Lisa Germano Interview

Lisa Germano Interview
By Alexander Laurence

Lisa Germano is an American songwriter. She grew up in Indiana, but now
lives in Los Angeles. She has done a load of collaborations and numerous solo
records including Geek The Girl (1994), Excerpts From A Love Circus (1996),
Lullaby for Liquid Pig (2003), and In the Maybe World (2006). Her latest
record is called Magic Neighbor (2009). She also contributed a track to the
compilation Seven Worlds Collide.

AL: You haven’t been doing many interviews lately?

Lisa: Yeah. I didn’t do many interviews for this record. It’s not like I
don’t really care, but I don’t care. I got a bunch of reviews. I am just
glad to put out a record that has artwork that you can touch and feel. I still
believe in that. People need that. It’s fun. We can show each other our CDs
instead of going into this world where we don’t relate to each other. Don’t
touch anything.

AL: Do you reject this computer based world?

Lisa: I don’t reject it. It’s over my head. I am trying to learn more
about the computer. I don’t want to be out of the loop completely. I don’t like
how it seems to make everyone numb. I don’t like how it treats music
digitally.

AL: You spent a lot of time learning how to read music and learning an
instrument. There are people today who make competent music using a computer.

Lisa: I don’t reject that. I reject it when it becomes uncreative. With all
the computer stuff I am sure there are ways to be creative on it. Since
that is the way things seem to be going. When kids get excited on the computer
and blog about something, they are sharing music. It’s different from
touching it. If you can do both it’s better. I don’t think that the computer
stuff is horrible. It just makes people unfocused. People’s attention span is
gone. They don’t sit down and actually listen to a record. They go to track to
track.

AL: It is like people seem to know about authors like Bukowski and Rimbaud,
but they don’t seem to have read anything, and actually been engaged in
reading a book.

Lisa: They know what they are. They have information. But they don’t
experience it. That is what I am saying about the music. They will know the new
bands, but they don’t spend a lot of time with them, when you do when you have
the actual CD in your hands. You can feel it and see it. It’s different
when it’s on the computer.

AL: What happened with that 7 World’s Collide CD?

Lisa: It should have been very well received. It was something we all did
for OXFAM. It was all for free. We all gave up our publishing. It was me, and
Neil Finn, Tim Finn, two guys from Radiohead, Johnny Marr, Sebastian
Steinberg, and Wilco. We all gave up our time and wrote a record last February. It
came out in September and nobody seems to know that it’s out. It’s
unbelievable. KCRW was nice to do a little show, but they haven’t really followed
up, and continued to play the record. At Christmas time that record should be
in the displays. This is the only place where you heard these songs. It’s
called 7 World’s Collide “The Sun Came Out.”

AL: Many great records are not promoted. The media doesn’t really write
about new music. The radio stations don’t really play exciting new records. So
the internet and blogs are maybe one of the only places to hear about what is
out there.

Lisa: It’s really bad right now. The music business has always been based
on money because you have to sell records. One of the problems now is there
is too much music. It’s pretty cool that you can make music on your computer.
It’s great that you can make your own CDs. It’s cool. You want people to
be creative. But I think it’s made people lazy rather than creative. People
just are like “I made a CD” rather than really working on it, and making
something that you have really seen through, and lived with it. So you go “Oh,
that song is not happening, I am going to change it.” That was when good
record companies were great, because they wouldn’t let you put out a record
just because you finished it. Sometimes they wanted you to have a hit, but
still, there was less music coming out.

AL: A record company would sign a band and not put out the record also.

Lisa: Yeah. There’s that. Sometimes there’s a good piece of work and then
they don’t put it out.

AL: Things are backwards now. You release a CD and it’s a blueprint of what
the live show is going to be like. Then, people who go see a live show will
buy a CD as a souvenir.

Lisa: I see what you mean. You make money on tour with the merchandise. I
think it’s cool when the CD sounds quite different from the live show. Why do
you copy it? I just saw that.

AL: Do you think in the 1980s and 1990s there was more pressure on the
artist to have a hit?

