Iã¢â‚¬â„¢m Trying to Stand Tall but Every Time I Get Up I Get Knocked Down Again

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Featured Artist Interview:

The Airborne Toxic Effect

By Travis Wood
April 21, 2008

The next time youÂÂ're at your local bookstore, thumb through a 2008 edition of any dictionary is handy, and look upwards the term ÂÂ'meteoric.ÂÂ' Next to the definition you should be able to make out one of those quaint, faux-woodcut style illustrations Miriam-Webster has such a soft spot for, a pseudo-etching of five L.A. musicians: fig. 1: The Airborne Toxic Event.

Originally a cathartic outlet for Mikel Jollett (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Airborne began every bit a two-piece with Darren Taylor (drums, adrenaline) before, like Don DeLilloÂÂ'south billowing cloud from which the band takes its name, it grew to absorb Anna Bulbrook (viola, keyboard, tambourine), Steven Chen (guitar, keyboard), and Noah Harmon (bass, loftier kicks). On the strength of their songs (which careen from the hipgrip sway of dancing, footstomping indie to whirling, brutally catchy assaults of ballsy rock) and raucous live shows, the band has grown from an unsigned indie group with a pocket-size, devoted following into a label magnet with a much, much larger, still devoted following. What hasnÂÂ't changed is the band itself—the members remain alternately humble and bemused by the outside worldÂÂ's increased focus on them and their music, deeply appreciative for their loyal fans, and intensely focused on making music that remains true to their own vision.

All of which are reasons why we chose the Airborne Toxic Effect to be our first Featured Artist(s) on Web in Forepart. Oh, and one other—they have written some of the most cathartic and catchy songs weÂÂ've heard this side of the Dominate (cÂÂ'mon, you know yous love Nebraska). Jollett in one case told me, ÂÂ"I wanna sing, I wanna bound around. WeÂÂ're all gonna die… so letÂÂ'southward get drunkard and dance. LifeÂÂ's sad, itÂÂ'due south beautiful, it sucks, itÂÂ'south monumental, all at the same time, and we just try to reverberate that or capture that in our music…ÂÂ" ThatÂÂ's why this music means something to us—we tin hear some melancholy vocal of theirs and forget ourselves for awhile, and then chase information technology with a track that reminds us of why we listen to music in the offset place: to trip the light fantastic toe our asses off.

The Interview

Web in Front end: The last time I interviewed you (September 2007), we met at a modest bar in Chinatown, and you were an unsigned band that had but debuted the vocal ÂÂ"Sometime Around MidnightÂÂ" at the Sunset Junction Street Fair and were planning to tape an anthology. Fast-forrad eight months: weÂÂ're meeting at a photo shoot, ÂÂ"One-time Around Midnight is a hit on both KROQ and Indie 103.1, the album is complete, and youÂÂ've but signed to a characterization. So, what happened? HowÂÂ'd yous become from one to other so (relatively) quickly?

Mikel Jollett: The list of asses nosotros had to kiss is long and distinguished. (laughs)

Steven Chen: We hunkered down afterward we talked, and locked ourselves away at Pete MinÂÂ'due south studio in Hawkeye Rock, recording several tracks to go on the album.

Noah Harmon: Our plan was to release it in January of 2008…

Steven: We didnÂÂ't take a label, just we simply decided that it was in us, and it was the right time—everyone was set up to do this. We were doing our Spaceland residency, and everything was going very much co-ordinate to plan until KROQ added us into regular rotation right before the final night of our residency. After that, it was similar being on a different earth.

Darren Taylor: More people started to pay attention; we got picked up by a lot of other stations after that.

Steven: People started singing along to ÂÂ"Erstwhile Effectually Midnight,ÂÂ" which was incredibly surreal.

WiF: What was that similar, the final night of the Spaceland residency? IÂÂ've never seen a line wrapped around Spaceland like that, with the room packed so tightly, and everyone there knew the lyrics to every unmarried song, more than half of which are unreleased.

