Post by Zapp Brannigan on Feb 25, 2011 23:47:01 GMT -5
www.lifessweetbreath.com/interviews/9-gabriel-garber-of-youre-a-liar-interview.html
Bloomington, Indiana's own, Gabriel Garber of You're A Liar talked with LSB about the bands debut album, and how the DIY esthetic of producing music has made great strides in the internet age. Also Gabriel talks about his favorite albums from 2010 and so far in 2011.
Life’s Sweet Breath: So, You're A Liar's debut self-titled album came out last month on Bandcamp. How did the band form and come about?
Gabriel Gerber: The band formed about 4 years ago with Charlie Thomas (guitar), Eric Day (bass), and James Lyter (drums). They went to the same high school and all lived together down in Bloomington while going to IU. The current lineup started to take shape about 2 years ago when Chuck and Eric were looking for a new drummer. Somehow they came across Andy Beargie, and they gelled. I'm pretty sure they played 4-5 shows within the first week Andy joined. Trial by fire, and Andy apparently passed with flying colors. With that lineup, they started recording songs for the album (what would later become the self-titled release), and Chuck was layering too many guitars for them to pull off live, so they started looking for another guitarist. Our bands had played several shows together, so we were all familiar with each other, and it kind of made sense. Following suit with the trial by fire, my first show with them came just hours after my first practice, which was sometime last January. So, the current lineup has been going at it for a little over a year, although I'm still not entirely sure I'm an official member.
LSB: I see on your Bandcamp site that you have been touring a lot around Indiana and the Chicago area. Has the midwest been your area of touring so far, and do you plan on branching out across the country?
GG: For the most part, yeah, we've stayed around here. One of the (few) benefits of living in the Midwest is that there are so many big cities within an 8 hour radius. We spent most of last year taking care of things closer to home, but now that the CD is released (and possibly more to come...), we're planning to get on the road as much as we can in 2011, including a 2-week jaunt down to Austin and back in early May.
LSB: On your album, your songs are very concise and to the point. What is the band's approach in interpreting these songs live?
GG: With music as intense as ours, it's not that hard to overdo it and wear the listeners out, which is why we keep things as concise as we do. Structurally, we don't change much live. There are a few sections that lend themselves to more open interpretation, and we usually play those parts by ear. If we're feeling good, we'll expand on some things and get a little weird. During the recording process, we were very conscious of capturing the energy of our live shows on the album, and I think we're all pleased with the results. Still, there's always potential to bring even more energy to the stage, and we constantly strive for that.
LSB: Are there any bands that you have performed with, that we should know about or check out?
GG: Bloomington is a hotbed of talented musicians, and I don't think it gets enough attention. Hopefully that will start to change. There are so many amazing bands around here. Step Dads, Slam Dunk and Racebannon rock so hard. The Broderick, The Calumet Reel, and Husband & Wife are all very catchy and a lot of fun. Fork In Socket (Louisville) bring some of the heaviest grooves the Midwest has to offer, and they're the nicest guys ever. And we recently played a string of shows with Chicago hardcore band Cave Bear which were a ton of fun.
Outside the Midwest, some bands to check out would be Tornahdo (Austin), Zona Mexicana (Purchase, NY), Fugue (Connecticut), and Duck. Little Brother, Duck! (Portland). All amazing.
LSB: What are some bands that you would love to go on tour with?
GG: Hmmm, that's a good question. With the upcoming May dates, we're hoping to meet up with a few different bands for some smaller stints. Fork In Socket for a few shows as we start heading south. Tornahdo once we get down to Texas. Cave Bear were a lot of fun, and I'm sure we'd go out with them again in a heartbeat. I'd love to tour with pretty much any of the bands I mentioned above. Other than that, I'm kind of stumped.
LSB: For a lot of bands, they'll perform new songs in their live sets as way of perfecting them for a new album. Does the band engage in this live, and are you currently working on a follow-up to the self-titled release?
GG: We definitely use the stage to refine new material. It's a great way to keep the songwriting process open-ended. By playing songs over and over in a live setting, we tend to come up with little variations to keep things fresh. As far as a follow-up goes, we definitely have some material we're sitting on, as well as new material we're working on. We're hoping to start recording again soon, and we'd like to have at least one more release this year. At least.
