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Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 |
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Exclusive interview with NYC rockers the Natural History
MATT LAJOIE
STAFF WRITER
WBOR is proud to announce its first sponsored concert of the year, which will take place on Thursday, November 20. Headlining the show is New York indie-rock band the Natural History.
Coming off recent tours with Spoon, Idlewild, and the French Kicks, and following the release of their debut LP Beat Beat. Heartbeat last May, the Natural History's rhythmically quirky, slightly dissonant indie-pop is reaching attentive ears across the country.
Their songs hearken back to a time before Elvis Costello ever thought that collaborating with Burt Bacharach would be a good idea, yet they sound new and completely different from any "New York indie band" with whom you might be tempted to compare them.
With jarring though catchy guitar riffs, melodic bass lines, and driving, irregular rhythms all supporting vocals that stick in your head more and more with each listen, the Natural History is a band that knows good rock music. I had the chance to interview Max Tepper, lead vocalist and guitarist for the Natural History, about things such as music and world domination.
Orient: How did the band form?
Max Tepper: We formed in 2001. Derek [Vockins, drums] and I had been playing together for a long time. Our previous band had just broken up. We looked for bass players for a bit; couldn't find any to our liking. Julian [Tepper, bass] was graduating college, wanted to play music, and then became the most obvious choice.
O: How would you describe the way the Natural History sounds to someone who has never heard you before?
MT: Dark pop.
O: Your debut full-length Beat Beat. Heartbeat has been compared to such bands as XTC, Wire, Spoon, and Elvis Costello and the Attractions. How accurate do you think these comparisons are, and who do you consider to be influences on your sound?
MT: All of those are accurate. Not as much XTC as I would like. All of the above mentioned are big influences of mine. Less so of the whole band's. I also LOVE the Kinks, Beatles, Rolling Stones, lots of soul music, David Bowie, and a whole bunch of new bands.
O: What are some of your favorite albums of all time?
MT: The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur, the Beatles' Rubber Soul and Revolver, Elvis Costello's This Year's Model, Sly and the Family Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On...the list is very long....
O: Who has been your favorite band to tour with?
MT: Spoon, French Kicks, The Pattern, and Enon.
O: Who would you most like to tour with that you haven't had a chance to yet?
MT: I'd love to tour with Les Savy Fav. That would be a hoot.
O: Would you say that the popularity of the New York "indie scene" and success of bands like the Strokes and Interpol is a curse or a blessing to the Natural History?
MT: A blessing if anything, but no real impact either way.
O: Are you in the process of writing new songs for the next album, and if so, how are they similar to or different from the songs on Beat Beat. Heartbeat?
MT: Yes! They are different from some of the older songs that made it to Beat Beat. Heartbeat. More sparse, but still tense and rockin'. I'll know better in February when we're ready to record.
O: What are the Natural History's plans for the not-so-distant future?
MT: Writing songs for the new record, recording in March or early April, touring during spring, record release in beginning of September. World domination by first week of October.
The Natural History will be performing along with the Exchange Students at Senior Pub Night on Thursday in Jack Magee's Pub. The Exchange Students, a rock band based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, which features Bowdoin grads Colin Thibadeau '03 and Chris Bail '02, will start the show at 11:00 p.m., with the Natural History performing directly after.
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