Tomorrows Tulips Blossom with New Album
Categories: album preview, local bands
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While many young bands eagerly await the day that they're able to record in the big, professional studio and get out of their garage, Alex Knost and Christina Kee learned the merits of keeping it simple. Tomorrows Tulips began recording their debut album, Eternally Teenage, at Costa Mesa's The Distillery with friend Mike McHugh on reel to reel tape. After recording half of the album analog, the duo headed up to a studio that shall remain nameless in San Francisco, per the recommendation of Galaxia Records, to finish up the last half of the album. The result was underwhelming to Knost and Kee. Singer Knost attributes this to a variety of reasons, among them the value of recording analog.
They then decided to come back home and finish the album where they started. The end product is Eternally Teenage, a 14 song album more suited to their sparse and sweet lo-fi sound. We spoke to singer Knost in anticipation of his new album, out Tuesday, and show Saturday at Burger Records in Fullerton.
See the interview after the jump!
They then decided to come back home and finish the album where they started. The end product is Eternally Teenage, a 14 song album more suited to their sparse and sweet lo-fi sound. We spoke to singer Knost in anticipation of his new album, out Tuesday, and show Saturday at Burger Records in Fullerton.
See the interview after the jump!
OC Weekly: Where did the name for the album, Eternally Teenage, come from?
Alex Knost: That was the name of the first song we wrote. At the time it wasn't really a band. I was just playing with Christina and I was playing with Japanese Motors. It had gotten to a point where we were on a label and touring non-stop, constantly loosing money. We were in the hole. You know it's just typical struggling band stuff. I was frustrated and wasn't really enjoying it.
When we wrote that song Christina didn't have any idea how to play. I read an article on a musician, it was actually that day when we wrote the song, about how rock and roll is a juvenile thing. It's done on primal instinct. No matter what age the musician is, there's always that element of needing to be juvenile and primal. With Christina not having experience or being taught, there was this moment of inspiration where I saw the charm and what would be noted as amateur approach. That kind of reflected the name of the song and the record.
How has your experience with Japanese Motors affected how you approach Tomorrows Tulips?
I learned a lot but I'm happy to be where I'm at now. Experience gives you confidence and freedom. If you're working on something that's in anyway artistic, it can come in handy you know. This is less stressful; having different members come in and play and changing. You come into it knowing it's not a well-lubricated machine it's more of an emotional thing of people getting together and playing music.
What went into recording Eternally Teenage?
Alex Knost: That was the name of the first song we wrote. At the time it wasn't really a band. I was just playing with Christina and I was playing with Japanese Motors. It had gotten to a point where we were on a label and touring non-stop, constantly loosing money. We were in the hole. You know it's just typical struggling band stuff. I was frustrated and wasn't really enjoying it.
When we wrote that song Christina didn't have any idea how to play. I read an article on a musician, it was actually that day when we wrote the song, about how rock and roll is a juvenile thing. It's done on primal instinct. No matter what age the musician is, there's always that element of needing to be juvenile and primal. With Christina not having experience or being taught, there was this moment of inspiration where I saw the charm and what would be noted as amateur approach. That kind of reflected the name of the song and the record.
How has your experience with Japanese Motors affected how you approach Tomorrows Tulips?
I learned a lot but I'm happy to be where I'm at now. Experience gives you confidence and freedom. If you're working on something that's in anyway artistic, it can come in handy you know. This is less stressful; having different members come in and play and changing. You come into it knowing it's not a well-lubricated machine it's more of an emotional thing of people getting together and playing music.
What went into recording Eternally Teenage?
We recorded it at the Distillery with Mike McHugh. We recorded half of the songs with him and we actually went up north to San Francisco to use a studio the label uses a lot to record some songs there. After we got back, we felt that it sounded better recorded on tape. And Mike McHugh is our friend so he's easier and more natural to work with. When you go somewhere and you set out to do something you tend to over think it. It's less immediate than opposed to recording the same way you would at home.
