Interviews

Eye Heart Music spoke with Black Eyes and Neckties lead singer, Bradley Horror, as the band was preparing to hit the road for a show in Salem, Oregon. Really, there was only one question that begged to be answered: "What the hell is in the drinking water that causes Northwest punk bands to turn to the darkside?" But that's no way to start an interview with the man whose wailing on the 2007 release "Apparition" (Clickpop Records) sends goose bumps down the back.

EHM: My first introduction to Black Eyes and Neckties (BENt) was at the High Dive in Fremont (Seattle) last year opening up for fellow Bellingham band, the Trucks. You guys managed the rare feat of making me laugh my head off while totally rocking out - a great way to experience the power of BENt first hand. Can you describe for me the current live show and the song selections you've been playing?

B: (Laughing) Yeah, yeah, that was a good one. Well, we like to keep it fast and a little hectic and frantic, it kinda rises and falls. It's theatrical really, having climaxes and anti-climaxes. Sometimes it's funny, you know, sometimes it's scary. We usually start off strong with the faster songs like "New Womb" and "Dirty from the Grave." We mostly play new songs now because our older songs sound so old to us, like from five years. But we usually close with an old song, like "Barnacles" which is one of our favorites. It has lots of starts and stops and we can take off our clothes and do head stands and stuff.

EHM: Yeah, it is obvious that you guys are up there having fun, but if we weren't smiling I think we'd all be scared to death.

B:Yeah, that's the way a lot of people feel. It's usually one side or the other. If you are someone in the know you realize, "Oh these people are just having fun," this is a positive outlet for them. But if you are like some body's foreign grandmother, you probably think that we're like Satan worshipers or something.

EHM: I have read on line recently about fans commenting on the use of a smoke machine. What is that all about?

B: Little smokey? Well, we don't usually use smoke machines, but we brought it to our recent studio performance at The End (Seattle radio station) because we thought it'd be really funny to bring a smoke machine to a radio show. So we filled up the entire studio control room with smoke while we played, and when we did the interview we intermittently blew smoke at the DJ.

EHM: Nice!

B: But we don't really use that unless we think a show is going to be terrible. In that case it was just because it was a radio show and we wanted to have fun with it.

EHM: Tell me a little bit about life on the road. What do you guys like to do during a typical day when you roll into a town and you've got time to kill?

B: It's hard to say. We live by the "Hurry up and wait" philosophy where we pull into a city as fast as we can and then we usually just go for walks, to thrift stores, or try to steal internet wherever we can. We'll go to gas stations and try to get hot water so we can cook ramen. We basically try to live as simply as possible while entertaining ourselves.

EHM: Do you guys write music when you are on the road?

B: No. I'll write lyrics sometimes, but music - no. We write when we get home.

EHM: How have you guys evolved as a band both in writing music and playing live?

B: Well when we started out we were just doing this for fun. We recorded on four tracks at home and laughed about it. We booked shows in our homes so that our friends could come and we could just have fun. That was our grass roots beginning. But now we try to book bigger shows, so that our performances can actually go somewhere. We don't just try to have fun with it. Same thing with recording. We recorded our first album on a four track in our house and we were laughing and drinking beers the whole time. But the new album we recorded in a really nice studio in Portland where we were laughing and drinking beers- breaking bottles the whole time. Pretty much the same thing, but on a broader spectrum I guess.

EHM: That must have been pretty cool being at Jackpot Studios (Sleater-Kinney/Elliot Smith). Tell me about the mindset going into the process. Were you nervous at all? Did you feel like you had something to prove? Do you feel like the live sound really transferred over to this album?

B: Yeah we did. Instead of recording it on Pro-Tools, we recorded it onto reel-to-reel tape, which has a lot better of an analog vintage sound and we tried not to over produce it. When we talked about recording, we talked about getting a producer, but then we wanted it to be as authentic as possible and so we decided to keep it simple. Minimal tracks, like six instead of 10 keyboard layers. Basically we recorded the same kind of album we would have anywhere, but did it with much nicer equipment and a really professional engineer. It is a loud record. We didn't mix it down. We didn't mix down anything that we thought would be too loud compared to the live show, except for maybe vocals which might have been louder than what they would be normally because we knew that that would be a pretty important thing to come across in the recording.

