Insanidade, demência, pos punk, art noise, cold wave, tudo no caldeirão maléfico do Bootblacks servem apenas como ingredientes porque dá pra incluir facilmente pitadas caustrofóbicas de James Chance, os Bootblacks são tudo isso e mais um pouco.
O debute dos caras é uma preciosidade fora do tempo e da época epa, não nada disso, os caras são de 2012 mesmo, mas a mescla de The Sound, Chameleons e James Chance e Sonic Youth é notória.
Simplesmente um abuso sonoro como dia o mestre Ricardo Bola, que aliás foi o cara que me introduziu ao Bootblacks.
E como retribuicão, vai uma entrevista que só poderia aparecer nas páginas do TBTCI.
***** Interview with Bootblacks *****
Q. When did Bootblacks starts, tell us about the history...
Alli: Panther and I played together in The Holy Kiss in San Francisco for a few years. While we really enjoyed playing with them, we felt ourselves wanting to write songs that were more expansive and to explore different sounds, but felt confined, as it wasn't really our band. We decided to make our own way and move to NYC. It was really exciting to start with a fresh clean canvas and not give ourselves any limitations. With each new album we hope to explore new sounds and directions.
Q: Who are your influences?
Alli: Of course the obvious bands like The Sound, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, Joy Division, etc. I learned to play guitar when I was little by studying Jane's Addiction, Led Zeppelin, Rowland S. Howard, PJ Harvey... We all listen to a lot of different kinds of music as well, and are musically pretty open-minded. Erik Satie is one of my favorites.
Panther: I grew up with parents who had great taste in music so I was always around punk like The Cramps, Ramones, Depeche Mode, Klaus Nomi, so I guess that type of 70s punk and 80s electronic music has been floating around in there since I was a kid. When it comes to playing music I started with The Beatles but graduated to hardcore and metal as a teenager. All this stuff seems so subconscious I’m often surprised about how it twists and contorts itself in unexpected ways in our music.
Q. Made a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Alli: This is really hard to do.
1. Depeche Mode- Violator
2. PJ Harvey- To Bring You My Love
3. The Sound- From the Lion's Mouth
4. The Birthday Party- Peel Sessions
5. Joy Division- Closer
Panther: Unfair and subject to change. And not to be redundant, I also love Violator.
1. Scott Walker-2
2. David Bowie-Lodger
3. Simple Minds –Empire and Dance
4. Wire-Pink Flag
5. New Order- Power Corruption and Lies
Q. How do you fell playing alive?
Alli: When we are playing live I feel the most happy. I genuinely love the music we make and I love playing it. I try to really let myself go and lose myself in the music, because it's the most gratifying to me, and because I want to really share that moment with anyone who was kind enough to come share it with us. Putting on a show is very important to us. When we write music we try to look at it from a listener's perspective-- what would be exciting as a listener. When I look out and see people dancing there is nothing that could make me happier in the world.
Panther: I actually consider us a “live” band because I think our music translates best in front of an audience. There isn’t anything comparable to performing in front an audience. A song, which has already been arranged and written, becomes flexible again and feels like a dance, where we can react to each other. Music is a universal language and performing it is the most addictive and wonderful experience I have ever known.
Q. How do you describe Bootblacks sounds?
Alli: We have had many friends tell us this, and I think it actually does describe us pretty well: there is something familiar and comfortable about the music, but it doesn't feel like a re-hash, it feels like a new twist on music we all love to listen to. Certainly we spend a lot of time and work very hard to keep things interesting and new, but we also know why songs like "Enjoy the Silence" make people move so much: because they're just great songs that give the listener what they want.
Panther: I think we are always trying to reshape our sound and love challenging ourselves to be allusive to a certain genre. I’m always amused by the categorizations of punk, post, wave, dark, combinations because I can’t decide which one I would choose for our band. I’ll leave that to the critics and assume if somebody’s interest is peaked by the influences we are trying to collage in our music they probably know better which record store bin we belong in.
Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Alli: We have been lucky enough to be adopted by Brian Scott Herman at SMT Studios, who has been so encouraging and really believes in what we're doing. We did all the tracks live and then overdubbed vocals and a little guitar. It was important to us to try to capture the live energy on the recording, and I think we succeeded. I've honestly never been more proud of a recording than I am of the "Narrowed" EP. We plan on getting back into the studio for the next album in the next few months, and I can't wait to make something even better. We want to just keep working and touring and writing and touring. No rest!
Panther: Just to reiterate, SMT was a wonderful experience and we are looking forward to doing our next album there. Previously we had brought in complete songs and this time we may write a couple in the studio. This is exciting because there is equipment in the studio which will allow us to develop new sounds and parts or more simply, new cool toys to play with.
Q. Which new bands do you recommended?
Alli: We just came off a 16-show tour of Europe with Monozid from Leipzig, Germany, who are a really fantastic band and wonderful people. Really driving, danceable postpunk. Bands we are good friends with back home are Pop.1280, Hot Guts, Void Vision, Rosenkopf, Tiers. There's lots of great stuff going on in NYC, we're really lucky to live here.
Panther: All of those, and though they’re not new, Cult of Youth, Xeno and Oaklander, Light Asylum, Trust, Black Marble, YOU, K-holes.
Q: Which bands you love to made a cover version?
Alli: At the moment we're not really into the idea of covering anything. We're more excited to devote all of our time to writing new stuff. But I do sit around my apartment playing all kinds of covers on my acoustic guitar.
Panther: To cover a song is to suggest we can add something to an existing song, not just play it. I’m not sure that moment or opportunity has come up but wouldn’t be opposed if it did.
Q: What´s the plans for future....
Alli: World domination.
Panther: Yep.
Q: Any parting words?
Alli: Thank you to everyone who has supported us and continues to believe in what we're doing! We are just so happy to be able to travel the world and share the music we make with such cool people.
Panther: Stay tuned
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Thanks guys
