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Interview with Moving Units
Interviewed By: Jacob
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Jacob & Kevchino sat down with Chris Hathwell, Blake Miller and Johan Boegli back stage at the El Rey Theatre.We fired a barage of questons in their dressing room after their sound check to get the low down with the band on February 7th, 2004. |
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Let's get started by introducing yourselves and what instruments you play?
Chris: My name is Chris and I play drums.
Blake: I’m Blake I play guitar and I sing
Johan: Johan, bass.
How did the band come together?
Johan: We answered that question far to many times to sound original.
Chris: We going to make Johan answer most of the questions.
Moving Units formed in 2001 cause you felt an uninspiring lull in the Silverlake music scene?
Johan: Yeah it was that.
Chris: We just wanted to hear what we thought was missing.
Did you guys have any prior music projects before Moving Units?
Chris: Blake and I have always kind of played together for a while but nothing ever really came out of it. We always played together for a while and we’ve all been in other bands before.
Blake: It seems like we were all in the same place in our lives when we kind of gave up hope for creating music on any kind of real platform. We all fans of music and we would all swap stories about shows we’ve seen or records that we liked. Our last gasp, we went into the studio and started jamming out and it clicked real fast and seemed worth trying again.
You've toured with Canada's Hot Hot Heat, and The Pattern, and the Rapture. What was the most extensive tour for the band thus far?
Chris: We’ve played two dates with the Rapture.
We’ve toured with The Locust. And that was our first real tour.
Did you find the reception of Noise core fans worked well?
Johan: There was always some. Some places were better than others.
Chris: (Chris lights up a Parliament light) Depending on what city we were in there was always a few people that liked us, but it would just depend I guess. It was one of those like; if there were fifteen people at the show then three of them would like us. We did well in like in particular in Houston, Portland and Nebraska. It was cool, we didn’t really expect those kids to like us but they did.
Blake: I think it kind of occurs with this cross-pollination of kids with really deep punk roots and kids who have more arty roots in those kinds of styles. The styles clash but we tend to attract both those kind of people.
We hear you will be playing Coachella this year as well as South-by-South West. Are you excited to play these music festivals?
Chris: I don’t think we officially know but I think were playing Sunday May 2nd at Coachella.
Blake: It’s still not formulated apparently. What I’ve heard the headliners get priority of who’s doing what.
The debut four song EP was released on Rx. When can we expect the forthcoming? “Untitled" album to be released and will it be released on Rx as well?
Chris: Well threeoneg records does the vinyl. They did the vinyl for the Ep and will be doing the vinyl for the full length. Then were finishing up the full length. I am not exactly sure when it will be out. At this point it looks like it will be on Rx but were not entirely sure about that.
Blake: It might be co distributed by someone else, or licensed.
Is there a working title?
Blake: There’s always a working title.
Laughter
Chris: What is the last one?
Blake: I lost track. I don’t want to go on record.
Chris: Can I say what I thinking about this?
Blake: No Answer.
Sorry we know it but can’t print it!
Is the line art drawing of the woman on your website going to be the album cover?
Chris: That’s going to be the cover.
Blake: A friend of ours that’s a designer did it for us his name is Andrew Heart. The cover will be that image but with a little bit more detail.
We've read some of your influences are Can, Wire, and A Certain Radio. Listening to your music we recall Joy Division and Gang of Four, were you influenced by either band as well?
Chris: I’ve never heard of either of those bands.
Laughter
Blake: Well the thing is, not to sound coy. There’s been a lot of distance in time since we started working on the EP and where we are now so. Fortunately we did do a good job in terms of being prolific and reflecting our imagination as band members. That EP is basically like the genesis of the band but . . .
Chris: It’s a lot more fleshed out.
Blake: Like for instance in our record collection there’s records by all those bands you mentioned and tons of other artists. There are things that go on that those artists do that we like to try. Ultimately we have an unspoken feeling or attitude before we start writing a song and then the details and the rhythm section are just sort of secondary.
What was your favorite album of 2003?
Chris: I have three. They’re all as equally as good. The Blood Brothers record, The Locust record and the Ex Models.
Johan: Last year I kind of like The Blur album and Stephen Malkmus.
Blake: I like this twelve inch that came out by a guy called Colder. He's this French guy, its kind of dark and moody down tempo stuff released on Output. I like this record Delia Gonzalez it’s a 12” it’s like really crowed electronic stuff on DFA. I also heard something from Young People I don’t know if it’s on their album but if it’s going to be on their album I’d like to buy it it’s called “Rich Bitch.”
Laughter
Johan when I first heard your album I was nailed to the cross by your bass lines. How long have you been playing the bass?
Johan: Maybe ten years, but not very often.
We've heard you have done some DJ-ing in Silverlake club scene. Are any of you still currently spinning?
Blake: Were trying to get Johan to do it but he’s not going to. Chris and I do from time to time. Case by case, sometimes we DJ at dance clubs, which is fun, and sometimes it’s just at an after party. Were not DJ’s in like the occupational sense.
Do you spin at a specific club?
Blake: Well right now I’ve been DJ-ing on Tuesday nights at the Muni Bar.
Chris: If you guys are going to be around next Sunday? Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service is doing a night of sad music, and I’ll be DJ-ing there.
Chris: Did any of you guys ever hang out in at the Pickle Patch?
Jacob & Kevchino No!
Chris: That was like the house where all the Santa Barbara shows were when I was playing shows there. Lots of bands played there. Black Dice played there. It was out in Isla Vista in this little two-story apartment.
Jacob That’s kind of what the Biko house is today.
Chris: I’ve had some crazy experiences in Santa Barbara.
What are your future plans?
Chris: Philosophically or Physically?
Like how in the future do you mean? Like I gotta take a nap right now. I suppose a good answer would be finish the record and be on tour soon after that.
Blake: As soon as we get the album out of our hair we want to go on tour.
Chris: We’d hope to be on the road before it comes out. |
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