EHM: Actually, I am pretty impressed with how your voice sounds right now. How do you survive playing night after night on the road with your vocal chords because you really tweaked those meters on the CD?

B: We recorded vocal tracks in one day and I just drank, like, ten one and a half liters of water or something like that. It was a ridiculous amount of water. But that was for the recording, so when I play live I'll usually drink hot toddies when I am at a bar, or lots of water in the van. I've never taken any voice lessons or had formal training. I am probably doing everything wrong as far as the way I sing, but somehow it's worked out thus far. Although I'll probably not be able to speak when I am sixty years old, but it'll be worth it. I try to make it sound as hectic as possible to people. I want it to be unnerving. I try to make it like there is an urgency there and I communicate a lot with my hands when we play live. It is almost as if I preach to people when I sing. I try to make my voice sound like I am proclaiming things both funny and strange.

EHM: It is almost like watching an exorcism. How does BENt feel about the numerous comparisons to other bands like the Murder City Devils or Schoolyard Heroes - these possessed, dark bands?

B: Well the horror thing for us has always been our theme or "shtick" that we never try to stray too far away from. It is not really a gimmick as much as it is an aesthetic I suppose. It's like, you wouldn't go to a play and consider someone playing Julius Caesar to be a gimmick, it is a performance. So it is kind of a goal we have. As far as comparisons to other bands go, we've gotten the Murder City Devils comparison pretty much since the day we started. We've heard it so many times now it doesn't even phase us any more. We've been a band now as long as they were a band, and it is funny how our music sounds so different now than when it did when we started. We think that they're great and we never tried to sound like them, but apparently we have and that has always been fine with us. When we get compared to other bands, like Schoolyard, we think they're great so it is just flattering to be compared to bands that we like and respect.

EHM: So how do you keep this thing fresh and avoid the whole gimmick tag?

B: I don't know, but the lyrics have evolved. Everything I write reflects my life. As my life changes, so does the content and it refreshes itself. It's allegorical. I'll talk about a zombie, but it's really about my friend who has cerebral palsy. Or I'll talk about a ghost, but it is really about a former lover. I think that as long as we don't repeat ourselves and we keep addressing new ideas and coming up with new concepts, or new metaphors to communicate those ideas I suppose it will continue to be interesting and relevant.

EHM: Being from Bellingham, WA and familiar with the Pacific Nothwest, what is it about this musical community that allows what would otherwise be "just another punk band" to gravitate towards a darkness that people embrace?

B: I guess it is because when you grow up in a certain area, you hear certain music that is made in that area and it's all a reflection of the people that came from there and what they listen to. Everybody influences others. Like we've been influenced by our peers, we listened to the Murder City [Devils], the Narrows and Federation X when we were young and we knew that, "this could be punk rock, but it is more than that." People can empathize with that because it comes from where they come from. You know, up here it is dark and rainy, so I don't know - but it is beautiful in the summer. It is like the perfect place to be if you can survive the other times of the year.

EHM: What are you guys currently listening to while you are out on the road? Who are some of the other Bellingham bands that we should be watching for?

B: When we listen to music out on the road, it is usually a struggle between fun metal, whiny indie-rock, and then local bands that we like. As far as active local bands, the Russians are a band that we totally love. They're the kind of band that it doesn't matter that they're local or that they're your friends. We could have never heard of them and someone could have played them for us and we would've been like, "We like this, this is the kind of music that we like". You always have a bias when supporting your peers from your same scene. There are quite a few bands up here that are just good, like [guitarist Josh Homicide's side project] Cicadas, Federation X, the Narrows, Braille Tapes, Roof Tops, a lot of bands that stem from other bands and have total potential.

EHM: With summer coming up and BENt still being out on the road, not to mention a homecoming show Mar. 29th, what is next for you?

