four terrificly decent chaps hailing from San Francisco on Holy Mountain records, create a psych guitar raunch you can swim in while your face melts. Groovier than the Big Lebowski's beach scene the silver edged storm clouds of Tesla sound they generate makes them this generations Spacemen 3, Hawkwind and Can rolled up in one. With fuzz hooks that whip the light fandango, those never dabbling in psychedelics, their music alone is enough to turn you on. Live for the first time is a time machine, return to a 15 year old boy at his first rock n rawl gig. Achingly beautiful guitar solo's from Ripley with a Mo Tucker beat from drummer Omar. Nash on sci-fi keys and Dusty laying down a thumping bass rhythm. It gets the California Girl in everyone shaking. Quiet simply a perfect band and after a weekend of gigs in Estonia we asked some questions receiving this very warm response from Nash. The California dream bends, shifts and moves up a gear.
HARRY: I heard you play two gigs in Estonia which could not have been more different audience, the tabloid trash crowd in Kumu art gallery went absolutely beserk to the music.I think for many it was the first real band they had seen. Do you have any memories of your first evening in Tallinn?
NASH: The evening in Tallinn was a lot of fun. It is such a fancy building and fancy crowd, much different than we are used to. And the enthusiasm was so much different than anything we usually experience. So many times there will be a few people rocking out and dancing, but plenty of crossed arms and chin scratching too. In Tallinn everyone was dancing. It really did seem like most never hear rock bands, maybe just dance music or DJs. After we left the museum we went to the old city and spent the rest of the night in a great club, going home to sleep well after the sun rose. It was all an amazing time.
HARRY: At the party in the countryside the audience was mostly musicians, how did you like the contrasts and what are the abiding memories of your first Karupoeg (Son of a Bear) birthday?
NASH: The party in country was definitely a different scene. It was cool and damp and muddy, with everyone all bundled up rather than dressed up, but the crowd was really supportive of all the bands playing that night. We definitely met and befriended more people than usual, probably because there were so many artists and musicians that were really easy to relate to. It certainly made me wish that it was the first of many Karupoeg birthdays... And I loved the Estonian countryside. It reminded me a bit of where I grew up in Vermont, with the birch trees and ponds and meadows.
HARRY: What is the situation for bands now in California, are there a lot of different venues and can you earn a living from lives?
NASH: The situation for bands in California now is a bit tough... In San Francisco there are lots of great clubs, galleries, and even a bus that host shows, but there are always hassles. The State is cracking down on the clubs and trying to make it difficult for them to put on all-ages shows because of the alcohol laws. Events at galleries and warehouses create problems with the neighbors. Still, there are good shows every week. Outside of SF there are venues in Big Sur and in the college towns that are fun to play, but it would be tough to earn a living from just playing locally.
H: A first time visitor to San Francisco - how would the perfect weekend look and where would you take someone mad about music and wanting to get a taste of the soul of SF?
N: Well, the perfect weekends in San Francisco are usually in the fall, when the weather is warm and fog-free. There are also a lot of music festivals during the fall. Last weekend we played at the Frisco Freakout, an all-day, all-age intimate affair, but the week before there was a huge free festival in Golden Gate Park and the next two weekends there are other fests happening. But besides those events, there are always good shows going at clubs like the Hemlock and great record stores like Amoeba and Aquarius to check out. And any SF visitor has to have some good burritos...
H: America has been so unpopular for so many years (in Europe), how does it feel now to be regarded again as part of the community or did you never really leave?
N: Before our first tour in Europe in 2008, I hadn't been there since 1990. I had no idea how unpopular America had become, but I knew that when Bush was President he pissed off the rest of the world as much as he pissed off me. Everyone I talked to was excited about Obama, and Ripley saw it first hand at Obama's speach in Berlin. On election night we were on tour in Bordeaux and was amazing to wake up the next day in France and see how excited everyone was that Obama won. So it definitely feels good to be part of the community again.
H: Do you have any additional projects coming up with the band, how will 2009 look for the Wooden Shjips?
N: We are doing a short East Coast tour at the end of October and as part of that we are performing some songs from the movie "Wicker Man" at a screening in New York City. We are thinking about recording those tracks, and then we will begin to work on some new songs. At some point in the next month, a split single where we cover Spacemen 3 will come out. In 2010, we are planning on doing more tours and releasing more songs.
H: Omar (drummer) was missing from the recent European tour, how will him being a father affect the band and your sound? Some more playful tunes , baby rattles etc. When is he back?
N: Omar missed our tour through Estonia at the beginning of the summer when his daughter was born, but he made it for our return to Europe in August... He is pretty much back, but due to his parenting duties, he might not make all our voyages. I am not sure how it will affect our sound, but it certainly affects the gear we carry. We just did a short tour where we packed the baby's playpen in the van because his family was meeting us on the road.
H: How can fans get some of the older releases, can you recommend some good musical sites where they are stocking vinyl an CD's from the bands around now that you play with and those that influenced you?
N: One of the best places to find music is Aquarius Records here in San Francisco. They have a website and do a lot of mail order to Europe because they always get the best new releases and reissues on vinyl and CD. A lot of bands on tour will stop by Aquarius and drop off tour-only CD's or 7"'s, and we always make sure they have everything of ours that is still in print. They also have an amazing New Arrivals list where they review and give samples of all the new stuff in the store. It's really the greatest resource.
H: What is the silliest question you have been asked in an interview?
N: Anytime an interviewer asks about drugs, I think that is pretty silly.
H: What is the smartest question you have been asked and how did you answer it?
Nsh: The previous one?
H: Reading Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker is the closest literal equivalent to listening to you live, were you influenced by SF writers? How did you learn to push the limits?
N: I know there are a few local writers that Ripley likes, but I don't remember who they are at the moment. Pushing the limits is something I learned more from watching other musicians.
H: Off Grid is a uniting theme in DDD - how much off grid experience do you have in SF?
N: I must say I have little off grid experience in SF... The fear is that an earthquake will make it all too real.
Get Flash to see this player.
Get Flash to see this player.
www.woodenshjips.com
www.myspace.com/woodenshjips
www.holymountain.com (Record Label)
www.twistedrobot.com (Booking Agent)
Harry Lurcher
jun 14 '09
13 contributions
Heard once that life is too serious to be taken seriously. Poet, promoter, director of creativity, frustrated artist and aspiring human being. In the future will people be good enough sports to look back on us and laugh rather than with anger? In his future hopes to be older and travel with an ark in space. Favourite animal is a dog, called Harry the Lurcher. Now somewhere in space. Believes in re-uniting the thoughts with the feelings.
published • September 2nd '09
