Countdown to TREMOLO Shoegaze Music Festival 2024 // An Interview with GUEST DIRECTORS

• Thanks so much for the interview. Let’s trace the band’s roots and story. 

The guitars and drums met on Craigslist, via Gary‘s ad that mentioned collaboration and had a photo of some cool amps. We started getting together to jam once or twice a month. At the time, at least a couple of us were in other bands at the time and were just looking for an outlet to play something different. We really enjoyed playing together and kept with it, and after a couple of years we decided to make things a little more formal and start actually writing songs and start being a “band”. We’ve been playing together for over 10 years now!

• What are your main influences and inspirations?
  

Julie – Influences include Pretenders, Grifters, PJ Harvey, Yo La Tengo, Swervedriver, and Throwing Muses. Inspiration includes DIIV, Cocteau Twins, Autolux, QOTSA, British folk music, and our friends in the Seattle music scene.

Gary – Beatles, Byrds, Black Sabbath

Rian –  For drummers, my biggest inspirations are Carla from Autolux, Jason from Frodus, Doug from June of 44, Nathan from The Casket Lottery, Zach from Jawbox, and Simone from Blonde Redhead.

Charlie – Beatles, Young Rascals, Springsteen, Bowie. From there it was an easy jump to Elvis Costello, The Clash, The Pretenders and all things punk. My father was a musician in the 70s, so Disco is forever etched into my subconscious.

• How would you describe your sound?

A band we played with once called us “bluesy, dreamy, shreddy, psychedelic”, and I always thought that captured our essence fairly well.

• What does the word ‘shoegaze’ mean to you?
  

These days it feels like almost a catchall term for music that is heavy in reverb/delay/tremolo, and often hypnotic or emotional in some way. We’re strong proponents of “Big Tent Shoegaze”, maybe because our band is more adjacent than orthodox. 

• Tell us a little about your recording process and how you create your songs.
  

 A lot of our best songs have their genesis in free-form exploration, which we do regularly and always record. Things will happen in the moment that are accidental, or just not part of a conscious plan, and those sorts of things can be really interesting. When we have a bit we like we develop it by playing it more purposefully while leaving an opening to “see what happens”, or sometimes one of us has an idea for something to go along with it. From there, we try to shape it into a “song”, whatever that means, and then one of us (Julie or Gary) will start trying out different singing ideas. Sometimes one of us (usually Julie or Gary) will bring in a completed or near-complete song and see what it turns into when the rest of the band gets their hands on it. For recording, we’re about 80% super-planned and efficient, and about 20% left for in-the-moment inspiration. 

• Which song(s) are you most proud of and best represent the band?
  

Our latest single “Keep a Fresh Eye” represents us fairly well with the dual vocals and guitar interplay. Song I’m (Julie) most proud of is probably “Minor Mendings” (from our 2019 EP “Dream the Currents”) because I had a vision for that one and it really came together the way I wanted. I also think it’s a fairly unique song, and it’s killer in a live set.

• What kind of old/new music are you listening to? Any current bands/artists that you are excited about at the moment?

Julie – New: julie (best band name ever!), Mo Dotti, ØXN, DIIV, James Waudby, Lankum, somesurprises, Model Shop. Old: I spent a lot of time this year revisiting “Gentlemen” by Afghan Whigs, and Television‘s “Marquee Moon”. I also listened to a lot of Bert Jansch (mostly “Jack Orion”), and put back into rotation “Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares”.

Gary – James Waudby, Chat Pile, The Hard Quartet, Elliot Smith, Miles Davis “Bitches Brew”, Pedro the Lion, DIIV, Ceramic Dog, Bar Italia.

Rian –  In addition to Lankum and ØXN, I have been enjoying recent-ish albums by Pharmakon, Great Falls, Oranssi Pazuzu, Chat Pile, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Meshuggah, Dekkar, Sumac, and The Smile.

Charlie – Dorotheo from Guadalajara, MX has been in heavy rotation. Slift, Arooj Aftab, Mount Hush. It’s also been a huge relief to see young people making rock n roll. Bands like The Mysterines, Kills Birds, Ecca Vandal, Been Stellar, and Inhaler.

• Who would you most like to collaborate with?
  

None of us answered this specifically, but I (Julie) think we’d be super open-minded about collaboration with any interesting folks!

• What has been your best/worst gig so far (both as a performer and spectator)?
  

I (Julie) think one of our best was a show that was comically under-attended – and we were the last band on a Monday night. It was so ridiculous, but instead of being mad or bummed we all thought it was really funny and as a result, had one of our best and most connected-as-a-band shows ever. Had a weirdly fantastic time, and the few people in the audience seemed to love it. The worst was probably a mini-fest show that was in a dark room, with really poor vocal monitors, where we also played different guitars than we usually do, and we also played one song with a click without ever trying it in practice first. Disaster! 

• What are your expectations for the upcoming Tremolo Festival, and what should the audience expect from your performance?
  

The lineup looks rad, and our expectation is that we’re going to enjoy the heck out of all three nights! For our part, we’ll be unveiling a fair amount of new songs as part of our set. Excited to start sharing them!

• What are your plans for the future?
  

We’re planning on recording our second LP at the beginning of 2025, so look for that later in the year.

• Any parting words?
  

Thanks for your help supporting this Festival!