Interview: Froth

Hey everyone!

The beauty of having a team of amazing writers and photographers working together to create the content to you see on house in the sand, is that we all bring different tastes and interests to the table.

However, we all have the same goal and that is to allow you to get to know your favourite acts better and for you to meet some new favourites along the way.

And we believe that the best way to achieve that goal is to chat to the artists themselves and share the conversations with you.

Our LA based writer and photographer Melissa had a little chat with Froth a while back and we're excited to share it with you now. 


Before you dive into the interview, please make sure to follow Melissa:
  twitter | facebook | instagram

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So let's get to know Froth!


Froth are a three piece from Los Angeles, US.

Their influences range from shoegaze to psychedia to post-punk, ultimately causing them to create a wild noise rock signature sound.

Joo-Joo Ashworth, Jeremy Katz and Cameron Allen have been releasing music together since 2014 and have celebrated the release of their third album, "Duress", earlier this year.

Froth's live sets are as memorable as their studio recordings, incorporating analog snythesizers, overdubs and drum machines, ensuring their listeners are having an amazing time watching them live.

2019 has seen them performing alongside Black Marble, Versing, A Place To Bury Strangers DJs and more.





Froth online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram


Melissa got to chat to Jeremy who told her all about the "Yanny/Laurel" debate, what the band does on days off and where they find their influences.


house in the sand: Hey Froth! Thanks so much for taking the time to have a little chat with us at house in the sand! How are you guys doing on tour?

Froth: We're basically done and driving back, but it went really well. We got along super well with the whole touring party (Black Marble, DYED).

HITS: Being from Los Angeles, would you say that the city has any influence in your sound or the lyrics in your songs?

Froth: I wouldn't say that specifically the city influences the music, but it probably does. Definitely we used to be very inspired by local LA bands and the whole scene. I'm inspired by the Dodgers now too.

HITS: The video for your song "Laurel" is so creative and kind of has a nostalgic "90's" vibe with the animation, I felt a Space Jam reference in there. What was the creative thought process when coming up with the idea for the video?

Froth: Definitely analog Space Jam was a goal from the video. It was all masterminded by Courtney Garvin (from The Courtneys) who had all the shots and animations planned out. She actually said she woke up from a dream one day and got the idea.



HITS: You've said the song was based on the "Yanny/Laurel" video that went viral last year. Which name did you guys hear? I could only hear Laurel.

Froth: I heard Yanny first but only two times, then Laurel forever.

HITS: If I asked you to cover a song by another band - which one would it be and why?

Froth: It would be "Autumn Sweater" by Yo La Tango because it's already so similar to our song "xvanos".

HITS: Describe tour life for us; what are some things you do on days off? What is your number one must have essential when traveling?

Froth: We try to find something good to eat and a newer thing is trying to find something physical to do. We used to do tours where we would just sit in the van and eat convenient garbage and bicker with each other. Now it's about eating pho and hitting some batting cage. Swimming outside on days off, playing with a ball.

HITS: Please complete the following sentence: We are Froth and we...

Froth: hate our first album, "Patterns".

HITS: Is there anything else you'd like house in the sand readers to know?

Froth: We are Froth and we hate our first album, "Patterns".

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We hope you enjoyed our conversation with Froth!
Make sure to check out their music.




Thank you for your visit!









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Credits // Intro: Vanessa Jetwash | Interview questions: Melissa Rodriguez | Interview answers: Froth  | Image: Jeff Fribourg

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Interview: Gabriel Black

Hey guys!

We believe that interviews are perfect ways to introduce you to artists.

Whether you already know them, or are just finding out about them - being able to learn more a person and their views can help you connect with their art on another level. 

And because we love getting to know artists better, doing interviews for this website is always an absolute joy.


Today we're thrilled to share our chat with Gabriel Black.


Gabriel Black is an artist originally from Pennsylvania, now based in Los Angeles, US.
His own description is as follows, "I sing songs poorly and draw shitty cartoons".

Well, we see it differently.
We're really digging Gabriel's sound and his creative way of animating his music.
And we're not alone; his track "jump" has racked up more than 800.000 streams on Spotify and over a million views on YouTube.

Describing his sound can be a bit tricky, fellow music critics have used alternative rock, postpunk and hiphop.
And they've kinda nailed it.

However, you should definitely check it out yourself.





Gabriel Black online: Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram


Check out HITS founder Vanessa's chat with Gabriel as they chat about stereotypes, texting fans, ABBA and a lot more.

This interview was held via phone on August 29th.


Gabriel Black: Hey, how are you?

house in the sand: Hi there, I'm good! How are you?

GB: Pretty good, how about you?

HITS: It's a really rainy day over here. Hope it's better in LA!

GB: Yeah, it's sunny. Really sunny. Palm trees are swaying.

HITS: That's brilliant! Sounds gorgeous!

GB: Honestly, it gets a little old. I could use a little rain, it never rains here and I miss the rain.

HITS: I get it, but sunshine doesn't hurt, does it?

GB: No, it's cool.

HITS: So how's your day? What have you been up to so far?

GB: Today I'm doing a few calls but other than that, just hanging out and making music, that type of stuff. It's kinda earlier here, I just woke up a little bit ago.

HITS: So, I wanna talk a bit about this stereotype that artists sit around all day and that songs kind of drop from the sky. And I kinda wanna end that stereotype because we all know it's not true.

GB: No, it's not true.

HITS: So I was wondering how much time you put into your music? How long does it take you to finish a project?

GB: To finish a project? It takes me time. Part of the stereotype- okay, without a doubt you have to endlessly be working, you know?
Because you'll go through waves to make something, just waves of stuff that you don't like, is not good - and you have to work through it to then have the breaking point where you get something good. So you always have to be working but to the opposite of that point, I do think, at a certain point a song will kind of come to you. You know what I mean?

HITS: Yeah, that totally makes sense.

GB: You can't just sit around, because then you're never going to improve. The whole thing is, you have to work through the bad moments; the uninspired, the not really productive moments to get to the gold.
So yeah, I probably work.. I work, I don't know. See, I do the art shit as well, so I do a few hours of the art shit a day and probably five, six hours of making music. Something like that. It's off and on, it's scattered. I've also got Netflix playing in the background, it's a mix of it.

HITS: That's totally cool. So you also animate your videos yourself - so I was wondering, when you write your music, do you already envision what the video is going to look like at the same time? Or does that just happen later on?

GB: Yeah, totally. I think that visually when I make music, I always kind of have an image in my head.
Whether it's just a guitar loop that I've done, I'll even start thinking what kind fits it visually. But especially once I start adding words, then it really comes together. I think about videos from the very start.



