Tim Scanlin: The band consists of myself on vocals and guitars, Marty Kelly on drums, Ross Murray on bass and Chuck Lindo on guitars and keyboards. By the time you get around to posting this we'll probably have an official keyboard player, as well.
DFM: What where the original goals for the band? Have they been accomplished and if so, how did you go about meeting them?
TS: I can only speak for myself, but when we started this band my goal was to play very stripped down, visceral rock music, with the emphasis on Songs. That is, melodies and hooks. I'd been in a band with a drummer who was really into cramming as much stuff into songs as humanly possibly, even when the songs clearly didn't want or need it. So when that band ended, I wanted to approach songs from their simplest form, and keep them lean and honest. Luckily, I met Marty, who was totally into that approach. Playing with him was like a revelation. I knew immediately that there was some chemistry there.
On this new record it was crucially important to me to explore the sonic gray area between quiet and loud. I really wanted to avoid the typical quiet-loud-quiet-loud schtick that characterizes so much of what you'd call emo or alt-rock. To do that, we made a conscious attempt to really work on guitar tones. We also took a lot of time to experiment with things like organ, piano, string loops, acoustic guitar, harmonies, and a few minor electronic sequences to fill out the mix without actually resorting to the knee-jerk loud guitars. The good news is that I think we accomplished what we set out to do - the new record is by far the most nuanced and dynamic thing that we've done. We also sweated bullets over arrangements (all the songs were extensively demoed over the course of a year). Ross is a phenomenal usician. He did an incredible job of synching his bass with Marty's kick drum, and writing his parts so that they compliment what's happening with the drums. That may seem minor or too technical to many people, but it's the kind of thing that makes a huge difference in the
overall sound of a record. In my humble opinion, our rhythm section just completely smokes at this point. While I'm giving props, I can't leave out Chuck. He's made a massive contribution to the band. His musical instincts and sheer talent on guitar and vocals are incredible. I swear these guys didn't pay me to say this stuff. I love my band. Sue me.
DFM: What are the current goals of the band and how are trying to accomplish them?
TS: Our immediate goal is to get this freakin' record finished. We've been working on it for almost 2 years straight and we should be completely finished with it by May (of this year!). It'll come out this summer, at which point we'll start promoting it as much as humanly possible. We're all chomping at the bit to get back on stage and play these songs (and the old chestnuts) for the people that want to hear them. We're also hoping to reach a wider audience with this record. The Scene's Out of Sight did a lot to increase our profile; we're hoping that this new record will reach (and resonate with) even more people.
DFM: With the members of the band living in different cities, is it hard to schedule practices and shows, etc? I would imagine it to be a bit stressul for the band.
TS: ...and you'd be absolutely right. I'm not sure if "stressful" is the word. Maybe "difficult". Because we're all 100% committed to the band. It's just that any time you have people living 500 miles from each other it suddenly turns every day band dealings into much larger ordeals. Simple things, like deciding when to practice or which photo to use in the press kit, end up taking much more time than they ordinarily would. Not to mention the literally hundreds of ours I've spent in airport terminals flying back and forth, lugging gear around, endless emails back and forth - it can be incredibly frustrating and demoralizing. But as I said, we are all totally committed to this band, and to making this album the best it can possibly be. The payoff to all of this hassle is when we're in the same room playing the songs, or better yet, on stage playing them for an audience. Not to sound too Hallmark, but it's those moments - when the music is living and breathing - that make all the logistical headaches worthwhile. The last two years have been a huge leap of faith for us. It would have been so easy to call it a day when I moved to LA. But I think we all believe in what we're doing, and in the possibility of something happening with this record. In the end all you can do is follow your gut and have faith that what you're doing is worthwhile.
DFM: On The Scene's Out Of Sight you had an impressive list of collaborators from all sorts of bands and J. Robbins not only produced, but appeared musically as well. How did you get such a group of people involved?
TS: We met J. when we supported Burning Airlines in San Francisco a few years back. We'd always been huge Jawbox fans. I was friendly with Kim Coletta, their bassist and the owner of Desoto Records. Kim told me that J. was a fan of our second record, One Word. So when we met him we basically (and very sheepishly) asked him if he'd consider working with us on what became The Scene's Out of Sight. Much to our amazement, he said yes. Once we got into the studio, it became evident pretty quickly that J. was into the idea of actually playing on the record, which we were of course totally into. His contributions - actual playing and ideas - to that record are substantial, and he really became kind of the 5th member of the band during the recording (ditto for this new record). As for Aaron Rubin from Samiam and The Mr. T. Experience, we knew him through a mutual friend. When our original bassist left, we approached him about filling in, and he was happy to do it. Aaron is an absolute champ of a guy, and he really helped us out of a tight spot. As for Jeff Palmer from the Mommyheads (and briefly Sunny Day Real Estate), our manager at the time introduced us to him as someone who'd be good to work with. We did some demos for Scene with him, and he also played bass for a short time. Palmer's partner at the time (and someone we'd worked with before) was Greg Freeman, ex-bass player for Pell Mell and the owner of San Francisco's Lowdown Studios. Greg's a great engineer. Another person that we worked with (and who also makes an appearance on our new record) is Patrick Main from The Snowmen and Oranger. He's an incredible piano player. That's him that you hear on "Shining Jewels."