Lisa: Yeah. I preferred not to have that pressure. When I was on Capitol,
we fought for months, because I wanted my sequence: because it told the story
of my record. They wanted the song that was radio friendly to be the second
song. To them, the hit was the whole idea of the record. To me, it ruined
my whole record. If that song wasn’t a radio hit, I have to live with this
record the rest of my life. You’ll just drop me. It’s more important to have
artist integrity. So we fought. They just put it out after I had to
compromise a bunch of stuff. Then they fired everybody. I took that record over to
4AD.

AL: Sheryl Crow did “All I Wanna Do” as an afterthought and it became a
smash hit.

Lisa: That was at the same time as my record, Happiness. They worked that
record. It was more of a pop record than mine. I was jealous at the time.
They kept releasing singles from it until they got attention. They released
mine and fired everyone. My record got lost. Working with Michael Gira and
Young God Records is really different. He still puts out records. It’s not easy
for him to do that, financially. He works with me. He will tell me what he
likes and doesn't like. So did Ivo at 4AD. It doesn’t mean that I can’t do
it. But I have enough respect for them that I will listen to their ideas. If
I agree with them that’s fine, but if I don’t, I have to be stronger about
my own opinion. You are working together.

AL: How do you get from Capitol to 4AD, then to Michael Gira, who seems to
come from another world?

Lisa: It sounds cocky, but I think he was a fan. It still blows me away
that he likes my music. I tell him this all the time. I sort of understand what
he likes about it.

AL: When I think of your music, there is this sense of beauty going on.
What do you think about that?

Lisa: There is a sense of beauty in my music. But what I am saying in my
songs is sort of dark, but you use beauty to hide it. People talk about my
songs as fairy tales. I like when they do that. I didn’t used to think that,
but now I know what they meant. Where fairy tales are really pretty “Long ago
there was a really bad king….” They can tell stories that are really dark
with a nice lilt, and it’s easy to understand. That is what my music is
about.

AL: It’s music that you listen to late at night?

Lisa: Yes. It’s bedtime music. I hardly ever listen to it during the day.
Although this new record is the most upbeat one. It’s a daylight record.

AL: Did you take a break before making this record?

Lisa: I am always doing music. I work on music when I can. I have to make a
living. I used to make a living just doing music, but it’s a long story.
People think I quit. There was all this drama. I will tell people that I am
not playing music anymore. If I am writing, I will write a record. I don’t
want to feel like it’s my job. It’s like a gift. When it comes. When I can
express things, and make sense, and things come together. And it’s like wow, I
like that enough to want to share it with people. People might like it.

AL: How many songs did you write for Magic Neighbor?

Lisa: I only wrote four new songs. They were all old songs. I looked at
them and reworked them. I changed the lyrics and recorded it differently.

AL: Did you play everything on the record?

Lisa: I played everything, except my boyfriend Sebastian Steinberg, played
the bass guitar. Greg Leisz played the pedal steel guitar on three songs. He
plays on everyone’s records. He’s played with me for years. It’s just us
three. Jamie Candiloro recorded it at his house. That what was different from
my other records. I used to record them full on, and take them to Pro Tools
at Jamie’s or Joey Waronker’s. Then work on them. This one was all fresh,
and worked on them at Jamie’s. I didn’t even practice things sometimes.

AL: You do this thing in your songs where you change the tempo. It’s more
like classical music, where it’s more about the tempo of the emotion.

Lisa: I like to do that. I think that I have always done that, but I do
that more now. It’s not on purpose. I want to do what I want. I don’t want to
be stuck with the drumbeat. I like silences and pauses. It gives you time to
think. What did you just say? Instead of an in your face song all the way
through. I get bored with that.

AL: There is a lot of noises and tapping going on in the record. What is
going on there?

Lisa: We did lots of things. We had things that we rattled. We had a thing
that goes “Boom.”

AL: What is the cover?

Lisa: It’s a painting by a friend in New Zealand. He’s a great painter.

AL: Do you have a website?

Lisa: Yes. I should get more involved. There is a Myspace page that someone
else runs. I was thinking maybe I should have one of my own. I can’t
decide. I don’t know if it helps or not. I don’t know if I want to put myself out
there or not. I was stalked before by a psychopath. Yeah. It was years ago.
The more they know about you, the more they can get into your life. I don’t
need that.

