MC: I just love the very eclectic range of elements in your music.  What are some of your musical influences?  Who did you listen to in your musically formative years, so to speak?

Randall Keith: Anything and everything from the early Chess records catalog.  Later on, artists such as Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk and Charles Mingus really changed my concepts of harmony and composition.

Mather Louth: Personally, my musical influences run the proverbial gamut. Growing up, I was raised on music spanning from Vivaldi to The Cars, and I suppose that eclectic tradition has continued throughout my life. As far as who I would be able to classify as constant musical touchstones, I am always mystified by music bolstered by a voice that instantly seems able to turn your insides out and shake you like a revival meeting. Some of those voices…Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Patsy Cline, Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins…all iconic in their own right, and always in my regular rotation.

Jon Nilsen: Not to be repetitive, but the whole gamut. I could be twit and boast that it’s broader than Mather’s because I’m older than she and have had more time to listen to music. But someday I’ll be old and senile, while she’s still sprightly and able to hear new music; so I won’t go there. Being a sax player, a jazz influence is almost an unspoken given. Especially the tenor giants, Ben Webster, Lester Young and Dexter Gordon. The power and breadth of sound they could get out of the horn definitely set the overall tonal quality of the bands when they played.  With the more modern horn players, I’ve been drawn to bands such as Oingo Boingo and Fishbone that used the horn sections to add a chaotic layer of harmonics that blended with the rest of the instrumentation.  Listening to Dana Colley of Morphine showed me how approaching the sax as a replacement for the rhythm guitar, rather than a lead, can add this same sort of textural layering to the songs as a lone horn player without sounding like a weak, anemic R&B band missing a few members or resorting to derivative fills that have dominated much of the post-bop playing styles.

Adam Bankhead: Before I was a “musician,” it was the Cure, L&R, PIL, the Smiths, Suicidal Tendencies, Pixies, Minor Threat…  Then at the age of 10, I started playing music as though it was a sport.  Very into the technical aspect of it.  I played in drum corps, listened to Yes, Rush, King Crimson, Tower of Power, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc.  Math rock, I call it now.  All those time changes were soothing to my ADD. Also, not having to bear the terrible burden of looking cool, as evidenced by greasy mullets and guitar straps cinched short enough to choke a poodle.  That’s a plus. Luckily, my appreciation for acrobatics and technical prowess eventually led me to straight-ahead jazz- Miles, Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Bird, Coleman, etc.  And the annoying snobbery of music school led to an appreciation of the other side of the

guitar-strap-length spectrum, like Supergrass, Madness, Bowie, Nirvana just to name a few… you get the idea.

MC: Many current cabaret performers sort of harken back to the 20’s and 30’s.  The vibe I get from your music is more of a ‘40’s-early ‘60s mix of swing, jazz, beat-poets, blues, and even rockabilly.  Instead of the frantic lets-party-before-the-storm attitude, you exude an attitude of “we-ARE-the-storm, baby”!  Your sound is BIG.   Was this something you consciously aim for, or did it just occur naturally?

Randall: Well. if you think about it – we are essentially an acoustic band with an electric guitar. The combination of an upright bass, sax and drums could just as easily is comfortable playing unobtrusive background music to the dinner crowd.  There is a risk of getting lost in the din of a rock club and we have to arrange the instrument parts so that they compliment each other and maximize the sonic and harmonic possibilities. That’s what gives us our sound. There’s a huge difference between what we do and just playing loud, which is what many bands seem to think constitutes a big sound.  Mather also puts a lot of thought into the tonal characteristics of her guitar playing for each song, giving each tune its own sonic landscape.  Riding on top of all that is Mather’s lung power.  So yes, I would definitely say our sound is deliberate, intentional and focused. At times, some of the creative aspects occur quite naturally and some songs have a momentum of their own in the birthing process, but again, the final outcome will always have a large measure of control.

Mather: Agreed. Relating back to my musical influences, I have always been fascinated by the shoegaze scene and the otherworldly guitar tones that play such an integral role within that specific genre. As Randall mentioned, I love creating “landscapes” for each song, not unlike how a film composer will integrate specific sounds and textures into a scene to enhance the story’s momentum. In fact, as a band we’re often described as “cinematic”, so it’s flattering to hear that the music conjures the vision of a storm for you, Aiden. J

MC: A lot of Goths see absolutely no connection with Swing, Jazz, and even Blues, but I see a lot of common elements.  For example, both were considered to be subversive in their heyday. Like Goth, both became watered-down and co-opted by the mainstream. They were very innovative and unlike anything that came before them.   There was definitely a dark side to many of the famous figures in these genres. What do you think?  Am I too far off the mark?

Randall: An excellent point. I would go as far to say that this is (unfortunately) common to many, if not all, styles of music.  Early rock and roll, punk, rap, hip-hop, soul, metal, etc.  The originators and innovators of these styles were tired of hearing the co-opted versions of whatever was once fresh-sounding and exciting from the prior generation’s musical achievements. There is a measure of anger and intolerance in the need to break away from mediocrity and the unmotivated masses.  These individuals had passion – that “artistic temperament” if you will.  So if, in referring to the “dark side” of human nature, you are referring to the visceral, raw, emotion-fueled side of the human psyche, then yes, you’re on the mark.

Mather: Certainly there is an element of darkness in the blues. I feel that blues, folk, and country (which could all be considered forms of “folk”, really) started out as the musical expression of the long-suffering working class. All of those unintentional pioneers sublimated their sadness, loss, and personal demons into a musical form that helped them to cope with the difficulties they faced. Over time, those genres birthed new genres, and so on and so forth through the present. Gothic music often utilizes blue notes or progressions, and the subject matter often delves into themes of sadness, loss, and personal demons present in the blues- not to mention the Devil himself (who was always a popular subject with one of the greats, Robert Johnson!) I think there has always been a thread of darkness running through the musical bloodline, as human suffering is a universal theme in music, regardless of genre.

