bring that bottle to them.
an interview with hotel reverie
John Graney and Jen Graney, otherwise known as Hotel Reverie
Skipster: Most of your songs are set during decidedly nocturnal hours. What do you guys do during the day other than prepare for being night owls?
John: Edit video and try to find time for a nap.
Jen: I compile events listings and do a bit of writing for City Newspaper. Then on weekends, in the daylight hours, you’ll mostly find me nursing a hangover or poking around record shops and flea markets. All the interesting, song-worthy stuff seems to happen at night though. There’s this Bukowski quote I love: “Night to me is more romantic, more lively, more real than the day.” That’s how I feel about it. I’m never really ready to do anything before nine or ten p.m.
Skipster: How does your sibling relationship figure into the songwriting process? Are there are any tensions there that you try to project in your music?
Jen: It doesn’t figure into the songwriting so much as the general dynamic of the band. We have a pretty good understanding of each other, so that when I bring the songs to John, he gets into ‘em immediately. He gets my rhythms.
He’s pretty intuitive as to my moods, too. If I’m not happy with something he’s doing on the drums, I’ll get antsy, start moving my legs around or whatever, and he’ll say, “just tell me what you don’t like and I’ll change it.” He keeps me pretty balanced before and after shows, too. If I’m not happy with a performance, he reminds me it’s always better than I think. Or he’ll just crack a joke and snap me back to reality.
Skipster: Along that line, when did you begin making music together? Have either of you experienced working solo or in a larger band? Have you considered bringing other permanent members onto this project?
Jen: If you really take it back, when I was in high school and John was maybe 12, we played together a handful of times. Our sister played bass. I have the tapes somewhere. But we started Hotel Reverie in May 2008, when John moved back to Rochester from Pittsburgh. He’d jammed with tons of musicians, but never played in a working band. I had all these songs stockpiled, but never really played them for anyone. It was kind of a now-or-never moment.
After a bunch of practice, we had one gig together before we decided to get a bass player. That three-piece configuration lasted maybe four or five months. We were playing pretty consistently at places like the Bug Jar, the Krown. It wasn’t working though. Practices got crazy stressful, for lots of reasons, and John & I decided to change back to the original format.
These days, we toy with the idea of adding an upright bass, and my ideal lineup would have an organ, too. But it’s so damn easy with just the two of us, you know?
John: The problem is finding the right person who we get along with on and off the stage. We try to avoid any and all “band drama.”
Skipster: You’re heading into the studio very soon to record new material. How do these new songs fit into, or play against, the mold you’ve established? Has your songwriting evolved in the year since Strangers & Music-Makers?
Jen: The songs we’re putting on the new album are kind of an extension of “Strangers & Music-Makers.” Some of them, like “Finished You” and “Medicine Cabinet,” were written at the tail-end of that time. But if you take this batch of songs as a whole, they’re even more self-deprecating, I think, even more self-exposed. It’s the way I get out my demons, you know? And it has a really gritty, raw feel to it that’s always how I picture Hotel Reverie. We lost that a little bit when we recorded the first album, which ended up sounding pretty clean. But if you listen to the very first recording of the very first practice John & I had, it’s there. And we’re back to that now. It comes across at shows, for sure. Our song ‘Bettie Page” might embody the sound I’m talking about. Minimalist, but soulful. And just real raw.
Skipster: Continuing that idea, how is your approach in the studio itself changing this time around? Are there any ways you feel pressured to expand your sound, given the evolution that duo groups tend to follow (e.g. White Stripes, the Kills, etc.) ?
Jen: We considered having friends sit in on a few songs. That was one of the cool things about doing “Strangers.” Alex Northrup, who recorded the thing, would spontaneously add stuff, some fingersnaps or a bit of melodica or whatever. This time around, our friend Chajka from Clockmen asked to play bass on “Medicine Cabinet,” and we toyed with that idea. But ultimately, we decided we wanna focus on capturing that stripped-down, raw feel that occurs in HR naturally. So we’re gonna keep it to drums, guitar, vocals, and just record it quick & dirty.
Skipster: Your Myspace lists a number of brands of alcohol and elder songwriters are your primary influences. Are there any contemporary bands you’re drawing inspiration from?
Jen: When I was writing the current batch of songs, which was pretty stretched out over the year since “Strangers,” I was listening to Lydia Lunch, The Cramps, and all the old standbys. Nothing too new. It’s weird, but it kind of takes me awhile to get into new music. I rely on John to tell me what’s new and good, or my musician friends. I’m not online really except at work, so I’m not poking around to see what’s what. I go to shows and to the shops and see what strikes me. Recently somebody turned me onto The Kills. I dig their first album a lot. It’s more bluesy and guitar-driven than what that group does now.
The other thing is, I’m not a technical person at all when it comes to music. So I’m more inspired by live performances. If I watch a band, and they’re just lost in the music, I see that and remind myself to live inside the song, inside the moment, onstage and off.
Skipster: How do you think you coalesce with or differ from Rochester’s music scene? Have you experienced any changes in the types of music or people you interact with over the past few years in the area?
Jen: It’s strange. We find new fans and encouragement every time we play, even if we’re on a bill with bands from totally different genres. People seem to hear what they’re looking for in our music: punk, folk, garage rock, the blues. Because we draw from all of that. When we started out, it helped that I was already on the fringe of the music scene here, so we were accepted pretty quickly. Every now and then I worry that people think we’re a novelty or gimmick – brother-and-sister band, girl-with-a-guitar, or whatever – but I think the songs speak for themselves.
Skipster: Until this point you’ve played mostly in Upstate New York. Where do you see yourself playing in a few years? Is there anywhere you’re particularly eager to bring your live show?
Jen: Well, we’d love to tour. If we can, we’ll try to set something up in the spring. Anywhere and everywhere.
John: As long as they have a valid liquor license.
For more on hotel reverie visit: http://www.myspace.com/hotelreverie
Mike Spreter
Top Photo: Mike Hanlon
