Off The Record: Interview with Patrick Bower

Patrick Bower by Kimi Selfridge 

Pop music, as we all understand, is a very generic term that defines a wide range from Nancy Sinatra to XTC... Once upon a time the latter, the Swindon-based combo proclaimed its own definition through a song, releasing it as "This is Pop" in 1978. Their music remained simple but creeped into more complicated and cerebral depths. Musicians that can manage to maintain an inventive and unique style within the claustrophobic boundaries of Pop barely reach the surface as the genre tends to suffocate and deflate the creative element these artists thrive on.
Like XTC, musician Patrick Bower has a clever take on Pop, his music uses reflective and sophisticated imagery that doesn't clash with the simplicity within the songs.

Rising from Brooklyn, New York--the same part of the world that gave us artists like Citizen Cope, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, and The National--Bower's intimate sound fuses a melodic take on a dark crooner's perspective.

Patrick Bower's full discography journeys through intellectual overtness and subdued passion. He manages to mix his influences such as Velvet Underground and Harry Nilsson into a mature progression of Pop that envelops the listener into an acoustic ambiance. He has released three albums--2008's Beach Closed, Patrick Bower & The World Without Magic (2009), and Pink Room (2012). Bower has also released an EP in 2010 The Dark Lord (of Love) and a series of singles in 2014. We interviewed Bower back in December on the heels of his latest single, "My Heart is a Knife".

UKN: Your music seems to draw influences from Aztec Camera to experimental/psychedelic rock. What can you tell us about your musical evolution and early experiences?

PB: When I was a little kid, I’d rent VHS tapes of old Hollywood musicals from my local library. They'd feature songs by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, which I think gave me an appreciation for a clever turn of phrase. They also helped me understand how music can transform mood and how images and sound work together. Disney movies, too. I also remember hearing “Lady in Red” by Chris De Burgh and “I’m not in Love” by 10cc on the light rock radio my parent’s would listen to. This music was just as dramatic and romantic as the songs in a Fred Astaire movie, and I loved it all. They felt like transmissions from an alien world.

But it was really the early Beatles music that made me realize that actual human beings could make these sounds. The Beatles are complicated, but they appear simple, so that’s when I began to think that I could be a part of it.

But my parents didn't want me to listen to the later, druggy Beatles music. This is important, because by placing certain human expression into categories of the dangerous and the forbidden, they enforced its power and imbued it with even greater mystery and allure. So when I would secretly convince my uncle to burn me a copy of The White Album, I felt like I was making my spirit vulnerable to occult messages and learning the ingredients to a magic spell. I was right.

And like a lot of confused, isolated adolescents, I wanted to get out of my own head at all costs. When I was 15, I heard Transmissions from the Satellite Heart by The Flaming Lips. It was a revelation. From there, I worked backward into the history of experimental rock, which led to Daniel Johnston, The Velvet Underground, Scott Walker, Moondog and so on. And I did most of it in secret. Everybody else was listening to The Smashing Pumpkins or Weezer.

But I’ve never heard of Aztec Camera. I’ll check it out. I’m always learning.

Patrick Bower & The World Without Magic (2009) 

UKN: Why have you decided to release a series of singles in 2014 instead of a full album?
PB: Albums are great, especially if they have a unifying purpose or a theme. But, among other things, an album is something to sell, a commodity. I’m not affiliated with a record label right now, so I don’t see much point in packaging myself for record stores. And when it comes down to it, people listen to songs, not albums, especially over the past decade. I’d rather release a few songs that people listen to closely than a whole album that most people will skim. I want each song to get its due. It also suits my lifestyle at the moment. I’m busy. But if a record label wants to release some songs, I'd be happy to make another record.


UKN: How do you normally compose your music? What drives you to write new songs nowadays? Do books inspire you?

PB: When I decide to work on a batch of songs, I make a schedule for myself. I get up early everyday, make coffee and head to my studio with a notepad. I use my iPhone to record bits of melodies so I don’t forget them. I revise and revise and revise. And yes, books often keep me going. Phrases, ideas and moods will often spark something that leads me to a song. Roberto Bolaño has a particularly poetic, musical way of thinking and writing that has interested me lately.

I think I write songs today for the same reasons I always have. I just need to make sense of things. Consciousness and be present have always been problematic for me. One question leads to the next, and I’m still working it out. I think everyone feels this way to some degree, but they may deal with it in ways that are more practical and productive. Or successfully ignore it. For me, I just make little songs that help articulate what it’s like for this particular human being to be alive, while it lasts.

UKN: I read your life in bands hasn't been very lucky in the past, unfortunately. What are your thoughts and memories about those experiences?

PB: I think I've been lucky, in most ways. I'm lucky to have worked with so many wonderful musicians. Some relationships ran their natural course and ended, others continue. Most were artistically successful. It’s hard to keep a gang of busy adults together. I’m not a gang leader anymore, if I ever was one. Anyway, none of my drummers have exploded. And I've only had regretful sex with a few. I’m lucky. On the other hand, we never hit it big, but that’s a matter of pure chance.


UKN: If you had to pick 5 albums (or books) you consider fundamental, which would you choose?

PB: I could listen to these records on a loop from now til I die:

The Velvet Underground and Nico, White Light/White Heat by the Velvet Underground

Songs of Love and Death by Leonard Cohen

Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys

Listen to Patrick Bower's music through bandcamp. You can get in touch with him on twitter

(traduzione in italiano dopo il break)

Off The Record Presents: A Carloman Christmas Special!

Carloman- A Carloman Christmas

Just in time for the Holidays! Class up your merriment this year with Carloman's modernized take on chants and hymns. In the spirit of Carloman (the band, not the King), spreading Christmas cheer to all who can hear, comes the gift of a new song to be added to their Christmas Classics already on Bandcamp, La Marche Des Rois. Scroll down to listen and click to download.

And bonus, we caught up with Carloman again to find out the latest news on the band's progression in the last few years. We're always impressed about their perseverance and philological style of music. Here is what the band has been up to and relive our previous interview with Carloman here.
 

UKN: Since we've last talked you released your second album in 2013. What has changed between your debut and your sophomore album "Carloman II"?

