In Conversation with Horowitz…

 

September 2005

 

A little Background:

 

 

 

 

Saluations to Trilemma for their input with this

interview.

 

Ages ago, as a subscriber to a great fanzine

called “Robots with Electric Brains” I received a free CD

with one of their magazines by a excellent band from Stoke

called Trilemma who managed for me back then mixed a great

varation between Air and ghostly sound-track.

 

I loved it that much I interviewed them ages ago for

“Setting Sun” etc and as you sometimes do with bands /

singers – keep in contact with some.

 

Fast forward a year or so, another issue of “Robots”

arrives at my house complete with an CD – this time

featuring a compliation CD put together by the guys

from Trilemma off projects / bands that feature

on their own record label “Blue Minnow” called

“The Joy of Incompetence Vol 1” which was a

great little CD which featured tracks by Malacom

Middleton (Arab Strap), Trilemma (who offered

a particularly ghostly track) and lots of other

acts which I hadn’t heard of before but

some of which are / were checking out.

 

Firstly I interviewed Japhy Ryder and his band

who offered a wonderful lo fi almost alternative

country sound and some time now we have Horowitz

who I wouldn’t like to even begin to try and

describe aside from just recommend you try them out.

 

For some reason CD I have accidentally

misplaced their debut CD which I picked up

off the band, but I know the band can be

contacted through “Blue Minnow” which can be

found at www.trilemma.co.uk - there are

some excellent mp3’s available here

for download so make sure you pop over

for them if nothing else.

 

Cheers to the guys for the interview here

for their hard work and I look forward

to hopefully hearing the album soon.

Best Wishes

Andy N xx

 

 

Setting Sun:

What’s happening at the moment and how’s tricks?

Matt:

You know, bearing up. enjoying the odd cracking wheeze and assorted ripping japes.

Ian:

Good, ta.

Pete:

Good thanks, Andy.

 

Setting Sun:

Now although I have been aware of Horowitz for a little

(through Pete of Trilemma), as I always say, clearly

there are people who wouldn’t heard of you so can

you introduce yourself to us, tell us a little

bit about yourselves (the history in other words)

and who fired the starting pistol etc, etc

 

M:

My name is matthew and i play guitar.

 

Pete:

I play bass and press the record button.

 

I:

Direful vocals and guitar, garnished with toyshop keyboards.

 

We just kinda ‘occurred’…uhm…

 

I suppose I wrote a song one day (probably ‘Eskimo’) and

quite fancied recording it at Pete’s! Matthew and

I used to play in a punk-pop band called the Mittens, and have

made music together, off and on, for six or seven years.

 

Setting Sun:

In relation to Horowitz, what (music) influences do you

have and what are you currently listening to?

M:

i guess big influences on horowitz are stuff like

pavement and urusei yatsura and earlier stuff like

flatmates and razorcuts. current stuff im into is

the shins and graham coxon, primarily because his

latest album has the line "people of the earth,

your world is crap" - can't really argue with

that can you? and the futureheads are ace, despite

the nme liking them.

 

P:

Current faves are Sambassadeur and All Girl Summer Fun Band

 

I:

I’d second Pavement and the AGSFB. Early Malkmus influenced

my song-writing a lot (think ‘Box Elder’, ‘Summer Babe’ etc.).

 

Fucking excellent.

 

And I wish I had a day to exalt the Fun Band. They are

seriously the greatest group on God’s earth. No, really.

Tell me “we’ll be together forever/because I’ve tied our

shoelaces together” isn’t genius. Ditto “Never fall in

love with a celebrity/It’s just WEIRD and it’s WRONG!”

 

I also love Belle and Sebastian, Beach Boys and

Of Montreal. Just POP! Really. And lo-fi.

 

Setting Sun:

Do you play concerts / gigs? If so how do they compare to

your studio based stuff? If not, do you have a idea how

they would differ from your album etc?

 

M:

we dont do many gigs really, primarily as we've been

focusing on recording and so havent been offered many

decent ones. we fail to see the point of playing down

local pubs every week. our records are different

from the live thing in that recording is much more

of a collaborative process. we're not precious about

who plays what, so whoever comes up with say, the

best guitar part, gets to play it. it just seems

stupid to say "oh you play that live so thats all you

can play on the record". it's all about making the

best songs, not satisfying egos.

 

I:

Gigs are not, however, out of the question. I’m off to

Canada for a year so some kind of live thing

might happen there. We’ll see.

 

Setting Sun:

I think my favourite track off your self titled

album is “Audrey’s Post It notes” partly because

I love the image… What is the story behind that song?

 

I:

Audrey was this girl I met 4 or 5 years ago who

used to dress like an intellectual straight out

of 30’s Paris. Awesome, really lovely. Had this

thing where she’d feverishly scribble poetry onto

post-it notes and attach them to her bag, hat, her cardigan.

 

She refused to listen to music if it was raining,

and only owned a few Stan Getz LP’s anyhow. I suppose

she was a bohemian. Had a dog called Rimbaud.

 

Setting Sun:

When I usually interview bands, I like to

try and guess what is the inspiration behind

the name of the band, but I must admit with yours,

I am stuck completely so can you explain to us,

where the name Horowitz comes from?

 

I:

Falling in love with a celebrity is weird

and wrong. However, if that celebrity is

Winona Ryder (realname Horowitz)…

 

Setting Sun:

What’s next for you all? Do you have any more

releases planned / gigs etc, etc?

 

M:

plans afoot for a release soon...

nothing set in stone as yet, so we'll keep

shtum. suffice to say we're jolly excited.

we're always recording new stuff, and we're

always happy to do someone a compendium of

songs if they get in touch.

 

P:

We’ve (literally!) just finished our first LP

 

I:

I’m really pleased with the album.

12 pop tracks. Can’t think of a

title though – perhaps “Avant-Garde

and Quiche” will suffice.

 

Setting Sun:

I seem to recall you are all from

the mid-lands area (Other side of Birmingham

if my memory is correct)… What’s the local

scene like up where you live… Have you see

any good gigs recently…

 

M:

we're all from stoke. the scene isnt great, just

sweaty rock really. there's the odd decent band

but nothing approaching a scene where there's a

number of great bands who all know and support

each other. There used to be a night called

"the music room", where bands like of montreal

and herman dune played but thats sadly defunct.

it was the best thing ever to happen to

stoke's music scene and we all miss it

like a long lost big brother.

 

P:

Yeah, north of Birmingham. The local scene

has been quite vibrant over the last couple

of years, but as Matt says, things seem to

have tailed off somewhat. As for good gigs,

the Raveonettes were utterly great as per

usual. Manoj is the king of Rock n’ Roll!

 

I:

 

Agent Blue are a great punk band from Stoke.

Their gigs are always really exciting.

In the main, though, the city is a festering

hole as far as music is concerned. I wish

I could be positive about it.

 

Setting Sun:

Anyway, a couple of quick questions to finish

off with, what can you see yourself doing when you are 60?

 

M:

avoiding gainful employment with any luck,

and having a taste in music unbecoming for

a man of my advanced years. i'd like to say

i'd be dead of glamourous rock n' roll excess

but, y'know, i'd rather be reading a book.

and maintaining a healthy degree of continence,

obviously.

 

P:

Either retired a la Johnny Ramone, or

struggling to find the record button!

 

I:

Reading a bit, drinking too much, or being dead.