For over five years now Sinaloa have been making a name for themselves in the basements of North America. This year has seen them bring their distinctive brand of emotionally driven guitar music to Europe for the first time, simultaneously inspiring and entertaining along the way. For all the grumpy old bastards who complain that music doesn't have any drive, any passion, any heart anymore, I want to point them in Sinaloa's way.
Scene Point Blank: Can you start by introducing yourselves? What do you do in and outside of the band?
Luke: Pete and Brendan are the guitar players, and are responsible
for most of the vocals. Pete is a teacher, grooming youngsters for
success, and he also puts out records under Moganono. Brendan works in
IT security, wears a tie to work – bosses people around. Brendan does a
lot of graphic design outside of work. My name is Luke. I play drums,
and I work for an environmental company - profiling hazardous waste. I
also play acoustic music under the name
The Nine Billion Names of God.
Scene Point Blank: How was the European tour with Ampere? This was your first time over,
how did you find it? How did you find life/ the DIY scene differed from
in the USA?
Luke: There were a lot of positive forces coming together for that
trip. First, we were spending another two weeks traveling with our
friends Ampere, just like we had done last summer (in the U.S.).
Also, we were getting to do that while seeing Europe for the first
time. It was a combination of comfort/ familiarity with something
wildly new and exciting. There were many things that were obviously different about touring
in Europe. People were less afraid to show real genuine excitement
about music, and what people were doing, as bands/with music. One
aspect of the U.S. DIY scene that, although often subtly, shows itself is that
people seem to feel like they have to be guarded, and filter their outward
appearances. That usually is manifested in a general cynicism of almost
everything. In Europe, people seemed to more open, and wouldn't filter anything.
There were also the nuts and bolts differences of type of venue (more
established spaces/ squats Vs. U.S. having more basement-type shows),
accommodation (having dinner/ breakfast prepared, having a driver), etc... Even with all of that, though, I was still struck by the similarity
between most of the kids we met that were involved in the DIY scene in
Europe and the kids we've come across in the U.S. Styles and approaches
to ‘punk' do differ, but the overall spirit and ideals seem to be
largely the same. I actually found it to be very comforting and
positive that there were globally consistent ideals in punk/ DIY
communities.
Scene Point Blank: Obviously you were playing with Ampere every night, but of the
countless number of local bands you played with was there any that
really stood out? Recommendations please!
Luke: We were fortunate to be able to play with a lot of good bands.
Good people playing good music. Pete the Pirate Squid (Germany),
Narwhal (England),
Daitro (France), and Baron Noir (France) stand out
in my memory, both for playing good music and for being very friendly.
Pete: Along with those bands I also enjoyed watching
The Mock Heroic (UK).
Scene Point Blank: Has touring with Ampere affected the way you yourselves play/ perform?
Luke: I don't think there has been an obvious or glaring change in how
we approach playing, but I think there probably have been subtle
things. When you're playing with a great band, who you respect very
much, every night, you really want to try to match their intensity and
effort. You get over feeling tired when you know that Ampere is going
to play a blistering set either before or after you play. Brendan and
Pete could probably learn how to do some sick jumps, by watching Will.
Scene Point Blank: What's the writing process like for you guys? Lyrically, does everyone
play a part in each song or is it a case you write songs separately
then pull everything together at a later date?
Luke: Generally, two things happen at the same time during song
writing for us. We get together and make noise, put parts together, and
make music that feels good and complete. All three of us, separately,
work on writing lyrics that we want to be able to express, through the
band. We all write things, and then figure out whose words fit best
with which piece of music, both practically (song length, etc) and for
mood. There is generally quite a bit of conference when we are trying
to best mould the words to the music (or vice versa), and we all make
sure that each of us are comfortable with the ideas being expressed,
lyrically, but there isn't really any censorship of anyone else's
words. I think that is mostly due to the three of us, generally,
wanting to express similar things.
Scene Point Blank: …And the recording itself? Is everything meticulously recorded
separately or is it submitted to tape while you play the song(s)
through?
Luke: Our most recent recording (split with Ampere) was recorded live,
with all three of us playing the songs together in a room. We wanted to try to
let the energy of playing together to show up on the recording. Before that, we
didn't really feel that we had enough mastery of songs, and our instruments, to
get good takes, for each person, at the same time. So, for Fathers and Sons
and Footprints on Floorboards, things were tracked out
separately. Both approaches had positive aspects, and we're pretty open
to trying new things if we think it will bring out something good. I
wouldn't say that we are meticulous with recording, and will sometimes
overlook some flaws if the right feeling was expressed, but we keep at
things until all three of us are happy with everything. We work with a
one-person veto, so if anyone of the three of us isn't happy with
something, we do it again (even if the other two loved it).
