ROTR Vs. WHITE DENIM
They record in a caravan but they ain’t trailer trash.
If we were dickheads, we’d go round telling people about how we were there when White Denim broke, man. You know, SXSW 2007, when a series of blistering home town shows earned the Austin threesome more than just a few high fives. Everyone’s been banging on about them ever since, and we don’t blame ‘em.
But how much do we really know about White Denim? They’re a power trio for a start. They’re male, that’s for certain. They don’t have two songs that sound the same – or even like they’re by the same band. They’ve been releasing different stuff in the Europe to back home. It’s all terribly confusing but the good thing for us is they have a new record, out this week in the UK, called Fits. It swings from deep bassy rumblings and chaotically multi-layered drum tracks to psychedelic jams, still staying faithful to the song-structure-is-for-losers way of doing things.
Even better news is that they’re touring all over the UK for the next two weeks, finished in London on July 8th. You can check out all the dates on their myspaz here.
In the meantime, have a gander below at what drummer Josh Block had to say for himself when we fired some buring questions his way.
ROTR: To what extent do you feel the band has been put through the UK music scene hype machine and how do you view the industry over here?
JB: We feel like we’ve been chewed up and spit out and that no one gets us or will get us, but we love that. We view the industry over there as a really clean, courteous, place that has no good Mexican food.
ROTR: Why do you think English fans have taken to you so well? Do you get a better reception here than at home?
JB: They love our American accent. We do not receive any reception in the trailer, unfortunately.
ROTR: Given that for the last 2 years you’ve seemed to be everyone’s new favourite new band – who do you think is good right now?
JB: I doubt that we are “everyone’s” favorite band because if that were so my girlfriend wouldn’t want to dump me. On a side note, I think that Black Sabbath’s new record is really dark and good.
ROTR: Choosing a band name can be a real minefield. What shit ideas did you bandy around before settling on White Denim?
JB: It was pretty much White Denim, White Dinner, Dwight Venom, and Totally Revolution.
ROTR: Coming from Austin, was it frustrating not being able to use the chat up line “I’m in a band”, because everyone is?
JB: Not frustrating at all because we still got mad honeys regardless. But really, I can’t think of a question besides “Who is in a band?” that would yeild the response “I’m in a band”.
ROTR: Was it embarrassing when you broke out at SXSW 2007 in your home town – did you get any stick from the scene there and was there a sense of competition?
JB: Yes, we’re just a bunch of frustrated, embarrassed, shy, confused individuals and when we read on a blog that we were the breakout band because of SXSW we considered moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, but then we ultimately decided to just leave the country for a few months. When we got back everyone was congratulatory.
ROTR: We’ve been to SXSW twice and were struck by how cool everyone is. But in Austin is it cooler to be uncool, because everyone is cool?
JB: You nailed it. There are an incredible amount of uncool people making very uncool music and it’s great. Their bands last 3-5 weeks, and it’s so neat to see the uncool unfold nonstop. After 3-5 weeks it becomes cool and then everything must stop.
ROTR: Every good power trio needs a trio of powers. What are your respective super powers?
JB: James can make nuclear fajitas, Josh can make dizzying daquiris, and Steve can run fast.
ROTR: Listening to your music it’s clear that you value the importance of production techniques in achieving your sound how does this translate in to your live performances?
JB: We approach the live setting and our recordings separately. We don’t wear our shirts in the studio and we sweat less.
ROTR: Let’s Talk About –what? What are your top three topics of conversation?
JB: Language, athleticism, human waste.
ROTR: We heard a rumour you like your food. How on earth do you stay so slender? Is rock and roll a real calorie burner?
JB: Indeed. Have you seen the amount (in ounces) of sweat that we leave on the stage? That and powerball.
ROTR: Have you ever considered getting tattoos of each other? If no, does that mean you’re not committed to the band?
JB: Never. We’ve only thought of getting tattoos of very patriotic ideas that each of us have come up with. That would display the ultimate commitment to one another.
ROTR: What should we expect from Fits? Given the success you’ve had with Workout Holiday, was the writing and recording process different for the new record?
JB: You can at least expect onr more song than Workout Holiday for a total of twelve. We already had Fits completed before we realized how much pressure we were going to have making a second record, from blogs like you and other publications. Really, Fits is our first record.
ROTR: Why is it called Fits?
JB: Because that’s what we were throwing nonstop while recording this record and while we were away touring.
ROTR: Is it true you once recorded in a caravan? What are the pros and cons of trailer life?
JB: We still do record in a caravan. We are in the caravan now. Pros: Mean roof bronzing action, colorful neighbors, we can go and scream outside and no one calls the cops. Cons: chiggers, deer poop, scorpions, hippies.
There you have it – straight from the trailer to the Riot. So what have we learned? They’re bronzed. They got mad honeys regardless. They like to talk shit.
See you at Heaven!
SBR X