GLISS Interview

Photo: Angel Ceballos

GLISS
Interview with Victoria
By alexander laurence

Gliss is a new band from Los Angeles. They have spent a lot of time touring in Europe with BRMC, Billy Corgan, and Editors. Their following has become quiet large in Europe, while they are still a new underground band here in their hometown. David Reiss and Martin Klingman have known each other for years. They played in bands over the years. Some members had left, and their friend, Victoria Cecelia, filled the spot. She had come to LA from Denmark. The band started playing shows at Spaceland and Silverlake Lounge. While they were releasing some singles and EPs, they were already being asked to tour in Europe. They spent a year over there touring all over. I watched some footage on You Tube of a show in Italy. Anyway, they came back and recorded their first full-length album Love The Virgins (2006). It will be released this fall. Otherwise they will be back in the UK for some shows, and at Club Moscow in November 2006. I spoke to Victoria right after a show at Safari Sam’s.

Martin Klingman: vocals/guitars/drums
Victoria Cecilia: bass/drums
David Reiss: bass/guitar/drums

AL: What have Gliss been doing this month?

Victoria: We are getting ready for our next tour. Our album comes out in October 2006. We are getting ready for all of that. We are rehearsing a lot. It’s getting tight. We are playing in Denmark and Hamburg first. Then we are doing a UK tour for three weeks. I don’t know how long we are going to stay out there. We might come back to New York.

AL: Most of us here in Los Angeles are able to see you at some of these indie rock clubs like Spaceland and Safari Sam’s. But it is a different story in Europe where you have playing a lot. What is going on over there?

Victoria: It just happened that way. We got a real good booking agent in London. We were on a label there first. That is the way things happened. I am happy about it. I like being over there all the time.

AL: You have played more shows in Europe and the UK than here?

Victoria: Yeah, for sure. We lived in Europe most of the year. We have been playing a lot in Los Angeles this past month. The way I look at it is: It’s better to play at a club than a rehearsal space. We like playing out.

AL: What other American cities have you played?

Victoria: We have been in New York and played there, which was awesome. I loved it. It was an amazing show. We have been to Texas. We did the SXSW festival. We have played in Arizona. That is pretty much it. I like living and playing in LA though.

AL: Have you been playing for two years now?

Victoria: Yeah, maybe a little longer. Martin and David knew each other before that. They had been in different bands together. I met them and they needed a bass player. I joined Gliss right then. When we started playing as a trio, we were looking for a fourth person. But we never found another person who was able to fit in. The three of us got along immediately and we were able to write a lot of songs. It happened quickly. We decided that we didn’t need another person.

AL: I saw you play at Safari Sam’s last week. You like to switch instruments on each song. You start out playing drums, and then switch to bass guitar. Martin and David play drums too. How did that happen?

Victoria: When we were looking for a fourth person to be the drummer, it never worked out. We gave up on that. We just started all playing drums to make it work. We didn’t want to play with a drum machine on every song. That is what we did in the beginning because we didn’t have a drummer. I was programming a lot of beats.

AL: How do you write the songs in the band?

Victoria: Sometimes we write songs together, and sometimes someone will write down some ideas at home and bring it in to the rehearsal space. We start playing it and try a little bit of everything.

AL: There were a few EPs before?

Victoria: We put together an EP when we started. There was one called Velvet Stars with five songs. Later there was another EP with seven songs. So we have two EPs.

AL: What is Rugby Road?

Victoria: That was a single we did in the UK. That song is not on the album.

AL: Since you have done so many songs, how did you choose which songs went on the album?

Victoria: It came from playing out a lot. We just picked the songs that went over well in a live setting. We usually come up with a setlist right before the show. We will agree on what we play. Sometimes David will write a setlist really fast.

AL: How did the tour with Editors happen?

Victoria: It was amazing. We got to know them a little bit before that because we did a show with them at Spaceland. They needed a band to go on tour with them. They asked us if we wanted to do it. That show at Spaceland was really packed and it was crazy. There was a line of people waiting to get in. They are cool guys. We have been very lucky with our tours over there. We have played with BRMC, Billy Corgan, and We Are Scientists.

AL: When will the record come out?

Victoria: It will be out in America in October. It is already out in Europe. We are going to tour there first. We are playing at Club Moscow soon.

AL: Are there any other bands that you would like to play with?

Victoria: I am not sure if we could all agree on the bands we would all like to play with. I myself would like us to play with Babyshambles. That would be sweet. I would like to play with The Raveonettes. Depeche Mode would be nice. Those are the three bands I would like to tour with.

AL: Do you know the Raveonettes?

Victoria: I don’t know them really well. I met them at a festival we did in Belgium last year. We got to hang out with them. Then we ran into them in London. We were there at the same time. Plus they are Danish. I am Danish. There’s that connection.

AL: Did you play in bands in Denmark?

Victoria: Yeah. I was in a bunch of bands. I went to music school. I came to LA to go to school here. I played in bands here and I ended up staying.

AL: Are there any books of films that you like?

Victoria: I really love Doestoevsky and Kafka. Those are my two favorite writers. I like some American writers. I like JD Salinger and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In movies, I like Roman Polanski. I like The Tenant a lot. It’s so creepy. I love it. I like the films of Woody Allen. I also like the British version of The Office.

AL: Do you read the English of Danish translations?

Victoria: I read those books in English. It would be interesting to read Kafka in German. There are probably some things that don’t translate from the German. I know that is true from reading Danish and English. The first book of Kafka I had was a German/English version of The Metamorphosis. I saw the Bukowski documentary. It was amazing. That was great.

AL: Do you think that living in Los Angeles has affected the band?

Victoria: Yes. David and Martin have grown up here in LA. David lives in Long Beach. Everything you do and where you live affects what you write and how you play.

AL: Martin writes the lyrics? I like this song “Moped.” What is that about?

Victoria: Yeah he writes the lyrics. I am sure it is about his life. I don’t know what “Moped” is about because I didn’t write the lyrics.

AL: Maybe you could interpret this song for me, since you have played this song hundreds of times?

Victoria: Sadly enough I am not thinking much what it is about. When it comes to the songs I am listening more to the melodies. I am trying to create a mood. We never discuss the lyrics.

AL: Is there going to be a release party here?

Victoria: When we get back in November we will have a big party.

AL: Are you going to play in San Francisco soon?

Victoria: Hopefully we will in the Fall. We haven’t done any shows there yet.

AL: Do you know about The Brain Bulletin?

(http://brainbulletin.net)

Victoria: Some girl gave us one of those in London. We met her at The Barfly. She brought one of her little magazines. It was cute. It was all handwritten. There was a picture of a receipt from Amoeba where she had bought our EP. You meet a lot of cool people.



AL: What is that picture you have on the Gliss stickers.

Victoria: It’s an artist we found online. He turned out to be Danish. I didn’t know him. Martin found him online. He liked his artwork. Martin emailed him and asked him to do some stuff for our records. The artist drew that guy who is on the stickers, and our EP, and our kick drum. That guy looks exactly like Martin. It’s funny. They have never met.

AL: Who does your website?

Victoria: That is my sister.

AL: Is there anywhere else you would like to play?

Victoria: Portugal is really nice. The buildings are so old. People are really into music.


WEBSITE: www.gliss.tv