AL: I know that they are bringing back the Lilith Fair. Did you ever do
that?

Lisa: They never asked me. I would have done it if they asked me. It’s
weird. I am like this strange artist, but I am not THAT strange. There is
something strange about it where people think the music is too dark or too pretty.
I have a following of people who get it, but it is mostly in Europe.

AL: What is the song “The Mighty One” about, and is that related to
spirituality?

Lisa: I didn’t call it “The Mighty One” for a long time. We call our cat
“The Mighty One” because he had cancer. That song is basically about
fighting with your demon. When you are a depressed person you got this demon. You
can be having a great day, and this thing will come back from your childhood.
Sometimes you know what it is or not. It fucks you up. That is what that
song is about. It’s about fighting that demon, and finally winning. You are
saying “fuck you, man.” I am in control and can send you on your way.

AL: Did you grow up with religion?

Lisa: I was raised Catholic, so I was afraid of God most of my life. I
thought God was going to hurt me. Once I moved away from home, I got away from
that sort of thinking. I still feel guilt about things I shouldn’t feel guilt
about. I think there are hidden forces. I think there are demons and angels
out there fighting with your spirit. An angel can be a beautiful thought
that can get you out of a terrible situation. So you don’t kill yourself.

AL: What do you think of all this talk about 2012?

Lisa: I hate that. We have always thought the world was ending. It’s harder
to be happy, than to be full of doom. I find that stuff really boring.

AL: You played with Smashing Pumpkins for a few weeks about ten years ago.
What happened there?

Lisa: That was just a bunch of young kids being powerful and not being
respectful of anything. They asked me to join the tour. I quit my job here in
Los Angeles. I moved my cats to Indiana. The tour was supposed to be four
months long. I had to sublet my apartment. We went through rehearsals. Billy
Corgan, D’Arcy, and James Iha didn’t talk to each other. So for one, it was a
fucked situation. They wouldn’t talk to each other. Billy would say “D’Arcy,
would you sing backup on this?” And if she didn’t say anything, Billy would
say “Lisa. Why don’t you sing backup on this?” So I was doing stuff that
nobody would do. Billy would tell James Iha to play mandolin on a song. And
James would say “I am playing guitar on this man.” So I would play the
mandolin. I was playing on a shitload of stuff. So they were fighting at that
time. What then happened was the weekend before our first show, they wanted me
to sign a contract out of the blue. The contract listed all this stuff I
couldn’t do while I was on tour with them. They knew I wouldn’t sign that.
They knew I had a record coming out. The contract said I couldn’t release
anything while I was in Smashing Pumpkins. So I didn’t sign it. They sent me home
without discussing it.

AL: What were some of the other conditions on the contract?

Lisa: That I couldn’t talk about Smashing Pumpkins during those four
months. I couldn’t talk about them in interviews. I touched Billy on the knee. I
said “You can’t do this! It’s not fair. You put all this money into me being
here. It’s silly sending me home.” He said: “Don’t worry. We’ll work it
out.” And that night I was sent home. He’s such a lame ass. He wouldn’t talk
to me. He wouldn’t explain anything. I wrote him letters. I wanted to sue
them for two weeks, because they didn’t pay me. They were complete assholes and
it fucked me up. They were irresponsible. Billy is very egocentric. His
karma will come back to him.

AL: You have done some other more successful collaborations?

Lisa: I just recorded some stuff with Phil from Radiohead in England. It’s
his first solo record. It’s beautiful. It’s awesome. It was me, and
Sebastian, and the drummer and keyboard from Wilco. Phil sings and plays guitar.

AL: I saw Thom Yorke play with Flea and Joey Waronker.

Lisa: Phil’s record is coming out soon. Thom Yorke’s solo stuff is beat
driven. Phil’s music is the opposite: it’s songwriter driven. Even though
he’s a drummer.

AL: Have you played any shows for this record Magic Neighbor?

Lisa: I haven’t done anything. It came out and there have been a bunch of
reviews. I am just starting now thinking about touring Europe. Phil and I
might do something together. My last few tours have been me by myself, or me
and Sebastian. I haven’t been able to afford a band. I am just glad there are
reviews. I am shocked that people like it.



