JPG: I don’t want to pigeonhole it and give it a label, but because their music has pursued similar territory, I was wondering if Tangerine Dream has been an inspiration as far as approaching electronic music in an intelligent manner and using rhythms along with that.
JL: I would have to say that it is not a direct or intentional influence or something that we listen to often. It’s a group that we’re aware of, kind of aware of their principles, and what they did with the music, but not specifically.
JPG: As far as a frame of mind to your approach…I attended a Jim Donovan [Rusted Root] drum workshop recently and while we were using African drums, it was still an approach of united rhythms that become a form of musical meditation. That’s why after doing that and then listening to your material I began to notice connections in the whole musical and brainwave and rhythmic approach.
JL: That’s part of it. I mean, again, when we’re writing music we’re writing the song for the song and the song’s speaking back to us in how it should move and what should happen to it. I think those things are more byproducts than actual intentions. But it is part of it, the solutions of the program, for sure.
JPG: In regards to your fans and playing live, with the ideas behind the music, does it matter if they get it?
JL: I don’t think that we’re in a position to force it down anybody’s throat. We, obviously, don’t have any lyrics, so a lot of the intention comes through the emotion of the music itself. And then the breadcrumb trail is left by the title of the song, if you will, or the artwork associated with it. If people want to dig deeper they can. Does it matter? It matters to me, but ultimately, no it doesn’t. I mean, if a person wants to just listen to a song to get pure enjoyment and do that and not ever get beyond that, that’s part of what we offer as well. If they want to dig deeper into the intention, the reasons behind the title of the song, the artwork or the vibe of the song, we leave ‘em the information to seek it out.
JPG: I was on your website and noticed the peaceblaster.com area, is that the best place for people who hear the songs, look at the titles and wonder what it’s all about and want to feed their mind with ideas rather than just with musical notes?
JL: Yeah, that’s part of it. That’s why we set it up, to give a little insight into us and what is concerning us, what’s important to us, what’s going on out there in the world that might either exciting us or inspire us or influence us in some way. Just things that we have a concern about, an outlet, if you will because we don’t have lyrics in the songs. It definitely is an outlet for that. As far as them actually relating to songs, yeah, you can find it there. You might have to dig a little deeper, too.
JPG: Now if you see an article that you like are you able to put it on the Peaceblaster area immediately or do you have to send it to webmaster and a week later several new items are added?
JL: Actually, the band members are doing that for themselves. If you read an article that’s inspiring, what our fans might be interested in or what we’d be interested in, copy and paste it up there. Maybe make a comment. It’s really a hands-on thing right from the band members.
JPG: Another element to the band, the Axe the Cables acoustic show last December. Tell me how that came about. Was it originally viewed as a joke to some: ‘We’re going to do an acoustic performance.’ ‘Yeah, right.’ Was it a purposeful challenge?
JL: In the last three or four years we’ve done some movie work with a company called Anonymous Content in L.A. — just small independent film projects, stuff that we were connected to by the people involved. Between Artifact and Peaceblaster we spent a lot of time writing music that would work for films. We’re in charge of the whole soundtrack. Also, getting other people’s music, picking out the musical producers…and we had all this music that we so enjoyed making and we enjoyed playing it. We enjoyed listening to it and we didn’t really have a full outlet for it. It was just another facet of ourselves that we haven’t been able to share with the public. So, we gathered up a night’s worth of songs and practiced it for a couple months and made it happen. It was incredibly fulfilling for us, as artists, to get up there without all the cables and electronics and all the stuff that we’ve made music and performed with for all those years; just to do something different. It was super, super fulfilling…and more to come.
JPG: Oh, really? That was going to be my next question. Was it going to be just for the audience that night in Denver and those who download it or…?
JL: Well, actually, we just finished mixing down the show. And we’re going to offer that as another album from us. We’re trying to fit in some shows this year, doing some more acoustic sets. Actually, sneaked a couple of those tracks in the live show, maybe more electro versions of those songs.
JPG: Just to make sure on this, the film projects that you did, the music was acoustic-based?
JL: Absolutely. One of the misnomers about us is that we’re just electronic musicians, but our writing process in the studio begins with acoustic instruments, whether it be piano or drums or acoustic guitar. A lot of stuff starts that way and evolves from that. Our instruments – the piano, vibraphones, acoustic guitar, bass, drumming — those are our core instruments and usually where the song begins.
JPG: I think that is something that may surprise people because when I looked at it, it seemed as if it were a stripped down version of STS9 material.
JL: There would be some examples where you’re right but for the most part even our intention of the show and how we set it up and the lights and the production was kind of like inviting everybody into the studio. ‘This is what we do. This is how we create music. This is how we spend our time together in the studio.’ That was the premise.
JPG: It’s quite an ongoing endeavor, with all of you in close proximity, moving from live performance to the studio so regularly.
JL: A big part of our success is our relationship together, not just how we treat each other and how we respect each other but really how we’re all so dedicated to this process and dedicated to our art and dedicated to the creation we created. We’ll go home after this tour and by Monday or Tuesday, without any calls, everybody shows up at the studio. This is our passion and this is what we love to do, and having that in common, having that brotherhood since ’98, that’s when I joined the band, 13, 14 years down the road. It takes that dedication from all the artists. It takes the friendship. It takes allowing the freedom when people need the freedom to do something else in their personal life. It’s just an amazing, amazing process.
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