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White Rabbits - Interview
loudfarm.com featured content for Thursday 10.22.09
A philosopher might describe “music” as a clash between opposing forces. Loud versus quiet. Soothing versus disruptive. The challenge of the musician is to marry these forces, pitting them against each other to build a cohesive structure in which “music” is born. In many ways this is what White Rabbits have been up to on their newest release, It’s Frightening, where with two drummers clashing with soaring vocals and melodic piano arrangements, they have built a textured sound this writer has found both infectious and inspiring. Join Loudfarm as we delve into one of White Rabbits drummers take on life, sanity, and the pursuit of cleanliness.
Loud Farm:Who are you and how did you come about being in White Rabbits?
Matt Clark : My name is Matt. I came to be in this band by coming from the moon with the singular purpose of eating their earth food. And we were friends...old...old...friends.
LF:What is it about your band that really drives you to be heard?
MK:We had all individually decided that we wanted to play and create music and have that music be heard, or at least try to. The members of the band that were in school had finished, and it was either get a job and settle down or move to NY while your young and see if you can really fulfill your goals. But the simple fact is that nobody wants to be in a band and not be heard, what's the point of creating sound if nobody is going to hear it.
LF:How important was it for you to be living in a big city like New York to being discovered? Or at least getting to the next level of recognition?
MK:It was crucial. When we moved here it forced us to take the band as seriously as we wanted had wanted to. You can't move your whole band across the country and then just half ass it like you could back home, because NY is a place that has no lack of options. So if your not good (musical tastes withstanding) then nobody will go to your shows. Plain and simple. And that challenge intrigued us. We ditched our old songs and Steve and I switched instruments, and that really changed the dynamic of the band and the style of the songs we were writing. So the move was the most important thing this band has done for itself.
LF:Have you gotten a lot of mileage playing showcases like CMJ or South by Southwest? Where do you feel like you've been the most successful as your band has grown in getting people to notice you?
MK:We have gotten a lot of benefits from playing those types of festivals. Those types of festivals are important to young bands. Especially if they don't have any money and can't afford to go on tour or don't have a name for themselves to even get booked for a tour. But if I was to say any one place it would be NY.
LF:Alot has been said about the death of the music industry, labels suffering and bands not being able to make money doing music. Do you think this is accurate? What have you found is the most important thing to be able to make a living being White Rabbits? Merch? Touring? Album Sales? Web presence? Radio play?
MK:As long as people are able to make money off of music there will always be a music industry. But labels really do need to start re-evaluating their business plans. Each label is different, but all of them need to make money to cover their bottom line. Its up to labels to figure out what is going to make them money in the future without punishing people (including the bands) for hearing it. I just hope that they think of asking the artist they represent what they think about what should be done with the music they created. For us...it is the road. I would venture to say that is how most bands make their money on the road now. But all of these factors merch, touring, sales are done with the hopes that more people will come to the show. And that will in turn affect the merch, touring, sales so that hopefully you can eat.
LF:And as an aside to that, what is it like in the post-album music world, where some fans may only know you from the one or two songs they got off iTunes? MK:Yeah...personally it kind of bothers me. But once it gets to a certain point your pet project that you labored over so intensely becomes the property of the public. And it's up to them the level of importance they want to put on it. And I love that. I just hope that at some point they do decide to listen to it from beginning to end. Having said that, it really doesn't seem that different than any other period of music. The thing now is that there are more bands competing for the same ears. So you have to make your musical statement quick and to the point because who actually has the time to sit and listen to an album. Its just not the thing anymore. But I'm fine with that because there will always be bands that focus on an overall album and some that are going to focus on singles. Both bands will be in the dollar bin somewhere LF:How do you approach your live shows now that you are headlining as opposed to opening? Is there more pressure there? MK:There is more pressure for sure. You want the people to come to the show and have a good time and hopefully come the next time you play. So we have always been concerned about putting on a good show for the people that pay their money to see us. But any pressure is always welcomed it makes you play better. LF:In working on It's Frightening with Brit Daniels of Spoon, do you like to let a veteran producer like him take the lead in the studio or do you come with mostly your own ideas and push to get them shaped in your own vision? MK:We wrote the album in our practice space without the aid of Britt. So I would say that we came with all of our own ideas and songs and then we went through the songs with our producer. Our producer being Britt Daniel. Is it me or is that question worded weird?
LF: Also, I've always wondered if bands coming up these days watch documentaries of other bands and try to apply anything from those techniques to their own studio process? MK: I know I do. I think it's great to learn from the people you respect and admire and who know more than you. You have to know where you come from before you can leave.
LF:When you finally get an album together, do you know right away what's a "hit" and what isn't? Does it ever surprise you when a track takes off, on the blogs for instance, unexpectedly? MK: First part: NO. Second part: Sure, why not? I love a surprise.
LF:Can you offer any secrets to staying sane on tour? MK:Buy a neck pillow. It is the best thing you will do for yourself. Don't bring shit you don't need. And personal hygiene does a lot for your mental health. LF: Describe the difference between playing to an audience that already knows you, and what its like to play to an indifferent one (say opening for another band) and winning them over. MK: They're both great, but winning a crowd over may determine where you might sleep that night or what you might eat the next day LF:And lastly, how will you define success for White Rabbits? Looking back years from now, what will you be most proud of? MK:That we tried.
Interview by The Dude
