"The Legendary Ghostdini Might be Dead? Never" When Ghostface speaks, the world listens. And so is the case everytime shuffle sends up this classic interview with Tony Starks conducted somewhere around 2004. To be honest, I can't really remember the context or origin of the interview, though I believe it was with a Dutch or Swedish music publication. (If anyone knows its origins, let me know.) Ghost, whose new album is about to drop, really opens up in this interview and drops some serious gems. And while it may be the first thing he says in this 20+ minute audio interview, I'm pretty sure my favorite bit of Ghost wit is : "The sky don't even look the same no more. It used to be bluer. The grass was greener. You felt the warmth back in the days, now everything's cold and its cloudy, it don't feel right. But people are so caught up in the world that we don't know."
This interview is worth a download and listen if only to hear Tony Starks recount the time he was with the legendary Stylistics and they got in a shoot out. Seriously. Ghostface's new "for mature audiences only" video below. Ghostface Killah Interview
"Dreampt of marimbas made from the bones of our relatives..." We recently caught up with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin singer/songwriter/drummer/guitarist, Philip Dickey before their Charleston gig. While taking an evening stroll through the massive strip mall parking lot adjacent to the venue, we talked about their new record, what it's like being blog darlings and playing in the glorious homeland of their namesake. All under the romantic lighting of a giant neon Arby's sign...
Chocolate Bobka: So this is right in the middle of your tour... how's it going so far? Philip Dickey: It’s going really well. We were gonna try to do the whole country in one tour, but when we do that, everything kind of falls apart, and we start to try and kill each other.
CB: Is it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point? PD: A little bit. Because it really is a lot of fun, and you get really caught up in it all, and then you’ll just remember how nice it is to be home, and then it just hurts. You’re trying to have a good time on the road, and then you just want to be at home all of a sudden, want to be home with your girlfriend or something.
CB: Let's talk about the new record, Pershing…What was it like recording it? PD: By the time we started recording it, we were just so ready… we just had so many songs, we still have too many songs to record. I think we kind of psyched ourselves out by waiting so long. We just had to get it over with. At one point we were nervous about what everyone was going to say…Pitchfork, fans, all that stuff. Once it was just us in a room, it made it easier. That’s when we forgot about everyone else. The weird thing about our band is we all want it to sound a little different; no one has the exact same vision. When we made Broom, we were doing it separately, we didn’t know we were making this album that a lot of people were going to hear, we thought it was just for our friends. We weren’t really self-conscious about it.
CB: It’s been a while between since Broom... do you feel like that will place more scrutiny on this one, with such a buildup? PD: At first, it seemed like a bigger deal, having a second record. But it’s just a record, you know? It’s just ten songs. And we have so many more, and we’re always writing new ones. I think the buzz is a little distracting, because it builds it up into something it’s not. I mean, we hope people like it, but this is just one phase. This record is more about riding your bike, driving in a car, that feeling. Broomwas more about being in a bedroom, being sad… I think the next one will be a little more intimate.
CB: How does the songwriting process work for you guys? PD: The one thing about songwriting in our band, is no one ever finishes a song from start to finish, everyone helps each other out.” [Phil starts strumming a new song they’ve been working on.]
CB: Kind of sounds like "Oregon Girl" a little bit. PD: [Laughs] Yeah, I guess it does! So what I’ll do, is I’ll take this riff to John [SSLYBY singer/songwriter/bassist/guitarist] and say ‘Make this not sound like "Oregon Girl"’. That’s how songs are generally written. Also, Will [SSLYBY lead guitarist] didn’t really have a lot of input on Broom, just because he wasn’t there when John and I wrote most of the songs, but on this record, he has way more of a presence. "Modern Mystery" and "Boring Fountain" both are based on riffs that Will wrote in high school, stuff he just dug up. And we just kind of turned them into more polished pop songs.
CB: Are you already looking forward to the next record? PD: Yeah. Honestly, right now it would be awesome to record this summer, and put it out by winter. I don’t know if we’re legally allowed to do that, with the label, but that would be really sweet. The way the business is now, I think it rewards bands that are constantly working on new material.
CB: I’ve always heard that bands with a big backlog of material tend to avoid sophomore slumps better.
PD: Yeah, I can totally see that being true. Having a lot of old riffs and songs really helped us, and it’s going to keep helping us. We have like twenty songs we’re working on…well, maybe a dozen. With Pershing, everything was kind of planned out, but I think with the next record, it’s going to be half new stuff and half old stuff, like half of it planned, the other half impulse, just in the moment.
