Post from: Submerge Magazine

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
StudioCanal

Words by James Barone

Funny story. The theater where I saw Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy saw fit to place the film on the screen next door to a big action movie (I assume the new Sherlock Holmes). This had no real bearing on my enjoyment of the Gary Oldman-led Cold War-era spy drama, but it was certainly an odd juxtaposition. The walls rattled under the brunt force of the skull-rattling sound effects next door; meanwhile, inside our cozy, sparsely populated theater, Oldman and company built intrigue the old-fashioned way—with dialogue.

Not that they spoke all that often. In fact, Oldman, in the role of semi-retired British intelligence agent George Smiley, remains silent in his first five or so minutes of screen time. The point here being: pay attention, because when someone does open their mouth, it’s probably important.

The main action in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy takes place in 1973, a year after a British intelligence agent by the name of Jim Prideaux (Max Strong), is presumably gunned down by Soviet operatives while on a mission in Budapest. Control (played by the great John Hurt) has sent Prideaux behind the Iron Curtain to the Hungarian capital so that he may learn the identity of a mole occupying a high-ranking seat in MI6. Prideaux ends up shot in the street, and the botched mission precipitates a major shakeup at the agency, resulting in the expulsion of Control, who passes away soon thereafter, and the erroneously named Smiley.

It’s not over for Smiley, though. News of a mole in MI6 has spread to other levels of the British government thanks to rogue agent Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy). Smiley is brought in to investigate the remaining powers-that-be of British intelligence: Percy Alleline, Bill Haydon, Roy Bland and Toby Esterhase (Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Ciarán Hinds and David Dencik, respectively).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a study in subtlety. Major reveals unfold in gestures as the true nature of the plot slinks spy-like in the shadows. At times, like the spies depicted herein, the film is almost too sneaky as it shifts without warning from the present to a “happier” time in the past, when Prideaux, Haydon, Alleline, Bland, Esterhase, Control and Smiley all worked together to further the British war effort. In a scene between Smiley and another dismissed operative Connie Sachs (Kathy Burke), she bemoans a time when the English had a right to be proud. Here, the film makes a neat statement about the shifting nature of war—from an idealized time (if you could call it that) when brave combatants honorably faced off on the field of battle, to the Cold War model, where decrypted telegrams and double-crosses became the weapons of choice.

But even when the film leaves its audience straining to keep up with its levels of intrigue, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy still boasts quite an arsenal. Its cast is impeccable, turning each economical line of dialogue into a multi-faceted gem worth pondering over. Oldman distinguishes himself even among such distinguished company. He has an uncanny knack to say so much with a single expression, without uttering a word. For the most part, he wears a sullen countenance and a monotone voice. But as he begins to unravel the film’s mystery, glimmers of a sly fox begin to shine through. Elsewhere, at an office holiday party that serves as a sort of touchstone flashback throughout Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley discovers his wife cheating with a coworker, and his stoic exterior cracks in a painfully human manner.

Oldman is worth the price of admission. The taught, cerebral suspense is just icing on the cake. Silence truly can be golden.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Baroque Bash featuring Doom Bird
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento • Friday, Jan. 13, 2012

Words & Photos Amy Serna

On a normal afternoon the Crocker Art Museum is usually filled with art enthusiasts who quietly soak in the historic and modern art pieces as they roam the halls. But last week on a chilly January night, the art museum was humming. Upon entering the museum lobby, there was a different vibe in the atmosphere. It was filled with excited guests who were patiently waiting for the “Baroque Bash,” a music and art celebration to honor one of the Crockers current exhibitions called Florence and the Baroque: Paintings from the Haukohl Family Collection, to start. People were busy talking in small groups or sipping on glasses of wine and beer. After all, there might not be a better way to properly appreciate 16th century artwork than with a glass of classy wine in hand.

As the room waited patiently for the musical performance by Doom Bird to start, most eyes wandered to the left side of the lobby where museum goers could participate in art demonstrations. A few aspiring artists were caught sketching costume drawings from the Baroque period, along with the help of artist Arturo Balderama. A woman dressed in an elegant dress from the 17th century was modeling for the artists and wandering the lobby so people could appreciate her wardrobe.