Mikel: Information technology was cracking, it was and then corking merely to have people bear witness up. Nosotros knew that the terminal Spaceland night was going to exist a large night because Castledoor and the Deadly Syndrome were playing—nosotros thought that information technology would be a little crazy. But the fact that that ÂÂ"MidnightÂÂ" got picked up the week before, it just became a perfect storm. We saw how many people were there and it became, ÂÂ"What the fuck is going on?ÂÂ" Very hectic. It was sort of like that scene at the beginning of The Graduate where it goes from face to face to face to face, really quick edits. The whole night was like that for united states: all our friends were there and all these fuckers from labels, plus journalists and everyone else, all of this at once. And so it became, ÂÂ"Ok, time to play a show. Ok, gear up your gear. Ok, take your gear down. OK, go shake easily with the president of this label, now go shake hands with this other president over here.ÂÂ"

Steven: And former President Jimmy Carter, he was there. (laughs)

Mikel: I desire to believe the ghost of Richard Nixon was there too.

So it was a very—bam bam bam—hectic, blurry night.

Anna Bulbrook: That was i of the best, most fun shows, though. That was a real top-of-the-world show.

WiF: Was it intimidating to go on stage that night?

Noah: It was amazing!

Anna: Information technology was perfectly calm.

Steven: I think, as a band, we play amend when thereÂÂ's more at stake. We all like rising to a challenge, that ever seems to lock united states into what weÂÂ're doing even more.

Darren: Musicians always say this, itÂÂ'southward a cliché but itÂÂ's true: you feed off the energy of the crowd. Being on that stage and looking out and seeing literally no identify to stand, and everyoneÂÂ'southward waiting to hear united states play, it just gives you an amazing feeling and free energy to work with. You just explode.

Noah: More than annihilation, the crowd made it seem similar an effect. The crowd, the huge line of people, they were twice equally amped as the crowd youÂÂ'd encounter on a standard Th night for some local ring putting on our lilliputian rock show.

Steven: Yep, there were people at that place whoÂÂ'd never been to Spaceland.

Anna: We even saw some people showing upwards in limos—who goes to Spaceland in a limo?

Mikel: President of Warner Brothers.

There were a lot of label fuckers. All along the back of the room, there were a lot of fuckers. They were the fuckers who were trying to effigy out if we were really whatever skillful, it was the offset time theyÂÂ'd seen us. They but knew near us because of KROQ, they really had no idea who we were.

I donÂÂ't know almost y'all guys, but my attitude towards them was very much, ÂÂ"Alright, watch this!ÂÂ" and then merely playing to the crowd. That whole thing, it used to be a dream for united states of america about a year ago, to have those fuckers come and see yous only to cross you off subsequently. This night it was much more than like, ÂÂ"hereÂÂ's your fucking show.ÂÂ"

Noah: Fuck! Fuck fuck! Fuck! (laughs)

We were very excited to feel like we were be on the other end of things.

WiF: How do you lot mean?

Noah: Well, instead of ÂÂ'kissing the ringÂÂ' equally it were, when that set up of label people saw all of their contemporaries in the room likewise, at that place was a little chip of jockeying for our attention, which was something weÂÂ'd never experienced before. Information technology was very exciting. Again, a very surreal experience. Weird, fucking weird!

Steven: WeÂÂ're saying fuck a lot.

WiF: This will come out after you announce it, and then I think nosotros can talk about who youÂÂ've just signed with…

Mikel: Majordomo.

WiF: What led you lot to that label?

Mikel: They offered us a really smashing deal. A partnership. TheyÂÂ're very, say, ÂÂ'band-centric.ÂÂ' We just hand them the music. ThereÂÂ's no conversations similar ÂÂ"Well, you lot should modify the mix, or add guitars here…ÂÂ" We just handed them the finished record, and theyÂÂ're going to get information technology out in that location. ItÂÂ'south very much like a partnership—itÂÂ's non like they bought our music, we get it back after seven years. WeÂÂ're going in with a partner.

WiF: Full artistic control?

Mikel: Oh yep! That wasnÂÂ't even an issue. They were merely stoked on our band, on our music. TheyÂÂ're all existent fans of music, theyÂÂ're smart people, they come from many different labels—Warner Brothers, Rhino, Nettwork, Mute, Matador—all these cool people who have all ended up in this very new, progressive visitor thatÂÂ's growing tremendously. ItÂÂ's a very mod music-world bargain. TheyÂÂ're distributing through Sony, so every bit far as the public is concerned, youÂÂ'll exist able to pick the anthology upwardly anywhere—Wal-Mart, Amoeba, it doesnÂÂ't matter.

