 |
| From left to right: Cat Hoch, Beth Ann Dear, Devin Welch, Eric Sabatino. |
WTSH Interviews Appendixes
It was a love
at first sound when I encountered the achingly gorgeous dream pop of Portland,
Oregon’s Appendixes. In the
fall of 2013 front person Beth Ann Dear emailed WTSH to let us know about the Neon Green Fear
7” and the newly released videos for the title track and for “Marty”, the lead
cut from 2012’s debut EP False Color. I checked out the video for “Marty” first and clearly
remember being instantly transfixed, moved by the song’s melancholic openness
of feeling, absorbed by its commanding evocation of atmosphere, and charmed by
the clip’s fuzzily shifting collages and vintage-video look. I quickly moved
into the rest of Appendixes’ output and was equally taken by it.
It was for sure
Beth Ann’s sublime vocals that struck me the hardest. The natural tone and
texture of her voice are exquisite and distinctive. The emotive power of her
singing doesn’t derive from affectation or expressive flourish but rather from
her delivery’s brave simplicity and directness. In my fateful first encounter
with Appendixes’ music, for example, the occasional, slight falterings of pitch
sagely preserved in the vocals for “Marty” and “Neon Green Fear” bared
vulnerability and for me just underscored the authenticity of the entire
project.
It doesn’t hurt
that Beth Ann’s voice floats in consistently inspired compositions, beautifully
arranged and played. Beth Ann provides rhythm guitar in addition to vocals, while Devin Welch contributes bass and synthesizer. Eric Sabatino produces, plays lead guitar, and handles all drum programming. Appendixes has relied a lot on electronic drums, but lately—and
much to our delight—WTSH favorite Cat Hoch (whose first solo track we premiered
here)
has been working with the project on drums in both live and studio capacities,
her contributions heard throughout the outstanding Everyday Use EP released in
February of this year. (It’s available digitally here and on
cassette here.)
The latest big
Appendixes development is the recently premiered video for “The Plan” from Everyday
Use. It was directed by Seattle’s Robin
Stein, who’s done photo and video work with everyone from Nordstrom to
Captured tracks. Check out the clip immediately below, and look for a new EP
called Fantasy on July 29th.
- Dan
How was the
band formed?
Beth Ann: I was
working on writing and recording songs alone. The first time I remember hanging
out with Eric he had just bought the Twin Peaks box set. I had never seen it
and I was really impressed. I was so happy he introduced me to the show and
then shortly after we decided to start playing music together. It was only
fitting that for our first show we played Julee Cruise covers at a David
Lynch-themed house show on David Lynch’s birthday.
Can you tell us
what the band has been working on and what you've got forthcoming in the near
future (new releases, tour, etc.)?
Beth Ann: This
has been a super busy year for us. In January we released our Everyday Use EP.
We also made two music videos, and did a mini Pacific Northwest tour in March.
On July 29th we are releasing our Fantasy EP on Track & Field Records, and we
are planning a West Coast tour in late July and early August to promote the
album. Stay tuned for specific dates. We are so excited to be in the California
sun.
Do you consider
your music to be part of the current shoegaze/dream pop scene, or any scene?
Defining one's sound by genre can be tiresome, but do you feel that the band
identifies closely with any genre? How do you feel about genres in music, in a
general sense?
Beth Ann: We
all pull influences from many different “genres”. This seems to help us create
a unique sound organically.
Eric: We are
just trying to make music that we like.
Devin: I concur
with my bandmates and would add that we share some qualities with the styles
you mentioned but we are not into being a revival band or a well studied rehash
of the past. We play and experiment with a lot of different styles and hopefully
through that process we realize our distinctive voice as a group.
What is the
most important piece of gear for your sound? Any particular guitars/pedals/amps
that you prefer?
Eric: My
baritone guitar, most of our pedals, and the pickups in my Jazzmaster are all
custom made by friends. I use a Holy Grail reverb pedal, and like it. We’ve
broken three of them.
Devin: The main
synthesizer I use is a Sequential Circuits Prelude which is not very versatile
but has a unique character. It appears in many of our songs and is becoming a
distinct part of our sonic palette.
What is your
process for recording your music? What gear and/or software do you use? What
would you recommend for others?