The musical portion of the show began with relaxing melodies from three instrumentalists who gracefully took strums at a cello and two violins. During their performance, the majority of the audience members seemed to appreciate the music, but were also a little distracted by their surroundings.

After the classical performance ended, Doom Bird was ready to take the stage (which consisted of two rugs on the floor). Band members Kris Anaya and Joseph Davancens were accompanied by many local musical guests for the night including Krystyna Taylor (cellist from Exquisite Crops), Arjun Singh (drummer from Wallpaper) and Adam Wade (singer from Golden Cadillacs). Depending on the night, Doom Bird enjoys to be backed up by great musical talent to keep their shows lively and entertaining. “Joe and I usually play with a large group of people for shows,” Anaya described in an e-mail the day after show. “It usually keeps the audience excited about what we are trying to present in our music.” Although the band admitted that they had not performed in nine months, the performance from the musical group was peaceful and flawless. Each song provided the audience with calming but powerful music notes, making the perfect blend of classical and alternative tunes.

For most of the set, frontman Anaya didn’t have much to say to the audience except for the occasional thank you. But during the middle of their set, Anaya noted that the lobby of the museum resembled a mini airport. “Welcome to the International Crocker Airport,” he joked over the microphone. Taking a bird’s eye view of the museum, it did resemble a map from a stereotypical “airport.” Starting at the left of the lobby was a bar serving cocktails to guests, then families enjoying their dinners on square tables; the middle of the room was filled with rows of silver chairs facing the stage (resembling a waiting room). It provided an atmosphere that made the museum appear busy and full of life. Throughout the entire set, audience members could take in the “artistic extravagance” of art and music that the Crocker Art Museum had hoped for.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

The 2012 Presidential elections are just around the corner, but you already know that. Unless you’ve been hiding out in your doomsday shelter for the past four years, you’ve watched the Republicans squirm in their seats, cry like babies and demand that they be put in charge. Well, their chance is finally here as the Republican primaries are officially under way.

Voters have already spent months smelling each candidate’s shit, trying to see which one’s stool contains more corn and less terrorism. At this point, we’ve heard the policy positions (and the lack thereof) and talking points. We’ve witnessed the hand shaking, baby kissing and back peddling. And yet, do we truly know these would-be giants?

In an effort to paint a more complete picture of our next president, I did some digging into the pasts of each remaining Republican candidate. With my supreme journalism skillz, no detail was left unturned. I have dug into the cores of these men, and now I share what I’ve found with you.

John Huntsman has secretly accepted the fact that he won’t be President of the United States, but he has not yet given up on New Hampshire. His third-place primary finish in the Granite State made Huntsman believe that he can convince New Hampshirites to secede from the Union in 2012. If successful, Huntsman will name himself Supreme Leader of New New Hampshire and he will rule until his death.

Did you know that Rick Santorum has a secret past? Santorum was left at the doorstep of a Muslim couple as a baby. Mr. and Mrs. Leekee named their new son Anile. In his early twenties, Anile had a falling out with his parents as he felt that Islam was not strict enough on women and too accepting of homosexual values. Anile threw on a sweater vest, changed his name to Rick Santorum and put the whole mess behind him for the rest of his life.

Who needs life when you can be a machine? Mitt Romney’s systems were first initialized thousands of years ago on the planet Cybertron. Back then, he was known as Romnemus Prime and he was the keeper of the Creation Matrix (or “Allspark” as the teens call it). He gave life to thousands of machines; at least he did until he fell under the influence of the Decepticons and was banished from the galaxy.

Romnemus Prime crash-landed near what is now Boston. Some MIT grad students discovered him about 100 years later. The students reactivated his systems and began teaching Romnemus Prime how to be human-ish. When the training was complete, he thanked the school by changing his name to Mitt.

Not to be out science-fictioned, apparently Ron Paul is a time-traveling, Nazi scientist. In 1945, Paul built and successfully tested a time-traveling zeppelin filled with racist newsletters. Arriving in 1997, Paul snuck across the Mexican border and began distributing newsletters in Texas. His blend of racism and fiscal conservatism really spoke to the people, and before long he was elected to represent Texas’ 14th Congressional District.