B: Well, after these California dates and our regional shows, our bass player (The Fist) will head to Europe to do sound for another band, and then when he comes back in July, we'll do more regional shows and a couple festivals [Montana's Totalfest, Capitol Hill's Block Party.] That's all we'll do this summer, but then in the fall we'll shoot to tour again, hopefully late August through September.

~Heart, Jean-Paul Theriot

Black Mountain is a fat-bottom, sludgy psyche rock band from Canada. Their second LP "In the Future" (Jagjaguwar) follows its predecessor's footsteps to the T, which is a good thing because that syrupy combination of heft and power is not only compelling, it's exhilarating and there isn't enough of it. These are the kind of albums that muscle-heads listen to at the gym when they're trying to bench press twice their body mass in front of a full-length mirror. Actually, they don't listen to Black Mountain; they're not that cool but we wish they were. No, no, they pumping iron to White Snake and Winger. Idiots!

For everyone else, there's Black Mountain.

Frontman Steve McBean and Joshua Wells, the drummer, took a few moments from their current US tour to speak-via email-with Eye Heart Music.

EHM: Hello. How are you?

Joshua Wells: Pretty, pretty good.

Steve McBean: Very, very good!

EHM: From this side of the border, it looks like there's a thriving music scene in Vancouver, BC. Can you talk about that?

SM: Wearing capes finally pays off.

JW: Vancouver's a strange town. There are lots of people here, and lots of money here, but most of those people aren't interested in live music. Vancouver has experienced a serious shortage of places to play for many years now. We have had basically three venues in total for live rock music here, and even those places aren't really onboard, it's more like a sideline to them. Luckily those who are into music have been super dedicated and so there has always been fantastic support for what we do here. So the answer is that Vancouver does have a great scene, but it is quite a small one and has never had it very easy. It would be nice to see the venue situation here change, and I know people are trying.

EHM: Is there a song that you really love playing live? Or a few songs? How are audiences responding to the new album?

JW: Generally we love playing newer songs, 'cause they're fresh. Sometimes, though, if we ignore a song for long enough it will become fresh again.

SM: "Angel of Death" or "Deny Everything" are always fun. Seinfeld audiences don't like it much for lack of slap bass.

JW: We did a tour this fall playing almost entirely stuff from the new album that no one had heard, and it went over really well, surprisingly.

EHM: And "No Hits," the electronic, psychedelic epic from your debut album "Black Mountain," please tell me you play that song at all of your shows! To us, that song sounds like a band that found it-"it" being that elusive magic that makes for one hell of a rock song: adrenaline, excitement, maybe a little bit of excrement; it's something soldiers, boxers and gladiators listen to before they go out onto the battleground or wherever to do their bidding. It just gets the energy up. In fact, a fellow Eye Heart begged us to ask how you do it? How do you rock so hard? Literally shred those songs? It's a fairly obsequious question to ask, but if you have an answer, we'll certainly take it.

SM: People have been knocked out at our shows.

JW: We play "No Hits" fairly often, but we don't play it every night. It needs to retain an element of surprise for us or else it runs the risk of becoming too well thought out. I don't think soldiers would perform their duties very well under its influence however.

EHM: Last one, just for fun... Stranded on an island, an angel tells you it was a mistake, your plane never should have gone down, clerical error but you will be rescued in one year's time. Meanwhile, she'll give you a magic record player that doesn't require electricity and 3-5 albums to listen to for that year.... What records do you request?

JW: Kate Bush "Hounds of Love;" Kinks "Lola Vs. Powerman;" Isaac Hayes "Hot Buttered Soul;" Can "Tago Mago;" Popul Vuh "Aguirre: Wrath of God."

SM: Gowan "Strange Animal;" Tanya Tucker "TNT."

EHM: Thanks, see you at the show...

~Heart, Shawn

Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire and Howlin' Rain took a break from his busy tour-with Black Mountain of all the great effing bands! - to chat via email with Eye Heart Music.

EHM: How are you?

E: Good thanks.