HITS: You seem to be pretty open about dark moments in your life through your music. Does that ever feel scary to you?

GB: Yeah!! That's kind of why it started out as a cartoon, to hide me, so I could be open about it and not show people who I am. I mean, yeah, putting yourself out there is very scary.
I've always been kind of shy to be honest. In High School would never play the talent shows or whatever, because I was very shy.
It's easier to be more open with people that don't know you than with people that do know you. So putting on a mask and being able to have a little bit of separation has been a really good thing for me.

HITS: That totally makes sense and it's really relatable. You seem to be really active on social media - and nowadays it goes hand in hand with music. And I've seen that you've put out your number online - so how did you come up with that?

GB: To be honest, I just thought it would be cool to have a way to talk to people directly. I mean, you can still dm me on Instagram and shit like that. But I just thought it would be cool to be like "let's just text.".

HITS: Amazing!

GB: And then that just happened. And to be honest, I'm not a big fan of social media. I know I'm on there a lot, or I'm trying to be. But really I hate how important social media is to music.
So texting was kind of a way of I didn't have to go on there but I could still talk to people. Being able to text feels closer than dm-ing someone.

HITS: Oh yeah, absolutely. So have any funny stories come out of that? Have you received any weird or strange texts so far?

GB: Weird or strange texts? Not really. Most of the texts honestly are more emotional.

HITS: Oh really? That's nice!

GB: I think by making music that is very true to myself, it has resonated with people in some way, so people will hit me up and tell me what's going on in their lives and how a song has helped them in some type of way.
It's gotten very deep at times, sometimes overwhelming to be honest. And I don't always know how to handle it, but I'm honoured that people will open up as much as they do. It's cool! I feel like I have a real bond with a lot of these people.

HITS: That's really beautiful actually, wow. It guess that also makes it a bit easier for you to be open, in return, because you know there are people who are willing to do the same.

GB: Yeah! I supposed it's true, I really haven't thought about it that way but I guess that's true. That's what I think, my supporters, that's what they expect from me now. It's just honest lyrics and shit like that. And then when we talk, I just try to be myself.

HITS: Of course, and that's always how it's meant to be, I guess.
To switch it up a bit and get into a bit of a lighter mood around here - I've seen your Spotify playlist and one band I was not expecting to see on there was ABBA, which is incredibly cool. Would you say your taste in music is pretty wide ranged?

GB: Oh yeah, for sure. To me, a good song is just... you just have to feel it, above anything. And I feel ABBA songs, witout a doubt.
My mom used to play a lot of ABBA when we were together. I went to the Broadway and saw Mamma Mia! and stuff like that. And literally whenever we were driving around, my sister, my mom and me would play ABBA in the car.
You just feel the music. To me the writing isn't that poetic, it's very upbeat, which is different to my kind of stuff. But like I said, when you feel it, you feel it and that's all that matters.

HITS: Brilliantly put. If you could form a supergroup with three of your favourite acts - who would you pick?

GB: Kid Cudi, Kanye West and do I get to pick one other or am I the third?

HITS: You can pick one more.

GB: Kid Cudi, Kanye West and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, something like that. I don't know.

HITS: I feel like you've now manifested it, so one day we'll have that.

GB: Yeah, that would be crazy.

HITS: For sure! So what's next for you?

GB: Put out more music. It might take a second, but put out more music. I have ideas for crazier stuff in the works, I wanna make a TV show with the cartoon. I think that would be really cool. But yeah, that's really down the line. But next is really more music.

HITS: So we've got a lot to look forward to.
There is one question we ask everyone before we finish the interview: we have built a house in the sand, if you could build a house anywhere in the world, where would you build it?

GB: Anywhere in the world? Whoa, that is hard! I honestly think about this a lot because I love dreaming about my future and shit like that. Geez, it's really hard. I often dream about three houses.

HITS: Fair enough!

GB: I don't know. I think I'd like to live outside San Francisco, in Marin County, it's super beautiful there. It's still pretty close to know, you know, I live in LA so it's only six hours away. But I think it's one of the most beautiful places. And it rains a lot, as we were talking about. It rains!!!

HITS: Whoa, it's coming full circle! Amazing!

GB: Exactly, exactly!

HITS: Cool! So thank you so much for taking the time to have this little chat - that was cool, I really enjoyed it.

GB: Thank you for having me!





We hope you enjoyed our chat!



Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words (Intro & Questions): Vanessa Jetwash | Image & Answers: Gabriel Black

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Interview: Matthew Mole

Hey guys!

I remember the first time I sat down to do research for an interview.
That was in 2012 and I honestly had no clue what I was doing, so my Google search history looked a lot like this:
- how do you interview musicians?
- how to do research for interviews
- what did I get myself into?

Hundreds of interviews, intense journalism studies and six years later, I don't need Google's help anymore, but actually fell in love with the process of researching and forming interview questions.

It's interesting having to structure conversations before they even happen and it's so wonderful getting to learn more about the artists behind the music we enjoy.


Today we get to share a conversation we had with the brilliant Matthew Mole,
so please let us introduce you to this fantastic artist.


Matthew Mole is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter from Cape Town, South Africa.

His sound combines Folk, Electronic and Pop in such seemingly effortlessly manner, delivering live sets which convince on all fronts.

In 2011 Matthew released his debut EP "You did well, kid" independently and offered multiple songs for free.
A year later he won Converse's "Get Out Of The Garage" competition along with a gig in London's 100 Club and a recording session at the Converse studio in New York.
He then signed to Just Music and released his second EP, "Same Parts, Same Heart" in December of 2012.

In 2014 Matthew released his album "The Home We Built" as a double CD featuring 32 tracks.

2017 saw the release of his latest LP, "Run", which features some of Matthew's finest work to date.


If you are based in Europe, you'll be able to check out Matthew's energetic live shows yourself - here are the dates:

30th May - Kulturladen, Konstanz (GER)
1st June - Bregenz Life Festival, Bregenz (AT)
2nd June - Degginger, Regensburg (GER)
3rd June - Konzerthaus Schüür, Lucerne (CH)
7th June - Molotow, Hamburg (GER)
8th June - Surfana Festival, Bloemendaal (NL)
10th June - Tunes in The Dunes, Cornwall (UK)
13th June - Merlyn, Nijmegen (NL)
14th June - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
19th June - Blueshell, Cologne (GER)
20th June - Club Stereo, Nuremberg (GER)
21st June - Fluc, Leopoldstadt (AT)


- click here to get tickets -





Below you'll find our conversation with Matthew and you'll get to learn more about him and his art.

house in the sand: Hi Matthew, thanks so much for taking the time to have this chat!
How are you today?