Our theory is that the indie vs. major label shit doesnÂÂ't thing. In this day and age, distribution channels are open. We made information technology onto KROQ and Indie 103.1, and we did information technology unsigned. We just wanted a partnership with people who retrieve the same way, who are interested in putting out good music and not concerned with beingness too indie or too major. And we know if we become dropped off the radio, theyÂÂ're not going to give up on united states. TheyÂÂ're going to keep pushing for u.s.a.. They believe in our alive show, they believe in the record. ThatÂÂ's why it fabricated sense to sign with them: itÂÂ's the kind of deal that doesnÂÂ't make the states feel muddy at all. We experience great about it.

Noah: And theyÂÂ've fabricated it to every bear witness weÂÂ've played for the by year…

Steven: They get where weÂÂ're coming from, and where we want to get.

Darren: Without getting likewise specific, we talked to many labels, nosotros got a lot of offers. Merely this deal is closer to what we ultimately wanted. A very D.I.Y. approach. Essentially, with the major labels, they take control, whereas with Majordomo, weÂÂ're all in this together. TheyÂÂ're in it for u.s., weÂÂ're in it for them. ItÂÂ's extremely shut-knit. It feels like something we can grow with.

Mikel: The distribution on this deal is pretty astonishing. The distribution is, as I said, by Sony/BMG, then, hypothetically, thereÂÂ's nothing to prevent usa from selling a million records, if that many people actually wanted to purchase it. At the aforementioned time, itÂÂ's not this impersonal thing where they just mitt yous a cheque and say ÂÂ"go bout, weÂÂ'll see you lot in a year when itÂÂ's time for the new tape,ÂÂ" and they try to command everything.

WiF: IÂÂ've been actually curious to see who youÂÂ'd sign with, knowing how protective all of you are of your music and the band.

Mikel: It took a while. A lot of labels spent a lot of money wining and dining us. One characterization in particular, they literally spent $5000 on us, but for food and drinks. And Majordomo didnÂÂ't spend a dime.

Darren: What they did that made an impression was this: when nosotros went to their offices for the starting time fourth dimension, the entire staff showed up and packed into the room for the coming together.

Anna: We saw that they were really serious most u.s.a..

Mikel: ItÂÂ's not but that, itÂÂ's the fact that they didnÂÂ't spend coin on us. That meant a lot to us. The first thing that nosotros idea afterwards the dinners with all those labels who spent coin on u.s. was, ÂÂ"wow, weÂÂ're going to accept to compensate that later through album and ticket sales. ThatÂÂ's how they do business.ÂÂ" Some bands on those labels are having to pay for the horribly decadent meals that we ate.

Majordomo, they donÂÂ't do business similar that at all. TheyÂÂ're like us, theyÂÂ're lean and scrappy—though theyÂÂ're armed with a fair amount of resources. And they offered united states an extremely fair and generous deal. We get to be on a hybrid characterization that is simultaneously a major in terms of distribution and an indie in that theyÂÂ're serious music fans who are in it with us for the long booty.

WiF: During that last interview of ours, Steven, you mentioned that the manufacture has become like the Wild Due west at present, and everyoneÂÂ's fighting for their slice of land and trying to build something new upon it.

Mikel: DarrenÂÂ's moustache is very Wild West. (laughs)

WiF: Beingness as you are an indie band, who went for so long but doing everything on your own, practise feel that the industryÂÂ's current condition, shaky as it is, actually helps bands such equally Airborne? Does it, out of necessity, foster a more than D.I.Y. approach for some bands who might not do then otherwise, or does information technology still hurt more than bands? IÂÂ'm thinking of how the Petty Ones just got dropped before their debut LP was to be released…

Mikel: No, the Little Ones are the reverse of this. They were signed by a major, and so they got dropped. TheyÂÂ're an example of why thatÂÂ's not necessarily the best mode to go. ThatÂÂ's an example of why that system doesnÂÂ't work: theyÂÂ're a peachy band and they got screwed by their major label.

