FOXYGEN @ MOHAWK (INTERVIEW 2013)

Interview by Lee Ackerley

They say that trends are cyclical, and the L.A.-based group, Foxygen, has unabashedly brought back the 60’s sound in a way that only a group of Beatles-obsessed, 20-year-olds could have done. Sam France and Jonathan Rado have the savant-like ability to channel fuzzy, feel-good, 60’s nostalgia into a more modern and manic song structure that bobs and weaves with tempo changes and melodic swings.  Hot off of their newest release Take the Kids Off Broadway, Foxygen has found an enthusiastic and robust audience interested in the time machine, that is Foxygen’s music.  Playing in Texas for the first time, and soon to be returning for their first SXSW in March, we sat down with Foxygen to discuss their latest album, musical influences, and life on the road.

 So, Is this your first time Austin?

First time in Texas actually.

Well, welcome to the Lone Star State! I saw that you’ll be back in March for SXSW, is there anything that you are specifically trying to accomplish at SXSW?

Sam: I think were just doing it because that’s what everybody does, right?

Rado:  Yeah. We got rejected last year. So we’re happy to just be here.

Are there any other bands at SXSW that you want to check out?

Sam: Yea probably. I haven’t had any time to think about it. I guess I don’t know. I wish we were more current and knew some of these bands.

Rado: Is RZA playing or something? I’d see Nelly if he’s there

What has been your favorite city so far?

Rado: Its always fun to play in LA because we are from there.  All of our fiends show up and it’s this big wild thing. And that’s kind of fun.

Sam: I was sick for our Vegas show so we didn’t play Vegas.  Our last show was at El Paso where Lizzie was sick.  We’ve been getting sick a lot. I was sick yesterday.

Rado: We’re looking forward to New Orleans. San Francisco was fun but we always play poorly there.

Sam: I was really looking forward to coming to Texas, I’m really happy to be here.

How does this last year compare to the previous years you’ve been in Foxygen?

Rado: Well, its extremely different because for the first I guess five six seven years of our career we played only 6 shows. We were just in high school kids.  Nobody heard our records because we never gave them to anybody. And so I guess it compares favorably to have people listening to our records, as opposed to not.

You guys definitely have a 60’s style, did you intentionally strive for that or did it just come out that way?

Sam: I think we wanted to achieve that, so we don’t mind, I don’t mind being classified.

Rado:  We wanted to make a 60’s record for sure, yeah. I mean it was only appropriate

Sam: We’ll make other records that will be different and stuff but for this one that’s definitely where our heads were at. So you cant blame anybody for hearing that, that’s what we love and that’s what we were putting into it.

Do you see yourself looking into a new genre or sound or aesthetic later on?

Sam: Definitely.   Rado is really into retro recording style and recording on tape and stuff like that, and so am I .  We love the way 60’s music is recorded so I think we’ll always have an element of that reflected in our music. Our next stuff we were thinking more 70’s like Fleetwood Mac, kind of country music, I’ve been writing some country style songs, it will definitely be different

How was working with Richard Swift?

Sam: He was very good at refining our music. He also played drums. He contributed a lot physically.  He actually did instrumentals.

Rado: It was a kind of a dream come true working with him. We had been fans for a really long time before.

What were some bands that you’ve met that you had been fans of that you’ve now met?

Sam: We toured with Of Montreal, and that was pretty big and really fun.

Rado: I hope to meet the flaming lips when we’re in Oklahoma. I’ve heard they like the record and I’d like to meet them. We were going to meet Anton Newcombe in Berlin but he couldn’t come to the show.  I don’t know, we haven’t really met that many yet. Hopefully we meet all of our heroes, someday.

I’d really like to meet Lindsey Buckingham but I don’t think I’d actually like him.

I’ve read he’s a dick.  There’s a great biography I’ve read that is written by Lindsey Buckingham’s girlfriend at the time of Fleetwood called Storms. And lets just say it isn’t very kind to Lindsey.

Sam: Oh man I’ve got to check that out.  I got to write that one down.

Rado: We really love the book Making Rumors by the Fleetwood producer.

So if you couldn’t do music, what do you think you would be doing?

Sam: I was thinking about that today actually I don’t why, I was thinking if I wasn’t doing music, maybe id like to do a TV show or something, I don’t know or maybe a film.

Rado:  Id like to drive a truck.  Like an 8 wheeler, or a 16 wheeler. Either an 8 wheeler or a 16 wheeler depending on what were transporting, but id like to drive that across the country.  Or work in a parking lot, in a security booth, you just get to watch TV all day.  Those are two jobs that I’ve always been fascinated about.

So have you been getting more attention from the ladies since the album dropped?

Sam: Well definitely more fans. It’s been like night and day, a few months ago we were playing to 5 people and now we are playing to a lot of people.

As far as ladies, yeah probably more, I don’t know.

Rado: Sam and I are both in pretty committed relationships, so we are probably pretty oblivious to that even, if it was there.

Sam: Now our drummer Sean usually gets all the ladies.

Rado: Sean is kind of a socialite but ladies dig Foxygen, I think.

 

Sam, you once said that you trained your voice after David Byrne. If you could have your voice sound like anyone else, who would it be?

Sam: Right now, I think it would be Nick Drake’s voice, I don’t know why. I’ve just been liking his voice recently.

What are some contemporary artists that you listen too?

Sam:  Everybody in our band listen to each other’s projects.  We really like White Fence, you should check him out and Ty Segall.

Yea Ty is an animal, he puts out a lot of material. Do you guys write while you’re on tour?

Sam: More or less, probably not much, Rado and I don’t get much time to sit down and really step out together to work on music.

Rado: It would be different if Sam and I were on tour with the two of us, we would have a lot of time to be able to develop our own stuff. There’s like 5 people and it’s always a logistical crisis.

If you could have two bands to reform and play with on stage who would they be?

Rado:  Beatles and the original lineup of the Byrds.

Sam: I would probably have  the Stooges and Sly and the Family Stone

Rado: Yeah, Sly is a good one. That’s a better one.

Doors or Beatles?

Sam: Beatles

Rado: Beatles

Otis Redding or Shuggie Otis?

Sam: Shuggie Otis

Rado: Shuggie Otis, I listen to a lot of Otis

Brian Jonestown Massacre or Beach Boys?

Sam: Brian Jonestown Massacre for personal reasons

Rado:  I would have to say the same thing but I don’t know if I can even deal with that question.

David Byrne or Brian Eno?

Sam: Eno

Rado: Brian Eno

 

Ariel Pink or Grimes?

Sam: Ariel Pink

Rado:  Ariel Pink

Ya I know that last one was pretty weak.  Well thanks for your time today and we’ll see you again for SXSW.