Published: June 26, 2010 3:51 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight June 2010 Edition
Midnight Kites
Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
Midnight Kites
Get ready to be blown away by the music of Midnight Kites and experience the magic of the band. Our Webzine recently had an opportunity to speak with the band about their music and we were pleased to learn many cool new things about the group. Here is the complete interview for your enjoyment.
Isaac: I just listened to one of your songs from your CD. What was the inspiration for making your new album?
Kites: The decision to make an actual album was kind of spontaneous. We had a collection of songs we’d written over the previous year or so, and were in the process of interviewing drummers. We met with Jen Gilleran, the drummer on the album, and told her we were thinking of going into the studio sometime in the next six months to record. Jen, who was getting ready to go on tour basically said, ‘well, I’m free now, and I know a great producer...’ The next thing we knew we were meeting with Producer Sally Van Meter and scheduling studio dates. It was all very fast and spontaneous- we would alter arrangements in the studio, rehearse once or twice, and then record. We’re so thankful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with such wonderful folks, and the process helped us grow as musicians.
Isaac: Who were your influences?
Kites: We’re influenced by so many musical styles and songwriters all across the board...among our top influences are The Shins, The Cowboy Junkies, My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Ros, Fleetwood Mac, Radiohead, Neko Case, The Smiths, The Church.
Isaac: What do you consider to have been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your career to date?
Highlights:
Bruce: I love playing shows. Getting to play shows for friends, fans and supporters has been a real highlight; having creative control and autonomy as a band is great too.
Jill: There have been high points for me on so many levels. The songwriting process itself is so amazing - some songs seem to come out of nowhere; it’s as if the music and lyrics were there just waiting to be discovered. Another joy is collaborating with other musicians and hearing the magic that happens when they add their beautiful sounds. Performing is something I was terrified of at first, but I’ve enjoyed discovering how fun it is. I love seeing people in the audience close their eyes during a song and seem to just be carried in the moment.
Lowlights:
It’s sometimes hard to stay motivated on the business end of things- being completely responsible for self-marketing and promotion can be challenging!
Isaac: Brief history about your background plus the style of music you play.
Kites: Well, first of all, Jill and I met, fell in love, and got married…then started writing songs together a few months later. We had been focused on careers, new house, family, etc., then suddenly one night in late 2007 the song Swimming Naked just kind of happened. We had a great time co-writing the song and decided to keep at it. After a few more months and a few more songs, Jill’s brother Connor joined us on bass.
As for musical background, Jill grew up singing and playing piano and flute but had never played in a rock band before. Bruce never had any formal musical training, picked up guitar in college and has played in a number of bands in Seattle and Portland over the last 10-12 years. Connor has played the bass for a few years. He’s also the kind of musician who picks up an instrument, learns it, and sounds amazing in just a few days.
Our style is basically a blend of ambient or textural Alt-rock (Sigur Ros, My Bloody Valentine, The Cowboy Junkies, The Church) and contemporary folk-pop (The Shins, Neko Case).
Isaac: How easy is it to gets gigs for you as an artist? What is the live music scene like in your area?
Bruce: It’s pretty easy to get a gig; harder to get a really good gig. The Denver metro area is so spread out, and there are so many venues. I’m pretty new to Denver so from a somewhat outside perspective the indie music scene here feels pretty fragmented. There are a lot of great musicians and bands, but not a sense of strong community support. That may be just because I’m not familiar with the scene, but as an example, last month we went to see a lineup of 3 great indie bands sponsored by CU’s college radio station and were surprised to see the place only a third full! A couple of the bands had just come back from playing SXSW and this was kind of a hometown return show. SXSW is a big deal and in other cities I’ve lived in the community knows when one of their bands has played SXSW and a show with that type of lineup would have been packed. It’s certainly one of our goals to try and grow community support for indie music in Denver.
Isaac: What do you think of the state of Indie music at the moment? Do you listen to radio much at all? Has the Internet helped music grow or hindered it in your opinion?
Kites: We listen to some radio, mostly the local college station and NPR. At home, we listen to a lot of Pandora and KEXP.org. As for the Internet and its affect on indie music, it’s a bit of a double edged sword. There’s an amazing amount of creativity and artistic energy out there that is being channeled in some way or another, and you do have tools and outlets to get your music heard; however, everyone has the same set of tools and outlets and the ability to quickly record and produce material so it has created an overabundance of songs and albums. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of voices all competing for attention. On the other hand, the Internet made it possible for our first CD sale to be from Luxembourg.
Isaac: If you could create a fantasy band - what would be the line-up and why?
Kites: Stuart Copeland on drums: he’s practically lyrical in his drum playing, and he hits them so hard he breaks drum heads! Johnny Greenwood on electric guitar: also a very lyrical and expressive player who really specializes in textures. Add to that the songwriting brilliance of Neko Case, and Interpol’s bass player who frankly just plain rocks. Our friend Eric Moon on keys and affects is pretty brilliant as well.
Isaac: What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be purchased from?
Kites: We have our debut album, “The Color of Light” which can be purchased directly from our website, www.midnightkites.com, or from CDBaby, Amazon, or iTunes.
Isaac: Where can fans access your music, videos, blogs, and anything else about you online?
Kites: We primarily focus on our website: www.midnightkites.com, and Facebook for distributing news, blogging, songs, videos, etc. We sell our music directly on the homepage and also offer a fan portal where you get access to exclusives and free stuff.
Isaac: Message to your fans?
Kites: Pretty simple really; thank you so much for listening to our music and supporting us!