Steven: I think itÂÂ's better, at least for our band, that nosotros did it on our own and didnÂÂ't get involved with this inflated machine thatÂÂ's been bound to crumble for a long time.

Mikel: Anybody knows the system is tanking. Actually, the trouble is a combination of too much overhead in a business that canÂÂ't beget it and, apparently, the internet and downloading. And what was the meridian of sales? 2001? When everyone was literally paying $18 a disc? That couldnÂÂ't last!

WiF: Merely in terms of music and a bandÂÂ's approach—

Mikel: No, come across weÂÂ're talking about the business aspect, and thatÂÂ's all it is—business. It has nothing to do with music or the creative process, not really. Bands are bands, some are good, some are bad.

Noah: Look, if someoneÂÂ's songs are good, theyÂÂ'll get out, regardless of the bandÂÂ's approach, whether itÂÂ's their Myspace page or the biggest label in the world. If youÂÂ've got a bully album, a really groovy album, youÂÂ'll detect a way to get information technology heard.

WiF: LetÂÂ's talk about your album, The Airborne Toxic Result.

Mikel: ItÂÂ's done. ItÂÂ's—

Darren (smiles): ItÂÂ'south fucking great! (laughs)

Mikel: We spent a lot of time on it. Literally hundreds of hours locked in the studio, just getting it correct. ItÂÂ'southward the acme of what weÂÂ've done so far. Y'all know, in total, IÂÂ've written about a hundred songs, of which I brought 40 to Darren when we formed the ring, of that we brought 25 to the whole group, of that we recorded sixteen, and of those songs ten made it onto the record. WeÂÂ've played it live so many times, adjusted everything until itÂÂ's but right for the states, shaping information technology. We feel good about it.

Darren: Information technology took a while. We wanted to accept the songs to a live audience, run across which ones worked better than others, road-testing everything. Our set is so completely different than it was a year ago. A lot of songs nosotros donÂÂ't play anymore, because they simply donÂÂ't gel. But these songs, on the record… they work.

Mikel: A lot of songs got relegated to the J.Five.

WiF: Rock critic question: what do promise to accomplish with the album?

Mikel: Nosotros wanted it to experience like our live show. All the rhythm tracks are live, itÂÂ's the sound of u.s. playing live to each other in a room, with that great energy—we play off of each otherÂÂ'due south energy alive. ThereÂÂ's a certain chemistry to this group, and we wanted to capture that.

Noah: And we wanted to run a longer emotional gauntlet than ÂÂ"hereÂÂ's ten punk songs,ÂÂ" or ÂÂ"hereÂÂ's ten indie rock songs.ÂÂ"

Steven: Nosotros feel similar weÂÂ've actually covered a lot of basis on this record.

WiF: Similar the mixtape conversation we had in the last interview… the emotional peaks and valleys of a mixtape.

Mikel: Exactly. ItÂÂ's 10 songs long and information technology covers everything nosotros do.

And itÂÂ'southward self-titled because our damn proper name is long plenty already. (laughs)

WiF: Did you reach what y'all wanted? The terminal few times IÂÂ've seen you, youÂÂ've spoken about it like it was a labor of love, so IÂÂ'chiliad guessing that you did.

Mikel: Well, itÂÂ'south hard to have a lot of perspective on that, because weÂÂ're the ones who fabricated it. I will say that we didnÂÂ't cut any corners, you lot know, in terms of how much time and effort nosotros were willing to give information technology. We just did take after take after take and mix after mix… Honestly, I donÂÂ't know how to practise a better tape.

Noah: ItÂÂ's impossible for me to say. The way I await at information technology, over ten or twelve years, my musical tastes volition alter, IÂÂ'll be listening and playing different stuff… Simply this album, I donÂÂ't recollect 10 years from now that it will be something weÂÂ're ashamed of or disappointed in. After everything that nosotros put into it, I think weÂÂ'll be very satisfied with it for a long fourth dimension.

Mikel: Whether other people like it or not, who knows? WeÂÂ're only going to continue our heads downwardly, work hard, and tour—a lot—to back up information technology. ThatÂÂ's really all we can control: what our attitude is about it, how difficult weÂÂ're willing to work, making sure we tin can keep it together and not lose the plot artistically, thatÂÂ's all we can focus on. All that other stuff, information technology remains to be seen—afterward all, this is only our first record.

