Throughout the 60s Cambodia was booming with talent, the music scene was flourishing and the stars of the era were talents like no other. Artists Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Sereysothea ruled the scene producing thousands of songs, acting in movies and even performing for royalty.
Continue reading “Dengue Fever – an introduction”
Interview – LL Schultz (Down the lees)
We (ok, Sam and Quinto) catch up with the multitalented LL Schultz and grill her for all things music, DIY and nineties for your reading pleasure.
If you need music with yer interview, just press play.
Continue reading “A third degree passing as an interview with LL Schultz”
Or: Hangin’ with Boris Yeltsin dans le metro…
Listen to their latest album, Let it sway, while you read this interview!
It’s no secret that Polyvinyl gets a lot of love from us at Sloucher.org. It’s no secret either that we are into bands that do have a sense of humour. How chuffed were us (Tonan & Sam) when we found out we could have an email interview with Phil from Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin ? A lot. So we went to town, had a few cups of mokaccino and, sadly, reacted badly to caffeine. What follows are the questions we did under a massive overdose of coffee and fanpersonism…
Continue reading “Interview: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin”
The Twilight Sad – Interview
The Twilight Sad is pretty particular beast. They swagger some great music, coupled with a visual motif in most fof their albums’ artwork. After a very intense show in Tramlines 2010, I was set to interview them and, frankly, was worried about this. Some of their videos and album covers might look like a good, optimistic day in Iain Banks (!) head, but the band are quite cheerful, if a bit nesh, but still a nice bunch. They look knackered ( I later find out they had a broken tyre on their way to Sheffield) but still ask if I’m okay to wait for them to get stuff from the stage to their van.
I meet James Graham (vocals) inside the Sheffield city hall. He’s taking some buckfast (for medicinal purposes, of course), telling me about this drink being frowned upon in Glasgow as it is assumed that only criminals drink it. I joke about the owner of a booze shop giving me “the eye” for asking for buckfast. We talk a bit before the interview, telling him that I got to know the band from their track in Saints’ Row 2. I also mention that buckfast was a cheat code in Grand Theft Auto 2 but I remember that we should be talking about music…
Continue reading “That day, it drizzled before the interview”
Interview – The Loud
I remember the day. It was the end of March and I had spent the day rambling at Castleton. Was knackered, but still managed to drag myself to The Grapes and catch some good bands. The first one, I knew nothing about, but got an EP from them. It read The Loud and after their set, it was pretty clear why it was called like that. Time passed, the band donated a song for our free mix cd and they managed to get a spot in Tramlines 2010.
The opportunity for catch up and an interview was perfect. I met Pennington (vocals, guitar) and Lee (drums) at Bungalows and Bears for a quick one. With them is their manager Craig and a friend of them. Matthew (bass) is AWOL as he’s lugging around the equipment, but I’ll meet him later in the patio/cargo bay of The Grapes. They seem quite relaxed before the gig, calmly sipping their pints and smiling.
So, The Loud, how it all started for you? How you met each other?
Pennington Lee: Me and Matthew (bass), we played together in bands all the time since school, we were looking for a drummer and Lee played drums. It just came together like that.
Lee Oxton: We just go back from back then, really. School friends.
PL: We’re all in the same type of music.
Continue reading “Intertwined and dissonant”
Part 3: The fickle finger of the current scene and passing out at The Washington…
After a slight detour through the realm of cult television, Smokers Die Younger are persuaded to go back into the subject of music. Bribes were involved.
Sloucher: Sorry to bring anyone down, another question. Is the album experience alive or dead or is it just singles now?
James: A bit of both, really. We are more of an album making band, we want to get a full range of emotions into a record. There’s nothing wrong with a singles culture either. There’s group for both of them. People are [too] concerned about the downloading stuff.
Continue reading “Interview: An all night out blitz with Smokers Die Younger (pt 3)”
Part 2: Where we decide that talking about Cult stuff and childhood crushes is better than music.
As the rain wanes into a gentle drizzle and the alcohol quantities go into Bukowski levels, Amy, Ian and James look more comfortable and my voice becomes slightly more slurred and lisped than usual. After Amy has joked about Ian’s tie, we proceed to pull a “Yer actual” on the interview and change the rhythm without any warning…
Continue reading “Interview : An all night out blitz with Smokers Die Younger (pt 2)”
Part 1: Of sweets and alcohol.
It’s a rainy Thursday in the outskirts of Brown Street, the Rutland Arms, to be precise. It’s been an interview that a couple of people at the site have been talking about for a while. Since I’ve seen the band live before (and since I’m disposable, apparently!), Quinto and Misky ask me to carry the interview.
I enter the pub and get a pint of ale and sit in a stool that reminds me of my days in Catholic School. While I go over the questions for the band, I draw some doodles on a notebook. Right on cue and on the exact time, 3 members of Smokers Die Younger enter. James Goldthorpe (Vocals, Guitar) recognises me and we talk about where to do the interview. Amy (Vocals, Harpsichord) goes out to the beer garden with a couple of paper towels and Ian (Bass, Vocals) is doing the thankless task of carrying the pints.
Continue reading “Interview: An all night out blitz with Smokers Die Younger (pt 1)”
The halls of the Sheffield Octagon always felt a little inhospitable, maybe as they remind me of an elementary school I was. Thankfully, the people around were quite friendly. After talking with their extremely nice tour manager, I met 65 days of static’s Joe Shrewsbury and we sat down in a small room in the Octagon. I glanced at the table and thought “I need a copy of their rider!”.
Continue reading “Interview – 65 Days of Static”
Interview – The Hope Explosion
It was Record Store day and after getting a few treats, I joined the lovely chaps of The Hope Explosion at the Fat Cat in Kelham Island for a spot of ales, sunshine and a chat. Rob (Vocals/guitar), Robin (Guitar/vocals) and Lee (Drums/vocals) were outside in the patio, waiting for the interview.
After getting the camera-passing-as-a-dictaphone on and setting some chairs in a makeshift circle, the interview started. A couple of people around were peeking around, with an old lady muttering “are they on telly?”.
Continue reading “One sunny afternoon at the Fat Cat…”
