Hockey interview

Growing up, how did you get into music?

I started taking music seriously when I was about 19. I was really into Radiohead and for some reason that made me listen to music. I became less social and disappeared into the music for a lot longer.

So, Radiohead is one of your influences?

Yeah, they’re not like a direct influence in terms of the music style, but just kind of a deep musical beginning force. Other than the fact that on some of their new records they go around and kind of try different things on different songs. It’s not a unified sound. I always had the idea that you can experiment from track to track within an album if you feel like it.

I think that method of thinking really shows through on how you guys put all your music together. The sound is so diverse and there are so many different things going on at one time. How would you classify your sound as a whole as far as Hockey goes?

I would need to think of a name for it! As far as stylistically, it’s like a melting pot kind of record. Almost every record is right now. I want our record to be a danceable record.

Do you find that your live shows are very energetic and do you get a good response from the crowd?

Yeah, sometimes it depends on the city and such, but we have a good response from the people. The energy in the room is usually really high and everyone’s kind of going crazy and sometimes not. Sometimes people are just kind of checking you out. It definitely has that possibility.

You guys are from Portland, Oregon. Being on a major label now, have you been on any major tours to get away from home and branch out?

We pretty much moved to Portland about three years ago. None of us are from Portland. We played 10 or 15 shows here and then kind of disappeared from the city. We’re totally not like a local band. There are definitely a few other bands that are embedded in the Portland scene a little deeper. But we’ve just haven’t been lined up to play a lot of shows here.

Do you think being signed has changed your outlook as a band on being supremely popular?

Our music and our album are exactly the same that it would have been pretty much and I think that’s the most important thing. I do think that being on a major label does changes things though because you know what their expectations are. You feel unsafe in a way because you need to get to this insane level to feel safe as a band because they don’t care as much about little bands. Like selling out the Mercury Lounge in New York City is nothing to a major label, but to us it was the most awesome thing. That has definitely been part of it because there are lofty goals. You can’t really force it though. You just make the music you make and do what you can do. The rest of it is how much it connects and how much people like it. You can’t do anything to make it catch on.

Is there any band that you have toured with that has taught you something valuable about the business?

Not really. You tour with a band that you’ve heard of before and you think they’re really cool. Then, you meet them and they’re just people and it’s cool. It’s like when we were on tour with Friendly Fires. It helps you to not worry so much about your own path like if you become huge or famous or your band gets successful. Because sometimes being in a band you get so stressed out about succeeding because you want it to continue. So, going on tour with other big bands kind of helps you to keep the human side of it and not worry about the popularity thing. When you get into your twenties, you stop caring about the popularity thing. It’s like you are still in high school though, and you still worry about those kinds of stupid things – unless you pay attention to not worrying about it.

Switching gears, I don’t know how you guys put your music together, but what do you draw from to write the music?

I basically write all the songs. We arrange the music together though, like write a solo or cut a verse. Some of the songs are very old, but most of them are from 2007.

Where did you come up with the title of “Mind Chaos?” That sounds like it could get pretty deep.

[Laughs] I think luckily it was an afterthought. It kind of reflects the fact that the album is a little bit all over the place. That wasn’t the original goal though. It’s funny when we made music we didn’t really realize how unusual it is to sound that way. It could also be harmful because people will say, well you don’t have a sound. Originally, it was a word that Jerm, our bass player, and I had for a long, long time back in college kind of to describe some sort of sociology word. Like, if you ask people a question about politics or anything really you’re almost always going to get a crazy answer, or a different answer. You know? A lot of the album is about surveying the world and looking at people’s opinions. You’re kind of being opinion-less like you’re the writer just looking at stuff. And you’re kind of being shocked at all the different ways people see things.

For those people out there who aren’t familiar with Hockey yet, why should they give your music a listen?

I don’t know, I mean some people wouldn’t want to listen to it. It just depends on what kind of music that they like—[maybe] if you like any kind of dance or electronic rock. The main thing to me that feels different than other dance music is the intention of the words or the time that was put into the lyrics. Most band lyrics are cool but just feel very hip and have that vacant hip vibe to it. It’s cool, but it is hip emptiness. This album is totally not that. The main thing that I can feel that’s different is the sound. I don’t know whose records right now sounds futuristically different as far as originality goes. Maybe some hip hop records are kind of on the cutting edge because they come up with new recording techniques.

I think you’re right on You’re very cutting edge in the way you’re taking on the lyrics thing and everything.

Nobody ever says that. Maybe I’m delusional. [Laughs]

What is on the horizon for Hockey in 2010?

We’re starting a really big tour at the end of January. We’re going to Australia and Europe, and them we’ll be coming to America for a tour too. We barely tour America at all. And we’re playing Coachella at the end of that tour. And then, I don’t know!