THE 13th UN A REV I S TA I M A GI N A RI A
MARISSA NADLER SUBMOTILE - PINHDAR THE MEETING PLACES SLOWNESS
INDEX PINHDAR
04
SUBMOTILE
10
SLOWNESS
16
THE MEETING PLACES
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MARISSA NADLER
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[ Interview with Max Tarenzi and Cecilia Miradoli from PINHDAR by Diego Centuriรณn. ]
PINHDAR: HYPNOTIC REFERENCE AND THE CONCEPT OF TRAVELING THROUGH SOUNDS.
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I have met this duo from Italy. Pinhdar is formed by Cecilia Miradoli and Max Tarenzi. Both have a career in music with a band called Nomoredolls, recording three albums, from 2003 to 2010. Then together they decide to stop the band and begin to organize "A Night Like This Festival", an independent musical event that takes place in the north of Italy. And after a while, return to the instruments to found Pinhdar. A few weeks ago they just released their debut EP, where they embark on sounds ranging from dreampop to tri-hop and intertwining with rock. They call their music a "trip" ... and it is. We were able to access them and we have asked you these questions. PINHDAR is a band where the sound hides the mystery that is in its name, taking us through an unknown internal journey. The sound can only be enjoyed if you are willing to surrender to what PINHDAR decides.
Thank you for agreeing to answer these questions. Surely they have told it several times, do they continue with "A Night Like This Festival"? Max: ANLT Festival has been put on hiatus for a little while, in order to give us the time to discuss its future developments with the local administration. So yes, it will go on and we've just announced the date for this year: July the 13th.it's gonna be on a shorter scale, a selection of concerts on the platform of the lake nearby the place the used to be the main location. But the platform is still the most representative and strongest side of our festival.
the name in 2 parts which fits well with us being a duo and always sharing musical projects together To be more precise, our name should be written in caps lock: PINHDAR Speaking of the live set, how would you make the band on stage? Max: We decided to keep the duo formula so it's gonna be the 2 of us with recorded drums and synths. The challenge is to keep the openness of the songs adding that raw energy that we like in a live set. I hope you will invite us to play in Argentina so that you can give your opinion on the live as well!
Will Pinhdar play at the festival? Max: Featuring ourselves in the bill has always been against our policy but for this very spe- As we speak the EP sounds in my ears. I alcial event, so symbolic of what we did befo- ready anticipate that my favorite is "Awful re, we are actually considering the possibility. Heart". How long did it take them to write the songs? How was Pinhdar's name born? Max: The writing process has been spread on Max: Paul Pindar is the main character from a longer time than usual due to the fact that The Aviary Hayes novel. We were impressed we were totally swamped by running the fesboth by the story and the character himself tival, which was literally life sucking. Also, we so, when the time to find a name for the band produced the album all by ourselves so that arrived, it was actually our first choice. We ad- second step was pretty long too. We started ded the H to make it ours. Also, the H splits from scratch several times before feeling sa-
tisfied with the results.
time or at different times? Max: You have listened carefully. Thank you Have you ever thought about doing for this. Yep, the songs we choose for the alnothing? bum were written in different times. We deMax: Do you mean if we've ever thought cided not leave behind those songs that we about giving up with it? loved. Yes! Cecilia: We were always in the middle of a “storm “while we were running the festival but at the same time we were absorbing a lot of new music and new sound No we never thought to give up but we needed to stop the festival and take a time to put toghether all those new inspirations.
I imagine that the different worlds have to do with the new music that they were adding to their musical world with the new bands that they listened to at the Festival, right? Cecilia: And we are more mature now, so we try to give a sound coherent to the whole project also, if the songs seem to come from different worlds.
Max: I'll tell you I find the frustration as part of the process. I still think that recording an al- Max: To me, scouting for the festival added bum should be hard to accomplish that extra boost to our inspiration but our roots are in the synth rock and new wave moveNow, I have felt that the songs have many ment of the early 80's and in some of the trip small worlds, and maybe it has to do with hop from the 90's.Two elements that might the influences mentioned by Cecilia. sound far from each other but that collide into Have the songs been written at the same our music, I think.
