Fun Fun Fun Fest Interview: ...Trail of Dead Lives On

Image from …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead’s MySpace

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
Saturday, November 8
Waterloo Park (403 E. 15th)
Stage One | 4:50 p.m. – 5:35 p.m.
[info] | [tickets]

Jason Reece and Conrad Keely formed …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead as a duo in the mid-‘90s after moving to Austin from Olympia, Washington. Kevin Allen and Neil Busch joined soon after, but the band has undergone a few line-up tweaks since those early days. …Trail of Dead’s self-titled debut and Madonna were landmarks in the Austin music scene towards the end of the century; their rousing live shows were apocalyptic and exhilarating where no instrument or organism was spared if it interfered with the belligerent performance. The band has churned out one inventive record after another, sifting through noisy dream-rock, thunderous post-punk, and intricate chamber-pop during an illustrious even if sometimes underrated career. But there is little doubt in our mind that …Trail of Dead is one of the most influential and relevant bands to come out of our city despite often taking a backseat to the likes of Spoon, Ghostland Observatory, and more recently, White Denim. Although their live performances are not as intense as they used to be, there is no denying their talent and their penchant to deliver melodious rock ‘n’ roll mayhem at the drop of a dime. We caught up with Reece recently to quiz him on the state of the band and the city of Austin.

Tell us about the recently released Festival Thyme EP -- when and where was it recorded? What is the band's current line-up?

Jason Reece: We did a bit of it in Austin with a full band bashing away in a very loud room full of trash and empty beer bottles...and finished it in New York City. Our line up is Kevin Allen, Aaron Ford, Conrad Keely, Clay Morris, Jay Phillips, and Jason Reece. This is a revealing look into the future of what.

Any specific inspirations for the new full-length?

Life, youth, death, and the burning desire to find meaning in one's comical existence.

When did you guys start Richter Scale Records? How did that relationship with Justice Records begin?

About a year ago, I met Jan Merkin (head honcho) and I told her about our crap situation that we had with Interscope. She expressed interest -- we liked their attitude. We thought that it would be best to make an offshoot and fill in a void that Trance Records in the '90s gave Austin. Our record will be the first on the label and we hope to put out other great Austin bands or just great bands in general.

Jason Reece by Adi Anand

You recently played ATP in NYC as curated by My Bloody Valentine; what was that experience like?

Blissful. It was a beautiful moment.

Any favorite bands from that festival?

The Fuck Buttons and Les Savy Fav.

You guys have rocking in Austin for over a decade; what are some changes you've noticed in the city as whole, and also specifically in regards to the music scene?

Well, it seems more business and less about friends supporting friends. I hope that's not always the case. I wished more music was made out of creativity and not about getting the biggest MySpace hit. Oh, yeah there are too many shitty bands now. I guess when you have more people coming here to Austin, the ratio of shitty bands compared to great bands changes.

Any Austin bands grab your attention lately?

The Black, The Strange Boys, and The Roller.

Although we missed it, you and Conrad (the original line-up) played a set recently at Beauty Bar during ACL Fest; how did it go?

It was full of fun and folly. It was a blast from the motherfucking past. Yee Haw!

Did you guys go to ACL Fest?

NO.

We've watched you tear it up on drums for Black Earth; any other projects the band members have been involved with of late?

I also do Midnight Masses (a New York based band). Aaron Ford plays with Bobby Bare Jr. , Conrad Keely does a solo thing plus plays piano for a band called Shock Cinema.

Has the band performed in the U.K. recently? How has the reception there been of late as compared with the Madonna / Source Tags & Codes era when you guys had an almost cult-like following in that region?

We were there last summer for ATP and played a show in Dublin. It's not as crazy as it was but we still pack the joint fairly well. The love is still there for us.

What can we expect at the …Trail of Dead set at Fun Fun Fun Fest?

A spiritual journey that includes finding your animal being and seeking the higher plane. We are there to facilitate your wildest dreams.

[…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead MySpace]
[Fun Fun Fun Fest MySpace]

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By adi anand in Arts & Entertainment on October 28, 2008 2:33 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

seth

I was there. 2000, London. England. Backstage. The BBC was interviewing Neil and Kevin. A British guy asked if he could tune Conrad's guitar for him. I laughed incredulously. Straight faced, Conrad replied, "Yeah, it sucks when we have to tune them ourselves on stage."

Then Conrad smiled at me and I laughed my ass off.

Can't wait to see them at FFF! They're the band making it worth the ticket price.

Seth