There's another person that's playing on the new record that we're really excited about: Bruce Kaphan from American Music Club. AMC is one of the great unsung American bands of the late '80s and '90s. Their music is so intertwined with San Francisco, and they've been a big influence on us. To have Bruce contribute to the new record is a big thrill.
DFM: What do you think sets your band apart from others?
TS: That's a pretty broad question. One thing that I think sets us apart - and which may or may not hurt us - is that we don't adhere to one sound on our records. That is, on The Scene's Out of Sight, for instance, there are a number of different-sounding songs. The title track is straight up rock; "Perfect G" was inspired by little-known New Zealand bands like the Chills and The Jean Paul Sartre Experience; "Shining Jewels" came out of a love for everything from Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald to Joe Jackson; "Last Night I Dreamed" I think reveals a pretty strong Uncle Tupelo/alt-country influence. So in other words, unlike a lot of bands, we're not content to stick to one sound. Personally, I'd be bored to tears doing that, and the fact is that as a band we all listen to many different types of music. In a worst case scenario, I think this "spectrum of sound" might hurt us, in that people - especially those in the record industry and music journalists - can't easily categorize us. But we have fans tell us time and time again that we don't sound like anyone, and I take that as a compliment. I like to think that although we explore a lot of different sounds, they all sound like Actionslacks, i.e. we put our particular stamp on them and make them our own. It's important to us to do that, otherwise your music is just an experiment in aping genres. Having said all that, with the new record we pretty much pick up where we left off, i.e. there are quite a few different sounds that we're exploring, from full-blown rock to hints of electronica to what's essentially our stab at a James Bond theme.
DFM: What politics and/or ethics, if any, take part in the band's writing and business choices?
TS: We've never been a band with a political or ethical agenda. Personally, I'd rather leave that out of the music. I've taken stabs at writing political songs in the past, but they always seem to come off as forced and ham-fisted. There's one song on the new record, "This Damn Nation," that is essentially my rant against American culture (or lack thereof). I think that's about as far as we've gone in that direction, and it was written because I literally couldn't stand to NOT say something about it. As for our business choices, we always try to be fair to fans in selling merch and setting door prices, and we've resisted venues that have asked us to up our merch prices to match those of the headliner. The Music Industry is an incredibly unscrupulous racket; we definitely work to keep the integrity of ourselves and our music intact. It's something that's really important to us.
DFM: Who do you consider your current contemporaries?
TS: There are so many great bands out there. Understand that I'm only speaking for myself here, but... I think Wilco is a band that we all really respect and like. Spoon are fantastic. Superdrag and Wheat write phenomenal songs. Ross and I are also pretty big fans of a lot of UK stuff - Doves, Streets, The Music - we'd be happy to share a stage with any of 'em.
DFM: What is your favorite dance party song?
TS: That's a tough one. There are so many. Today I'm gonna go with "Private Idaho" by the B-52s. If you can't move to that song, yer dead.
DFM: If you could add any rockstar (living or dead) to the lineup, who would it be and why?
TS: This isn't the sexiest choice, but probably Garth Hudson, the late keyboard player for The Band. Because 1) all the other instruments are already being played by the best person for the job and 2) the guy was amazing. Bez from the Happy Mondays would be a close second.
DFM: What can we expect from you guys in the future?
TS: First and foremost, a new full-length album, to be released this summer. That'll be followed by us playing as many shows as possible between California and the UK. We really can't wait to load up the van and play this record for people. Anyone who wants to check on the album release date, shows, etc. should visit our site at http://www.slacksaction.com. We're also toying with the idea of putting together an Actionslacks rarities disc that will be available exclusively through the website. We have quite a few unreleased tracks (including some interesting covers) sitting in the vaults.
DFM: Any final words?
TS: To anyone who's waited for this new record to come out: thanks. We know it's taken forever, but never fear, it will be out soon and we'll hopefully be coming to where you're at. Other than, I'll just say that I think the new record is the best and best-sounding thing we've done. But I'm a little biased...
DFM: How can you be contacted?
TS: Best way is via the website: http://www.slacksaction.com.
