September 06, 2007
About three years since their last record, VHS or Beta have emerged from the recording studio with "Bring on the Comets." The newest record is a somewhat departure from 2003's "Night on Fire," as the band's sound is staring down live drums and more pop–loops. Think of this album as a revival to a pop trend that never really died, but just sort of sat in the back of the room.
Smashed Chair got a chance to ask drummer Mark Guidry why the sound has become what it is, what's it like to have a day off and how much can an artist let people know on MySpace.
Smashed Chair: Bring On the Comets is a bit more digestible for people who are not used to your music. Did you deliberately decide to go in this different direction?
Mark Guidry: We went through a lot of changes after Night On Fire. We lost a member. Were kind of left open ended and we pretty much decided to just kind of do what came naturally. Craig started to do more of the song writing on his own. And then we would add bass and drums later on. Instead of the method on previous records, where we would get in a room and jam out stuff and then record it and elaborate – this was just one person writing. Another would do their thing and add their flavor to it.
SC: What is the purpose of the opening track Euglama?
MG: That song is to reflect our old sound - to just kind of sound like we were going in the same direction with our music, and then we go into “Love in My Pocket” which goes in a completely different direction. The real idea behind that song was to play it live and extended while we’re setting up on stage.
SC: You guys have a track called “Time Stands Still.” That’s also a Rush song. Is that homage to Rush?
MG: No, not at all. I had no idea it was a Rush song. I can tell you that none of us are really avid Rush fans. Me and Mark Palgy will sometimes play the beginning to “YYZ” just as a joke between us.
SC: Are you guys more aware of your writing since your first album? Do you make more changes earlier on or do you make drastic changes in the end of the process?
MG; When we got to the studio in Ashville, we had a pretty strong understanding of what we wanted. All the songs were already in demo form. The editing was done prior to that in our home studio. There were a few minor changes, but it was done relatively early.
SC: On your site, in your video diary, Mark was mentioning that one of the early synth repeats sounded like Madonna’s “Lucky Star.” Was that what you guys were going for?
MG: That song eventually turned into “We can Be One.” The song started out as a loop that Mark wrote and it was based around this glittery tone that he found on the keyboard and it reminded him of Madonna. He thought it was cool – we all thought it was cool, because we all grew up with that stuff. It has a certain influce on us in some way. I mean, we didn’t go into the song saying “Lets make it sound like a Madonna song” with that tone. Then it morphed into our song, where we put our own touches, so it bcomes a VHS or Beta song.
SC: New music normally comes from London, filters its way through New York and hits Los Angeles. You guys are from Louisville, Kentucky. What’s that like being the exception?
MG: I think that’s great that people think we’re the exception. We write music that we like and music that we stand by. It’s a great compliment to hear.
SC: Was their anything that the band decided “We have to do something new” that can be heard on this album?
MG: I think the instrumentation – the fact that we’re using piano now and we’re using real drums. That was a big step for us. We wanted to use more instruments. Something that myself, being the drummer, I had to expand something that I can do – that’s why I went in that direction. I just think that it opens up the sound compared to the other records.
SC: What’re you listening to right now?
MG: I’ve been listening to the new Interpol. When we were recording ELO was floating around – always a favorite. Some XTC, another favorite. Giorgio Moroder. I want to heard the new Spoon record.
SC: What’s a typical day off for your?
MG: We don’t really have days off. Sometimes we take Staturday and Sunday off, but Monday through Friday we’re rehearsing or we’re always dealing with other stuff with the music. It’s pretty much a Monday through Friday thing. And when we start touring, they call them “days off,” but they’re really driving dates, so they’re not days off. It’ll be a month straight.
SC: How do you keep sane?
MG: It’s not hard. It’s what we want to do. I mean we get tired, but to get around that we drink coffee and Red Bull. I mean we just have fun with it – it’s the life we chose.
SC: Do you guys ever visit your message boards?
MG: Oh yeah. I go there once in a while and Craig moderates it. Sometimes he’ll put random questions. We try to keep up with it as much as we can. I think when we’re on the road, when we start playing shows, we’ll check it everyday to see what people are saying. I check the MySpace thing more than the forums.
SC: Do you think that’s important for bands nowadays to have a MySpace?
MG: I think it is. I think people in a band want to stay in touch with fans, but I think there is a sort of mysticism lost when you get that close to an artist you like. So we try to keep a balance of that.
SC: Mr. Mark Guidry, would you rather be a cowboy, an gypsy or an other?
MG: An other? What’s that?
SC: Its’ whatever your imagination can come up with.
MG: A cowboy, a gypsy or a other? Hm… I guess a cowboy.
SC: Any particular reason? Is it the chaps?
MG: No, I think it’s the open country and the undiscovered country. Just to explore and discover.
Louder drums, an impressive album, and some catchy hooks – all that's left is a tour. VHS or Beta will be touring extensively throughout North America for the next couple of months. If you live in Los Angeles, we'll see you folks at The Echoplex, when the band performs on Sept. 15.
