Philadelphia-based band East Hundred recently released it debut record and took time out of its busy schedule to tell us about making it. Thanks, guys.. The Band: Beril, Brooke Blair, Will Blair, Susan Gager, Dave Sunderland
Do you have a particular musical philosophy?
Beril: Songwriting/singing wise, just to be honest, sincere and not afraid of vulnerability.
Is there a thread to the work you do?
Brooke: I’m not sure we have one specific approach or philosophy about making music. We try not to repeat ourselves from song to song. We do have certain favorite guitar tones and keyboard sounds that do appear in various tunes, so that might be a bit of a common thread that runs through the songs in a very subtle way.
Beril: Stylistically speaking we’re still striving after the ideal sonic sound, I think. Lyrically it goes both ways. I’ve heard something in my head and we’ve started that way before (‘slow burning crimes’), but not often. Usually the music comes first I think.
Growing up, did you want to be a musician?
Beril: Yes, always.
Will: I think all of us did. Its all we’ve really ever done, and it’s the only thing we’re decent at.
Did you come from a musical family?
Brooke: I’ve always been fascinated with music since I was a little kid. My dad had some guitars laying around the house, and he taught me a few chords here and there, so it was encouraged. Will and I both took piano lessons and played in the elementary school band, but we both always wanted to get our hands on drums, guitars, and keyboards. They seemed a lot more fun than the trombone.
How do you define good work?
Susan: I think there's really no formula to good work. I know with us there are songs that take no time to write at all, then there are songs that we'll spend weeks on, and they'll both turn out to be great songs.
What might larger, more established artists learn from your approach?
Beril: Hah, to appreciate where they are, which I’m sure most do. I don’t want to sound jaded, but I think there’s an element of dumb luck involved in this industry. You can’t help but envy those who have the luxury to just focus on making music and improving their craft instead of suffocating in the business aspect of it all. But we’re working hard and feeling good about what we do…and most importantly just trying to have fun with.
You guys are from Philadelphia. Do you have a favorite local place to play shows?
Dave: Our favorite place to play in Philly has got to be Johnny Brendas. Its a good size space (cap. 300) but it still has a real intimate feel to it. The staff is really cool, and it also has really good food. We find ourselves there a lot even if we're not playing.
The album is called "passenger". Why?
Will: We debated and argued and discussed a lot about this topic. We finally all agreed on Passenger. I think within the year we recorded it, there was a general sense of “being along for a ride.” Again, we are in complete creative control, and make our own decisions, but as individuals, part of something larger than ourselves…there is an equally exciting and anxious feeling of not being in the driver seat. So much of what we do is still out of our own hands. Again, we accomplished so many goals this past year, but at the same time, the final product is very dependant on each others’ actions and reactions, and in making this record there was a feeling of “anything can happen”. This is bigger than our individual selves, and we have to go with the flow, as any passenger would.
One of my favorite songs is "Sigh and Wave". Do you have a favorite song on the record? Why?
Beril: For me I have parts of songs that are my favorite rather than just one song. It’s the moments where the music, the lyrics, and the vocal melody are perfectly synergetic to express the exact emotion you want to convey.
Will: I think we all have different favorites, some favorites on the record, might not be our favorite to play live, and vice versa. As a whole, we are all equally proud of each song.
Were you inspired by anything specific while you were making this record?
Beril: Brooke and I broke up during the beginning of writing the record after a 4 year relationship. That definitely inspired the need to put that sadness and frustration somewhere. This record is very dear to me personally because of that.
What was the most challenging part of this project?
Beril: Not crying while working with Brooke, trying to avoid lyrical clichés, and singing for 12 hours straight during the vocal recording sessions.
Why did you go with producer Brian McTear?
Originally we had just heard great things about Brian around town, but had never met him. We arranged a meeting with him not even really knowing what our full plan for the album was, and Brian sat and talked to us for about 2 hours on his own time. He answered all our questions and seemed to have so much enthusiasm about the project. We all knew immediately that it was the right step for us. (Susan Gager)
What is the studio space like - is it big?
Brooke: Brian’s got a great studio. It’s a really comfortable space. The cutting room is really big and it has windows! Natural light is such a great thing when recording. It’s a pretty rare thing is studios.
What has been the reaction to the record so far? Was the label supportive while you were experimenting?
Will: It seems the reaction to the record has been very positive, which we are thrilled about. But to clarify, we are UNSIGNED! We tend to run the band with the mentality of a small label. In addition to playing of course, we all have different “business” roles to make sure we get things done. It is a very tough balance to write and create and perform, but still invest a lot of time into promotion, booking, fundraising, networking, and general day to day business that a label is normally responsible far. Its tough, but I guess at the end of the day we make all of the final decisions. So in a sense, we are our own label. So our vision was pretty much fully realized with this record, and yes, we were supportive of out own experimentation!
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