WiF: What kind of tour do you lot have lined up?

Mikel: WeÂÂ'll have a full tour. The albumÂÂ's release date is July 15th, so weÂÂ'll take ii different tours: ane will be on the west coast and the southwest before the albumÂÂ'southward release, and the other tour… well, our booking agent told us to be prepared to exist gone for a yr.

WiF: Will it be a headlining tour, or will you be opening for others? Will it be a shared bill?

Mikel: WeÂÂ're still in the process of working that out.

Noah: Yep! Yeah to all! (laughs)

Mikel: I donÂÂ't know… I mean, we just signed the deal two days ago. (laughs) Only weÂÂ're working on information technology. That and merely concentrating on playing good music, writing as many expert songs as we can.

WiF: WhatÂÂ'due south the songwriting process for the ring? Mikel, I remember speaking to you in January, and yous were proverb that you had all the songs for the record lined up, and then a new one just ÂÂ"hitting y'all,ÂÂ" and you had to tape it last-minute for the album (ÂÂ"GasolineÂÂ"). Is it e'er that sudden? And how does a vocal evolve from something you feel in your personal life to being something in which the whole ring contributes to and creates?

Mikel: In the first of the band, the songs were things I had written on my own—the words, the basic arrangements—and had brought to the others to run into how we could brand information technology ours as a whole. Lately, though, Noah and I accept get the songwriting squad, which I would have never expected. We have this weirdly free relationship; he does a lot of things really, really well that I certainly couldnÂÂ't do on my own. So the last few songs that we added to the tape were songs that Noah and I had tossed back and forth, simply developing emotional arcs and arrangements—

Noah: When he and I disagree is when the cool stuff comes out. When weÂÂ're pulling in the reverse directions, and then nosotros come back to the heart, thatÂÂ'southward when we do our all-time writing.

Mikel: After he and I finish rolling effectually on the floor, kicking each other and pulling hair and biting, IÂÂ'll become domicile for a few days or weeks, depending on the song, and attempt and figure out the lyrical arc for the song, and so I bring it dorsum to the band. ThatÂÂ's when everyone starts to put their own stamp on it, after which we take out and play it for an audition, which is where it continues to evolve.

WiF: That being said, is a vocal for y'all ever ÂÂ"washed,ÂÂ" fifty-fifty after itÂÂ's recorded? Or do you let it to continue changing or growing?

Mikel: There are always trivial live tweaks and alterations that accept place, sure.

Noah: Playing live lately, weÂÂ've been doing this thing to our song endings where someone will call out hits—five!—and weÂÂ'll end the song together with a bashing bam bam bam bam bam bam bam!

Steven: That was seven.

Noah: I did seven?

Steven: Run into, thatÂÂ's the thing. Sometimes someone will say ÂÂ"three!ÂÂ" and weÂÂ'll exercise five, or someone says ÂÂ"1!ÂÂ" and weÂÂ'll practise three. Or sometimes weÂÂ'll do math problems: three times two divided by, you know, the square root of sixty-four—

Noah: Abandon joke! Abandon joke! (laughs)

Mikel: That was pretty good, Chen.

WiF: Performing live, what has it been like to see the fan base of operations abound the way it has? ThereÂÂ'south always the same core audience, I ever see the same xv or twenty superfans at L.A. shows, but then thereÂÂ'southward also this growing, gorging fan base. Terminal week when I was talking to Mikel at the Repeat, two girls came running upward after and kept asking me ÂÂ"I saw you talking to Airborne just now!ÂÂ" and ÂÂ"how do you know Airborne?ÂÂ" Is that weird or flattering or both?

Noah: ItÂÂ's awesome! ItÂÂ's extremely gratifying. The more we tin can be your band, the amend. Delight come up talk to us at shows, you know? We want to communicate with anyone who has any interest in our music and our ring.

WiF: Are whatever of yous at all surprised at how chop-chop things seem to accept moved, or does it fifty-fifty seem as if itÂÂ's gone quickly at all?

