San Diegan experimental alt-pop group The Burning Of Rome have recently released their album 'With Us'. You can check out a bit more info and grab a free download of 'The Ballad Of An Onion Sprout' in this previous post and watch the video for new single 'Norman Bates' right here, just after reading what Adam from the band had to say about jamming with members of Best Coast and telling fibs to The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
TSOC: We hear you had a few celebrity encounters whilst recording your new record. Any interesting stories regarding them?
A: We shared a couple of weeks at EastWest studios in Hollywood with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was surreal pouring coffee with Rick Rubin and having small talk with the Peppers during session breaks. Anthony Kiedis mostly asked how surfing was in San Diego (which none of us surf, so we lied and told him it was great). Flea would ask about our recordings and told us a little history of the studio, apparently the piano we were using was the same one Frank Sinatra tracked "My Way" with. Other than that Gomez was recording their album simultaneously with our producer at the time so we'd snag beers after hours with Ian Ball and chew the fat over each others projects.
TSOC: Did any of the people you met inspire the recording in any way?
A: Sure, having one of the largest rock bands in the world recording in the room next to you will definitely make you more conscientious about your own performance. Also, hanging with Ian Ball gained us some sound advice on writing/recording. I have limitless respect for Ian as a songwriter so it was cool getting to bounce ideas off him. Another inspiration was Best Coast drummer Brett Mielke. He lived at the house we were crashing at in LA and wound up collabing with us on lapsteel for a couple tracks on the new record.
TSOC: Your sound is very eclectic – do the band members share common favourite bands or does this mix of styles come from all having different musical heroes?
A: We have a few that we all gravitate toward but are mostly polarized in our style choices. Aimee loves Portishead, Joe is all about Dillinger Escape Plan, Lee's into Marty Robbins and I get off on Raymond Scott. Our common ground of music we listen to on tour is stuff like Black Sabbath, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, any of Mike Patton's projects, Marvin Gaye, Crosby Stills and Nash, and a lot of Norweigan Black Metal (it works for some reason).
TSOC: What was the first record each of you bought? Don't try and be cool – honest answers please!
A: Mine was Aerosmith's 'Get A Grip'. I got it out of a cassette vending machine at a movie theater after seeing "Wayne's World" when I was 7. I'm trying to recall past conversations with my bandmates and what they said theirs were, I'm pretty sure Joe's was Weezer's 'Blue Album'. As for Aimee and Lee, I'll have to get back to you on their album deflowering story.
TSOC: Are there any current bands/artists you'd put in a similar bracket to yourselves?
A: Man Man, The Flaming Lips, Tomahawk, Maps and Atlases, Los Campesinos (recently played an amazing show with these guys in Arizona), Those Dancing Days, Arcade Fire, Crystal Antlers, The Octopus Project and Yeasayer to name a few.
TSOC: Who's the biggest diva in the band? Any rockstar behaviour you'd like to tell us about?
A: No divas, we're all pretty mellow and get along with one and other. I don't think we would have stayed together this long if we had competing egos within the group.
TSOC: Do you see yourselves continuing along a similar vein in the future or are there plans to explore different sonic terrain?
A: The point of this project is to experiment. We are always exploring new techniques on how to hone in our craft and deliver something interesting that will take our audience down the rabbit hole. There certainly are stylistic elements that have been branded into our music makeup over the years (that will omnipresent in whatever we do), but we are searching for a philosopher's stone of sound through this band and are trying to take the listener with us on the journey. Hence why the new album is called 'With Us'.
TSOC: We're sure you're incredibly happy with the way the latest recordings have gone, but assuming you had to have a change of producer to work with next time, who would be top of the list?
A: Either Todd Rundgren, Brian Eno or John Cale. All three had a profound impact in shaping our music, it would be interesting to collaborate with someone who has affected the band so much already and explore new soundscapes with them.
TSOC: Any plans to hit the UK for some gigs in the coming few months?
A: I will be going stag to the UK in February to do some acoustic renditions of the new Burning of Rome recordings - as for a tour with the full band nothing is in the books yet. We're hoping this upcoming trip will lay the ground work to get the rest of the band out to the UK sometime in the Spring of 2013.
TSOC: Finally that awkward one. It's fantasy festival time and you're headlining. You can pick five bands past or present to go on the bill. Who do you go for?
A: Otis Redding, Wendy Carlos, The Minutemen, Kate Bush and Pink Floyd. And they would all have to play a Burning of Rome song together at the end of the show.
The Burning Of Rome's website
Buy the album
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