No More Birthdays

As South By Southwest kicks off this week, Texan bands (as well as global ones) are skyrocketing to fame with live shows and shrieking crowds, ready for their minds to be blown with the kind of rock that melts your face off. One of those bands is a personal favorite of mine,Soundteam, who are playing their SXSW gig this Friday, which happens to be my birthday. But before you get their story, watch the "short film" "The Fastest Man Alive" featuring Sound Team and their music edited by Peter Simonite).



Straight out of Austin, Texas comes one of the most promising young indie acts of our generation. Sound Team, founded by two Univeristy of Texas students, Bill Baird (bass/songwriter) and Matt Oliver (vocals/guitar/piano), who quickly collected members (Gabe Pearlman on keys, Jordan R. Johns on the drums, Sam Sanford on guitar, and Bill's younger brother Michael Baird on the Moog synth) to form the sextet that toured the country last year to promote their first major label release "Movie Monster", which in comparison to past works Baird claims that is really "not as good" and Oliver has been quoted saying, "it basically stiffed." Since that release in June of last year, Michael Baird and Sam Sanford have split from the band, (I am assured they will be missed) and were replaced with guitarist/keyboardist William Patterson (who also happens to be the Baird brothers' brother in law's brother, if you can follow). Another change for the band was the co-founders each embarking on their own solo tours while simultaneously working on their next album as Sound Team. Though they are rather critical of their own work, on "Movie Monster" you can actually find several gems like "Your Eyes are Liars" and "Handful of Billions". Their work is reminiscent of Arcade Fire and though "Movie Monster" might not have been up to the highest of their standards, their "Work E.P." is some of the best indie I've ever seen. Truly incendiary.


K: What are some of your biggest influences?

BB: Our parents, Motown Records, a newfound distrust of large corporations, George Gershwin.

K: Did things just fall into place for you or did you have to keep trying until things clicked?

BB: We're waiting to hear the clicking sound. Things
fell into place and then they kept falling. What you're now seeing is free-fall.

K: How do you feel after a great show?

BB: After a great show, elated. The best show is always the next one. Because we try to be optimistic.

K: "Your Eyes Are Liars"- how did the idea for that song come about?

BB: Quickly. A demo recording exists for free download on our wesbite. The album version was our attempt to translate the demo.

K: Name your top albums of all time.

BB: Nilsson Sings Newman, George Gershwin's original 1927 recording of "Rhapsody in Blue," Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," Steve Reich's "It's Gonna Rain," The Beatles' "sgt. peppers," and any Mozart recording conducted by Neville Mariner.

K: Is your major label experience completely different from (and impacting) your Big Orange roots?

BB: Well we're still on Big Orange. Big Orange is a way of life and will never die. It may get old and fat, but it will never die.

K: How is the touring experience?

BB: Touring = 23 hours of blah, 1 hour of heaven. Band Tradition = smell badly.

K: What are you working on now?

BB: Inner peace, inner madness, our next band album, my next solo record, my next lifetime.


Bill Baird, who is currently/simultaneously working on two albums, is not only the bassist of Sound Team but has had a steady solo career (as previously mentioned). I'd say it's more experimental ambient (but borderline folkish at times) exploratory indie, different from Sound Team's music in this respect but definitely worth a listen. His ingredients of a good record? "TV static, electric humming, Nyquil, and breathing deeply."

You can check out Sound Team at www.soundteam.net (as well as on tour with Voxtrot this spring) and you can check out Bill Baird at www.blondebill.com (I suggest Bill's cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven". Unconventional and sweet).



That's all for now folks,

Kit

P.S. Check out Brit sensation The Horrors. A mix between Sex Pistolish vocals and old school horror movie riffswith vintage chorusing. Pretty much like late 70's The Stranglers meets the Adams Family on speed. Listen to "Sheena Is A Parasite".