'Just Peachy'. Interview With Cait Of Peach Soda

Kim Acrylic: Hey Cait, nice hanging with you!

Cait-Nice to hang with you too Kim!  

Kim Acrylic: Wow! So you guys must be the truest 'Indie' band I've yet interviewed. Tell me about the name 'Peach Soda', it's too cute. Where did that come from?

Cait-When we formed it was because of a battle of the bands competition at our college – we were drawn together by fate of course, to fulfill our destinies of performing songs to the world. Our original ‘name’ was a split second decision of CAN (made up of initials) for the band sign-up sheet – someone even put a clip-art of a soda can as our logo on the event poster, which we found hilarious at the time. Cue many motivational puns (i.e. ‘We CAN do this guys!! <3<3’).

The gig was a pretty cool experience so we thought we’d stick together and try write some original music ( spoiler alert:  ur in my head was our first ever song), but we needed a new name so decided to keep it can related and chose the cute retroness which is Peach Soda ^_^ Sweet with a fizz, kind of like a nice thing with a bit of character. I remember the first time someone tried to describe my voice they said it was 'soft with an edge' and in a strange way it's almost a description of our music now!

Kim Acrylic: You guys are based in London. Do you have gigs yet, or have you just done Battle Of The Bands? What was that even like? Fill me in!

Cait -We’ve played a few small local gigs, our latest being a summery acoustic set in a park.

Battle of the bands was the first gig we ever thought we’d do although the second one which actually occurred chronologically. Picture a medium sized hall, half-dark summertime evening light enhanced by some disco style lights and a totally awesome P.A. . A raised stage stands in front of the main depths of the hall with a drum kit placed slightly off centre behind a mic stand and a guitar. This was our setup, and our set itself was short and sweet: Undercover Martyn by Two Door Cinema Club and Dreaming by Seapony. Safe to say no one knew the song Dreaming, but almost everyone was singing along to the TDCC cover and ah I just can’t describe how wonderful that felt. I think that was the moment I really realized how in love I was with performing and the response you could get from others.

Kim Acrylic: I really love the vocals. So spacey, sweet, and relaxing. Not at all what I imagined! Are you a self taught singer, or did you sing in some big church choir, with an amazing vocal coach I don't know about?

Cait -Thank you so much! Haha, that makes me wonder now, if I wasn’t being interviewed myself, I’d ask how you imagined my voice would be! I was initially self-taught, although about two years ago a friend introduced me to some vocal exercise techniques and since then I’ve had some singing lessons to explore other singing styles. My natural style used to be more talk-singing like Kate Nash, probably because her music was a big influence for me. However I've always loved different genres of music like r&b and musical theatre, and singing classical pieces plus artists like Marina and the Diamonds and Lana Del Rey have been super influential on me this last year or so. And  I did in fact used to sing in a church! I was a ukulele player in the band, then progressed to shyly approaching the microphone and singing backing harmonies, adding flourishes to the songs. I fell in love with the acoustics of the space, the almost magical, hypnotizing reverb and the beauty of sound. I guess I was only just beginning to discover what the voice was capable of then.

Kim Acrylic: Where do the lyrics come from, what moves you to write what you write?

Cait -The lyrics are very personal, we write from genuine emotion and experience plus things we've heard about and see happen to other people in life. The subject of mental health comes up a lot because we believe that it is a very important thing to discuss and be open about , and not something to be covered up and ashamed of. We also try to write about the positive aspects of life and wonderful things like the power of happiness and support and love etc. I guess you could say the process of writing is like trying to make yourself feel better, in addition to giving something to the listener too.

Kim Acrylic: You are able to play one huge gig anywhere in the world with your choice of an opening band, where and who would it be?

Cait -We'd love to open for Two Door Cinema Club at the Reading music fest <3  

Kim Acrylic: Your whole image seems very 'cutesy' are you guys into Anime? What image would you say you are trying to project if any?

