interview

8hands featured interview: George Pringle

alon — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:28:41 -0400

Not long ago, we said that Pringle will be bigger than Google. Until it happens, we grabbed her for a chat and discovered a talkative and recluse girl that dreams of being an organ philanthropist and hates Windows. Don’t worry Georgina – we are in the process of making a Mac version of 8hands, and it will be as amazing as you!

You know how we feel about George Pringle – if you don’t, feel free to click here and read all about it. Today, we won’t talk too much and we’ll let Pringle spread her charm around, because as you’ll soon find out, she is very good at that.

Everyone describes you as ‘the next big thing’. Are you becoming an indie star?

“I'm pretty low profile really. People never recognize me. But that may be because I am a bit of a recluse and I don't go and hang out like indie stars do or associate myself with a particular scene. I never have many friends and I just spend a lot of time by myself, I always have done. I guess that people have been covering me recently, which is great, but I don't know if people will ever catch me like a fever. People latch on to stuff and it becomes ‘the next big thing’ when there's a gang mentality, I think. When a band is coming out and sounds fresh, it becomes like a football team or something. You want to be in their gang, you want to be affiliated with them in some way. I've never had a gang to speak of and I suppose that even though my music is very personal and it is something a listener can relate to and feel a part of, it's also quite isolating to listen to. That's why I don't think I will ever be ‘the next big thing’ in the true sense of the expression. I'm always going to be somewhere in the sidelines, spying on everyone”.

It's hard to describe your music. Let’s see you try.

“I think my music is the result of a need to articulate things that aren't articulated in current music. Like, for example, the beginning of ‘SW10’ - that was me trying to acoustically communicate sounds of my childhood, so I was using nostalgic strings but I also used that precarious moog part bleeping over the top because I wanted to make the track feel like a beginning, like an internet connection dialing up and wavering. So, I wanted the track to sound like waking up or, like, the end of something. The beginning or the end. I wanted it to sound primitive and abstract. I want things to sound suggested and un-generic. I think that the worst thing is when you can pigeonhole an artist within a genre. I think that in many ways I am deliberately trying to avoid subscribing to a genre but loosely it's electro or electronica. I think that my key motive is to create atmospheres and make music that is cinematic but direct and with a message, not just background music”.

Others who tried to describe you called used the terms ‘the art school Streets’, or ‘the British Uffie’. Which one fits you better?

“I think they're both pretty fine. I grew up loving Mike Skinner and I think that Uffie is fabulous. I suppose what I'm doing with my lyrics is probably closer to what Mike Skinner does but in terms of the use of my style and opinions, I'm more similar to Uffie. I think the result is a blend which is unique unto itself but can certainly remind you of other artists and Skinner and Uffie are pretty good company to be in to be honest”.

You’ve just released you debut EP, DIY style. How did it go? Would you rather have a label doing all the leg work for you?

“I think labels are good because they are a bank and they give you money but it was really empowering to self-release. I liked making each one individually, I think it suited my music - specifically the nature of my first EP, the songs, the sentiments - and was a kind of statement about Mass production. I think it made the experience for the listener more personal but if I get any more popular, I think I'm going to need more assistance, alas, I may have to sell my soul.”

So when will we get a full album?

“The full album may be out in September but I'm not about to rush myself. It will have some EP tracks on it but I'm still pondering as to how to knit all the tracks I have together in a way that makes sense. I tend to write very varied stuff, so I've made a real challenge for myself there”.

A tiny head with a huge talent. Georgina Pringle.

LCD Soundsystem are mentioned in your RCRDLB bio, and you also did a song called "LCD I love you" - How much did James Murphy influence you?

“A hell of a lot. LCD Soundsystem really inspired me from the use of the vocals to the beats, just everything. James Murphy is "the godfather" and he's paving the way and inspiring people who are much less able at production and songwriting”.

Who else influenced you?

“Blondie, Daft Punk, Air, The Kills, The Human League, M83, Ricardo Villalobos, the Velvet Underground and a whole load of film directors. They're more important to what ‘George Pringle’ is than the musicians, to be frank. I don't like musicians, I like people that directly affect culture with their attitudes and atmospheres. Photographers, writers, film makers and artists. I hoover all of them up, much more than musicians”.

