When I began mentioning exciting new happenings at the Post-Indie HQ a few months ago, I also warned you that you might get self-deprecating posts instead. You did, and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed my strange impulse to share things on the www.
I've always been aware that what I can't supply in music theory know-how, I make up for in genuine, sustained enthusiasm. If there's one thing I learned since in the years since I began blogging, I learned that having a conversation with artists is far from impossible. So here's where the exciting stuff begins: sometimes they turn out to be cool, like the band I interviewed this week.
Storm chasing, cowbells, Glasgow and the internet: ladies and gentlemen, meet Nevada Base. If you like dancing as much as I do, then their electro-awesomeness will get under your skin and into your headphones too.
Electric Touch.mp3
How did you meet? Did you like each other from the start?
Gus (synths, beats): "Yeah of course I liked them. I did have my suspicions about them in the beginning though; I ran some extensive background checks, had their phones tapped etc. but I can now safely say they're not part of any secret government conspiracy, which is a relief..."
Albert (voice, guitar): "I met Andy during our first year of university and Gus a couple of years later in a small tea house. Jay found us online - he had put up a classified advert looking for musicians to form a band and I responded. Did I like them from the start? I suppose. They're not much to look at, but they're pretty good guys."
Andy (bass / guitar): "I was sleeping on a friends floor in uni halls and Albert had the hots for a girl nearby. We messed around with acoustic guitars at first and as the studio and instrument collection grew we started a search for more players. We were impressed with Gus's synth skills from the start but it was Jay's beats and motivation that got the whole thing moving."
Jay (synths, beats): "I found these guys thanks to Gumtree.com. When I first entered the studio, I thought these guys would probably rob me and beat the shit out of me, and they probably thought I would either steal all their stuff or have one of these German cannibal things going on. So everyone was pretty scared, I guess. But with the help of *magic* everyone started to relax..."
What's the funniest thing that happened when you were all in the same place?
Andy: "I had a great time when we played a gig on my birthday. My friends were all there and provided much alcohol before I was even on stage. They sang happy birthday in between songs and folk were dancing on the chairs. Everyone had a great night and the morning after was worth it."
Gus: "Suprised Andy never mentioned "Rockwell McCabe"... Long story - quite literally, as it was a fictional tale of interstellar proportions improvised by Andy during one of our jamming sessions. I can't recite the whole of it but it was hilarious."
Albert: "Ummm... music is not for fun. We do not sit around improvising ridiculous stories about robots and aliens. We are serious artists. Serious. Artists."
Jay: "Having dicks drawn* all over the equipment by Albert's brother."
*Please note that this action predates the film 'Superbad' by over a year. Rudy's way ahead of the game.
When was your first gig? How did you get it? How was the crowd? etc And how was your best show so far?
Albert: "We got our first gig by just messaging a bunch of venues once we had our demo uploaded on MySpace. 'Box' (in Glasgow) the first venue that got back to us and they paid us a grand total of one tin of Red Stripe each: win. The crowd was about 50 people or so (it felt like hundreds) and it seemed as if they were watching us very closely. Maybe too closely. Luckily, they seemed entertained and didn't throw any fruit or pint glasses full of urine...
I would say our best gig so far was the only one that we have managed to play as a four-piece. Jay was working the crowd with his cowbell/dancing antics. The ladies were swooning."
Andy: "The gig was not as epic as say Bon Jovi, or a Nirvana reunion, but it was still good. I think the movie adaptation is out soon..."
Jay: "Well, I haven't been around for the first (or any other) gig except one, so it must have been crap. Best one, of course, is the only one where I was playing. Cowbell action it was. "
Gus: "That gig was memorable, and it was also where we first met our current manager, Stephen. But it was marred by technical problems, so it just didn't tick all the right boxes for me. Our best show was probably at Stereo a couple of months back - great set, great sound, huge crowd and I ended up walking home with an extension cord round my neck."
Talk about your recording process. Who does what? How long does it take? How do you get along with your label? What do they do for you?
Jay: "I think I helped in finding an outline for the whole recording process. Job done."
Gus: "Recording wise, it's been quite exciting recently as we've realised we can actually get some decent recording and mixing done ourselves, and if we focus on it, we can get recording done (for about 4 songs) in a few days and then mixing done within a couple of weeks."
Albert: "We record almost everything in my flat. Myself, Gus and Jay all fancy ourselves as wannabe producers so we all get involved in the technical side of things. Jay used to program the beats when he was in Glasgow - Gus and I tend to do this now. Andy plays bass like a raving ninja and the process is usually pretty quick, I guess. We try to write quickly and get ideas out, then might go back and refine them, or not..."
