'To bury within the sound' is one of the best album 'pop - emo' of the year 2000 : Engine down who is involved in the underground music scene for a long time now tell us their vision of the world ! interview with JONATHAN (guitar) !
1. Presentation : Who's 'engine down' (age...)! Can you explain the different bands issued of the split of SLEEPYTIME TRIO... Who (have) do(ne) what before ENGINE DOWN ? Here, we don't understand (You seem very prolific !)
engine down formed a little over 3 years ago in harrisonburg, VA, just before sleepytime trio broke up. we got together because of a shared desire to make honest, heartfelt music. when sleepytime broke up, i (jonathan) went on to do engine down, david went on to the rahbrahs, and ben started milemarker. i played the drums in the sleepytime trio and the young pioneers before engine down, i play guitar in engine down. jason sang in the weak link breaks and roadied with the sleepytime trio before engine down, he now plays bass. cornbread is a musical genius and he can master any instument that he can get his hands on, he currently plays drums in engine down. keeley joined the band about a year after we formed, when our original guitarist had to quit. keeley played bass in a band called bughummer before engine down, he now plays guitar and is our primary singer.
2. You've got a certain evolution between your two albums ! The second one is more melancholic, emo pop... can you explain that ! Can you talk about your rapport with singing !
the obvious difference between the two records is that the first album was written with jeremy, our original guitarist, and the second was written with keeley. the first record was more of a step in a journey toward the sound that we have found and embraced. when keeley joined, he brought a new energy and style to our band, and we worked very hard collectively to develop our sound. while the first record is obviously more abrasive, we feel that the second record is equally intense, and has a more developed sense of tension and control. we spent more time concentrating on the melodies and subtleties on the second record, and we feel that it carries a greater weight. we get very excited when people tell us that they were initially disappointed when they first heard "to bury within the sound" (because there is no screaming), and then after 3 or 4 more listens, they understood it better, and it became one of their favorite records. i think that "to bury..." is the type of record that gets better with each listen, as the complexity unfolds.
3. Can you talk about your way to be on lovitt records... Who do what at LOVITT, how many persons are involved in LOVITT... Do the bands participate to the life of the label ?
i was already friends with the people at lovitt because they put out records for sleepytime. they saw engine down perform early on and asked to put out a record for us. brian is the head at lovitt, he does most of the work, and he will be coming to europe with us as a roadie. shelby is a silent partner, nate does publicity and more, and a rotating host of interns help out with mailorder and other odd jobs. lovitt started just like many other indie labels, with the aim of making good, underground music available to people who are passionate about music. i am happy to say that as it has grown, lovitt has maintained its commitment to music as the primary focus. The bands that are affiliated with lovitt are there because they share this commitment to music. i think that the bands on the label help dictate the direction of the label as much as the label itself.
4. What do you feel with this feeling : 'hard core is a way of life'.
i grew up in the underground music scene, and it has definitely affected who i am. the DIY ethic has become part of my personality and decision-making process. i'd like to think that the underground/DIY sensibility is less of a way of life, and more of a way of thinking... ideally, this way of thinking is more about making decisions based on one's own independent ideas, than subscribing to some larger group tendency or fashion trend.
5. As you are involved in the DIY scene for a long time now, how do you feel now with the 'punk / hard core' scene... Are there many differences between now and 10 years ago for example ? More business ???
it does feel like there are more business concerns now than there were 10 years ago. there are booking agents, promoters, publicity agents, etc....however, it's hard for me to judge because i'm not sure if the whole scene has changed, or if my place in it has changed as engine down has grown to reach a larger audience. i do still feel that there is a DIY/community even in the more business-like circles because most of the people who are in these "business" roles in the indie scene also have roots in the DIY tradition.
