Indie For BUNNIES

Da circa tre mesi vivo in quella che probabilmente, dopo Città del Messico e Calcutta, è la città più sporca del mondo: puzza di cacca canina 24 ore al giorno e allegre macchie rossastre giovanili di vino, collassate agli angoli delle strade. Questi giorni sono bagnati da un sole veramente accecante. Tutto è in fermento: la gente comincia ad andare alla ricerca dei posti all’ombra e ogni singolo atomo è in armonia con l’universo. Le ragazze escono in strada già semi-nude e io mi ritrovo a radiografare lo sballonzolamento delle loro tette con sguardi fugaci. Gli indiani, a loro volta, radiografano sorridenti le tette della mia ragazza (che quasi sempre sembra più indiana di loro ma non lo è…) così rischio di fare a botte un giorno si e l’altro pure. Accendo il computer con la ormai-più-che-defunta speranza che dalla Minimum Fax mi scrivano “Caro ragazzo finalmente è arrivato il giorno che lei aspettava: pubblicheremo il suo libro a nostre spese perché lo troviamo veramente allucinato, nonché fortemente deviante per i giovani lettori dall’animo sensibile. Nel frattempo le consigliamo vivamente una bella visitina dallo psichiatra”. Niente messaggio dalla Minimum Fax. In compenso però ci sono le risposte dei TRACK A TIGER alle mie domande (rigorosamente, in parte, riciclate da quelle per i Band Of Horses). Non credo ci sia bisogno di ri-presentarvi i Track a Tiger, considerato che c’è una impeccabile (eh eh…) recensione sul sito che descrive la loro musica, però basta dire che negli ultimi mesi pochi album hanno conquistato le mie orecchie in maniera completa e uno di questi è proprio “Woke Up Early The Day I Died”.Enjoy!

Where did you meet for the first time? How and when did Track A Tiger born? Tell Us Something about the band’s name.
The rhythm section, Mike Ciuni and Aaron Wilkins, are teachers at the same school where I work. I believe I asked them in the teacher’s lounge one day if they wanted to be rock and roll stars. They said no, so it was a perfect fit. I met Alissa and Patrick online through Craiglist in Chicago. I met Alissa when I was putting the final touches on the record. She sang on some of the songs.I have no idea where the name came from. I used it about 9 years ago for a name of a few songs a friend and I 4-tracked. I couldn’t think of anything new when this project started, so I recycled.

Describe your music using only 5 words.
Folk rock harmony cinnamon toast

Let’s talk a bit about your music. Your sound has some emo acoustic influences and quite an “american lo-fi part” into it. What are the band which influenced your sound the most?
Ha. Funny you should ask about the “lo-fi” thing. I was just talking about that to a friend of mine, Pat Stolley, who mixed and mastered the record. It wasn’t meant to be low-fi, I just didn’t know what the hell I was doing when I recorded it. But I think it may have lead to its charm. 90% of the record was me in my apartment with squeaky floors, a noisy cat, and lots of traffic going by. There are so many influences. I guess stuff I had in mind when recording was Low, Richard and Linda Thompson, Nick Drake, the Faces, the Shins, Sea and Cake. Stuff like that. As far as other bands in the “lo-fi” genre, I’ve always been a huge Sebadoh and Guided by Voices fan. I’m not really sure what “emo” is, but I also dug the Promise Ring a lot in their heyday. “Nothing Feels Good” is a classic.

And the bands you actually can’t live without?
Lately, I can’t stop listening to the National. I just saw them at the Double Door in Chicago. They are amazing. I don’t see much live music, but they were great. I’ve also been listening to the Mountain Goats, which has been quite a project. That guy has written almost a s many songs as Robert Pollard. They ought to team up. They could have a double CD concept album written and recorded in an hour. Oh, and Sufjan Stevens. I have to listen to one of his records every few days. Brilliant.

Tell us, in order, 1) a recent underrated album you think deserved much more attention, 2) an overrated one, 3) the best album of all the times and… 4) the worst, too!
1) Grogshow. It’s out on Future Appletree Records. It’s a friend of mine, Marc Kisting, who passed away in 1996. It was recently remixed and mastered. It’s great. Kind of lo-fi, early Modest Mousey. Just guitar, voice and drums. Really great stuff.
2) Wow, I don’t want to make any enemies. Hmm.
3) How about a few? “Powerage” by AC/DC, Rod Stewart “Every Picture Tells a Story,” “Astral Weeks’ by Van Morrison. I don’t know if they’re the best, but I’ve listened to them continually for years. They never get old.
4) REO Speedwagon “Live: You Get What You Play For” One of the first LPs I ever bought. I still have it. I thought it was bad ass when I was a kid. It’s the funniest/saddest record ever made.

Which is the new musical indie rock release you expect the most for this season?
Us, of course. I’ve sold over 15 copies ( 10 to my family). I expect sales to sky rocket once my mom spreads the word.

I “noticed” from the title of your record a melancholic attitude. Why so sad guys?!? Has been a bad year or what? And, most important, which are the fuckin’ “machines you don’t understand”? Tell it to us so we can try together to understand’em.
We’re really not sad. The record just kind of came out that way. I guess when I write songs, sad shit comes out. I’m not sure why. I guess it’s therapy in a way. The record title is from an Ed Wood movie. My friend Al mentioned it once and said it would be a great lyric, so I stole it for the album title.Shit, who can understand those machines? They never listen. I started to write that song about a cousin who lost his young son to a sudden illness. He was hooked up to machines. Jesus Christ, I guess we are a sad band.

Probably the best track of the album is “Here At The End”. Tell us how did it born.
I wrote that about my hometown, Dubuque, Iowa. It’s a nice Iowa town, but it seems when people move back there it doesn’t turn out so well for them. That was the last song I wrote for the album and probably the fastest I’ve ever done. Usually it takes me long time. I’m lazy.

Which member of your band has more success with women and which is the one that drinks more beer?
Well, I’m single, Patrick and his girlfriend just broke up, Mike lives with his girlfriend, Alissa is attached and Aaron is married. So let’s go with Aaron. His wife is pregnant, so we know he’s been throwing a lot of wood around.
I can drink them all under the table.

Please only for us unveil a secret that nobody knows (yet) about at least one member of the band.
We like to eat meat sticks (slim jims) and cheap domestic beer at practice.