SKIPSTER / ECHOING VOICES OF INDEPENDENT MUSIC IN UPSTATE NY

Writing under the guise of “Beach Fossils,” Brooklyn’s Dustin Payseur is one of the most exciting artists to emerge from that borough’s lo-fi scene in recent months. Skipster recently spoke with Payseur to learn more about the ongoing development of this project — an aquatic reverie in name and sound – and to hear his perspective on that very scene. With a Woodsist LP on the horizon and a breadth of influences both musical and otherwise, we’re simply grateful to announce that he turned down the Taoist monastery to instead work in the country’s largest metropolis.

Skipster: How did you arrive where you are now? Where are you from originally, did you go directly into college or elsewhere, etc.

Dustin Payseur: I’m originally from North Carolina and moved to Brooklyn one year ago. Before the move I considered joining a Taoist monastery, but instead relocated to the busiest city in this country. I thought it would be a nice test for
myself…. plus the idea of a Taoist monastery sounded contradictory to me. I spent a few years in college but only took classes that stimulated me (philosophy, studio art, etc) and never finished up with a degree. For the most part I dropped
my classes before finishing, but even now I read the textbooks and let it soak in. Having a teacher/guru/etc. isn’t always a necessary step in acquiring wisdom or knowledge.

S: Along with that, how do you spend a “typical” day? How long does a song gestate before you’re willing to expose it to the public?

D.P.: Every day plays out a different beat. My favorite thing to do is go to a park and lie down and forget that I live in a concrete jungle. I love writing songs and poetry/prose, so I try to do something creative on a daily basis or my mind
starts to feel stale. My typical songwriting process is recording a riff as a rough draft so I don’t forget it, and then layering it and layering it, then before I know it I have a finished track and I wouldn’t want to go back and change a thing.

S: Your name, your song titles, even the music itself… all sound very specific to summertime. Is this a particular fascination of yours?

D.P: I wouldn’t necessary say it all relates to summertime, that’s more in the mind of the listener to decide. My favorite things to do are go on vacation, have lazy days and daydream… I do those as frequently as possible despite the weather.

S: Following that, how do you imagine your music evolving through different seasons?

D.P.: My music is constantly evolving. Ever since the beginning of my home recordings as a child I’ve grown with so many different sounds; I try to let it come out as if I’m only a channel and try not to meddle too much with what is naturally going to come out. Most of the time when I’ve worked on a song or a poem or a drawing or anything, I can’t feel like I can take credit for it once it’s finished. I try to meditate for a while and forget I exist before working on a project, so it comes out as a stream of my subconscious rather than having a preset idea in mind and following through with that. I feel like working within a guideline will only end up in disappointment.

S: Brooklyn has the reputation of being a sort of idyllic, artists-only community right now. Would you support or debunk that myth? Could you see yourself operating elsewhere?

D.P: Brooklyn is anything you want it to be. It’s just a piece of land and the people make that land what it is. I like Brooklyn because many people here seem to realize that they are merely individuals in a pool of millions and have more of a chance of being recognized if they just let go and create their artwork from the heart. There are also plenty of other people here because they know they can make money
playing the current wave music, but a fad is a fad and it burns out. I love music, I grew up in a family of musicians and and it made me who I am, I could absolutely operate anywhere, and have plans on moving out to the West Coast in time. It’s good to change up your scenery and get a new vibe now and then.

S: Can you give us any information on a potential LP release?

D.P: I have a 7″ and an LP to come out on Woodsist in the near future, followed by a few other releases on undisclosed labels.

S: There’s a definite New Order vibe to tracks like “Daydream” (listen below) and “Vacation,” only it seems subverted by the roughness of certain elements. Can you speak a little to your influences, and maybe even what you’re working against?

D.P.: I have influences from all over: my ultimate favorite types of music are Indian classical, 60’s psychedelic and free-jazz. I take from all over and let it simmer, and whatever comes out is the final product. It could be compared to New Order but that’s never really been quite my jam. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re a great band, but the similarity wasn’t intentional.

S: Which artists or producers would you most like to collaborate with?

