YOUBORED.COM

Tyler Norby Music Editor

Knievel is coming to Portland on March 23rd!  They are playing at The Cobalt Lounge w/ Deathray & Man Of The Year!

Tyler Norby (YOUBORED.COM Music Editor) had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Kneivel.  The interview is below...

1.  Why you?  Why should someone be a fan of Knievel's music?  What does it offer that music fans just can't get anywhere else?

According to some learned and acute journalist down here "a weird and intoxicating hybrid of electronica, psychedelica and  indie rock". Generally, we strive for interesting counterpoint between instruments in our music with some decent melodies to balance it out. Music that tries to achieve some emotional connection with the listener without too much hoopla and without forsaking it's experimental edge.

2.  How would you describe the music of Knievel to someone who has never heard it before?

Somebody said something about 'a hypnotic straight line of groove that achieves it's intensity through resisting dynamics' and that at least sums up a part of what we are trying to achieve.

3.  Give a brief history of the band.

Tracy, Nick and I got together in 94 to flail about. Put out a kind of a rock album in 95'  - seemed like the thing to do at the time. Hit upon a sound we liked when we wrote the songs for our second album Steep Hill Climb in 98 and started getting some good press and lots of airplay. Traveled to the US for the CMJ in the US in 98 and 99 and recorded one new song with Lee Wall from Luna on drums. Started to get a bit more more fixated on trying to carve out some original turf for ourselves and worked on a new approach - building songs from guitar sample loops for our album "the name rings a bell......." Got some more airplay and some good breaks - the chance to play with Ken Stringfellow, a release for our album in Japan and the US.

4.  With today's popular music market being flooded with fairly aggressive rock, your music is a welcome change.  Its mellow vibe and eclectic sound seem to get a positive vibe with everyone who listens to it.  People want to know where is developed from.  Who are your influences, both past and present?

The underground scene in Australia is thankfully about as far from clown-makeup rock as you can get. There is a thriving eclectic scene down here that is constantly inspiring. Bands such as Sandpit, Underground Lovers, Hoolahan, La Huva, Tugboat and Gersey should by all rights be world famous.

Our music is a long roundabout journey from the core of the Beatles and Big Star through the far reaches of the Go Betweens, Built To Spill, with room for any influence along the way from Sonic Youth,  The Clean, Verlaines, Sebadoh, Bats, Moles, Yo La Tengo, Flaming Lips, Stereolab etc.

But that just really accounts for some of the chord changes and a general desire to express that sense of restless melancholy. A lot of the atmosphere of our new record comes out of being hunched over a giant pedal board for weeks on end trying to coax new sounds forth.

5.  Seeing as how you are an Australian group, how would you compare/contrast the reaction to your music in Australia and in other markets (such as America)?

Despite the fact we have had a lot of national airplay for our single down here we have always been big on underground loyalty and small on mainstream recognition. Maybe the evolution of our sound has been confusing to people. The US gets to see the refined end product  - like petrol intstead of crude oil.

6.  That last question brings up a good point.  Considering that you have limited touring experience in the US, how do you expect supporting the new album in the US will differ from supporting the album in your homeland?

It's always easier to tour away from home because you expect nothing and every person who turns up and likes your show is a bonus.

7.  How does The Name Rings a Bell that Drowns Out Your Voice differ from your previous works?

Our previous album Steep Hill Climb could probably fall loosely into the orch. pop category (if it was forced) and our new album sees us trying to step away from standard song structure and concentrate on building songs from hypnotic loops.

8.  How did the recording of The Name Rings a Bell that Drowns Out Your Voice differ from the recording processes of your previous works?

It was all  extremely fragmented with weeks passing between sessions. It was mostly recorded at night right in the middle of Kings Cross (once boho, now depressing junkie world) where you just have to walk out the front door to be confronted by the utter futility of existence. Some of this quite possibly rubs off on you. We were more focused on trying to create our own new sounds with our oversized pedal board rather than relying on the tried and true.

9.  Describe your songwriting process.

Usually songs spring out of of guitar chords that have a sense of unresolved tension. From there they are put on the phonetic vocal assembly line until they come out the other end. If that fails we use plan b: get some counterpoint riffs happening and then try to pull it all together with a drone vocal melody.

10.  How do your sound on the albums and your live sound differ?  Do you try to get them as close to one another as possible?

Yeah, we probably try and get them as close as we can. Whether we achieve that depends on many of rocks variable coefficients. We aren't striving for any extended freeform jazz/world music flavoured blowouts. One of our pet hates is seeing a band refigure all their vocal melodies because they are bored with them. We always like to stay close to the original kernel of inspiration of a song and if it's boring then it wasn't good enough to start with or it's time for some new songs.

11.  What steps are you going to take to build a momentum for Knievel in the US/  How do you plan to keep that momentum going?

Gee you don't half ask the hard questions. I guess it's about getting our music out there and letting it do the work for us - both live and recorded. We'd love to be able to tour the US regularly and doing our first proper tour is as good a place to start as any. Momentum is all about starting somewhere and seeing where it leads.

12.  Coke or Pepsi?

Most people think I'm weird but the only way I can drink Coke is if I dilute it with about ten parts water to one part Coke.

3.  Favorite albums of all time?

Odyssey and Oracle (Zombies)

Crooked Rain (Pavement)

Dirty (Sonic youth)

There is Nothing Wrong with Love (Built to Spill)

Send Me a Lullaby (Go Betweens)

No 1 Record/Radio City (Big Star)

Bakesale (Sebadoh)

Meat is Murder (The Smiths)

After the Goldrush

Highway 61

Velvet Underground

14.  Favorite foods?

Fresh Corn

15.  Craziest road experience?

Being heavied by thugs with their arms in plaster in a venue in Ballina (northern NSW) for being twenty minutes late for an afternoon sound check.

16.  Favorite sexual position?

All of the numbers between 68 and 70

17.  Top indie band you want people to know about?

Sandpit, Gersey, Tugboat, Sounds Like Sunset, Ides of Space, Hoolahan, La Huva, Rodeo Boy, The Pee Wee Fist.

18.  Favorite childhood cartoon?

The Jetsons

19.  Stupidest thing you've ever done in concert?

Worn a singlet under my shirt

20.  Favorite scary movie?

Night of the Hunter

21.  If I weren't playing music, I'd be working at... ?

recording the music of others

22.  Favorite color gumball?

Shoreline gold

23.  Dream car?

Borgward Isabella coupe TS or Lincoln Futura (rebuilt by George Barris as the Batmobile)

24.  Dream instruments?

Shoreline Gold Jazzmasters

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