Matthew Mole: Thank YOU for having me! I'm doing great, thanks! Can't wait to be back in your amazing part of the world.

HITS: So, you'll be on tour again very soon, coming back to Europe.
How do you prepare for a tour? Do you have a routine when it comes to rehearsals?

Matthew: I have been playing extensively around South Africa with quite a lot of festival shows happening here.
We have been working towards the strongest live set possible, to put on a fun show for audiences here at home. All of this, at the same time leaving room to make a few adjustments for the audiences in Europe.
That way we are constantly working with basically the same live set here trying to make it as tight as possible for Europe!

HITS: What's your favourite thing about performing live?

Matthew: It's always about the interaction with the audiences. I mean, if they weren't there, then the show would be a little awkward!
So my favorite part is trying to give them as much energy as possible and seeing how that gets reciprocated.

HITS: We've seen some footage of you performing and you actually take your drums into the crowds, which looks so cool! So how did you come up with the idea to do that? And what are the reactions like?

Matthew: I've always loved the idea of doing different things away from the stage at times.
It just moves the whole focus of the show for those few seconds or minutes. I've seen a few bands go into the audiences with instruments and I really wanted to try it out!
It's been so much fun to do, so I've just kept try to do it! 

HITS: Not too long ago you've supported Bastille live - first of all, what was that experience like?
And secondly, if you had to pick any band or aritst to support you on tour, whom would pick?

Matthew: That really was an amazing experience. They are a band that I love, which is a massive bonus. I learnt a lot from them, from how they are with people to how they set everything up on stage.

When it comes to bands opening for me, that's really difficult because I'm still trying to work towards that kind of things, haha! But I love it when there's an opportunity for youger/up-and-coming bands and artists to open up shows!



HITS: How did you meet your band?

Matthew: It's really just myself and a drummer.
There are three of them, depending on whose schedule works best for the tours. Josh Klynsmith is coming with on this tour.
We met years ago in South Africa when I used to play solo shows. He plays for a band called Gangs Of Ballet and we play lots of shows together here in SA. Same with the other two drummers, they both play for other bands.

HITS: Do you have your "must-haves" when it comes to live gear? Are you specific with the brands you use?

Matthew: I do have a few favorite brands, but only because that's all I have used for most of musical experience. I've gone through a few different acoustic guitars and I think I am still figuring out which is my favourite. I love Shure gear, their electronics have played a huge role in my live set.

HITS: Do you ever get writer's block? If so, how do you handle it?

Matthew: I do! But I think it's just overthinking. So when I feel stuck, then I either move on to a different idea/song or I just take a quick break from what I am working on.

HITS: What are your thoughts on Social Media? Do you ever find yourself needing a break from it?

Matthew: Social media is great. It's an amazing tool to spread your music, but most of all it's the best way to engage with followers from all over the world in real time.
I often get a bit overwhelmed and tired from Social Media, but I try and keep consistency and then it becomes a little more natural.

HITS: We've built a house in the sand - if you were to build a house anywhere in the world, where would you build it and why?

Matthew: I've always told my parents, since I was like four years old, that one day I will get them a house. So I would love to build them a house here in South Africa. They would choose to live in Cape Town, so I'd find the best part of Cape Town and build one for them there!





Matthew Mole online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram



Big thank you to Matthew for taking the time to have a chat with us.
And a huge thank you to Barbara for arranging this conversation.




Thank you for your visit!

 Credits // Words (Intro & Questions): Vanessa Jetwash | Answers: Matthew Mole | Image: Tyler Walker via Matthew Mole

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Interview: Novatines

Hey guys!

There is one question I get asked all the time.
Literally, all the time.

And it is - "What's your favourite kind of music?"
There have been times in which I've said "Folk" or "Rock" - or both, because I couldn't ever decide.

But I have a new answer. A true answer.
My favourite kind of music is "honest, energetic and passionate".

And that's exactly the kind of music we feature on HITS.
So let's not waste any precious time - ladies and gents; please meet Novatines.


Novatines are a five piece from Bath, UK.

They are brand new, they are loud and they are ready to take over.
None of the statements above are exaggerated - and you will figure that out yourself as you get to know the band.

We're excited to be one of the first sources to introduce you to this exciting Rock band.

Novatines are:
Jamie Beale
Tom Cory
Callum Moloney
Ben Lythe
Tom Turner

Having just launched their debut single, we've had a chat with the guys and learned more about their writing process, their live shows and more.
 

Check it out below!


HITS: You guys have just released your first single, "Medicine". What was the overall reaction like?
Novatines: The reaction has been great - we've been called one of the UK's hottest new guitar bands and it's only been a couple days...

HITS: You get to pick three words to describe the band - which words do you pick?
Novatines: Huge fucking vibe.

HITS: How much time do you usually spend working on a song before you release it?
Novatines: Depends on the song - we come from an old school band ethic... it should come naturally. If you have to work really hard and practically ply it out with a crow bar - chances are, it won't be a good song.
Some ideas take time to really manifest themselves, but we've always let them come naturally... and we never work on anything that we aren't incredibly excited by.

HITS: What can fans expect from your live shows?
Novatines: We record live to give people an honest window into what we really sound like. There are no smoke and mirrors - it's loud, energetic and never a boring show.
It's always really disappointing when you hear a band on record and it's sparkly and incredible... then you see it live and it's practically an entirely different thing all together - we want to sound like us, all the time.

HITS: We're really digging the visual vibe you've presented online. So, how involved are you when it comes to the artwork and photography?
Novatines: We are incredibly involved in all that stuff, most of it is designed in house - it's important to have a firm hand on the wheel with it all, because we know what we are, better than anyone else does. We work with a few photographers and directors, but we are always heavily involved with the concept and direction. We are a group with something to say, good or bad.

HITS: What's next for you guys?
Novatines: Lots of shows, lots of writing and lots of noise.


Now that you've learned more about the band, let's take a look at their debut single, "Medicine".


There are some songs that grab your attention and don't let go of it.
"Medicine" is one of them.
The loud and soaring guitar riffs are demanding and know exactly what they want - your full attention - and they get it.

Heavy drums don't just support the strength of the song, they are the strength. The perfectly timed beats give the song so much power and allow the moody and tight bassline to unfold into the key element of the track.

The gripping lead vocals underline what the band's sound is all about - confidence, power and passion. Paired with yet another attention grabbing element, the chants, "Medicine" presents itself in the most exciting manner.


Listen to "Medicine" below:




Novatines online: Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram




Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Words & Questions: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image & Answers: Novatines

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Interview: Ciaran Lavery

Hey guys! 

Some artists just keep moving without any breaks.
I find that super inspiring and also super impressive.