7 And there's a naive approach to what we do that perhaps helps in melting all the ingredients. Cecilia: Yes This is what makes the different worlds coherents i guess. How do you work to compose, Max do the music and Cecilia write the lyrics? Max: Sometimes it happens like you said, but also in other more promiscuous ways. I like a lot being in charge in the arranging and production steps.
a lot of time (and plays) and then we could not listen to it for a while, we were saturated. The EP has been released for some time now. What reception have you received from the press and the public? Max: We've made a relaunch because the first one was not a proper release By the way, we've had very encouraging reactions both from the music itself and from its combination with the Videoclip of the single Toy. We are also getting good airplay and reviews, especially in the UK which is good for us. For example we have been honored by a deep review by Kris Needs on Electronic Sound (a magazine we love) and by crossing the pond and being featured on Revista The 13th (do you know this one? as our very first one in South America.
This is for Cecilia. Do you write the lyrics when the music is ready or the idea? Or do you already have things written before Max shows you the sounds? Cecilia: I always write the lyrics after the music because the ideas often come from the sound that give me the inspiration (the opposite is very rare) For those who do not yet know PINHDAR. How would you describe the project? Max, how do you train the tracks? From an Max: It's a bit hard for us to describe ourselinstrument or from a computer? (which is ves. A British producer said we are "trippy also an instrument). rock", which we like because of the hypnotic Max: My main instrument is the guitar so I reference and the concept of traveling throumostly write with it. I switch to the synth in a gh sounds. I'd like to know how you would second step, in order to change perspective describe PINHDAR! and getting out of the same patterns I might fall into. I love tweaking analog synths and To end this interview and thanking them for we didn't use virtual instrument in our record. the time given to connect and respond... What plans do you have for PINHDAR and Returning to the EP, when did you know obviously the festival? that the work was finished? Because I su- Max: PINHDAR will play its first show next ppose you are quite thorough in everything Friday here in Milan: it's going to be a showthat has to do with the sound. case featuring the projection of visual artworMax: While still working on it, I was afraid I ks from 8 different moviemakers, one for each would fall in that neverending loop of fixing song. We plan to gig in the next months whidetails and adding /changing things. But I le writing and recording a new album. A cosimply put myself in a music listener's shoes llaboration with a British duo, who charted in so that I would know the work was done when the 90's, for a song and a dedicated release the listener was happy with the results. It's a is also in the work. fun exercise to listen to your music as it co- We're coming back this summer, on July the mes from someone else. Nonetheless, it took 13th, for a version on a shorter scale of our
event, yet the most representative: the concerts on the on-water platform on the lake. It was rated as one of the 10 most beautiful places to attend a concert in Italy Thank you so much for your kindness and the time you gave us. You can follow your projects in: www.facebook.com/pinhdar www.facebook.com/anightlikethisfestival
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[ Interview with Michel Farren from Submotile by Diego Centuriรณn. Photographs: Michael Farren. ]
SUBMOTILE: IRISH-ITALOGAZE MAKING WAVES FOR SUBMOTILE
As often happens in these times, the flood of bands in the ocean of the web usually hides pearls inside oysters throughout the world. Thus, news of them seldom reaches us ahead of their releases. But that is not the case for the Dublin-based Irish-Italian duo called Submotile. A month ago, they released their debut album "Ghosts Fade On Skylines" via the Midsummer Madness label. And while they previously released their "We're Losing The Light" EP in 2018, Michael Farren and Daniela Angione present the debut LP, which we fortunately heard about in time. We decided to interview them to get to know them better.
Hi guys and thanks for agreeing to do this interview. To start, I’d like to ask about the casual beginnings of your band. How and when was this project born? Thanks, it’s our pleasure. We began almost by accident. I (Michael) was making ambient, drone, soundscape music on my own, when one day Daniela added a vocal melody to the guitar chords I was playing. It sounded great, I grabbed a microphone and recorded her. That was the song “Signs of My Melody” - her voice really suited what I was doing and she has a great way of coming up with counter melodies.
year ago, I would never have come up with something like “Tramonto”, it would have been far too pop-sounding. As time goes on, we’re more open to trying different things to see if they work.