Rick Perry used to be on death row. He faced the electric chair in 1985 but somehow managed to survive the experience. Tanned and salt-cured like beef jerky, Perry was left with no prior memories and little actual education. Perry was accepted to Texas A&M immediately on a full scholarship and eventually graduated Magna Cum Laude. When asked today to name his proudest moment, Perry would likely answer the day he got his “Magnet Cum Ladle.”

Despite being pumped full of electricity, Perry has endured. When faced with adversity themselves, others, like Newt Gingrich, haven’t been so lucky. Gingrich was repeatedly dropped on his head…as an adult. Newt has an adult baby fetish and his bulbous frame has caused him to slip out of a few arm cradles in his day. Each blast to his massive baby head caused poor Newt to flip policy positions and forget who his wife is. I looked into whether this was also the reason Gingrich is such a dick, but it turns out he has just always been that way.

Given the nature of these shocking discoveries, I have no doubts that their publication will change the outcome of the 2012 presidential election. The Republicans have their work cut out for them if they hope to make one of these magnificent bastards our next president.

*Relax, it’s a joke dumbass.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Words by Blake Gillespie

Bands that have released albums dating back to 1997 are not expected to catch the eye when scanning The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn soundtrack artist listing—you know, because your friend or teenage sister or jejune girlfriend owns it.

The Features won’t find out whether “From Now On” will alter the attendance of their shows until the band embarks upon its winter tour through the Southwest and up the coast toward Sacramento. As it stands, the band is pleased with its fan base. Last July, The Features released The Wilderness on the Kings of Leon-run label Serpents and Snakes. Pelham discussed the record’s conceptualization and reception, while driving around Murfreesboro, the band’s current home base.

The Wilderness is described as an amalgamation of genres such as krautrock, indie and classic rock, but I feel as though classic rock and blues are the dominant influences at work. These are also the genres you grew up on. Was there an intention to revisit the music that you first learned to play?
I guess it’s always sort of stuck with us. We all grew up with different influences, which I feel helps us out as a band with everyone writing their own parts. Roger [Dabbs] and I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock, and when I went to college and from that point for another eight to 10 years I got away from it. Only just recently I’ve been going back to it in the past three or four years.

I don’t know if I’m just getting more nostalgic toward it or what it is. It is hard for me to get away from. It’s such a strong influence. On a subconscious level it winds up being what I lean toward when I write.

Were there any records in specific that crept back in to your rotation that played a role in The Wilderness?
No. It’s just one of those things like back in high school I wore out those Led Zeppelin cassettes and then just got so sick of them by college. I started college in 1993, so it was prime time when it came to the music scene changing dramatically. From my junior year of high school to my first year of college it was pretty nuts, the amount of music and variety of music that was out there.

I went from listening to Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Lynyrd Skynyrd all the time, to hearing stuff like Pavement. It was refreshing. I imagine I’ll end up going back to Pavement someday too. But now I’m just revisiting Creedence and stuff I grew up with, which is nice.

Being you grew up in a time of dramatic shift, how do you feel about the current climate of music? You’ve expressed that your band walks the line between mainstream and hipster.
I’ve always had a hard time knowing where we fall in conversation. It’s one of those things I’d love to know. It’s always been this way: you either like punk rock and that’s it. You can’t like punk rock and R&B. But none of us have ever been like that.

It seems like most of the people we end up talking to at our shows, getting to know and who’ve listened to us for a while, seemed to be similar to us in the sense that they just like music. It’s not so much about what kind of music it is or what style. I like that about the people at our shows. They just love music and it’s not so much about a trend.

I really don’t know where we fall in the context or big picture as a band.

You worked with producer Brian Carter and engineer Craig Alvin on The Wilderness. I was curious about their involvement in the recording process. You manage to pack a very big sound into a live tracked record. Where are their fingerprints on this record?
We’ve recorded with Brian in the past. He’s a good friend of ours. We’d always record at his house, which was very comfortable. It was one of the reasons we wanted to work with him again. 1) He’s good. 2) It’s an extremely comfortable environment.

We brought Craig in, who’s originally from Portland [Ore.] and living in Nashville now. We heard he was really good and he really is. He brought a lot to it. We wanted everything to sound big, but almost as if we were playing a house party in a living room. Craig and Brian both, I feel like, they executed it nicely.

