Q: So to start out the interview why don’t you all introduce yourselves and tell everyone about briefly about your band. (hopefully this will be the last “interview” type question!)
A: We're Anathallo. Matt plays guitar and sings, I'm Andrew, I play flugelhorn, Nate plays trombone, and Bret plays trombone. Andrew, Nate, and Bret also play a mix of piano, extra drums (including a giant concert bass drum), xylophone, chains, scissors, and other random assorted junk that makes noise. Danny plays guitar and does some midi sounds, Joel plays drums/percussion, and Seth plays bass. We also have some clapping, shouting, group singing, etc. that everybody helps out on.
Q: You guys are from Michigan, wonderful state where I’ve spent many a Christmas w/ family, what do you enjoy most about living there and how is the music scene up there?
A: I enjoy Michigan primarily for natural things - I love to kayak and mountain bike, and go on walks and hikes, basically anything outside. I live in the Northern Lower peninsula, near Lake Michigan so there are lots of beaches, rivers and hills to enjoy. As far as the music scene goes, that really varies from city to city. Mt. Pleasant, where most of the guys are from, has a pretty great scene. Our friends are very supportive and enthusiastic, shows there are always really fun. There are lots of other cities with similar situations - Grand Rapids has a great arts community, Traverse City always has friends that are willing to listen.
Q: It seems as if it draws on such a wide spectrum of influences, what are some of the bands/artists who have had a major effect on you musically and personally?
A: I can't really speak for the other guys on this question because I've grown up listening to a lot of different things - I've grown up on The Beatles, The Beach Boys, weezer, Ozma, slowreader, Ben Folds, that sort of thing. My influences tend to be rooted more in melody and structure. I also grew up listening to a lot of classical music - Debussy, Copland, Holst, Bach, Shostakovich, etc. I'm also a big fan of musicals, and wrote one this year. The other guys have been influenced by a wider variety of things - Nate listens to a lot of jazz, Matt likes a huge variety of things, like Sufjan Stevens, The Books, Don Caballero, etc.... everybody is pretty varied. In general, some things we listen to in the van would be Ida, Sufjan, Half-Handed Cloud, 238, Deerhoof, Less Than Jake, Javelins, The Notwist, etc. Lately I've been on a huge "Weird Al" Yankovic kick, he's amazing, not just for his parodies but mainly for his original songs like "Everything You Know Is Wrong"...stuff like that. He's way more amazing than he gets credit for.
Q: Favorite Books/Movies/TV Shows, we all have them what are yours?
A: Favorite book is a hard thing to decide - it's always different. When I was little, it was "Liars" by P.J. Peterson, and I was also a big fan of "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli and "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel. Also anything by Robert Lipsyte. I'm still a big fan of lots of young adult books. Later in high school I got into Ayn Rand, I still consider "The Fountainhead" to be probably my favorite book, even though I don't really buy much into objectivism anymore. Also "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky was a big one. Lately I've read a lot of C.S. Lewis and Flannery O'Connor, in addition to the textbooks I've had to read for school... Some of which are pretty cool. "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is another one that I'd consider to be a favorite. The other guys would have much better answer for that as a few of them are way more into literature than me. I know Matt recently read "The Crying of Lot 49" by Thomas Pynchon and really enjoyed it, and Bret is a big fan of "Waterland" by Graham Swift.
Movies are more difficult for me to pin down. I pretty much enjoy most every movie I've ever seen, but the original Star Wars trilogy is probably my favorite, particularly Return of the Jedi. 'Star Wars' is incredible.
For TV shows, I'm a big fan of things like Seinfeld, the Simpsons, Freaks and Geeks, and Arrested Development. I like a few of the adult swim shows too, mainly Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the original Space Ghost Coast 2 Coast. Lately I've gotten hardcore into "Smallville" though.
Q: If you could sit down and chat with anyone dead/alive, who would it be and why?