EHM: Like Rick Rubin, I can't play a lick of anything. Nor have I a degree in music composition or theory and I don't know the first thing about all the knobs and dials in any recording studio. But, just like Rick Rubin, I do love music. In fact, the Kinski / Comets on Fire show at Neumos in 2006 was my favorite concert that summer. Sweaty!

Yes that was a great show. I felt like Kinski may have wiped us out a little that night. They were so awesome and on top of it! It was a rocking fun show for Comets though.

EHM: Which leads me into my first question: Why did the Comets break up?

E: Comets on Fire isn't broken up. We are still a group. We still have a rehearsal space. We just played on New Years Eve with the Melvins. That rumor seems to be rampant and probably all the better for our future tour paychecks. I'm not sure if that rumor came from inside or outside the Comets camp. Either way--it's tricksterism.

EHM: And how did you go from such a hard-rock, heavy metal band (Comets) to a soulful, '70s folk-rock band (Rain,) that, let me tell you, effing rocks in an entirely different way! It's one part Laurel Canyon California rock blended with a stiff dose of sludgy Southern swamp rock.... Now, if people didn't know it and I'll bet most don't, they would never guess that Howlin' Rain is that guy from Comets! How did that happen?

E: Comets on Fire is it's own identity and entity. The essence of Comets on Fire guides us to make the kind of music that we produce there. Howlin' Rain is different musicians working to produce a different kind of creation faithful to a different identity and essence. The output of Howlin' Rain also is not controlled by so many random factors like Comets; its direction and control is always under the umbrella of my vision for the group. After I feel that its path is healthy and creative I let natural group creativity and chance steer the way.

EHM: It's on Rubin's American Records... Did he produce it? If so, how did that or did it shape the album?

E: "Magnificent Fiend" was written and recorded before Rick and I got too far into the record deal with American. His direct influence was on the mastering for which he gave me some notes and sequencing for which he did the same. Even those aspects that he helped on had a very positive effect on the outcome of the album---but the recording and production of the album itself was done outside of and prior to Rick's sphere of influence. Myself, Howlin Rain and Tim Green produced Magnificent Fiend.

EHM: Did touring with Josh Homme and the Queens of the Stone Age have any influence on the new record?

E: Once again, we had been finished with the new album for almost 5 months by the time we hit the road with Queens. But Josh's work ethic and his blend of artistic and business vision seemed like a very positive and dignified foundation of the Queens as a whole and I think that had some sort of influence on me. At least that calls for respect. And the other Queens guys were really awesome dudes with a lot of stories to tell. It was a great tour.

EHM: Last one, just for fun... Stranded on an island, an angel tells you it was a mistake, your plane never should have gone down-clerical error or some shit-but you will indeed be rescued in one year's time. Meanwhile, to make it up to you, she'll give you a magic record player that doesn't require electricity and 3-5 albums to listen to for the duration of that year.... What records do you request?

E:

Stanley Turrentine "Salt Song"

Fleetwood Mac "Future Games"

Flower and Corsano Duo "Radiant Mirror"

Sleep "Jerusalem"

Catherine Ribeiro, + Alpes "Le temps de l' autre -Le silence de la mort "Le temps de l' autre-Aimer quoiqu' il arrive"

~Heart, Shawn

In 2003, there was music festival in Bellingham, Washington that didn't feature any female artists. For a majority of the local music fans, this was of little concern. But for four determined ladies, their desire to fill that void lit up like a Christmas tree. And thus, the Trucks were born. Since then, the female foursome has slowly grown from a reaction to a formidable band.

Recently in Colorado, Kristin Allen-Zito (lead vocals, guitar, keys,) Maris Moore (xylophone, vocals,) Lindy McIntyre (drums) and Faith Reichel (bass,) took a moment from their lunch break to catch up with Eye Heart Music. The ladies had just wrapped up a stint along the East Coast in support of their self-titled debut on ClickPop Records.

