Stereoboard Chats With Experimental New York Band, Yeasayer
Sunday, 05 September 2010
Written by Adam Simpson
Stereoboard catches a quick interview with Yeasayer’s Ira Wolf Tuton, while they set up for a gig. We look ahead to the set they have just played at Leeds Festival and also discuss life on the road, as the band head onto a massive tour with dates in the USA and UK.
The New York group, who released their second album, Odd Blood earlier this year, continue to achieve acclaim, producing their experimental indie pop sound and dazzling live audiences with their visual and musical brilliance.
Are you looking forward to Leeds Festival?
“It’s hard to say, Leeds was difficult the last time we played, the quick change over time makes it hard, but we are looking forward to playing with Vampire Weekend. Festivals are always difficult, we played Latitude, which was fun but that place needs better grounds.”
You are soon to be non stop touring, do you enjoy being on the road?
“I love touring, but it can also be gruelling. It’s what you join a band to do though, if you stay on tour too long, you lose perspective, you need to take time to create and we are looking to record once we get back home. It’s a balance of touring enough to maintain a career, but not touring too much that you stagnate.”
So do you feel that you have that balance?
“Right now we are fortunate that we don’t have to kill ourselves anymore, by touring all the time. We are never going to be a mega band, we will never be a Lady Gaga or a Kings Of Leon, but I want longevity and to be creative and you need time off to achieve that.”
Do you feel that there is a pressure put upon you by others, to tour more than you would like?
“The pressure to be on the road is always there, it’s how you make a living.”
You mentioned your desire to be creative; do you want to be a band that constantly evolves new styles, or to simply create new tracks based upon your current style?
“The goal is to challenge ourselves with new styles and forms, we continue to learn, which keeps it fun. I want to keep moving and maintain a joy, by finding new challenges.”
As well as musical creation, you are also a very visually creative band. Why do you put so much energy into the visuals when playing live?
“We want to make it more of an experience. We are not a band into shoe gazing, I like to embrace the spectacle's ideals and it is cool to overwhelm an audience visually as well as musically. We are the ones who work on the lighting technologies and on the visuals.”
You released your second studio album, Odd Blood this year. Have you been happy with the response the album has got?
“It is hard to say if it did well, we got a career out of it, so that is cool. I’m happy with it, we have got out there a lot and there’s a lot of people who have turned on to it and also some who haven’t. You can’t please everybody, but I try and please myself, my desires and my goals and hopefully fulfil the expectations of others.”
You must get an idea from your live audiences, how well received your music is. With that in mind, how have you found your live audiences have received what you have done?
“There is places that don’t like us and places that do, it will always be that way, but overall I think the audiences have really turned on to us and enjoyed our shows. Some places are just difficult to crack, France for example is very difficult, but I think that is an image thing.”
When you are writing music, what and ultimately who do you use for inspiration and influence?
“It could be anything. A movie, people around me. It doesn’t have to be a musical influence.”
How did it come about, that you worked on the Bat For Lashes album?
“We met her in Amsterdam and hung out. She sent us four or so tracks and we worked on them in the studio, looking at bass and percussion ideas for her. So we helped with the album and they used some of our ideas.”
Are there any bands that you are particularly into right now?
“There are lots, new ones cropping up all the time. I really like Javelin and Light Asylum right now.”
Yeasayer release their next single, Madder Red on September 13th, they have also confirmed the following headline dates for October.
19th October Cardiff Millennium Music Hall
20th October Manchester Academy
21st October London Roundhouse
22nd October Nottingham Trent University
23rd October Newcastle O2 Academy
24th October Glasgow O2 ABC
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You must get an idea from your live audiences, how well received your music is. With that in mind, how have you found your live audiences have received what you have done?