Being in the position where a lot of promo emails fill me inbox every day, it never goes unnoticed when there are artists who constantely have something to present to the media and the public.

Ciaran Lavery is definitely one of those tireless musicians who keep releasing fantastic art.

Ciaran Lavery is a singer/songwriter from the small town Aghagallon in Ireland.

To find the right words to describe his genre, you'd have to invent new words.
The are many layers to this constantly developing artist, who draws inspiration from rock bands as well as Bob Dylan & Crosby, Stills & Nash.

His debut EP "Kosher" (2014), which includes the track that made us big fans, "Left For America", got the ball rolling for Ciaran.
His relentless passion for music has let to him releasing his first album "Not Nearly Dark", as well as a collaborative mini album called "Sea Legs" with Ryan Vail in 2015.

2016 has seen the release of Ciaran's second album, "Let Bad In", which has blown minds all over the world.

And just because all of the above isn't enough for Ciaran Lavery, he's about to drop his next piece of art - a live album recorded at Belfast's The Mac.

Because the curiousity to find out more about the live album was nearly killing us, we had to have a chat with Ciaran.

Find out what he told us about the process of putting the album together, working with a string section, Social Media and a lot more!

house in the sand: Hi Ciaran, it's been a while since we last had a chat back in Stuttgart.
Catch us up, what's been going on in your music life?

Ciaran: Things have been pretty relentless over the peroid of a year. I've been touring with a band the past 6-8 months across the U.K, Ireland & Europe, recording new material in Dublin, which has been a hell of a lot of fun. Right now I'm preparing for the release of a live album 'Live at The Mac' recorded over two sold out nights last December with a trio of strings.

HITS: Of course we want to chat about your upcoming release, the "Live at The Mac" album.
How did the idea for the live album come up?

Ciaran: I guess I've always wanted to scratch the itch of working with strings in some way or another. It's a road that has been trodden by the singer songwriter community many times, so I have been sensitive to the idea for a while. I got to a point where I had flirted briefly with the idea of small arrangements on record, so that almost opened the door. At a time where I had two LPs and an EPs worth of material under my belt, I felt I was in a good position to have a variety of songs to choose from. I like manipulating my tracks, letting them morph & mutate according to the arrangements. A lot of the songs chosen had yet to be arranged for the string instruments, so that intrigued me.

HITS: So you've just mentioned the string trio which you've played the show with.
How much practice had to be done to get it all to work together? Can you tell us a bit about the process of that?

Ciaran: Dan Burne-McCullough was the perfect arranger for the job. He was sensitive about the nature of the songs and at the forefront of everything was an idea of complimenting what already existed. The strings served to add a layer of emotion and drama that aren't present in a solo performance of guitar and myself.
The three players of Rachael, Zarah & Owen worked effortlessly alongside the songs, so yes, there was a lot of time and effort put into the various areas but it also had a feeling of everything slotting into place.

HITS: We can also find a cover of the classic "Streets Of Philadephia" on the album. What made you choose this particular track? Do you have a special connection with the song?

Ciaran: Who doesn't love Bruce Springsteen? If there were an opportunity to perform something of his back catalogue, then I was going to take it. It was just a matter of looking at something that hadn't already been treated with the same arrangement and seeing if we could do it justice. Like I say with all covers, they are never there to compete with the original at all, they never can. It's more a nod to the track and hopefully a result that can possibly bring out elements of the song that weren't as obvious.

HITS: Looking back, what was your personal highlight of creating the album?

Ciaran: It's always the live performance itself. When you step out live, you always want to make sure you can engage people for the 60 minutes or whatever length of time you have to play with. People pay good money and spend their time in the hope to have a good time. As a performer, I hope they can take something away from it.

HITS: Of course wel aso need to ask - which are your favourite live albums by other artists?

Ciaran: I have always been drawn to Eels, Live at Town Hall. I remember hearing it for the first time, already being a fan of the band, and it really blew me away. Songs that had a previously bombastic bold production, were suddenly stripped and presented in a way that hit you right between the eyes and somewhere among 'the feels'. I do cherish the Ryan Adams Carnegie Hall live record too, but I'm a huge fan of his and always have been. He creates something special, between the songs and the comedy. And of course, the original great live album(s) Johnny Cash live at San Quentin and Folsom Prison. They exist on another plain.

HITS: With Social Media being such a huge part of the music business and our lives in general, it's easy to find clips from gigs online. How do you feel about gig-goers who tape gigs and put the videos online?

Ciaran: It's an inevitable byproduct of the world that we live in. As a live performer, you want people to exist in the moment and not be aware of the digital world that's forver present around them. Really though, who am I to chastise someone for lifting their phone if they feel this is a moment they have to capture? (hopefully for all the positive reasons)

HITS: You seem to be on tour all the time, which is amazing. But it also means you spend a lot of time travelling. How do you keep yourself entertained on the road? Do you play card games? Watch films?

Ciaran: I recently downloaded Netflix to my phone but between my battery life and memory space it's a horrible duo of circumstances that have almost eliminated that form of entertainment. I try to read & write a little. I read more than I write admittedly. But then again, I'm still learning. Routines are hard to come by with the constantt moving from one place to another. If I can, I try to find a space to switch off, as difficult as that is. Right now I have Patti Smith's 'M Train' with me around the UK, which I can't recommend enough to any type of reader.

HITS: As you know, house in the sand is crazy about new music. Can you share any favourites of yours with us?

Ciaran: Joshua Burnside, Saint Sister, Rosie Carney, In Their Thousands

HITS: And finally, thanks for taking the time to chat to us, Ciaran.

Ciaran: See you soon!


Pre-Order "Live at the Mac" - out on December 9th 2016

Listen to "Tell Them All" taken off 'Live at the Mac' below!






Ciaran Lavery online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram






Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Text intro & questions: Vanessa Jertschewske | Answers: Ciaran Lavery | Image: Kathrin Baumbach | **this interview has kindly been arranged by Six07 Press**

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Interview: Colorworks

Hey guys!

I'll be honest with you, I've forgotten how enjoyable written interviews can be!
I feel like I've gotten carried away with the fast paced aspects of video and phone (audio) interviews. They are a lot of fun and I love, love, love producing them.

However it's unbelievably calming to just sit down and conceive an email interview.
It allows the bands to take a bit more time and to really get deep and detailed with their answers.

Obviously, that's a great thing and therefore I'm super stoked to present you an interview with Colorworks today!

Colorworks are a four piece band from Seattle, USA.
They describe their sound as psychedelic breakup Pop, if that sounds confusing to you- they'll be explaining that in the interview.