Website: http://www.lisegermano.com/

J. Tillman Interview

J. Tillman Interview
By Alexander Laurence

J. Tillman is a musical artist based in Seattle. His albums include I Will
Return (2005), Minor Works (2006), Vacilando Territory Blues (2009) and now
Year In The Kingdom. J. Tillman is also the drummer for Fleet Foxes who
became very popular in 2008. I got to ask the very reclusive J. Tillman a few
questions about his music. You don’t see a lot of interviews with him. I was
lucky for these few words. Hopefully everyone out there can go to the shows
and let the music speak for itself.

AL: Do you like touring?

J. Tillman: I've always liked touring.

AL: Who is in your band now and how did you find these musicians?

J. Tillman: My brother, my friend, my drug-dealer, and my mechanic.

AL: When were these songs written that are on your album, Year In The
Kingdom?

J. Tillman: Last year.

AL: What are your songs specifically about?

J. Tillman: I don't really write about isolated, linear experiences.

AL: How do you feel about people downloading your music illegally?

J. Tillman: I've never downloaded an album. I would have a hard time
judging an experience I haven't had. It might make music better for some people.

AL: What were some of the festivals you played this summer, and were
there any stand out moments?

J. Tillman: Bananaramathon, Laid 'N' Tha Shade, ATQRMPXW, etc. Funnel cake
grease dripping down my face as I look for the wristband pavilion in the
pouring rain overhearing a band that everyone loves and I can't understand why.

AL: What other new bands do you like?

J. Tillman: "Other" new bands?

AL: Can you recommend a book?

J. Tillman: "Cosmic Serpent" by Jeremy Narby or "Secret Teachings of All
Ages" By Manly P. Hall if you're looking for a classic.

AL: What should people expect in your shows this December?

J. Tillman: 10-13 J. Tillman songs.

AL: Is there any musician who you would want to collaborate with?

J. Tillman: If you can hunt me down a singing kitten.

***

J. TILLMAN plays the Troubadour on Wednesday, December 2nd

Goldfrapp

GOLDFRAPP
BRAND NEW ALBUM “HEAD FIRST” OUT MARCH 23, 2010
FIRST SINGLE “ROCKET” OUT MARCH 9, 2010

Genre-smashing musical pioneers Goldfrapp announce their brand new album ‘Head First’ to be released through Mute on March 23rd, 2010. This will be preceded by the new single ‘Rocket’ on March 9th, 2010.

‘Head First’ is Goldfrapp's most powerful trip to date, a speedy rush of synth optimism, euphoria, fantasy and romance. With life affirming lyrics and stellar production it lifts off at full tilt and takes us on a journey to the heart of 2010.

The duo’s fifth album, ‘Head First’ is written and produced by band mates Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory and was recorded throughout 2009 in Bath and in London.

Fizzy with inspiration, the brand new single ‘Rocket’ is a goose-bump brilliant tune destined to float out of radios across the land.

Goldfrapp will take ‘Head First’ on tour later in 2010 - following the massive acclamation for both the 'Supernature' and 'Seventh Tree' tours and festival appearances around the world, Goldfrapp have underlined their reputation as one of the most transcendent and inventive live bands around.

www.mute.com / www.goldfrapp.com

Angel Ceballos's top 40 records of 2009

Happy 2009 everyone - 2010 promises to rock even harder!!

1. The Horrors – Primary Colours
2. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
3. Miike Snow – Self title
4. Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
5. IAMX – Kingdom of Welcome Addiction
6. White Denim – Fits
7. Boy Crisis – Self title
8. Circlesquare – Songs about Dancing and Drugs
9. Hecuba – Paradise
10. Cock and Swan – Marshmallow Sunset
11. The Whitest Boy Alive – Rules
12. Golden Silvers – True Romance
13. The Raveonettes – In And Out Of Control
14. Gliss – Devotion Implosion
15. Wolfmother – Cosmic Egg
16. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Pains of Being Pure At Heart
17. The Polyamorous Affair – Bolshevik Disco
18. A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head
19. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
20. Har Mar Superstar – Dark Touches
21. Logh-North
22. Amazing Baby – Rewild
23. Warpaint – Exquisite Corpse
24. The Dead Weather – Horehound
25. Grizzly Bear –Veckatimest
26. Múm – Sing Along To Songs You Don’t Know
27. Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
28. The xx - XX
29. Cold Cave – Love Comes Close
30. Miranda Lee Richards – Light of X
31. Alessi’s Ark – Notes From The Treehouse
32. The Answering Machine – Another City, Another Sorry
33. Corridor - Corridor
34. Real Estate – Self Title
35. Girls -Album
36. Mission of Burma-The Sound The Light The Speed
37. Doll and The Kicks – Self title
38. A Camp – Colonia
39. The Pinx –Look What You Made Me Do
40. Igor Spectre – Tramps in Stereo