You had other music projects in the past - what were they like? I couldn’t find any of it.

“I used to be in a punk band playing guitar, writing songs and singing. We were around before the whole MySpace phenomenon so that's probably why you can't find any evidence of us, thankfully… I also used to make music on an acoustic guitar and that was just dire. No platform for guitars and broken hearts. We need synthetic melancholia right now. I'm so sick of folky singers… I just find myself sitting there going: We had Dylan, why are they even bothering”?

What's the last really stupid thing that you did?

“I do a lot of really stupid things a lot of the time. I have a big mouth and get in trouble quite a lot with people. I suppose, though, the last really stupid thing I did was fall over and pour beer in my hair at a gig because I was so drunk because I thought it went badly and then this stupid guy was laughing at me, so I shouted at him”.

The relationship you have with GarageBand is known. Are you a true Mac geek as well? Are you a geek at all?

“I'm kind of a fickle geek. I adore Macs and I'm a real snob about Windows. I actually judge people that use Windows. Like, ‘urgh... You use windows?’ - I am anti-PC through and through. I think that I am a geek but I'm bad at problem solving, when my laptop messes up, I get confused. I like the creative side of computing and always have, since I was a child, on Claris Works, drawing pictures on the computer. I think that was the beginning of it all. On the other hand, I like not checking my email or using a computer for weeks if I can help it. I hate my mobile phone and I hate email even more”.

And how do you feel about social networks? Because the way I see it, they helped your carrier quite a lot.

“I hate social networks, but I think they're a necessary evil. Especially with my music, the internet has been the only way for me to get noticed. I suppose I use Facebook more than MySpace now, because all my friends have buggered off and made their ‘cyber home’ there - MySpace is so yesterday, apparently. But, I hate Facebook more than MySpace, it's so ugly and it's not really that nice to use and people put ugly pictures up of you the whole time. I hate that”.

A typical MySpace pic, but not a typical artist. Georgina Pringle.

Do you find music online?

“I've always been a fan of the 8bit which there is a worth of online. I really adore The Rubber Souls who are in my top friends. They are an 8bit act who do computer game, Moog based covers of Beatles songs. It's a very simple, anonymous and original way to make music. They're hilarious. I also like Watching Arthouse Films With My Daughter who is in my top friends, we've done some collaborations but we haven't even met. It's all very synthetic and I like that. We want to start a fanzine thing but I don't know if it'll happen”.

What's the best album you've heard lately?

“I don't know...I quite liked The Kills new record. I liked the new Gui Borrato record but I don't know... I am always disappointed by things”.

So let’s make it easy for you - what is the worst album you've heard lately?

“The Chromatics album was dreadful. It was really so boring”.

Last question, and probably our favorite: What would you do if you had eight hands?

“Do my hair and makeup in about three minutes flat? That would be great. I would save so much time. I would also maybe join a circus and get a lot of money from doing card tricks or something and then I would become a millionaire if we toured enough and then I'd pay for my surplus hands to be surgically removed and then I'd donate the surgically removed hands to people that need prosthetic hands. Now that's Celebrity charity work”!

8hands featured interview: Antony Harding

Alice — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:22:00 -0400

Hefner's Antony Harding talks about his legendary former band, John Peel, Barbapappa and his current solo project.

It's no wonder that a few years ago Hefner got the honorable title "Britain’s Largest Small Band". Even today, 6 years after their break up, Hefner is still a big name in the music industry as its ex-members have tons of fans and every second artist mentions them as a major influence.

A while ago, Alon wrote here about Darren Hayman's last album and it inspired me to check what's going on these days with the other Hefners. While I was wandering onto different sites, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a wonderful singer/songwriter under the name of ANT, who turned out to be none other than Antony Harding, Hefner's drummer. I was even luckier when Antony accepted my interview request and found the time to answer a few questions.

Hugh's biggest fan? Antony Harding.

