2011 Artist Survey: RACES

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Feb 02, 2012 By Under the Radar Staff

For Under the Radar's 9th annual Artist Survey we emailed some of our favorite artists a few questions relating to 2011. Pick up a copy of Under the Radar's Best of 2011 Issue for Artist Survey responses from !!!, Acid House Kings, The Antlers, Art Brut, Beirut, Blonde Redhead, Camera Obscura, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Dears, Rose Elinor Dougall, The Drums, The Duke Spirit, Elbow, EMA, The Horrors, I Break Horses, Islands, Little Dragon, My Brightest Diamond, Nada Surf, Marissa Nadler, of Montreal, Okkervil River, Peter Bjorn and John, The Rapture, The Rosebuds, SBTRKT, S.C.U.M, and Vivian Girls.

There are even more survey responses in the digital version of the issue and we are also posting more surveys on our website. Here's a survey from RACES.

Wade Ryff, Garth Herberg, Devon Lee, Breanna Wood, Oliver Hild, and Lucas Ventura

RACES

Top 10 Albums of 2011

Wade Ryff:

1. Future Islands: On the Water-I think I'm late on the train in terms of getting into this band, but they are definitely my favorite band discovery of 2011. I can't stop listening to this album.

2. Cass McCombs: Humor Risk-I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure he's the only artist this year that put out two albums, and they are both incredible. He's one of my all-time favorite lyricists. I saw him perform early in the year, and "To Every Man His Chimera" and "Meet Me at the Mannequin Gallery" were both in the set. I was so upset when I couldn't find recordings of those songs anywhere. They have been haunting me for the past 8 months. Finally the album is out and I can rest with ease.

3. Cass McCombs: Wit's End-I probably listened to "County Line" more than any other song this year.

4. The Shivers: More-The Shivers are dear friends of ours and I feel privileged in having been able to record and tour with them on occasion as their bassist. Some of my favorite moments I have ever had on stage have been with The Shivers. Jo [Schornikow], the keyboardist, also plays with us when she is around. Keith Zarriello is one of my all-time favorite songwriters. He has written two of my favorite songs ("Beauty" and "L.I.E."-both of which are on their first album, Charades). I believe Keith is one of the greatest performers and songwriters of our time. Although this is not my favorite Shivers record (every one is great for different reasons), his vocal take on the last song, "More," is probably my favorite vocal performance of 2011. And each time I perform alone, I cover "Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars."

5. Other Lives: Tamer Animals

6. Little Dragon: Ritual Union

7. Alexander: Alexander

8. 1,2,3: New Heaven-"Work" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard this year. Whenever I hear that song, I end up singing the chorus for weeks.

9. WATERS: Out in the Light

10. PAPA: A Good Woman is Hard to Find

What was the highlight of 2011 for you and/or your band?

Wade: Finishing our album and getting signed with Frenchkiss Records.

What was the low point of 2011 for you?

Wade: Losing my grandmother.

What are your hopes and plans for 2012?

Wade: Find happiness, preferably in the form of a large sum of money or a beautiful woman or both.

What are your thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street protests? Do you stand with them? Are they accomplishing anything?

Lucas Ventura: OWS is socially and politically one of the most important things happening right now. The key is solidarity, i.e. numbers. Don't believe the mass media, because they represent and essentially are part of that 1% that OWS is standing up against. All economic "bubbles" and their successive collapses are planned by the wealthy and powerful. The American government has sadly become a false-front democracy that is heavily manipulated by corporate interests. No HOPE slogan or even the most idealistic government leader could ever hope to end corruption on their own, because they are subject to the rules of the system. Only an empowered people determined to change their country's government can truly make change for the people. That's what democracy is all about, and that's essentially what OWS represents, in my humble opinion.

Several stages collapsed in 2011. Are you worried about festival safety? What else can be done to make stages and festivals safer?

Breanna Wood: I am worried. I'm worried that if I worry too much then I won't leave the house. Then I'd never even make it to any festivals. So the solution is not to worry. Also, ground-level playing. That way we can just project a hologram of our set above the audience. I mean, we don't really have to take it that far. As long as we have the hologram as back-up in case the stage does collapse. "Help us, Austin, Texas. You're our only hope."

Has it become less financially viable to survive as an independent band this year?

Wade: I don't think so.

Which album would you like to see a band play in its entirety?

Wade: Michael Jackson performing Thriller.

Garth Herberg: So hard to say. When an album is truly great I feel that it is almost untouchable, as if its reproduction could only go downhill since it can never truly reproduce. I think of favorite records from James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Zappa, Dylan, Radiohead, or Harry Nilsson, and more and more. In each case I'd rather hear the real deal. I guess that today I don't believe in cover bands.

Which song do you wish was being played in the delivery room while you were being born?

Breanna: Anything but the real song that was being played, which sounded something like elevator music. I remember this because every time I'm claustrophobic somewhere and it's really humid and hot, I have flashbacks of that day. The day I wished for silence...all right, I would have loved to hear some Beck. I'd say Elliott Smith, but that would have probably messed me up pretty bad.

What's been the best day of your life so far and what's been the worst?