C: Hi Nichy! First of all thank you for your support, we really appreciate it! In terms of what has changed since Carloman I, mainly a lot has changed in our personal lives -- Elliot has moved to California (he misread the state name as “Carloman”) and Dominic had a son (Carloman III?). We also started up a post-production audio house called “House of Resonance” in which we do all manner of post-audio work.

UKN: You made an impressive video for "Quam Dulcis Vita Fuit." Can you tell us about the process behind it and the characters in the video? Did you collaborate with anyone in particular? 

C: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Although we edited all the footage together, the artwork was entirely from the mind of Scorpion Dagger. We stumbled upon his work one day and realized that he had unintentionally pretty much already made the perfect Carloman video! The only obstacle was forcing him to let us put it together. Thankfully, after a few visits to the torture chamber, he approved of the idea and the rest is medieval history.

UKN:  Will Carloman be making more videos in the future?

C: We hope so!

UKN:  Going back, what are the origins behind the band Carloman?

C: A passion for eclectic folklore, baroque, renaissance and medieval music, and a deep appreciation for history and culture. And for making up weird stories. We were also both coming off of more traditional bands and wanted to try something different, less electric, more raw and “free”... In the course of some random discussions, we pondered the could-have-been world of Carloman, the historical character. Throw a little bit of whiskey and old Belgian ale into the mix and you end up with Carloman, the band.

UKN:  Both of you (Dominic and Elliot) live on opposite sides of the US, now.  Does it have an impact on your music?

C: It does require more discipline and we are left with fewer spontaneous parodic outtakes at the end which is too bad, but it can be done! As for an actual impact on the music -- not too much I’d say. Regardless where we are, we each have our evolving musical lives and what makes any creative collaboration interesting is the merging of those sets of influences, which happens even 20 million miles apart (or however far NY is from LA). 

UKN:  Any chance of seeing Carloman live in the future?

C: He’s been dead for 1200 years but perhaps, just perhaps, on judgement day Carloman will live again. And who wouldn't want to spend the day of reckoning going to see a pre-baroque pop duo?

UKN: Dominic, what are your impressions of the live tribute to Gene Clark's "No Other" that saw you onstage with members of Beach House, Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes? 

C: Actually, I wrote up a little blog post about it on our House of Resonance website earlier this year. Since then, we got back together once more to headline the End of The Road festival near Bristol in the UK in August. It was wonderful to get to know all these guys a little bit and see that they are just as wonderful people as they are musicians. It was a very special event, full of positive energy and good spirits. It truly was a privilege to be a part of it. Pitchfork released a full concert video of one of our shows at the Music Hall of Williamsburg if you'd like to check it out!


UKN:  I am very fond of your sublime version of "Corpus Christi Carol". Are you planning to cover other artists or traditionals in the future?

C: Thank you! Well on that note, allow us to officially announce our new Carloman Christmas track right now! This newest track is called La Marche Des Rois and it has a wonderful history: the oldest known version is attributed to your very own Giovanni Battista Lully, court composer of Louis XIVth of France (though the melody may well pre-date as a Provencale song). Lully’s version, in a major key, was a military march, La Marche de Turenne. It seems that the Epiphany lyrics about the three kings, covered here, came about in the early 1700s. Later, in 1872, Georges Bizet reprised the musical theme for L’Arlesienne. In our version we tried to honor all of these little facets of the song’s history through our interpretation and orchestration. We like our Carloman Christmas overloaded with history.



UKN:  What's on the horizon for Carloman?

C: The story of Carloman is open-ended. We have a few ideas for follow-up releases. We enjoy treating them as generational lineage, ie. Carloman I, Carloman II (both real people). While there is technically no Carloman III, there are all sorts of bizarre relatives (also named Carloman) with whom the tradition can live on. Maybe the eventual twist will be that WE are the direct descendents of Carloman! (which we will sing about 75 albums later, at the peak of everyone’s interest).


UKN:  Where can people listen to your album and follow you?

C: Bandcamp and Facebook! Our music is always donation-based and our court marketing guy has also been dead for 1200 years so we truly rely on everyone’s word of mouth to spread the gospel according to Carloman! Thanks again for all your support, Nichy!

Carloman Bandcamp
Carloman Facebook
Carloman on Twitter
House of Resonance

(in italiano dopo il jump break)

Off the Record: podcast dell'intervista ai La Haine del 19/12/2014

Pubblichiamo il podcast della chiacchierata tra Trinita', Paolo e il gruppo udinese dei La Haine, avvenuta nel corso di UP! di venerdi' scorso, ultima puntata del 2014. Gennaio 2015 vedra' la pubblicazione del nuovo ep della band, nel frattempo potete sempre ascoltare la loro prima fatica su bandcamp. Li potete trovare anche su facebook.


Up Key Notes Podcast


Here's the podcast of the interview with La Haine, a young band from Udine, recorded last Friday during UP! on Radio Onde Furlane. Paolo Taviano and Trinita' Germano talked to the band. The band will release a new ep in January 2015; in the meantime you can listen to their first ep on bandcamp, clicking on the link above or check them on facebook.

Off the Record: an interview to Slumberwood (English translation, Italian audio)

Slumberwood are an interesting band from Padova (Padua, one Veneto's cities and provinces), a place that in recent years has been well known for the quirky and lysergic sounds of Jennifer Gentle (Sub Pop), always very influential, at least in Italy, if we consider the number of other acts like the "Madcap Collective" bands (from Treviso) and many others that followed their example through the years. Slumberwood present their new record "Anguane" and talk about psychedelia, influences and their friendship with the other bands from the area. This interview was originally broadcast during last Friday's Up! radio show
(Radio Onde Furlane, 90.00mhz or streaming on www.ondefurlane.eu)

Audio originale/podcast in italiano!
Original audio in Italian and English translation:





UKN: Can you talk about the origins of Slumberwood?
S: The Slumberwood project started from the ashes of "Talk Show Host", our former band in which we used to play "electronica", glitch music. That had started ten years ago but with the passing of time we progressively abandoned the use of computers to go back to traditional instruments like guitar, bass, keyboards, drums... This is how Slumberwood started. Perhaps the "universe of sounds" we refer to has changed but the general imagery, our attitude and what we want to deliver are more or less the same...

