Cymbal Eat Guitars :: The Empty Reviews Interview

 

Recently we had a chat with Brooklyn rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars. We don’t like people to pass through our city without knowing a little bit about them, so we felt it necessary to get to know this up-and-coming band before they invade Hi-Dive on April 1 (get your tickets now, by the way, this will be a tough get come show time). Here’s what frontman Joe D'Agostino had to say:

ER: What's the best breakfast you guys have had while on the road?

CEG: English breakfast is usually pretty satisfying.  Eggs over easy, toast, fried tomatoes, beans, coffee.

Empty Reviews: So you're going to be all over god's green Europe in a couple of weeks. How excited are you for that?

Cymbals Eat Guitars: We're actually finishing up our European tour right now, we're in London tonight opening up for We Are Scientists at the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, and we have our last headlining show tomorrow night, also at Hoxton.  Perhaps you're referring to the US tour we have coming up with Bear in Heaven and Freelance Whales?*

ER: Put together your dream lineup. Who would you love to open for/have open for you?

CEG: I would like to formally open for Wilco, rather than sharing a festival bill with them (which was AMAZING!!)... also, Broken Social Scene, the reunited Pavement, ummmmm... many bands, I love too many bands.

ER: You played Monolith last year at what I think was the height of the downpour. You were lucky enough to be playing inside, but it was frenzied from what I heard. Did you get a chance to "be a fan" at the festival at all or was it too crazy?

CEG: Monolith was a blur, and we had to leave Colorado after we finished playing to head to Salt Lake City or somesuch.  We got to see part of our tour mates' set (the Pains), but that's really it... that's how it goes most of the time though.  The only festival I really got to experience as a fan was Pitchfork in July.  Red Rocks was magnificent though, that's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

ER: There's gotta be some gambling that goes on when you're on the road. Can you give Gilbert Arenas some pointers on how to settle the unpaid debts of teammates, or band mates in your case?

CEG: We don't really gamble, and we don't know who that is, sorry.**

ER: Does your bus/van have a name?

CEG: We don't own a bus or van, we always rent, so we don't have any attachment to our vehicles, at least not to the extent that we would name one.  The Yellow Renault Master we had on our Euro tour in November was usually referred to as "You piece of shit", or "you fucking piece of fucking shit, god damn it".

ER: Fill in the blanks: Cymbals Eat Guitars... Our music is like ________ meets ________.

CEG: Lazy comparisons are the blight of music journalism, but Wilco meets Pavement meets Cap N' Jazz meets early Modest Mouse meets the Wrens meets everything I've ever listened to and loved.  I don't think our sound or anyone else's can be reduced to two component parts.***

ER: I might start a war here but I don't care because I live in Denver. What's the best borough to play?

CEG: Brooklyn, hands down.

ER: I noticed you guys are pretty active on the Facebook. iPhones?

CEG: Well, Matt Miller is the only member of the band who has an iPhone but he never ever twitters or facebooks for the band.  Cafes with wifi are our window to the world.

ER: You are being photographed for the cover of a major magazine. You are given three costume options: Pirate, Spaceman, Nude. What do you choose?

CEG: Spacemen, no doubt.  J. Spaceman and Sonic Boom always looked killer in spacemen outfits, and Matt and I like to get mystical so it'd be appropriate I suppose.

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* – Indeed we would have, but at the time we sent out the questions the band had yet to leave the United States. Such are the pitfalls of getting answers to questions that are a month old.

** – Our bad on this one. Somewhere we thought we read that CEG was into basketball… Guess not.

*** – We agree! Which is why we were hoping for something a little more creative… like “a tiger meets a bottle of hot sauce” or something…

Album Review :: The Knew / Pulpería

What did we say before? Here it is:

Out-of-towners were treated to a great performance by one of Denver’s most likeable rock bands, who I suspect are not far from having one of their songs show up in a Nissan ad or a Jennifer Garner movie. You laugh, but The Knew will be laughing all the way to the bank, sucka.

