22 February 2005
Band We Like: Kasabian Interview
They want to take over the world.
Kasabian has unleashed a storm in the UK and Europe. They hope to do the same in America. Not since Kula Shaker or Oasis has there been such a stellar debut. These Leicester lads, backed with enormous hype, virtually unknowns last year, went to sell out major shows in the UK and Japan. They have cited bands such as Primal Scream, Blackalicious and Neu as influences. Unlike Oasis, you'll find no love song on this album. It's gritty, bass-heavy, and atmospheric.
A band that took its name from Linda Kasabian, the pregnant getaway driver of the chilling late 1960s murder spree, Kasabian prides themselves on being honest, unique and complex.
They made their US live debut last November at a sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom. They are now embarking on a major US tour where they will play SXSW and Coachella. Aeki Tuesday caught up with Chris Edwards last week before Kasabian's sold out show at Irving Plaza. Kasabian are: Tom Meighan (vocals), Sergio Pizzorno (lead guitar, keyboards), Christopher Karloff (guitar, keyboards) and Chris Edwards (bass).
---------------------
Aeki Tuesday: Tell me about growing up in Leicester
Chris Edwards: A bit boring really. I think that’s why we started the band. If you know what I mean. We didn’t have a lot to do. Just decided to pick up some guitars and start playing. It’s not a very big town. Yeah, just pretty boring. Parties, football, and music - that’s about it.
AT: All of you were friends back then?
CE: Yeah. We’ve known each other. Tom has known Chris Karloff, our guitarist, since he was about 5. I’ve known everyone since I was about 11. We’ve kind of grown up together. Cause we all used to live in the same village. We were always going to each other’s houses.
AT: What about your recording process? Do you have a productive principle?
CE: What do you mean? Do we have a set way of doing things?
AT: A set way of doing things.
CE: No not at all really. It can start with anything. It can start with just a guitar lick or it can start with a drumbeat or just some lyrics, a little hook. I mean, we don’t have a set way of doing things.
AT: Is there a primary songwriter or do you all contribute?
CE: Chris and Serge (Sergio Pizzorno) kind of sit down and come up with an original idea. Serge writes the lyrics. Then he works with some of it and brings it to the table. Then we just add our own flavor. Ian (Matthews), our drummer, adds some. Whatever he wants to add in. We sit around and talk about it.
AT: The recording took place in a farmhouse in Rutland?
CE: Yeah, that’s right. We hired a farmhouse for 2 years. For like the last 8 months we were living in and out for like gigs and stuff. We’d get there at 4 in the morning and leave at 8 to go to the next gig. It was 25 miles from where we used to live. It was far enough away from our friends. They were around all the time.
AT: There were some parties that you had thrown.
CE: The place was just enormous. We used to get all of our friends over. The landlord who is only 2 years older than us – 26, 27 – we used to get all our friends around and have all these big parties, which was cool.
AT: How did you get together with Jim Abbiss (Producer: The Music, DJ Shadow, Bjork, Unkle)?
CE: I’m not too sure actually. I think our record company contacted him because we said to our record company all the producers that we liked and the albums. Like DJ Shadow did an album with him as well and The Music’s album. We mentioned that to BMG, our record company, and they I suppose got in contact with him. He listened to our stuff and really liked it. So then he came and mixed the album. Mixed some of the album. The whole album was self-produced ‘cause we did it all in the farm. It was recorded on the farm. All 80% of it was. Then we just got Jim Abbiss to mix it, put that magic, sprinkle dust and make it sound professional.
AT: You played at some festivals last year. Glastonbury and T in the Park. How was that experience?
CE: Awesome! Glastonbury was our first festival last year. 20,000 people came to watch us.
AT: Were you nervous?
CE: Not really. It was actually one of the easiest gigs we ever played. Then afterwards we were all like “So now?” We just started walking around talking to ourselves. Not really knowing what was going on. It was a bit of a head full. It was crazy. We managed to play all of the festivals last year. Reading, Leeds – both the main festivals – Glastonbury and T in the Park. It was a busy year for us last year.
AT: In Japan, you were the first band to play on the rooftop on Tower Records in Tokyo.
CE: Yeah we were the first non-Japanese band to play on Tower Records, which was pretty cool. We were on top of Tower Records and played a gig for like competition winners and fans.
AT: You’re on tour right now with The Music and Morningwood. How’s the tour going so far?
CE: It’s kind of a bit non-stop. Like you said. We played Europe for like 2 weeks just doing some gigs in Paris and Milan. Places in Germany and Belgium. We went straight to Japan to do their winter Festival called ah. I can’t remember what it’s called now. Wintersonic it was called or something like that. We were there for like 4 days. We just reached Japan and hung out the weekend and then came back.
