Baltimore's Thrushes have steadily garnered more and more acclaim as their career continues- they played at CMJ in New York this past winter and will open for the Raveonettes on March 28th at the Ottobar. Guitarist Casey Harvey shot the breeze with us about influences, the "shoegaze" subgenre and more. Selections from their 2007 debut Sun Come Undone and the upcoming Heartbeats Remixes EP- can be experienced at www.myspace.com/thrushes.
When did the band form?
Fall 2005.
What are Thrushes' top five most influential bands?
Tough question. We all listen to different types of music. I think we can all agree on the classics from our youth: Sonic Youth, Pixies, Jesus & Mary Chain, classic 1960s girl groups like The Ronettes, Crystals, and the Shangri-Las.
What do the lyrics of Thrushes songs usually discuss?
Highly autobiographical topics.
You released "Sun Come Undone" roughly a year ago, and you're already looking into studio time for the next full-length. How quickly do you write songs?
We write pretty quickly, and usually finish songs in three to four hours.
Where does your inspiration come from? Just being together and playing stuff we like.
The demo version of the new song "Trees" seems to be more rhythmically driving than many of the "Sun Come Undone" songs, but still preserves the riverbed guitar sound Thrushes is rooted in. Are the other newer songs similar?
I think "Trees" is typical of the songs for the next record. More driving and rock 'n' roll. Ryan replacing Matt on drums has a good deal to do with that, I think.
What new songs will appear on the next record?
We've got about two-thirds of the songs for the next record written. We've been trying them out live over the past few months. Standouts include "Trees," "Night Falls," "Crystals," "As Much to Lose," and "Tattoo."
The musical subgenre of shoegaze- which you guys associate yourselves with- is also one many different-sounding bands have been tagged with in the past, while sounding very little alike (i.e., Ride and Curve). What do you think the hallmarks of a shoegaze band's sound is?
Tough to say, but definitely effects-heavy guitars and pretty-sounding vocals.
How are effects used in Thrushes?
My goal is to give the impression of a symphonic orchestra. Very much in the Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" mindset- to create drama and emotion.
You (Casey) in particular use several different distortions- does each have a different purpose?
They have different tones. Also, they allow me to control explosive dynamics. When using them in sequence, I get a lot of subtle harmonics, which add to the overall textural element of the sound.
At what point do you think effects get excessive?
Really depends on the application. No fine line here.
Some believe shoegaze has been on the rise since My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields allowing "Sometimes" to appear on the Lost in Translation soundtrack, as well as adding his own solo contributions. What's your take on the rash of new shoegaze and shoegaze-inspired bands (like say, the Silversun Pickups) coming out?
Seems to be the overall cycle of re-invention from the next generation of musicians. Makes sense after the garage rock and new wave revivals. Probably somewhat nostalgic for a different time when "120 Minutes" (an old MTV music video block) meant everything to hormone-addled teenagers.
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