Cait -I personally love anime and I think we both have a soft spot for the kawaii i.e. cute, except I'm more pink ribbons and fluffy pastel kittens and Nav is like kawaii kittens with Gothic black lace collars complete with bad-ass piercings. Overall I think we're trying to project a harmony, dark and pastel, symbolic of the good and the bad in life, how it makes you are and how we all need to find that balance in our lives.

Kim Acrylic: Given that we just had a horrible Terrorist attack on November 13th, do you think what happened in France will be inspiration for any upcoming tunes?

Cait -I really think it will, in fact we're working on something now. Just today I read a Facebook post by someone who was at the concert when the attacks happened - they had to play dead, trembling in the massacre, desperate playbacks of happy memories pacifying their fear. It made me cry so much when I read it.

I think that overall the events make us both sad, for Paris and for the world. Life can be so scary sometimes and it's unfortunate that it often takes great tragedy for anyone to take a moment to even consider helping out with problems that are not necessarily their own.

Kim Acrylic: Tell us about this EP you are in the process of recording. Try to sell it to me.

Cait -Our hybrid concept-normal album will be called 'In my head',  after the title track that basically started off our band. The whole thing is meant to be like a dream, the first track will be a short where you hear someone telling you to 'wake up', and the songs are reflections of thoughts and inner monologues. It'll make you think, take you on a journey and the songs are layered and trippy... what is really the dream anyway? If you love to indulge in soundscapes and you are human and feel all the feels then I would definitely say check it out!

Kim Acrylic: What are some things that annoy you about the other member(s) of the band, come on, fess up!

Cait - Well if I have to say something, one thing is that Nav loves really crazy drumming which happen to feature in the songs which have many barre chords... so that can be kinda painful for a guitarist after a long practice session!

Kim Acrylic: Spotify or Pandora? And what's currently on your Ipod?

Cait -Spotify all they way! What is Pandora anyway? ;) Nah, but seriously Pandora's blocked in the UK so Spotify is  kind of the only choice. My iPod is currently playing American lo fi bands like Starry Cat, some cute Varsity songs (in LOVE with 'So Sad, So Sad' atm), some Lucy Rose and Badly Drawn Boy, plus a mix of Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez and the Arctic Monkeys.. let's say that I listen to a lot of music...

Kim Acrylic: What is something , under no circumstance, would you do to get a record deal?

Cait -Music is an art form, so we'd never change ours for anyone! If we want to experiment with genres out of our own free will, heck we'll do it, but for a record company just to get money and gain fans who wouldn't give our normal music the time of day.. we don't think so.

Kim Acrylic: And... what WOULD you do? Hmm...?

Cait - Hahaha! Erm.. well we WOULD do our best to create the most wonderful music we can ^_^ No catching us out, I'm afraid ;)

Kim Acrylic: What are your other songs like? Describe them, are they like 'Ur In My Head' and 'All Of Your Friends' ?

Cait -  Our other songs are a mixture of sounds, darker, sadder, powerful, sweeter and more uplifting. We have a wide variety of influences, from Tame Impala to Fall Out Boy, so there's quite a lot of fusion going on in our sound. ‘Ur In My Head’ showcases the Lana Del Rey-esque vocal style which I adore and crops up quite a bit, and I guess All of Your Friends describes the underlying emotive and more vulnerable side to our music. If you like the songs we currently have online, you definitely won't be disappointed with the album! You'll see a greater depth to who we are and the messages we wish to portray when you hear our other music -  for now keep an eye on our YouTube channel for new uploads! ^_^

Kim Acrylic: You're on a podium, tell readers why they should listen to you guys...

Cait - We put 100% of our hearts into our music, lyrics and production, it's all us. We're creatives and we're human just like you. I think everyone has a place for music that helps us remember that we exist and that it's okay to feel the rollercoaster of emotions we all experience. So I think you should check out our music.

Kim Acrylic: Cait, thanks so much for joining me....

Cait- It's a pleasure, thank you!

Kim Gets Dandy With Peter Holmstrom Of the Dandy Warhols

Kim Acrylic: So, The Dandy Warhols, Pete International Airport, Rebel Drones, and Radis

Noir. All your projects are amazing. How are they alike and how are they

different?