With their energetic live shows and their EPs (Joyla Red, Dreams of Mangoes), the band easily built themselves a loyal fanbase.

Colorworks are:
Bret Dylan (guitar & vocals)
Nick Myette (bass & vocals)
David Easton (guitar & keys)
Andrew Ginn (drums & percussion)

In our interview below, the band chats about the 60's, their gear, how a lemon scented spray cleaner almost knocked the band out and a lot more!
Enjoy reading!

house in the sand: Hi Colorworks, thanks for taking the time to chat to us!
Your recent The Kinks medley is great! I've read you started out with the intention to do a lot of 60's covers- did those covers ever influence your own sound?

Colorworks: Without a doubt. Our intention in the beginning was to learn a number of our favorite songs from the 1960's to learn *how* to be a pop band. Andrew (drums), Nick (vocals, bass) and I (Bret  - vocals, guitar) grew up on punk rock, and though we all had done different kinds of musical projects over the years, none of us had ever actually had the experience of playing bright, jangling chords over a simple pop beat.
I remember the first time we were playing "California Dreamin'" and I thought "Wow, this song works so well, and the arrangement is so simple!". Of course the music is the easy part to that song, the vocals on the other hand took a good long while. But that was our entire incubation stage, and we still learn covers to continue having the experience of playing great songs, because you can't substitute that experience. When it comes to our original songs, we definitely look to older records for inspiration.

HITS: When it comes to your own material; which topics do you find yourself writing about the most?

Colorworks: I seem to have a hard time writing anything other than first person, though that isn't from a lack of trying! Nick is a bit freer in terms of perspective, though all our songs tend to be very personal. When we first started this band, Nick and I both were reeling from relationships that ended on bad terms, and so our first EP "Joyla Red" is all relationship songs. We joke that our genre is "psychedelic breakup pop" because it seems every other song is a failed relationship song, even when the music is upbeat, à la Smokey Robinson.
We're both in better places now and so lyrically we've been exploring our childhood a bit. We're both from Seattle, so green trees, lakes and mountains have been a part of our lives since we could remember. Our next record will have a good amount of nature vibes on it, along with relationships, of course, haha.

HITS: Do you have your go-to gear? Are there any brands you prefer using?

Colorworks: Absolutely. We can't seem to stop modifying our gear, actually. David (vocals, guitar, keys) plays through a Vox AC15 modded by our friend and producer, Andrew Bloom, with a Celestion speak and better tubes, and that amp just kicks.
I had the stock P90s swapped out of my Epiphone Casino for Seymour Duncans and the difference is night and day.
We also love vintage gear, when we can afford it, I'm keen on old Ampeg guitar amps and play primarily through a 1965 Ampeg Gemini I.
David plays a 1967 Guild Starfire IV and I just picked up a 1969 Harmony Sovereign which will play a big role on our next record. I don't think it's coincidental that we play gear from the 60's, haha. Vintage gear has tons of mojo to it, but it's so damn expensive that I guess we are attracted to the ugly ducklings rather than the big name companies, as much as we'd like to have that gear as well. But I swear those old Ampeg Gems have cleans that would make a new Fender Twin blush.

Nick plays through Fender Jazz basses and an Ampeg Portaflex on stage. And we've been lucky getting access to a great little old Ampeg bass amp in the studio that punches like a lightweight boxing champion. Andrew is sponsored by Allegra Drums from Portland, and how he will tell you about his feisty little kit...

Andrew: I was lucky enough to receive an artist endorsement from Allegra last October. I play a custom kit from their "Big Baby" series. All drums in this series have shallow depths. My current setup is a 22x10(!) kick, 12x7 rack and a 15x11 floor tom. They are currently building me a custom 14x7 snare drum which I am way too excited to get my hands on. My current snare assortment is a limited edtion 14x6.5 DW Neil Peart Time Machinest (only 40 ever made!) which I played for a while until I tracked down a 1970 14x5 Ludwig Acrolite that I absolutely LOVE! As for cymbals - they are a combination of Zildjian and Istanbul hi hats. I am currently on a kick to seek out new sounds. My current cymbals are over 10 years old from when I was a teenager and didn't know any better.
Hardware - I use nothing but DW 9000 series cymbal stands and pedals. They are super stout and I don't have worry anything moving. Also, the memory locks are clutch for setting up quickly with having to do all sorts of little adjustments to get them just right.

HITS: Take us behind the scenes- how often do you rehearse and what does a typical Colorworks band practise look like?

Colorworks: We typically practice three times a week with a good amount of this and that between. We actually play DI-ed through headphones, completely out of necessity due to a sweet, but crotchety old neighbor, and we swear by it. Not only are we not killing our ears, we can hear the big picture so much better and give special focus to the harmonies - which have always been a work in progress. Andrew plays a Ludwig Questlove kit in practice that has mesh heads and Zildjian L80 (low volume) cymbals that is something like 20% of the volume of a standard kit. It allows him to play as he normally would, without disturbing the fragile peace we live in.

I think we're very methodical with how we practice. Every new song is charted by David in concert tuning for reference, which is always an interesting exercise in transposition because we both play our guitars tuned a whole step down and often use capos. We use a metronome in practice when we're refining a song, and will often do something like play the song at half speed and bring it up by 5 BPMs each successive repetition - a technique we learned from Steve Smith of the Seattle Drum School. We also loop particularly tricky transitions to a click until they're tattooed onto our collective soul.

We make home demos of every new song, using midi drums and keys and scratch guitars. It helps to understand the picture and is useful canvas for working the devil in the details. David and I will sometimes get together in the evening with a bottle or two of wine and try out all kinds of guitar voicings until our guitars are really talking to each other; and then record the results. His jazz background gives him this encyclopedic mind of inversions and it's amusing to try out all the possible combinations; sometimes to cacklight delight when he finds a particularly nasty sounding chord :p



HITS: Social Media is a very big part of the music industry nowadays. How important is it for you as a band?

Colorworks: Incredibly important. It's our collective public face and we enjoy giving it a personal flavor. We love to see the behind the scenes of our favorite artists, the personal moments or the gear in the studio - and we like to offer that to fans of the band. Nick is the graphic and social media expert. He and Andrew often plan out when to announce things like shows or new videos, what pictures to put up and everything you see us doing. Again, all of this is fairly methodical as well, I guess we take it pretty seriously haha. Nick actually drew by hand the cover of our latest EP "Dreams of Mangoes" and designed the graphic layout of the album. I think that kind of personal investment in the presentation of the band gives us a unique avenue to express ourselves exactly as we'd like.

HITS: Do you ever document gigs, recording sessions, etc in order to remember everything band related?
If so, any funny stories you can share with us?

