I had the opportunity to interview The Austin James Band (AJB) who will be playing a free concert at The Key Club on July 8, 2008 at 7:00pm. Their EP Goes to Austin James Land has a sound that has been likened to The Beach Boys and even, gulp, The Beatles. Yet it is so wonderfully unique that any labels of “copy-cat band” would never stick. Made up of Kevin, Chad, Nick and Chip, Austin James Band is a cool, intelligent and grounded group of guys who try to steer clear of getting caught up in the LA scene. Instead, they focus their energy on using their plethora of musical talent to create music that, at times, seems to be slightly tongue-in-cheek while at other times is, simply, great. Take the time to get to know Austin James Band:
Are you guys originally from Southern California? If not, where did each of you grow up?
Kevin:Yeah we’re all from the South. I was born in San Diego, lived there a while, lived in Temecula a while, and now I’m back in San Diego.Chad:I was born in Huntington Beach, grew up in the Inland Empire, and now live in Long Beach. Chip:I was born in a bean bag chair in my parents apartment in Hemet. I group in that area and also am now living in Long Beach.
How did you guys end up meeting and eventually forming AJB?
Kevin:We were all connected through friends and groups that we played in. Everyone lived in or around the Temecula area at one time and the gods of music allowed us to gravitate into this band. We supported a singer named Austin James. We were his band–and a hell of a band too. So when he became a bit unsound, not like certifiable, but, you know, a bit batty upstairs, he took off and left a hell of a band behind.
Why did you choose to name yourselves Austin James Band? Were there other band names you guys were contemplating?
Kevin:Well no one’s heard from Mr. Austin James in a long time. After a while, we became quite at home with the name and decided not to let it go. We’ve contemplated thousands of other band names; I’m contemplating one right now, but we’ll stick with the one we have.Chad:It was about three years ago when Kevin and I were at the beach, I believe it was an old friend’s coming home party. We were walking along the shoreline when an old coca cola bottle washed up next to us. Normally, we’d of paid it no attention but the top of it had been sealed shut with candle wax. Upon further examination, we discovered it contained a rolled piece of paper, a tiny tin hat, and the letters “ABJ” had been scratched into the glass several times. We grabbed a broken piece of wood and dug the candle wax out of the opening. The note read, “A Proto-hominid, I’ve come to knows as Austin James, don’t asked, has shrunked my hat. Pleases Helping Me. âKrunkle.” We continue to get a laugh out of the note, which is now framed and on display at my place of residence.Nick: Austin James was the name of my imaginary childhood friend. He was a pirate Trombonist and he use to say, “Come away to Austin James Land, come on a walrus, come in a can.”Chip:I had a dream where John Lennon came to me in a flaming pie and told me to name the band well something I couldn’t remember. So I just reached for two first names and came up with “Austin James Band.” It’s just like naming a child.
What is your process for writing music?
Kevin:Writing music is a process that has a life of its own, so it happens differently all the time. Sometimes songs come complete in a few minutes and others take weeks to sort out. It’s good to have an open mind and allow yourself to tap into the creative wellspring from various angles. We keep it interesting.Chad:For me, writing music is a dynamic process. There are no formulas. There is no theory to be followed. There is no ideal workspace or inspiration. I have written complete songs while cleaning carpets, working construction, sitting in a Jacuzzi, and I have also written songs while hunched over a piano for three months, It’s bad when it starts to feel like a chore you just don’t want to do. In general, though, I find my best work always come quick and complete. As far as the creative process and development of an AJB song goes, either Kevin or I will write and record a song alone and present it to the rest of the group. At that point, each member will put his individual ideas into the song, and that is when it truly becomes a finished song.
What are you guys currently working on?
Kevin:Aside from playing a load of gigs, we are setting our minds towards a full length record.Chad:We have been talking about doing a double album, but we’re still not sure we want to do that. We are definitely going to try and release an album later this year.
Who/What are the strongest influences on your music?
Kevin:I suppose that would be my favorite artists–aside from the position of the stars, naturally.Chad:I take a lot of influence from classical music. I am a huge Gershwin fan. Anything can influence a piece of music, but I would say that nothing impacts the development of a song more than the writer’s mood.Nick:As a bass player, Paul McCartney and James Jamerson of the Funk Brothers (They did all the early Motown records) are influences.Chip:I generally realize my influences after the fact, if that makes any sense. For instance, I’ll be listening to a Zep record and think, “Whoa, Bonham played the same fill that I did on such and such!” When, obviously, it’s just that I must have heard it and tucked it away in my “fill quiver” or something. I’d also have to say I’m influenced by my “classical” training in percussion. I’m always trying to orchestrate my parts around the drum set and percussion toys to make it sound more like a percussion ensemble.
How does living in Los Angeles influence the music Austin James Band creates?
Kevin:It has no influence. I don’t live in LA for crying out loud. Chad:I just recently moved to Long Beach, so LA life is a relatively new experience for me. As of now, I don’t think it has had that much of an impact on me.Chip:I think living in LA, where there’s just an abundance of music and tons of bands and musicians of every style, pushes us to continually strive to make something original and creative.