P.  With the Dandys, it's all about adding a cool little part that takes

the song farther.The way we work now, the songs are fairly complete by

the time I get them so finding cool effects that add variation is what I

end up doing a lot of.That approach is similar to what I did on the

Rebel Drones recordings and what I get asked to do on other records,

though with the Dandys, I generally have more time to develop ideas With

PIA and Radis Noir I'm producing, so I'm playing most of the instruments.

Radis Noir starts with Herman Jolly's songs, PIA starts with my ideas.

Then I take them as far as I can before adding other musicians.

Kim Acrylic: You also composed music for your sisters theater troupe a bit ago, what

all went into that, and will you be doing more stuff like it?

P.  I've done this for three shows now and it's different each time.  It

usually starts with a chord change of mine, then I get some of my sister's

friends to play on it.  I'd love to do more, it's a different way of

working and I'm always interested in discovering new technics.

Kim Acrylic: And to top off all your Endeavor's, you are into photography? What is

your favorite to shoot and to view?

P.  Photography is just an easy way for me to mess around with visual

arts.  Everyone always has a camera with them these days.

Kim Acrylic: You guys are from Portland, what do you think of the sudden Hipness' of

living there? I know it was weird for me when Seattle was suddenly the

place to be.

P.  I'm actually OK with it.Portland was a weird little backwater for a

long time and that was cool.  All the people that have moved here helped

make it what it is today.  I wish there wasn't that inevitable cycle of

the artist types getting pushed out by rising rents. But that seems to

happen everywhere.

Kim Acrylic: You've been at this music thing a long time! What's the best and worst of

success for you, and do you dig meet and greets?

P.  The best thing is the music, the worst thing is the business of music.

I like the meet and greets, because we get to meet the fans that don't want

to hang out after the shows.  They are a different crew and all seem to

have interesting stories.

Kim Acrylic: How are you and the band for that matter, taking this whole Paris terror

attack?

P.  All the "terror" attacks are awful and I wish there was an easy

solution.  The Paris attack hit a little closer to home for us, we have

played that venue a number of times, we know the band that was there and

Paris is one of our favorite places to play.

Kim Acrylic: Do you think there will be a certain level of fear for bands to play there

again given it was a concert that was targeted?

P.  I'm sure for some people there will be.

Kim Acrylic: How much has your influences changed since your first album in 1994, if at

all?

P.  Our influences are always changing.  There is a constant influx of new

music, ideas, books, movies, art, tv...  It would be impossible not to be

effected.  But saying that, there is a lot of looking back to some old

familiar things. For me a least.

Kim Acrylic: You've played some awesome festivals including Glastonbury and Coachella.

Any interesting tales?

P.  Bowie watching us from side stage at Glastonbury was cool.  So was the

rest of the festival, but that is very hazy memory that involves flaming

torches and and a couple of cute Welsh acid dealers.

Kim Acrylic: What are some bands that never fail to get you super excited to see live?

P.  BRMC

Kim Acrylic: What kinda people are the Dandy Warhols, would you let your daughter hang

with them?

P.  We are a fun bunch and if I did have a daughter, she would be totally

fine with us.

Kim Acrylic: Drugs and bands, how much is for creativity and having fun, and how much

is just toxic? How do you control which way it goes if at all?

P.  I've never found drugs to directly help the creative process.  But, me

and marijuana have never got along and that seems to work for a lot of

people.

Kim Acrylic: Do you still have your first guitar, and what was it?

P.  Yes.  The first guitar I ever played was a Japanese classics that my

dad brought home when I was 6/7. My first electric was a green sunburst

Tokai Flying V.  Now it's raw wood with a new neck and all new hardware.

I plan on finishing it some color, no idea what yet.

Kim Acrylic: It's been noted that David Bowie is a fan. What did THAT do for your egos?

P.  We felt validated.

Kim Acrylic: So what's this about working with 'Rhodes' from Duran Duran a while back?

P.  Super cool.  My high school would have freaked out about that one.

Kim Acrylic: What scares you about success?