LSB: Looking at your Bandcamp site, it shows that almost every aspect of the band is controlled by the band itself. The recording and putting together of the album, the album layout, the songs themselves, and even the distribution of the music. With a music service like Bandcamp, what is it like to have this much freedom over your art?
GG: It's great. I can't really imagine it any other way. We've all had other bands (and still do), and we've always had a DIY mentality, which I think comes somewhat out of necessity. We know what's best for us, so having proper avenues to go about achieving that is great for us. And one other great thing about Bandcamp that we're taking advantage of is the option to sell physical merchandise along with digital downloads. Currently, that just includes physical copies of the album, but we'll be expanding our merchandise options soon, including some one-of-a-kind t-shirts that we're also making ourselves.
LSB: Also on your site is a little sampler that was released in the fall of last year, of the Fleas suite that was on your debut album. Do you plan on doing something similar in subsequent releases?
GG: It depends. The Fleas Sampler was both a way to promote the album and an avenue to "stir the waters" so to speak. Moving forward, we won't need to "stir the waters," but I can definitely see us offering a promo track or two for upcoming releases.
LSB: Last question for you guys. Since it's the beginning of the year, what are some albums that have been in heavy rotation from 2010, and so far in 2011?
GG: Hmm. I can't speak for the others, but personally, my favorites from 2010 were Flux by 22 (awesome Norwegian experimental glam pop band), Patagonian Rats by Tera Melos, Mount Wittenberg Orca by Dirty Projectors & Björk, Marnie Stern's self-titled LP, Siblings EP by Fugue, Tornahdo's self-titled EP, Culdesac by Childish Gambino, Survival Is Not A Workout by Duck. Little Brother, Duck!, Face Tat by Zach Hill, The Age Of Adz by Sufjan Stevens, どういたしまして by Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, Christian Scott's Yesterday You Said Tomorrow, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West.
So far in 2011, I've been really impressed with James Blake's self-titled full-length debut as well as Radiohead's latest bombshell The King Of Limbs.
-Jordan Leman, February 25, 2011
Bloomington, Indiana's own, Gabriel Garber of You're A Liar talked with LSB about the bands debut album, and how the DIY esthetic of producing music has made great strides in the internet age. Also Gabriel talks about his favorite albums from 2010 and so far in 2011.
Life’s Sweet Breath: So, You're A Liar's debut self-titled album came out last month on Bandcamp. How did the band form and come about?
Gabriel Gerber: The band formed about 4 years ago with Charlie Thomas (guitar), Eric Day (bass), and James Lyter (drums). They went to the same high school and all lived together down in Bloomington while going to IU. The current lineup started to take shape about 2 years ago when Chuck and Eric were looking for a new drummer. Somehow they came across Andy Beargie, and they gelled. I'm pretty sure they played 4-5 shows within the first week Andy joined. Trial by fire, and Andy apparently passed with flying colors. With that lineup, they started recording songs for the album (what would later become the self-titled release), and Chuck was layering too many guitars for them to pull off live, so they started looking for another guitarist. Our bands had played several shows together, so we were all familiar with each other, and it kind of made sense. Following suit with the trial by fire, my first show with them came just hours after my first practice, which was sometime last January. So, the current lineup has been going at it for a little over a year, although I'm still not entirely sure I'm an official member.
LSB: I see on your Bandcamp site that you have been touring a lot around Indiana and the Chicago area. Has the midwest been your area of touring so far, and do you plan on branching out across the country?
GG: For the most part, yeah, we've stayed around here. One of the (few) benefits of living in the Midwest is that there are so many big cities within an 8 hour radius. We spent most of last year taking care of things closer to home, but now that the CD is released (and possibly more to come...), we're planning to get on the road as much as we can in 2011, including a 2-week jaunt down to Austin and back in early May.
LSB: On your album, your songs are very concise and to the point. What is the band's approach in interpreting these songs live?
