Grace Hotel- Interviews

What are are the motivating factors that influence the sound of the band? We all come from such various musical backgrounds that it always makes for interesting writing sessions. We've really begun to learn to use each others strength's in the writing process. Almost never do we come together and say, "Hey, lets write this type of song!" It's always real spontaneous and jam-like. The only real motivating factor between us is just making interesting, powerful music.

How do you feel about the new album? We all agree that the album is solid. It's been getting a really good response from the industry as well as from listeners. Especially having such a limited amount of time to put it all together and have it turn out sounding so good, was great! For a debut album, we couldn't be happier.

Describe the process of writing songs and recording of them for "The Skies Pale in Comparison?" We don't necessarily have a real formulaic way to write our songs. It seems that every song is put together a little differently. It really is a group effort. Someone will come in with a lick or an idea and we'll all build on it from there. Because we all have input, you can really see some diversity in the different tracks. Nic engineered most of the record. We sent out all the raw tracks to the Northern Records Studio and our producer, Andy Prickett, mixed and mastered everything.

"Sunbeam" is my favorite track off of the album. Can you maybe go into detail, about how that song came about? We have all been enamored lately with the world (and the universe for that matter) that we live in. We heard a guy do a talk on how massive our universe is and it really put into perspective how small we really are. Its an incredibly humbling thing to realize how insignificant your life can be in the grand scheme of things. We all recognize that there is something bigger than us out there and the fact that we have connected with it, gives us significance. That's what the song is referring to.

Where do you think the future of Wilderness Of Tekoa is heading? Who knows? This whole musical venture has been a whirlwind. Everything has happened so fast! In the past 3 months all of our lives have completely changed. Northern Records has really taken hold of our music. They've proven that they believe in us as musicians and people. Of course we'd all love for things to keep progressing but in this industry absolutely nothing is for sure so all we can do is keep playing shows- simple!

Is their any last remarks, or plugs that you want to make? We're getting played on about 200 college radio stations right now across the nation. Please request us at one close to you!

How did Ghost Of The Russian Empire come about?

I had come up with some songs on my own and played a few open mic nights in 
Austin and always had an idea to flesh them out with a full band. Luckily, 
we�d all been friends and/or work associates, so it wasn�t too difficult to 
start getting together and practicing.


How did you guys get involved with Thirty Ghosts Records?

Through the magic of demo mailings. We recorded a few songs ourselves
before we went into the studio and sent them out to a few labels. 
Chris seemed to like what he heard and said they�d be willing to work
with us. They seem to take a personal interest in the bands they work
with, which is reassuring. And, the added bonus that they�re Austin
based. It�s nice to be able to meet face to face with somebody that�s 
going to help you with something as personal as music. 


Please describe some of the recording process you used 
to record "With Fiercest Demolition"?

We give a lot of credit to our producer, Erik Wofford. He�s 
worked with a lot great Austin bands like Explosions in the Sky, 
Voxtrot, The Octopus Project, Black Angels. He helped take the 
songs at their basic level and really expand them outward. We 
added keyboards, trumpets, trombones, and a number of light 
percussion elements. In my opinion, it�s what a good producer 
should be able to do. Add and enhance the music, without 
completely transfiguring it into a totally different being. 
And I think for our part, we were very trusting; in him and 
the quality of the music he�s already recorded. Nothing was 
off limits as far as experimenting with instruments or adding 
effects, etc.


                              
"Plague and Punishment" was probably the highlight for me of the whole Ep. 
What was the inspiration behind it? 

I think the original idea was a song in two parts, the first being more 
restrained, the second expanding into a labyrinth of sounds and flows.
Erik really built on that idea with the different elements coming in 
and out, at times subtly, and other times about to crash over the whole
thing. The trombone and e-bow swells really add an atmosphere to it we
never thought possible. We recorded the bare bones of the song and just
started building it up from there. Lyrically, it�s about the irony of
religious warfare. How killing can somehow be shoehorned into teachings 
and doctrines of understanding and tolerance. One group feels they have
the right ideals and spiritual outlook and are willing to use violence
to impose it on others. Or at least show others their beliefs are in 
the wrong. It�s a pretty popular technique throughout history and still
very much in use today. 