P.  Nothing

Kim Acrylic: You've been on quite a few film soundtracks, which are you most proud of?

P.  Sleep is used in the perfect spot in Crazy/Beautiful.  I don't really

care about the movie all that much, but the song really works well in that

scene.

Kim Acrylic: Musically, are you picky, I mean, are you a music snob at all? I know I

can be (laughs) what do you think of all this dub-step and auto tuned

music?

P.  I'm very picky. Probably a snob too, but I try not to let that show.

I don't really care about auto tune.  It's a tool, some people probably

have a strong reaction to the amount of effects I use on my guitar.  I

choose to ignore most of the music that over uses auto tune instead of

greeting pissed off about it.

Kim Acrylic: What's something you are surprisingly good at?

P.  Finding 4 leaf clovers.

Kim Acrylic: What's on repeat these days? Suggest to me some new bands to check out.

P. Liars, Suuns, Heavy Trash, Maribelle,

Kim Acrylic: Hypothetically you ask me to hang out, what do we do?

P.  Hang out at a guitar shop where you get bored very quickly with all

the gear talk.

Kim Acrylic: I need a drink, what do you fix me?

P. Coffee

Kim Acrylic: And lastly, why should readers listen to the dandies?

P.  We are trying to make interesting/cool music that makes you feel better.

Kim Gets Deep With Anton Newcombe Of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre...

