Kaddisfly "Set Sail" For New Land
By: Static Multimedia |
Sunday April 29, 2007 |
| Oregon faves |
| Photos By Kevin Russ
Oregon rockers Kaddisfly may have toured with the likes of Emery and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, but their music and sensibilities appear much different than those alternative rockers. The band, featuring Christopher Ruff (Vocals/Piano), Aaron Tollefson (Guitar), Kile Brewer (Bass), Beau Kuther (Drums/Percussion) and Kelsey Kuther (Guitar/Percussion), leans more towards prog rock than emo/punk. Also, the band's full-length album Set Sail The Prairie, released in March, features twelve songs devoted to the months of the year and two more named after the solstices in the Gregorian Calendar. When most bands of their generation are satisfied singing simple songs about the girl that broke their heart, Kaddisfly have their sights set higher. Their music is thoughtful, esoteric and moody, with flashes of hard rock influences thrown into the mix. We interviewed Kaddisfly guitarist Aaron Tollefson via e-mail and below is that conversation. The band will be joining this year's Warped Tour beginning July 28th at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL. Are there any current trends in music that excite or repulse you? I'm excited that more artistic and creative bands are starting to get recognized. It's a shame that music has gotten so watered down and cookie cutter in the last five years. How did the band form? Chris and I have been playing in bands together for a long time. We have been jamming as Kaddisfly for about 5 years. How did the name of the band come about? It sounded cool at the time, and just kinda stuck. A caddisfly is an insect native to the northwest, so it kind of represents where we are from in a way. I presume recording each album is a bit of a learning experience. Yes. I mean, being in a band, and growing, every aspect is very much a learning experience. There is so much to learn and so much new technology in the recording world. Even the most seasoned producers and musicians never really feel satisfied with what they know about the process. What kinds of things did you take into recording that you'd done on other albums and what sorts of new approaches did you try? When it came time to record Set Sail, we were very open-minded. We knew the songs and how we wanted the album to come across, but other than that, we really wanted to experiment. We tried several different guitars and amps, and other weird instruments. I love playing live, but the recording/songwriting process is what I enjoy doing the most. For me, it's the best opportunity to be creative. What would you do differently on the next album? Maybe just spend more time on it. When you don't have a major label budget to record, and you have all these crazy wacky ideas like we do, time becomes an issue. We spent two months on Set Sail-which seems like a lot of time, but we could have easily spent three or even four. What were some of the challenges you encountered while making your latest album? Again, I would just say time. We had such a blast recording that any other challenges we may have had probably just made the album better in a weird way. What are you most proud of about the album? That's a tough one. I'm pretty stoked (about) how the songs came out compared to albums in the past, but the way the concept took shape is probably the winner on that one. There were times when we thought it was gonna be a lost cause putting it all together, but it worked out alright. Everyone brought something different to the table, and doing research and what not was a blast. It was like doing a fun school project. What is the best song on the new album and why? Man…that's like having to pick your favorite child. Ha ha! Honestly right now I would say "Via Rail." It gets so intense near the end for me. I think that song is hard for the average listener to grasp right away 'cuz its so out there, but it may be a lot of people's favorite given time. I would throw "Forest" in as a close second. Were there any songs that didn't make it to the final cut that you really wish had? We wrote three songs that weren't on the album with the intention of making them b-sides. We left them off on purpose, so I cant say I really wanted them on the record. There will be a time and place for those songs. What were your hopes for the album and how have things gone with it so far? The album came out a couple of weeks ago and so far I think the response has been very good. What direction do you see the band/yourself going in next? This band is in a constant state of progression. We are always challenging ourselves, and each other in many different ways. I've always said that I won't be satisfied unless our new material is leaps and bounds beyond our previous material. That's a matter of perspective, I guess, but I am very excited about the new stuff we are writing. What plans do you/the band have for the near and distant future? Tour, tour, tour at the moment. With the exception of a couple weeks here and there, we will be on the road the rest of the year. After that, another record. Maybe early next year we can start thinking about that. What are your aspirations for yourself/the band at this point? Ha ha…Wyld Stallions!!! I don't even know. At this point we just want to make a comfortable living making music, because we have worked so hard to get to this point. Right now I make more money staying home working my day job, so if we could just reverse that situation we will be all set! To be honest, I don't even know what else I would do with my life. Do you think the MySpace phenomenon has helped or hurt you/your band at all? For our style of music, I would say it has hurt us. It's weird because it has become such an essential tool if you want to get your music out there. It has helped us in that respect. The problem is, it is helping to blow up "bands" that have never even toured before. It's hard for kids these days to identify with bands that are legit and bands that don't have a clue what they are doing. What upcoming albums by other artists are you really psyched to hear? Bjork, Circa Survive, Auto Pilot, Ayin. To name a few. Is there any particular band or artist you'd really love to work and/or tour with? Glassjaw, Dismemberment Plan, but those will never happen. While most artists want to be known for doing something original, every musician has likely been influenced by another band or artist. Who has been your biggest influence or what band/musician do you most admire? While in high school, I would come home every day and jam to Silverchair and Smashing Pumpkins records. I got into Incubus and Deftones after that, and now I don't really look to other bands as a form of influence. I think Billy Corgan/Bjork are the musicians I most admire. Do you have any touring plans for the near future? Only thing set in stone right now is the second half of Warped Tour. Not sure where we pick up or end yet, but stay tuned! What do you like best and least about the tour grind? Best things about touring are: getting to see the country, meeting new people/family I don't see often, and playing music every night!! Bad things are: being away from loved ones for long periods of time, not having my bed to come home to every night, and being broke! Have you ever had a dream where you wrote a song that you were sure was the best ever written, but upon waking up, you couldn't remember anything about it? If you did remember the song, was it as amazing as the dream made it out to be? Ha ha!! I have definitely had dreams like that. Sometimes I would force myself to wake up so I could play guitar and figure out the riff. Can't say it ever led to a miracle song, but the intention was there. What inspires during the lyric writing/creating stage? A few cold ones always seems to do the trick. Now that the album is out, is there anything that you would change or do differently and why? I'm pretty content with the way things have lined up thus far. The album was supposed to drop in September, and after talking with our label, we decided to postpone the release. That decision ended up being very beneficial for us. Do you plan on doing any collaborating in the near future or for your next release? We would love to get some others involved for the next record, but nothing is planned at this point. Who is your favorite songwriter or artist and why? I think the music that Bjork creates is just completely next level from anything else out there right now. She makes me feel completely inadequate. How has your life changed since the last album which was released? I guess for me personally, I am single for the first time since we have started touring consistently. So I can say it has changed drastically for better and for worse. Ten years from now, how would you like your fans to reflect on your work? I can't say that I really dwell on stuff like that. We write songs how we want them to sound, not to be perceived as rock and roll gods. How would you like to reflect on your work ten years from now? Hopefully in a positive light, and obviously I hope we are still jamming! Do you plan to stay in this particular genre or do you wish to branch your sound out? I would like to think at this point that we haven't tied ourselves down to one particular genre. In which case, it won't be an issue at all to branch out. I think I would go crazy if we played the same style of music for one album, let alone an entire career. Ha ha! |