UKN: The name of your band but also the title of your record reveal what seems to be more than just a simple interest, a passion for the natural and supernatural world. How did this develop, how did this start?
S: Our name perfectly represents the imagery we are interested in, the relationship with nature seen in an infantile/naive way but also in a darker and scary way for some respects. It also shows our fascination for the oneiric and subconscious. We're also very interested in the relationship between man and nature, it's not a chance we're big fans of Lynch and Herzog who based their movies on this relationship for some sometimes. The title of the record pertains all of this; the "Anguane" are mythological creatures belonging to the Veneto [region] folklore, they're half women and half serpents, dwelling the mountainside and according to the many versions of this legend they can be either good or mean, almost demonic.



UKN: Playful titles like "Emerson Laura Palmer" and the sounds on this records sometimes represent an original mix of psychedelia and "intimist" prog rock. What do you think about this? Are there other kinds of music you'd like to explore in the future? Was there an evolution from the first record according to you?
S: Definitely psychedelic music is one of our biggest influences, especially the oldest psychedelia, the seventies', English or German psychedelia in particular. But we don't feel like putting ourselves in this genre or other ones, for when we write songs we do it in the most spontaneous way, without thinking at a certain direction for the record. We all have our influences and things we love to listen to (very diverse by the way), we all bring them out, consciously or unconsciously, when we compose music. Oftentimes the results are spontaneous and independent from our main influences.We definitely matured with this record, composition wise and technically too, especially how we render our ideas in the studio. Studio work was very stimulating but also very tiring sometimes, also because sound research is fundamental for our music.

UKN: There are different collaborations on the record, some are kind of obvious because of some musical and "geographical" affinities (Father Murphy, Marco Fasolo). Who would you like to collaborate with in the future, from Italy or from abroad, seen as you sing in English?
S: There's a huge musical and human affinity between us and other bands from our region (Veneto) like Jennifer Gentle, Father Murphy and Mamuthones, some of which collaborated with us on this record. First of all we're all big friends, in a way you could say there's a certain musical influence, but it's a kind of attitude emerging from all of us instead, a way of thinking psychedelic music that for some reason is big in the North-East of Italy in this moment in time, even though I don't think you can really talk about a "scene"... We do know each other very well but all of us pursue our own different musical paths independently. So we can say there isn't really an influence between us while we have a great respect for each other.

http://www.facebook.com/Slumberwood.ita

Off the Record: a phone interview with Gionata Mirai (Il Teatro degli Orrori, Super Elastic Bubble Plastic)

Dear readers/listeners, here's the transcription in English of the interview I had with Gionata Mirai about his debut solo album, last Friday on the UP! show. Italian speakers can listen to the podcast uploaded below. For those who do not know him yet, Gionata is the guitar player for two of the most vital indie Italian bands: he started with Super Elastic Bubble Plastic and then went on to form Il Teatro degli Orrori with members of another influential Italian band, One Dimensional Band. At the moment Gionata is busy promoting his first solo effort, totally based on his 12-string guitar played  finger-picking style, while early next year will see the release of Il Teatro's third full album... Here's what he told me on the phone!

UKN: So, Gionata, tell us about the genesis of this work, totally based on your guitar played fingerpicking-style, something that Teatro and Super Elastic fans wouldn't have probably expected to hear... I wouldn't have either!

GM: Well, I like to explore, since luckily I've been a musician for a while, it is also my job (so they say), I like to do different things without ever repeating myself, and this is to start with... When Teatro degli Orrori's tour ended last December I took a couple of months off to recover from it since I was a little bit worn out, so I had the chance to stop for a while,to relax and to take a look at the world around from my home, from my solitary point of view in a way, in the meantime the Fukushima disaster happened and this event affected me a lot, also because my woman has daily contacts with Japan so we lived this thing very deeply... So I was playing around with my old 12-string guitar that I hadn't touched in years and in 20-days I wrote "Allusioni". My idea was just to make a solo album while my first idea might have been to make a folk record, maybe sung in Italian or English... But this is what came out in 20 days, I guess it had to go like this... Or something else would have happened! So this is something I discovered myself and that I didn't expect either, opening a whole new channel of exploration and technique on the guitar that deserved being on a record.

UKN: This record has very melancholic atmospheres with some minimal variations in these 24 minutes...
GM: ...Which are colors of a single shade, there is a base chord that becomes colored with little nuances that create this basic atmosphere, there are no definite purposes, the 12-string guitar lends itself pretty well to this, the more you listen to it the more you can find melodies that fit together and go on at the same time, like layers of melodies. This is what can happen with a 12-string guitar!

UKN: A little curiosity: did you record this live or with several overdubs?
GM: No, no overdubs. I play the whole 24-minutes piece live at a stretch, the recording is divided in 5 parts which correspond to the 5 different movements, even though they're executed without interruption. I produced two takes of every piece in the studio and then I used the better of the two. It took two hours to record it.

UKN: So we can say that what we hear is all live...
GM: Yes, yes, there wasn't much editing, just the "joint" between one track and the next one... There was a pause at one point and the second part, from this pause onwards, was a better take so I just substituted that... Nothing more. It's just me, naked, in front of 7 microphones with my guitar and nothing else

UKN: Sometimes it feels like there's more than one guitar player there, a very nice feeling, especially when you listen to it with your headphones...
GM: This is the magic of 12-string guitars, the discovery I made was that, you can manage the sound and the harmonies in a way that it seems there are like 4 players but in fact there's only me... This is really cool since you're completely independent. Of course this lends itself to many other applications but it was a discovery to apply that to a different context, I discovered something for myself and it's a real satisfaction.

UKN: You're touring this record at the moment...
GM: Yes, I started the "Allusioni" tour last week, I already played 4 gigs, I played Arezzo, San Benedetto del Tronto, (a place near) Salerno and Naples in Campania; this Sunday I'm in Sermide in the province of Mantua, in a very small but nice ARCI club called Chinaski and next week I'll be in Belgium, since I set up a little tour there with some friends that helped organize 4 tours for Super Elastic in the past, I'll go see them and take a vacation too although I'll play there 6 out of 7 days but I will see friends and then it never hurts to get around abroad! Something different from the usual... Then I'll come back to Italy and continue the tour until February I think, for now I just published the dates up to late December/January, since there's still a few months time... The next dates will be known next year, in a little bit.