So far, life on the road has been a great adventure: hanging with friends old and new; playing with bands like Japanther; enjoying Brooklyn's Sugarland crowd; noticing a huge increase in fans between the first and third New York shows. (According to Allen-Zito, the accumulation is largely due to New York DJs who are spinning the Trucks' record into the gay, dance and party clubs.) Unlike the west coast where The Trucks have a supportive community, the new audiences of the east inspire an exciting, nervous energy during performances.

While exploring the US, The Trucks enjoy discovering what each new town has to offer. Naturally, the first adventure is the hunt for food-good tasting, healthy food. After loading up on juices, fresh sandwiches and other natural foods, the gals turn into conventional tourists in one fell swoop. They shop. Thrift stores, antique stores, book stores, galleries-each offer pleasurable distractions that also give telltale signs as to what the Trucks can expect from their host city.

Although the band is not currently playing new material, there are a few songs ("Gravity," "Louisiana Boy," and "Mute") that did not make the record but did make the tour. These surprise appearances along with what Allen-Zito calls "little ditties," minimal guitar and keyboard pieces, help create onstage banter and add unpredictable moments to the set.

Rather than work on new material, the Trucks put their creative juices into crafty art projects, or what others in the industry might call 'merchandise,' such as stencils for t-shirts. That said, when the musical spirit has moved them while driving, they've been open to catch those vibes and tinker with the grooves.

Listening to The Trucks' LP it seems obvious that many of the men these ladies have encountered have not been up to par, though Allen-Zito is quick to assure, "We totally love guys!" She further explains that people sometimes confuse their playful act as being malicious toward men but is really about "stupid people in general". While she does admit that modern women face very real issues like sexism and violence, the Trucks' intend their messages for anyone who is fighting for respect.

For the members themselves, the best part of being in this band is the performance. In the beginning, they never imagined people in faraway places would take to their music, let alone sing along. This self-confessed shyness was pushed aside as success (and a new emotional high) was discovered on the road. In fact, the reality that complete strangers react so positively to the Trucks is a revelation helping the band feel more comfortable with themselves and each other. This not only helps the band work the crowd, it also helps them appreciate the crowd.

In short, the journey the young band has taken thus far has proved to be much more valuable than the destination (if there ever was one.) For xylophonist and artwork designer Maris Moore, mixing her passions for art and music has allowed her to "come out of her shell." She also noted that sharing her comics has inspired doodling from her bandmates.

As for what is playing on the tour van's stereo: Japanther (of course,) Brooklyn's Shellshag, Olympia's the Average, fellow Bellinghammers Zorbatron, as well as The Cure, Mason Jennings and Of Montreal. The latter being a band the Trucks dream of joining on tour… the other part of that dream concert billing: Beck.

Speaking of tour, the Trucks will spend the next few weeks dotting their way back to Seattle where they will play the High Dive on November 10th. Shortly thereafter, in early 2008, they plan to begin work on their second album. Unlike their first turn in the studio when the reality of their situation hadn't caught up to them, this time around, the band feels prepared. They're also eager-and perhaps more fit-to harness that untamable energy they've discovered onstage.

Yes, the road has made them leaner, meaner and stronger, as the saying goes, but most of all, it has helped them grow into a band as ruggedly powerful as their name suggests.

~Heart, Jean-Paul Theriot

Backstage at the Unholy Alliance Tour, featuring Slayer, Mastodon, Lamb of God and Children of Bodom, I had a chance to talk with drummer Darryl Stephens from Thine Eyes Bleed, the London, Ontario thrash/metalcore band that opens each show. I had originally asked for song titles from the set they played earlier that day but Darryl’s answer proved to be much more interesting.

“I don’t know what the real song titles are,” he explained. “I only know our names for them.”

Apparently, the band works this way: in the rehearsal space, they name riffs and bridges in order to catalogue them first on a dry erase board, then later on a computer hard-drive. “Just stupid shit like ‘Face Punched in Half’ Darryl laughs then continues, “These names have no bearing on what the lyrics will be.”

In fact, the words come last and from there, so does the final name that is printed on the back of the record. Still, during rehearsals and performances the band continues to call the songs by their “band name.”