I understand that the recording work differed between the EP and the album. Tell us what you’ve learned from one recording to the next. Well, I think we got a bit better at the technical side of things than when we first started - the first EP sounds very, very flat to me. I mixed it incredibly loudly, which was just a stupid thing to do. I’ve got a bit better at understanding EQ, compression and giving elements space Why did you choose your specific band in the mix, although it’s obvious I still have an name? awful lot to learn. We wanted to use Motile as the band’s name, simply because we like the word. Speaking of the "We are losing the light" However, someone had beaten us to it - so EP, I understand that "Signs of My Melody" we stuck “sub” in front of it. There’s no danger is the first song you wrote together. What of that being taken by anybody else - it’s a is the second one? made up word that sounds like it could mean The second one was Tailspin. That’s a much something. noisier one - it had a much harder gestation though, it was really difficult to mix. I read that Submotile was conceived as an experimental and environmental You just released your first album. Do project. Apart from there being a lot of you think that something as changed in experimentation to achieve the sound we terms of the way you write songs? hear on this album, what else has changed Well, we’re maybe a bit better than when from Submotile’s conception to your we first started and definitely more open to current sound? having a varied sound. For example, there’s I think we’re probably more open-minded all-out noise on the song “Amped and Faded”, in terms of the approach to songwriting. A but we’re finding that we’re enjoying the
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mellowier, spacier songs more these days, for example “White Light Ascending” was really fun to work on.
what kind of feedback have you been getting and how are you getting the word out about your release? It’s been pretty nice, and we’ve heard some For this work, mastering has been done very encouraging things. And nobody has with someone from outside the band. How told me that we’re really crap, at least to my was it working with Brian Lucey? face! We’ve been working with the excellent Brian was great, if a man of few words. I Shauna from Shameless Promotion PR to was hoping he’d give feedback on the mixes I help us, which has been massively productive. sent, but he doesn’t work like that, he just gets As you can understand, as parents of a twoon with what he’s tasked with in a professional year old and with both of us having full time manner. He works very quickly too. It took jobs, we don’t have much time to do anything me nine months to mix the album - he had it else so we’re really happy that someone else mastered in a few hours. out there is fighting for our interests and has brought our music to listeners in 40 or so Now that the album has been released, countries by now.
13 Have you been writing or recording any new songs since finalizing your current album? Absolutely. I write as much as I can - I want to put out records and keep improving. What plans do you have for the rest of 2019? We’ve two more videos on the way (Winter Storm Sequence and Amped and Faded). I’d love to get another EP out before the end of the year and to have made progress on LP number two. Thank you both for spending some time with us today. Thank you Diego and keep up the good work!
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[ Interview with Geoffrey Scott from Slowness by Diego Centuriรณn. Photographs: Ben Wilson. ]
SLOWNESS: NEW ALBUM IS EMOTIONAL AND PERSONAL
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Over ten years since their foundation, Slowness has been transiting a path and forging a career based on great releases and refined sound quality – a growth that has brought them to their new stage with the "Berths" album, which is being released in June by Schoolkids Records. To get to know them a bit, beyond their music, we chatted with the band.