Scene Point Blank: The use of stand up bass and trombone on Footprints
on Floorboards really added to their respective songs. Can we
expect further collaborations in the future?
Luke: I hope so. Not only did that sound great to us, but also it
allowed us to bring some other friends in to add their skills to what
we were doing. We have some very talented friends, and are ecstatic
when they want to join in the process with us.
Scene Point Blank: Something that marks you out from most other bands is your inclusion
of explanations along with your lyrics to every song. What prompted you
to do this?
Luke: It's funny, but I don't really remember any real discussion, at
the beginning, as to whether to include explanations of songs. Because
of the respect and love we had for our good friends' band Anton Bordman, who taught us a lot about what a band could do, and what a
band could say, it just seemed natural for us to follow some of the
aspects of the model they provided – including explanations. We put a
lot of effort into writing lyrics, and we think it's important to have
something to say, in each song. Taking the time to explain things,
while useful to anyone reading them who wants to know the reason behind
the songs, also forces us to focus on what we are trying to say.
Scene Point Blank: The new record with Ampere is fantastic, and not the first time you've
done a split with a great band. If you could do a split with any band,
old or new, who would it be and why?
Luke: Wow, what a question, and so many different answers, with so many
different reasons. We've always approached split recordings as a way to
express friendship or kinship with bands that we know, love, and
respect. So, it would be hard to pick some band that we all loved, but
didn't know, or didn't have a friendship with. I think splits should
generally express some sort of relationship or shared experience. Given
that framework, my choice for an old band would be Anton Bordman, and
my choice for a new band would be Tiny Hawks.
Scene Point Blank: I really like the pro-active message in the new song “Expect Delays.â€
Do you think that now with Bush in his second term it's more important
that ever for people to get motivated and try to change some things?
Luke: I'll have Pete jump in, to answer these two questions, since he wrote the words to these two songs.
Pete: I think it is always important that people try and stay
pro-active in everything they do. Unfortunately, we tend to not always
follow through in this area…maybe it is inherent to human nature. At
times it can be overwhelming to try and figure out what we each can do
to stay active, or how to pick an area so that you can really focus on
it and try to accomplish some goals. At this point in our country we
have had pretty much the same with our government, if not worse (and I
tend to feel it has been worse actually). We are still stuck in a war,
gas prices are insane, millions are homeless and unemployed…it's
daunting and I don't think I have any answers, I'm not sure there are
any answers right now. We just need to stay active, because it might be
all that will save us, and it is the only way we can expect to make
some change in our lifetime.
Scene Point Blank: The story behind the song “Novembers Unanswered Questions†is
ultimately quite a reassuring one. Do you ever find it hard to stay
positive with things the way they are in the world at the moment?
Pete: I think we all get frustrated at times. It's so easy to complain,
and there is a lot of things going on in the world that need to be
changed. At some point everyone needs to vent, I guess you just need to
find a balance and make sure that is not all you are doing in your
life. It is very reassuring when you find like minded people, or see
people doing wonderful things in their own lives that are truly
inspiring, whether it be political or not. I think I find this in those
I surround myself with and finding inspiration in them and what they
do.
Scene Point Blank: What's your view of bands like Anti- Flag who espouse anti-corporate
rhetoric while being financed by a company like Sony? Do the ends
justify the means?
Luke: Ultimately, I think people are allowed to use their art/ ideas in
the way that they decide is best. So, my general answer to your
question would be that, if that particular band decided that they
thought the end justified the means, then they would be making the
correct choice. However, a lot of bands seem to start out with the intention of
using the mechanizations of broad exposure to bring positive/
enlightened ideas to people who wouldn't otherwise be exposed to them,
and then devolve into a state of enjoying the adoration/ money/ etc.,
while forgetting what they originally intended to do with it. I think
that it's kind of funny that I bristle at the thought of ‘punk' bands
becoming big famous stars, but tend to get excited when big
established, and decidedly un-punk, stars say something remotely
radical. For example, if Jay Z was on MTV and went on an anti-Bush
rant, I would probably do a back flip with joy. However, if some band
like Against Me! (since they seem to be a lightning rod) was on MTV
giving the same rant, I might just wonder what the hell they were doing
on MTV. I think punk kids, myself included, sometimes face a conflict
between big ideas/ ideals/ morality and our wanting to own our scenes/
bands/ art, and keep them our own. I don't think those things always
need to draw us in opposing directions, but recognize that they
sometimes do.