Why did you choose an alias and didn't stay with your real name? I mean, I get the connection between ANT and Antony, but still, it's not entirely your full name. I suspect you lose some potential listeners.

"It's always hard to get your stuff heard. It's nice when someone stumbles across it. I plan to start making records as Antony Harding one day, maybe when I hit 40. ANT was just what my friends called me and what I went under when I started doing gigs. It's a bit twee for a middle aged father innit! Mind you I'll have to sell all the ANT merchandise first though! Or I'll get into trouble."

Oh, I would hardly call you middle aged. So you're a father as well. How many kids? Have they seen you in old Hefner videos?

"Well I'm 38 next month so I'm knocking on the middle aged door surely! We have a 2 year old son. He comes over sometimes when I'm looking at stuff on youtube and asks to watch Barbapappa instead. I'm sure he'll enjoy winding me up over certain Hefner videos in the future!"

Let's talk about the past for a while. Allow me to go back in time to 1997, the day when you got a record deal. Do you remember your thoughts back then?

"I just looked through my diary from 1997. It's just full of setlists, gig and rehearsal dates. I remember Too Pure showing up at a show we did at Upstairs At The Garage and them being very pleasantly surprised with how Hefner had suddenly become much tighter- the last time Too Pure saw Hefner it featured another bass player and drummer and it seemed like it was about to self destruct at any moment. Darren took me and John to our local pub in Walthamstow that weekend and asked us both if we fancied being part of the record deal. I remember feelings of excitement. We were actually going to make records and albums and go touring!!! But we all stressed the fact that it had to be a fun experience and that we had to do things the way the 3 of us wanted. I imagined we'd be one of those little scratchy bands that John Peel liked and we'd break up after the first album or something! These days it's easy to forget how many fans we had and how much we achieved. But I'm always meeting people who say... Hefner? I love Hefner!"

Do questions like this upset you? Do you find it irritating when you are asked about your past?

"No not at all. It's all about the past innit? Nostalgia. Music especially, how it's played its part in the soundtrack of your life. Hefner was the soundtrack to many lives."

Still is. Which artists take part in your life soundtrack?

"My schooldays: Adam and the Ants, The Jam, Madness. Sixth form: The Smiths, The Cure, The Woodentops, The Damned, The Pogues, Prefab Sprout. Art College: Galaxie 500, Kitchens Of Distinction, The Wedding Present, Fieldmice. Isle Of Wight: David Bowie, Bob Marley, Kate Bush, The Clash. London: Iris DeMent, Tom Waits, Nick Drake, Guided By Voices, Lambchop, Vic Chesnutt, Belle And Sebastian, Tim Buckley, John Martyn, Stina Nordenstam. Sweden: Townes Van Zandt, Sandy Denny, Richard Hawley, Clifford T Ward. That's about the size of it!"

Oh, right… You moved to Sweden. May I ask why? And what do think of the Swedish music scene?

"For love and to escape London for a while. I've now been here happily for 6 years. The alternative Swedish music scene is very healthy at the moment. A big export. Very impressive for such a small population."

What did you feel you had to escape from?

"Well the band had just finished, so had the money, and I was back working a day job, in the kitchen of a very nice cake shop- free cakes every Friday evening! And my Swedish girlfriend was working in a chocolate shop- free broken chocolate bunnies and broken chocolate eggs at Easter! We had a very small and damp flat, all the money went on rent and bills, it seemed like a good time to move. So we went to Sweden. Life became much easier and calmer. London can really wear you out after a few years."

But you are still in touch with Darren, John and Jake, right?

"Yes. Darren played piano with me at my last London show. And while I was staying with him he recorded, mixed and performed on a track called 'Time I Was Gone' which is on my next CD. We usually hook up a couple of times a year. Jack was also playing at that show and Darren and Jack are planning some shows together where they'll play Hefner songs to promote the 'Fidelity Wars' reissue. John's a little harder to meet up with but I plan to do another song together with John soon."

Back in the day. Hefner.

Is there any chance you guys will reunite?