UKN: Do you know if there'll be any dates here in our region, or at least in the Triveneto area?
GM: I'll be in Marghera for the "Notte della Tempesta" festival on December 3, that's for sure, then I'd like to do something in January in the Venice area, I know there;s a lot of nice places there, I'll play in Conegliano Veneto, is it in Friuli or Veneto?

UKN: It's in Veneto...
GM: Ah OK, I'll play there January 4...

UKN: So here in Friuli there's nothing ready yet...
GM: No... There might be a date in Triest though, anyway all the dates are available online, I can't remember all of them right now but they're easy to find...

UKN: How has the public's response been so far?
GM: Very particular, I'm playing very small clubs if possible because I want to create some kind of domestic atmosphere so to speak, I appreciate if people just sit down in this context... It sounds weird for me to say that since I always love to see people mosh in front of me! Anyway the gigs went really well, I was happy, people were happy and thanking me for taking them around for about 45 minutes... The concert lasts a little bit more than the record since I play other songs... I play "Allusioni" for 30 minutes and then 2-3 unreleased tracks, always instrumentals with the 12-strings guitar... It becomes a folk music concert. This way people can have fun without getting too bored, I don't mean to bore people with my guitar paranoia.  So yeah, the gigs went really good, everybody was happy, really nice, there are moments when you can almost feel what they're thinking how people are living this thing while they're in front of you, you can feel when intensity is lowering and they're losing concentration so I push a little bit more and they "recover". It's something you can feel without looking in their faces, it's really cool.

UKN: So there haven't been any awkward "Nick Drake" moments, remember when he played those few live concerts and people wouldn't pay attention to him... Pity for them... After all your record is a really demanding listen...
GM: Not at the moment. I think people that come to my concerts know what awaits them, it was streamed on the Rockit website for a week, 6.000 people listened to it, so they were ready and receptive, I don't think they were expecting a punk gig! Plus there's a picture of me with an acoustic guitar in my hand eh eh...

UKN: You can't go wrong! Good, so I imagine that you'll go back and play with Il Teatro degli Orrori at the end of this tour, if I remember correctly you're preparing a new album...
GM: Yes, it's almost finished, it'll be released at the end of January. Shortly after a new tour will begin, so I'll get rid of the acoustic guitar then and go to war! I can't wait for that...

UKN: OK, by that time maybe we can talk again about Teatro's new album... As for now we can finish listening to "Allusioni", there are 5.44 minutes left (the album was in the background the whole time, editor's note)...
GM: ...That is my favorite piece!

UKN: So, Gionata, thanks so much for this chat, have a nice weekend and a nice trip to Belgium...
GM: Thanks a lot, hope to see you around somewhere!



Questa la scaletta della puntata di venerdi' scorso/And this is last show's outline:
Ascoltabile in replica martedi notte dalla mezzanotte in poi (90.00 mhz o in streaming da www.ondefurlane.eu)/ You can listen to the show again next Tuesday at midnight (90.00 mhz in Friuli or streaming from www.ondefurlane.eu)

CHICO BUARQUE (& MILTON NASCIMENTO) - O que sera'
THE BEACH BOYS - Wind chimes
CHICO HAMILTON - Fireworks
GIL SCOTT HERON - Explanations
(Interview to Alessandro Seravalle, from Garden Wall)
GARDEN WALL - Re-Awakening/ Iperbole
ROY HARPER + JIMMY PAGE - Hangman
UNIFORM MOTION - An island
R.E.M. - West of the fields
CAN - Moonshake
ROBERT WYATT - The age of self
IL TEATRO DEGLI ORRORI - Lezione di musica (versione demo)
GIONATA MIRAI - Allusioni (prima e ultima parte)
(Interview to Gionata Mirai, from Il Teatro degli Orrori and Super Elastic Bubble Plastic)
DAVID QUALEY - Sunset/ Norwegian's fantasy

Off the Record: Interview with Andy Richards from Uniform Motion

(Traduzione in italiano dopo il "jump") It's obvious to say there are millions of bands out there to follow, check out, listen to and become a fan of. As a dj and blogger I'm constantly looking for bands that offer something more than the rest. You might have noticed this through all these years of UP! shows and now articles and interviews. I started getting interested in this band after listening to their beautiful second album ("Life", released in 2010), now their third ("One Frame Per Second", also available in the vinyl format although the CD version looks awesome too) continues in the same vein: delicate, elegant, mellow, little nostalgic pictures.  But I can't hide the fact that their visual ideas add something to the whole project... There's a saying in Italian that can be translated as "You should also please the eye" (Anche l'occhio vuole la sua parte)... And this is what Uniform Motion like doing, gently please your ears and, at the same time, your eyes... If you want to know how they manage that, read what singer/songwriter/musician Andy Richards told me!

UKN: We've featured your band on our UP! show a couple of years ago, but can you talk about how you took your first steps and how you developed your original ideas, mixing visual art and music for the readers of our blog?

AR: Uniform Motion started off as a solo project when my previous project, Angle, got put on hold. Then I met Renaud, a talented illustrator with fine taste in music. I can't remember exactly where the idea came from, but Renaud had always dreamed of being in a Rock band, so we both agreed that the concept of him drawing illustrations during the songs would be a good idea. His definition of a rock band wasn't too limiting at the time! I was recording the songs for what would become Uniform Motion's first album at that time and somehow, we managed to get quite a few people involved. A young film maker, a recording studio, several musicians. We thought it would be a nice idea to release the album like a TV series, with an episode every 2 weeks including the studio version of the song, a live video and a comic strip containing the lyrics. Renaud came up with the idea for the interactive comic strip where people could listen to the song and flip though the comic book. It was a lot of fun! Then the project turned into a band and we released the content from our series as a CD/DVD/ comicbook in 2009. In 2010, we released a second album, which came with an illustration for each song and a interactive virtual concert we developed for our website. During our live shows, Renaud uses Photoshop, a video projector and video screen. He draws an illustration for each song. People love it! So the visuals follow us everywhere we go. It's an integral part of the project.