Scene Point Blank: All profits from the sale of copies of Footprints
on Floorboards were donated to the Sheila Brodie Zetlan Breast
Cancer Foundations. What made you chose to donate to this particular
organization/ cause?
Luke: This foundation is one that was started by Pete's family, in
memory of his mother. They've raised a lot of money, over the years, to
be put towards Breast Cancer research. I'll let Pete add to this.
Pete: When it came time to decide about donating the money we
brainstormed a few ideas, but ultimately I think we wanted to try and
find an organization that we were a bit familiar with and had some
connection with. There are so many out there to choose from. I
mentioned to Brendan and Luke that our organization was always an
option, but I did not want them to feel that we had to use it or make
them feel awkward or pressured into doing it if they had some different
ideas. However, in the end, this one seemed to make the most sense to
us. We started the foundation after my mother passed away from her
battle with breast cancer. Initially, we put together a road race as a
fundraiser. This lasted for many years. After that we organized a
three-day music festival for a few years. When that ended the
organization had been a bit dormant in that we have not organized
another fundraiser since then. So, again, it made sense to put any
profit towards the organization. Cancer, whether it be Breast Cancer or
not, is something that has and will affect us all in our lifetimes. It
is a scary disease, one that I care not to see again or have anyone
else go through that pain and suffering.
Scene Point Blank: I doubt all record labels would be terribly happy about giving all
profits from a record away. Waking doesn't come across like most labels
though, and the two of you seem very much in sink. What is your
relationship with them and how did it come about?
Luke: Actually, the great idea of donating the money came from Evan
(Waking Records), so it was a case of a label championing righteousness
over some bottom line, or profit. I agree that our band and Evan's
label do approach punk, and other things, in similar ways. I think we
both agree on what music and art should accomplish, and how it should
be accomplished. It was actually those similarities, I think, that led
us to become friends with Evan, and the ‘business' relationship really
just came from the friendship.
Scene Point Blank: How essential are beards to your band?
Luke: I would love to say that beards are vital to all aspects of the
band, but I shaved mine when I got back from Europe, as did Brendan.
Pete is keeping us honest, and on the cutting edge of punk fashion, by
continuing to stay furry-faced, though. I like beards, but I like big
changes more. Grow a burly beard, get bored and shave it, and then grow
one again – a pattern I've been in for a while. Anyway, I think we're
still on solid ground, as a band, with or without whiskers.
[Authors note: I no longer like this band]
Scene Point Blank: How do you see Sinaloa as progressing? Is the band something you see
as ongoing or something with a very definite start and stop point?
Luke: Man, I have a goal to be playing in this band, in some dank
basement, when I'm 60 or 70. We're getting fairly old, already,
relative to a lot of kids in other bands, or kids going to shows, and
we all have a lot of ‘adult' things like jobs and relationships that
sometimes make it difficult to spend all of our time and energy on
playing music. So, I can see some times, ahead, when we might not be
the most active band. However, I just want us to keep plugging away. On
a basic level, we love playing music with each other. That is what, I
hope, will keep us going, and help us to keep finding ways to express
ourselves. I'm actually not sure, at all, of ‘how' we will progress as
a band. I know that we'll always be playing what we think is good, what
is fun, and what is meaningful to us. If that starts to come out
sounding different from stuff we've done before, then so be it. If it
means that Pete trades his guitar for a tuba, and Brendan switches to
didgeridoo … well, I'm all for it. I'll just grab a bongo, or
something, and bang away.
Scene Point Blank: What does the rest of 2006 hold for Sinaloa?
Luke: Well, we seemed to have a lot of records come out last year,
so now we will probably be taking some time to play around and make
some noise. Out of that noise will eventually come some new songs, but
we plan on taking our time, and enjoying the lack of any sort of
deadline. I'd like to play more shows around Boston, and to try to do
what we can to build on the most vibrant and good things going on
around here. We'll just ‘be', I guess, in 2006.
Scene Point Blank: Last question: what do you hope listeners get out of your music?
Luke: I would love to have our band express, adequately, our
experiences of life. If people can listen, and understand our
experiences and the ideas that have come from those experiences, then I
would hope that those people would, then, apply it to their own
experience. Maybe they find something useful in what we're saying, or
maybe not. Maybe they completely disagree with our ideas, but spend
time thinking about why they disagree, and something good comes from
that. I certainly don't think that the three of us can provide many
answers to the world's problems, but I do think that the more people
share their experiences, and their ideas, the more capable humanity is
of understanding itself, and the environment it exists in. I'm all for
more voices in the choir - even dissonant ones. And, we don't all
really have to be singing the same song.
Interview:
Neil
Graphics:
Michael
Images courtesy of Sinaloa
