Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
So, where at you today?
I am at my friend Stacy’s house in Austin, TX. It’s raining like crazy outside.
How is the tour going so far?
Pretty rad, thanks. We had a lot of fun at our Austin show last
night. The Donkeys are sounding really great.
Tell us a bit about the recording of “Etiquette?”
Some of it was recorded on a computer in Seattle with Jherek Bischoff from The Dead Science, some of it was recorded at Pan American Studios in San Francisco with Jason Quever from The Papercuts, and some of it was recorded on my cassette 4 track at home. It was very much a piecemeal endeavor.
How are most of the songs written?
A lot of the Etiquette songs were written a Korg EM-1 monophonic sequencer/drum machine and piano. The lyriics were written in a stenographer’s notebook in black ballpoint pen. Jherek and Jason helped with some of the arrangements and we roped in our friends to play somne freaky instruments.
What were some of your influences on you during the recording?
Instantly one will notice a similar sound to Arab Strap.
I played Sly & The Family Stone, Vince Guaraldi, Mulatu Astatqe, and The Pet Shop boys for Jherek and Jason as sonic references. Jherek and Jason themselves were probably the two biggest influences, though.
I have the Arab Strap record that starts with “It was the biggest cock you’d ever seen.” What a great first line. I like that guy’s voice a lot and I like their spare arrangements and production but they weren’t really a reference point for Etiquette, honestly. People have ever accused me of sounding Scottish on some of the songs, which I don’t really understand.
“Don’t They Have Payphones Where You Were Last Night?” sounds like one of the
saddest things ever. What was the inspiration behind that track.
I started writing that song in 2000, back when people still occasionally used payphones, and it took about six years to feel like it was finished. Sometimes you just have to steal the contrabass intro from an instrumental from a Charlie Brown Christmas Special to feel like you’ve really accomplished something.
On “Scattered Pearls” who is the female vocalist on the track with you?
Jenn Herbinson. We have been friends for about nine years. She is one of my favorite singers, although she mostly just sings in the car. We do a pretty mean karaoke duet of “Hunger Strike.” She sings the Chris Cornell part.
How did you end up getting on to Tomlab records?
Tom wrote me a letter and asked if I wanted to let him put out a record. I liked the Tomlab sleeve design a lot so I said yes. I am very shallow.
What do you find more enjoyable, playing live or recording?
I think recording because it doesn’t require finding and putting on my shoes.
Any other bands out there the people should be listening to?
No, they really should just stick with Casiotone.
What hopes or goals do you have for the band in the long run?
I just want to keep making records that are a little better than the
last one. That’s pretty much it.
By John Siwicki