UKN: What's been going on after the release of "Life" and your new album "One Frame Per Second"? I read you added a drummer (Olivier Piotte) to the line up almost a year ago. How has this affected your music and writing process?

AR: At the end of 2010, we found a really cool drummer called Olivier, who can play the drums and the keyboards and sing at the same time!! I wasn't necessarily looking for a drummer at the time, but I came across an ad he put up and thought, this guy looks cool. So I called him up and we did a few rehearsals. 

It went really well so we started working on a bunch of new songs I had written. A couple of sound engineering students approached us and asked us if we would be interested in doing a 3 day recording session for their end of year project. We said yes, entered the studio on day one, and left on day three with 11 songs. The songwriting process was totally different this time round. The previous albums were written and recorded using a copy/paste method. I'd record an idea, play around with it, work on a song structure, remove things, add things, and so on until I got the song to a place I liked. Playing them live was a nightmare because I had to learn all the songs from scratch! With One Frame Per Second, I actually wrote the songs before I recorded them. I knew how to play them and had a song structure for them before we entered the studio. I also adapted my guitar playing style to the drumming style that Olivier was throwing at me. It was quirkier and faster than anything I would have come up with on my own.

It's been a great experience. Now we're releasing the album. We were lucky enough to receive some financial support from our fans to help us release the album on CD, Vinyl and on a Playbutton. 

Renaud created a video game and video clip for the release of the album!

UKN: It's really interesting how you play a 4-string guitar while you see other players constantly adding more strings, sometimes playing almost like an orchestra and less like a real guitar. Can you tell us about it?

AR: The 4-string guitar was a bit of an accident. I found the guitar like that, and then just tried to tune it in and play it. I actually used a six string guitar for One Frame Per Second by the way (which means I need two guitars for our live performances now!). I suppose having less strings pushed me to places that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise. It allowed me to find a playing style that sounded a little different an focus on the texture of the songs, building them in thin layers instead of one big one. I still use the 4-string!

UKN: You've released an interesting cover of "Such a Shame", the classic song by Talk Talk, definitely one of the most inventive bands of the 80s/early 90s, a band missed by many. Was it a tribute to their (and especially Mark Hollis') genius? Is there any other song by other artists you'd like to cover in the future?
AR: It was definitely a tribute to Mark Hollis and late Talk Talk! I liked the idea of taking one of their earlier synth pop songs and playing it a more restrained style. There's definitely something magical about Mark's voice.

And there's the myth as well. He just disappeared! I'm not sure whether it was the industry that made him stop releasing music or whether he just stopped making music all together but I can definitely relate to the feeling of pointlessness you can get sometimes when you look at your own achievements or lack thereof. I do hope he still plays music though and that there are some sheep in the middle of nowhere who are blessed with melodies floating over the fields from time to time as Mark jams on the Piano in his country retreat! As for new covers, we actually made a cover of an Erasure song for Christmas last year. It wasn't really a personal choice. We were given a list of songs to cover by a sync agency and decided to cover Erasure because it was a great song that I thought would still sound great without all the 80's bells and whistles. 

We do a pretty energetic cover of Catpower's 'Nude as the News' towards the end our our set when we play live. :) Aside from that, we don't have any plans for any other covers right now but we're open to suggestions!

For more information about the band go here

Steve Hackett Podcast Now Available!

The Steve Hackett Interview has now been published on podcast. You can check it out on the original "Off the Record Interview: With Steve Hackett" post and read along or listen to it here:





And as with all podcasts, you can reach it directly on our Up Key Podcasts Page.

Off the Record... Intervista a Simone Piva

(English after the jump)

Simone Piva e i Viola Velluto arrivano al secondo lavoro intitolato "Ci Vuole Fegato per Vivere", dopo l'esordio di "Trattato Postumo di una Sbornia" del 2009. La loro musica continua ad essere diretta e potente ma forse con un'attenzione maggiore agli arrangiamenti, i loro live tirati e vibranti... A proposito non perdetevi il live di stasera, se vi trovate dalle parti di Cividale del Friuli (UD)!


UKN: Innanzitutto noto con piacere che hai incluso alcune canzoni che avevo già ascoltato nel corso della collaborazione insieme a Massimiliano Santarossa, in particolare "L'Italia Far West" ormai era già un tuo/vostro cavallo di battaglia. Cosa ti è rimasto di quell'esperienza? Si ripeterà in futuro?

SP: L'esperienza con Massimiliano Santarossa è stata fantastica, e culturalmente importante e sicuramente si ripeterà. 

UKN: Domanda inevitabile, vista la precedente... Le canzoni partono da te e poi vengono riarrangiate dal gruppo completo o come sono le dinamiche in tal senso quando componi/componete?

SP: Le canzone di base (testo e musica) sono composte da me. In sala prove poi c'è un intenso lavoro di sviluppo con il gruppo, fino a trovare, secondo noi, la giusta armonia. 

UKN:  Della tua militanza nei Vertigine abbiamo già parlato in passato, ma come trovi il tuo lavoro attuale diverso dalle cose con il tuo ex-gruppo e quale evoluzione invece rispetto a Trattato postumo...

SP: I Vertigine son stati una grossa esperienza e anche una "scuola" che ci ha permesso di farci conoscere e di toglierci delle soddisfazioni importanti. L'attuale disco è più maturo del precedente, più ricercato e cosciente.
UKN: Simone, tu trascrivi nei testi delle impressioni che forse tutti noi pensiamo ma che pochi forse hanno ancora coraggio di sputare fuori. Vanno sempre dritto al sodo. Aborri i luoghi comuni. Che consigli ci dai per sopravvivere in questo marasma? Ti ritrovi mai a discuterli con il pubblico, che critiche ti vengono poste?

SP: L'unico consiglio che mi permetto di dare è la ricerca e la conoscenza più intima di noi stessi. Spesso la gente si fa influenzare dai pensieri e dalle opinioni altrui, ascoltando poco ciò che si vuole e desidera veramente. Dal pubblico traggo molta ispirazione anche attraverso questi confronti che mi permettono di capire che i miei pensieri sono comuni ma, molto spesso, c'è la paura di esternarsi. E' così che, a volte, sono più cosciente del messaggio che voglio dare. Le critiche, a mio parere, sono tutte costruttive e quindi, spesso, da tenere in considerazione. 