D.P.: I always thought it would be amazing to work with Anthony Braxton or Ravi Shankar… I don’t see it happening any time soon.

S: Both of the aforementioned songs ["Daydream"(listen below) and "Vacation"] are about types of escape, perhaps from a city perspective. What draws you to that concept of leaving, or being in transit?

D.P.: It’s exciting to always see Earth, life, existence, everything from a different perspective. It’s refreshing and inspiring. There’s not a lot of nature in NYC and I enjoy getting out as much as I can and going into the mountains, but I’m not necessarily trying to escape or get away from anything. I’m motivated by simple things; nature, morning sunlight, the way a leaf looks as an insect is crawling beneath it.

S: The idea of this “lo-fi” sound is becoming more and more pervasive — even among people who can afford otherwise. What do you think this reflects about where we are right now, culturally?

D.P.: I’ve always been fascinated in sound as an art, and the texture of sound itself. The early Fluxus movement was in many ways centered around what sound could be, and pushing the boundaries of what music could be (i.e. an orchestra of vacuum cleaners or marbles in a piano). To me, the lo-fi sound has a very rich texture; it feels warm and honest. I love high fidelity music as well — it all has its
place, and I don’t ultimately pick one over the other.

S: The year’s now halfway over. Any underlooked music from the past six months you want to drawn our attention to?

D.P.: Brooklyn has an amazing music scene right now and labels like Woodsist and Captured Tracks are exposing it well. Outside of the USA check out anything on Fonal Records, truly beautiful stuff.

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Michael Spreter

There’s a band called Mika Miko. Hailing from the LA punk scene, the girls and guy behind Mika Miko rock hard. Really hard.

Jennifer Calvin (vocals) and Michelle Suarez (bass) took the time to answer a few quick ?s for Skipster.

Skipster: When you first told your parents/families that you were taking time off of school to pursue your music, what did they think?

Michelle Suarez: My parents wanted to kill me the first couple of years. Now they get to tell their friends that we are world travelers. They are proud that I’ve been to so many places. And they know that the second the band is done, I’m straight off to community college to transfer to UC. It’ll work out.

S: Your music seems to be “all about the rhythm and intensity” at least to listeners like me- when writing a new song, what comes first?

Jennifer Calvin: Usually someone comes up with a bass or guitar line. Then everyone adds their own thing on top of that. With Jenna and I, we figure out what parts we want to sing in and what part of the song we should sing together and then that’s pretty much it.

S: With the band getting more mainstream attention both in the US and abroad, is it important at all to stick with your DIY asethic?

J. : Yeah for sure, it’s all about where we came from, gutter punks from the smell.

S: So how are you trying to maintain it with booking agents, management, etc.?

J: Actually our booking agent, Michelle, is more like a friend so she makes it easy and fun! We use to book our own shows and it got so stressful and so many emails! I wanted to die.

S: what were your initial reactions to the surge of popularity your band has been garnering over the past year or so?

Michelle: To be honest, it doesn’t really make sense to me. Every show we play I still think that no one is going to show up. That no one likes us anymore. So I guess I haven’t really reacted yet.

S: You guys have been touring for quite some time the past couple months! How has that been? Any good stories yet?

M: It’s been awesome and it has sucked. That’s just tour, I guess.

J: There are too many crazy stories that I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

S: How heavily does improvisation figure into a live performance, if any?

J: Never really, except I think once we tried to do a noise ending and I think everyone just got really confused and walked away.

S: I think one thing most audience members think about when leaving a Mika Miko show is how the the telephone made its way into your stage act? Who was the mastermind engineer behind that?

J: I made the phone, but I gave it to that band CSS to borrow and they won’t give it back. But I think I might sell them online soon..

S: On a night off, when touring, what would someone find Mika Miko members doing?

J: Going to a sprinkler park and drinking margaritas on a hammock.

