Chris Sherman e Leah Cinnamon formam o duo Hanford Reach que surgiu após o término do Sky Picnic.
Com enfoque em texturas sônicas e melódicas, passeando por entre a psicodelia moderna e o dreampop, eles só neste 2017 já soltaram dois singles sendo o mais recente "June Sunshine" a pouco menos de um mês e o ponto alto da discografia deles o EP "Canyons".
Um sopro doce com sabor de ácido, dosando leveza e acrescentando viagens gazers ao seu menu. A abertura de "Canyons" com a soberba "Shifting Patterns" e a sequência matadora de "Mutual Edge" fazem o Hanford Reach ser a solução para o patético estrelismo do Tame Impala.
O Hanford Reach é psicodelismo em doses perfeitas para uma viagem sem medo.
***** Interview with Hanford Reach *****
Hanford Reach started late last summer after the dissolution of Sky Picnic (a band Leah and I were in previously). The vision at that time was to modernize and move away from a retro-psych sound. We started as a duo until we could flesh out the concept and get some songs written before bringing others into the creative process. In this setting though, we found we excelled and were able to get two EP’s recorded (along with another one written), as well as develop a sort of dream-pop/ shoegaze sound for the band. The process of incorporating new sounds and effects, allowing different influences to permeate, and just generally not overthinking anything was a welcome feeling and definitely lead to that momentum.
Q: Who are your influences?
As a band, we are definitely under the spell of modern psychedelia and 90’s shoegaze. Temples, Tame Impala, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Beach House, Dungen, and then classics like the Stone Roses, Lush, Radiohead, Ride. And we can’t forget the Police, which if you were to trace the lineage of our sound, it would probably start there.
From a guitar standpoint, there a few guys that have directly impacted how I am playing these days and what I bring to the songs. A tip of the hat must be given to Reine Fiske (for the melodic structure and scales) and Andy Summers (for the ethereal chords and tones).
Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This is a tough one, but as of now, let’s go with the following:
The Beatles- Magical Mystery Tour
The Police- Regatta de Blanc
Dungen- Ta Det Lugnt
Stone Roses- Stone Roses
Tame Impala- Innerspeaker
Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing live is one of my favorite experiences. From the joy of crafting the perfect set list to the feeling of bringing those songs to life in front of an audience, it’s sort of what being a musician is all about.
As of now though, Hanford Reach has not yet played a gig as we are still trying to get the right drummer as well as a second guitarist/ synth player as we bring our songs to the stage. But I am counting down the days until we do start performing!
Q. How do you describe Hanford Reach sounds?
We’ve been describing it as psych-indelic shoegaze. It’s pretty bouncy and catchy, but has a driving, darker undercurrent.
The feedback from people and reviews thus far has been that it almost has a post-punk edge while being rooted in shoegaze. That sounds good too. That’s why it’s best to leave it to the experts.
Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Being just a duo for the creative process has been an interesting scenario. We’ve been setting up in our rehearsal space and trying out ideas, be it with me on either drums or guitar, and then building the songs from there. Once an arrangement is done, we demo it, critique it, and if it passes the test, have been doing a quick day or two at the studio to lay down the official version.
The studio sessions start with the rhythm tracks and then we just overdub and layer from there. I have my own “semi-professional” studio out of state that we head to, so we can kind of lay everything down at our own speed. I handle all the production, so I like to enter with a clear vision of how the songs need to sound just to make things a little easier and our time more productive. That of course doesn’t prevent me from agonizing over the mixes for months.
Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Right now, I can’t stop listening to the new Pond LP “The Weather”. While I was never a fan before, this album has blown me away and is easily a contender for my favorite of the year so far. The new Temples (“Volcano”) is sensational as well and falls under the title for best of 2017. As for Brooklyn bands, I love Parrot Dream and I think they have a record coming out later this year which I’m stoked for.
Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” without a doubt. I’m not sure what we would do to it, because it’s perfect as is, but I would love to try.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
First and foremost, it’s getting a live lineup together so we can gig this summer. We’ve been in a writing and recording cycle since last year, which is awesome, but we need to take Hanford Reach to the stage. At the same time, I also want to work on building up a little buzz behind the band as we get ready to release some more music. Longer term, it’s just to have fun, write and release some more awesome tunes, and play some of the best shows I have ever been part of around the Brooklyn scene.
The Canyons EP, which we put out earlier this year, was the first batch of stuff we recorded. The second set of songs will likely be out later this summer/fall, which I am beyond excited for. Hopefully listeners can hear the growth that has already taken place in this short period of time.
Q: Any parting words?
Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. I’m a big fan of the blog, so this is an honor!