Breanna: The best day of my life so far has been the day I joined this fucking band. I swear to God the second I walked into that dark, ominous room I got a cosmic hard-on for every single one of those beautiful people. Devon's long, flowy hair that always seemed to be blowing in some unseen wind. Garth's stoic stature-standing in the shadows like a mythical creature before the eyes of Zeus. The pheromone-soaked aura gyrating from Lucas' loins. I think at some point in the night they screamed their desire to be un-imprisoned from the cotton cages that held them so captive. Or Wade's way of altering reality with his unabashed lyrical anecdotes. A DEER! He runneth across the room in an ethereal haze and through the next wall. Oliver, with his locks of golden fire, hugging his head as if they knew what treasure lie beneath. Might they have witnessed the raw power of that machine? Capable of imploding black holes in on themselves. Barrie Rose, a member who will be missed dearly. Her body sent to the moon on a cloud of sheer euphoria.

Worst day ever: In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter?

Who has better taste in music, your mom or your dad?

Wade: My father is a huge music lover and a great piano player. He lives and breathes music. He is definitely responsible for my obsession with music. My dad is known for always asking people "What did you listen to today?" or betting on whether or not you can guess the track on the radio. When I was four or five I remember my dad would keep drum sticks in the car, and me and my older sister would fight over who got to sit in the front seat because if you got shotgun, then you got to drum on the dashboard. Our favorite track to play along to was Phil Collins's "Another Day in Paradise." I have very vivid memories of sharing music with my dad, whether it was jumping on the bed together to our favorite songs, or trying to pick out Beatles harmonies in the car, or playing music together in the garage till three in morning. His musical tastes cover such a wide spectrum. He's huge on jazz, but also is a big Dylan fan, along with all the other classics. My mom has amazing taste too, although she is more subtle in her appreciation of it. From what I understand, she was more of the concert-goer than my dad was. She got to see The Beatles, The Band, Leon Russell, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, The Temptations, CSN, The Stones...the list goes on. They both have incredible taste and I feel blessed to have two parents that share a passion for music with me.

Devon Lee: I can't determine if my mom or dad has the BETTER taste, but I definitely know that I grew up listening to what my dad listened to. It came natural to gravitate towards the harmonies of The Beatles or the awesomeness of Led Zeppelin as opposed to the smooth sounds of Anita Baker. But doesn't mean one is better than the other; I just preferred it.

What's the smartest decision you've ever made in your life?

Breanna: I think the smartest decision I've made is to be a girl. You know how when you are a baby in your mom's tummy? Well, you know how when you're in there, there's this little guy that lets you decide what you're going to be? Well, I chose to be a girl. I also think the smartest decisions I make aren't really tangible. Just mental decisions about attitude, self-worth, yada yada. One day I am going to make a HUGE decision. I don't know what it is yet, but it's going to be HUGE.

What would be the title of your autobiography?

Garth: The Music is the Massage.

Devon: One Pill at a Time.

Which two artists, not including yourself, would you like to see collaborate with each other?

Wade: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Damon Albarn.

Which band, besides your own, has the best name?

Oliver Hild: Goblin Cock.

If you could guest star on any TV show, which one would it be and why?

Wade: Mad Men. Joan Holloway and Betty Draper.

Breanna: I'd probably guest star on True Blood as a sex slave to both Eric Northman and Alcide Herveaux. I don't think they can stand the scent of each other since one is a vampire and the other a werewolf, so obviously that would never work out. I'd SO impregnate the shit out of both of them. I have it all planned out.

Where would you most like to get a postcard from and who would you like to send it (it can be from anywhere and anyone in your imagination)?

Oliver: From the three-year-old me. China.

Breanna: It would be pretty cool to be able to write back and forth with my grandfather from the past, whom I had never gotten to know. He died when I was young. I'd like to tell him how his wife is still running around laughing like a hyena and hitting us with her shoe.

If you heard that the world was ending who would be the first person you'd call?

Wade: My drug dealer.

Which fellow indie musician do you have a crush on?

Devon: I have a huge crush on Yukimi Nagano, lead singer of Little Dragon. Her voice! You would never expect that to come out of a little half-Japanese chick.

What's the biggest lie you've ever told?

Oliver: That I was in fact the guitar player from Incubus when someone on Sunset Boulevard was convinced that I was. I signed their CD. I made their day.

If you could interview any living musician, who would it be?

Garth: I would have a long conversation with Hermeto Pascoal. I hope that he will communicate through beard, pig, and piano.

What are your thoughts on how the 2012 U.S. presidential election is shaping up thus far?

Luke: It's all bullshit and doesn't matter unless we end corporate lobbying.

What have you stopped worrying about this year, something that used to trouble you?

Wade: This one mole that used to be on my back until the doctor sliced it off.

Garth: Money. But not because I have any.

Which song would you like to hear on your deathbed?

Wade: Mahler's Symphony No. 5.

Devon: Alice in Chains: "Don't Follow," for purely nostalgic reasons.

Do you have any other thoughts about the current state of the world or the state of the music industry?

Luke: Those are two independently large questions! There are many revolutions that have been reflecting one another in many places recently. Revolutions have been happening in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. Look at what's happening in Spain and Greece. It changes one's perspective on social and political issues in your own country when you consider what is happening in countries that are connected or affected by us (or vice versa) in some way. The music industry is full of hope and is also a mess. One thing I can say is that Arcade Fire winning a Grammy at the beginning of this year was very meaningful to me, and I think it represents how different things are now. Many, if not most, of the people who have heard Arcade Fire never saw a music video of theirs on TV (I don't even know if one has even aired on TV) or heard a song of theirs on the radio. I could make a long list of things that they do which don't follow the major label model of marketing music, and look how far they came. It makes me feel like we are ultimately capable of anything while still remaining genuine to our music.

(www.races.bandcamp.com)