CB: You guys have been considered a big "blog success"... are you happy with that, or do you hate the association? PD: We were just happy to get the exposure. I mean, we have no control over it, except for the material we put out. One thing I really like about the blogs is that, in the 90’s, PR guys were going straight to writers, straight to MTV, and now they’re going straight to the music listeners, and it’s less of a monopoly. I don’t think our band would have had a chance back then. There are certainly people out there who are like ‘What the hell, this band should not be getting this much attention’; people are always going to complain about bands getting too much blog hype.
CB: I think it’s just that blog hype is a new form of the same old exposure; it’s not that certain bands have a monopoly on this new kind of music writing for no reason, it’s just that people really like this music, and they want to talk about it, and this is how it’s done now. PD: Yeah, definitely. I just think it’s great that these big PR guys, instead of going to MTV, now they’re going to some kid in a basement. I find that really, really funny.
CB: You guys went to Russia to do some shows… what was that like? PD: Frickin awesome. We just never thought that would happen, it was a weird dream come true, just being there, talking to the people, what they’ve been through. Our tour guide said her grandpa dropped a picture of Stalin on the ground by accident, and they took him to jail.
CB: Yeesh... How were the crowds? PD: Surprisingly, really great. They really knew all our songs, even the b-sides. When we started playing they held up some signs with our name on it.
CB: Alright, lastly, in what is becoming a running theme with our interviews, I have to ask what it was like to have a song on the OC, especially when you were unsigned at the time? PD: What happened was Chris Walla [Death Cab for Cutie guitarist/producer] found us through a friend, and he said he really loved the song “Oregon Girl”, and he gave it to the music supervisor of the OC. We were on tour, playing to like two people, and they called us and said they wanted to use the song. It was really nice because it was a time when our parents were like ‘Come on, what are you really doing?’ and we had to borrow money. So yeah, it was great, to finally make some of it back.
CB: Do you guys make much on these tours?
PD: We just now are starting to finally make a little bit, but it’s still borderline poverty. But at the same time, we’re really, really happy. This is the dream, you know?
"I'll remember our last kiss forever" The Bobka is not even a year old (one more week!) but somehow we managed to finagle ourselves an intern, whatever that means. So please give a good hearty welcome to Hunter, our intern. (We really like the way that sounds.) When he's not making pita's and redesigning his facial hair, Hunter can be found writing about frogs and buying vinyl at Chuck-towns 525, one of the best record stores in the southeast. In his first call to duty, we had Hunter interview one of the finest bands to come out of Charleston, The Explorers Club. You might remember us talking about them last Spring when their demos of Smiley Smile-era harmonies were setting the stage for a beautiful summer. Since then the band has signed to Dead Oceans (Bowerbirds, Phosphorescent, Bishop Allen) and is about to release their debut LP, Freedom Wind (May 20th). The band is also releasing their first 7" single "Do You Love Me?" b/w "Carry Me" this Tuesday 4/8. You can snag it HERE.
Chocolate Bobka: How was SXSW?
Jason Brewer: I was sick most of the time, but it’s a lot of fun, we definitely got our name out there… We did it last year too, and we really enjoyed it.
CB: I read that Jim and Stefan (of the Explorers Club) ran into Michael Stipe…
JB: Yeah, I saw him sitting at a table at our label’s showcase, and (Explorers Club guitarist) Jim and (organist) Stefan grabbed one of our CD’s and went over and gave it to him, mentioned that we were friends with Brain Wilson. He was really cool about it.
CB: How did the band form? Did you guys have in mind that this is what you would sound like from day one? Or did it evolve more organically than that?
JB: Well I wrote a bunch of songs a couple years ago with that sound, just to see what I could come up with, that whole sixties sound. I’ve known our drummer since high school, and met most of the other guys at college. I called them up, told them I had these songs and some studio time, asked if they wanted to put together a band. I wanted it to be like a singing group, not just a rock band. There aren’t really singing groups anymore, you know? My dad directs choirs at church, that’s kind of how I learned. I wanted to take all these harmonies, take some Beach Boys, Beatles, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, whatever, and just put it all together. That’s what I wanted with the new record,Freedom Wind. I wanted it to sound like a combination of everything on my ipod, everything I put on a turntable.
CB: Let’s talk about Freedom Wind…Can you take me inside the recording process?
