Russian Circles recently release their new record called "Station" and it is incredible. Brian plays bass in the band and recently took some time to answer our silly questions. Thanks a lot Brian and congrats on the great new record!
What is your name and your role in the band?
Brian. I play bass and live hundreds of miles away from everybody else, making my role generally one of inconvenience.
Your music has been described as heavy and spacey. How do you describe
your band's style and approach to making music?
Mike sits in his room and writes a bunch of guitar parts. then him and dave go to the space and completely change everything and restructure the material about a hundred times. then i come in and throw in my two cents. whatever we're left over with becomes the end product.
Growing up, did you want to be a musician?
I wanted to be a professional skateboarder, but I really sucked at it and hated getting hurt. playing guitar seemed pretty cool. but I didn't think I could handle 6 strings. the bass seemed a bit more
within my reach. once I picked it up, it was an instant and torrid love affair.
How do you define good work?
that's all pretty relative. if it's intriguing and makes me want to listen to it more, then it's good. it should have some degree of accessibility, some degree of mystery, and some degree of inapproachability. is inapproachability a real word?
You guys are from Chicago Seattle Seattle Chicago
I live in
What was the overall tone you were going for on this record?
we wanted to have a broad scope of moods and emotions. there's moments of serenity and turbulence, melancholy and malice, party jams and sit-alone-in-your-dark-apartment-and-drink-and-cry moments.
Why did you decide to do your recording in Seattle
I have no idea. I wasn't a part of that decision process. but it obviously worked out in my favor... aside from the whole deal with housing a couple of long-haired dudes in my apartment.
Why the decision to go with producer Matt Bayles?
again, i wasn't a part of that decision. but the funny thing is... I have a long history with Matt. he's a great guy and an extremely talented producer and engineer. i was pretty stoked to find out I would be working with him again. it was a great experience, especially since i was already friends with him and the other two dudes had never worked with him. i got off easy, but matt really laid into the other guys and cracked that whip.
How was working with him?
i love matt. i think he's fucking awesome. he's really good at balancing the notion of keeping it real and live with the idea of creating a more polished studio piece. that's a hard line to tread, Chicago
but he has a very healthy balance of the two mindsets. mike and dave were more accustomed to the whole
Did you learn anything new in the process?
yes. there's more than one way to make a record.
How have people been reacting to it so far?
some people love it. some people think the last record, "Enter", was better. obviously, i'm a bit biased. but i think anyone that preferred the last record probably has a short attention span and hasn't bothered listening to both records in their entirety. Enter comes crashing out of the gates and has the strongest material at the front end of the record. Station is way more of a slow build, but is a far more consistent ride from beginning to end. as a whole, Station is way stronger. but hey, who am i to dictate people's listening habits?
Was the label supportive while you were experimenting?
yes they were. that is why we love Suicide Squeeze.
In writing, how do you know when a song is done?
a song is never done. you write it, record it, then go on tour, and it evolves into a whole new beast. a record is just a document of an idea at a very specific point in time.
Top 3 bands or records that inspired you to start a band?
Minutemen, Fugazi, and Dead Kennedys.
Top 5 things you have learned from being in a band?
Geography. Comparative cultural values. Patience. Independence
What is one of the defining moments of your career so far?
that's a pretty broad question. if my career is to encompass my entire legacy as a musician, i would probably say that touring Australia Moscow St. Petersburg Russia RUSSIA
Do you have any superstitions? tap your glass to the tabletop before you take a shot.
What do you think of the new records you have heard so far this year?
I think it's been a really fucking awesome year for music. Young Widows, Black Mountain
Anything else you would like us to know?
vote for Obama. don't waste my time with your Ron Paul or third party bullshit. do you really want McCain in office? or even worse, that nightmare Palin? get off your ass and vote for Obama. otherwise, you still won't have health care and we'll still be spending all of our money trying to stabilize a third world country that doesn't want us there in the first place.
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