In re-reading that, it almost sounds like a knock against one of Denver’s finest rock bands, however the mainstream appeal of The Knew cannot be ignored and should not be dismissed. Pulpería is the next step for these local boys before breaking out of the respectable size of Denver’s local market and moving on to bigger, louder things.

The 11 song album feels like a set ripped straight from a show at The Skylark. It’s full of crowd-pleasing, clap-your-hands style tunes like “Picnic” and several that are just begging for a live performance (“United” and “National Icon”). It’s difficult for bands like The Knew who have made their mark playing small rocks clubs to translate the same sound and energy to studio work, and while they haven’t fully accomplished it here, it’s clear they’re making strides towards being a band that can play both arenas with great success. At their core they are a straight up rock band, but there are enough touches of country twang and the unpolished indie sound in Pulpería to make it stand out from similar albums. From my homer point-of-view, these characteristics give the album a “Denver sound,” which is something they should be proud of.

My guess is that the crowd at their album release will be large and diverse. It will be proof that the city is behind this foursome as its next big thing. Whether you’d be hearing them for the first time, want to support an album you’ve been itching to get your hands on, or want to hobnob with some of Denver’s finest members of local music scene, The Bluebird Theater will be the place to be on March 6th when The Knew officially unveil their latest, greatest offering.

02.13.10 :: Editors @ The Ogden Theater

Opening Act--------------------

I missed seeing The Antlers the last time they were in town, but I didn’t realize just how much I missed until walking in to the Ogden on Saturday night. It had been a long arduous week and the saké in my belly had made its way to my head. Whatever was going on in my complicated little mind, much of it came to fruition that night, and The Antlers played a part in drawing it out of me. It was a night of epic sad-bastard music and it definitely struck a chord. As I’m sure you’ll recall, we were not alone in listing Hospice as one of our favorite albums from 2009. They used the entire set to sample the album and I was nothing short of blown away by what I heard. Early on they played Sylvia (my favorite from Hospice) and when Peter Silberman beautifully belted out the chorus and the lights came up, I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the audience. The band was eerily silhouetted by the back lights which washed over the faces in the crowd; some totally into it, some staring wide-eyed, every one locked in on the band.

Hearing the songs from Hospice live was like hearing them for the first time, most notably because of the vocals. On the album the vocals are mixed so low, they almost feel like they are playing backup to the instruments. Silberman emphatic pipes made sure they would not be hidden at the live show and the sound mix by the crew at The Ogden was one of the best I’ve heard at the venue. It was so loud and so clear that at many points I literally got goose bumps. I love that feeling.

When I was sketching this review I kept telling myself to keep it impersonal, but it simply can’t be done. Before they left the stage, The Antlers played Wake which, as I said as I was leaving that night, is a song they can end every show with for the rest of their career. It’s also one of several songs they played that made me bite my lip to keep from welling up. It was a beautiful set.

Headliner--------------------

I talked Editors up almost as soon as I got my hands on An End Has A Start back in 2007. That summer they headlined one of the best shows I’ve seen in Denver (along with Louis XIV and Hot Hot Heat), and I was itching for them to come back and give us another great performance. And then I heard In This Light And On This Evening. After Saturday’s show I’ve come to realize just how great of a title that is. It rambles on, it doesn’t really flow, and it stands apart from their previous album titles.

While I enjoyed fan favorites like Racing Rats, Blood, and Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors and was pleasantly surprised by a couple of new songs I thought I was going to hate (Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool and the new album’s title track) there was much to be disappointed about with the show. Guitarist Chris Urbanowicz has been the driving musical force behind all that was appealing to Editors previous works. I didn’t fully enjoy their set for the same reason I didn’t like ITLAOTE: Urbanowicz was underused. On some songs he was relegated to not even playing a keyboard, but tapping a sound pad with his guitar slung needlessly across his back. He looked bored. The last time I saw them, I watched him whenever front man Tom Smith would allow for it. It seems like they have a hard time fitting the new material in with their older stuff and it’s jarring to the audience, like a song and dance number thrown into the middle of a spy movie.

The musicianship is still there, and there’s no doubt that Editors are still underappreciated on this side of the Atlantic, but I fear they won’t be winning the hearts of many American fans during their current tour.