MC: You started out as a one-woman show, so to speak, and then you enlisted Randall, Adam, and Jon.  Did having a band influence the processes of how you developed your music at all?

Mather: Oh, absolutely. When I started composing, I had a very experimental and primitive approach to songwriting. However, I have never been a fan of the stereotypical “singer/songwriter” type that runs their band with an iron fist and expects their bandmates to carry out their mad visions without the slightest bit of creative collaboration. Adam, Jon, and Randall each add such distinctive musical viewpoints along with excellent musicianship, so it would be incredibly dense and foolish not to foster a collaborative environment. Besides, oftentimes the “refining process” during rehearsals results in a stronger song than I ever could have written on my own. Nowadays, I find myself able to focus on building the skeleton of a song, because I am confident that the guys will be able to build the connective tissue, so to speak. From time to time, I will revisit original recordings of some of my earliest work (Desert Woman and Marisela included) as a means of witnessing the evolution of the music. It never fails to fascinate me how far the songs have come.

MC: You recently moved to the desert.  How did your move go?  What are some of the things that made you decide to move to where you are now?

Mather: Indeed I did, though it’s more of a pit stop than anything! Until recently, I have called various neighborhoods of Hollywood home since first moving out to California. The move itself was mostly for a personal reason, but provided an additional opportunity to escape the undesirable self-absorbed culture so closely associated with Hollywood. I guess you could call it my “five-year itch”!

MC: How is your touring going? Do you have any plans to come to the East Coast? (Hint, Hint!)

Mather: Well, we have been submitting to a number of prestigious festivals both in and out of state. Touring does require a considerable amount of planning with regards to finances, so it’s in our best interest to be very selective about booking shows outside of our usual radius. However, I know we would love to come to the East Coast (as all of us have lived there at one point or another), and certainly when the right opportunity presents itself, we will be eager to travel there!

MC: This one is for Randall:  are there any advantages that a double-bass lends over an electric bass in your particular style of music?

Randall: The double-bass has many advantages over the electric bass…..except for ease of transportation!  The electric bass is fun and in the hands of the right player, quite versatile, BUT, the upright is capable of many more subtleties of expression. It also makes you work harder at your craft. The upright can be an uncooperative, defiant (and at times, violent) lover. But in the end it’s always worth the extra effort.

MC: Have you ever felt any pressure to compromise on your music to make it more “accessible” (cough*cough) to the mainstream?   What would you say if someone were to suggest this?

Mather: Oh good lord, no! Firstly, the mainstream does not even truly have an opinion as to what it wants. Creating that opinion is the job of advertisers, PR sharks, and other “tastemakers”. Top 40 music receives its ranking oftentimes solely due to how much money a label will pump into their artist, not by the actual validity of the talent being spoon-fed to the masses. Besides, most of the performers that we love and respect as a band are considered to be cult favorites, and oftentimes, cult fans tend to be much more loyal to the band, and not so easily swayed by the fickle pendulum that is the pop music business.

Randall: Never. Period. I would not be capable of having a conversation with such an individual.  It is impossible to explain what integrity is to someone who thinks that way.  Also, such an individual would never have the facility to comprehend what it means to have a complete lack of interest in pleasing mainstream tastes for the sole purpose of attaining “success” (read: MONEY) and “fame”.

Adam: If a sexy front-woman in fishnets and a corset isn’t enough mainstream appeal, then it’s pretty safe to say that we will never have mainstream appeal.

MC: Who are some of your musical heroes? (This can be present as well as past.)   Who do you see as kindred spirits in underground music today?

Randall: Lester Young. Dexter Gordon. Howlin’ Wolf. Muddy Waters. Charles Mingus. Count Basie. Astor Piazzolla. Tom Waits. The New York Dolls. Metallica. Judas Priest. Lydia Lunch (and all of her early collaborations). X. Beethoven.  Can’t say I know much of anything about any contemporary music from the last decade – underground or otherwise.

Mather: I don’t know if I would call them “heroes”, but certainly some musicians I would count among my favorites (other than those mentioned initially) include The Velvet Underground, Cab Calloway, Jesus and Mary Chain, Hank Williams, My Bloody Valentine. The kindred spirits that I see from more recent times are Mark Lanegan, Gallon Drunk, Morphine, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Mazzy Star. Sadly, some of those bands are now defunct due to various reasons, but perhaps we are meant to carry the torch for them.

Jon: To the above lists I’ll add Love and Rockets, Dramarama, Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Catherine Wheel, Madness, English Beat, Gershwin, Ozomatli as bands consistently in rotation. For more nascent bands, I’m finding Last Shadow Puppets, Silversun Pickups and Shiny Toy Guns creeping into the playlist on a more regular basis.

Adam: Elvin Jones, while in the studio, when questioned on liberties taken while trading 4’s, responded with “well, sometimes my 4’s take a little longer.”  He is my hero.

MC: Do you have any plans to release another CD anytime soon?   What sort of plans are in the works for Mather Louth and radio Noir?  Is there anything else you would like to add?

Mather: Honestly, I know I would love to release a full-length CD in the next year or so. For now, we do have our EP, “The Swamp Jazz Sessions” available for download on both iTunes as well as Amazon, and physical copies are always for sale at our shows. We have also started talks to film a music video, most likely for our song “Damned Lady”. As always, fans can stay posted on our performances and other announcements by visiting our MySpace page at www.myspace.com/matherlouth. In addition, we are located on Facebook, ReverbNation, and many other sites reachable via a simple Google search. Finally, I’d like to thank you for a lovely interview!