Obviamente hablo de la banda. Dios es un cuarteto de California que sabe manejar melodías exquisitas entre un mar de rock n’ roll, folk y experimentación. Aunque es la descripción más genérica… tiene mucha influencia de The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Kinks y cosas así. No obstante, no suena como una banda que se quedó con los oldies. Tiene un estilo y un punch bastante moderno que te manda directo a Los Ángeles.
Las preguntas que hice son bastante regulares y no hay nada completamente del left field, pero fue por e-mail. Siempre tengo miedo de preguntar algo muy heavy y que me contesten “yeah, I think so”. Además, no me interesaba saber lo que ellos piensan del global warming o si Obama la segunda llegada del grandioso mesías. Que se joda eso. Mejor le pregunte de música, cosas importantes como los Lakers, etc… Joel Morales (cantante/guitarrista) revela porque hay diferentes versiones y mezclas (no remixes dance como los que le gustan Chamoxyz).
También hice lo de siempre… un preview de todas las canciones de su nuevo álbum. Anyway, gracias a Travis Keller de Buddyhead por ponernos alante con la entrevista y a Joel Morales de Dios por contestar las preguntas. Entrevista bien fucking melaza:
Laser Eater: From what I’ve seen in your videos, you guys have a bunch of really cool equipment, what is your favorite piece of gear and why?
Joel Morales: Currently I got my “Korg Stage Echo” tape delay to work. Actually, it was working the whole time, I had it lying around cause I thought it wasn’t working right and it was just dirty. Anyways, I’m loving it right now because if you really wanna give someone a bad trip then fuck with the dials and get that beautiful tape delay-decay-distortion oscillating, its fucking GREAT on vocals and to really get your shit sounding straight. It’s basically like a Roland Space Echo but with a few more options.
LE: Is there a particular album that changed your life or the way you perceive music?
JM: These kind of questions are always hard because there has been SO MUCH life-changing music. It’s ALWAYS changing…but one thing kinda comes to mind, It’s actually the Beatles Anthology that came out in 95 or 96. Mainly anthology 2 and 3. I know it’s strange but I wasn’t totally familiar with all their music. I LOVED what I heard, but my parents didn’t listen to that stuff when I was growing up so I only heard it here or there on the radio. Even after I started playing music and started to get their records my obsession didn’t start till I heard the anthology. It’s really like you’re there in the studio with them, their studio banter, the moving of mics, the endless different takes and versions. as someone who obsessively records and re-records music, it was great knowing that even the Beatles had quite a few different versions of songs that eventually made their way to its finished product. It was a great education to say the least, and it really encouraged me to keep trying new things, demoing things as much as I want till I’m satisfied with one or ten different versions of a song.
LE: What are some new artists/bands you’ve been diggin’ lately?
JM: I don’t really stay up to date, things take a while to get to me…but there are a few. I’ve like the Fiery Furnaces a whole lot, I really like their approach and their willingness to experiment. Same thing goes to Deerhoof and Dungen. I recently got turned onto a band from Isle of Wight called “bees” or in America, “band of bees”. They record themselves and have a really nice old sound. They can be pretty soulful. I heard about them through my favorite magazine, “Tape Op“. (if you like recording and a D.I.Y. approach to music check it out, subscriptions are free).
LE: Name an album no one would ever imagine you to have on your record collection… or the most embarrassing tune on our iPod…
JM: I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s really embarrassing… I guess if you didn’t know me you may never imagine me having all the bolero music I have. I love Trios music, Mexican bolero from the 50’s, 60’s…really beautiful and great vocal harmonies. One day I’ll have a trios band when I’m around 50.
LE: I know you’re a Lakers fan… did you celebrated their 2009 championship victory? How? How do you feel about their current team and the way they’re playing? I personally think it’s about time they trade Bynum and Sasha.
JM: Hell motherfucking yeah. The only thing that sucked is that I was SUPER sick the whole week they were in the finals. Really sick… I had a bronchial infection and the whole week was a blur, it sucked. but I was obviously thrilled that they won. I almost went to the parade but I knew I’d pass out or something cause I was still really sick and it was like a hundred degrees.
