TYBS#6 (DEC 2006)
In last week’s column I featured Canadian goth band, Johnny Hollow’s history and self-titled debut CD. Here’s the best bits of our on-line interview where the members talk about their music, gaining a global fan base and the impressive parts of Russian mystics.
TYBS: Tell me about the persona of Johnny and how he was formed or conceptualized?
Vincent Marcone: For the moment it’s a secret, but all we can tell you is that you’ll be seeing a whole new side of Johnny soon.
TYBS: How have “recent” developments in technology (eg. the Net, file sharing, CD-burning, etc.) affected the way you make music?
Janine White: We embrace technology and quite possibly might not exist without it. Although we use a lot of organic sounds in our music, the creations themselves often start and end on the computer. We do a lot of editing and sampling of our own sounds to create musical fabrics and ambient backdrops. Thanks to file sharing we are able to tag-team on mixing and share ideas without even being in the same city.
The argument about Net file-sharing will be forever debated; our experience, however, has been quite positive. Throughout the entire process of recording our album we were able to post songs in various stages of completion and receive feedback which really propelled the project forward. Our online home at johnnyhollow.com has really broadened our fanbase.
The internet allows people to choose for themselves in a much more democratic manner what they really want to listen to. It is so important as an independent band to be able to reach the world, and as this is an interview from the Philippines I would say its working.
TYBS: Are you searching for a kind of “beauty” through your music? Do you consider it art as a means of meaning or is it just personal expression?
Janine White: There aren’t enough people speaking out for independent creativity. We don’t consciously try to be political or controversial with most of our lyrics, but our music combined with our whole visual/web presence is a statement of aggressive independence and our dedication to it.
Art as a means of personal expression is often purely intuitive, but regardless of intention there is always an aspect of communal meaning that reaches the people who respond to it.
TYBS: Why play dark music?
Kitty Thompson: We don’t consciously play “dark” music. We simply make music. If we come off as being creepy it’s because we are.
Janine White: There’s something cathartic in finding beauty in the darker side of human emotions.
TYBS: Tell me about all the unusually atmospheric instruments in your repertoire, especially the effects-laden cello. How exactly does that work?
Kitty Thompson: It is often difficult in our music to tell what is made up and what is real. Many noises are digitally created, many are raw acoustic sounds, and others are performed and then strangely manipulated.
There is nothing mysterious about the cello. It functions much like a guitar with pedals. However, the extensive palette of colors that can be obtained from such a cavernous acoustic body far outstretches the imagination.
TYBS: Why do music independently? The pros and cons?
Janine White: I’m not sure we’re independent on purpose. It’s more a default phrase for anyone that has not been signed by a label but appears to be functioning alright on their own.
The pros and cons are obvious. Working on your own project for your own reasons is the most rewarding experience you can have, because there are no “forces that be” pressuring you to follow any formula; but it comes at the price of budget constraints and long hours.
Right now it works for us, but that’s not to say that we might not change our minds if the right team for us came along.
TYBS: About performance. How do your dynamics work on-stage? Especially with the more danceable songs like “Stolen”?
Kitty Thompson: Well, obviously some songs are harder to pull off than others. We make use of several sampling devices on stage to cover the drum beats, sound FX and any extra layers that we added in production. We write and record all of our songs layer by layer before we ever play them, so its always a bit of a challenge to figure out who’s going to do what and how I’m going to play four cellos.
I’m usually busy with cello and back-up vocals, Vince runs the electronic layers and performs the male vocals, and Janine handles the lead vocals and keyboards, occasionally switching to the electric guitar when she has room to move.
We’re currently working on projected backdrop screens designed by Vince and Tom (JH’s animator) that will add a visual element to the live show.
TYBS: Tell me what motivated you to write about Rasputin (in the same titled track), the Russian mystic?
Vincent Marcone: It was a whim, I guess. He was such an interesting character, who seemed to draw both admiration and revulsion. I love those legends that ride somewhere between black and white. And he (or a certain impressive part of him) “ahem” is apparently on display in an erotic Russian museum right now. We didn’t know that when we wrote the song.