Eric: I could
be very wordy here, but I’ll say that we have some nice mics, a nice mic
preamp, and our tracking process uses a mixture of analog and digital gear. I
also have a variety of tube amplifiers that we use while recording. We use
different recording processes to stay creative.
Beth Ann: In
the past we have written song structures before recording, but we have also
been trying to use the recording process as a writing tool. I definitely
suggest that people try recording themselves. It really helps maintain the
original artistic vision. I feel like recording really brings us together as a
band.
How do you feel
about the state of the music industry today? There is no doubt a massive change
underway. How do you see it and do you feel it’s positive at all?
Eric: Level
playing field.
Devin: I feel
like there are a wider range of avenues for independent musicians to expose
their work than ten years ago but I also feel that many of these platforms
undervalue artists. Record labels can still be relevant especially when they
cultivate a highly curated aesthetic but
by and large I feel the weight is on the artists to make something distinctive
enough to stand out in the over-saturated market.
Beth Ann: I am
really excited because I feel like DIY and/or independent labels, bands, and
venues have more access to each other now because of social media. I honestly
can’t imagine what touring would be like without Facebook or smartphone maps.
The music industry is evolving and changing, we are definitely in a crazy
transition period right now, and I feel mostly positive about it.
Do you prefer
vinyl, CD, cassette tape or mp3 format when listening to music? Do you have any
strong feelings toward any of them?
Devin: All of
the physical media forms are quaintly obsolete yet somehow maintain their
appeal. I love physical media and art, so having an end product beyond an MP3
is my preference. I want to read the lyrics, look at images and handle an
object as part of the experience of interacting with recorded music. As far as
internet based music platforms go I think it is exciting that music video
continues to be a relevant form and as someone raised on MTV and VH1 this is
still a way that I enjoy experiencing music.
Eric: I like
records. They sound great, and I love having a large piece of artwork to
interact with, reading the lyrics, checking for the secret messages in the
locked groove.
Beth Ann: My
main consumption of music comes through online streaming. It’s awesome because
it doesn’t take up any space. There are just too many objects in the world.
Each format has its function but I prefer cassettes over records because they
are smaller and less fragile. Records are much easier for DJing, and have a
cool factor, but cassettes give me the nostalgic feeling of being twelve or
thirteen and my earliest introductions to music.
What artists
(musicians or otherwise) have most influenced your work?
Eric: The two
Kims, Kim Deal and Kim Gordon. Also, Cocteau Twins, Angelo Badalamenti’s guitar
stuff.
Beth Ann: I am
very inspired by 60s pop and 90s alternative. Liz Phair, Billy Corgan, Isaac
Brock, Black Tambourine, Beat Happening and Tallulah Gosh. I am also inspired
by film, nature, and life experience.
Devin: Nico,
Eno, Ono, pop.
Can you tell us
a little about what you are currently into (books, films, art, bands, etc.)?
Eric: I’m into
vintage scooters, and French mopeds. I run a repair shop in an old warehouse in
North Portland. We built our studio in the back. I’m listening to Spiritualized
and The Beach Boys a lot right now.
Devin: Some
current bands I have been enjoying recently are Bronze from San Francisco, Vats
from Seattle and Warm Hands from Portland. Litanic Mask from Portland are also
super inspiring. I think the most recent book I read was Just Kids by Patti
Smith which was very beautiful and tender. I collect VHS and I watch a lot of
strange stuff I pick up. I have a high tolerance for B and C grade films as
long as the visual component is compelling.
Beth Ann: I am
super into the Seattle music scene…Snuff Redux, Lisa Prank, So Pitted, and
Wimps. Some of my favorite Portland bands are Is/Is, Landlines, and Ah God. I
am also really into Girlpool from L.A. Aside from music I love thrifting,
fashion and design. Currently I am really into pop art, digital designs and
computer animation from the 80s and 90s. Keith Haring and Yoko Honda are two of
my favorite visual artists. I also love the show Girls. I haven’t read Lena
Dunham’s Not that Kind of Girl yet, but
I really want to.
Can you tell us
a little about the band’s songwriting process?
Devin: Generally
speaking Beth arrives with chords, loose song structure and vocal parts and
Eric and I write around that and embellish the songs as needed. Lately we have
been trading instruments more frequently which has been fun and has allowed us
to try some new directions.
What is your
philosophy (on life), if any, that you live by?
Eric: Work hard.
Devin: Be nice.
Beth Ann: Stay cool.