Hi guys, thanks for agreeing to do really care for it, but I thought it would be a decent band name. We did have this interview. two or three other pretty lame band Happy to do it, Benjamin. names before that. To begin with, let’s go back in time to San Francisco in 2008, when you From that magical moment of the Julie and Geoffrey got together to birth of the band to your first release, record demos. At that time, what did three years passed until "Hopeless but Otherwise" (2011). What do you you think you had in your hands? That’s a good question. Julie and I remember of those years? had known each other for a few years, We were learning how to write songs. and had played music with each other We had to find a drummer. Julie was sort of casually. I’d been playing in a woodshedding on the bass, and I was few bands and was making a bunch learning how to become confident of noise on my own. And one day she enough to write lyrics and sing them. said, “You know, we should really make It took a whole summer for me to find some songs out of that noise. Make my voice. We were house sitting for some demos, why don’t you?” So I put the month of July and were able to set a few chords together and taped them, up all our gear in the living room. We and then she basically learned the bass had entire days alone there and Jules and helped turn them into songs. We would be playing bass downstairs and never thought of becoming a shoegaze I’d be playing guitar and writing words band, or anything like that. It just turned and when she’d go out I could sing at the top of my lungs and record it, out the way it did. listen back, cringe, and try it again, reOne of the most difficult moments write and re-record some more until I when creating a band is to name thought, OK, maybe I can do this. Then it. How and when did the name we made proper demos in that living room with Erik Karl on drums and took Slowness come up? Once we had some songs and we those demos to Monte. started rehearsing, I was reading Milan Kundera’s novel, Slowness. I didn’t As I understand, Christy Davis
first contributed drums on your album “For Those Who Wish to See the Glass Half Full”. How have the dynamics of the band and your respective sound changed with Christy's input? No. Christy did not drum on “The Glass Half Full.” That was Scott Putnam, who also drummed on most of “How to Keep from Falling Off a Mountain,” except for the last song, “Anon, part 4,” on which Christy played drums. (She’s also on the cover of that album.) You can hear the shift in our dynamic on that song. It could be on Berths. Christy has a unique style and she allows the music to dictate what she does, so we felt free to do as we wished, and felt
empowered by her. A year later you released your second album "How to Keep from Falling off to Mountain". Obviously these years were very fruitful for your band. How do you feel about your second album? Yes, that was a productive time. We love the “Mountain” record. It was intentionally more repetitive and a little weirder than “The Glass.” And the second side is thematic and borders on concept. “Mountain” didn’t make much of a wave, but it was what we wanted to make at the time. However, it had its problems, because Julie and I were living on separate coasts at the
time, so it wasn’t quite as organic, or feel about his production work? democratic for that matter, I suppose. How are you spreading the word So perhaps it suffered a bit as a result. about your music? Everything we’ve done has been For those readers who do not know produced by Monte. We love him like a you yet ... Please describe what brother. He’s a mentor and a dear friend and a bit of a guru. I’ve learned so much Slowness’ music is like. Well, I’m not really sure how to do from him, and not just about music and that. I suppose our music is emotional recording. I haven’t imagined working and personal and political and heavy with anyone else. and overlooked. Until now we’ve done everything If I'm not misinformed ... Monte ourselves, with a bit of generous help Vallier produced all your work. from Ryan Lescure (from Blue Aurora Could we mention him as a fourth Audio) and Alexander Mann (from member of Slowness? What do you Greenfuse). Working with Schoolkids
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Records and Shameless Promotion PR has been a real learning experience. Both are teaching us how to roll in this new wacky indie music world, which has been so utterly disrupted and keeps changing every day. I’m just grateful people like Stephen Judge and Shauna McLarnon are out there doing what they’re doing in this milieu. Tell us about the recording process for "Berths". What do you like about this album and the process for its creation? The process began almost five years ago when we returned from touring Europe. We always said that our third LP would be the “sleeper.” We wanted a slower, heavier record with more space, so what we’ve done is very intentional. We recorded the first side of the record in New York in about a week, and then life took a few turns. Julie and I had been a couple for over a decade and we decided to call it quits. For a while we didn’t do anything, but after some time we came up with songs for the second side and just took as much time as we needed to do it. The last thing we needed to do was put pressure on ourselves or each other. So we went into incubation mode, like ships go into berths... It’s ultimately a breakup record, but we never intended for it to be, and we both love it, and still love each other. We have just had
to readjust what that means, and right now, it means working on our friendship and putting out this record and doing some shows. I think "Berths" is a quality leap forward in terms of the band’s sound ... how did you react when you heard it for the first time in its final incarnation? Oh, that’s nice of you to say. We think so, too. And so does Monte. I’m still getting used to it. Usually, by the time we finish a record, I’m sick of it, but that’s not the case with Berths. When we were listening to the final mixes with Monte we couldn’t believe we’d even finished it. All three of us are very pleased with and proud of the record. It’s very different and a lot harder to play live, but we’re working on that right now. To wrap up this interview, what plans do you have for the rest of 2019? We’re playing shows in June in San Diego, Los Angeles, here in San Francisco, and in New York. And we’re planning to do some in the fall, too. And then we’ll take a good, long breath before we see what’s next. Thank you so much for speaking with us today!!! Thank you!