A: This is a tough question. When it's come up in conversations with people I never really have an answer. I think pretty much everyone is worth sitting down and chatting with, everybody has some stories to tell and their own personality. I think I'll kind of twist the question a bit and say that I'd like to be able to sit down with anyone and have a very honest conversation. I'd like to be able to listen and give my full attention and love to everyone I talk to, no matter who they are.
Q: Having heard your music and watched the live videos and so on from your shows it seems like a bunch of you must have spent a good deal of time in high school/college bands, am I right about that and if so what was your favorite song to play in band!?
A: Only the horn players and Joel were in high school bands (He played trumpet). None of us have done anything with music in college (at least through the University, I mean). My favorite song to play was Gustav Holst's Second Suite for Military Band. Holst is one of my favorite composers, and this piece was just awesome. We also played "Sleighride" every Christmas, and that was really fun. Bret and Nate were Marching Band State Champions!
Q: Ok, so I said I would try not to ask typical interview questions, but here is one more, word is that you all are recording a new album, what’s that been like and how has the process compared to previous material you’ve recorded?
A: WIthin the next month or so, we're releasing a split vinyl e.p. with our friends Javelins called 'Entropy'. Each band plays one song, we use some of each others' lyrics and borrow themes relating to the concept of entropy.
On September 28th, we go into the studio to record our next full-length record. We're very excited about the music that we've written for this, and we can't wait to record. It will be out early 2006.
Q: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A: Are we talking taste, or nutritional content? I've heard mashed potatoes with a bit of milk can sustain people indefinitely. But taste-wise... probably the number 2 combo from Cajun Grill Express in Traverse City. Or anything my mom makes.
Q: Why do people from Michigan call soda, pop?...you don’t have to actually answer that one!
A: Because it's better than calling everything "Coke!" ...actually I'm helping a professor research some things for a book she's writing, and something I just came across was that it's called "pop" because it's the sound a bottle of Faygo makes when you open it.
Q: A lot of people are surprised that you haven’t been courted and signed by every label under the sun, if you had your pick which label, major/indie do you see as a perfect fit for you and what you want to do in the future.
A: A lot of labels could be pretty ideal fits. Jade Tree, Sub-Pop, Asthmatic Kitty, Sounds Familyre, Fueled By Ramen, Capitol, Interscope, Sony, Zomba, Jive, etc. Basically we can survive on our own - but it would be nice to have some financial backing to make recordings we're happy with, and some distribution would be nice. It would also be great to get on the soundtracks to movies or shows like "Smallville," but the most important thing is that right now we're able to write whatever we want. We're also starting our own "label" with some friends of ours. It's called Artist Friendship and is based on exactly what the name says - artists being friends and helping each other out. As of right now, it just consists of us and the other AF bands (Javelins, Foxhole, Bunkbed Nights, Saxon Shore) carrying each others' CDs around and selling them at our shows. Even if it doesn't develop into a typical label, it's fun for the time being to have a collective of friends that is focused on community and friendship.
Q: All of us in the “music world” have future goals that are very music-centered, what are your non-music related goals and things you want to achieve in your lifetime?
A: I'd like to have a musical performed. I have ideas for several and I've completed one. I also have quite a few ideas/beginnings of pilots for sit-coms, I want to write for one eventually. I'd also like to act. I'm really drawn to that, so hopefully I'll have the opportunity to be in a sit-com or something. I can't really speak for the other guys. Bret mentioned recently that he wants to write a book. Matt has mentioned shoe-making and lots of other cool stuff. All the guys have pretty neat skills and I'll bet they have some great goals. My main immediate goal is to be on "Smallville." As far as other types of goals, I think we'd all like to be better listeners, and care about people more.
Q: Thanks so much for doing this interview guys! We really appreciate it and wish you the best of luck in the future. You all make incredible music and anything we can do to help you out we would absolutely love to. Take care and thanks again!
A: Thank you!