Big Rock Candy Mountain Interview

The New Orleans Indie Rock Fest is just one day away so I decided to shoot some questions over to one of the bands. I chose Big Rock Candy Mountain because this is already such a great week for them, might as well add to the fun with an interview on the Static Blog. First, they are playing on Friday for NOIR II Fest with the Zydepunks and Silent Cinema at One Eyed Jacks, and they released a free EP yesterday on their website.

STATIC: Any crazy moments we should know about from this past Mardi Gras?
Stephen: I don't know, but someone's vomit is in my front yard, and I'm afraid to clean it up.
Andrew: The fact that I was able to stay alive throughout it... that’s pretty crazy in my mind.

ST: Big Rock Candy Mountain, where exactly does this name come from?
Stephen: We're named after a relatively famous folk song of the same name. It's like a .. hobo's anthem about a fantasy world... or heaven I guess. The lyrics are amazing, but that's not why we chose that name.
Andrew: I chose it. During a Glasgow meeting we were thinking about changing the name.... Big Rock Candy Mountain came up and I said to myself "Definitely going to use that for another band.” Man of my word.
Michael: It's a song about a land filled to excess with your uttermost desires; a paradise of cookies, candy, and liquor. The concept applies to our music, which is a bit excessive: a paradise of loud, fun, rock.

ST: I find that you Loyola kids have had some amazing schooling when it comes to promotion and organization; pretty much the business side of things. When do you find time to make the music?
Stephen: The music is always first. How could a musician or band promote and organize themselves if there was nothing actually there? (Let's pretend we've never heard of boy bands, girl bands, pop stars, Nickelback, etc) Let's just say we have an incredible ability to actually make time to find the music.
Michael: We make music first, than we take care of everything else. We enjoy writing and playing music with each other, which is the most important thing. Its awesome that other people enjoy it too. The promotion is just so we can get those people who will enjoy our music to come to a show and have a great time.

ST: I think from the outside looking in, the Uptown bands seem very incestuous. How do you think this inbreeding between bands over the last few years has helped you guys collectively?
Michael: It’s helped us musically more than anything. You learn something from everybody you play with. Music is like a language, you pick up a word here, and a word there, and you come out with a bigger vocabulary. We're not so incestuous anymore, but we all still hang out together, share new music, and about 4 bands practice in the same small room.

ST: Speaking of collectives, talk about the upcoming New Orleans Indie Rock Fest. Who are you most excited to see out there and what is going to separate this one from the last one?
Michael: I'm pretty excited for the festival this time around. There are some great strong staple New Orleans rock groups, (Zydepunks, Happy Talk, Glasgow, Silent Cinema) but there are also a few fantastic groups not many people have yet seen (Caddywhompus, The Pharmacy, The Public, The Blue Party). There's also The Peekers, on the New Orleans label Park the Van driving in from Shreveport, who are amazing. Every band is going to blow you away.
There was a big helping of uptown bands on the last festival/CD, but this one branches out more, and grabs a hold of more of the great scenes going on within New Orleans. The sampler CD for this festival, "Robots Are Mean," is just as good, maybe better than last time, and our own Andrew Hartsock designed the a pretty awesome cover.
Andrew: I wish Antenna Inn could play again though. Hands down the best rock n roll band in New Orleans. However, Caddywhompus never disappoints and they got a great sound and are excellent musicians. I highly recommend seeing them. As far as what separates this fest from the previous one, there are a lot more bands from different parts of the city. You know, more bands that aren't from the Loyola/Tulane group of musicians. Stretching out a little bit more.

ST: What do you think of the New Orleans rock scene as a whole right now? Do you think things like Antigravity and the Collective are starting to separate us so we can make a push at being the next Austin or Portland?
Stephen: Honestly, I think New Orleans has a long way to go to set itself apart, but the rock scene has some serious f*cking potential right now. It would be a shame for all of these amazing local acts to go unnoticed, and I think the collective is a step in the right direction. The ball is still always in the musicians' court, but offensive coordinators are pretty useful. Antigravity is a great magazine that is true to its motto. They do a great job promoting everything that should be made aware of in a city known for other things. "F*ck yeah" to them. I just want to see a big NOIR showcase at SXSW or anywhere...
Michael: Great music scenes need a few things to grow, good culture, cheap housing, places to practice, enthusiastic fans, and most importantly, people who enjoy making music. We have all of these things here in New Orleans. New Orleans rock scene is growing faster than anyone realizes. People are starting to move here because its a good place to live and make music (The Pharmacy, Park The Van Records). More and more bands are starting to tour and build a following. There are people like Antigravity and the Collective, who see this happening, and work nonstop to make sure that such great music is heard and exposed on a much larger scale, tipping it over the edge. I think New Orleans, isn't going to become the next Austin or Portland, it's going to be the next New Orleans, with more and more great rock music.

ST: Who has been the most influential New Orleans musician for you and why?
Stephen: Honestly I didn't grow up listening to a lot of New Orleans musicians. These past few years, though, I've had the pleasure of hearing some truly original local artists who have inspired me to think as creatively as possible. These would be groups like Quintron & Ms. Pussycat, Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship?, Antenna Inn (who I eventually joined), The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Glasgow, Silent Cinema... Honestly, there's a long ass list ahead, but I'm very proud of the musical minds in this city and what we are all capable.

ST: Albums in the works?
Michael: We've just released a small free E.P. on our website, but our first big release is coming in May. We've been in and out of the studio, and we'll be finishing up within the month.
Stephen: I think we've found a particular sound we like as far as recording goes, I'm pretty excited to just run with it. Anyone want to think of some potential names for it?

10. Can you think of a tenth question for me and answer it?
Stephen: Hmm... Why ... . . .Do.. . . Pirates take so long to learn the alphabet?
Andrew: Because they can spend years at C!
Michael: (late) Because they spend years at C!

Well, I think we learned some valuable things about the band. First, Michael is slow with jokes. Second, they like to kiss Antigravities and NOIRC butts but not mine and finally that they are a band that should be fun to check out on Friday night at One Eyed Jacks.