which was “Heatherwood,” from their second album Cryptograms. Kudos to the tech crew and sound mixers at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. The sound was perfect, and the band sounded as close to the album as one could hope. Cox’s lyrics were completely distinguishable from the guitar twangs and light percussion, as he repeated the song’s chorus, “was not seen again.” The band was not actually planning on taking another request, but Cox coaxed his band mates into it. At one point, he approached drummer Moses Archuleta and practically begged him to play another song. The second request came from a guy standing right next to me, and he must have been reading my mind. After a false start, Cox admitted the band was unprepared to play the song but soon began an amazing rendition of “Operation.” Cox spit out the agonizingly dark lyrics, “Cover your ears, you’re not gonna like what you’re gonna hear, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”
Deerhunter’s show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Friday night was the best concert I’ve attended in my lifetime. Although I probably go to upwards of twenty shows a year, I honestly don’t think anything else has come close to that musical experience. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was quoted as saying Deerhunter’s live show borders on “a religious experience,” and I agree. Doesn’t this speak volumes about how music is a personal experience?
Mr. Cox responded to Mr. Weiss’ blog post with an exchange that was too priceless not to include here:
it’s bradford! from deerhunter! i was just wondering if maybe you
could give us some quick EMERGENCY lessons on our instruments
before our set sunday. we are kind of nervous… you know L.A. = big
city = could be our big break. we don’t want to look stupid so if you
could just teach the guitar players some basic power chords or
something it would really help us out. i’ll be busy giving blowjobs to other
more talented (notable) music journalists so as to keep those good reviews
rolling in.look forward to seeing you this weekend
your pal,
brad
The entire exchange is worth your time and can be read here. Although he’s freaked out by dissonant hipsters in the front row of shows, Bradford Cox is inspired by kindness and doesn’t care what you think about his music. “I don’t give a fuck what they say about me, because I’m a white-trash queer who might live to be 30 if I’m lucky,” says Cox. Although Cox’s lyrics are often used as therapy for an ostracized childhood, some of the motivation behind the music is physical healing (see Fishpork review of Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.). He makes music for fans who need a soundtrack to cope and is just trying to make as much of it as he can while he’s still alive. This is good news for the music world!
Rolling Stone has uploaded an exclusive acoustic performance of Bradford Cox singing “Never Stops” outside of a convenience store in Brooklyn hours before the show: http://www.rollingstone.com/videos/video/24261318/breaking_deerhunter.
http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com
http://myspace.com/deerhunter