pacificUV: Heartwrenching Post Rock at more than 50 beats per minute
TobiasHow does Portland compare to Athens in terms of their respective music scenes?
Portland has a much bigger, more diverse music scene which can be both inspiring and intimidating. I do not go out as much as I used to, so I mainly hear about these new Portland bands through word of mouth or online.
In terms of line-up, the second incarnation of pacificUV is essentially an entirely new band ...
I decided to stick with the same name because I found like minded individuals who understood how the old band sounded and wanted to create a record that was a logical progression of the first. If I had decided to move into a different genre, than I might have changed the name. The new lineup is composed of friends I made in Portland. Moving forward, pacificUV can almost be seen more as a collective than a band. Future records will feature a rotating cast of musicians and friends, but with a few core members constant on each record. It has proved too difficult to find a steady lineup that remains for each record. Although we have only released three records, pacificUV has had more than 25 people in it over the years!
Are you still in contact with Howard?
Yes! Howard is currently in medical school in Augusta, Georgia and is a proud member of the class of 2012.
Your last tour had its ups and downs. In how much were you able to recreate your cinematic studio sound on the stage?
Creating the sound of the record live is difficult if not impossible. I think in the future we will use more samples and electronic layers to add to our live sound. Rather than treating playing live as a chance to recreate the record, from now on live will be a different, stripped down version of the live songs.
How would you rate the importance of electronics on your current sound?
Electronic music is becoming more important in our sound. In fact, our next record will be far more upbeat and electronic than anything in the past. I am writing new songs in a music program called Reason, that is primarily for electronic music. I love several songs on the Justice record as well as Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, "exterminator" by Primal Scream, and Air. All of these bands have influenced the sound of our new record. I am very excited about this new direction and it will be fun to play these songs live since they are, unlike our old songs, more than 50 beats per minute!
The media are of course always quick in drawing links between different bands and genres. On the other hand, there are obviously other groups who share similar approaches and aesthetics. In which way, would you say, do you feel attached to a "scene" and directly inspired by what other, befriended acts are doing?
I am aware of acts similar to us, but other than sigur ros, I try not to listen to them too much. I feel part of no scene and feel that associating with a scene may limit a band's musical ambition. Scenes by nature are exclusionary, and there is too much good music out there of all styles and decades, to narrowly define your sound as one genre.
Homepage: pacificUV
Homepage: WARM Records
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