AT: Have you ever played with The Music or Morninwood before?
CE: We’ve played with The Music once at a radio station in the UK at BBC Radio 1. They did like a weekend thing. We were on the same stage with The Music. [The Music] went on after us. We’ve met the guys before. They’re nice people. They played Summersonic in Japan with us last year as well. We know the guys a little bit.
AT: Has anything strange happened on the tour so far?
CE: Tom lost a pair of flip-flops. Nothing that strange.
AT: Has the band always been so ambitious?
CE: Oh yeah, definitely. We started playing the guitar when we were like 16 or 17. We started a bit late. We always knew we were going to get signed. We just had this confidence and it about what it was. I think that confidence actually brought us to the table at BMG and actually got us signed. We always knew we were going to get signed.
AT: And determination?
CE: Just determination. It was our religion when we were young. Instead of going to other things like other people did. We use to do band practice four times a week.
AT: What do you think is lacking in indie music today?
CE: Bollocks! I mean. I don’t know. Truth. I think truth has a big thing to do with it. You see all these bands and they all look contrived. They all look like they’ve been put together and stuff. It’s just like be true to yourself. Be who you are. This is who we are. We’ve got rock ‘n’ roll running from our veins. If we weren’t doing this we wouldn’t be doing anything else. We have to do this. You know what I mean? It’s just rock ‘n’ roll. Especially UK rock ‘n’ roll is just a bit dead over the past 10 years. Ever since the Brit Pop era with Oasis and The Verve, people like that, they all had in there that there was something that people connected to. I don’t think a lot of fans connect to the bands anymore. They’ve got no role models. I don’t think anymore.
AT: Do you think your band is celebrating music by putting this record out?
CE: Yeah, definitely. We just got to hopefully bring people together cause when people come to our gigs we want them to feel what we feel when we’re playing it on the stage. If we can connect with the audience, it’s like we’ve done our jobs. We all had a good time in the process. Having a good time.
AT: You’ve played at the Bowery Ballroom last November, right? What are your new American fans going to expect from your shows?
CE: I don’t know. We have half an hour to blow them away. It’s a bit shorter set than we’re use to but we’ve lined up 7 cracking songs and it’s a bit more rockin’. A bit more rock ‘n’ roll than the album. It’s a lot more live vicious sounds. It’s going to blow people away.
AT: What sort of music are you listening to now?
CE: I’m listening to quite a lot - everything to tell you the truth. I’m listening to Air, The Music, The Zutons, The Beatles, DJ Shadow and people like that. Anything I can get my hands on.
AT: What is the plan for 2005 for your band?
CE: Non-stop. I think we played 140 shows last year. This year we plan to top that. Just gig, gig, gig, gig, gig – probably in the states for 4 or 5 months of that, if the American people put their hands out and take us on board then we’ll be there.
AT: You were on the cover of NME last Fall, did you ever think you’d make the cover so fast?
CE: If you look at all the other bans that’s been on the cover and it’s embarrassing. I just don’t get it. There’s a lot of band that’s from London and places like that - more credible places that actually get on the cover most of the time. Yeah we did think we’d get it.
AT: I read that the song Lost Souls Forever (L.S.F.) was dedicated to “the mushroom heads everywhere.” Can you elaborate on that?
CE: I think Tom said it in one interview. Everyone was out of their tits on mushrooms. “This songs for like all of the people out on their face on mushrooms.” I think that’s what it was because if you looked out in the crowd everyone was just banters. It was only like 11 in the morning. Glastonbury was a great festival. Everyone was just having a good time.
AT: What do you do with your time besides music? How do you calm down?
CE: We don’t really get any time off. We tour all the time. To calm down we probably do a few phone interviews. We have a get a lot of stuff booked in. We work around the gigs. We went to Milan last month and I think we spent 4 hours there. We wanted to look around at football stadiums but sometime we don’t have time. We just don’t get time sometimes. Sometimes you do. It’s just busy. If people want to do interviews with us you can’t turn it down.
The US Dates are:
2.23.05 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
2.24.05 Montreal, QUE TBA
2.26.05 London, ONT Centennial Hall
2.27.05 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
2.28.05 Covington, KT Jillian's
3.02.05 Chicago, IL Metro
3.03.05 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
3.07.05 Seattle, WA Neumos
3.08.05 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
3.09.05 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
3.11.05 San Francisco, CA Slim's
3.12.05 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre
3.13.05 San Diego, CA Canes Bar & Grill
3.15.05 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
3.17.05 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room
3.18.05 Austin, TX Stubbs BBQ (SXSW)
Site: http://www.Kasabian.co.uk
Permalink :: ::
They want to take over the world.