Honourable mentions:

• Sue and The Unicorn– assorted singles


• Robots in Disguise – assorted singles


• The Soft Pack - Muslims EP


• Zaza – Cameo EP


• Voices Voices – Sounds Outside EP


• Magic Wands – Magic, Love & Dreams EP

Alexander 's favorite CDs of 2009

BEST RECORDS of 2009
The Portable Infinite

1. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
2. Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse - Dark Night of the Soul
3. Cold Cave – Love Comes Close
4. The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
5. Hope Sandoval – Through The Devil Softly
6. The Horrors – Primary Colours
7. A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head
8. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
9. The xx - XX
10. Hecuba - Paradise
11. Soulsavers – Broken
12. Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
13. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
14. Late of The Pier – Fantasy Black Channel
15. Amazing Baby – Rewild
16. Alessi’s Ark – Notes From The Treehouse
17. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
18. Dot Allison – Room 7 1/2
19. Taken By Trees – East Of Eden
20. St. Vincent - Actor
21. Flaming Lips – Embryonic
22. White Denim – Fits
23. Florence and The Machine – Lungs
24. Telepathe - Dancemother
25. Githead - Landing
26. David Sylvian – Manafon
27. PJ Harvey & John Parish – A Woman, A Man, Walked By
28. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Pains of Being Pure At Heart
29. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
30. Gliss – Devotion Implosion
31. Aidan Moffat & Best-Ofs – How to Get to Heaven From Scotland
32. Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be
33. The Dead Weather - Horehound
34. The Raveonettes – In And Out Of Control
35. The Answering Machine – Another City, Another Sorry
36. Vuk – The Plains
37. Lightning Dust – Infinite Light
38. Polly Scattergood – Polly Scattergood
39. Antony and The Johnsons – The Crying Light
40. Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream
41. Julian Casablancas – Phrazes For The Young
42. A Camp – Colonia
43. Wolfmother – Cormic Egg
44. Vetiver – Tight Knit
45. Spinnerette – Spinnerette
46. Múm – Sing Along To Songs You Don’t Know
47. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
48. Corridor - Corridor
49. Lisa Germano – Magic Neighbor
50. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast

Lightning Dust Interview

LIGHTNING DUST
Interview by Alexander Laurence

Lightning Dust is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s a duo,
Amber Webber and Joshua Wells, who are also members of the band Black Mountain.
They have two albums: Lightning Dust (2007) and the new one Infinite Light
(2009). So far this year they have toured with Cave Singers and Bonnie Prince
Billy. They tour Germany this December 2009.

AL: Have you toured in Germany and Berlin before?

Joshua: Black Mountain has a whole bunch. We have been there four or five
times now. We have done both festivals and club shows. Most of the time in
Germany we play clubs. The festivals are more likely to happen in the UK, the
Netherlands, and Scandinavia. WE have played a lot of clubs in Berlin. The
place we have played the most is the Festival of Kreutzberg, which is a
staple of the neighborhood. It’s a hall.

AL: When you get to Germany on a tour, do you have time, or a day off, to
look around?

Joshua: Yeah. We have a little bit. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don’t.
It’s cool to check out European cities, especially Berlin, which is huge.
You can spend months there and not see much of the city at all. It’s a
beautiful city. Parts of it are a wasteland and parts have amazing architecture. A
lot of it is quite modern. Berlin is constantly in decay and rebirth.

AL: The last Black Mountain record came out almost two years ago, and you
toured on that record until Spring 2009. When did you have time to do this
Lightning Dust record?

