For the Go Girls in Headlights feature this time around I wanted to do something I had yet to do, work with an artist that I had not heard of or no previous feelings towards. I was searching the Go Girls members' websites when I came across the band The Endless, a California based husband and wife duo whose songs samples blatantly defied classification. I was sold then but when their CD arrived I quickly learned that they were even harder to classify than I had originally thought!
With great pleasure I present to you my interview with one of the coolest bands I have come across in a good long time.
Mark: How are things with The Endless?
Adriana: We are very well, thank you! We've just finished a string of really fun live shows, and even got to play the North by Northeast music festival in Toronto last month. We just shot a lovely video for the song "Labyrinth" as well, which is now on our website. We also just finished recording a version of Neil Young's "After the Goldrush," which we are hoping will be placed on a compilation album of his work.
M: I'm willing to bet that being a husband and wife duo can have its pros and cons. Did either of you have any reservations about working with each other or has it all been pretty natural?
A: It's all been a very natural, beautiful merging of our two selves. We sort of see the songs as our children; little off springs of our collective imagination. I can't imagine a better way to spend my time than making music with David.
David: I never had any reservations before we started. It's something that I've wanted to do with Adriana since before we were even married. We've finally found the wonderful rhythm we have now for writing together.
M: If you simply can't agree on something, who gets the deciding vote?
A: You know, I'm not sure that we've ever come to complete gridlock about any of the songs or sounds. We have very similar tastes and aesthetics. I imagine I could take David in a fight, though.
D: Well, neither of us have such huge musical egos that we "know we're right" about something the other is unsure of. We are completely flexible. Besides, I've pretty much intimidated the instincts out of Adriana and usually get my way. Zing!
M: The Republic of Heaven is a tremendously interesting album that is genuinely organic and inorganic at the same time musically. Can you tell us a little about how you approach your songwriting and how you decide when to use the electronic elements?
A: Thank you for that assessment. This is a hard question to answer. Most of the songs start with a sound, usually electronic. David will be tinkering with a cool keyboard plug-in or a guitar arpeggio run through Guitar Rig that will raise the hairs on my neck. We'll build from there. This needs cello! I hear a full orchestra on this section! I want a yummy bass here, etc. The songs are usually kind of a gradual electronic layering, with lyrics and vocals coming in at the end. It's sort of like Lego music, built in blocks.
D: We both come from classical training backgrounds so there is already a deep love of the expansive non-electronic musical history. Being a cellist I adore the warmth and intimacy of acoustic instruments (esp. strings) that their electronic equivalents still don't seem to capture. So, real piano, cello, flute, acoustic guitars, sampled drums are vital. That being said, I also grew up adoring the crisp, cleanness of body rock/tech oriented artists like Front 242, New Order etc. which still manage to be very emotional. Since I like both sides equally, my writing ends up going down the center without really being very conscious of it while it happens.
M: In what ways does this, your first full length if I'm correct, differ from your previous EPs?
A: I think that every time we venture forth to write and record, we are making huge steps in learning, not only about each other as musicians, but also in being able to make a computer and our instruments give us what we want. It's a never-ending process. This album is a lot darker in tone thematically than our previous work and while I see the last two EPs as filled with short stories, this felt like writing a novel.
D: The first song I ever mixed together was very basic and only had 5 parts: 2 vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. I mixed it all together in a program called Sound Forge which is NOT designed for multi-track mixing! It's so embarrassing to admit that but it's true. I didn't even know multi-track software existed. Obviously, we've learned a lot since then.
M: When you were writing the songs for this album, what were your goals for them- was there a cohesive statement you wanted to make in regards to the album as a whole?
A: Yes, the album was generated from a deep mourning that was taking place with us after my mom died of a very painful cancer. It was a devastating time for us. I wanted the album to be not just a ritual for grief but also on a deeper level, a story of someone who is going from being dependent on the world and outside forces for their happiness, to someone who understands that they and they alone are responsible for their environment and their own happiness.
D: We were also very consciously trying to make sure the album wasn't so personal that is would sound like we were asking people to come listen to us cry publicly.
M: "Simply Sleep "is an absolutely beautiful song, would you mind telling our readers a little about the song and possibly the thoughts and/or inspirations behind it?
A: We were at a party and some people were discussing whether they'd want to be the first humans to go to Mars, if it meant they could never return to Earth or see any of their loved ones or their native planet again. I was intrigued to find that all of the men readily answered "yes!" without a thought, and the women were tempted but in the end said no. They didn't feel they could leave behind everything that defined Life. Around the same time, I was spending weeks in a hospital away from David, and missing him desperately. I see this song as written from the perspective of the woman who for her own reasons stayed behind, and the intense longing she has for the one who has gone forward into the Unknown. There's a bit of string theory thrown in there, for good measure.
D: Hello? Mars! Of course I'd want to go. Everyone on earth be damned!
M: Another standout song in my opinion (not too mention one of the most intense moments) is "Not A Man of God." Would you mind talking a little about that song as well?
A: We saw a film called "The Magdalene Sisters," which is based on the true story of young women from Irish Catholic communities who were sent to the Magdalene Laundries for various reasons in relation to their sexuality - they'd been raped, had gotten pregnant, even were just deemed too flirty or had provocative beauty. For this they were sent to work hard labor and were abused by nuns and priests. I'd been looking for the right way to discuss fundamentalism in any of its forms and how destructive it is. There is a standout scene in the film where a girl yells repeatedly, almost like an incantation, "You're not a man of God!" It was electric, and I couldn't get it out of my head. It feels like a strong indictment for anyone who is using the name of God to wield power.
D: The music on this song is mostly all Adriana; her writing, arranging and programming. I only added subtle sweetening and performed some parts. I'm awed by it every time I play it.
M: Your music feels like it would appeal to fans ranging from New Age to Goth to Electronic/Ambient to even singer/songwriter fans. What do you consider The Endless to be and how do you feel you fit into the current music scene?
A: We ask other people this question all the time, hoping someone knows the answer. Usually we get…*blink*…"It's just what it is!" Which, I guess, is good. We tend to be received somewhere between the shoegaze/ethereal community and those genres you mentioned, but never quite falling squarely into one genre.
D: I've come up with wacky names like EmotionPop, StoryCore, EklektaRock, FolkGoth. Nothing seems to fit quite right. I'm not sure what it's called but it's not to be taken lightly.
M: Do you plan to tour to support The Republic of Heaven?
A: We have been playing quite a bit in all sorts of venues in our home base area of Los Angeles, along with some side trips to Toronto and Albuquerque (our home town), but we hope that in the fall we can start a more extensive tour.
M: Thanks so much for your time. Do you have any parting thoughts you'd like to leave Go Girls readers with?
A: Yes! I just want to tell all the other women musicians out there that I am with you. I am supporting you. When one of us succeeds, we all do. There is a whole world of feminine perspective that is badly needed in our culture right now, especially in music. I want to hear it! A great piece of advice we were given was to never get "precious" with your music. Keep creating. Move forward. Don't let fear or stagnancy keep you from making your art. This life is very short, so let the world hear your song.
Check out The Endless at www.theendlessband.com