JB: We recorded in Atlanta with my friend Matt Goldman…he normally does a lot of commercial stuff, but he’s into Paul McCartney, Simon & Garfunkle, ELO... One of the guys who I co-wrote a lot of the songs with, who’s also from Atlanta, was an engineering intern a long time ago, and that’s how we met Matt. He’s got a really great studio with a lot of really cool session guys. We were able to get some really great horns and strings pretty cheap, as well as just getting a really good sound. And with him being familiar with all the music we like, we were all on the same page. He and I were the co-producers.
CB: Do you guys record live together at once, in separate parts, or a combination of the two? What about the harmonies?
JB: We do both, sometimes live, sometimes overdubs. We’ll sing it together to make sure it sounds good, then record it later. It’s pretty much the same with the instrumentation; sometimes we do different combinations of instruments live, sometimes just each instrument one at a time.
CB: I’ve been listening to the demos for a long time, and after a few listens to Freedom Wind, I’ve noticed a few production changes. What was it like re-recording these songs that had already been staples in your repertoire for so long?
JB: It wasn’t weird. I was really glad to be able to go re-work some of it. The demos were pretty good, but they weren’t as great as they could be. We needed to do it properly. Nine of the songs were recorded in June, and then the three original demos were beefed up a little bit, remixed and mastered; we added an instrument here or there, re-did some vocals.
CB: Do you feel like it helps to take some time off from a song, then revisiting it with a fresh set of ears? Or do you like to just hammer it out and get it done?
JB: I like to hammer them out. When you think about it too long, you start to come up with too many ideas. But sometimes it helps.
CB: From seeing your live shows, it seems like you guys are just out to make sure everyone has a good time. Did you want that vibe to translate to the record?
JB: Live, we’re not up there trying to do an art show, we’re not trying to be as cool as possible. We take our music seriously, but we’re mostly just trying to make sure everyone has fun. I kind of wanted the record to have that feel, where people don’t have to sit there and listen to it like it’s Dark Side of the Moon or something. I think a lot of bands do try and make a Sgt. Pepper’s or whatever, the first time they make a record, and I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I wanted to make a fun record with some really good songs on it, great sonics, something you can really get into with a pair of headphones on, and most of all, the songwriting to be really good.
CB: Between Explorers Club and Dr. Dog, do you think there’s a retro revival happening? Or is it just coincidence?
JB: Probably more coincidence. We’re definitely open to combining powers… I think we might do some gigs with them later this year, I don’t know, don’t quote me on that.
CB: Wouldn’t dream of it.
JB: I think it’s just coming around, you know? There are all these phases… there was the garage rock thing, the dance rock; recently it’s like noisy kind of stuff, I think? I don’t even really know. I just think a lot of kids who grew up in the 80’s, their parents, really listened to a lot of the stuff from the 60’s and 70’s, and are making music that sounds like that. In one way, it’s just kind of a lot of watering down, of the older stuff, but there’s certainly a lot more of it. Now there’s just an explosion of all kinds of music. For me, it’s all across the board, as far as influences go. I think the wide availability of music these days is just going to make everything broader and broader.
CB: What was it like having a song on the OC? (see video here)
JB: They cut it up and remixed it! But I was glad to have a song on there to get some exposure. People definitely went out and bought the song on itunes because of that, so I was pretty excited.
CB: How did you guys get a spot opening for comedian Zack Galifianakis? Was the crowd different at all?
JB: Well I just randomly sent him a MySpace message, saying how funny I thought he was, and to check out our band, and I guess he did, because he asked us to show up at this restaurant in Charleston on his sister’s birthday, and sing happy birthday for her in four-part harmony! After that, he asked us to open for him for some southeast shows. He wanted a band instead of an opening comedian, so we got to play to a bunch of college kids who were thoroughly confused why there was a band playing. But I think they had a lot of fun.
CB: Whats next for the Explorers Club?
JB: Well the record comes out May 20th [on Dead Oceans], and we’re gonna be doing a full U.S. tour, which should be great. We’re hoping that everyone digs the record, and can have fun with it. It’s a good summertime record, good for cruising around in a car and hanging out with your friends. We’re just glad that we can share our fun with this record with everybody else.
The Explorers Club have a few dates up and down the East Coast in late April. Unfortunately, I just realized that they're playing the same night as Ra Ra Riot, bummer. Guess we'll have to make the trek to Philly to see them.