Joshua: We made the record last winter. It was in between Black Mountain
tours basically. You can’t really tour anywhere, unless you are in the
southern hemispheres. We started the record in November 2008, and finished it in
January 2009. The record came out in the summer, after we had finished all the
Black Mountain tours. We had to put together an actual band to tour as
Lightning Dust. The new stuff requires a full band. The first album was
different, and we played as a duo. We have done a few North American tours, and are
excited to go to Europe.

AL: You never thought about coming out with a laptop computer?

Joshua: We have never done that. Our first album is really sparse. It is
actually only piano and guitar. And vocals. We did one tour as a duo and a
bunch of local shows and one off shows. We couldn’t do that with the new
record. When we record, especially with this band, we never think of what it’s
going to be like when we play live. It is a studio group. This album is way
more orchestrated. We had to put together a band to tour.

AL: How was it playing shows with The Cave Singers and Bonnie Prince Billy?

Joshua: The Cave Singers are old friends of ours. We feel comfortable
playing shows with them. That is a familiar arrangement. That was an extensive
five-week tour of North America. It was great to play small clubs to a few
people. It’s great when both bands get noticed by people who listen to music.

AL: Since you know Cave Singers so well, do you collaborate or play with
each other?

Joshua: Yeah. Both Amber and I have played with those guys. Amber has done
some singing on both of their records. I played some drums on their first
records. On this tour I played some keyboards. It’s pretty fun that way.

AL: And Bonnie Prince Billy?

Joshua: It was really different. It was frightening too because it was our
first tour with this band, with the extra members. We had to rise to the
challenge of playing really nice theaters every night in front of sit down
crowds. It was really cool. We had really attentive audiences.

AL: Some bands that are a little more quiet and subtle, and have silence
and space in their music, have a hard time in these rock clubs where people
are talking all the time. What do you think about that?

Joshua: It’s hard to get people to listen especially if you are thrown in
front of people who have no idea what you are all about. If people come to
see you, they might understand better. It’s a challenge. Shows are social
occasions and part of life. Lately, they have been matching us up with some good
bands.

AL: Did you write these songs when you were on tour with Black Mountain?

Joshua: Mostly we wrote the songs in the time in between tours. We
collected the songs over a period of two years. There is not a lot of time on the
road to sit down with a guitar and piano and write new songs.

AL: Does Amber write all the lyrics and melodies first?

Joshua: We write songs two ways. Amber writes songs on guitar and her songs
are based more on melody. The vocals come first in the way that she writes.
There is another way we write songs. That is where I write a song on piano
as an instrumental, and she adds the melody and the lyrics to them.

AL: Since you are writing songs all the time, how do you decide which songs
go to Black Mountain and which ones go to Lightning Dust?

Joshua: It’s pretty obvious that we are not the main songwriters in Black
Mountain. Steve is the main songwriter in Black Mountain, and we are involved
more in arrangements in that band. Amber has written a song or two. Black
Mountain is a rock band. Our songs are not suitable for a rock band.

AL: What songs are you playing nowadays?

Joshua: We have picked some favorite songs to play. It’s mostly new songs.

AL: So now we are talking to Amber. Where did you go?

Amber: I was buying something at a department store. The line was long.

AL: Are there any good places we should check out in Vancouver?

Amber: We have cool stores here that our friends are running. It’s a skate
shop called Antisocial. They have a lot of cool stuff. They have an art
gallery in the back. Bands play there.

AL: Is anyone in Lightning Dust a skateboarder?

Amber: Josh and I used to skateboard. I think Ryan the drummer still does
it. Most of the band doesn’t though.

AL: Was there any new influences on this new Lightning Dust record? Were
there any books that you read? Was there anything you wanted to do that was
new with this record?

Amber: We only did one small tour for the first album. The only thought I
had when we did the second album was to have more instrumentation so we could
tour easier. When things are that sparse, it’s hard to tour in rock clubs.
I don’t think that I was influenced by any books. I just read the Twilight
Saga.

AL: You like vampire stories?

Amber: No. I just read those because it was light reading. Josh read Master
and the Margarita by Bulgakov. I just read Glass Castles by Jeannette
Walls. I like that. It’s a memoir.