"I don't think any of us are interested in reforming. We reunited once for the John Peel tribute a while back. There's talk of reuniting again the day that Thatcher dies but that's a bit tricky to plan towards! I think we're much more into the idea of playing on each other's records. Jack also performed and mixed a track on my next CD. I like the idea that all 4 of us might appear on the same record again but not a Hefner record!"

I know, all of you readers are on the verge of breaking into tears, but you should cheer up and find comfort in 'footprints through the snow', ANT's last album. The album is beautifully made out of Antony's voice and guitar with simple tunes that prove sometimes complexity isn't necessary in music. It's pretty amazing when a singer/songwriter really knows how to get the job done. I can count the ones I like on one hand, since most of the time I equate intimate music as boring. There's a secret ingredient that lies within the artist, which makes the difference between a good singer/songwriter and a bad one, an ingredient that can't be captured in words. Ant has certainly got it.

Do you feel there's a big difference between Hefner and your solo project? Do you feel more exposed being in the spot light?

"My work in Hefner was mainly drumming & singing backing vocals (I did do the odd bit of guitar and harmonica in the early days until Jack joined and took over that side of things properly!) so my solo work was always going to be a bit different from Hefner, But I think you can hear my personality in all the stuff I've done. Even the drumming. My solo work definitely exposes me the most, unless you count the 'I Took Her Love For Granted' video."

Finally, what would you do if you had 8 hands?

"Play in goal for Arsenal. Or be the best one man band ever heard!"

Download: ANT - When Yolur Heart Breaks (live)

Download: ANT - Cry Your Little Eyes Out (live)

Download: ANT - Spoil (live)

8hands Featured Interview: The Good Life

Alice — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:29:39 -0500

Ever since I picked my favorite 2007 album, some questions about The Good Life have been bothering me. That's why I'm so happy that the amazing Ryan Fox found the time to answer those questions and allowed me to get my peace of mind back.

You've joined Tim Kasher and The Good Life in 2001. I personally think your presence made the transition of the good life from a side project into an established band. In which point of time do you think it happened if you see a difference at all?

"About the time I joined was indeed the transition from solo project to band effort. Tim had recruited some people to tour with him for the first album, but 'Black Out', which we recorded in 2001, was a kind of turning point where it became a band. We still get tagged as a side project sometimes, which usually doesn't bother us. But it can be a bummer to see it in print because it comes off as a disparaging thing, like we're this lesser entity. The Good Life definitely feels like a band in the way we collaborate and work together, but it is different in that we have long stretches when we aren't playing together. But that's kind of nice, too, that the band operates on its own slow schedule and everybody has time to pursue other things, musical or otherwise, in the interim".

Living it large: The Good Life.

I'm sure that by slow schedule you mean slow when off tour, because your recent tour was pretty intensive. How was it? Which show was the best?

"We hadn't been on tour for a couple years, and it was great to get back out on the road and play for people every night. We played some places I hadn't been before and revisited some favorite spots. There were lots of shows I really liked for various reasons. In Philadelphia we played - for the 4th or 5th time - in the basement social hall of this church that has shows all the time. It was about 100 degrees in the room and probably 115 on stage. My hands slipped off the keyboard it was so humid. After the show, the floor was wet, like a layer of condensed sweat. It was kind of gross but I thought we played well and it felt healthy to sweat out some poison".

Sweating in Philadelphia, It's probably because it's always sunny there. How come, in your opinion, so many good and talented musicians came out of Omaha, Nebraska? Do parents there feed their children differently?

"I don't know what exactly to attribute it to. Lots of people here have been dedicated to their music for many years, and it's great that the world started to take notice a few years ago. I'm sure there are plenty of other cities with equal talent but perhaps Omaha is different in that there's not a particular sound or style, but it's still a spirit of collaboration. If there were some supermusic diet force-fed to Omaha toddlers, it's been brainwashed out of us".

Someone should make a movie about this place. Tell us a bit about Tim Kasher's screenplay, which your last album 'Help Wanted Nights' was originally written as its soundtrack.