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*Song featured above is “Beat the Rush”

Scott Pollack

Sahara Hotnight’s crunchy and catchy pop tinged rock has been around since the early 90s, and has recently released an album comprised of covers, named Sparks. Though the band hasn’t gained much attention here in the States since their 2002 album, Jennie Bomb, the girls are still making a tornado over in Europe, especially in their native land of Sweden. With acts like Lykke Li, Jens Lekman, and Peter, Bjorn and John gathering loads of press in the States, one can only wonder if Sahara Hotnights will ride the Swedish wave into America.

The band just got back from their vacation to Malaysia and are currently touring Scandinavia yet drummer, Josephine Forsman made some time for Skipster and fielded some questions…

Skipster: So your new album Sparks just came out, and it consists of covers from acts such as Cass Mccombs, the Steve Miller Band, and Dusty Springfield to name a few. The whole album’s a pretty eclectic array of choices. Was it a collective decision picking these songs?

Josephine Forsman: Absolutely! We all have the same nostalgia surrounding these songs, growing up together and playing in this band for a good 15 years.

S: So what was it about these songs that stood out, and why take a break from your original stuff to do a covers album?

JF: We’ve always wanted to make a cover album, for the selfish reason that we love cover albums, always wanted to make one, and had such a fun time in the studio last time- so we figured this was time to do it! The more generous reason is so that [the listener] can be able to discover the best songs in the world!!

S: Where there any songs you wanted to include or would love to cover that didn’t make the cut?

JF: Oh many, there have been a lot of favorites through the year, I’m telling you! We chose the ones that would be the most interesting challenge for us and/or had the most interesting lyrics to it. When you start digging into a song it doesn’t take you long to notice if it’s gonna be a fun or a unnessessary cover to make.

S: Being an American fan, I still wonder why “What if Leaving is a Loving Thing” was never released in North America, why was that, and will ‘Sparks’ get the same treatment?

JF: We’re always looking for interesting collaborations and I promise you our albums will have a worldwide release for sure, it’s just a matter of time

S: With songs like those on “What if Leaving is a Loving Thing” and “Kiss and Tell” how do these songs develop? What’s the songwriting process like?

JF: Me [Josephine] and Maria write the songs, sometimes just a little bit for the other to finish, sometimes one whole song. We get better and better each album and it’s such an interesting process to be involved with.

S: So, do you draw from narratives and personal experiences when writing, or are these songs more about fictional stories and an elaboration on feelings?

JF: Maria writes the lyrics, they have always been extremely personal. I have no idea if the next one will be a political one, but I doubt it.

S: Recently, Sweden seems to be a hotbed of young talent these days with acts like Lykke Li, Anna Ternheim and Jens Lekman (Among many others). Do you have any current national favorites?

JF: I love The Early Days, Frida Hyvönen, Anna Järvinen, and Dungen…

S: Do you think this current thriving interest in Swedish music that exists in America will help gain attention to your latest release? JF: Maybe, let’s hope! But we also know if we would come touring our asses off like we once did, we’d get the attention we want!

S: I saw your popcirkus performance [Swedish TV program] with Frida Hyvonen the other day- How was it working with Frida, had you met her before?

JF: Frida is my cousin and we grew up together. She is theatrical in a way that is brilliant and we always have fun times behind the piano at our family get-togethers.

S: Can you tell us a little about Stand By Your Band [Sahara Hotnight's own label and publishing co.] ?

JF: We felt the need to be our own boss, we knew the business quite well by this time. It was the best thing we could have ever done, finally we got to choose exactly who we wanted to work with, and the album [2007's What if Leaving is a Loving Thing] became the greatest success here in Sweden! It was such a thrill to know we did everything right, because we made some pretty drastical changes.

S: Lastly, what is one thing you’d like to say to your fans?

JF: Start following our journey, it’s been going on for 15 years and it gets better every day. And we will be back in the States, if not for this album, for the next!

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Sahara Hotnights // Big Me (foo fighters)
off of Sparks, out now in Europe! Americans, sit tight.

Scott Pollack

In the hip craters of modern Brooklyn, you may be hearing the name Lissy Trullie tossed around like loose change from music fan to music fan. Is it because of her spunky style and ‘hipness-factor’, I’m not certain- but I’d like to think it’s because of her dangerously good debut EP, a raucous voice of steel, and tight sounding band. Lissy and her mates are fresh off a tour with The Virgins and Anya Marina, but Lissy has taken the time to answer a few questions about herself, her favorite music, and touring, among other things!

