Interview with American Memories

Hey people. I recently found out this very good band at http://bandcamp.com/ and then asked them an interview and they were nice enough to take it. You can listen their stuff right here:

http://southendprojects.bandcamp.com/

Their facebook page:
American Memories
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1.Do you study or anything? And does it have some kind impact on your music?

Rich: No not really study, we both don’t go to school and I guess you could say that we both study film cause that’s another area we’re both interested in. For me studying film I suppose you could say it impacts my music, more in the past than now though. I used to write a lot of songs based off films or emotions I’ve felt through them but now a days I kinda just write songs based off the things I’ve either experienced or how I would react in some hypothetical situations.

Trey: No i dont study, if i had to say something i do study is people, i study peoples reactions to certain situations when things happen. I have always kind of had interest in psychology, not a huge interest, it just fascinates me how people act and think. Also i study other musicians alot at shows, i find that i watch intensively. While people are running around moshing and having fun, im in the corner watching the musicians and trying to figure out how they do certain things, and what gear they use.

 

2. What do you do for a living in your town?

Rich: I work at the local movie theatre and sometimes shoot little videos for businesses or weddings.

Trey: I work at a health food store in next town over, and also do some photo/video work on the side

 

3. I’m from Brazil and find your music in internet. Of course, it would be impossible if we were at pre internet era. What are the goods of Bandcamp and the whole download thing? What band did you find out recently cause of this?

Rich: I think bandcamp and the whole free downloading on the internet is amazing, it really helps up and coming bands and makes it easy for people to find them. Especially bandcamp which I am a huge supporter of because of their tags, I always am finding bands that I really have come to love off of there, I kinda have a weekly routine of searching through the skramz, emo, and post rock tags. Recently I’ve found Sadie Hawkins, Running Shoes, and Flowers Taped to Pens who we actually are doing a split with very soon.

Trey: i Love bandcamp so much, and i love free music. Half of my ipod is full of music ive downloaded from bandcamp, Young Rich pretty much summed up same thing i would have said. Some bands I've found recently are Pet symmetry, Greyscale, Marseille, Troubled Minds.

 

4. Your EP from last year is such powerful and frenetic. The raw production, great personal lyrics and powerful screaming sure leave s a mark on the listener. How was the making of it all?

Rich: Well thanks you so much for the kind words first of all, I guess I’ll start from the beginning. A long time ago me and Trey started a band called South End Projects, we were just bored and wrote and recorded songs on the spot. Then he moved to Seattle and I stayed in California, but we always planned to start a band when he got back, so when he did we started American Memories and eventually our friend Mark joined to play bass and do some vocals and that’s kinda how we started. For my part in the band which is writing guitar and the lyrics it was tough, I mean the lyrics are somewhat cryptic at certain moments but I suppose but they are all just kinda about how I felt at the time, I think of the songs from the E.P. almost as a journal of 2012 for me, a lot of times I wrote songs at work a lot which was definitely the low point of last year, other times I wrote thinking very introspectively about my life and the things I remembered and how I feel about them now. “Empty Houses” and “Bridges” are big ones for me personally. It’s a much more personal album lyric wise than I ever intended to write.

Trey: Rich mainly writes all the lyrics, i suck at lyrics, when i write something i usually end up just throwing it away. So i mainly focus on playing and the drumming more. The E.P we put out last year was a awesome experience, working with rich and recording is like the funnest stuff ever. i love recording, I recorded our whole E.P and and also our latest little 2 song E.P we put out "Past Mistakes" ive been recording and working on Audio engineering since i was like 16, i used to work at a recording studio called "Mirror sound Studios" in Seattle, WA thats where i learnt how to record mainly. Everything we record usually is like first take, rarely do we ever go back and fix much. We like it to be as raw and real as possible. We like to make it sound as close as possible to how we sound live. We might throw a lead part here and there but thats about it. i have a huge problem with inconsistency with bands that are too polished on albums, and when they play live they don't sound anything like their recordings.