What are your favorite song writers?

As I�m sure most can tell from our music, a few of us are big 
Radiohead fans. I like a lot of aspects of their music, from 
their variations in song structures, to just the overwhelming
multitude of sounds they come up with. I get a lot of 
inspiration from their music and especially their live shows.
The Beatles are great. I really like the fact that they 
developed such a large range of songs. It�s something I�d 
like to do as far as being able to go from a stripped down 
acoustic number to a really full sound and still keep people�s
attention. As far as lyrics are concerned, I think Elliott
Smith was quite adept. He had a heartbreaking way of writing,
where a little bit tragedy seemed to permeate every story. 
He could be superbly poetic and viscerally direct within 
a few words.

                       
If there's one thing that you want people to get out of you music,
what would it be?

I�d hope it would stand up after repeat listening and be something 
they brought out years to come to hear again. I think we are 
trying to make an effort to create songs and music that aren�t
going to slip into a trend that comes and goes quickly. There
are plenty of standby artists, who, despite the age of the 
recordings, sound just as engaging and resonant now as before. 
Well built songs can be great at any age.



So have you guys started working on anything else yet?

We�re really constantly working on new songs. I think
we�ve got more than enough for an eventual full length.
The only trouble will be in deciding what makes the cut.
Hopefully, we can get into the studio again later this 
year. At this point, I don�t think we feel out of ideas 
or anything, so we�ve got a good supply building up.


Any touring plans for the summer?

We�ll probably play some shows around Texas at least, 
and maybe later this year expand out further. Hopefully
the ep will get to enough people that when we do tour,
we�ve got some people to play for. I can�t imagine it
being very fun to drive for a day and play for a doorman
and bartender. Unless they really like it of course. 

                                     
Any other comments?

Hope we can keep people interested. We�ve got lots
of ideas for the future and think they�ll be something
worth listening to. Thanks for listening and thanks 
for your time.

Can you describe your sound to people who haven't heard of you? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, the sound would be a collage of experimental ambient, structured sound scape, mellow melancholy type material. Something you would put on driving late @ night or really early in the morning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Tell me about your record Designed for Reading. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- It kind of came about from being bored with music. I wanted to start doing music that I would listen to. Music that I would buy. I didn't set out to do an album. I just wanted to something that excited me again with music. I wanted to put my thoughts down on tape. I needed something to keep me focused on the sound. "Blade Runner" is my all time favorite movie. So I thought it would be interesting to try & interpret my feelings from watching certain scenes from the movie & try & capture them through music. About half the record is from that thought process. The rest was just other inspirations I tried to capture.