Darryl, still in his sweaty concert wears, sniffed himself then changed the subject, telling me about how hard it is to tour on a shoestring budget. Luckily, for Darryl and his band mates, the Canadian government sponsored Factor Grants give money to artists and bands to help them tour, record or most often, make music videos. In this case, the money helped Thine Eyes Bleed tour through the US and South America as part of the Unholy Alliance Tour.

Now that’s government money put to good use!

~Heart, Shawn

Recently, I had a chance to talk with Erin Jorgensen who plays marimba with Brett Netson in a band that calls themselves simply “Brett Netson.” The unlikely duo will be opening for the west coast leg of Built To Spill’s national tour in support of “You In Reverse.”

“Marimba and guitar” you ask, “how do those two instruments sound together?”

The answer is, in a word, “Great.”

“It’s very delicate” Netson tells me. “It’s tricky because you have to really pay attention to what each other is doing.” Here, Brett gives much of the credit to Ms. Jorgensen sighting her keen ear for melody and ability to accentuate his guitar and vocals with only the slightest of flourish.

Her sharpness may be due in large part to the fact that she has been playing the instrument for close to 17 years dating back to high school where she played solely with marching bands. During that time and until recently, her musical studies where strictly classical but when Netson handed her his Caustic Resin records, she was transformed.

The two began charting unknown territory playing and creating songs for guitar and marimba. “Mostly Brett’s songs,” Erin confesses, “Caustic Resin stuff that was never recorded.” Perhaps because the songs were too pretty for the Boise stoner-rock band or perhaps because the Resin has of late slipped into a an uncertain state that some have called a “permanent hiatus.”

Either way, the resulting songs made their debut Tuesday night June 13th at the Showbox for the first of three Seattle shows to kick-start the BTS tour.

Following the first-ever “Brett Netson” show, Erin admitted “I was kind of nervous. I’ve never played a marimba amplified like that before.” Several microphones were lined up under the instrument and fed directly into the house system forgoing the usual amp and monitor. A bit wonky even for the soundman who admitted to have never worked with a marimba before.

Still, the half hour set was one part creepy, one part soothing, one part magical.

The duo has every intention of recording a full album, incorporating drum and bass instruments in places where the songs want to go big. It’s a matter of finding the right musicians. In fact, Netson is already looking. In particular, he hopes to find “Some old jazz player or some old country player. Somebody that can swing.”

By ‘swing’ he of course means someone who has finesse, who can play with that delicate balance that he’s already found with Jorgensen.

In the meantime, the duo have the entire west coast to experiment with their live show and hopefully, suss new material from the world of “two great tastes now together!”

~Heart, Shawn

It’s been more than a decade since the core trio of Emblematic met and first began playing parties in eastern Washington under the moniker “The Elizabeth Emblem”, a name paying tribute to former member Lizzie English. The year was 1993 and the town was Spokane [pronounced “Sp-O-Can”, although the tourist pronunciation “Sp-O-Kane” is often politely accepted.]

Spokane is a special place. Special in many ways but especially special in that it’s a town that is rarely referred to by name. No, The Lilac City has the distinction of having more nicknames than any other city in Washingon: Spo-Vegas, Spo-Compton, Spo-Kaloo, Spo-Kanistan, Spo-Cocaine, “The Spew” or simply “The Can.” Many Spokanites argue that “The Can” is a great place to raise a family: it’s quiet, close to nature and has all of the amenities of a big city without big city problems. And by problems, I mean fun. And by fun, I of course mean nightlife. And nightlife means music, dancing, clubs, concerts, tours, guest-lists, backstage passes, bodyguards, tour buses, rock n’ feckin’ roll… So how does a band get it’s start in this rural Mecca and how does that said band get out of Spokane?

“Like any band getting started, Spokane is like any other place,” says founding member Jason Welch rather plainly, not wanting to perpetuate my sarcasm. “None of us were expecting to play in a band.” As it turns out, he was volunteered by his roommate, who without his permission, advertised Welch’s skills as a drummer to two budding friends who were hoping to play an SYR party (Screw Your Roommate)

The rest is history or as Welch puts it, “A really long story.”