Did you record everything live as a full band and jam through or was it tracking and overdubbing the pieces?
It was all done live. There were some overdubs, just added bells and whistles and the vocals were overdubbed, but the basic track is united. It seems to be the only way we can record really. We’ve tried track by track and we sound awful. I like records that are done track by track. They have a nice homemade quality to them. Like [Paul] McCartney’s first record or [David] Bowie records to me sound really neat. They’re stiff, but it just has a… I don’t know… ‘70s sound I like. But we just can’t do that. We sound awful.

With the presence of “Big Mama Gonna Whip Us Good” and “GMF” on the previous record, how important to you is it to slip in a political or environmentally conscious song into your records?
I never intend to put a message out. I’ll start writing a song and nine times out of 10 the lyrics will mumble themselves into place. If I end up getting a line like, “Big mama gonna whip us good,” I’ll think about where I’m going to go with that for months before I actually come up with something. That’s just where that song ended up going. I do feel strongly about it, but the songs write themselves in a sense. I don’t have a lot of control over it and those are my favorite ones because they come out easy.

Maybe it sounds like that? Maybe it kind of sucks because the lyrics are too easy? To me, those are my favorite lyrics, the ones that sort of just happen. I do pay attention to those issues, so it just ends up coming out in a ridiculous way. It’s hard for me to write about stuff like that unless it has a humor to it, otherwise I feel like I’m being someone I’m not.

The Wilderness is about six months old. Will you be working new songs into your set, since you’ve said you’re a band that typically spends its rehearsal time writing new music?
Just before The Wilderness was released we recorded another record. So in the last four or five months of touring we’ve been trying to put some of that into the set to keep ourselves from being bored. We’re trying not to play it too much, since we know eventually we’ll have to play it a lot and we’ll get bored too quickly.

Have you begun talking about the release of that next record?
No. I have no idea what’s going to happen with that. We’re going to continue to tour behind Wilderness and see where we stand in the next three or four months.

I imagine being on a label, they’ve got expectations on releasing singles and stretching out the promotion of a record that’s not reached a year in age.
They’re pretty hands off. There’s not really expectation at all. A lot of it is left up to us, which is really nice. Most of the decisions have been our call as far as how we want to release stuff and when.

The Features timeline has met obstacles like unreleased albums, lineup changes and other setbacks bands experience. Where does your resilience come from to carry on as a band?
I don’t know if any of us would have any good ideas on what we’d want to do or what else we’d be able to do for that matter. We’ve done this for so long it just feels like what we should be doing. It keeps us happy and comfortable. When we’re writing and actually able to practice or be on tour, I feel like it’s when everyone is at their happiest. It keeps us going to have that outlet.

The Features will play Harlow’s on Feb. 3, 2012. The show will get underway at 7 p.m. and tickets are just $10. To purchase them in advance, go to Harlows.com.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Terra Lopez of Sister Crayon will be hosting all-ages live music nights at Broadacre Coffee (1014 10th Street) starting on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. “I’m looking forward to it, and I think this city needs more all-ages venues,” Lopez recently told Submerge in an e-mail. “I want to host my favorite local and non-local acts in an intimate setting where the bands play a different set than they normally would, say at a bigger and louder venue.” She also noted that the shows will always be cheap, never more than $5. The Jan. 27 bill features Exquisite Corps, Garrett Pierce and a special DJ set from Lopez and Sister Crayon band mate Dani Fernandez. Doors open at 8 p.m. Keep an eye out at Facebook.com/broadacrecoffee for future shows and events.

-J.Carabba

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Words by Ryan J. Prado | Photo by Sean Pecknold

You’re likely at least a little familiar with Neal Morgan, even if the name doesn’t quite ring a bell right away. Fans of Joanna Newsom or Bill Callahan will recognize the name as belonging to the drummer responsible for holding down percussive duties on their respective tours the last few years, as well as on record—notably Newsom’s Have One on Me, and Callahan’s Apocalypse. But Neal Morgan, the solo artist, is something of an anomalous alter-ego to the drummer heard on those recordings. His 2009 debut solo record, To the Breathing World, premiered a symbiosis of voice-and-drums-only compositions, created largely from first impulses to a cassette boom box in his Portland, Ore., garage. The result was a unique, primal offering of polyphonic voice melodies cooing over sometimes-frantic, sometimes-structured drumming. For his newest album, In the Yard, Morgan has also added a spoken word element, a new passion he hopes his work evolves naturally toward.