Mikel: Sometimes it feels very fast, other times it seems like itÂÂ'southward going to take forever—IÂÂ'm sitting at home, just wanting to get the record out and proceed tour.

Equally far every bit what youÂÂ're talking about, the growing number of fans, thatÂÂ's just astonishing. ThatÂÂ'due south i of the coolest parts of this. I donÂÂ't know most the rest of you, but I spent a lot of years sitting solitary at home playing my songs and thinking, ÂÂ"no oneÂÂ'south ever heard this song. E'er.ÂÂ" So the fact that people now really do want to hear them, thatÂÂ's amazing.

Anna: Talking about things moving quickly, I feel like the unabridged music scene in L.A. is moving extremely fast and itÂÂ's really heady, but and so weÂÂ'll travel outside the urban center and we have to start at basis zero with people. We have to win people over again, which I recall helps give united states a nice perspective.

Mikel: ItÂÂ's incredible, though, the fans we do have. Like when we played at PianoÂÂ's in New York, it sold out. We do really well in San Francisco. And to see people we donÂÂ't know at shows—because, you know, when you lot first start a ring, the only people who show up are your friends—especially the shows outside of Fifty.A., it tin can be extremely gratifying.

Steven: Hearing New Yorkers sing along to ÂÂ"Sometime Effectually MidnightÂÂ" was pretty surprising.

Darren: To me, itÂÂ's been a very steady progression, going from seeing all your friends in the audience, to the audience being a grouping of complete strangers.

Steven: The weird stuff is when people enquire for autographs, peculiarly when theyÂÂ're kids! Fourteen year olds! Nosotros donÂÂ't play a lot of all-ages shows, so when nosotros played the (Indie 103.ane Rockcycle) show in Culver City, which was all-ages, we had all these immature kids who knew all of our songs. That was really interesting and bizarre.

Mikel: I plant myself being oddly avuncular with them: ÂÂ"Stay in schoolhouse! You can insubordinate against your parents—only they honey yous! Brush your teeth, do your homework, hereÂÂ's your shoe.ÂÂ"

Noah: Put it this way: itÂÂ's just fucking awesome to meet anyone cheering for you when youÂÂ're onstage, or waiting to see you after. It means a lot.

WiF: What happens to you as a grouping, and as individuals, when youÂÂ're onstage?

Steven: You never know what your bandÂÂ's dynamic will be until you become really comfortable with ane another. EveryoneÂÂ'southward personality begins to magnify once on stage. At the aforementioned fourth dimension, sometimes IÂÂ'll be in my own world and since NoahÂÂ'southward on the other side of the stage, IÂÂ'll have no idea what heÂÂ's doing for most of the show.

Noah: Yes, I didnÂÂ't fifty-fifty notice Steven was in the ring for the first six months. (laughs)

Steven: Now, I feel similar our personalities are coming out on stage, weÂÂ're getting really comfortable. It took a while forge our chemistry, I guess y'all could say.

Darren: The cool matter for me, existence in the back on drums, is that I get the perfect perspective on what everyoneÂÂ'due south doing and how theyÂÂ're behaving and playing, so I get to feed of off what everyone else is doing, rhythmically and stylistically every bit a result. The fashion our band is set up upwards, I take a lot of cues from each fellow member of the band, whether itÂÂ's something AnnaÂÂ'southward doing on the viola, StevenÂÂ's doing on guitar, or even MikelÂÂ's vocals. Typically, as a drummer, I should exist feeding off of Noah, equally heÂÂ's the bassist and thatÂÂ'southward the typical rhythmic foundation for a band; with our band, though, I answer to each of them—itÂÂ'south a really organic, collaborative musical chemical science, and itÂÂ'southward based on how comfortable we are together, as a group and as friends, onstage.

Mikel: It helps that nosotros do a lot of drugs together before a set. (laughs)

Darren: ThereÂÂ's a lot of heavy drinking and shooting up, for sure.

Mikel: WeÂÂ're all very dissimilar people, but we seem to discover similarities that we all share when nosotros play live together.

Noah: Mikel and I take been kicking each other a lot lately, though, during our sets.

Mikel: IÂÂ'm not sure what that is. Sometimes I see him on stage and I just want to kick him. ItÂÂ's fun. (laughs)

Darren: The crowd is what really pushes united states of america, though.