AL: Do you bring a lot of gear on tour?

Amber: No. We have tried to condense it down. Josh used to bring a
Wurlitzer organ. All the old gear brakes down. It’s hard to bring stuff around on
planes. We have one of those ugly Nord pianos. It’s all in one pianos. My
sister used to be in this band, The Organ. It used to take every member in the
band to carry this organ around. My sister now plays bass in Lightning Dust.
We have a simple setup.

AL: So you just rent a bunch of gear when you get in Germany?

Amber: Yeah. We have our man, Heist, in Germany. I am bringing this
terrible guitar, because I don’t want to bring my good one. We brought some stuff,
as Black Mountain, and left it with Heist. Now Josh can have a better snare
when we get to Germany. It becomes expensive to bring a bunch of guitars.

AL: You have toured a lot this past two years?

Amber: Yeah. Black Mountain probably toured for six solid months. We got to
go to Brazil and Australia. We haven’t been to Asia yet.

AL: Have you seen any good new bands?

Amber: We played with The Oh Sees. They are from San Francisco. I saw
Dinosaur Jr. I wasn’t really a fan, but seeing them live was rad. We played a
couple shows with Portishead. They were the headliners. We played with Neil
Young in Denmark. We saw Jay-Z too. The tour with Bonnie Prince Billy was
amazing.

AL: You can’t top that.

Amber: Definitely you can’t top that. Watching him play every night never
got boring. The way they play the songs changes every night. He has a group
of people who are very passionate about music. It was inspiring.

Website: www.lightningdust.com

Alessi's Ark Interview 2009

Alessi’s Ark
Interview by Alexander Laurence

London-based Alessi Laurent-Marke has been doing music for almost three 

years now. I have been writing about her for so long on the Portable-Infinite, 

that she was called just Alessi back then. 

I attended one of her first shows, if not the
first. Much time has passed. She recorded an album called Notes From The
Treehouse (2009) with Mike Mogis. Her album came out earlier this year in
the UK, but not in the USA. She has played almost 150 shows by now. She has
done some art shows. She played at Glastonbury with Neil Young and others. She
has an EP coming out soon. She is off to Germany for the first time for
some shows there. She has done this all at the age of nineteen. Hopefully we
have a full length record to look forward to soon, and some American shows
next year.

AL: How do you like being here in New York City?

Alessi: New York is amazing and made even more special by some wonderful
friends that live there.

AL: Who is in your band now and how did you find these musicians?

Alessi: The Ark ebbs and flows and it's more like a gang than a band I
hope. Not that there's anything wrong with bands, but gangs/collectives
means more people can be involved! The fellows I’ve been playing with
for quite some time are Jamie Backhouse (guitar), Sam Nadel (drums)
and Adam Newton (bass). Sam lives in London and introduced me to both of
the others, Jamie lives up in Liverpool and Adam lives in Bristol.
Sam and Adam have been in their own band, Blackbud for a long while. I've
been fortunate enough to meet and play shows with members of the Willkommen
collective and we recently recorded some new songs together. It's been lovely
sharing the songs with these very kind
people dotted all around the country.

AL How were the recent shows with Cerys Matthews and Au Revoir Simone?

Alessi: They were very nice and both took place at the Union Chapel. It is
a very ornate chapel in Highbury & Islington. The acoustics are
beautiful and the audience sit amongst hundreds of glowing tea lights.
Cerys has the most beautiful voice and her band are very talented and
sweet, some from these parts and some from Tennessee.

AL: How has association with a big label like EMI been?

Alessi: Working with EMI was a good experience at first and it gave me the
chance of working with Mike Mogis, which was an experience I'll always
remember and hold closely. When the team I worked with left, the label became a
different place.

AL: I heard that you met artist Laura Levine recently. She created the
cover of your album. How was that meeting?

Alessi: It was a dream to meet her. She is a very rare and special person –
I admire her very much.

AL: What are your new songs about?

Alessi: Learning and friendship mostly.

AL: Are you writing about new experiences or are these more songs
connected to the earlier ones?

Alessi: New experiences.

AL: How do you feel about people downloading your music illegally?

