Hailing
from Washington State, a place deep with American music roots, were you
inspired by the artists from there that came before you?
I think Pacific Northwest rock
music has played the biggest role in influencing our sound. Clearly we grew up
around Nirvana, Soundgarden, Seaweed, The Posies, Beat Happening and many
others. Combine those bands with all of the talented local bands that share our
scene, and it's hard to escape their presence in our music.
The sound
of the band is very unique, who are some of your influences?
I'd say Nirvana + Doves + My
Bloody Valentine + The National + XTC + The Police + REM and many many more.
You
signed to fellow Washington state resident, Chris Walla’s label, who sought who
out? Did he find out about you or did you contact him?
Chris bought our second full
length record, "We Sing The Body Electric!" after reading a positive
review in The Stranger. We then got the chance to meet him backstage at a Death
Cab show and it grew in to a friendship from there.
When you
signed with him, you were the first band to sign with that label. Did things
begin to change for you as a band?
Things changed when we signed
with Trans. It was our first national release and we started touring nationally
after the record came out. We started to feel like professional musicians for
the first time.
You
released your last record, Arrows, last year. What was it like making that
album?
We had a lot of fun making
Arrows with Chris. Personally, I spent a lot of time playing video games (when
I wasn't recording). We had the privilege of recording at Sound City in LA
which was a dream come true. I recorded my vocals right where Kurt recorded the
vocals for Nevermind, which kind of freaked me out a little.
Are you
currently working on new material?
We are always working on new
material. Currently, we are in the process of choosing which songs to record
for our next record.
Much of
your music comes from literary works. From the name of the band being a
reference to The Silver Chair and making references to Walt Witman. What other
writes inspire you?
Books influence my lyrics and
song titles more than anything else. Ray Bradbury, Issac Asimov and Ursula
Le Guin hold the top spots in my heart right next to Kurt Vonnegut and
Joseph Heller.
Are the literary
references intentional so fans can try and decipher what everything means?
My literary references are
very intentional. I started doing it so that the kids listening would
investigate the titles and eventually end up reading the books.
What does your music mean
to you?
All of our songs hold special
places in my heart, especially the ones that came out of personal heartbreak
and/or joy. I can think back and remember what I was going through when I wrote
all of them.
What has been the best
thing about Lonely Forest?
I'd say the best thing about
the Lonely Forest has been all of the stories the four of us have accumulated
over our time together. We've been through some crazy shit together. It's been
real.
You were on the road with Portugal. The Man last Spring, how was that tour?
Honestly, this tour has been one of the more interesting tours we've ever been on. In some ways it's been a total shit show and in other ways it's been crazy fun. The PTM guys are really cool and relaxed, which makes for a good touring environment.
You have been on the road with some heavy hitters aside from PTM, you hit the road with Two Door Cinema Club and Minus The Bear. How do you win audiences over knowing that a majority of faces in the crowd are there for someone else?
This has been a constant battle for us because like you said, we have toured with a handful of big bands that draw large crowds. Our method is simple though... we come prepared every night and play our songs as honestly as we can. People tend to respond well to sincere performances.