But did the placid metropolis that gave the band their inception have any effect on the music they made?

“I feel like if it wasn’t for Spokane we wouldn’t have melded together and developed the relationship we did; we were all there doing something,” explains founding member Aimee Starks. “Spokane is so laid back. Life would have moved past us if we weren’t in Spokane and this never would have happened.”

In fact, the isolated microcosm of Gonzaga University was more pivotal to the early years of the band than the city itself. “There were two venues,” Starks explains of Spokane’s music community, “and we didn’t fit in with the music scene but we played the music we wanted to play.” Starks admits that it was the University campus that proved to be a valuable place to pick up on a variety of influences, “friends and people in the band bring you the music that they liked, that influenced them and so you get to hear stuff from all over the country.” This spectrum gave the band a sound very kin to college radio in a town where punk and hard rock was still thriving. It made for some obstacles in the city but on campus, The Elizabeth Emblem was the hot ticket to a cool party. The band played school sponsored events, a few festivals and many, many crowded basements.

But four years later when the keg ran dry and college years ended, everyone went their separate ways. And that seemed to be that. Until a mere four years ago when it just so happened that Starks, Welch and the third founding member Stefan Schachtell found themselves all living in the same city. The synchronicity proved irresistible and in no time, they began playing music again. This time, however, it was different.

“It really felt like we took such a long hiatus that the music felt different. It was more of a composition, less playful, more serious, we were taking it more seriously,” explains Schachtell who considers their current work to be more provocative and thoughtful. As such, the old name no longer functioned and in retrospect felt too “Elizabethan.” So the trio trimmed the moniker and began working under the new name “Emblematic.”

Aside from growing up and living separate lives, there’s still something in their chemistry that keeps them firmly and yet easily together. Starks confesses, “We play together so naturally, it’s second nature and that’s rare.” She pauses to reflect on the members that have come and gone, then continues, “And our dedication level. We [Jason, Stefan and I] always wanted to show up, play and see what we can accomplish.”

Since reforming, the band has already accomplished more in this four years than in their previous incarnation. Whereas the college days yielded the tape “Idiot Girl” and the poorly produced “No Sound in Space”, the last few years have brought two much more polished projects into fruition: the “R2Fuel” EP and most recently a full length album titled “Standard of 9.” Despite the long history, there is none of the requisite rock trouble plaguing the band. In fact, this trio suffers from the opposite. In their separate phone interviews, the members speak so highly of one another it suggests that the years have only heightened their admiration. Schachtell describes Starks as the envy of her peers, “Aimee plays bass like she plays guitar. She plays so busy and so high on the fretboard playing lots of chords, rather than the bottom four frets, she’s mostly in the middle of the fretboard. I don’t know bass, I’m a guitar player but she’s… She has a real unique style.”

While Starks says of Schachtell, “Stefan is a brilliant lyricist and singer and most of the time, he’ll just come in with an idea or a complete song and we go from there.”

Meanwhile, Welch admits, “Our styles blend and compliment each other. We’ve all played with different people but it’s been us, the die-hards that have stayed.”

The simpatico bodes well for the band’s music. Many of the songs are collaborations that are flushed out through jams or begin with one member’s idea, as Schachtell describes it, “I might come in with a verse or chorus or both, Aimee adds her part, Jason adds his part and we communicate a lot how we want the dynamic of the song to go.” Sometimes the songs are born in half an hour, while other times, it take months.

During that time, Starks enjoys the process, “Stefan and I mix and mash. Our music is mellow and it has a kind of polished edge to it, weird vocals coming in and out and different harmonies, especially guy/girl harmonies and that seems to be a different edge that we have as a band.”

13 years later, that edge is still sharp. Spokane may be a long shadow in the past but for the three members of Emblematic, the city was a good place to start, a better place to leave but most of all, the spark they found there has not gone out. Indeed, it’s grown much, much stronger.

~Heart, Shawn