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[ Interview with Chase Harris from The Meeting Places by BenjamÃn York. ]
THE MEETING PLACES: A MEETING PLACE.
El grupo se formó en septiembre de 2001 en Los Ángeles, por el guitarrista / cantante Chase Harris, Scott McDonald (guitarra), Dean Yoshihara (batería), Arthur Chan (bajo). Y después de tantos años de carrera aparecen nuevamente con un nuevo trabajo llamado "You and I" que nos trae cuatro nuevas canciones. Para hablar de este EP y de su historia nos contactamos con Chase para que nos cuente su parecer acerca de The Meeting Places.
Thank you Chase for agreeing to answer these questions. To begin, I would like you to tell us a little. When and how was the band born? Chase – Arthur and I met at a party that was being thrown by my girlfriend at the time (my wife now of almost 15 years) and a girl Arthur was dating at the time. Arthur and Scott had been friends since high school. Dean and I met in college at The University of Arizona and played in a band together. We all shared similar musical tastes and once we worked who would play what (since we were all guitarists) things progressed pretty quickly. I had a few songs written which helped the first couple of get-togethers, but we were writing new songs together quickly. How was the idea of the name of the band born? We were all at a Belle & Sebastian show and kept suggesting names. We started to talk about street names around where we were practicing in Hermosa Beach and someone said something in conversation like “a name to do with the meeting place where we’re rehearsing” which was followed up by “The Meeting Places?”. None of
us loved it nor hated it and it just stuck. "Find Yourself Along the Way" (2003) was the debut album. What do you remember of those first years? I remember just being excited about how well the music was being received and playing shows with bands I admired. Scott had been in several bands (Closedown, Alison’s Halo and Amnesia) prior to playing with us, so he had a lot of experience playing shows. Even though Dean and I played in a band together in college, it was mostly parties and a couple of events at UofA. Playing festivals such as South by Southwest and San Francisco’s Noisepop Festival was super fun. "Numbered Days" (2006) was your second album. What differences do you find between this album and your debut album? I think some of the songs on Numbered Days were kind of forced compared to our debut and too produced. In retrospect, I think we should have stuck with what we knew sound-wise and put a few of the tracks under a stronger microscope. There a several songs on Numbered Days that I really like and “Sink into Stone” is a live staple, but
we understand why the album wasn’t definitely took a backseat as well received by our fans. In 2019 "You and I" arrives, tell If I understand correctly, in 2017 the us what was the process of writing band is reactivated, what happened these songs? I think we were more relaxed working during the ten year span? There was a greater focus on family on these songs. Since it’d been so and careers. We would still get together long since we’d released anything, every once in a while and even played there wasn’t any outside pressure or a few shows, but writing music together expectations
I would like you to do a Track by Track of the EP. 1. You and I This came out of a rehearsal warm-up and we knew it was keeper by how effortlessly we came up with it. The lyrics address the dissolution of a relationship and being apathetic about addressing the problems. 2. Patricia Jane We had this song floating around for a while and it just took a while. For us to edit it into something we were happy to record. I lived on a street from which I took the song’s name and when everything seemed to be unraveling in the house, my mom would half-jokingly say it was the ghost of Patricia Jane imparting her will. 3. Stay The Same I wrote this pretty quickly at home, recording myself with my acoustic guitar onto my phone’s voice memo app. The theme of the song is the fear that after a long-term relationship ends, one person never looking back and jettisoning everything (emotional and material) that they associate with the other person. 4. Fallout This was another song that came out of a rehearsal. A lot of times we just start to play random stuff while we’re dialing in levels and sounds and thankfully, a lot of songs of ours get their start this way. The song deals with physical abuse that I was unfortunately a witness to when I was young. My mom was married five times and one of the exes had two violent outbursts in their six years together, the first resulted in a broken jaw and the second, a broken leg from getting kicked with steel toe boots.
To finish and thank you for the time you have given me to answer these questions, what plans does the band have for this 2019? Your welcome! I think we’re going to play some select shows locally and hopefully continue to write some new songs.
[ Interview with Marissa Nadler by Diego Centuriรณn. Photographs: Ebru Yildiz. ]
MARISSA NADLER: FROM FANTASY TO REALITY.
