Your lineup has changed from four to two since your 2000 album, Akasha. How has this affected your sound?
Laura: it feels like so long ago………..obviously the percussive element of our music was deeply effected when heath left the band (5 years ago), we had already begun to experiment with programming drums……but this change forced us to take that to the next level. Brad is an incredibly talented guy (with some interesting toys), and although our attempts may have not always turned out as we expected them to…………i think our music is so much warmer now………….and i wouldn’t change a thing. shane was still in the band when we recorded this last record, so any further changes were our natural progression. however, brad and i have been rather productive as a duo……….and i cannot wait to share what we have brewing.
Brad: It?s definitely redefined the sound. In a sense, we?ve been doing the same thing for 7 years now, but it keeps evolving. Now that we are a two piece, the sounds is a little more stripped down. We add other elements other than guitar to fill it out. Maybe we?re not as loud now too.
I love your unique brand of dreamy pop. What are some strange dreams you’ve had?
Laura: ha ha ha………i usually cannot remember my dreams in their entirety, but recently i dreamt that the hair below my knees had grown in like thick black grass (sticking two inches straight out in every direction)……i had an obtrusive blue swirling vericose vein (like a fingerprint) that began at the back of my left thigh and traveled all the way to the top of my foot. there was alot of running………and waterslides…….that is all i remember.
Brad: I usually have weird work dreams or dreams about what I?m doing the next day. They will wake me up in the middle of the night too. They are annoying. I had a dream the other night that my friend had a huge church/cathedral in her house. I thought it?d be awesome to have bands play there.
What was the turning point in your early years of music listening?
Laura: i wouldn’t say i had a turning point………it was more like a slow evolution. i am perpetually coming across albums that inspire me……..and i still like some of the cheesy music i used to sing into the vacuum cleaner attatchments when i was eight.
Brad: as far as just listening to music, probably in 7th grade I got a mix tape of skate rock music. That introduced me to punk rock. In high school I heard dinosaur jr?s ?you?re living all over me,? and shudder to think?s ?ten spot.? I don?t think I was the same after those records. But I guess I?ll hear something else sometime and there?ll be another turning point.
What has been the most important show you’ve played to date?
Laura: i almost feel like i should say that it was playing with some band i revere…..like “low” or “american analog set”……but i am always so nervous that i cannot always remember the experience. i think for me, it was our cd release show this past april………….we were on the patio of my favorite haunt (experiencing some of the finest spring weather florida has to offer)………surrounded by great friends and jovial strangers……..everyone was draped across the floor and benches……………and i don’t think brad and i ever sounded so good…….it was incredible.
Brad: I?d have to say the cd release show we did. It was a blast to have all of our friends hanging out, playing music. It was a sense of accomplishment too. We?ve worked really hard on this cd and it was a
great feeling to have the response we had.
How’s the weather in Florida around this time of year?
Laura: well, i do not have air conditioning in my car……..so i have been known to curse at the blaring sun and gratuitous humidity……….but when it comes down to it i absolutely love it. the sky is so blue here……and i adore afternoon thunderstorms (sometimes it rains here while the sun is shining)…..everything is so green in the summer that you cannot help but appreciate the beauty.
Brad: it?s hot and muggy now. Summer is not fun.
What are your top five most influential films?
Laura: .these guys are in no particular order…………………….”life is beautiful”, “people of the forest”, “harold and maude”, “it’s a wonderful life”, “jaws” (this one takes explaining)
Brad: hmm. This will change probably week to week, and these are in no particular order: 2001 Space Odyssey, Magnolia, Dogtown and Z Boys, Star Wars (the original trilogy, does that count as one or 3?), and Lost in Translation.