stereoactivenyc

Interview: Western Civ

(Robot drawing by Bryan Bruchman)

mp3: “Got The Number”

Official Website | MySpace

Western Civ isn’t from around here. So, perhaps you’re asking yourself what a website that focuses on local music is doing interviewing a band from over a thousand miles away… Well, when we signed on to book an installment of the Beg Yr Pardon party, we knew that they make it a point to try to book a touring band on each show, and, having been in touch with WC for a good period of time in which we’ve come to enjoy their music immensely, they were naturally the first band to come to mind. And we’re sure the post-punk/alternative-rock-influenced band will fit right in with the rest of the bands on the bill.

Western Civ will be playing Beg Yr Pardon #7, presented by StereoactiveNYC [view flyer] on Tuesday, August 29th at The Delancey in New York City. In advance of that, we interviewed the band — Rich Henderson (lead vocals, guitar), Jason Briggs (bass, keyboard, backing vocals), Bryan Cabler (drums, backing vocals), Jason Hall (guitar, xylopipes, keyboard, tamboruine, various instruments) — so please read on…

Where are each of you from?

Rich Henderson: Florence, Alabama

Bryan Cabler: Florence, Alabama.

Jason Briggs: Florence, Alabama

Jason Hall: Florence, Al. for 29 years.

Can you tell us a little bit about Florence, Alabama? What sort of music scene is there and in the surrounding area?

Rich Henderson: Florence is a sleepy southern town in northwest Alabama. For an area as small as it is, there is mucho music talent to be found. Everything from punk, rockabilly, emo, and of course southern rock. I’m not sure where Western Civ falls in this mix. I don’t think people here get too hung up on genres or labels. We generally have a small but devoted crowd that comes out to see us. We appreciate those folks a lot!

Jason Briggs: Florence is a stereotypical sleepy little southern town. It’s a beautiful city, and the crime rate is low, but it tends to get a little boring. Florence gets lumped in as part of the Muscle Shoals area so there is a rich musical history that goes along with it. While the “commercial” music scene isn’t what it was back in the sixties and seventies, there are still a surprising number of groups doing there own thing around here. There aren’t that many venues in the area though, and the nearest city with a decent club is an hour’s drive away, so the area can be a little discouraging to new bands playing original music who are trying to get a foot in the door.

Bryan Cabler: I call Florence “The Little College Town That Couldn’t.” Even though there are six thousand college students attending the University of North Alabama, right downtown, we’ve somehow managed to escape the kind of college “townness” that Athens GA, Chapel Hill NC, and lots of other places manage to achieve. Most UNA students commute instead of living on campus, so the few places (and there ARE a few, Rod bless them) that offer live music aren’t always exactly swelling with college kids eager to hear some new and exciting music, because a lot of the students drive home on weekends. Some friends of ours have an 80’s cover band, appropriately named Members Only, and they get a decent crowd because people can show up knowing that they’re going to hear stuff they already know. I’ve lived in Chapel Hill, and the ethic there always seemed to be “let’s go find something new and awesome and be on the cutting edge”. People in Florence won’t take that chance.

Since the StereoativeNYC/Beg Yr Pardon #7 show will be your first trip to NYC, what are your expectations both in terms of the city and the show?

Rich Henderson: Well, I’ve always looooved NYC! I had a chance to visit when I was 12 and I thought it was great. I’m definitely going to be hitting some museums and record stores when I’m up there! As far as the show is concerned, I try not to have any expectations. I function much better when I’m not analysing things. I’m sure we’re going to have a great time.

Bryan Cabler: I’ve actually visited NYC twice, as a little kid in 1976 and for a college journalism conference in 1997– on that trip, I chanced to arrive in town right in the midst of the chaos of Biggie Smalls’ funeral. I expect New York to be, as it was on my previous trips and as it has been for a hundred years or more, The Capital of the World. As far as the show, I want people to be drunk and crazy, because I certainly will be.

Jason Briggs: I’ve traveled to New York in the past, and I loved the energy of the city. As for the show, I truly don’t know what to expect. Either we will play our hearts out and the crowd will relate to it and have a good time, or we will play our hearts out, and people will yawn and run for the doors. Either way, I plan on enjoying the experience.

How does each of you make your living?

Bryan Cabler: I run the repair department of my stepfather’s pro audiovisual company. Funny note: I don’t know the first thing about repairing sound gear. I just ship it off to service centers or manufacturers for repair.

Rich Henderson: Over the last decade I’ve done everything from pizza delivery, restaurant host, professional test grader, some tudoring. A few years ago I sunk all my savings into some somewhat risky stocks and wound up making just enough to pay the bills. I don’t expect this situation to last forever, but it’s nice knowing that a simpleton like me can get lucky every once in a while.

Jason Briggs: I work in my family’s contracting business.