Kasabian has unleashed a storm in the UK and Europe. They hope to do the same in America. Not since Kula Shaker or Oasis has there been such a stellar debut. These Leicester lads, backed with enormous hype, virtually unknowns last year, went to sell out major shows in the UK and Japan. They have cited bands such as Primal Scream, Blackalicious and Neu as influences. Unlike Oasis, you'll find no love song on this album. It's gritty, bass-heavy, and atmospheric.
A band that took its name from Linda Kasabian, the pregnant getaway driver of the chilling late 1960s murder spree, Kasabian prides themselves on being honest, unique and complex.
They made their US live debut last November at a sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom. They are now embarking on a major US tour where they will play SXSW and Coachella. Aeki Tuesday caught up with Chris Edwards last week before Kasabian's sold out show at Irving Plaza. Kasabian are: Tom Meighan (vocals), Sergio Pizzorno (lead guitar, keyboards), Christopher Karloff (guitar, keyboards) and Chris Edwards (bass).
---------------------
Aeki Tuesday: Tell me about growing up in Leicester
Chris Edwards: A bit boring really. I think that’s why we started the band. If you know what I mean. We didn’t have a lot to do. Just decided to pick up some guitars and start playing. It’s not a very big town. Yeah, just pretty boring. Parties, football, and music - that’s about it.
AT: All of you were friends back then?
CE: Yeah. We’ve known each other. Tom has known Chris Karloff, our guitarist, since he was about 5. I’ve known everyone since I was about 11. We’ve kind of grown up together. Cause we all used to live in the same village. We were always going to each other’s houses.
AT: What about your recording process? Do you have a productive principle?
CE: What do you mean? Do we have a set way of doing things?
AT: A set way of doing things.
CE: No not at all really. It can start with anything. It can start with just a guitar lick or it can start with a drumbeat or just some lyrics, a little hook. I mean, we don’t have a set way of doing things.
AT: Is there a primary songwriter or do you all contribute?
CE: Chris and Serge (Sergio Pizzorno) kind of sit down and come up with an original idea. Serge writes the lyrics. Then he works with some of it and brings it to the table. Then we just add our own flavor. Ian (Matthews), our drummer, adds some. Whatever he wants to add in. We sit around and talk about it.
AT: The recording took place in a farmhouse in Rutland?
CE: Yeah, that’s right. We hired a farmhouse for 2 years. For like the last 8 months we were living in and out for like gigs and stuff. We’d get there at 4 in the morning and leave at 8 to go to the next gig. It was 25 miles from where we used to live. It was far enough away from our friends. They were around all the time.
AT: There were some parties that you had thrown.
CE: The place was just enormous. We used to get all of our friends over. The landlord who is only 2 years older than us – 26, 27 – we used to get all our friends around and have all these big parties, which was cool.
AT: How did you get together with Jim Abbiss (Producer: The Music, DJ Shadow, Bjork, Unkle)?
CE: I’m not too sure actually. I think our record company contacted him because we said to our record company all the producers that we liked and the albums. Like DJ Shadow did an album with him as well and The Music’s album. We mentioned that to BMG, our record company, and they I suppose got in contact with him. He listened to our stuff and really liked it. So then he came and mixed the album. Mixed some of the album. The whole album was self-produced ‘cause we did it all in the farm. It was recorded on the farm. All 80% of it was. Then we just got Jim Abbiss to mix it, put that magic, sprinkle dust and make it sound professional.
AT: You played at some festivals last year. Glastonbury and T in the Park. How was that experience?
CE: Awesome! Glastonbury was our first festival last year. 20,000 people came to watch us.
AT: Were you nervous?
CE: Not really. It was actually one of the easiest gigs we ever played. Then afterwards we were all like “So now?” We just started walking around talking to ourselves. Not really knowing what was going on. It was a bit of a head full. It was crazy. We managed to play all of the festivals last year. Reading, Leeds – both the main festivals – Glastonbury and T in the Park. It was a busy year for us last year.
AT: In Japan, you were the first band to play on the rooftop on Tower Records in Tokyo.
CE: Yeah we were the first non-Japanese band to play on Tower Records, which was pretty cool. We were on top of Tower Records and played a gig for like competition winners and fans.
AT: You’re on tour right now with The Music and Morningwood. How’s the tour going so far?
CE: It’s kind of a bit non-stop. Like you said. We played Europe for like 2 weeks just doing some gigs in Paris and Milan. Places in Germany and Belgium. We went straight to Japan to do their winter Festival called ah. I can’t remember what it’s called now. Wintersonic it was called or something like that. We were there for like 4 days. We just reached Japan and hung out the weekend and then came back.
