Two Sheds - Sound In The Signals Interview
Your debut album Strange Ammunition came out last year and it was pretty well received. I was wondering if you were working on the follow-up to Strange Ammunition. What can the fans expect from the new music and due you have a tentative release date or title?
- Our album actually came out in 2006, after which we released an EP in 2008. We are currently working on our new record right now, and are scheduled to record in Spring 2011. We added another girl to the band, and it’s so nice to have harmonies that aren’t my own voice. I don’t know what to tell folks to expect – more Sheds-y goodness?
Strange Ammunition is mostly a laid back album and vocally it’s really nice. Lyrically the album is also interesting. I was wondering what your favorite track off the album is lyrically and why?
-Well, pretty much all of the songs on the record are about my family, save one track. I wrote a song for my friend Theresa, who’s mother had passed away. We were discussing what happens when someone dies, the responsibilities they leave behind – so I tried to write a song about that and still have it be joyful.
I can tell you put a lot of thought into the arrangements of your songs. What do you think is the most important thing that makes a song a quality piece of work?
-We have a tendency (and I am sure that in the age of Pro Tools and the infinite “undo,” people know what I am talking about) to layer our songs with so many overdubs. Then we usually realize we’ve taken things a bit too far and we start stripping a song back to its meat and bones until we find the song again. It’s all about the song!
I was reading the bio of your band and how you got together and switched around instruments. I thought it was an interesting story. Could you let our readers know kind of how the band came together?
- I was in college and my immediate family was going through some stressful times. Learning to play the drums sounded like a great release to me, so my buddy started giving me lessons. Johnny and Rusty had a break from touring and playing, so they graciously offered up their time to go out to the practice space and bang around on guitars while I worked on not sucking at drums. Then we did some little recordings in our garage, drank beer, ate nachos, listened to records, got inspired and recorded some more. Then I started writing songs. Then Russ switched to drums. And here we are.
Vocally the album feels a little different than most female fronted bands (which is a good thing). For a female fronted band (or any band really) how important do you think it is it to stand out from other bands?
- Not sure. Most of my favorite bands are male-fronted, so maybe it has something to do with who I grew up listening to? I think there is more pressure on women to be good vocalists, or at least provocative or sensational in some way. I feel like people watch you more closely when you are a woman on stage -- want to see if you can actually play. It would be nice if people just thought of us as a good band with good songs before they thought about whether or not chicks were involved in the process.
You guys are from the Sacremento scene which has a nice music scene. I remember Kris Anaya (An Angle) use to talk about Two Sheds a lot. What is the scene like their now and what are some cool up and coming bands from your area that you think our readers should check out?
- Ah Kris. Hi Kris! I need to call that guy. This recording engineer I work with, John Baccigaluppi, has been working with this girl Jules. Her band is called Sea of Bees. I think they are gonna do really well. I have always thought my buddy Lee Bob Watson was a genius. Sister Crayon is great, as is Chelsea Wolfe. There are lots. I am lucky to know so many kind, talented people that live so close.
You have Strange Ammunition available for download on Bandcamp which also allows people to stream the full album before purchasing. What are your thoughts on Bandcamp? Do you feel like sites like this that offer full album streams are kind of the way to go in today’s music business?
- I am going to let Johnny field this one. Take it away John: I prefer those big black round things that spin round and round...
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have any closing comments you’d like to make?
- Be nice to people who work in call centers. There’s a 99% chance that their day is going way, way worse than yours. Oh – and that random dude who offers you a shot of Jager at the end of the night? He is not your friend.
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