Show Preview: Visitors @ Emo's on Saturday (Free Show)
When was Secrets recorded?
Jason Saldaña: Aside from a small amount of instrumentation we recorded at home, we did the whole thing with Rory Phillips over at his studio, World War IV. We started in 2005 and finished in 2007 because we didn't know what we were doing. We would write a couple of songs and go record them, then disappear for half a year. It’s probably not the best way to approach an album, but eventually we ended up with 13 songs and figured someone besides the four of us should hear them. Rory was really patient with us though, and I think he helped us become a better band.
Earlier this year, we listened to five new demos, produced by Bryan Richie -- when did you start working with Richie? What does he bring to the table?
We've been trying to ruin Bryan's life forever. It started with this other band we had called Solomon & Tummler when we convinced him to record us in his bedroom at his parent's house in 2002. To my ears, Bryan can capture a moment the same way a good photographer can. I started to get curious about what we sounded like live, and I thought Bryan would be a good person to help us hear that. We have a tendency to take our time and get pretty insular with music, so I thought it would be a good challenge to go try and record a bunch of stuff in one day.
Continue reading the interview after the jump, and check out Visitors at Emo’s (Inside) on Saturday evening. A.U.X.’s crunching guitar-rock occupies the middle slot on the bill while Glynn Wedgewood’s (IV Thieves) current endeavor, Stereo Is A Lie gets things going at 10 p.m.
[Visitors MySpace]
[A.U.X. MySpace]
[Stereo Is A Lie MySpace]
So what of those new demos -- when can we expect an official release? Have you guys been back in the studio since recording those new songs in March?
Those demos were primarily an exercise for us. We don't have any plans to officially release them, but they came out pretty good and they're up on our website (demos) if people want to download them. At the time we recorded those songs, we didn't really have enough material to tackle the next full-length.
Right now we've got about 20 songs we're going to record ourselves. We'll try to narrow that down to 10 or 12 that work well together and then record them all again. After that, hopefully we can find a producer to work with who will tell us we're doing it all wrong, and then we can record the album one more time. It would be great to keep working with Bryan, but The Sword is on tour with Metallica and that's gotta be a better gig than getting paid in candy and weed to work with us. I'd love to convince Jim Eno to produce our album. Jim, if you're reading this, call me!
Visitors played Austinist's first Local Music Is Sexy bash all the way back in 2005 -- what would a timeline for the band since 2005 look like?
I think the best way to answer this question is with a simple line graph. As you can see, local music has sustained a relatively high level of sexiness while ours has waivered quite a bit. I blame the economy, and the fact that we've been wearing the same clothes since the 90’s. Let us know where to show up with our guitars for Local Music Was Sexy And Could Be Again.
What inspires the band members on a daily basis? Do you guys have day jobs or is Visitors a full-time profession?
Right now I'm the only one without a day job. I worked on this cartoon called Red vs. Blue for a long time, but I got replaced by robots or foreign labor. Foreign robots, probably. I think inspiration can be hard to quantify. I get inspired by people who work hard to make an impact, and who can do it without lying or cheating. There's all kinds of morality tied up in inspiration like that, but I can also get inspired by a really crisp apple, so it seems like it can come at any time, from anywhere. Lately I've been inspired by my dad, who is finding some success at 51 with his band, The Krayolas. You can't ever stop doing your own thing.
Visitors’ website (jokingly) states that “We're waiting for the outcome of the election to determine if lyrical content should be adjusted.” Are you satisfied with the result of the election? What are the first three things you'd change about the country?
I still can't believe it. I'm really optimistic about the next 4 years, but I'd be lying if I said our band had a political agenda. If I had access to Barack (Obama)'s ear, the first three things I'd change would be: 16 hour work week; perpetual college football season; and Corndog Wednesdays. Luckily, no one is listening to me. Really though I'd just be happy with some extra bike lanes and a globally televised demolition of the US-Mexico border wall.
Who are some of your favorite bands in town?
Ume is awesome. We've played with The Eastern Sea and Old Coyote lately, and both of them are cool. Tia Carrera is badass. Somehow I haven't managed to see White Denim, but I finally heard them the other day and they are crazy...I'd like to do a show with them, maybe a house party or something different...with piñatas, and silly string, and a shitload of mushrooms.
I like what Graham Williams is doing with Transmission (Entertainment), and I think he could be set up in Austin to do what Dischord (Records) did for DC. Also, I heard this band at our practice space a few weeks ago, and I don't know what they're called but they had a steel guitar and one of the dudes had a handlebar mustache. I can get down with that. Someone tell me who they are.