Noah: Yeah, ordinarily the 5th song into a prepare, weÂÂ'll decide to be non quite equally frantic on that particular song… just so itÂÂ'll be a vocal everyone likes, so we end up taking information technology at 100 mph.

Darren: Even if youÂÂ're having an off night or a lot of personal problems, when you run into people really reacting to the songs, to the music, itÂÂ's one of the best feelings… It really validates, for me, what nosotros do as a band.

WiF: What was playing at South by Southwest like? Everyone I spoke to (since I missed it this yr) said it was like Silver Lake essentially crash landed in Texas.

Darren: Nosotros literally ran into Division Day everywhere nosotros went. ItÂÂ's hard not to run into people yous know now at SXSW.

Mikel: All the bands we dear from Fifty.A., or nearly of them, were at that place.

WiF: Do you feel that something particularly special is happening in the L.A. music scene right now, every bit Anna was maxim before? You lot guys, the Movies, Happy Hollows, Henry Clay People, Radars to the Sky, The Deadly Syndrome, Castledoor, etc… Do y'all meet it as growing into a pop-culturally huge scene, or remaining more than of a dearest niche?

Mikel: I think information technology gets a bad rep outside of L.A. Similar in New York—thereÂÂ'southward a lot of stuck-upward people in that location that think of 50.A. every bit just Hollywood. They donÂÂ't understand that Silver Lake is non Hollywood. ThereÂÂ's a lot of really special musicians there making really serious music, and these assholes volition go nuts virtually some ring from Brooklyn that wouldnÂÂ't last 10 seconds in Silverish Lake. Yous canÂÂ't blame them, in a mode, because theyÂÂ're probably used to hearing just about the Dusk Strip and all that kind of shit, and so they assume any band from 50.A. volition carry that vibe.

But there is an incredible amount of talent here, yeah.

Noah: I think thereÂÂ'south something going on. IÂÂ'd venture to say that thereÂÂ's something unique happening right now, especially in the past few years since IÂÂ've been living hither. The quality of bands and shows, every dark at present you can find a fantastic show somewhere in L.A. by a local act.

WiF: When I first moved to the area, that was the first thing that struck me, was the variety and talent of all the bands here. The amazing creative well of music happening here right now is staggering. But then, I moved here from the cultural armpit of America, so…

Mikel: Crawford Ranch? (laughs)

Well, there are a lot of shit bands here also, merely like anywhere. But I know what youÂÂ're getting at.

WiF: ThereÂÂ's just such a rich collection of artists right at present, if you look for them… and you donÂÂ't even accept to look that hard. Evidence upward on just well-nigh whatever night at the Echo or Spaceland, and youÂÂ'll find ii or 3 ridiculously adept acts playing.

Steven: ThatÂÂ's truthful. ItÂÂ'south a really absurd time to be a band in 50.A. right now.

WiF: Rock critic question #2: Where do you desire Airborne, as a band, to go?

Mikel: We accept our very potent ambitions. But, that being said, I feel similar we shouldnÂÂ't focus too much on those but to practice what I said earlier, and simply focus on what we can control—keeping ourselves grounded and focused on being creative artists, being good friends to 1 some other. And to stay artistic and productive in the very busy yr ahead.

Noah: And exist equally tight with our fans every bit possible.

Steven: WeÂÂ're a alive band. We donÂÂ't want to cheat our way into a huge following, we want to practice it one fan at a fourth dimension. Do information technology honestly and exercise it right, to really connect with people.

Mikel: Exactly. We just want to play in front of people. ThatÂÂ's all really, just have a proficient time with people who love music. At one indicate, we equally ring decided that any was considered to be aristocratic rock star bullshit was something we wanted nix to exercise with. WeÂÂ're wide open—we desire to know people. Nosotros want to achieve people and we desire them to reach us—thatÂÂ'south the whole betoken, I think, of beingness a musician. I mean, weÂÂ're mortgaging our lives on this, weÂÂ're going abroad for a year, considering we love information technology so much and because we only desire to connect with everyone that we can, and to be changed by them.