6. Do you have other projects beside ENGINE DOWN ? (DENALI...) Why ?
keeley and i play in a band called denali (i play drums, he plays bass), and i used to play the drums in batsandmice with dave and ben from sleepytime. cornbread is always involved in some sort of side-project. (union of the snake=glam metal, my best friend's girl=weezer pop, dr. teeth=experimental jazz) jason occasionally plays with other people as well. since music is our passion, we are constantly seeking new outlets. as a creative collective, it has been very important for us to have more than one musical outlet, so that we continue to grow outside of engine down, and bring those influences back. it keeps things fresh and interesting.
7. You seem very friend with the germans of SWING DELUXE, how do you meet those europeans ?
unfortunately, i do not know (or have forgotten) of whom you speak, i must plead ignorance.... perhaps one of my other band mates would know.
8. Your relations with the ' working universe ' !
ahhh, the working universe.....we all hope to escape it someday. but for now, i am a production assistant for a company that shoots commercials and short films. keeley is a graphic designer at a copy shop. cornbread is still studying graphic design in school (until may). and jason works at a small internet firm called musictoday.com, as well as a few hours a week at a record store. since we are so busy with music, we have all chosen jobs that support our lifestyle rather than dictate who we are.
9. Are you interested in politics... how american people feel with BUSH, his way to be the master of the universe !
we are not by nature a "political band", our songs and lyrics are written more at a personal level. having said that, i find politics to be both compelling and disgusting. i must confess that going into the 2000 election i was convinced that neither the republican nor democratic candidate would make that much of a difference in office, so i voted green. i'm not sure what the consensus is in the US regarding bush, but i would assume that at least 50% of the population is enraged for at least one of 3 reasons: 1)bush won the election under questionable circumstances, 2)bush's presidential platform places him far to the right of mainstream america, 3)he may be charming, goofy, and even impishly cute at times, but he does not posess the intellectual capacity necessary to be the US president. after two short months in office, i am rethinking my election ambivalence as i witness the damage that he has caused ALREADY. (waging war on the EPA, organized labor, and women's reproductive rights, bombing iraq with NO EXPLANATION, etc.....) i could go on, but to do so would make an ass of my limited knowledge, so i'll encourage those interested to do their own research.
10. In the same vein, you seem to have interest in ' ECOLOGY '... (remember the petition for deforestation in BRASIL !)... Can you talk about that, and the way BUSH & his government manage the Crisis of CO2 in the world ! (by denigrating the treaty concerning the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere !)
true, we have an interest in ecology...but we live the paradox every day by playing in a rock band....... (we pollute the air by touring in a van, deforest the earth by putting up fliers, deplete fossil fuels to fill the tank, burn electricity to power amplifiers, etc.) so i'm not sure if we have the right to talk about environmental issues and not sound hypocritical.
11. What do you wait for your European tour in september in EUROPE ? How do you feel with european people ?
we are very excited to have the opportunity to tour in europe. we are proud of our records, but we are still primarily a live band and the only way to experience ALL of that energy is to witness the live performance. so we look forward to performing for a new audience, as well as having fun travelling, meeting people, getting into trouble with customs, late night disco parties, getting sick, enjoying good food, and kinder eggs. none of us are very good with foreign languages, but we hope to learn...hopefully our stupidity will not get us into trouble. we just recorded 3 songs at inner ear studio with J. Robbins that will be released in europe...(one song on a split w/ jukebox scenario on earth/water/sky (GE) and the others will be released on day after records (CR)). our first album is soon to be released on vinyl in europe as well.
12. If you want to say something... it's now or never !
if you haven't ever seen the movie Purple Rain starring Prince, then see it at once. also check out www.enginedown.com
THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
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DISCOGRAPHY
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S/T 7" (Lovitt) |
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Split 7" with 12 Hour Turn (Brave Noise)
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Under the Pretense of Present Tense LP/CD (Lovitt)
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To Bury Within The Sound LP/CD (Lovitt) |
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LINKS
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To their web site
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| To LOVITT RECORDS |
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