Colorworks: We do take videos of our gigs and like to capture the spontaneity of the studio. When we recorded "Pears and Mangoes" last year, we were at Robert Lang Studios for the day. Andrew helps out at the studio from time to time and his task for the morning was to clean an AC unin in the control room with four cans of this spray clearner. Right there on the can it said "Only use in well-ventilated area" and "know to cause cancer". This closet where the AC unit was kept was anything but well-ventilated. After he sprayed all four cans, we turned on as many fans as we could, waited for a half hour and tried to record a take. The spray had this fake lemon scent and within five minutes everyone in the studio started to get light headed and loopy on this musky lemon scent and had to step outside for air. We ended up sitting around for four hours while the studio aired out. I can't remember if we ended up using the takes we got that day, but that officially became the "Lemon Session" for "Pears and Mangoes". I still can smell the lemons when I listen to that song now haha.

HITS: house in the sand all about sharing great music with the world. Who are you listening to at the moment?

Colorworks: Oh man, we're all eagerly awaiting the new Temples record. Temples, Tame Impala and Father John Misty are our top three contemporary artists. I guess you can throw Radiohead in there too, their new record is beautiful, though I still think of them as a "90's" band.
Tangerine is probably our favourite local band. And we're big fans of Biddadat and our good friends dreamcatchr.
And just like our gear, we love our old records. I've been listening to a lot of the Left Banke, Love and Blur recently and I know Nick has been listening to a lot of Donovan and Diane Coffee.
We're incredibly taken with David Bowie's "Blackstar", it's so dark! May he rest in peace.
I know David has been listening to a lot of BLackstar and the Kinks recently, especially the mid-late 60's period with Autumn Almanac and the records "Something Else", "Face to Face" and the early 70's period with Apeman and Lola. I came home the other day and Andrew was blasting Abbey Road, we're all big fans of Ringo and Hugh Grundy's drumming. I think the artists we consistently listen to the most are the Zombies, the Kinks, the Beatles, XTC, Burt Bacharach, the Beach Boys and David Bowie, with big helping of Judee Sill, Motown, John Coltrane, Aimee Mann, Brazialian Bossa Nova and Bob Dylan. Too many to list really, but this is a pretty good snapshot of the moment.

HITS: Thank you guys for this lovely interview!

Colorworks: Thank you for the interest in what we're doing, and thank you for being a great blog and source for new music :)
We are very antsy to make it over to Germany and the UK to play!




Colorworks online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Instagram





Thank you for your visit!

Credits // Text & Questions: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image & Answers: Colorworks

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Interview: Aaron Krause

 

Hey guys!

Every day when I sit at my desk and start writing these posts, I always feel very lucky.

It's an incredible honour to have acts, managements, PR agencies and labels get in touch with me and ask me to work with them.

It's such a great feeling to know that I can introduce brilliant acts to you in ways I want to introduce them to you.
It's wonderful to be in control of things you do and to share things exactly how you want them to be shared.

Today's post is another great example, I have a lovely interview for you and I hope you enjoy!


Aaron Krause is a musician based in Nashville, USA.
His music showcases his wide vocal range and blends electronic and synth-pop in a clever way.

Aaron's self-produced debut album "Holding On To Love" came out in 2014. It was recorded in his home studio and draws in the elements of struggle, transcedence and beauty.

With the skills of producing music, he's also worked with many acts from Nashville, Liza Anne is one of them.


Find out more about Aaron in the interview. We chatted about getting into music, movie soundtracks, beats, Nashville and a lot more!

house in the sand: To get this interview started; can you tell us a bit about how you got into making music? Was there some kind of key moment when you realised you wanted to do this for a living?

Aaron Krause: I grew up in a church that really celebrates music and got tons of opportunities to play there. But even beyond playing in church, there were so many records that really influenced and inspired me. I've always wanted to make music that does that for other people.

HITS: You've been working with a lot of other artists from Nashville. Would you say working with others also helps you with your own material?

Aaron: So much! I'm always cowriting and collaborating. I learn so much about myself as an artist getting to explore everyone else's artistry.

HITS: A lot of your songs convince with big insturmentations, who are your musical influences?

Aaron: Haha, yeah I LOVE big. Sigur Ros, and M83 have both been tremendous influencers to me and I'm so captivated by how massive they can be. I love the feeling of something being so big you feel like you're going to explode with the music.

HITS: If your music was to be a part of a soundtrack for a movie - which one would you want it to be?

Aaron: Amazing question! Doing a movie soundtrack is on my bucket list! Interstellar was so beautiful, I think I would have messed it up. Maybe The Great Gatsby.

HITS: How would you describe your live shows?

Aaron: It's actually changing a little bit. I used to try to get really big with a band behind me and have these epic shows. That's not going away by any stretch but as my tour dates have increased (and influences broadened), I've started doing a two person set up with loops and 808 beats. More of a vibe, emotional thing. A little more intimate but still having enough going on that it doesn't feel like some half asses acoustic show. No offense to acoustic artists (I love Sufjan Stevens), that's just not my vibe. My worst fear is people walking away from the show and thinking "eh". I want to surprise people every time.

HITS: What's your favourite thing to see in the crowd?

Aaron: Singing. Always. Although my band mate Stevie and I will always judge which song was the most successful in a setlist by how many people started videoing it.

HITS: What can we expect from you in the future?

Aaron: Way more shows. And eventually another full length record. And better beats.

HITS: Please complete the following sentence: I am Aaron Krause and I ...

Aaron: (fingers crossed) ... am just getting started.

HITS: Is there anything else you would like the house in the sand readers to know?

Aaron: I'm so honored to be featured on here. Thanks for wanting to hear my story. Getting to share songs and art with y'all is so humbling.

HITS: Thanks so much for taking time to answer those questions, hope you had a good time!

Aaron: Thank you!!

Aaron Krause online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube

Thank you for reading!

Credits // Text & Questions: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: Steven Alan (Aaron Krause press kit) | Answers: Aaron Krause

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Interview: Rachel Sermanni

 

Hey guys! 

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the internet. I am incredibly fascinated by the fact that it allows you to connect with people from all over the world.

It made me meet people I would've never met otherwise and that's just really absolutely fantastic.

The internet and technology also allows us to speak to people who we can't hang out with in person, via Skype for example.

And just earlier this week I video chatted with the absolutely lovely Rachel Sermanni.

Rachel Sermanni is a musician from the Highlands of Scotland.

Influenced by Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Tom Waits and traditional music, Rachel creates an unique folk sound.

The young singer/songwriter has been touring through the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, Iceland and Europe, either on her own or whilst supporting acts such as Mumford and Sons, Ron Sexsmith and Elvis Costello.

