Not only do they model French hats, and shoot sparks from they're hands, but they also have an upcoming tour and album, discuss the art of Robert Hardgrave, and tell the story of  how Matt met Bob.

 

 

The upcoming tour and album

 

Don: So you guys are about to go on tour with the Dandy Warhol's?

 

Sarah Jane: Yeah

 

D: and when does that kick off?

 

SJ: That kicks off in the beginning of September, and well be back in October. It's a month long fully National...thing. It'll be fun.

 

MB: and we're going to Canada too

 

SJ: So yeah, we're going to Canada

 

D: So it's an International tour?

 

SJ: Yeah!

 

MB: Yeah, we get confused...

 

 

SJ: We've done Canada with them before and it was super fun.

 

Matt (Noir) Black: Yeah we've done Canada twice now

 

SJ: So part of me is like tour with the Dandy Warhol's, cuz I'm a fan and I get to see them every night. But mostly it's a month playing music, with our friends, it's the best!

 

D: I've been kinda digging for some of your music online, and I've only found the one album(Trust Electricity), that came out in 2004, do guys have anything new coming out?

 

MB: We do, we have a new record coming out. The digital release is August...5^th?

 

SJ: Yeah(nodding and smiling)

 

MB: And it's coming out on iTunes, like a day after that. And we have a big release a little bit later, in September, I think.

 

Don: And what's the name of the album?

 

MB: Human Destination, which is also one of the tracks, um songs, on the record. We've taken a really long time on it, we're kinda perfectionists. We've written a lot of songs, and lived with them for a while, and then you know, kinda thrown them out. Some we revisited, and some are pretty recent additions when we finally put the record out. But we all love the record, and feel really strong about it. We were fortunate enough to record it all at the Warhol's auditorium

 

SJ: And I was fortunate to join the band, while you were still recording it. I'm not on the first one(album), I'm kind of a newer addition. So walking in and playing the songs, and laying the tracks, and contribute my little bit was awesome. Part of the deal, the whole inside deal, is that the Dandy's have a startup label that they're doing, called Beat the World Records. So they're gonna be releasing everything themselves and giving they're friends a chance to get their music produced and get it out there. That's what the whole tour's about, showing people what we do, so it's gonna be fun.

 

 

The Artist

 

MB: What we should talk about is Robert Hardgrave, cuz we're both big fans...

 

SJ: Yeah

 

MB: The artist who's doing the album cover, is an artist we all feel really strong about. He's just amazing, I think he's gonna be in the art history books. Ah, he...most of his paintings are based off of his kidney. He had a kidney transplant and...

 

D: So are the paintings based off of his old kidney, or his new one?

 

MB: His new one, well his new one and his old one actually, because it's about life and death and transformation. We felt like it was a good fit for our music, because we kinda feel like our music is about that too. I just think his artwork works well with Human Destination, he's certainly had a trip, and we feel that we really have had a long musical trip together too. We've really formed friendships, just kinda transcend. When you play music together, you just kinda get on this spiritual level with everyone, yah know.

 

SJ: Yeah, with Bob's art, it's simple to say that it's abstract, and it forces you to look deeper, a little bit. And then you find the things and start to give things labels...

 

MB: It's a discovery!

 

SJ: Yeah, his art just makes you relax, and look into it, and you find things in yourself or in your art; just his technique perfectly matches his story in a way.

 

MB: Yeah, what's that brush stroke...some kinda Dutch um, old ladies use to do it, I believe in Holland, or something. It's an old technique, a folk technique, but he's turned it in to this psychedelic thing. It's just really beautiful!

 

D: And his name was?

 

MB: Robert Hardgrave

 

 

How band mates come together, the story of Matt and Bob

 

D: Now you're from Missouri, and one of the other guys in the band is also from Missouri?

 

MB: Yeah, the drummer Bob.

 

D: So did you guys come up here together, or meet up here?

 

MB: Man, that's the greatest story of all!(As everyone laughs)

 

SJ: (still laughing)Band war stories, that should be on the blog!

 

MB: Yeah, I don't know if we want that published. Nah, I'm totally cool with it(motions over to Bob).

 

Bob: Matt's ex-girlfriend moved back, he lived in Hood River with her. And she moved back to St. Louis...

 

MB: I originally came out here to wind surf, but like a month later I met this girl, while I was doing ecstasy, and fell in love over the weekend. Like a month later we were in Hood River.

 

D: Like yah do?

 

MB: Like yah do. A year later she couldn't handle the Hood River scene, she was a real metropolitan girl. She moves back, and about a year later I get a call from my girlfriend, at the time, and she's like hey, coming back to Oregon can my new husband and I stay. And I'm like sure, and that's how I met Bob.

 

Bob: She's like, we're going back we're gonna stay with my ex-boyfriend. And I'm like noooo, no way.

 

MB: Bob and I are still together(everyone busts up).

 

 

Bob: Monica was like, you guys are gonna get together and form a band, and her favorite band, she turned me onto was Jesus and Mary Chain.(who played with The Upsidedown, on Thursday) She was a DJ, in St. Louis.

 

MB: And The Charlatans

 

Bob: Yeah, and now we'll be playing with this band.

 

MB: She doesn't even know, I think she'll get an email or something

 

D: Yeah, maybe like a thank you card or...

 

MB: Absolutely yeah, I told her, we're gonna be special, Monica, you wait and see.

 

D: Not you and her, but you and Bob?

 

MB: Yeah, yeah yeah, me and Bob! We're gonna show you!

 

Indeed! Everyone at the Doug Fir on Saturday, the 19^th of July, definitely found that out. The five piece which hails from Portland, Oregon, intermingled songs from their first record, and the upcoming, Human Destination. They started by lighting up the stage...no literally, as Matt broke out some sparking harmonica, a prelude of the evening to come, the spark that set off the blaze. There wasn't more than a breath between songs as they started to hammer out the next one, before the applause died down. Eluv, was something magical, as the the psychedelic sounds whipped off the log covered walls, of the Doug Fir. Sound with such force and motion you could feel it as it would pass by. The chords passing through you with the last note still on your skin, as another barrage came on. The soft sweet melody of, Before Remember, could be a lullaby, until it erupts at the end, with drums and guitars. The feeling of being apart of the music never left, if I were to go to the Doug Fir right now, I could probably still feel the hum of guitars, the vibrations of the drums, still beating in the walls. They ended the show with the title track from the new album, Human Destination, which led us further down the winding frequencies and tones, culminating into an almost apocalyptic display of instruments. If anyone sees Monica let her know, Matt was right, there's definitely something special happening.