Andy: "I really just play and sing when i'm supposed to. We all have input on sounds and the songwriting. A lot of ideas are written down or recorded quickly so we dont forget and a full song usually comes quite quickly as a result. Our label does a lot for us on the press and promotions side of things. Pretty sure Stephen's bought me a drink at least once."
Gus: "Yeah, our manager Stephen really does a lot of work for us in getting gigs and spreading our gospel."
Albert: "We're just starting to work with our label, so it's early days. Maybe we'll release something in October; maybe later. Right now we're focussing on playing live and building up some interest locally, as well as online."
If the music thing doesn't work, what will you fall back on? (If writing/journalism doesn't work out, I'll be a teacher. And, perhaps, an alcoholic.)
Albert: "If it fails, I will fall back on my arse. It will hurt a bit, and might even come up in a nasty bruise, but I'll be OK. I think I also have some kind of engineering degree..."
Andy: "I'll go back to being a cowboy."
Gus: "I have plans to move to the American Midwest and become a storm-chaser. Yeah, just like those crazy folk on the discovery channel."
Jay: "Yeah, alcoholic sounds good to me. Working with all the other alcoholics in the general field of new and exciting media."
Fast-forward five years. What are you doing, ideally? What are you probably doing?
Albert: "Ideally: having our sordid rockstar lifestyles splashed all over the tabloids whilst we pay a team of evil bankers to count our millions for us, so that we can spend all day cackling at the thought of how stupidly famous we are. Probably: playing in some kind of novelty jazz band whilst repeatedly auditioning for the X-factor."
Andy: "Accomplished blues man in the mississippi/discreet millionaire but i'll probably just be a cowboy. Again. "
Gus: "Ideally: storm chaser. Probably: still tied down with Nevada Base!"
Jay: "Two flats in Germany and Glasgow plus a private jet, sponsored by my arab friends."
What was the best show you ever attended?
Gus: "I went to see Mogwai at the Barrowlands a few years ago which was fairly epic. I also saw Hot Chip there recently. Barrowlands is the most awesome venue."
Albert: "Neon Neon playing at Oran Mor, in Glasgow. I heart them."
Jay: "The LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip shows at Barrowlands were both pretty cool. I believe Albert had too much Buckfast to remember anything of the Hot Chip concert."
Andy: "Cats (they dance and sing!?)"
Talk about your relationship with the internet. How did people react to you online? What websites do you find useful for your career?
Andy: "It's a great social tool, and nowadays if you're trying to make it as a band, it's a must. MySpace is an obvious one and it has helped us meet new fans and bands; blogs are great for getting your music to large groups of similar tastes and also for getting feedback (thank you)."
Albert: "Well, the internet basically means that any musician can connect with people worldwide and it only costs whatever time you're willing to put into it. And people are usually friendly! It's always nice when someone other than your girlfriend or grandmother writes something positive about your music. I am also a believer in social 'folksonomy' type sites, like Last.fm, where the wisdom of the masses classifies what you're listening to. Oh, and of course we have some wonderful blogs to help guide us through the morass of MP3s and MySpace pages...The online future of music is definitely interesting."
Gus: "I think the internet has this amazing effect of empowering the shy, retiring types such as myself! It's as if all your insecurties concerning your awkward social demeanour just vanish and suddenly you're just free to express yourself without fear of being ostracised. But then again there's those people who say it's highly impersonal; when you're not dealing with people face to face it becomes a breeding ground for fakery. I'm confident though that people will adapt to this way of working and become more astute in seperating the do-gooders from the time-wasters."
Jay: "Ahem: 'Yeah. We love the internet. Surfing the world wide web.' These are actual lyrics from a song I wrote 10 years ago."
Any advice for someone who might want to make music? Have you found it worthwhile, fun, would you do the same if you were to start over?
Andy: "Start making music. It's awesome, social viagra."
Gus: "I'll echo the words of a fine producer named Joe Meek - If it sounds good, it is good! And don't think that because you can't play an instrument then you can't make music - you'll always find your own way of making something sound good or enjoyable to play, and your own style will develop from there. However, for those that want to seek the more tasteful route, just remember this...tutorials, tutorials, tutorials. Seriously, the web is stuffed full of them."
Jay: "Carefully watch the trends, but dont copy them. Be self-aware, dont be afraid to see yourself as a product but never fake anything, people will know. Find yourself and work on it work on it work on it."
Albert: "I'm not sure if we've quite reached 'guru' status as regards music career advice, but my £0.02 goes like this: practice your instruments, write really good songs and find a way to record them. Then really think about how you are going to connect people to your music... put a lot of effort into the last bit because (personal gratification aside) there's not much point in making music unless you get it to some ears, methinks. As for starting over, I really can't say. We're only just getting started!"
