Ausinist Interviews Mice Parade

So which is it: migas or breakfast tacos?

A: Oh man – that is the question!

D: Chilequilles! Its chilequilles or chilaquiles, whatever…

A: … yes! That’s it, its chilequilles!

Excellent, a classic and who can really choose.
You are both familiar with Austin from your many previous visits, what do you look forward to when heading back this way?

A: I think the goal these days is to get a different and new BBQ joint each time we come down.

D: That’s certainly the Texas goal.

A: Either kolaches or BBQ.

D: Do you know the Czech Stop? Around exit 353?

Of course, of course, one of the best parts of a trip north on 35.

D: That’s also good stuff. We search that out, Czech stop or BBQ…

A: You might take it for granted if you have it around.

D: but we look forward to it. He’s still got some in the freezer at home.

A: It’s true, it’s true. (to Doug) Did you notice if it was closed? I was asleep.

D: I did not, but c’mon it’s got to be closed…

A: BUT it might be 24hrs – what makes you think it’s definitely closed?

Sorry I can’t help you there, I have been fortunate to always find it open when I needed it.

(Austinist has confirmed the Czech Stop to be open 24/7)

For BBQ where have you been? Where are you planning on? Need Suggestions?

A: This trip, a little place in Norman, Oklahoma – our guitarist knew a place. It was alright, not the same.

D: About a year ago in Chicago, I saw a special on public television about the Salt Lick. So I’ve kinda wanted to hit the Salt Lick since I saw that special.

Well worth the trip.

A: Last time I was here I went to Ruby’s BBQ. That was an experience.

D: Green Mesquite, I liked that place too, it is pretty good. Have you heard about alot of Czech and German families, like south of here, who having been doing BBQ for years? That's what someone was telling us about recently.

(Austinist drifts into a brief account of the historic small towns and BBQ heritage that is central Texas.)

I got a sneak of some of the new album, I am hearing more and more of the vocals these days: you, Kristin and others. Where is that headed?

A: I don’t know. It’s just now. I am sure we’ll get back to the instrumental stuff soon enough.

Of course you know it is not a criticism, I have enjoyed the explorations of the newer albums.

D: It makes sound check longer.

A: It wasn’t very consciously thought about, but all of us need a sort of natural change-up from time to time. So for now that the natural change-up. But now that we’ve done it for a bit I’m kinda missin’ some of the real good instrumentals, like focusing more on the workings of the instruments too.

D: And the structure of things too.

A: Vocals also add inherent structure that’s weird. That’s true. I’m sure we’ll get back to the instrumentals. It’s just now.

D: It's fun, ya know? We’ve been apart of so many projects and styles of writing and things. Playing pops songs, playing with different instrumentation, for so long. We plan on doing a bit of both.

Excellent. You two have been working together for a really long time?

A: Totally.

D: A couple a, 2-3 years now.

A: It’s not easy, at least around NY, to find open-minded players, people. You know what I mean?

In a city that size?

A: Man, I know a lot of players who are really focused on their things, advancing their thing, wondering what their next step is. All this kind of who-ha. And it’s like we’ve just got a groove to do this. Good times, whatever.

(Austinist crosses “next move” question from list)

D: It vibes, ya know? It vibes. It’s not always easy to find people you can vibe with in the city. You don’t have to second guess shit, you just kinda know. It’s not easy. Yeah, New York is full musicians it’s not necessarily filled with people you can connect with. So when you find some you connect with that is important.

A: And it's also hard to keep up because even once you’ve found them, as we’ve both found with each of our other bands a few times, it's still a lot of people, living in different places and they have a lot of things going on and they can’t always make it.

D: That seems to be becoming harder and harder to deal with. It’s getting really hard to do, as you’ve been together longer, its getting harder and harder.

A: We’ve got two new players this tour, that have never played out with us before. Whereas the last tour we did last fall felt finally like a family. It’s a challenge.

D: Slowly overtime it got there but the new people – we took it for granted in a way. It took work to get there. But it just got to this point where both bands really had the right combination. It was really happening.

A: Makes sense.

D: You listen back on a recording and it like ‘Man, shit was really going on.” It’s a bummer to start over again with new people, teaching them all the songs they weren’t there for.

A: It's still good times

D: Oh yeah, definitely still good times. People have to make choices for themselves, always. Our keyboard player had to leave to go back to school – that what was right for him. And there’s nothing you can do about it.

A: There’s nothing you can do about it but it rocks everyone’s world.

D: That’s right. It was a bummer to lose him.
We were watching this video recently of our trip to Japan and it sounded really good and you really miss those people. But then you hope and wait for the next right people to sort of come out of the woodwork and make themselves present. And it can happen again.

A: The tricky thing about that stems from the beginnings of both HiM (a former band of Doug’s) and Mice Parade. They aren’t bands that started with the same people from Day 1, who did everything together and wanted to give up their jobs and their whole lies and everything just to be able to play their music. They both started as solo recording things that needed to incorporate other people and get better because of it. But there is a whole catalog of songs, a whole history there that new people aren’t going to be aware of.

Both guys break into small laughter. Adam looks up, “Now I’m just drunk and babbling.”

Hardly. I have this experience when I read about either of you in reviews, articles, interviews, etc, I always read your name and then this long list of descriptors after. It always stands out to me. ‘Founder of this, former member of that, member of this, aka, and so on.’ What is that all about?

A: That’s all press, record label/promoters, they feel like they need to do that.

So what’s the real title missing after your name?

A&D: good question!

Deferring to Doug, Adam says “I may be too drunk to give a good answer.”

Doug shouts, “Enabler!”

A: (to Doug) You’re the Indie Rock Nexus, right?

D: Oh yeah, no, the Human Indie Nexus. That was a Japanese description. That’s perfect.

A: I’d probably rather have nothing after my name. I grew up hating my name. I didn’t know why I was named Adam. Now I’m comfortable with it of course, either from just growing up and getting used to it or possibly from reading it everywhere and associating with it… now that’s fucked up!

D: (stern high school coach voice) Hey Pierce!

A: The disadvantage to doing that is what if we sound nothing like that? They put Swirlies next to my name – we don’t sound anything like Swirlies. They put June of 44 next to Doug’s name and HiM doesn’t sound anything like that.

D: I guess it’s a reference for people. Same as putting ‘post-rock’ or something. What the fuck is ‘post rock’?

Seriously, it’s nothing. It’s just marketing. It makes sense in a way – a promoter wants to do that, wants to reference a band that was popular at a time – to get people to come down to see a show. That makes sense, but it doesn’t really mean anything so like… Enabler! We enable each other to play music. What else is there?

***

I couldn’t have said it better myself. The boys left for sounds check and I went for BBQ before the show, popping the new album, Bem-Vinda Vontade, in my player.

The seven to twelve-person ensemble took the stage later that night after supporting act Boom Bip. The show was quintessential Mice Parade, with awesome drum work, distorted vocals and a musical signature incorporating far-ranging influences from Spanish flamenco, OK Computer-era Radiohead, and even old 1960s British Mod.

Thank you Mice Parade, the Parish and Steph at FatCat, the Austinist can’t wait for your next stop through town. Thanks to Allen Y Chen for the pictures and show review.