The self-released In the Yard is out Jan. 24, 2012, with distribution help by Drag City. Morgan is returning to the Sacramento area on the heels of the release, and took some time to speak with Submerge regarding his muses, his music and his hatred of poetry.

Is there anything special about getting into the mindset of making a solo record for you, as opposed to your more regular gig of drumming for other people and being part of a unit?
Well, everything I do is based on first impulses. So even arrangements I’ve made for Bill’s music or Joanna’s music start as first impulses and then it goes from there. But those first impulses when I’m arranging for someone’s record are based on some amount of conversation in advance—what they might be hearing for a particular piece and talking about the piece itself, and then arranging for that. I guess having a blank slate is the major difference.

What draws you to want to create on that impulse, and to have the final product be a really improvisational vibe?
For my own artistic enjoyment, it’s most fun to just be playing and just to do it without thinking too much and editing while I’m working. I tend to like listening to records where it was clearly the first pass that someone made at something. I always love my friends’ demos more than their records, for example. Really early on, I didn’t know how to make music of my own. I thought, “Well you make some demos and then you make a record.” Why make demos? Just make it. Get in the garage and just start and end up in something. Not always, but most of the time I love the thing that happens first, when I wasn’t thinking, the fresh impulse. But after a certain point, I’m a heavy, heavy editor. I spend 20 percent of the time tracking and then 80 percent editing. It definitely flips; it goes from being this impulsive thing into this heavy cerebral experience.

Of the songs that aren’t improvised like “Father’s Day” or “The Evidence,” how do you reconcile getting into the mindset of arranging or composing those songs that are more structured?
Sometimes the first thing you did is just exactly what it needs to be. Sometimes that’s just what happens. There’s a need for further tracking and re-recording of initial impulses. There are a few moments like that on this album, like “Father’s Day” happened fairly quickly. Those initial impulses really just kind of happened. But there are a couple songs on the second side, one in particular—“Thinking Big”—I’d had that drum beat kicking around for a really long time. I decided I wanted to make a highly structured composition. But then the two spoken word pieces [“On Tour,” “I Stand on a Roof”] happened after I thought the record was done. I went away [on the summer 2011 Bill Callahan tour] and came back, and [the record] was very clearly not done with fresh ears. I recorded those in 20 or 30 minutes. It was exactly what the record needed, and I finished it right then.

Sometimes you have to take a step back and give it space…
Yeah. Do you know the painter Philip Guston at all? There’s a response on the record to him, and his painting is on the cover. I think about him a lot and read a lot of his writings and interviews. He talks about being led during the course of painting, and I think that happens. As these things start to show themselves, they kind of tell you which way to go.

What is your recording process like? I read you recorded some of the album on a boom box.
I have a cassette eight-track, and an old boom box that has a microphone. I have a digital program, but I’m not good at any of that stuff. I just wanna hit record and play. Side A [of In the Yard] is really a foreshadowing of what the next record is going to be. Side B is really a wrapping up, I think, of a lot of the ideas that started with the first album. The next one’s gonna be spoken word.

You mentioned you hadn’t really done any spoken word before. How did you get into that?
[I was] in Atlanta [with Bill Callahan], and I was opening the show there. I had just written something that I really liked, but I didn’t really have a melody or anything like that to sing it. I decided just to say it. I just tried it and I loved it.

Was it liberating? It takes a lot of confidence to release music that’s based on first impulses, but also to speak naked words that aren’t under the veil of a melody and just saying it.
Yes, it did feel that way. I think that maybe that’s what continues to draw me to spoken pieces. The next record will be that, because you’re right—it’s the barest of the bare. That show, for me, was an incredible show. My shows are almost always improv. I’ll just decide to play a song at the drum kit one night, or instead I’ll just sing that song. This was a night where I did four or five really new things that I’d never done.

