Friday, March 27, 2009

As you may have noticed from the banner at the top of the page, Side One Track One is giving away two free tickets to The Clam Blue Sea’s orchestration of the silent-film Die Nebelungen at the Alamo this Sunday.  According to the band’s website, I once had this to say about their latest album: "This self-titled release solidly affirms The Calm Blue Sea as a band apart from the often cut-and-dry indie scene - true, intelligent originality that’s far too uncommon these days."  I would say that after having spent a few more months with the album, such audacity remains my stance on the matter.  Basically, The Clam Blue Sea are a great band to see any day of the week.  But the chance to see them scoring a silent-film live, well, that’s a real treat.

I got a hold of Chris from The Calm Blue Sea who was happy to answer a few questions about the show.

JM: Tell us how you initially got involved in the project, are you all silent-movie buffs or was this just a freak accident?

Chris: A freak accident actually. Lars Nilsen, a programmer at the Drafthouse approached us to do this event. I wouldn't say we're silent-movie buffs, but we certainly appreciate films from all eras.

JM: How have you been preparing for the performance, has it been more difficult that the way you usually prepare for shows?

Chris: It's been way more difficult. For the past 3 months or so we've spent at least 4 nights a week writing/rehearsing for this show. I can remember a few nights where I was in the rehearsal room for 8-10 hours straight...which is a lot when you consider that we all have day jobs. We've never had that type of regimen to prepare for a show...usually it just involves running and tweaking all of the songs a couple of times a week to stay sharp. Plus we've never had to practice to video, it's been weird taking our cues from a laptop showing the film. The cool thing is that it's all been very fun and fulfilling, albeit challenging. 

JM: Have you scored the entire film precisely or do you plan on improvising in sections?

Chris: There's not much room for improv. Within individual parts Jeff (guitar) will probably play some things on the fly...but that's how he plays every song - it's never the same. Aside from that we've scored all 90+ minutes of the film pretty precisely.

JM: How do you think doing this project will influence the way the band makes music in general?

Chris: I honestly don't believe it will ever be the same. For better or worse, you just can't shake 3 months of such focused writing from the way you do things. Time will tell exactly how it will change the way we make music but if nothing else I think it's made us better at expression. Writing music before was very open - sometimes a song would develop in a way that was unexpected and take on a life of it's own. Obviously I hope we haven't lost that aspect of writing but I think that now we are much better at translating our mood/emotion into a musical form because that's what we've had to do here. We had to write music that fit the mood of the scene in the film.

JM: I hear the show is 18 and up only, does that reflect on the gruesome intensity the guitar solos?

Chris: Dude, you have no idea. We have some serious Thin Lizzy/Slough Feg moments in there. Forget everything you know about The Calm Blue Sea...it's going to be like Eddie Van Halen took over the Drafthouse come Sunday. Just kidding, I couldn't play a guitar solo if I tried....not really the shredding type, you know?

I actually didn't even know that it's 18+, that's weird. I can tell you that I was just made aware that we've developed a bit of a following at some local high schools. So I better make sure that none of our new underage friends are denied entry. 

I also just wanted to say thanks so much for the support that you guys have shown us over at Side One: Track One. It really means a lot to us all. And thanks for taking the time to ask these questions.

If this sounds appetizing, remember, we’re giving away a free pair of tickets, just email sotocontests@gmail.com with your name as the subject.  Easy enough?

Quiet Company - Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon

Quiet Company’s new album Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon is an album I’ve been meaning to mention for a few weeks now.  But having brought the album with me on the 13 hour plane ride I took recently, I was able to spend some more quality time with the album, and can only recommend it more.  At fifteen tracks and almost an hour exactly, it’s a lengthy affair, though hardly monotonous.  On a whole, the album is very polished, it shines enough to accent the excellent instrumentation and the slightly-effected vocals.  You get the feeling that if you took a rag to it and polished just a little more, you might find yourself with a saccharine pop album, but alas, Quiet Company have left in just enough of that "home-recording" feel, both in the actual sound of the record and the deviations from an otherwise anthemic song structures. Ultimately it's a perfect balance - an album that can woo you in with sweet simple melodies but leave you thoroughly satisfied after the performance is through. 

Below is my favorite track off the new album, The Beginning of Everything At The End of the World, which sounds a bit like a souped-up Grandaddy.  Enjoy this track and you’ll likely enjoy the rest of the album, which I believe you can purchase only from the band’s flashy internet website.

:Quiet Company - The Beginning Of Everything At The End Of The World:

The Story Of - Until The Autumn

Until The Autumn, the latest album from The Story Of and follow up to The World’s Affair, is a successful "follow up" in the truest sense of the word.  My complaints (and those of many others) about World’s Affair was the iconoclast anthems that pounded from start to finish, without the dynamic contrast that could potentially have made the album much more interesting.  With Until The Autumn, The Story Of took the energy that got a little out-of-hand in World’s Affair and channeled it into much more dynamic, paired down rock songs that now have a rightful chance to breathe on the album.  The difference is almost inconceivable: in songs like The Flock (which you’ll hear below) soft percussive sounds give way to soft, but no less driving melodies, forming exquisite soundscapes to dwell among, to take in and enjoy. Rather than mowing you down with sound, the new album bides its time picking and choosing its exquisite battles, slowly developing its finer points like a well-crafted argument.  The end result is well worth a listen, but you can start here with The Flock.

:The Story Of - The Flock:

- John Michael Cassetta -



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