LE: (About the team right now)
JM: Considering they got a new starter, missed Gasol for quite a few games, and have Kobe walking around on one good leg and hand, I think they’re doing pretty good. They obviously aren’t playing to their full potential but I think it’s more important to get to the playoffs healthy. Sasha is a waste, I dont know what happened to him, he gets paid for one thing, and that’s shoot and MAKE three pointers. He can’t even do that. I’m still on the fence with Bynum, he hasn’t played with this team for that long since he’s been healthy. Everyone seems to forget that he missed so much time. I think he can work with Gasol, but then again I think he wants to be the “man” somewhere else. Who knows?
We Are Dios (2010) es su tercer esfuerzo de larga duración. En mi opinión es aquí en donde la banda refin su estilo. En los pasados discos tenían lo suyo, pero había una que otra canción en la que había una influencia muy marcada de otra banda. Esta nueva producción es mucho mas psicodélica, ecléctica y ehmm… rara(¿??).
A continuación Joel nos cuenta un poco de cada tema:
LE: How is it different from the other two full lengths?
JM: It has different songs.. heh. Other than that its different from the second and similar to the first because we recorded it ourselves. The 2nd record was done in a studio with limited time. We had a new drummer back then so we weren’t really prepared. I took my time recording the new one and I learned a lot of my equipment with that record.
LE: What took so long (the recording)?
JM: I don’t know. We didn’t have a deadline, we were still figuring out our label situation so we took our time. No rush. Then, when it was 90 percent done, I bought a 1/2″ tape machine and decided I had to record it all over again onto tape. The tape machine made everything sound so good with weight. I would’ve regretted not re-recording the album again if I hadn’t.
Track by track preview of We Are Dios:
1. Epileptic Tunnel Visions
JM: Good opener, I like the roominess of the track, it was fun muting a bunch of instruments taking it down to a very basic level, it gave the track good ambience.
2. Ojay
JM: This song was actually the newest song written on the album. I sat down, made myself improvise a song, record it and then make out lyrics from the words I was mumbling on the recording. So the whole thing was written in one take. Musically that is. Then it was fleshed out and re-recorded for the record. Interesting fun fact… maybe.
3. No Is Wrong
JM: It’s my ode to Neil Young, Ritchie Valens, Al Green, and the Meat Puppets all rolled into one.
4. Toss My Cookies
JM: It’s a cover of a song by a band (F.Y.P.) I used to listen to a lot when I was younger. I “Smile”ed it up.
5. Stare At Wheel
JM: Started off as a garage-y type thing, then it turned into something else. I don’t know. I still feel another version coming.
6. Tell Me Thing
JM: It’s my subconscious “Don’t Let Me Down” if it was written by George Harrison song. I have other versions that are pretty cool.
7. I Don’t Wanna Marry You
JM: It’s one of the older songs on the record. I wrote it like 10 years ago. Many, many, many different versions throughout the years. First time I played it for my girlfriend.. I don’t think she liked it. I told her I don’t write confessional music.
8. Don’t Be Afraid
JM: Another old song. I think it’s the oldest. Written in 96 or something, in my dad’s old place in Inglewood which is weird cause that’s where he died. “Don’t be afraid to die”. IT’S COOL THOUGH. Geez.
9. Oh Don’t Feel Bad
JM: I like the cacophonous ending. it was inspired by a Faust song where at the start of the song you hear a man walking down some stairs into a room, he sits down at a harpsichord, plays a beautiful, haunting piece, then stops, gets up and walks out and up the stairs. Cool song.
10. It Will Feel Good
JM: It’s my Pink Floyd Echoes/Scarface mash-up. That’s what I think of when I hear it.
Pendientes a Buddyhead y Topspin para información de los paquetes y formatos de We Are Dios, que sale el 16 de febrero, osea, ¡Ya mismo!
Integrantes:
Joel Morales – voz/guitarra
Edwin Kampwirth – teclado/sonidos
John Paul Caballero – bajo
Patrick Butterworth – batería
Discografía:
dios (2004)
dios (malos) (2005)
EP (2006)
Cosmic Rays EP (2009)
We Are Dios (2010)
Recent Comments