Her first album "Under Mountains" came out in 2012 and has drawn many music lovers across the world to her sound.

Just last month the talented musician released her second album called "Tied To The Moon".

In the interview we spoke about the album, travel preferences, record players and cats.

house in the sand: So Rachel, I've checked out your social media channels and you've been to Canada just a little while ago. Can you tell us what it was like to be there?

Rachel Sermanni: Well, it was beautiful. It was warm, very warm.

 I had gigs from the very start all the way through. I played two festivals and then toured between those festivals, so I started with one and then went all the way through and I was only in the East of Canada so I went from Nova Scotia over to as far as Toronto and it was lovely, but also intense because we were driving the whole way and it was very warm. 

But it was fun and it's always successful in Canada and it just feels nice to be there. 

HITS: So you've just mentioned it all involves a lot of traveling. Do you have a preference on how to travel? Using the train? Plane? Car?

Rachel: I love going by train. Although I'm starting to get into busses a lot, they're a lot cheaper. For example in Germany! Isn't that where you live?

HITS: Yes, exactly. 

Rachel: In Germany there are some really good bus systems, like there's wifi on the busses and they're much cheaper than the trains. So when I was in Germany, I toured a lot by bus.

I really like trains though, I think that's my favourite way of traveling. Especially when I'm going back to the Highlands. I'm in London just now and I'm off to Scotland soon. I'll be sleeping on a bus I think but usually my favourite is to ride the train all the way North because it's so beautiful. Flying is fun but I think it takes more attitude, you lose yourself a little bit more.

HITS: Speaking about Scotland, that's where you grew up. I've never been there but I imagine it's very idyllic and beautiful there. But you also get to travel to a lot of busy places and big cities. Is there any place where you feel more at home?

Rachel: Good question! I more and more feel a little torn as to what I call home.
I don't know where to go, I have a lovely home in Scotland with my family in the Highlands but it is getting to that stage where I think it would be nice to call another place home just to have an actual space rather than just a bedroom.
But I don't know where that is yet. Whenever I go to Canada, I feel a very strong urge to be there for a long time. 

HITS: That's amazing! Your new album is called "Tied To The Moon". Would you say there are a lot of differences between your old and new material?

Rachel: Yeah, I think there's more rhythm in the new songs, it's a little bit noisier. To listen to the new songs are noisier, they're more rhythmic and almost more conventional.
I've kept it quite simple in a way in terms of the chords. A lot of them are quite minimal and I never would've played those chords on my first album which was when I didn't want to have anything to do with what I thought was too popular. So yeah, it's different but at the same time the feelings in the songs are quite the same, they're just thoughts that I'm exploring and obsessing over. And that's always the feeling of writing a song. 

HITS: You once said that a lot of your songs are influenced by your dreams. Does that still happen? And if so, what does the writing process look like - do you just wake up and write a song?

Rachel: Erm, no, actually in the new album I'm taking less from my dreams.
But in the first album I really drew images from my dreams so a lot of the songs are images I'm speaking of, are actually dreamscapes that were in my head.
 But in this new album I think I'm playing with symbolism which is what a dream can be, symbolic. But less dreams and more looking at reality and then maybe turning it into my own dream, just through the symbolism. I think it's important for me to pay attention to my dreams.

HITS: That's just so fascinating. What I find really amazing about your new record is that it's available on vinyl as well. Do you also listen to records yourself?

Rachel: I didn't listen to records until maybe last year.
Because I tour a lot, I don't get to listen to  records very often but when I'm home I have a very, very old record player that I found in a bar on a farm and I bought lots of records in charity shops and I'm actually going record shopping today. I don't have too many records but the vinyls that I do have I love to listen to, especially the classics. 

HITS: So when we're speaking about different music - do you have any tips of acts everyone should listen to?

Rachel: Yes! Right now I'm listening to The Barr Brothers, they're a very good band. They have an album called "Sleeping Operator".
 I supported a band last night called The Punch Brothers, they're also very good and have no connection with the name, haha!
And Sufjan Stevens' new album I'm really enjoying, it's called "Carrie & Lowell" and it's beautiful.

--- Editor's note: At this point my cat named Melody decided to take her name way too serious and started meowing like mad. I have the door of the room I'm in closed when I do interviews and little miss Melody wasn't a fan of that. This isn't an informing part of the interview, but it was a lovely little bit of it, therefore I'm leaving it in the edit for you to have a little giggle. ---

HITS: By the way, if you hear a cat screaming, that's mine.

Rachel: Oh!!! Is it?

HITS: Yeah, that's mine. And she's not being hurt, she just wants to come into the room. 

Rachel: It's too loud where I am, so I can't really hear it.

HITS: That's good! It's really annoying!

Rachel: My cat's exactly the same, she's just hungry all the time. 

HITS: Oh yeah, we know all about that!

Rachel: I love cats but they're hungry all the time. They only think about themselves. And food.

HITS: Exactly! Alright, let's get back to the music. Nowadays social media plays a massive part in the music industry. Are you a fan of it or do you get annoyed with the whole internet thing sometimes?

Rachel: I think I do get annoyed with the whole internet thing every now and then.
My trouble is not the internet itself but my addiction to it. I like to stay away from it as much as possible.
 I know it's very important to be on the social media, and it's very enjoyable because it's where people show a lot of support and I am very grateful for that. And I share lots of interesting things with people on the internet, I love that.
But my preference is that I don't carry an iPhone with me so that I don't have to look at the internet whilst I'm out and about. I just look at it when I'm on my laptop. 

HITS: That's really clever and really good!

Rachel: It feels nice! 

HITS: Alright, for the final question: what are you up to next?

Rachel: Well, I'm going to Scotland. I've been touring all of July. I got back and it was very, very busy this past weekend.
I've not had very much sleep - so, first up: sleep! In the Highlands of Scotland.
And then I'm going to do a bunch of promo in August, just doing some interviews, going to Amsterdam and doing some radio shows and interviews there. And then I will go on tour in Holland first, then Germany. And then I think I'm going to Italy in November.
Busy Autumn!

HITS: Wow! Well, all the best for that and thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us.

Rachel: Thank you so much, it was a pleasure! Hope to see you again!

Rachel Sermanni online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube

Screenshot from the lovely interview. Big smiles! Thanks Rachel!

Thank you for reading!

Credits // Text & Questions: Vanessa Jertschewske | Anwers: Rachel Sermanni | Image: Rachel Sermanni Facebook (Mike Guest Photography)  

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Interview: The Vaccines

 

 Hey guys!

With the blog growing every day a little more, the variety of acts I get to work with grows as well.