Skipster: So first things first, let’s talk about your name. Your “stage name” is Lissy Trullie, where’d it come from?

Lissy Trullie: Well I was looking for some sort of alias… Trullie isn’t anyone’s last name or anything really which is why I went with it. It’s a, for lack of a better word, blank canvas.

S: Okay I must admit I first checked out your music after seeing the album cover of the “lady ass”, not knowing what to expect. I ended up being so shocked, and well…satisfied! What’s the story behind the cover and what’s its orgin?

LT: The cover art itself is an image from a 70’s porn mag that had a punk issue. But it’s kinda my homage to some memorable covers like Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” ass/bandanna or The Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers” crotch cover.

S: So from what I understand, you attended college at Parsons studying design, then worked as a model, and have had a stint DJing. So you’ve always seemed to dabble with the arts- from a young age did you always know this was something you wanted to do?

LT: I think it was less about knowing and more about just what I do. I’ve played music since I was young and have been in many different bands all my life. (But I couldn’t go to college for that) I also loved drawing, painting, and later design. I still make things constantly… including the EP, 7 inch, t-shirts etc…I would put working as a model less in the arts and more in the category a college job? Which is what it turned out to be… I was scouted and thought, why not? I need money! As well as DJing. But getting to DJ is far more fun than being a model. Both equally less glamorous than what people think…

S: Fair enough, once when I was in London I was given a scouting card by some agency. They never called though..Guess I wasn’t model material? Anyways, I guess it’d be important to ask what your top-3 acts of all time are, actually scratch that. Let’s talk influences in general..do you find yourself influenced by non-musical things like fashion, art, literature? if so, what.

LT: I think that when you make things whether it’s music, visual art, writing, dance… whatever. You’re influences are never just limited, or shouldn’t be limited, to what art you are doing. I find inspiration all over the place. I think it’s impossible to specify something over anything else.

S: So in the department of music what are you digging so-far this year?

LT: Gang Gang Dance, The Virgins, Amazing Baby, The XX, Lykke Li, Miike Snow, St. Vincent, No Age, First Aid Kit… I know I’m forgetting a bunch.

S: How’s the touring been so far? What’s the best experience and worst.

LT: I love touring. I don’t think there’s anything I’d rather be doing than touring. I think when we have a really good show that’s always the best, it’s what you want aim for every show, when you get it it’s truly the best. The worst is probably right now, sadly. Ian, our bassist, is in the hospital indefinitely. We’re all in Hamburg on hold hoping for him to recover soon. We had to cancel our show tonight in London at the ICA. We’re really worried and really bummed. This is the worst, hopefully, the worst that will happen.

S: I’m really sorry to hear about that. I wish him the best and hope you’re all back on your feet in no time. Before all of this, what was the best place you’d never seen before?

LT: We loved playing Berlin (i’d been there but never performed there), Hamburg. New Orleans, Portland, Vancouver, Toronto, Austin, Seattle…. I’m looking forward to our UK dates (cross your fingers that we’ll get out of Hamburg to make them!) and I’m looking forward Amsterdam. I’ve never been there.

S: In regards to your live show, I hear one can expect a cover or two live, not to mention the hot chip cover on “self taught learner”, what’s a song you’ve always wanted to cover that hasn’t popped up yet?

LT: I can’t say! We’re about to play it though, you’ll see.

S: So with Self Taught Learner being an EP, I read that you’re recording your debut full-length this summer! What can we expect?

LT: Well it’s our first time with a real producer real money and real time. Gonna keep true to what I’ve been doing but be able to graduate, evolove, and mutate with access to more instruments, better equipment, and time to work on the songs.

S: Any tentative release dates as of now?

LT: Late 2009 or Very early 2010!

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Listen to “She Said” above, off of Lissy’s ‘Self Taught Learner EP’, which can be purchased via Witchita Recordings or on iTunes. Keep your eyes peeled for a full-length debut, next fall!