Jason Hall: As it is now, I am a student at UNA, but for the last 13 years I have made crown and bridge work for dentists in my father’s dental lab.

Can you name for us two bands from each of the last four decades — 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, 1960s — that you consider an influence? Try to name one from each decade that those who know your music might expect and one that would probably be less expected.

Bryan Cabler: 1990s: Pavement (expected), Neutral Milk Hotel (less expected); 1980s: R.E.M. (expected), The Cars (less expected); 1970s: Creedence Clearwater Revival (expected), Captain Beefheart (less expected); 1960s: Beach Boys (expected), Shadows of Knight (less expected).

Rich Henderson: 1960s - Beatles, Beach Boys (and literally hundreds of garage bands from the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll); 1970s - Ramones, Delfonics, maybe even Led Zeppelin; 1980s - Prince, Pixies; 1990s - Pavement, Guided by Voices, maybe Belle and Sebastian or Yo La Tengo… shit, you know what, anything released on Matador during the ’90s is cool as hell!

Jason Briggs: 1990s - Archers of Loaf and Toad the Wet Sprocket; 1980s - The PIXIES and R.E.M.; 1970s - David Bowie and Led Zepplin; 1960s - Velvet Undergroundand Roy Orbison (THE Greatest Male Vocalist EVER).

Jason Hall: 60s: So many great bands that I love came from this era of time. I feel that rock music from this time period has not only influenced the way that I play music but is the reason that I even started in the first place. My first obvious selections would be The Beatles, Beach Boys, Yardbirds, Kinks, anything with “The” in the beginning pretty much; 70s: Bowie, The Stones; 80s: The Talking Heads, The Cars; 90s: Dinosaur Jr., Pavement

How about Mission Of Burma? Would you count them as an influence? We’d say the Pavement influence is definitely evident in your recordings — not in any sort of derivative way, mind you — but your live show seems to have a bit of a Burma feel to it. Would you agree?

Rich Henderson: Oh, sure! I love Mission of Burma! “Academy Fight Song” is one of my alltime favorites by any band. It’s very inspiring that those guys are still around. And yes, Pavement is a huge influence. Probably my favorite band of the 1990s, and there’s a lot of good music from that decade! I think our live shows are probably a little more abrasive than our recordings are. This is where you’re hearing the Mission of Burma influence. Abrasive in a beautiful way!

Jason Briggs: I wouldn’t say they’re a direct influence on my own personal style, but I can definately see how you would make that comparison.

Bryan Cabler: I’d be glad to count Mission of Burma as an influence, maybe even more in spirit than strictly musically. Our stage presence, if you can even call it that, has a jokey, informal nature about it, so maybe in that respect, it’s an apt comparison.

Can you tell us a little bit about the recording of your EP?

Bryan Cabler: Regent Kingfish Slumberpad was recorded quite painstakingly at Misty Dawn’s Dying Breed Studio; we knew that we were going to be too particular about what we wanted to really be able to work with anyone who wasn’t already hip to what we were doing, and Misty’s been with us for a decade and knows her stuff. The recording was still a learning process for everyone involved, and it required an immense amount of patience and dedication. Fortunately for me, the drum tracks were laid first, so I was practically done a year before the EP was finished. So I would drop by from time to time and ask to hear a rough mix, and it was great watching it take shape. It’s a weird little EP that I think I will always enjoy listening to– it has a certain mixture of clarity and murkiness (is that even a word?) that I find endearing.

Jason Briggs: We locked ourselves in a dirty little practice room with Misty Dawn and cut tracks with whatever cheap and outdated equipment we could scrounge up. Then Misty and the band sat around in our living room mixing and editing tracks until we got something usable. Given the environment in which it was produced, I was really happy with what Misty got for us.

Rich Henderson: It was recorded on some of the crappiest microphones you could ever imagine. Some of the mics where completely caked with spittle and God knows what else! We just did the best with what we had. It was a valuable learning experience. The newest recordings have come along much smoother.

Any plans to do more recording anytime soon?

Bryan Cabler: Funny you should ask. We’re in the final stages of our first full-length, which I’m on pins and needles to hear fully mixed– I heard someone, maybe Bob Pollard, say that a good album is one where each song on the album could have been the first song on the album, and we think that’s what we’re going to do with the new one. I predict that I will spend much of this fall blasting it on my car stereo as I drive around. Shamelessly.

Rich Henderson: Yes, we just finished laying the last couple of tracks for our new full length album. This time we used better mics! The new album will definitely be more high fidelity than the EP. I would say the new recording is a little more pop perhaps, although not in a bad way. We found a way to write poppier material without sacrificing all the weird quirks in our sound. Based on what I’ve heard of the latest recordings, I think I’m going to be pretty happy with the final product.

Jason Briggs: Excitement abounds.