Curse Of Lono – As I Fell

By starrymag | July 5, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) It’s a bit of an esoteric mix that’s hard to pin down. A review of our current single, “Valentine” described it as Amerigothica. I quite like that.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) All of us come from different musical backgrounds and have different influences but there are artists we all love, like Wilco, The Velvet Underground, Nick Cave, The War On Drugs, Steve Earle, The National and the list goes on.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Valentine.”

 

A) “Valentine” is about the kind of murderous jealousy that twists you up until you don’t recognize yourself anymore. The sort of dejection that will make you do things you know you will regret. I’m a happily married man these days, but I remember that feeling well. I had a dream a little while ago that my wife was having an affair and it took me right back there, so I wrote it down. I think the vocal harmonies floating over the tribal beat, distorted bass and filthy baritone guitar going through a tiny 1950’s Selmer practice amp really capture that feeling.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) Sonically, I think the track has a very primal feel, especially live, and that draws people in. I also think a lot of people can relate to that feeling of utter desperation when sexual jealousy takes hold of you.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) The new album was partly recorded in a remote desert studio in Joshua Tree and we really wanted to show some of that in the video. Gregg Houston, the director of the video, filmed the recording process between California and London and he turned that into a short documentary called Somewhere in Their Heads, which came out a couple of weeks ago. We also had an amazing photographer called Jonathan Donovan with us while we were recording. When we came to make the video for “Valentine,” Gregg wanted the listener to focus on the lyrics, so he used a lot of close ups and overlaid them with some of Jonathan’s photos.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I usually start noodling on a guitar until I find something I like. The vocal melody often follows shortly after. Once that’s all sorted, I sit down and start to flesh out the lyrics. Some songs come very quickly and painlessly, while others need a lot more work. There is a song on As I Fell called “And It Shows” that was written eighteen years ago. I’ve recorded it numerous times with various bands, but I’ve never been happy with the result. It took eighteen years and a trip to the desert to get it where it wanted to be and now it’s one of my favorite tracks on the record. I guess it was worth the wait.

 

Q) I know you teamed up with Oli Bayston for this album, but how much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) It’s a game of ping-pong. I started by recording demos of all the songs and then Oli and I spent a week, fleshing them out, working on arrangements and making rough “sketch” demos. After that the band came in and deconstructed the sketches and threw their ideas in the hat. Then, we all went to the desert and jammed it out until everyone was happy. Oli is a great guide and he has had a big influence on our sound, but he is also a very good listener who makes sure every band member gets a chance to have their say.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Curse of Lono performance?

 

A) We try to take the audience on a journey. We work hard on trying to create a set that builds and drops at the right moments. Someone also pointed out at our recent London gig that we have an unusually attractive audience, so if you’re planning on coming to see us it might be worth popping down early to see what’s happening at the bar.

 

Q) What songs off your As I Fellalbum are you looking forward to performing live?

 

A) Big favorites have to be “Valentine,” “Blackout Fever,” “Way To Mars,” ‘And It Shows,” “No Trouble” and “Tell Me About Your Love.”

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new album as a whole?

 

A) A German magazine described our last album as “cinema in the listener’s head.” We try really hard to build soundscapes behind the songs that support the lyrics. We strive to create a world with our records which people can step into. In an ideal world we would love people to put their phones down and immerse themselves in it. This is by far my most emotionally revealing work so far. There are songs about the deaths of friends, my struggle with heroin addiction and about watching my grandfather say goodbye to my grandmother before he passed away. I hope that people pick up on some of those emotions. But we’ve also got some foot-stompers for those who prefer to dip in and out.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) We’ve been lucky to perform in a wide variety of venues in many countries. My favourite UK venue is Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. It’s an old music hall and it has an incredible vibe. On the other end of the spectrum, there is a tiny folk club in Belgium on the outskirts of Brussels, called Toogenblik. It’s been there since the 1950’s so there’s a lot of history there. It only holds about a hundred people but the atmosphere in there is always incredible.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) There are many people we’d love to collaborate with, but I hope that Oli Bayston will always be a part of our team as we work really well together. That said, there is always a long list of dream producers we’d kill to work with – Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Warren Ellis (Nick Cave), Kurt Vile and Aaron Dessner (The National) to name a few. As far as artists go, I think Nick Cave, Kurt Vile and Steve Earle are top of the list.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) We currently have the Cordovas album on repeat in our van. They have some incredible songs and they sound like a cross between Little Feat and The Band. We’re really excited to be heading out on a UK tour with them in June.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Before social media, it was virtually impossible for artists to operate without the financial backing of a big record label. Nowadays it’s much easier to find and engage with your audience. It might be harder to get to Madison Square Garden, but it’s definitely easier to build a really solid fanbase and to make enough money to keep the band on the road.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) We are incredibly grateful to our fans, especially those who shout about us online and those who are crazy enough to travel for miles to catch two or three shows in a row. I guess that’s another thing that social media has brought to the table. Every fan now has a voice to let their friends know what they love and hate and what they say is as important as what the journalists write.