What topics interest you most to write lyrics or spoken word pieces about? Is that also coming from an impulsive source?
I have a notebook, and I’m often writing. You write when an idea comes or something happens that you think is interesting, or you come upon a way to express something that you’ve been curious about. I do a lot of writing and no editing as I’m writing. Zero. I think that’s so important. Then I will look at it some time later, and sometimes nothing resonates for me so I don’t act on any of it. But sometimes pieces of it will resonate and will connect to other ideas I have at the moment. Maybe drum ideas, or they’ll connect to other things I’ve written. Now my process includes speaking those written words in the editing process, because I’m now thinking that way for live and for the next record—hearing how it sounds and seeing how it feels to speak particular lines and then making editing adjustments based on that.

Like working on cadence and intonation?
Yeah, which is all stuff that I’d never really explored before. But it’s all very rewarding for me right now. I also don’t have a lot of frames of reference necessarily, and I want to stay that way.

In terms of spoken word artists?
Yeah, and just for the written word. I don’t have a lot of writers who are heroes of mine in that form. I’m kind of limited in that way.

You haven’t gravitated toward spoken word artists, now that you really enjoy it artistically for yourself?
No, I haven’t done that. I’ve read some more poetry in the past year, but I like so little of it. It’s really wild. But I also don’t devour it. If I read a lot more, I’m sure I would find a lot more I would like. But I really hate a lot of what friends have given me and said, “Oh yeah, this is a great poet, a great book.” I just don’t like it, like 90 percent of it [laughs]. When I’m working on music, I tend to not want to hear much at all. I just want to keep those first impulses what they are without having other ideas flying around.

Neal Morgan performs at the Milk Gallery in Sacramento, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. The show is all-ages and has a $5 cover. Show starts at 8 p.m. Morgan will also play at the Haven Underground in Nevada City Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 (also a $5 cover). For more info, go to Havenunderground.org. Both shows feature Aaron Ross opening.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Words by James Barone | Photo by Tyler Parker

Shaun Lopez (guitarist for Far) and Chino Moreno (vocalist for Deftones) have left an indelible mark on the Sacramento music scene—as well as rock music beyond the River City. Sometime last year, the two (along with bass player and songwriter Chuck Doom) began meeting—more or less in secret—on a new project that would leave a new kind of mark, ✝✝✝, aka Crosses.

Lopez and Moreno worked closely together before, though according to the Deftones vocalist (who also provides vocals for Crosses), it wasn’t the most positive experience. Moreno says that the vocals for Deftones’ Saturday Night Wrist, released in 2006, were recorded at Lopez’s studio.

“We worked pretty close then—a little too close,” Moreno says. “It was a gnarly time. There was probably one point when we were doing that that I said in my mind, ‘I will never work with Shaun again.’”

Lopez adds with a laugh, “I said the same thing.”

One thing positive that did come from the experience was that the two remained friends, despite the difficulty. Moreno recalls that it was a rough time for him personally and that he felt a lot of pressure surrounding Saturday Night Wrist. This time around, however, things were different. Crosses didn’t bear the same level of expectations as did that Deftones album. In fact, for the most part, no one even knew that Moreno was working on new music.

“The music is pretty powerful,” Moreno says. “I hate to sound corny, but when we get together to make some stuff, it straight up sounds good. I think we just enjoy that.”

Crosses got off the ground with just Lopez and Doom at the helm. Lopez says that he’d met Doom two or three years ago through a mutual friend. Doom was looking for a space to lay down tracks for another project he was working on, but as he and Lopez began getting to know each other better, they began writing together.

“He started bringing in some other ideas that were different than what he was doing already,” Lopez says of Doom. “I thought that it was really cool, maybe I can throw some stuff on top of this. Maybe we could do some co-writing. That was sort of the birth of Crosses.”

Beyond that, Moreno calls the enigmatically named Doom a “very interesting guy.” Moreno says that Doom has a penchant for “really old gear” and still employs floppy disks as part of his recording arsenal.

“I think that’s inspiring to me, because it’s not like he’s got an iPad in some room and he’s making shit that sounds like everyone else,” Moreno says. He goes on to praise Doom’s tireless, and perhaps eccentric, work ethic.

“I’ll get an e-mail at 7:30 in the morning sometimes, and it’ll be a 30-second clip of four chords with this weird loop around it… It’s kind of cool to see how [Crosses songs have] evolved from something as little and abstract as that.”