"A guy's car breaks down in a small town and while he's stuck there he gets enmeshed in the lives and loves of the townsfolk. It's mostly set in a bar and involves just a handful of characters. Tim is working to get the movie made and has met with various people who could make it happen, though nothing is set in stone yet. To make an album can be quite the undertaking, but it seems that making a film is another beast entirely, with the costs and amount of people involved".

Well, sounds like it's worth the effort. If you could collaborate with one artist, dead or alive, who would it be?

"Hmm... Leonard Cohen? Maybe he could've used a different collaborator in the '80s when he put out some of those saxophone and synthesizer inflected - or: infected? - records. Tom Waits would be a fun one. How about John Lennon"?

What do you think about the way music and internet integrates? How does the internet affect you?

"I think it's a positive thing that the internet allows so many people to access so much information, music, etc. I still prefer word of mouth, my friends' recommendations and the random exposure of being somewhere a song is playing and thinking 'yes!' and having to ask who the band is. Sometimes the internet makes me feel flooded in music and like I can't really check anything out but can only stream a few crummy-sounding mp3s. But I've discovered things online that have prompted a trip to the record store: Stars of the Lid's 'And Their Refinement of the Decline', Papercuts' 'Can't Go Back' and Grizzly Bear's 'Yellow House' are a few that I've really gotten into".

Speaking of the web, I gotta ask, you know... being from 8hands and all... Are you a member in any online communities or social networks?

"The band has a Myspace account but I don't have one myself, though I've had them for a couple temporary bands I've been in. I think I still have a Friendster account that's been long inactive. I should get in there and make sure I'm not unknowingly sending out 'OMG! Macy's gift card' comments to people. The band also has a Virb account".

And Finally, What would you do if you had eight hands?

"We made a t-shirt last year that has an octopus riding a unicycle with two tentacles and drinking a six-pack with the other six tentacles. I guess if I had eight hands I'd wish for six more arms to put them on".

Download: The Good Life - Heart Broke

Download: The Good Life - You Don't Feel Like Home to Me

Download: The Good Life - A New Friend

The 8hands Mega-Team Puts An End To 2007! Part 6

alon — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:48:40 -0500

We gathered around all of the interviews we did during 2007. We figured that if you know what’s right for you, you wouldn’t want to miss them.

An interview with Chris Eaton of Rock Plaza Central – this was our first ever music blog interview and we were thrilled to have it with the lead singer of our favorite Canadian band.

An interview with All Girl Summer Fun Band – how could you not love these girls?! Personally, we want to marry them all!

An interview with Morgan Caris A.K.A. Flowers from the Man Who Shot Your Cousin – He seemed to be such a serious man but turned out to be such a sweetheart! Actually, why wouldn’t he be?

An interview with Matt & Kim – Could it BE more fun than that?

An interview with James Vella of A Lily – After releasing such a great, melodic, dreamy and wonderful album, we had to talk to him!

An interview with Bunny Rabbit – Cause she puts the “hood” in “8hands”. Or maybe not. We just love her ghetto ways.

An interview with Suburban Kids with Biblical Names – At some point of the year, we were obsessed with Swedish pop. SKWBN made us blow up!

An interview with The Hot Toddies – We just did this interview and what can we say? We still listen to them and our tiny octopus still adores them.

An interview with Udi Radomski of LOAF Recordings – Cause sometimes we like to take you higher, to the people who run the show.

An interview with The Indelicates – They are smart, witty, and LOVE the net. They were perfect for us!

An interview with Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls – What he said about Bob Dylan made us think that he is just too smart!

8hands Featured Interview: The Hot Toddies

alon — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 08:49:08 -0500

Our 8hands octopus fell in love with one of the Hot Toddies (but refused to tell us which one of the twee girl band is his chosen one). To make him happy we interviewed them – otherwise he wouldn't keep his big mouth shut.

The Hot Toddies are every man's dream. They are a sweet-as-can-be all girl group that’s hooked up on surf and 50's music. Just like in the All Girl Summer Fun Band, you can find in their songs a little bit of a punk attitude and a whole lot of self awareness, but the aesthetics remains in the areas of other cute twee acts.