Alessi: If somebody comes across your music and it keeps them good company,
that's what matters. There's so much music to find and search through, not
everybody wants to pay for it - but if they find an album or an artist that
strikes a chord with them, hopefully they'll go and tell a
friend or their sister and spread the word. It's a different way of paying
for it. Enthusiastic word spreading.

AL: How were your shows at CMJ?

Alessi: They were fun. The Living Room is a lovely venue and wins brownie
points for having a photobooth . Some very sweet friends came out to that
show despite the torrential rain and we ate a Mexican dinner up the road
afterwards. It was a win!

AL: What were some of the festivals you played this summer, and were there
any stand out moments?

Alessi: We played at quite a few this year ; Bestival, Glastonbury, Secret
Garden Party, Camp Bestival...and they were all very different and special
in their own ways. It was wonderful playing for little ones at
Camp Bestival - it's a family friendly version of Bestival that takes
place at Lulworth castle. The smaller festivals like Lounge On The Farm
and Nozstock are out there on their own in terms of paying attention
to lovely little details. One stand out moment was at Nozstock where
we are stuck in Dad's car in mud so thick, every single car on the
site had to be towed out by one tractor, one by one. Almost like
magic, we soared through the mud and avoided the tractor towing! Hyde Park
Calling was one of the best weekends of all time. We played on a bandstand
and then went to listen to Neil Young and his band play around the corner. He
is one of my favorites and it was just before my birthday. A very special
present.

AL: How do you go about making videos?

Alessi: 'For one year' and 'The Crown' were made by Layke Anderson. 'My
Bedroom' was made by Madeleine Morley. Making things with friends is unlike
anything else in the world. We had a lot of fun just wandering around together
in different areas. 'For one year' covered a lot of West London - Ladbroke
Grove, Kensington and Holland Park and 'My Bedroom' and 'The Crown' were
both made in North London, in and around Hampstead Heath. 'The Horse' was made
by a lovely duo called 'DuckEye' in East London and we brought over Jake
Bellows to sing his parts. I was quite nervous at first to work with a team
other than friends but I've been lucky that everyone I’ve worked with has been
very warm and welcoming. 'Over the Hill' was made by Karni, a director from
Bristol who most often works as 'Karni + Saul' with her husband. The video
was made in an old house overlooking the river, up the road in Hammersmith.
A family live there and their cats and dog kept us company. One cat made an
appearance at the beginning of the video - look out!

AL: You have done some art shows. Can you describe what was happening in
that realm?

Alessi: I've always liked drawing and a friend, Lynden, encouraged me to
share the drawings in a local exhibition. Sometimes, it takes a friend to give
you a nudge to do something and you feel brave enough to do it. She has b
een organizing exhibitions and most recently a music festival, under the name
'The Velvet Sneaker' and is somebody I really admire. The exhibition was up
at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith from august 4th till September 27th and
with Lynden's support it wasn't half as nerve wracking as I thought having
an exhibition would be. At the moment, I'm working on some artwork for a band
from Milan called Green Like July and drawing some bits and pieces with Ben Phillips -
you can have a look at his illustrations here : www.benjaminphillips.co.uk

AL: Is there a new EP on the way?

Alessi: Yes, It'll be called 'Soul Proprietor' and it'll be out early next
year. Ben and I have been working on the artwork. Three of the four
songs were recorded live.

AL: What other new bands do you like?

Alessi: Treetop Flyers are an amazing band from West London, my family and
I try to catch as many of their shows as we can. There is a lot of special
music in Brighton; Shoreline, Sons of Noel and Adrian,
Mechanical Bride... and I recently heard Dan Michaelson & The
Coastguards perform and thought their sound was lovely too. From
across the waters, I still listen to favorites ; Neva Dinova, Coal
Beautiere, McCarthy Trenching, Thunder Power and more recently ;
Forest Fire, Sharon Van Etten, She Keeps Bees, Alberta Cross and
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.

AL: Can you recommend a book?

Alessi: Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser.

AL: What should people expect in the shows in Germany this December?

Alessi: Some new songs from and probably some singing together, I'll be
going over with Jake Bellows. Give him (Neva Dinova) a listen if you haven't
already!