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INTERVIEWS
Rock Midgets Interview
w/ Aimee Echo
Source: Rock
Midgets
Interviewer: Ruth Midget
date unknown
Aimee Echo tells us what we can expect from the new album, new fans, and reassures
us she'll always be making music...
It's a well-known fact. If you are in a band with an ounce of talent who disband in their prime, and form another band with fellow musicians, no matter who is in the band, or what you do, you will be labelled a Supergroup. And the word is cursed. Unless you've got at least two members of G'N'R, and shades dark enough to disguise the ravages of your party years, it's almost certain half your fans will be calling you a sellout, and the rest will be comparing you to your previous bands for eternity. Sure, it's largely our fault. The weight of expectation from rabid fans is so huge that nothing could live up to it. The label becomes and albatross around your neck. Without breathing space, most of these bands just suffocate and die.
However, some bands are smarter than that. In 2001, theSTART, released their debut slap in the face for the music industry, 'Shakedown!'. Sounding like Duran Duran tapes fed through a dance remixer worked by Gary Numan, with golden syrup poured all over the top, it was the last thing anyone could have expected from a collaboration which initially included Aimee Echo (Human Waste Project)and Mike Smith (Snot). A few lineup changes later, another self-financed EP, and Erick Sanger (Sparta), Billy Brimblecom JR. (Creature Comforts), Aimee, and Jamie Miller (Snot) have just left the studio after finishing the recording for new album 'Initiation'. Ruth sent some email questions off to Aimee herself for some quick words on what's to come...
You've been touring with The
Offspring in the States recently – how's that been?
WE HAVE BEEN HAVING AN AMAZING TIME WITH THE OFFSPRING. THEY AND THEIR CREW
ARE A GREAT BUNCH OF PEOPLE AND THE SHOWS HAVE BEEN SO PACKED… THE FIRST
LEG OF THIS TOUR THE INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONSPIRACY WAS SUPPORTING AND ON THIS
LEG MELISSA AUF DER MAUR IS OUT WITH US. WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF GOOD NEW FRIENDS.
Have you been giving tracks
from your forthcoming new album a workout while you've been touring with them?
If so, how does it feel to have a break from studio work? How does it feel to
finally get those songs out live?
ACTUALLY HALF OUR SET RIGHT NOW IS FROM THE NEW ALBUM. WE LOVE BEING IN THE
STUDIO BUT PLAYING LIVE IS THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE AND TO HAVE NEW MATERIAL
IS JUST SO REINSPIRING.
So, there was the ‘Death
Via Satellite' EP in 2002, then we didn't hear anything from you. What have
you been up to since then?
TOURING TOURING TOURING! WE JUMPED IN THE VAN AND DIDN'T REALLY STOP... WE HAVE
PLAYED WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT AND DIVERSE BANDS OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST
TWO YEARS. IT HAS BEEN A VERY FORMATIVE TIME FOR US.
You've been working recently
on your second album – does it have a name yet? What about tracklisting?
IT WILL BE CALLED "INTITIATION" AND INCLUDES THE SONGS:
LIKE DAYS
LIFE IS SWEET
PEACOCKS
THE UNDERWATER SONG
ALL OR NOTHING
INTIATION
A THOUSAND YEARS
THE CONVERSATION
DEAD END QUEEN
CHRISTIAN CHRISTIAN
JEWEL
YOU ME AND A KNIFE
When and where have you been
recording?
WE DID THE BULK OF THE RECORDING AT BRAIN VIRTUE'S HOUSE... WE DID THE RHYTHM
TRACKS AT SUNSET SOUND... MOST OF THE RECORDING WAS DONE IN FEB.
Who are you working with, production-wise?
BRIAN VIRTUE AND JAMIE MILLER *
What's it like recording in
Sunset Sound, with the number of awesome records recorded there (originally
where soundtracks to Disney films such as Bambi were laid down, it's also where
artists as diverse as Stevie Nicks, Poison, The Doors and Beck have recorded
- Ed.)?
VERY INSPIRING... WE LOVE SUNSET SOUND WE DID OUR FIRST RECORD THERE... IT HAS
A SPECIAL ENERGY AND SOUND ALL IT'S OWN.
Have you been suffering from
difficult second album syndrome?
NOT AT ALL. IT SEEMS EASIER THIS TIME THAN EVER TO WRITE AND RECORD...
How does it compare to Shakedown?
What can we expect from the new CD?
DARKER MORE COMPLEX MUSICALLY AND LYRICALLY... A MORE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE RATHER
THAN A COLLECTION OF SONGS.
What's the provisional release
date?
AUGUST 24 IN THE US SEPTEMBER 13 IN THE UK...
Any favourites among the songs
you've recorded so far for the new CD?
I LIKE THEM ALL FOR DIFFERENT REAS0NS... BUT I THINK THE CONVERSATION IS MY
CURRENT FAVE.
With your collective histories,
it is fair to say a lot of people in the past have checked out the band because
of your pedigree. Are you finding you're getting more attention for what you're
producing now than for the band's collective past projects? How do you feel
about that?
I THINK MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE INTO THIS BAND NOW DID NOT EXPERIENCE OUR FORMER
BANDS... IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME HAPPY TO KNOW PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THE START BECAUSE
OF THE START.
When I saw you play Manchester
a while ago, I remember your closing words were "we are theSTART, you are
theSTART…". Why those words?
WELL I FEEL WE CAN CHOOSE A NEW PATH AT ANY MOMENT IN LIFE. IT IS AN EMPOWERING
THOUGHT. THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO CONVEY.
What's your favourite way of
keeping boredom at bay when you're in the studio?
I LOVE TO READ AND PORE OVER MY RECORD COLLECTION FOR INSPIRATION.
Debate question: Why is any
band with girls in instantly labelled a "girl-band", and either dismissed
or applauded as such?
BECAUSE THE WORLD IS A WICKED AND DIFFICULT PLACE
The entire band is stuck on
a rubber raft in the middle of a huge ocean. There's no plant or animal life
for miles. There's just you guys on this rubber raft, floating endlessly. So
who do you eat first?
I AM A VEGAN SO THEY'D PROBABLY EAT ME FIRST.
A gypsy gives you a crystal
ball, and tells you that if you look into it, you can see yourself in five years
time. So what do you see?
WOW I DON'T THINK I CAN ANSWER THAT . I COULD GIVE YOU A WISH OR TWO BUT NO
PREDICTIONS... STILL MAKING MUSIC DEFINITELY. ALWAYS.