It was during my two weeks of time off when I got an email from Sony Music Germany asking if I was interested in interviewing The Vaccines.

And well, I was interested. So one morning I sat down and got a call from the band's bassist.

The Vaccines are a four piece band from London, England.

Their sound varies but could be classified as indie pop with bits of alternative rock.

The band formed in 2010 and has been making music ever since and quickly got the attention of many music lovers.

The Vaccines are:

Justin Young (lead vocals, guitar)

Freddie Cowan (guitar)

Árni Árnason (bass)

Pete Robertson (drums)

Albums:

- "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines" (2011)

- "Come Of Age" (2012)

- "English Graffiti" (2015)

Learn more about the band now, as bassist Arni chats us through the recording process of their latest album, his perfect festival bill, making hiphop beats and a love for Taylor Swift.

house in the sand: Hi Arni, it's Vanessa from the music blog house in the sand.

Arni (The Vaccines): Hey, how are you doing?

house in the sand: I'm great, thanks! How are you?

Arni: I'm good, thank you.

HITS: Is it okay for you if we just dive into the interview?

Arni: Yes, of course!

HITS: So you are about to release your new album. Can you tell us a bit about the recording process? How long did it take you to write and record?

Arni: We started writing pretty late 2013, early 2014, but we wrote a lot of stuff that didn't end up on the album. We kind of allowed ourselves to get into it, we went to little houses in the countryside of the UK and sat down and just played music for days and days. And a lot of that process got us to where we ended.

But when we started recording in June 2014 and I think during that session we realised what sound we're after and what we need to do to make this happen. And a lot of music that we wrote for the album actually came out of that session. So in terms of writing actual material it was June until December 2014.

But the process before that was equally important and allowed us to get rid off a lot of shackles we had.

HITS: Yeah, I think sometimes it's good to get things out first, to then concentrate on new things.

Would you also say there are a lot of differences between your new and old material? 

Arni: Yeah, absolutely! I think our new single "Handsome" is quite misleading because it does sound like a classic The Vaccines track but equally I think it gives away a lot of the new production techniques.. With the first album we had a different production, we allowed ourselves to use the studio just like a vehicle. 

 We've always been a quite direct band in terms of writing pop songs and I think that's still the case but the way we arrange them with the sounds we're making now is something we haven't done before.

HITS: I've heard a lot of bands saying trying out new stuff is a bit like leaving your comfort zone. Do you agree with that statement? 

Arni: Yeah, maybe not. I don't know. I think comfort is the worst enemy of creativity. I don't think anyone should have or be in a comfort zone and I don't think we've ever done that.
I really don't think we've ever done that.
Even though with the first and the second record, they both sound like they're from the same band but we've done them completely differently. And with that we're comfortable.

HITS: For you as a bassist, do you remember a key moment where you just felt like "yeah, I really want to do this?", the moment you got into music maybe?

Arni: Oh yeah, absolutely! When I was really young I was the only person who knew how to use a software where you can get beats on. And I used to make beats for the local rappers when I was a teenager.
At some point they had a bass in the shops and I bought that for 50 quid or something and a week later I was on stage playing Nirvana covers and instantly stopped making hiphop beats because playing the bass was what I wanted to do and it was the most fun I've ever had.

HITS: That's really cool and it also shows that you are into a lot of different genres.

Arni: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely! I think the four of us are all massive music fans.

HITS: Would you say there are any musicians you've learned from just by analyzing their way of playing? 

Arni: Yes, absolutely. Not necessarly in terms of playing but I think I've learned from the person, like the people you run into. We've been very lucky to share stages with lots of people that are incredibly inspiring.
So yeah, I think I've learned a very good leason from a lot of those people but none of them ever told me anything. It just happened by looking at it and witnessing what's going on.

HITS: Speaking about bigger acts, it also means you've been on a lot of big stages. You're playing quite a few festivals this year. Is there a song of the new record you look forward to playing live the most?

Arni: Yeah, we're playing a lot of new stuff lately and it's stuff that people haven't heard before and it's been going down very well. I think we're quite excited about playing lots of new stuff.
There's a song called "Dream Lover" which I think is the biggest thing of a very ambitious record we've recorded. And I'm looking forward to seeing how it's going to go down at festivals.

HITS: I guess festivals are also really exciting because some of the people at festivals might not be there to see you. What do you prefer - big festivals like that or intimate venues where people come to just see you?

Arni: It's a very different experience each time. When it's a venue where people come to see you it sort of feels like a celebration because everybody's there for the same reason.
And you are right saying that at festivals you're not necessarly playing for people who want to see you, they might not even know you. And that comes with a challenge and I think we've always really enjoyed convincing people and so far it's always been a lot of fun.

Both are really different things so it's difficult to compare them, so I don't think I can choose really.

But I love both, we've just finished our UK tour last week and it was amazing, but now we're really looking forward to the festivals.

HITS: If you were to put together a festival lineup - who would be on the bill?

Arni: Ermmmm, wow, okay! This is actually an interesting question because over the last four years I've probably been to 120 festivals. And I thought last Summer I had given up and didn't like festivals anymore. And then a friend of mine said "oh come with me, I'm going to this festival called 'End Of The Road'" and I went with him and I had the best weekend of my life. I was really surprised. 

That lineup was pretty much the best.

So for my festival, let's say The Flaming Lips because they're just the best live band in the world. The Gene Clark No Other Band experience, it's basically Gene Clark with lots of musicians playing, it was incredible. White Demin was amazing, so I would have them. tUnE-yArDs are fantastic. I would have a new band called Horror. And a band 999 who are a crazy LA punk hiphop band. 

And I think that's my favourite band bill.

HITS: Sounds amazing! Do you have a guilty pleasure song which is maybe a bit embarrassing?

Arni: I don't really find my music taste particularly embarrassing, I listen to everything. I love Taylor Swift but I'm not embarrassed. I'm really not embarrassed, haha.

HITS: There's no need to be, I just meant those songs where people might give you weird looks when you start jamming to them.

Arni: Yeahhhh, that's true. I'm just going through my playlists to find something.

HITS: It's cool, it's perfectly fine.
To finish this off, which is the first song you'd like someone to hear, who's not familiar with your sound? What do you think - which is the song that really sums up what your band sounds like?

Arni: Currently I'd say "Dream Lover".

HITS: Alright, lovely. That's a great way to end this interview, so thank you so much for taking the time to speak to house in the sand.

Arni: It's my pleasure, thank you!

 

Many thanks to Arni for answering the questions and the lovely people at Sony for organising the interview.

The Vaccines online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Thank you for reading!

Credits // Text & questions: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: The Vaccines Facebook | Answers: Arni from The Vaccines

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