UKN: La tua musica è senza fronzoli, si può dire veramente punk, anche se non in maniera convenzionale. Se mi posso permettere quà e là sento anche echi di Afterhours e Litfiba periodo "Terremoto"... Anche i TARM in particolare negli ultimi due pezzi. Ci può stare?

SP: Ritengo che qualsiasi "artista" debba trarre spunti da altri, ma sta in ognuno la capacità di riuscire a esprimere al meglio i propri concetti. 

UKN: Anche a te chiedo quali artisti locali/emergenti ti sono piaciuti di recente, quali vanno tenuti sott'occhio?

SP: Credo che qualsiasi gruppo emergente abbia il diritto di essere tenuto sott'occhio per il semplice fatto che utilizza il suo tempo e le sue energie per creare e far conoscere la sua musica. 

UKN: Gemona brucia come London's burning? Cosa pensi della Gemona di adesso?

SP: Come molti in Italia, anche Gemona è un piccolo paesino provinciale, dove si hanno grosse difficoltà nell'emergere. Talvolta molti ostacoli ci limitano e ci demoralizzano. Ma, infondo, Gemona è pur sempre il mio bel paese.

UKN: Ultima domanda... Raccontaci un po' l'esperienza in terra pugliese.

SP: L'esperienza Pugliese è stata straordinaria. Salire sul palco del Giovinazzo Rock Festival prima di Nada e i Zen Circus, davanti a migliaia persone, è stato molto emozionante. Ci ha dato molta soddisfazione la partecipazione del pubblico e un ottimo riscontro da parte della critica quale radio, giornali, ecc..

I prossimi appuntamenti live sono: 
Venerdi 26 agosto in Piazzetta Duomo a Cividale per la Notte Bianca
Domenica 4 Settembre al PAN E SALAM a Gemona del Friuli in via Bini (unplugged).

Off The Record: Interview with Steve Hackett

(Traduzione in italiano dopo il break)
Steve Hackett has a way of making you feel not like a journalist but as a friend invited to his own home, sharing a cup of tea on the sofa... I met Steve before his concert in my home town of Spilimbergo, on August 1, we talked for half an hour about his new album Beyond the Shrouded Horizon, that will see the light of day on September 27th; we also talked about his previous record, about Genesis and about his perception of the Folkest festival, which he masterfully closed with his set. To sit on that couch with him inside the former Cinema Castello, right in the Duomo square was like a dream come true... How many times had I walked or driven around it, with his or Genesis music blaring out of my stereo or headphones since I was a kid?  And there he was, the perfect English gentleman, answering my questions, my curiosities. We would have talked more but other guests were waiting and soundcheck was incumbent on him and the band. Needless to say the performace was flawless, a set that saw him go back in time and play a lot of Genesis numbers like the Hackett/Collins penned Blood on the Rooftops, Firth of Fifth, Watcher of the Skies or a more experimental version of Los Endos but also a good selection from his more recent albums (the nostalgic Golden Age of Steam for example) and a lot of his own classics (he opened with Everyday but also played the melancholic Spectral Mornings, the epic The Steppes and Ace of Wands, or Clocks - The Angel of Mons that closed the whole set). The show was electric, with his only concession to acoustic numbers being the obvious Horizons and the introduction to Blood on The Rooftops. Gary O'Toole (his drummer) sang the Genesis tunes with a good delivery, Roger King was his usual right arm, Rob Townsend played sax and flute with great skill and the eye-catching Nick Beggs played fretless bass, Rickenbacker bass (who does that remind you of?) and some guitar (his acoustic solo was acclaimed by the whole audience)... I need to thank the Folkest festival organisation and Vania Santi from Blue Sky Promotion for giving me the opportunity to meet and friendly chat with Steve. Keep up the good work!
Podcast of interview now published!

Off The Record: Intervista ad Alberto Ferrari, Verdena

Registrata venerdì 5 agosto scorso, questa intervista mi ha visto chiacchierare con la voce e chitarra dei Verdena... Tra gli argomenti, l'amore di entrambi per i Beach Boys e la relativa influenza sulla band di Bergamo, l'ultimo album "WOW", il tour, la scrittura dei pezzi e dei relativi testi... Per la traduzione in INGLESE chiedo venia, la scriverò al più presto... Buon ascolto!
 Non dimenticate il concerto gratuito dei Verdena a Majano (UD), il 10 Agosto 2011. Per tutte le altre date controllate il loro sito web.

Off The Record... Intervista al Piotre per Pietra Sonica3

INTERNATIONAL PSYCH STONER DESERT HEAVY HARD ROCK FESTIVAL

venerdì 5 e sabato 6 agosto, presso l'area demaniale di Chiasiellis di Mortegliano(UD) / area Festintenda

Inizio concerti ore 21.00 – ingresso 5,00 €

 

venerdi' 5 agosto

AIPERION (UD)

ASABIKESHIINHH (MI)

T.H.U.M.B. (TV)

O.J.M. (TV)

SUNGRAZER(NL)

sabato 6 agosto

ANADARKO (TS)

MANTHRA DEI (BS)

GANDHI'S GUNN (GE)

VORTICE CREMISI (AN)

THE.EGOCENTRICS (Romania)

+ DJ+VJ set by HYBRIDA FREAKS SOUND AND VISUALS

+ presentazione e distribuzione della compilation CD “Sonic Tent”

+ possibilità di campeggio, chioschi, etc.

Sabato 6 agosto dalle ore 15.00, all'interno di Pietrasonica ci sarà la nuova “Pietra del Disco”, MOSTRA DEL DISCO con vari stand di CD e vinile.

Info: www.pietrasonica.com / pietrasonica@gmail.com

Vi propongo una chiacchierata Piero "Piotre" Sangoi, che ci parla della sua creatura, il festival "Pietra Sonica", giunto alla 3a edizione dopo le fortunate due precedenti...