Moreno was the final piece of the Crosses puzzle. Originally, Lopez had planned on having a revolving door of different vocalists to sing over the music he and Doom were creating, but once he heard Moreno sing over a track, it seemed like he needn’t look any further.

“Once we heard what he could do over it, and it just really made sense,” Lopez says. “It all just sounded like something we could hear Chino’s voice on. He basically told us, ‘I don’t want anyone else singing on these songs.’ It was nice that it worked out that way, that it was really natural and really organic, and nobody was forcing anybody to do anything. He was like, ‘I really like this. I want to sing over these songs.’ He heard it, and then we started writing more songs, and he said, ‘I want to sing on all of these.’ So we were like, let’s do it.”

“I’m just that good,” Moreno quips.

It must have been the right formula, because the partnership became pretty prolific. Moreno reports that the trio produced over 20 songs in about six months. The group released its first album, a five-song EP titled EP ✝ in August 2011. The album was released for free download through the Internet (it can be downloaded at Crossesmusic.com). Another EP, EP ✝✝, will be released in the same manner on Jan. 24, 2012. The goal is to release a third EP thereafter, and Moreno hopes that they will then compile them all into a full-length album along with five new songs. Both he and Lopez are reveling in the fact that they’re making this music on their own, with little outside pressures or expectations.

“To me, that’s one of the lamest parts of being a part of a big label, at least from my experience,” Moreno says. “Every time you’re making a record, you have someone’s opinion who’s outside of making the record, it’s always a damper.”

“And not so much the label, but anticipation from outside the project…right away there are a million opinions of what it’s going to sound like, what it should sound like. We went into this without any of that. It was cool to do it for fun as it went along. Now that it’s done, I guess people will have their opinion now, but it’s done. It is what it is.”

What it is may not be what Moreno’s fans expect or even want to hear from the lead singer of Deftones. EP ✝ is a dark and brooding, ambient yet heavy release, perfect for turning up loud in your headphones and losing yourself in. “This Is a Trick” opens the album with creepy organ sounds washing over a glitchy digital beat that gives way to a chorus in which Moreno’s voice fluctuates between an almost pleading tone to a more metallic yell. From there, the EP traverses down more of a trippy, atmospheric road. Lyrically, the album seems to hold common themes of fantasy versus reality. Moreno says that these are ideas that are actually apparent in his other projects.

“I have a hard time deciding that I’m going to make a song about this topic and just doing it,” he explains. “To me, that takes away all the fun. It puts up walls all around you… I think that’s where the escapism comes through in the lyrics, with all my projects. It’s not like I write differently for this project or that project. When I sit down to write, it comes out however it comes out. A lot of times, it’s a sort of fantasy/escapism, things that are so detached from everyday life or emotions or feelings. I think those things come through anyway.”

Similarly, Lopez and Moreno have a take it as it comes approach toward Crosses. The band will be playing a series of live shows starting Jan. 31, 2012 something they hadn’t really planned to do with the project at its inception. Crosses will play a string of four dates in California, and then two dates in South America (Santiago, Chile for Lollapalooza Chile and Quilmes Rock 2012 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) in late March/early April.

As for the upcoming EP, Moreno gave few details. He says that he doesn’t feel comfortable describing what it will sound like, but mentions that it was recorded at the same time as EP ✝, so it will have a consistent feel, though it will probably be more up-tempo.

“I don’t want to give anyone any pretense of anything,” Moreno cautions.

Those with adventurous ears may find Crosses very rewarding. If nothing else, it’s a shining example of what a group of talented songwriters can do when they’re free to create as they will.

“I think that’s a liberating thing, especially for Chino, that we write, we record, we mix the record, and we basically turn it in and it’s out,” Lopez says. “There still aren’t a lot of people who know about it, which is cool. There are more people learning about it every day, which is kind of what we wanted.”

Crosses will play Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Feb. 3, 2012. Also performing will be Secret Empire, Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross. Doors for the all-ages show will open at 7 p.m., and tickets can be purchased through Aceofspadessac.com.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Post from: Submerge Magazine

-J.Carabba

Post from: Submerge Magazine