Kim Acrylic: Hey Anton, so great to be spending this time with you. Kim Acrylic: So...let me just get this out of the way. You are married, have a child, and are sober now, correct? How the hell did all that happen for you,  I mean, whats day to day like with Anton? Run me through it. Anton Newcombe: I have two children actually,my older son hermann lives with his mother in NYC - anyway,my day is simple:I wake up when Wolfgang wakes up and we eat breakfast and watch morning stuff in German and get him ready for school then I walk him to kita and go to the studio and work until dinner- Kim Acrylic: In an interview in France, you once said "looking back on my history, I wouldn't do anything differently" do you still feel that way and what would be different in your life if the time was reversed, like, you were sober in the past and using now, what would that look like? Anton Newcombe: Well I created in all states of mind - so that's not the issue - things are what they are - for instance it would have told every record company on earth that I was to be the producer instead of saying buy me a studio and that would have happened like that,but it took awhile for me to articulate Kim Acrylic: Since you have children,  what is your take on such things as global warming and leaving this earth habitable? Anton Newcombe: If you care about global warming your first issue should be the us military industrial complex - everything is bullshit - basically everything is a distraction or a fucking lie - if we really want radical change we it takes radical action - I don't see it happening - they could end hunger in a day - they could build a new tomorrow today - we could do anything together - there is no plan to build cities or advanced economies like NYC in Africa - there's a reason - the them don't want it - Kim Acrylic: Let me pick your brain on religion and God. Where do you stand, and what does your after world, if there is one, look like? Anton Newcombe: Well - I think many things are possible - in one sense if god is everything then what are you if not a part of god?but also there is the part of you that is separate and that answers many questions like what would it be like to try that not only for you but for god the being - then obviously as a reward you and god also get to experience that whole unique perspective that you create and then there is the collective so we are already talking about dimensions here Kim Acrylic: If you could have a time machine, what wrong in your life would you right, and, come on, what right would you wrong? Anton Newcombe: It becomes infinite both external and personal so it's best to focus on now Kim Acrylic: Has it been any more difficult writing and performing music sober, and what are the main changes you notice with your sobriety related to your music and art? Anton Newcombe: Not really - booze affects your hearing so that's different and all that stuff is a social lubricant but I'm happy Kim Acrylic: How does Germany receive your music, is it the place to be for you artistically right now? Anton Newcombe: They love real artists who choose to live and work and be a part of the new German future - they are really supportive of it as a culture and it says so much about their society and how you move forward - I am part German and anglosaxon etc and I'm really proud of how they done so many things you know since well you know...it's sets a good example and it's work that lasts forever but I think it's clear to most intelligent Jews that there are no real answers about how a group of people could collectively be invoked to that degree because it could have been another group of people...but more importantly how you move on in time together - it's fascinating stuff really - Kim Acrylic: So... new stuff! you released your first Brian JonesTown Massacre album that was recorded in your own studio in Berlin in 2014, then the album, 'Musique De Film Imagine`'this year for an imaginary French film.and we can't forget 'I Declare Nothing' with Tess Parks. How has these last two years been for you with all these creative endeavors? Anton Newcombe: Well we started recording and releasing stuff even in 2010 various ways but anyway - I love being busy and I would like to work harder,do more Kim Acrylic: Fuck, 2010 seems ages ago now, Being busy is an amazing feeling especially when you pump out stuff you are happy with., What's your best work you're most proud of? Anton Newcombe: I don't view life in terms of best this or that Kim Acrylic: And as if the documentary Dig! (2004) wasn't revealing enough, Jesse Valencia is writing a book about BJM 'Straight Up And Down With the Brian Jonestown Massacre' Are you going to be very involved in that process, any spoilers? Anton Newcombe: No and I don't give shit to be honest. Nobody knows the truth or remembers every detail without anything to prove or axe to grind except me and notice how I don't comment on the film or write books - I'm not sure that anyone cares really Kim Acrylic: What moves you these days, what gets your blood boiling, are you following any politics? Anton Newcombe: Sure,but you can't want for other people what they don't want for themselves - basically what Putin says about American policy right now is true but then you have to ask yourself who do you want to win - it's a tough call because the corporate fascist brainwashed superstate will suck in many ways Kim Acrylic: I'm always curious to what actually terrifies people. And I don't mean common phobias like rodents or spiders. I mean huge, crippling fears or phobias. Do you have any? Anton Newcombe: Not really - when you have a fear - when I have a fear,I jump into the fire - it is my nature Kim Acrylic: Mental illness and art, do you think there is a level of necessity? Anton Newcombe: That's a myth - listen, society is fucked - the wise man is treated like the fool in the west Kim Acrylic: .I think society romanticizes everything. Mostly negative things. And I think that's how they make mental illness and addiction look 'pretty' is by associating it with sex, rock n' roll, models, fame in all aspects, really. Anton Newcombe: What is mental illness - we know it is governments that blow people up just the same as the terrorists and the mystic is treated as a fool.. Kardashian and Bruce Jenner as heroes. We live in strange times Kim Acrylic: Have you ever had that "Fuck this, I give up", moment? Anton Newcombe: On what? Kim Acrylic:  On life, On your career, or on anything that ever gotten you down, man Anton Newcombe: I don't give up Kim Acrylic: For you, what is the biggest difference being a musician in Europe versus in the US? Are you glad to be out of here? Anton Newcombe: I'm glad I live overseas...Berlin,Germany,the North countries and North?that shit has soul that shit is way deeper than 1776 Kim Acrylic: What was playing Glastonbury in 2014 like for you? So many great bands have played there. Anton Newcombe: We played main stage in 2008 too Kim Acrylic: Indeed, I loved that gig, too Which one was more memorable? Anton Newcombe: I enjoy playing anywhere if we are playing well - I'm not fond of festivals - I like to play long sets Kim Acrylic: They decide to shoot a biopic of your life, who would they cast to play you, Anton Newcombe: Tom mother-fucking-cruise in platforms Kim Acrylic: He Needs Platforms! (laughs) Kim Acrylic: And who would you want to play you? Anton Newcombe: Samuel Jackson, bitch Kim Acrylic: As you know, these are always two very different things in Hollywood. Kim Acrylic: It's been openly known that Frances Bean Cobain is a fan. You dig it or is it just 'she's the daughter of', hype? Anton Newcombe: Frances is cool - on the on hand I think people of my generation sort of adopted her because life can be so fucked on the other. I have a fondness for her and Isaiah and wish them the best Kim Acrylic:And finally, you are working on a soundtrack for the a Scottish film, yeah? Anton Newcombe: Moon Dogs - it's philip johns new movie and he's a very talented guy director of Downtown Abbey among other things -