When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
E - Too many to list quickly! the cassette copy of Nevermind that my babysitter Raven gave me, hearing Mr. Bungle for the first time, witnessing the multi-instrument virtuosity of my junior high classmate Erick Walls, seeing Bonnie Prince Billy perform recently, and Ani DiFranco, first time I heard Cocorosie, Aphex Twin, saw Ches Smith play drums, etc. etc. Musical epiphanies (as a listener) and eye openers come often for me.
R- Back in the day, Team Dresch was a big eye opener. It was the first time I had heard a band of the queercore/riot grrl/pacific NW scene combine that punk attitude with actually interesting and complex
music, and it blew my mind. There have been many of those moments along the way, with one of the more recent ones being Worker Bee, who are a band form San Jose. They used to be kind of a standard
loud/quiet/loud post-rock band, then recently released an album which was a total reinvention. Beside the fact that it is a totally unusual, spooky and beautiful record, in was inspiring to see a band take such a big risk and totally and successfully change their approach to making music.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
E - For us, we use this metaphor-- Robin brings the Oranges and Grapefruits, Eric makes the Juice. The songs start out as long, intricate, maze like parts, and then we play them trying out various feels, beginning to chop up and arrange, add and subtract notes and beats, evolve melodies, create dialogue, space, tension, etc. This all happens fairly organically through the process of just playing the parts over and over until they feel right, intuitively. We go with our gut.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
E - Musically speaking, in large part through our peers and friends. We are blessed to be part of a community of incredibly talented and endlessly creative musicians in Oakland and San Francisco, and hearing
them play (be it at shows, or next door to us in the practice space) is constantly inspiring. As we tour this family continues to expand too, and we never cease to be amazed at the extent and breath of inspiring and friendly musicians there are out there.
Extra-musically, the range is wide-- nature, books about mental illness, jokes, bicycling, family.....
Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?
E - We sound like if you could simultaneously have a feeling of deep longing, restlessness and intense confusion, yet also feel content, at peace, and like everyone and everything in the world is beautiful. Or you know, at our best we hope to someday sound like that.or A thunderstorm in the southeast as it swells to its peak and then tapers in to still warm air and rainbows.
R - Instrumental music comprised of guitar/drums/synth and sometimes glock. Complex interplay and syncopation between instruments, atypical song structures. Sometimes agressive, sometimes fragile, always melodic and thoughtful (we hope.)
get your audience to feel?
E -We are trying to create an experience that is in equal parts emotive, cathartic and intellectually stimulating/provocative.
R - I hope that we are making music that is equally enjoyable to someone listening on a very casual level; as well as the closer or more musically minded listener, and making either example feel something, be it happy/sad/bittersweet/whatever.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
E - Being completely lost in the pitch black woods of Olympia, WA in the middle of the night after a generator show, both with muscle tearing amounts of gear in hand, and about a half mile to go to the car. In spite of his verbal optimism, Eric was pretty much completely lost, forgot how far they had to go, and was mostly following the places he could see audience members had peed on their way out.
What makes a great song?
Sincerity.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
E - We got together with no intentions of forming a band, just to play.Robin played a song she had written years ago from start to finish.Eric played along and was instantly flooded with a thousand ideas and shaken loose from a period of musical stagnation. It came together seemingly instantly (minus one tricky part that required a bit of analysis and explanation) and is still in rotation today, only slightly edited from the way it was performed accidentally the very first time.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
E - The song we wrote most recently, which goes the widest ranges of places a single song of ours ever has before, somehow (hopefully, to us at least) without feeling disjointed. One of the first times we played it our friend said it scared him and he asked why we would write something like that. I *think* it was intended as a compliment.
R - Agreed. Our newest song took the longest-ever-to-write prize, and I think it shows. In a good way. Other examples would be songs form the new album - "Moth and Rust" and "The Gift." I think those two were moments of real clarity.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
E- Ideally, for sound and aesthetics and tactile pleasure and generating a thoughtful listening experience, Vinyl. Though we understand the immense practicality of digital formats.
R- I think I might be the last person alive who enjoys owning CDs. I especially love huge free piles of them on the street, left by SanFrancisco folk who are tired of schlepping them from apartment to apartment.
E- I kind of agree with that too.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. When we come to your town, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
E - Aquarius (SF) and Amoeba (Berkeley or SF).
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
E - Be true to yourself.
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