4/23/2008 Mercury Lounge, NY,NY (with the Virgins and Sam Champion) 4/25/2008 Cafe Metropolis, Wilkes barre, PA (with the Spinto Band) 4/26/2008 Johnny Brendas, Philly, PA (with the A-Sides and The SW!MS) 4/27/2008 Sonar, Baltimore, MD (with The Spinto Band)
"Nevermind what your daughter is taught in school" Today we start a new feature on the Bobka where we chat with some of our favorite artist's about music, life and whatever the hell else pops into what's left of our mangled brains. For our inaugural interview we caught up with Allie from Ra Ra Riot about the bands recent trip to SXSW, recording their first album and what the rest of the year holds in store for the Ra Ra's.
CB: You just got back from playing a ton of shows at SXSW, any highlights?
RRR: It was all pretty much a highlight. The weather was glorious. It was a good time.
RRR: 7 in 4 days. 3 the first day, 2 on Saturday and a couple in between.
CB: Rumor has it you recorded another Daytrotter down there?
RRR: Yeah, we did, but it’s not finished. We’re going to go back in and finish it sometime soon.
CB: You played a show at the magnificent Red Rocks last summer. Are there any dream venues you’d like to play, or favorites you’ve played?
RRR: I don’t really know a lot about venues, but I’d love to play Red Rocks again. We played in Iceland at Iceland Airwaves and I’d love to play there again. It’s in Reykjavik and it’s amazing. I think we’d all love to go to Japan, but we’re pretty happy wherever we go.
CB: For recording I know you use an acoustic cello, have you ever toured with it?
RRR: Haha. No, I would never tour with the acoustic. When we started touring I got the electric just cause it is a huge relief. Plus, performance wise, it can go loud, it doesn’t feed back, it’s resilient. Not a hassle at all. Just performing with the electric is easier, lower maintenance, and you can move around quite a bit more.
CB: The band just finished recording an album at Bear Creek Studio in Washington, which seems like an ideal place to record an album (see pics). Besides the fact that a lot of great bands have been recorded there (Built to Spill, Soundgarden, Clapton, Mountain Goats), is there any reason you chose Bear Creek?
RRR: You know it was kind of a vibe thing. We went there and messed around and met Ryan and really hit it off with him. Then we stayed there on tour for a night a couple months ago, and it was like ‘wow if we could make a record here that would just be amazing’ and so that’s pretty much how it worked out.
CB: Did you have most of the songs written before going into the studio or did you pen some there?
RRR: Well, we did it in two sessions. And we pretty much had everything done before we got there. Then we added a couple more songs the second session but we only worked out one song there, the rest we worked on in Frenchtown, NJ at Wes’s house.
CB: Does the album have a title yet?
RRR: I think so, but we're gonna sit on it for a week and make sure we still like it.
CB: Songs tend to evolve on tour, are there any in particular that have evolved in the live setting?
RRR: Mostly just tempos. Sometimes we play certain songs a lot faster or a lot slower, depending on the setting. In terms of arrangements we’ve changed a lot of our older songs .
CB: Can we expect to hear any of those new arrangements on the new record?
RRR: There are a couple.
CB: Which ones?
RRR: I’m not gonna tell!
CB: Have you settled on a label yet or are you going to self release ?
RRR: We’re working it out with labels in the US now, but we still don’t have one in the US. Everywhere else we’re on V2. So that stuff will start picking up in a little while. I think probably within the next month it’ll be a bit clearer.
CB: Any plans for the summer?
RRR: Probably going to be a lot of festival stuff. Probably not in the US since were doing that right now. Most likely festivals in Europe.
If your bumming around Europe this summer be sure to catch Ra Ra Riot at one of those ridiculous festivals they throw over there. If not, don't worry, they're currently touring the states and probably coming to a town near you. We'll be catching them at Maxwell's on 4/23. Get your tickets now, they're going fast. Click HERE for dates.
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When Ghostface speaks, the world listens. And so is the case everytime shuffle sends up this classic interview with Tony Starks conducted somewhere around 2004. To be honest, I can't really remember the context or origin of the interview, though I believe it was with a Dutch or Swedish music publication. (If anyone knows its origins, let me know.) Ghost, whose new album is about to drop, really opens up in this interview and drops some serious gems. And while it may be the first thing he says in this 20+ minute audio interview, I'm pretty sure my favorite bit of Ghost wit is : "The sky don't even look the same no more. It used to be bluer. The grass was greener. You felt the warmth back in the days, now everything's cold and its cloudy, it don't feel right. But people are so caught up in the world that we don't know."