When you guys perform, you will often switch instruments, do all of you know how to play all the instruments in your band?
Kevin:Yes, everyone has some ability to play every instrument we use. Not to mention Chip can play the Bassoon, Oboe, the Clarinet, the Saxophone, the Vibraphone, the Xylophone, and the Kazoo.Chad:We are all multi-instrumentalists to some degree. Nick, the bass player, is probably the best piano player out of all of us. He also plays all manner of brass and bowed instruments. Kevin and I can get by playing and recording on the typical rock band instruments, and Kevin was right about Chip.Chip: Well, I don’t want to brag, but you missed a few. *winks*
What venue, in Los Angeles, is your favorite to play? Why?
Kevin:They all have their finer and less fine facets, but the Viper Room has potential to sound pretty good and have a good crowd.Chad: We’re playing the Key Club on Tuesday, July 8th, which is free by the way, and I have a feeling that will be on the top of my list.Chip:I’ve had a great time at The Echo.
I read a review of your EP, “Visit Austin James Land,” where the critic said your music was satirical. Do you consider your music to be satirical? If so, what is the intention behind the satire? If not, why do you feel some critics find it to be satirical?
Kevin:Some songs definitely have satirical elements, but our music certainly can’t be generally categorized under that heading. In the same way that literalness and metaphor are useful, satire can present itself as an effective means of communication and at certain points it happens to fit very nicely. But, no, we don’t confine ourselves to that mode, and if you evaluate all of the tracks on that record, you’ll find that it’s only one of several approaches we’ve used in our writing. Chad:I agree with Kevin, in that not all of our music can be labeled satirical, but I would say a lot of our music has, as he said, “Satirical elements.” I know I have a tendency to use satire in both my music and lyrics. I like to use extreme over exaggeration, often to a humorous degree, to make a point.
On your My Space page, the band members are listed as The Villain, The Conductor, The Entertainer, The Injun and The Cowboy. Who is who and how did each of you decide on your character/persona? Do you ever dress up as these “characters” when you perform?
Kevin:There’s no great scheme behind that photo shoot. It just happens that the mother of one of our good friends works at a costume shop. She let us go crazy in there and steal a bunch of things for the shoot. So what you see is the result of a costume shop raid that was inspired by nothing but a good time and some laughs. No, we don’t ever use the costumes live, they’re too expensive. Chad:Yeah, like Kevin said, the costumes have never been more than a photo shoot concept, but the costume / character choices do seem to fit each member. Chip:I’d like to add that I was originally dressed as the conductor but Kevin basically stole the costume off my back, handed me a head band with a feather in it, and giving me that look that only Kevin can give, pushed me into the changing room I was from then on the Injun. It was probably a wise decision, but it’s still too early to tell.
What are some Independent Bands, LA based or otherwise, that you are currently listening to?
Chad:As far as local music goes, I’ve been listening to Soleil, Francisco the Man, Get Back Loretta (SD), and The Fling. Song-a-teers worthy of continual listening, if you ask me, which you did. Chip:I like The Parson Redheads.
How do you think the LA music scene compares to the rest of the country right now?
Kevin:It can be quite trendy but great music can potentially come from anywhere. It’s not dependent upon a scene or location.Chad:I mostly just agree, most of the time.
What is the worst job you ever had while living in LA?
Chad:We were hired to be the backing band for two separate productions of the Broadway musical Godspell. Musical-ly speaking, it’s on the bottom of my list. It wasn’t the performances or the pay. The performers were amazing, and the pay was more than generous. The trouble was sitting through a mediocre play about fifty times. It can really take a toll on your well-being.Chip:I actually had a great time doing Godspell, but then again, I love playing in pit orchestras. I don’t think I’ve really had a “worst” job. Work is just always kind of a bummer when it takes the place of music.
Where is your favorite place to ______ in LA?
Chad:Eat: La Creperie â food fit for the gods and Sir Elton.Shop: I like to shop at Trader Joes. It feels like I’m being proactive.Hang Out: I’m kind of a homebody. I’d much rather hang out at home, drink wine, and watch TV on DVD, than go out to a bar, but I do like Bixby Park.Nick:Eat: Saturday morning breakfast burritos at Hole Mole.Shop: Well, Ralphs is right down the street.Hang Out: I ride my bike all over Long Beach, but 2nd street is a nice place to hang out.Chip:Eat: Hole Mole.Shop: I hate shopping.Hang Out: Chad’s house.
Lastly, who would play each of you in the movie version of Austin James Band’s rise to the top?
Subscribe to our RSS Feed And checkout our coffee competition to win a $30 gift voucher to your favourite coffee shop : click hereKevin:Johnny Depp.Chad: I’d like to be played by a young Gene Wilder. He’s brilliant. If it couldn’t be him then I’d like to be played by Chandler Bing from Friends. Not Mathew Perry but his character Chandler from the show, also brilliant by the way.Nick:1964 Sean Connery. My DoppelgÀnger.Chip:Jason Schwartzman
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
0 responses so far ↓
Subscribe to our RSS Feed and leave a comment to enter the commentator of the week competition and win a $20 Amazon.com gift voucher.
Leave a Comment