Ring Favorites

Steven: ÂÂ"Happiness is OverratedÂÂ"

I honey doing this one. Mikel and I beginning out with a jazzy intro, and so the whole song kicks in. I grew up listening to a lot of Britpop as well as dance rock (but non in the lame sense), and this song really taps into those styles that I love. It, for me, is actually a personal wink back to the music I grew upwards with, danced to in clubs, or used to see cute girls. (laughs)

Mikel: ÂÂ"MissyÂÂ"

ItÂÂ's hard to say which is a favorite, really. TheyÂÂ're like kids, I honey all of them. Sometimes you love the song, other times yous merely want to become through playing information technology and get it right.

ItÂÂ's similar asking, which is your favorite finger? ÂÂ"Well, I like my pinky a lot… but and then again my thumbÂÂ'south pretty opposable, so thatÂÂ's cool. Just how can I flip people off without a middle finger, and at present I realize I need my tertiary finger to get married, so itÂÂ'due south really hard to say.ÂÂ" (laughs)

I like playing ÂÂ"MissyÂÂ" considering I like screaming at the terminate. (laughs) I like what the song ways, it really… it sums upwardly exactly how I felt at the fourth dimension I wrote it. ItÂÂ's very important to me for that reason, I think.

Darren: ÂÂ"InnocenceÂÂ"

It takes me back to the inception of the band, only me and Mikel in that hot rehearsal space downtown. I feel similar thatÂÂ's the song that he and I bonded over. I donÂÂ't call up who was the craven and who was the egg on that song, who started playing information technology first. This shell only came out of me at the same fourth dimension that this great riff came out of him. Information technology literally came out of nowhere.

It was weird—as soon equally nosotros began to play it that offset time, I knew exactly how I was going to play the entire song. On a lot of songs, it takes me a flake to figure out what IÂÂ'm going to do with them. Simply on ÂÂ"Innocence,ÂÂ" I just knew how to play it, what it needed to exist.

I also like it considering itÂÂ'south the ultimate closer for us. ItÂÂ's the culmination of everything that has happened throughout the show, everything comes out at the cease of the vocal, it builds and builds and builds into this massive, bubbling explosion of what we do…

Mikel: YouÂÂ're kind of turning me on. (laughs)

Anna: ÂÂ"Onetime Around MidnightÂÂ"/ ÂÂ"GasolineÂÂ" (tie)

ItÂÂ'southward ever irresolute for me, because nosotros keep playing songs differently. For instance, between takes at the video shoot for ÂÂ"Midnight,ÂÂ" we didnÂÂ't accept our keyboard and then I was playing all of our songs on viola, which I donÂÂ't normally do, so I discovered new things to relish in each one…

That beingness said, ÂÂ"MidnightÂÂ" is always fun to play alive, and ÂÂ"GasolineÂÂ" is fifty-fifty better… itÂÂ's ever revolving for me, just right at present, those 2 are the near satisfying for me to play.

Though I exercise similar ÂÂ"MissyÂÂ" also, because it gives me a chance to jump into the crowd. (laughs)

Noah: ÂÂ"This is NowhereÂÂ"

I like this i mainly because when we play information technology live, Steven and I endeavour to outdo each other on jump-kicks. (laughs) In the past few shows I fucking kill him because I spring off of the drum riser. ItÂÂ'due south peachy. (laughs)

Rare Tracks

Airborne was gracious enough to permit Web in Front to host two seldom heard songs from their growing collection of angular earphoria. The starting time, ÂÂ"I DonÂÂ't Want to Exist on Television,ÂÂ" is a loping, desperately funny/sad portrait of a city living nether television skies, replete with multiple mini-solos and an irresistibly rhythmic ebb and menstruum that lulls you into the songÂÂ's riptide heart. The second, ÂÂ"The Girls in Their Summer Dresses,ÂÂ" is an adaptation of the Irwin Shaw short story that follows a New York couple through the sidewalks of Fifth Artery and the interpersonal tripwires of truth and allegiance. A windswept slice of jangley pop and witty lyrical heartache, ÂÂ"Summer DressesÂÂ" was on the original pressing of AirborneÂÂ's debut EP and still makes the occasional setlist on lucky nights.

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Source: https://theairbornetoxicevent.com/news/web-in-front.html

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