Disappears is a Chicago-based band that started out in 2008 as a recording project. Much has happened over the past several years and the band is currently touring in support of it's latest record "Guider". Recently, I had a chjance to ask founding member, Brain case, a few questions. Thanks, Brian, for taking time out of your busy schedule.. I started by asking about "Guider":
The new record, "Guider", came out earlier this year and is really starting to gain momentum. It sounds incredible.. Critics and fans are really digging it.. What was the overall tone you were shooting for on this record?
We wanted to do something a little darker than our first album LUX, take some of the ideas that were at the core of that (repetition, momentum) and expand on them. We also wanted to experiment a bit as well, which is how we ended up with the b side being one whole piece or song.
So, Graeme Gibson played drums in the band up until last Fall. He had to leave the band and Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth joined as his replacement.. That's pretty amazing. How did that come about? Has Steve been able to contribute creatively or what have his contributions been?
A mutual friend brought Steve to see us play and he really liked the show. We ended up collaborating on a still in progress project and kept in touch. When Graeme decided he was moving to Portland we asked Steve if he'd be interested in playing, not thinking it was going to work out. Fortunately it did and here we are. Creatively we've tweaked the older songs a little bit but mostly we've been working on new material we'll be recording in October.
There has been a lot of discussion about how the new mayor can make the city a better place for the arts. What's your take on being a band in Chicago? What is right and what can be improved?
Chicago has always been a great place for musicians - it's relatively inexpensive for a large city and is right in the middle of the country so it's easy to get to either coast. It's got a really strong community of like minded musicians that doesn't really focus on genre as much as shared experiences. I think the city does a lot for musicians now - the series' in Millenium Park during July and August always pairs local bands with national acts and there are a million street festivals here. As far as improvements go I'm not really sure - it seems like as long as you have an underground scene of bands and alternative venues that can sit along side the established bigger clubs things will continue to grow.
You've spent a lot of time on the road and the the band is set to embark on a large tour this summer. It kicks off in Grand Rapids, MI on 7/20 and includes a stop in Chicago for Lollapalooza. Are you looking forward to hitting the road for a while? What's the touring experience been for you? Has it been rewarding?
Tour has been going well for us with this record. We've been getting great turn outs and response. It's a lot of work and tough to be away from home but I think we're helping out situation a lot with these gigs. Right now we're testing out a lot of the material that will be on our next album so it's been really fun every night. The response has been great so we're excited to get working on it.
This is the band's entire set from La Route du Rock Festival in Saint-Malo, France.
Comments