Off The Record: Interview with Carloman

(Sotto per Italiano) 

Hmmm... I don't really remember how it happened... Carloman and I might have been stuck in a time vortex together. Maybe the band came from the past using some medieval time-travel machine or maybe I dreamt the whole thing. But a dream wouldn't explain how I found this codex on my kitchen table. Apparently Carloman hail from New York, (or will when North America is finally discovered). 

"An ancient story of bestiary, religious

and political strife drowned in the deafening whispers

of tortured souls tumbling through bileand chaos

into the beautiful nausea

that is the world of Carloman..."

I found them on the infinite spring of talents that is Bandcamp and became fascinated by their medieval baroque pop, mixed with a few more modern sounds. The songs that you'll find on their self-titled debut, released July 10, were written, recorded and mixed by Dominic Matar and Elliot Thompson. 

If this interview doesn't intrigue you then you must be a beslubbering, ill-breeding hugger-mugger. And if you have to ask what that means exactly, Carloman will be happy to tell you. I suggest listening to the streaming of this album while you read this interview:  

Listen to Carloman on Bandcamp

 
UKN: When did your band form, who's involved in it? Can you tell us something about the history of your band and former projects if there were any?
  
Carloman: Initially, our wish was to create an interpretive performance with our brother Charles, but his mind was on war and expansion. Therefore the responsibility befell us to tell our tale of woe, love, and fraternal betrayal. And scary monsters.
 
UKN: Your music and lyrics revolve around medieval times. How did this passion for all things medieval start?
 
Carloman: We do not understand the question. We are a man -- nay, a minor King -- of our times.
 
UKN:  What do you think about other bands from the past and present time that take inspiration from those tales and tradition? I'm thinking of Anthony Phillips, Pentangle, The Albion Band, Trees, Espers, Comus for example.
 
Carloman: Albions? We tend not  to associate with the plebian art of the north. As for the rest of your posse, from whence they came? Any and all Byzantine art is forbidden within our royal grounds or something. Proceed with caution with the pentangle, and heed our warning that in these lands pentangles are punishable by fire.

Nay, recant these obscure and dangerous references of yours and admire the knightly sentiments of Brihamoff the Fat and the polyphony of Brom the ‘Armless, as well as many of the well-known Gregorians of the day (Bryce the Mute and Leofrick the Indistinguishable).
 
UKN: Some of your songs are vaguely similar to those of another important American band, the Fleet Foxes. Do you feel close in spirit to them, are they a model for you?
 
Carloman: What fashion of fox is this? Is it a Lombard delicacy? We should very much like to obtain one. Please spare no expense and send us one presently. You will be generously rewarded.
 
UKN: In your songs I also heard, besides some traditional instruments, more modern ones like synths (if my ears didn't fool me...)  Was this your choice or an unavoidable fact, since some of these instruments are very hard to find in good conditions (like an harpsychord for example)?

Off The Record: Interview with Josh T. Pearson

Josh T. Pearson, "Last Of The Country Gentlemen"

(Sotto per Italiano)     

Podcast after the jump.     

Out from the shadows of his home state of Texas or maybe it was Paris or Germany or just some friend's couch reappeared singer/songwriter/guitarist, Josh T. Pearson this year. He's been mostly absent from the music industry since the 2001 release "The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads", by his former band Lift to Experience. Pearson was sorely missed by some and welcomed with open arms by the many who have come across his recent solo debut, "Last Of The Country Gentlemen". The album itself has drawn mass critical acclaim for its emotional intensity and straightforward candor. The songs are often hauntingly filled with a depth of despair that is hard to ignore. To say the album could make a grown man cry is an understatement. Many might identify with his music but few could ever publicly express themselves as eloquently as he has.
"Last Of The Country Gentlemen" speaks of the purgatory of a relationship gasping its last shallow breaths of respect and sincerity before igniting itself into pure hell fury. Pearson's lyrical veracity combined with the rhythmic plucking of bare fingertips on acoustic guitar delivers an achingly beautiful sermon. It is in this style of the true American grit country songwriter that he bares his cross. His songs do touch on the subjects that most country singers tend to dwell on... Love, hopelessness, faith, regret, anger, sorrow and a nostalgia for better times. But Pearson's approach is different: It is not self-reflective pity he delivers, he is lyrically purging his despair to music and it works... Quite well, actually. This makes the album too unique to categorize him in that quintessential country standard. Though if the country music world were to embrace him they might be the better for it.
Josh T. Pearson preaches of repenting the only way he knows how, through introspective guilt. And that's part of what makes this album so brilliant. It is brutal honesty that doesn't work itself out. The listener is given an open invitation to meet and face all of his personal demons head on by his side. Some might cower or run the other way at the anguish and loss but for those that do walk across the fire with him they will come to see Pearson as an honest man who is purely seeking redemption and forgiveness... And that is the God's honest truth.

Live at Teatro Comunale, Ferrara, Italy

Josh T. Pearson played at the exquisite Teatro Comunale in Ferrara, Italy on July 27th. The crowd feasted on every last word and note of his performance, demanding silence from the constant click and shutter of the photographers' cameras. Pearson was clearly in his element and his southern charm shined through as he joked with the audience, "I used to know a little Italian... He was about this tall", lowering his hand just above his waist.

Off the Record - Intervista a Travis Johnson dei Grooms

Travis, Emily e Jim dei Grooms

(English after the jump.)

Ho conosciuto la musica del trio dei Grooms pochissimo tempo fa  ma mi ha cominciato a prendere fin dal primo ascolto, a tal punto da spingermi a contattare subito la band per saperne di più; da lì l'idea dell'intervista era cosa inevitabile, vista anche l'estrema gentilezza e disponibilità del loro chitarrista e cantante Travis Johnson. Completano la formazione Jim Sykes alla batteria ed Emily Ambruso al basso. Il loro secondo lavoro "Prom" è uscito da una decina di giorni su Kanine Records ed è disponibile anche in vinile. Con l'augurio che possano farsi conoscere anche nel vecchio continente e che vengano in tour da quese parti quanto prima. Potete ascoltare diversi brani di loro produzione in streaming sulla loro pagina di Bandcamp, sul loro Myspace e non dimenticatevi di dare un'occhiata al loro Blog.