GG: With music as intense as ours, it's not that hard to overdo it and wear the listeners out, which is why we keep things as concise as we do. Structurally, we don't change much live. There are a few sections that lend themselves to more open interpretation, and we usually play those parts by ear. If we're feeling good, we'll expand on some things and get a little weird. During the recording process, we were very conscious of capturing the energy of our live shows on the album, and I think we're all pleased with the results. Still, there's always potential to bring even more energy to the stage, and we constantly strive for that.
LSB: Are there any bands that you have performed with, that we should know about or check out?
GG: Bloomington is a hotbed of talented musicians, and I don't think it gets enough attention. Hopefully that will start to change. There are so many amazing bands around here. Step Dads, Slam Dunk and Racebannon rock so hard. The Broderick, The Calumet Reel, and Husband & Wife are all very catchy and a lot of fun. Fork In Socket (Louisville) bring some of the heaviest grooves the Midwest has to offer, and they're the nicest guys ever. And we recently played a string of shows with Chicago hardcore band Cave Bear which were a ton of fun.
Outside the Midwest, some bands to check out would be Tornahdo (Austin), Zona Mexicana (Purchase, NY), Fugue (Connecticut), and Duck. Little Brother, Duck! (Portland). All amazing.
LSB: What are some bands that you would love to go on tour with?
GG: Hmmm, that's a good question. With the upcoming May dates, we're hoping to meet up with a few different bands for some smaller stints. Fork In Socket for a few shows as we start heading south. Tornahdo once we get down to Texas. Cave Bear were a lot of fun, and I'm sure we'd go out with them again in a heartbeat. I'd love to tour with pretty much any of the bands I mentioned above. Other than that, I'm kind of stumped.
LSB: For a lot of bands, they'll perform new songs in their live sets as way of perfecting them for a new album. Does the band engage in this live, and are you currently working on a follow-up to the self-titled release?
GG: We definitely use the stage to refine new material. It's a great way to keep the songwriting process open-ended. By playing songs over and over in a live setting, we tend to come up with little variations to keep things fresh. As far as a follow-up goes, we definitely have some material we're sitting on, as well as new material we're working on. We're hoping to start recording again soon, and we'd like to have at least one more release this year. At least.
LSB: Looking at your Bandcamp site, it shows that almost every aspect of the band is controlled by the band itself. The recording and putting together of the album, the album layout, the songs themselves, and even the distribution of the music. With a music service like Bandcamp, what is it like to have this much freedom over your art?
GG: It's great. I can't really imagine it any other way. We've all had other bands (and still do), and we've always had a DIY mentality, which I think comes somewhat out of necessity. We know what's best for us, so having proper avenues to go about achieving that is great for us. And one other great thing about Bandcamp that we're taking advantage of is the option to sell physical merchandise along with digital downloads. Currently, that just includes physical copies of the album, but we'll be expanding our merchandise options soon, including some one-of-a-kind t-shirts that we're also making ourselves.
LSB: Also on your site is a little sampler that was released in the fall of last year, of the Fleas suite that was on your debut album. Do you plan on doing something similar in subsequent releases?
GG: It depends. The Fleas Sampler was both a way to promote the album and an avenue to "stir the waters" so to speak. Moving forward, we won't need to "stir the waters," but I can definitely see us offering a promo track or two for upcoming releases.
LSB: Last question for you guys. Since it's the beginning of the year, what are some albums that have been in heavy rotation from 2010, and so far in 2011?
GG: Hmm. I can't speak for the others, but personally, my favorites from 2010 were Flux by 22 (awesome Norwegian experimental glam pop band), Patagonian Rats by Tera Melos, Mount Wittenberg Orca by Dirty Projectors & Björk, Marnie Stern's self-titled LP, Siblings EP by Fugue, Tornahdo's self-titled EP, Culdesac by Childish Gambino, Survival Is Not A Workout by Duck. Little Brother, Duck!, Face Tat by Zach Hill, The Age Of Adz by Sufjan Stevens, どういたしまして by Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Lonely Avenue by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, Christian Scott's Yesterday You Said Tomorrow, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West.
So far in 2011, I've been really impressed with James Blake's self-titled full-length debut as well as Radiohead's latest bombshell The King Of Limbs.
-Jordan Leman, February 25, 2011