In their debut album, "Smell the Mitten" They sing about boys, getting horny and online romance ("I should have seen I'm only 15 and you're 32 / you don't love me / I went and asked Jeeves / he told me it's true"). We wanted their next album to talk about eight handed octopuses, so we grabbed them tightly and tried to make them like us.

How twee and joyful are you in real life?

"As happy as a kid with a Slurpee on a hot summer day! All the time. Really".

It seems like your album borrows a lot of influences from other girl bands, like The All Girl Summer Fun Band and The Pipettes. Do you look at them as a reference or are you into the originals?

"That’s a funny question because none of us have ever heard the Pipettes or the All Girls Summer Fun Band! Is that surprising? We’ve definitely gotten some ideas from oldies, they have such great harmonies and simple chords like we use in 'HTML' and 'Sugar Daddy'. But overall we have extremely diverse influences as a band and other songs reflect that as well like 'Rocker Girl', 'Anais Nin', 'Photosynthesis', or anything on our EP. Sylvia lately listens to mostly classic rock and metal, Jessica has been listening to mostly instrumental and experimental indie bands, and Erin and Heidi are all over the place between oldies, punk rock, indie pop and everything in between. Another influence is our local group of extremely talented musicians who we sometimes get together with to share ideas at an open mic or at a bar. Is it maybe just the all girls singing harmonies that makes people think of the 50’s? We feel like anything that rocks our world can be an influence, it’s definitely not limited to a certain genre".

Still, there are limits… which artist or band would you describe as the complete opposite to The Hot Toddies?

"Dillinger Escape Plan. They are awesome and totally unlike us".

How do you use social networks as indie artists and as private persons?

"Myspace is basically our main website. We use it to communicate with fans, venues, other bands and also to sell merch online. YouTube is a site that we haven’t used much yet because we’re still working on our first music video for 'Motorscooter', but we’ve seen other live videos from our shows posted up there".

What are the weirdest comments & messages that you've got from people in myspace?

"Honestly, we couldn’t really say. We kind of ignore the weird ones because most people are really supportive! We even just started up our own Street Team because so many fans wanted to help us out so that is really cool".

What does a street team do exactly?

"A street team is just a group for fans that want to help promote the band and spread the music in different ways. It's really a huge help to bands on indie labels who don't have the money to do nationwide or worldwide promotions through regular advertising, especially if they want to go out on a big tour like we do. That way you can get your street team in different cities to promote the show for you, put up flyers and invite their friends online. Our street team sign up is on: www.reverbnation.com/TheHotToddies if anyone wants to check it out. There are a couple different missions you can do to promote The Hot Toddies and if you do, we'll send you free stuff like CD's, pins and t-shirts!"

That's great! But let me go back a bit and understand something. Unlike what you've sang in 'HTML' you don't get too many mails from "40 year old losers" who are trying to get lucky with The Hot Toddies.

"Well actually 'HTML' was written more from a general awareness of how people use the internet than from any real life experience. You know you hear the stories on the news about young kids falling in love and getting lied to online? People can misrepresent themselves in really convincing ways on the internet! So those people are really the only “losers” that we know of and they’re totally hypothetical characters… usually we love 40 year olds".

Does it bother you that a lot of fans will listen to your music online instead of buying the album?

"Hey not at all! Of course we try to support indie bands by buying their stuff and hope that you can too. But sometimes people can’t afford it and that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get music. Sometimes we can’t afford stuff like that! We didn’t start playing music to make tons of cash either, shocking right?"

And do you find new music online?

"Not really. Most new stuff that we hear gets passed around from a friend - maybe they found it online, who knows? – or from just playing shows with other bands. Live music is a much more exciting way to discover new stuff".

So what are your recent discoveries?

"Jessica is newly in love with Broken Social Scene. Can’t think of any other brand new ones… can we talk about tv series’ instead? Cause then we’d have a long list for you: Six Feet Under, Project Runway (that’s all Sylvia), Nip/Tuck, Weeds, Arrested Development".

Buster from Arrested Development kinda had only one hand. That's not how we roll! What would you do if you had EIGHT hands?

"Mix cocktails, eat chicken pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), play guitar hero and high five each other – all at the same time".