In last week’s column I featured Canadian goth band, Johnny Hollow’s history and self-titled debut CD. Here’s the best bits of our on-line interview where the members talk about their music, gaining a global fan base and the impressive parts of Russian mystics.
TYBS: Tell me about the persona of Johnny and how he was formed or conceptualized?
Vincent Marcone: For the moment it’s a secret, but all we can tell you is that you’ll be seeing a whole new side of Johnny soon.
TYBS: How have “recent” developments in technology (eg. the Net, file sharing, CD-burning, etc.) affected the way you make music?
Janine White: We embrace technology and quite possibly might not exist without it. Although we use a lot of organic sounds in our music, the creations themselves often start and end on the computer. We do a lot of editing and sampling of our own sounds to create musical fabrics and ambient backdrops. Thanks to file sharing we are able to tag-team on mixing and share ideas without even being in the same city.
The argument about Net file-sharing will be forever debated; our experience, however, has been quite positive. Throughout the entire process of recording our album we were able to post songs in various stages of completion and receive feedback which really propelled the project forward. Our online home at johnnyhollow.com has really broadened our fanbase.
The internet allows people to choose for themselves in a much more democratic manner what they really want to listen to. It is so important as an independent band to be able to reach the world, and as this is an interview from the Philippines I would say its working.
TYBS: Are you searching for a kind of “beauty” through your music? Do you consider it art as a means of meaning or is it just personal expression?
Janine White: There aren’t enough people speaking out for independent creativity. We don’t consciously try to be political or controversial with most of our lyrics, but our music combined with our whole visual/web presence is a statement of aggressive independence and our dedication to it.
Art as a means of personal expression is often purely intuitive, but regardless of intention there is always an aspect of communal meaning that reaches the people who respond to it.
TYBS: Why play dark music?
Kitty Thompson: We don’t consciously play “dark” music. We simply make music. If we come off as being creepy it’s because we are.
Janine White: There’s something cathartic in finding beauty in the darker side of human emotions.
TYBS: Tell me about all the unusually atmospheric instruments in your repertoire, especially the effects-laden cello. How exactly does that work?
Kitty Thompson: It is often difficult in our music to tell what is made up and what is real. Many noises are digitally created, many are raw acoustic sounds, and others are performed and then strangely manipulated.
There is nothing mysterious about the cello. It functions much like a guitar with pedals. However, the extensive palette of colors that can be obtained from such a cavernous acoustic body far outstretches the imagination.
TYBS: Why do music independently? The pros and cons?
Janine White: I’m not sure we’re independent on purpose. It’s more a default phrase for anyone that has not been signed by a label but appears to be functioning alright on their own.
The pros and cons are obvious. Working on your own project for your own reasons is the most rewarding experience you can have, because there are no “forces that be” pressuring you to follow any formula; but it comes at the price of budget constraints and long hours.
Right now it works for us, but that’s not to say that we might not change our minds if the right team for us came along.
TYBS: About performance. How do your dynamics work on-stage? Especially with the more danceable songs like “Stolen”?
Kitty Thompson: Well, obviously some songs are harder to pull off than others. We make use of several sampling devices on stage to cover the drum beats, sound FX and any extra layers that we added in production. We write and record all of our songs layer by layer before we ever play them, so its always a bit of a challenge to figure out who’s going to do what and how I’m going to play four cellos.
I’m usually busy with cello and back-up vocals, Vince runs the electronic layers and performs the male vocals, and Janine handles the lead vocals and keyboards, occasionally switching to the electric guitar when she has room to move.
We’re currently working on projected backdrop screens designed by Vince and Tom (JH’s animator) that will add a visual element to the live show.
TYBS: Tell me what motivated you to write about Rasputin (in the same titled track), the Russian mystic?
Vincent Marcone: It was a whim, I guess. He was such an interesting character, who seemed to draw both admiration and revulsion. I love those legends that ride somewhere between black and white. And he (or a certain impressive part of him) “ahem” is apparently on display in an erotic Russian museum right now. We didn’t know that when we wrote the song.
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