iNTERViEWED
BY BRiAN LUSH
I have learned not to underestimate the power of the EP.
Clearly the Chicago-based REMAINDERMEN understand the power of one
all too
well with the release of their curiously delectable BORDER STATES.
Despite the
brevity (seven songs) the ideas and the execution of sound is both
expansive
and edgy. It’s almost hard to believe that the band – formerly known as
TRIO IN
STEREO – got their start as a basement party band at
Indiana
State
University
six years
earlier. Now with a name change and an embrace of a pop sensibility
(though
they haven’t entirely shed their instrumental roots) REMAINDERMEN
have
proven themselves to be
the indie
band to pay attention to for the remainder of the year and beyond.
BORDER
STATES is a sonic journey that opens with the processional march of
‘O’IMMACULATE!’
A heavy drum sound with an eerie bass line opens the track. Eventually
an
electronic keyboard whistle chimes in followed by a spider-y guitar
riff. The
echo-y vocals of PJ MCMAHON comes to the fore establishing the moody
opener as
a pop moment rather than an incessant jam. Two-thirds of the way
through – when
you get a sense that no more progress is to be made – the tempo picks
up and
the song begins to rock out. Another moment for this CD is ‘TIDES IN’ –
an
ENO-esque piece punctuated by call and response vocals. Once again this
is a
song that builds itself up to an ecclesiastic crescendo and the
listener is in
flight before they know it.
ROCKWIRED
spoke with drummer CHRIS KOLODZIEJ of THE
REMAINDERMEN over the phone. Here is how it went.
How do you feel about
the CD now that it’s almost out there for people to hear (July 15, 2010) and all of the work
that has
gone into making it is behind you?
I think we’re feeling pretty good.
What do you think is
the biggest difference from the first release?
It’s hard to say. In some ways I don’t think that it’s all
that much different because some of the songs on this album were
written around
the same time that some of our earlier songs were written. What is
different
about this CD is that some of the songs on it are kind of still
evolving where
as with the last album a lot of the songs were set in how we wrote them
and we
had been playing them the same way for a while. The songs on this album
are
definitely going to be evolving songs.
Talk about the genesis
of this band. How did it begin?
It actually began with the bass player having some guys come
over to his apartment back in college at Indiana
University
in Bloomington.
We all got together and played
some music and over the course of six to eight months and after a while
it kind
of evolved into playing in basements to playing clubs and then
releasing
albums. It evolved naturally. It wasn’t anything that we ever really
talk about
too much.
How did music begin
for you?
I actually started playing drums when I was in junior high.
It all kind of started when I got a hold of mix tape that one of my
friends had
made. One side of it was BAD RELIGION and the other side was STATIC
AGE. Me and
a couple of my friends really got into it and we started a punk rock
band but
no one had a drum kit so I got some money from my parents and bought a
drum kit
and started playing.
Talk
about you band
mates and what it is that you think each of them brings to
the not just
musically but personality-wise that makes this whole thing work.
MIKE the guitar player has been playing guitar for a long
time and has even studied guitar. He took a lot of courses in college
on
Brazilian guitar music and stuff like that. Even though our music is
much
different form that you can still hear that influence. He’s very much a
rhythmic guitar player and that adds a lot to the rhythm section of
this band.
MARK the bass player is really into bands that are more instrumental
bands and
you can hear that in his bass playing. LOGAN
is the keyboardist and he’s classically trained and has played in a lot
of jazz
and in classical ensembles. When he was in high school, he played out
in Europe as a
part of jazz quartet that he was in. He’s the
guy who really helps us structure these songs. He’s got a really good
knack for
putting chords together. PJ – the singer – is in to a lot of different
music
and he and I got into music back in college and he just started singing
in a
band for fun and he just kind of grew into this one.
How does the
songwriting process work in this band?
It’s pretty loose actually. Most songs generate a couple of
different ways. In one way, someone might have a chord progression and
we will
jam on it for a while. Usually
there is
a consensus that the progression that we’ve been working on can be
turned into
a song. A lot of our songs come from improvisation. We also have the
“junkyard”
of riffs that we never used in songs and sometimes we’ll take those
parts and
build up a song kind of like FRANKENSTEIN. Sometimes that is the most
common
thing that happens.
What songs off of the
album stand out for you the most and why.
The one that stands out for me the most is the first track ‘OH
IMMACULATE!’ I think the reason why it sticks out for me is because
it’s our
oldest song. It’s a song that we’ve been playing for about four years
now. I
also think that it’s one of the best songs that we play live. It’s one
of our
most consistent songs and it’s really defined as a song. It’s
definitely a pop
song and for that reason, it stands out for me. It’s a pretty good
toe-tapping
pop song. It’s one of the most comfortable songs to play. When we do it for a live
set, the song just
comes really naturally to me. Other than that I would say the last song
‘TIDES
IN’ stand out for me because it has a different feel. It was written by
our
bass player MARK. I can’t quite explain it but for me, the song has a
completely different feel.
Talk about live
shows. How have people reacted to the band?
I think pretty well. We’ve been playing live now for about
six years. People tend to react to us pretty well. I think lately,
people have
been reacting better than ever. I think because we’ve been playing for
so long
that we’ve gotten pretty solid at doing a good live show. We’re pretty
good
about being on our toes because we’re all accustomed to improvisation
but
lately we’ve been working a lot more on doing different kinds of segues
from
song to song. Usually our sets are like forty-five minutes but right
now we’re
retooling the set to where we play the first thirty minutes non-stop. I
think
segueing the songs that way has made the music a bigger hit for the
crowd.
Since starting this
band, what has been the biggest surprise for you?
We started this band in college and playing in a basement.
Back then I wouldn’t have expected us all to move to Chicago
together, playing for this many
years, doing some albums and I didn’t expect the progression of our
music. When
we started, some the songs were instrumental and were fifteen minutes
long and
had a lot of drone-y synths going on. Now, we’re an indie pop band and
I
wouldn’t have predicted any of that.
What do you want a
person to come away with after they’ve heard it?
I’m just hoping that people like it and that it is something
that people can listen to and put on in their apartments and just have
a good
time with. I would just like for people to feel comfortable with it.
MAY 10,
2010
BRiAN
LUSH (FOUNDER,
EDiTOR-iN-CHiEF)
