Prepare-se para levitar sem sair do chão, ou, sonhar com os olhos abertos. Sentir a mente transpirar, o coração bater tão lentamente que perigas parar. Essas sensações podem ser causadas ou por viagens alucinógenas, via o amargo sabor do ácido, ou, em alguns casos, através da música.
Neste limo pegajoso e delirante passeiam os caras do Transcendental Strangers?, sim com interrogação, a história do porque disso, você ao terminar de ler a introdução terá mais informações, por enquanto, foque leve seu dedo até o play, para iniciar a viagem que é "Strange Transcendence", debute dos caras.
Pegue Zappa, pegue o kraut mais prog e espacial, pegue a psicodelia moderna, acrescente doses poderosas de psilocibina e penetre lentamente no universo dos caras.
O ticket de ida, o TBTCI oferta a você, agora a volta, dependerá do seu envolvimento com o Transcendental Strangers?.
***** Interview with Transcendental Strangers? *****
Dr: This is a bit convoluted. TS? really evolved out of a different group that Mark and I had, which dissolved suddenly upon the 3rd member moving to Hawaii without notice. We happened to have just booked a last minute gig filling in for a group that cancelled. We got a last minute bass player, had a couple hour jam session where we wrote all new songs, and headed to the show. We got there, and the venue had a kitchy chalkboard marquee outside. The doorman asked what our band name was. Not entirely sure what to say, I paused then replied, "Transcendental... Stranger?"
He retorted, "With a comma and a question mark?"
"Yeah."
So, we became Transcendental, Stranger?. However, for the next show we booked, the poster artist pluralized Stranger. We decided that had a better ring to it, so we dropped the comma and added the 's'. We kept the question mark for aesthetic value, which we won't ever get rid of. A lot of promoters hate it. They're of the opinion that people won't really know if we're playing or not, or some BS like that...
Anyway, we shifted through a couple members (added keys, lost our bassist, and then lost the keys) before adding Cody on guitar, which really solidified the group. He and I were in the process of starting a group with JP (who would become our 2nd bassist). Instead, they joined us. Technically this occurred before our keys player had an existential crisis and vanished for several months... That was almost 5 years ago? Wow, it doesn't seem like it has been that long... I know that Lou Reed had just died before the first jam session we had with Cody and JP. We wrote Tommy that day as sort of a tribute to him...
Q: Who are your influences?
Dr: Butthole Surfers, Syd Barrett, Captain Beefheart, Ween, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Stan Brakhage, Richard Brautigan, early Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth, Amon Duul II, The Paper Chase, The Cockettes...
Cody: Can, birds, electricity... Lots of dead people...
Mark: Early on, my drumming was very influenced by Danny Carey. Now, it's more influenced by my jam mate's, both in TS? and elsewhere.
Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Dr: Pink Floyd - Piper At the Gates Of Dawn, Funkadelic - Maggot Brain, Tim Buckley - Happy Sad, Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Shmilsson, Butthole Surfers - Hairway to Steven, Morphine - Cure for Pain, Flavor Crystals - Ambergris. (Sorry I can't get it down to 5...)
Cody: Tim Buckley - Goodbye Hello,
Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinois, Nicolo Paganini - 24 Caprices,
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow,
Cocorosie - La Maison de Mon Reve
Mark: Radiohead - Kid A, Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz, Cant - Dreams Come True, of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer, Why? - Alopecia
Q. How do you feel playing live?
Cody: The void.
Dr: On a good night, there's definitely a feeling of ascention, where the music takes hold and lifts you. You sort of "enter the void..." The best live shows I have been to have had the ability to just take you somewhere; we do our best to do the same. Ultimately though, playing live is very therapeutic for me.
Mark: I feel like I'm drifting in a sea of unlimited creativity...
Q. How do you describe Transcendental Strangers?´ sounds?
Dr: We've sort of settled on "freak rock" because it's vague yet encompasses the umbrella of sounds we have. Most of our songs are pretty different from one another, which makes it difficult to pigeonhole.
Cody: I like futuristic flashback...
Dr: Yeah, that is another good one. I love the way other people describe us. I was once compared to Charles Manson after a set, which was actually quite flattering. My favorite review was, "I don't usually like electronic music, but you guys do it right.", because apparently playing electric instruments is the only qualifying factor in making "electronic music."
Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Dr: We recorded the album at Blue Bell Knoll studio. Neil Weir is an absolute wizard of sound. He made the recording go so smoothly, and his insights were invaluable. Bringing in our friend Marie from Driftwood Pyre to add some organ and flute was great too! The whole process was very fluid and natural.
Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Cody: Psychic Lemon, Hibushibire, Heron Oblivion, Gypsy Sun Revival
Dr: Hibushibire, Nest Egg, MIEN... I'm still endlessly obsessed with Gnod's album from last year. (Although, the brand new one's great too...) While it isn't new, I recently discovered the Flower Travelin' Band. Their album Satori has been in heavy rotation for me. Also, lots of White Zombie lately since picking up It Came From New York.
Mark: Sóley, Sylvan Esso, Dirty Projectors
Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Cody: I only have nightmares of covers...
Dr: We've had a few disasters. "Magic Carpet Ride" was a bad idea... I still really want to cover "Monster" though. It's just as relevant as when it came out, if not more...
Mark: Radiohead's "Wolf at the Door"
Dr: Also, it's not a cover, but we've been talking about staging a live score to the Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda... Oh, and we used to do a sprawling 20 minute cover of Beck's "Loser"; that was generally pretty fun...
Q: What are your plans for the future?
Dr: We'll be recording our 2nd album very soon, which we hope to have out by the end of the summer.
Cody: I want us to record an album on top of a mountain...
Dr: Maybe on Rheasilvia Mons? Or Amon Darthir?
Q: Any parting words?
"Parting is all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell." ~ Emily Dickinson
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Thanks
https://transcendentalstrangers.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/TranscendentalStrangers