The record is not for short attention spans. It's not a "pop" record. It's more for the person who wants to hear sounds, someone who's more into experimental music. I wanted it to have a This Mortal Coil feel to it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I noticed you dedicated the cd to your wife, Leslie. Were any of the songs inspired by her? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes. Leslie was the one who saw this thing through. I was to emotionally tied to the music & would get very frustrated @ times. It was because of Leslie that the songs still have life. If I would've let my feelings take control, there would hardly be any songs left. I came very close to erasing some tracks because I couldn't find their voice. I was very insecure @ first trying to do something completely on my own. But she was confident that I could do it. Also Leslie is an amazing musician & I could hear her voice on certain tracks. So the thought of her voice on something I was working on kept me focused. Then having her come in & lay down some gorgeous vocals was the pay off. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Now for those that don't know, you self-released this album. How has the experience been so far? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Like I mentioned, I only set out to keep doing music. I didn't say "I'm going to do a solo record". As the songs came about & the people that got involved added their parts, it slowly became a complete record. The experience has been a learning one. I found out some things about myself. It's been a good experience. But sometimes growing will have it's pains & this record was no exception. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Was it very challenging? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This was the first time I was in the drivers seat. So I had to learn how to do all of this on my computer. Which was frustrating. I had some close friends walk me through the process. Plus everything was up to me to get it done. When you're in a band you can have this person take charge of this & that. So learning to do this by myself was challenging. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I have really been getting into the song "Alice in December"of late. what was your thought process when you were writing it? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks! People seem to be giving that track a real chance. I had my niece speak some lines into a mini-disc & tried to build the music around that. I wanted it to have a very sorrowful sound. Once I went as far as I could go, I contacted Jan & Sarah (Glorybox) in Denmark & asked if they would be willing to work on this track (as well as "Replicant"). I told them the feelings I was going for & that was it. I completely trust & respect them musically & knew whatever they came up with would be outstanding. They are dear friends & extremely talented & creative people! I think that track became theirs once they laid down their parts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Is there a story behind the song? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- There is, but knowing I had my thought in mind & Jan & Sarah had another. I'll let the track tell it's own story. I think we both had the same idea of feeling hurt or empty by a loved one being gone. I just think we had different ideas that brought us to the same conclusion. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Or any of them for that matter? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Like I mentioned half the record is from certain scenes from "Blade Runner". "The Silent Ghost of Regret" explains itself in the title. "1956-1980" is my thank you to Ian Curtis (Joy Division) for creating some of the best punk & post punk music ever made! My Jr. high school & high school soundtrack always had Joy Division playing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- How is your writing accomplished? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't really know how to answer that. I don't have a formula. I can sometimes work for hours & come up with nothing except an awful headache. I think if someone was to watch me work they would be very bored & think I'm just faking all this. But somehow the music finds its way. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

What inspires you to write and record music? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- One of two things, sound or feelings. I can hit a certain key on the keyboard & be sent into the right direction. Tweak the right knob on an effect & there it is. Or I can be going through something & I just need to play my bass to relax. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you like to collaborate with others when you write? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- On this project, absolutely! Eric Campuzano was the first person I contacted. I'm a huge fan of Charity Empressa & asked if Eric would be willing to lay down some guitars. All the people involved are good friends & people I highly respect! They all made this record better than it would've been if I didn't ask them. I think my favorite parts on this record are the parts the others did. They all are very easy going people & have zero egos. Which made for a very creative environment. -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you find that writing is more of a struggle or a release? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- It can be a struggle at times, but it's always a release. I've been a huge fan of music since I was a young boy & I take music very seriously. So I've always been able to find peace of mind in music. So to be able to lay down something your feeling in your music is a huge release. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- As a musician, what do you try to bring to the listener? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Something interesting. I love listening to all kinds of music, but the music that hits me the most are the records I can put on & just stare @ the walls or ceiling & lose track of time. That's what I tried to do with this release. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- What cd's are in your current rotation? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm on a huge Lustmord kick right now. That man is the master of dark ambient! For Christmas I got Randy Greif's "Alice In Wonderland" It's a master piece. It's a 5 disc set of experimental music. He took the complete story of "Alice in Wonderland" being read by different voices & completely tweaked it out. It's a serious head case. Haunting & beautiful. I'm also really into the new Donnas c.d. "Gold Medal". They just get better & better with each record. Then there's always my trusty favorites Joy Division, New Order, Siouxsie, This Mortal Coil, The Cramps, Lisa Gerrard, Charity Empressa, Glorybox, Echo & the Bunnymen, etc... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- What's coming up next for you? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm putting the finishing touches on my 2nd release titled "phos". It will be a "drone" record. 3 tracks clocking in @ 56 minutes. I'm also speaking with some friends about doing some collaborations. Which I think some people will really dig. But "mums" the word on those things for now. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- In closing, is there anything you would like to say to those who will be reading this? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for taking the time to listen to me babble on. I hope you give this project a chance. Always look for art that's interesting & thought provoking. I promise, you probably won't find it on main stream radio/movies/magazines. But there are people out there that are concerned with doing music that is made from their convictions, not the media's. Support those people, they are the ones that you will connect with. Soli Deo Gloria