Gardens & Villa is a band whose psychedelic sounds and brain-whirring lyrics create something ethereal. Hearing them live is a smoky, heated mix of synth and and wood flute that combines into something entirely surreal. We've seen them a few times, ever since their tour with Foster the People, and each time they took over the entire venue with enough energy to charge a nuclear plant, much less the stages they played on. So we wanted to get to know the inspiration behind their music, and Levi, the drummer, answered some of our questions. Check them out and enter to win a signed cd by all of the members of Gardens & Villa that we picked up at their last Cleveland show.
Musicians:
Levi Hayden: Drums
Adam Rasmussen: Piano, Synth, Vocals
Shane McKillop: Bass, Vocals
Chris Lynch: Guitar, Lead Vocals
Dusty Ineman: Percussion, Synth, Vocals
Have any of you guys been in bands before, and how did you all decide to collaborate together?
We've all played in many band[s] before this current project, many of us have been playing before we even got to high school. In Santa Barbara though, Chris, Adam and myself met early on in college and began playing music shortly there after. We play[ed] in a psyche/post rock band with a couple other friends before it fizzled out and we started Gardens as a folky three piece. We had met Shane and Dusty many times before, because SB's music scene is so small. Shane moved into the house where we were living, we recorded the album shortly after that and then Dusty joined.
Can you pick one of your songs and tell us the inspiration behind it?
Thorncastles was a song that was purely inspired by our time spent recording with Richard Swift. We thought it would be fun to write a new one while we were up there and so Adam and Shane began to work out a riff and Swift was into it right away. I added drums and Chris wrote lyrics in less than a day. The lyrical inspiration came from camping in Swift's backyard, being surrounded by blackberry bushes and particularly a young kid by the name of Riley. He was around the house just about everyday during the recording and is also the star of the video Black Hills.
You use synth mixed with nontraditional instruments, like wood flute, which makes your melodies really involved. How long does it usually take you to piece everything together and finish a song, from idea to completed track?
It can take a long time to really feel like a song is a completed track. Especially when we're on the road, writing can be difficult. But every song is different. I'd say that no song is really finished until it is recorded. Like with most songs on the album, it was always exciting to see what finishing touch Swift would add.
What's your favorite song to perform live, and what's your favorite lyric to sing?
I think we all enjoy most of the songs in our set. Orange Blossom has been a favorite at times. Chris really enjoys singing, or rather screaming, "realize I am the sculptor" on Space Time. For me, ending with Starfire is always fun if we nail it properly.
Thorn Castle is a song that brings on a lot of nostalgia. What kind of songs do you hear now that remind you of your childhood?
Salt n Peppa, Cindy Lauper and TLC. Maybe the Above the Rim single by Nate Dogg and Warren G.
Can you share a fun tour story with us?
This summer had its fairs share of memorable moments, from Montreal to Atlanta and most places in between. What stands out in my mind is when our van broke down. We were 240 miles outside of Portland with a show that night. A random guy, really the only person around sold us his van on the spot. We hitched up the trailer, made it to the show only to find that we left the trailer keys with the tow company. The next day we had to saw open the trailer, but then locked the keys in the new van. It was like 48 hrs in the twilight zone. Stressful at the time, but became just plain laughable.
If a (Glitter) Pox epidemic were to break out, apocalypse-style, what would the title of your last song be?
Kiss the Icon, Slay the Valkyrie
To enter to win a signed G&V CD, just check the form below. (It might take a minute to load.)
Great interview :) I now want to go and listen to each and every song mentioned!
ReplyDeleteI love this band's sound. They're really inspiring to me because as a younger composer, I see that making something unique can get you somewhere.
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