Interview with Mother Mother - July 20, 2011 07/21/2011
 Mother Mother Interview by: Allyson Cooper Mother Mother is riding high after the successful release of their 3rd album Eureka. A synth-rock masterpiece that showcases the band’s attack and versatility. With the strong lead single, “The Stand,” and accompanying music video, Eureka is stylistically engaging, both in sound and visuals. Coming off of a string of shows to support the album release, Mother Mother is one of the most anticipated acts of Hillside Festival 2011 at Guelph Lake. Ahead of their Saturday Night set on the Main Stage at Hillside, Ryan Guldemond took the time to answer some questions, and give us an idea of what to expect if you’re lucky enough to attend this weekend! There was a three-year gap between Oh My Heart and Eureka, was it filled with playing shows, or was that time spent writing? Both. The creative process is a perpetual one that lingers throughout the practical aspects like touring and promoting an album. I bet a lot of touring bands write most of their albums at sound check. With the addition of Jasmin Parkin in 2008, how did the band’s chemistry change? Did it change at all? Yeah, the chemistry changed and for the better. Usually when a band parts ways with an existing member it means something's missing for one or both parties, so Jasmin's induction filled a void, and in speaking on both musical and personal terms, the lines of communication within the band opened up nicely upon her arrival. Explain your writing process. Is it collaborative, or does the music come from one place/person, and the lyrics and melodies come from another? I write the melody, lyrics, chord progression, and foundational arrangement and then as a band we add the groove and harmonies, bass lines etc. Each member stamps the song with their personality, making it their own, but the raw musical/lyrical elements starts with me and usually an acoustic guitar. What was working with Mike Fraser [well known Canadian producer and audio engineer] like? He’s worked with everyone [Aerosmith, Bad Religion, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Page, and Franz Ferdinand to name a few], in seemingly every genre of music! Mike Fraser was great to work with. What's nice about his style is that he takes the full vision of the band and the producer and simply makes it shine by putting things in their sonic place with mastery and finesse. Some mixers try and reinvent the vision by putting a biased stamp on the sound, which can be cool, but we didn't want that for this one. Mike had the perfect style for this record. Being that you’ve played all over the country, do you find that there is a distinctive ‘West Coast’ sound? Not really. I think contemporary music is becoming more and more universal in that it borrows from all that came before it - and in the realm of experimental rock, this idea really shines through. “The Stand” is not only your lead single, but I think, the best song on the album lyrically. There’s a verse that says "…its like paradise, spread out with a butter knife,” what was the inspiration behind that line? It’s such a clever lyric. Often in the demo phase of songwriting, the lyrics won't be finished, and gibberish will be used instead. For “The Stand” we had recorded a demo in this fashion and one day it was noted by Jasmin that this particular cell of gibberish sounded like "it's like paradise spread out with a butter knife" so that line was a total happy accident. There’s a really cool call and response to that song, is there significance to the ladies asking all the questions? It works well. The sound of a woman's voice with whimsical rising inflection can scream of naiveté and that was needed for their part in the dialogue. Your music video for The Stand is visually exciting and unique, where did the concept come from? I had prefaced our treatment call to directors with a loose idea of me as a patient and the girls as my psychiatric team. The rest of the video, in art and style was the vision of director John Poliquin. He did an amazing job and we couldn't be happier with the video. Other than lyrical relevance, why the images on the wall, and who drew them? The images are meant to depict the thoughts in my head as I'm verging on insanity. The animator was a young guy from Toronto named Ace Billet. He also did an amazing job. We're smitten with those drawings. I interviewed Lindi Ortega a few weeks back and we talked a bit about the SXSW Last Gang Showcase, she said it was really inspiring to witness such talent. Are there bands that you’ve played with that have made an impact- profound, or superficial? Yeah, for sure. I think we glean valuable things from every band we share the stage with, whether it's stuff to strive for or things to avoid. You’re set to take part in Busking for Change at the end of this month. What drew you to the War Child organization? War Child specializes in helping bands like us put our creative abilities towards a good cause: raising money and awareness for children who were and are affected by war. It's a great way for bands to use their profile and public voice in a positive way. I could be wrong, but did you play Hillside about 3-4 years ago as a trio? If it was you, I’m pretty sure I saw your set and absolutely loved it! You’re playing Hillside 2011, what can we expect from your set? Yeah we did play Hillside about 4 years ago, but we did have a rhythm section, however the sound was stripped down much more than it is now. This year you can expect a diverse set from us, one that we'll draw from our whole catalog as to create an experience emblematic of the bands artistic progression. A lot of the older songs and even some of the newer ones we treat with different arrangements and bridge together with extended intros/outros and wholly new composed segue material. It's a well-put together show and we put a lot of energy into the performance. Connect: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter Add Comment |
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