AT: Have you ever played with The Music or Morninwood before?
CE: We’ve played with The Music once at a radio station in the UK at BBC Radio 1. They did like a weekend thing. We were on the same stage with The Music. [The Music] went on after us. We’ve met the guys before. They’re nice people. They played Summersonic in Japan with us last year as well. We know the guys a little bit.
AT: Has anything strange happened on the tour so far?
CE: Tom lost a pair of flip-flops. Nothing that strange.
AT: Has the band always been so ambitious?
CE: Oh yeah, definitely. We started playing the guitar when we were like 16 or 17. We started a bit late. We always knew we were going to get signed. We just had this confidence and it about what it was. I think that confidence actually brought us to the table at BMG and actually got us signed. We always knew we were going to get signed.
AT: And determination?
CE: Just determination. It was our religion when we were young. Instead of going to other things like other people did. We use to do band practice four times a week.
AT: What do you think is lacking in indie music today?
CE: Bollocks! I mean. I don’t know. Truth. I think truth has a big thing to do with it. You see all these bands and they all look contrived. They all look like they’ve been put together and stuff. It’s just like be true to yourself. Be who you are. This is who we are. We’ve got rock ‘n’ roll running from our veins. If we weren’t doing this we wouldn’t be doing anything else. We have to do this. You know what I mean? It’s just rock ‘n’ roll. Especially UK rock ‘n’ roll is just a bit dead over the past 10 years. Ever since the Brit Pop era with Oasis and The Verve, people like that, they all had in there that there was something that people connected to. I don’t think a lot of fans connect to the bands anymore. They’ve got no role models. I don’t think anymore.
AT: Do you think your band is celebrating music by putting this record out?
CE: Yeah, definitely. We just got to hopefully bring people together cause when people come to our gigs we want them to feel what we feel when we’re playing it on the stage. If we can connect with the audience, it’s like we’ve done our jobs. We all had a good time in the process. Having a good time.
AT: You’ve played at the Bowery Ballroom last November, right? What are your new American fans going to expect from your shows?
CE: I don’t know. We have half an hour to blow them away. It’s a bit shorter set than we’re use to but we’ve lined up 7 cracking songs and it’s a bit more rockin’. A bit more rock ‘n’ roll than the album. It’s a lot more live vicious sounds. It’s going to blow people away.
AT: What sort of music are you listening to now?
CE: I’m listening to quite a lot - everything to tell you the truth. I’m listening to Air, The Music, The Zutons, The Beatles, DJ Shadow and people like that. Anything I can get my hands on.
AT: What is the plan for 2005 for your band?
CE: Non-stop. I think we played 140 shows last year. This year we plan to top that. Just gig, gig, gig, gig, gig – probably in the states for 4 or 5 months of that, if the American people put their hands out and take us on board then we’ll be there.
AT: You were on the cover of NME last Fall, did you ever think you’d make the cover so fast?
CE: If you look at all the other bans that’s been on the cover and it’s embarrassing. I just don’t get it. There’s a lot of band that’s from London and places like that - more credible places that actually get on the cover most of the time. Yeah we did think we’d get it.
AT: I read that the song Lost Souls Forever (L.S.F.) was dedicated to “the mushroom heads everywhere.” Can you elaborate on that?
CE: I think Tom said it in one interview. Everyone was out of their tits on mushrooms. “This songs for like all of the people out on their face on mushrooms.” I think that’s what it was because if you looked out in the crowd everyone was just banters. It was only like 11 in the morning. Glastonbury was a great festival. Everyone was just having a good time.
AT: What do you do with your time besides music? How do you calm down?
CE: We don’t really get any time off. We tour all the time. To calm down we probably do a few phone interviews. We have a get a lot of stuff booked in. We work around the gigs. We went to Milan last month and I think we spent 4 hours there. We wanted to look around at football stadiums but sometime we don’t have time. We just don’t get time sometimes. Sometimes you do. It’s just busy. If people want to do interviews with us you can’t turn it down.
The US Dates are:
2.23.05 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
2.24.05 Montreal, QUE TBA
2.26.05 London, ONT Centennial Hall
2.27.05 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
2.28.05 Covington, KT Jillian's
3.02.05 Chicago, IL Metro
3.03.05 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
3.07.05 Seattle, WA Neumos
3.08.05 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
3.09.05 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
3.11.05 San Francisco, CA Slim's
3.12.05 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre
3.13.05 San Diego, CA Canes Bar & Grill
3.15.05 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
3.17.05 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room
3.18.05 Austin, TX Stubbs BBQ (SXSW)
Site: http://www.Kasabian.co.uk
Permalink :: ::