So we ended up going back [to the Distillery] and finishing up recording there. It was kind of by the hip where you just jam it out and lay down the tracks and do it again until your happy with it. When we went up north, you explain your sound to an engineer and it may not be what you're trying to convey to him. It doesn't translate. It's not that the studio was bad or anything it's just everyone has a opinion of what certain things mean.
Last time we spoke with you Tomorrows Tulips had pretty much just started. What have you two been up to since last January?
We recorded the album four months ago. It's been out for mastering. Ever since we figured out we were done with it, we haven't been playing out that much. More just playing at home and trying to write more songs. We've been laying kind of low. Now that the records out we're excited to play songs.
Recently, we've been practicing with other members to play with us at shows. The record was just Christina and I but there were three guitars and bass on some songs. To translate it live with one guitar is kind of difficult. So we got two additional guitarist and a bass player. One guitar is a 12 string. Kind of gives it a unique sound.
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| Eternally Teenage |
Is that a permanent addition to the lineup?
The band in general is ever changing. It's the nice part about being a two-piece. We can play just as a two piece in a bookstore in a quiet environment and we can put the accents and the frosting on if you want to play bars where everyone's drunk, you know?
You've toured across the country with Japanese Motors. What's the best part of playing in Orange County?
There's a lot of really great bands. You go to some cities and theirs a lot of separation because people move to places like New York or Los Angeles to persue a career in music- and that's great because you come across people and new ideas. But in Orange County, a lot of the people you see over and over and you watch people's music develop- everyone's taste and style change. You feed off that energy. A lot of guys we play music with played in other bands and it's a nice community. Everyone more or less gets along. It's exciting; it's stimulating.
Orange County, in relationship to Los Angeles, comes off as the red headed step-child but it creates a really cool modest sensibility about the place. No one has an ego.
Where's your favorite place to play locally?
House parties are what keep the community going. When the Growlers have shows at their warehouse, it's really cool because it's less of a business, you know? It's hard for a venue to be able to pay a band and let all their friends in for free and give away drinks for free because a lot of the kids don't have money to- well, if they can even get it because they're probably underage, right? They don't have $9 for beer. Or you can go to the liquor store on 19th Street and get beer for $2. House parties are more affordable and more accessable.
You've toured across the country with Japanese Motors. What's the best part of playing in Orange County?
There's a lot of really great bands. You go to some cities and theirs a lot of separation because people move to places like New York or Los Angeles to persue a career in music- and that's great because you come across people and new ideas. But in Orange County, a lot of the people you see over and over and you watch people's music develop- everyone's taste and style change. You feed off that energy. A lot of guys we play music with played in other bands and it's a nice community. Everyone more or less gets along. It's exciting; it's stimulating.
Orange County, in relationship to Los Angeles, comes off as the red headed step-child but it creates a really cool modest sensibility about the place. No one has an ego.
Where's your favorite place to play locally?
House parties are what keep the community going. When the Growlers have shows at their warehouse, it's really cool because it's less of a business, you know? It's hard for a venue to be able to pay a band and let all their friends in for free and give away drinks for free because a lot of the kids don't have money to- well, if they can even get it because they're probably underage, right? They don't have $9 for beer. Or you can go to the liquor store on 19th Street and get beer for $2. House parties are more affordable and more accessable.
Tomorrows Tulips performs Saturday with Dirt Dress at Burger Records, 645 S. State College Blvd., Fullerton. (714) 336-0561. 4 p.m. All Ages. Please don't park in front on their neighbors.
Also, Tomorrows Tulips performs Sunday with Dirt Dress, Allah Las, and Black Sea at the Prospector, 2400 E. 17th St., Long Beach, (562) 438-3839. 10 p.m., $5. 21+
Also, Tomorrows Tulips performs Sunday with Dirt Dress, Allah Las, and Black Sea at the Prospector, 2400 E. 17th St., Long Beach, (562) 438-3839. 10 p.m., $5. 21+
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