The Compound/ Battleground Artist- LAE interview is up
1. Where in all that is holy's name did the mix of Sonic Youth, Spaghetti Westerns, Noise Rock and Post Rock come from to create LAE?
Well, it's quite simple, we really do listen to all that stuff and more, so it just instantly and naturally comes out in our ideas when we're jamming and working on songs.
2. The Jazzy over tones with the Mariachi Horns is such a great touch. Do you feel your more an experimental band or Post Hardcore force?
Definitely more of an experimental band i would say, but again, because we did listen to hardcore and post-hardcore in our twenties it just sort of stuck and it manages to make its way into our sound in one way or another.
3. The Music is all about tones, emotional states and the textures that you can create in ones mind from this interviewer. What is the end goal with a band like LAE?
I think you pretty much summed it up right there... It is very much about emotions and vibes and atmospheres... When we're playing those songs, we're totally into the music and truly feeling every bit of it. Music should be an experience, we are hoping people who listen to LAE can feel that.
4. How important is art vs image to a band like LAE?
An album is a work of art, it's one package and of course the artwork has a very important part in it. When i talked about the vibe and atmosphere in the music, well the artwork is an extension of that.
5. I hear elements of Slint, Sonic Youth, Discord Records as a whole in the make of the band? what was the major influences to create current day LAE?
Well, as references, i will admit that certain band names do pop up in jams sometimes. A few that comes to mind are Unwound, Swans, MEW, My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai... But we usually don't talk so much in jams, we much rather be playing!
6. Is there any sort of message in the music ?
That's a tough one. I don't think any of us thought about this. But as far as lyrics go, and at the risk of sounding corny, there is this sort of hope throughout the album despite the darker stuff that Steve (Austin) wrote.
7. Earsplit / The Compound has taken you under their collective wings how did that come to be ?
When the album was finished, we knocked on a few doors. Steve (Austin) had a few places in mind that he suggested we send our music to. Dave Brenner at The Compound was one of the first to respond and with great enthusiasm. He just loved the album. We talked about what kind of release we wanted, we agreed on how we were going to go about it, and with the collaboration of Battleground Records we made it happen. It all went smoothly, we all had the same mindset and we're stoked to be working with these guys.
8. I know you're very close with Steve of Today is the day as he's on new album and he help record the album, I love Today is the day as well. What did steve help do to the overall sound of the album?
Steve's work on this album is colossal. When he first came to Montreal to set up his equipment to begin recording the band, i don't think any of us (including him) knew what to expect in terms of his involvement. I mean, don't get me wrong, Marc and Ron's compositions were already very rich and well crafted.
But not only Steve ended up singing and writing all the lyrics, he added a lot of guitar parts and more importantly he had to deal with all the overdubs that Marc was doing and believe me, there was a lot! I don't even know if someone in the band can actually confirm that all the tracks ARE on the album, haha. At some point we almost had to lock Marc up in a room for a few days so that the songs would get mastered and we'd finally have an album, haha.
9. What a LAE live show like how does it differ from recording?
To be totally honest, with this line-up, we don't know! ...As we've never played a live show together yet. But from my experience seeing Marc and Ron with their old band Lae-Tseu and Steve with TITD, man, when we finally do play a show i'm sure it'll be nothing but intense.
10. What are you currently listening to and reading? Always interested in new places to explore?
I personally am always listening to a lot of different kind of music. I know Steve is, like me, a big Miles Davis fan, so i know there's always time for some Miles. On the 'poppier' side of things, we're all digging this band 'Mew' from Denmark and i have a soft spot for this Toronto band 'Electric Youth' and for Sky Ferreira. We're all a bit nostalgic too, we still have a lot of love for all the stuff that had a big impact on us musically in the 90's, stuff like Sunny Day Real Estate, Slint, Bedhead, Drive Like Jehu, Hum, Rodan, the Dischords stuff like Crownhate Ruin and Regulator Watts... Obviously Unwound, one of my favorite bands of all time! But i've also always liked my hip hop very much, right now i'm digging a lot of the stuff that's coming out of Detroit, cats like Clear Soul Forces, Apollo Brown and Black Milk. Montreal's own 'The Posterz' are making waves right now and rightly so. As far as reading goes, I'm reading Douglas Coupland, he's a canadian writer, one of my favorite. But i'll usually read more autobiographies. Being a skateboarding fan i really enjoyed 'The Mutt : How to skateboard and not kill yourself' by one of my favorite skaters Rodney Mullen, he's a fascinating guy and a true artist. I also loved David Byrne's 'How Music Works' and Alex Ross's 'the Rest is Noise'.
11. Whats your thoughts on Social media is it just a needed evil in 2014?
Social media is all over the place and you can't escape it, 'might as well use it wisely... and when used wisely, it can definitely be a powerful tool.
12. In 3 words describe LAE to someone that never heard you?
experimental - noise - music (shit, i don't know...)
13. There really is something about Montreal for experimental music with Constellation and Alien8 Records . Why is there such amazing music in Metal, Hardcore and Avant realm?
My thoughts on this is that there's quality music in all thinkable genres in Montreal, there's also quality art, quality films, quality food, etc... You just have to be curious and look for it. The main reason for that, and it has long been the case (so much so that it's kind of a cliché), is the low cost of living. Rent is cheap, it's easy to get a space and be creative.
14. Thank you for the time any closing thoughts here.
Thank you and i invite you to stay in touch with all things LAE on our website (www.laetseu.com) as we are currently working on an EP and will be playing shows very soon.
Cheers!
Serge Nakauchi Pelletier - Drummer for LAE / founding member of instrumental band Pawa Up First / Film composer
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