UKN:  La storia della vostra band, Grooms, è molto interessante. Innanzitutto leggo che tu, Travis, ti sei spostato dal Texas a Brooklyn, proprio come fece Aurelio Valle dei Calla diversi anni fa. Eri attratto dalla scena indie di Brooklyn? Avendo già menzionato i Calla, devo aggiungere che riscontro una certa similiarità di sound tra voi e altre band di Brooklyn (TV on the Radio, Yeasayer)...

Travis: Mi sono spostato a Brooklyn poco dopo aver finito il college, la stessa cosa vale per Emily. Visitai la città per la prima volta quando avevo 18 anni, pensando da subito che quello era il posto dove volevo vivere, a quell'età non avevo ancora visto nulla che si potesse anche lontanamente paragonare a Brooklyn. E poi c'era una certa storia musicale che Dallas, la città dalla quale provengo, non possedeva. Non stavo proprio pensando alla scena di New York o di Brooklyn all'epoca, volevo solo viverci e fare musica lì. Mi piace il fatto che tu abbia menzionato i TVOTR e gli Yeasayer perché quelle sono due band, insieme ad altre di cui siamo amici, che fanno le loro cose senza preoccuparsi delle mode o di andare dietro ad un certo "sound". Sono più interessati a trovare la loro "voce" vera e propria, come poi tutte le altre band di quà, penso.

UKN: La vostra musica fonde momenti dark e contemplativi con un'aura sognante che si sviluppa attorno ad un sound eclettico. La formula è quella della canzone da 3 minuti ed è già perfetta di per sé, ma immagino che poi improvvisiate dal vivo.

Travis: L'improvvisazione è molto importante durante il processo compositivo e ci sono parti costruite all'interno di ciascuna canzone dove abbiamo la possibilità di andare "fuori di testa" e fare ciò che ci pare. Alcuni di noi, per non dire noi tutti siamo estimatori del "free-form" in musica, dal jazz al noise. E' un fatto liberatorio. Ma apprezziamo anche il pop, così cerchiamo di ottenere il massimo da suoni pop/sognanti e dal materiale dark, giocando sui contrasti, combinandoli insieme.

Off the Record... Un'intervista a Massimiliano Santarossa (podcast)

L'ultimo lavoro di Max

(English after the jump.)
 
Era il 15 ottobre 2010 quando Massimiliano tornava per la terza volta a farci visita ad UP!, negli studi di Radio Onde Furlane, per presentare la sua ultima fatica, il romanzo pubblicato da Baldini Castoldi Dalai e intitolato "Hai mai fatto parte della nostra gioventù?" Ricordo ancora bene il suo esordio, Storie dal fondo (Biblioteca dell'immagine, 2007), la sorpresa di ritrovarsi un libro nuovo di zecca nella buca delle lettere, dopo pochissimi semplici contatti su myspace in cui si parlò di musica, anni '90, della nostra derelitta (de)generazione. Mi disse che mi sarebbe piaciuto e fu proprio così, lo lessi in un baleno, ritrovandomi a pieno nei suoi racconti, nei suoi personaggi, nella sua vita, benchè forse non altrettanto movimentata. Ma le notti brave senza fine, passate negli stessi locali o nel letto di un fiume in mezzo ai fuochi, alla musica a tutto volume e alla baldoria, gli eccessi li ho conosciuti anch'io. Massimiliano trasmette quella sensazione di "Riuscirò mai a tornare a casa stanotte... Ma devo proprio tornare a casa???", quella sensazione di non essere né carne né pesce, tra un mondo rustico e tradizionale e la tecnologia più spinta, di essere un eroe e un perdente al tempo stesso. Eroe perché vivere di questi tempi è già un fatto di per sé eroico, "loser" perché ci stanno togliendo "ciò che ci spetta" ogni giorno che passa, siamo più poveri in tutti i sensi, nella nostra identità, nella nostra libertà mentre la natura si fa beffe di noi prima di esalare l'ultimo respiro. Non fai parte di quella generazione, se non li hai provati, almeno una volta, questi sentimenti, questi eccessi.

Off the Record- Intervista con Capitan Love

Capitan Love "The Wasted Years"

(English after the jump)
 

La prima intervista che vi proponiamo e' una chiacchierata virtuale con una vecchia conoscenza della scena musicale pop udinese, Mr. Capitan Love... Pop ma d'autore s'intende, basti leggere i nomi che Raniero cita alla fine. Ricordiamo che ha da pochissimo pubblicato la sua prima fatica da solo, dopo la sua militanza negli Erotics; la potete trovare in download gratuito se visitate il suo sito, Capitan Love  Per il resto, le argute, ammiccanti ed illuminanti risposte del Capitano parlano da sole. 

Senza avvisare, in perfetta solitudine ma con un drappello di fortunati fedelissimi come spettatori, Capitan Love si e' esibito in pieno stile Beatles sul tetto della nostra emittente, in Via Volturno a Udine poche settimane fa. Trovate testimonianza dell'avvenimento nella foto pubblicata. Buona lettura.

Up Key Notes: Innanzitutto raccontaci qualcosa di questi anni "perduti", Capitan Love... Anni formativi, immagino...

Capitan Love: A volte mi sembra di essermi svegliato da un lungo sonno e mi chiedo "perché ho dormito?" Come tutti in verità ho imparato anche dai miei errori. Per quanto riguarda la musica potrei dire che molti anni li ho buttati via per mie vecchie insicurezze, il resto per incontri sfortunati.

Up Key Notes: Sei all'esordio da "solista", dopo l'esperienza di un po' di anni fa' con gli Erotics, band di Udine e dintorni... Cosa ti è rimasto di quella esperienza?

Capitan Love: Che stare in un gruppo e' come avere una storia d'amore: se non va non va. Deve essere un'esperienza totalizzante in caso contrario si va verso la fine. Ho formato gli Erotics perché volevo una cellula di terroristi del pop. Tante cose sono andate bene ma come le sedotte e abbandonate ora guardo fuori dalla finestra e giuro che non mi innamorerò più, solo autoerotismo. Sono rimaste anche delle belle song, alcune sono in "The Wasted" suonate insieme agli ex Erotics..