 

5. Do you gig with some frequency?  What’s the best place in America to be with an independent band right now?

Rich: I wish we did, sadly in our area of California the scene is dominated with either Killers rip off bands, country, or metalcore so it’s very tough to find gigs. A few towns away in SLO there is more of a punk scene that we used to play shows at but as of recently the local punk house doesn't throw as many house shows so we’re trying! But I think for being band that plays the style we do that Philedelphia is the place to be, either that or the UK. So many talented and amazing bands that I love are from those areas and it seems like they’re doing very well and it just seems like the scene has accepted and adapted to the style of the music.

Trey: We don't play shit really. Not for lack of trying, just like rich said, either you have to be a shitty reggae band, country band, or The Killers rip off. its so dead in our area in Central Coast california, all there is to play at is Bars, or venues that make you pay to play. i would say L.A is best place for music but it really isn't, unless your justin beiber or stupid ass skrillex. Pretty much the kind of music we play and listen too is all on east coast of America, and U.K. thats apparently where its at scene wise? so I've been told.

 

6. What are you guys listening currently?

Rich: Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Bomb the Music Industry, The Whoopass GIrls, Flowers Taped to Pens, and Head Honcho.

Trey: I've been listening to alot of music from Into it, Over it, Brave bird, This Town Needs guns, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, I Kill Giants.

 

7. What are your major influences?

Rich: For me I would say Bruce Springsteen, Old Gray, Taking Back Sunday, Dads, Into It. Over It., and Dad Punchers.

Trey: There is too many to list but Mainly i would say my parents and my Grandmother, they have always been super supportive of me playing music. As far as drumming John bradley from "Dads", Daniel Davison original drummer from "Norma jean" and a whole mess of drummers, as far as musically i would say The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Daft punk, Snowing, johnny Cash, Norma Jean, At The Gates, Mewithoutyou, The Misfits.

 

8. IF you could chose any music to make a special cover (for affective aspects), what would be?

Rich: Probably popular pop songs, I used to cover a lot of them and it’s just a lot of fun ha.

Trey: i would say any pop song, or 90's pop radio hit, im a 90's child so i love old crappy 90's music. Maybe a punk cover of a Roy Orbison song, or cover of a slamming gangster rap song?

 

9. Lyrics like the ones on Bridges are such sad. Is sadness the original force to create them?

Rich: I suppose so, with Bridges especially. I guess I should start by saying the lyrics on the entire E.P. (excluding Free Big D because Mark wrote the lyrics on that one) are all about just kinda trying to move on with life. But with Bridges especially. I guess you could say the song is mainly about how I feel about where I grew up, a lot of my old friends I always feel very alienated from since we don’t really see each other much and when we do it’s always very awkward because we’ve all grown to be different people so it’s like half about that and half about how meeting someone new in a romantic sense is really tough; especially since the very few women I have deep feelings for I’ve known for so long and we are really good friends it would never work out so I suppose that is where the “dying out here, you’re dying alone” part fits in. The second most personal songs based completely out of sadness is “Empty Houses” for me beause that song is a lot about my parents relationship and how that affected me and about just moving on with life after everyone else I know had.

10. What is your favorite song of your own band?

Rich: Shit that is a tough one, I really love playing our new songs; especially “Our Past, My Life”, but I guess my absolute favorite is “Empty Houses” it’s just a fucking blast to play and every time I play it the lyrics just mean so much more to me. It’s a really very personal song that is about my parents, my friends, and the future.

Trey: "Driving all night", Because Rich hates to play it. also empty houses is tight.

 

11. Say anything, it’s the last question. Make jokes, save the world, etc. Really appreciate.

Rich: Lana Del Rey rules, Breaking Bad is ending soon so that sucks but is awesome. Wine and beer are cool but whiskey reigns king. Being sad is not just a tumblr fad and support your local scene.

Trey: Emo is a gang, girls sucks, someone find me a girlfriend though. eat as much cheese as possible, beat up jocks at your school, keep an eye out for a LP eventually from American Memories, and also split coming soon with some bands. also pee your pants, all the cool kids are doing it.