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Artist in every way! Marissa Nadler is an impressive singer-songwriter, with a sensual and deep voice, restless, she is always active, from social networks, from the studio, from her albums or her collaborations with other artists, but also as an plastic artist. Several months ago I've been looking to connect with Marissa and I was able to do it and ask her some questions, which she answered very kindly.
Hello Marissa! Thank you for accepting that we can ask you some questions. For me, your album is one of the best of the year, I do not say it because you are the one interviewed, but I really think that, before thinking about this interview. Today I have been enjoying the session you have done for KEXP and I considered finishing the year with an interview with you.
launch. How do you feel that time has treated them? I still really love my first album. It has a lot of sentimental value. It just has a really unique feeling to it. I have issues with the second album- more vocally- it took me later to really zero in on my voice. I meanthat’s what everyone says I guess. Third record- definitely a strong one. Fourth- mixed emotions because of record label.
To begin, and as it is our first interview, we are going to review your career. There is an album that was your debut "Autumn Rose" from 2002. Have you never published it? Why? It can’t be considered by debut- it was like more like a project. Definitely not for public consumption.
I have discovered you with the albums "Covers" and "Covers 2". From that moment I have followed you and I have never stopped feeling that your songs are backwater for these crazy times. How do you think the public receives your songs? I hope they love them but don’t spend time worrying about it.
On your first album we can hear you sing in Spanish. How was that idea born and (if I remember correctly) you did not do it again, why? I love Pablo Neruda and I thought the words sounded more beautiful in the original language for Hay Tantos Muertos.
Do you think your music has changed from "Ballads Of Living And Dying" to your latest work "For My Crimes"? Yes. Most notably from fantasy to reality and all places in between, lyrically. My voice and guitar work have undeniably gotten better, largely due to the fact that I was a shut-in weirdo with crippling shyness for my early You have three albums that have already years. Late bloomer. celebrated their first ten years since its
You've come a long way since that first album. Tell us what were the most difficult and happiest moments in your career? I’d rather no ruminate on the bad stuff or the good stuff. I’m just being right now.
music a wider audience and gave me some needed support. I love both labels and they have both been really really great to me.
I have the feeling that your music, from the moment of gestation, starts very small, Watching your discography you have (maybe voice and guitar) and sometimes participated in many compilations and they end up on the disc with some other have made many covers. Tell me what instrument, but it stays in that intimate does it mean for you to pay homage to a tone. Is it like that? song by another artist? It really depends. Sometimes I really need Covers are the highest form of flattery. They to belt it out, especially lately. are an amazingly fun thing for me to do. When I can’t write anymore I like to sing still or play "July" is the album that marked a break still…You can learn a lot about song craft by in your career. Am I right in thinking like singing the masters. It’s a lot like copying a that? master painting for practice. Yes. I think it’s one of my top two albums. Saddest record of my career. As of 2013, he signs contracts with Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union. I have the feeling that your music, from How did that change to your music? the moment of gestation, starts very small, It didn't change my music. It just gave my (maybe voice and guitar) and sometimes
they end up on the disc with some other for me to talk about this album with any real instrument, but it stays in that intimate insight- really. But thank you tone. Is it like that? It really depends. Sometimes I really need You just released a single called "Poison" to belt it out, especially lately. in which John Cale accompanies you. Tell me about your feelings about working with You have a passion for painting and John and how this collaboration occurred. you have studied a lot. I have seen on I have Justin Raisin and Lawrence Rothman, Instagram that you have not abandoned the producers of For My Crimes, to thank for that discipline and we can see it on the that intro. Justin produced John’s last album. cover of "For My crimes". All I have to say is WOW. Yeah- it’s my other love. I’ve really gotten One of the most momentous and soul back into it and have aspirations to get gallery tingling feelings. representation and continue. When one medium fails to express what I need to I just To finish this interview. What do you switch. have planned for this 2019? Well, Droneflower is out. Working on a lots After several albums arrives "For My of interesting things. Crimes". For me, maybe your most beautiful work of your discography. How Thank You Marissa!!! do you feel? I don’t know. It’s too close and too recent
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U N A R E V I S TA I M A G I N A R I A