|
Farflung is a space rock band from USA with a long history and many albums. I got in touch with them. Tommy Grenas and Michael Esther answered my questions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your
biography has been covered in your ProgArchives profile so let's
bypass the biography details. But why did you choose that name and
which bands were you influenced by ?
Esther:
The name Farflung is still a bit of a mystery even to us.......it
involved a very late night and a pack of playing cards some black
Tea..........
Influences......
there are so many... from Psych to Punk to beyond...... Grenas:
You know I think it fits perfectly with the lyrical and etherial
content. I have no recollection of the origin. Maybe it
named itself? 
Please
tell us more about your first album 25,000 Feet Per Second from 1995 Grenas:
Go in bang it out in a couple of days. Before the luxury of protools.
It can't get more raw than that. It's almost a live lp in some ways.
We had a lot of fun at the birthing.
Esther:
I remember this being a very enjoyable session..... We were on a very
tight budget. We recorded the album over dubs and all in one weekend
consisting of two 12 hour sessions. it was recorded byTom Grimley at
Poop Alley. 
Please
tell us more about your second album Raven That Ate The Moon from
1996 Esther:
This one is a bit of a blur to me...... ........ heavier sh*t started
to creep in ...... but I must say I listened to the album for the
first time in years before we left for Roadburn last year and I
thought it really captured the moment that we were in...... dystopic,
heavey....... hahha! Grenas:
Same again but as Michael said,there was a lot of brain expansion and
murkey voyages.... that one was pretty stream of consienceness.
Strange times.
Please
tell us more about your third album The Belief Module from 1998 Esther:
If things were heavy around the time of The Raven they were heavier
during The Belief Module..... We took more time recording this album
but were limited by the equipment we were recording on.....I think
though that in the end that is the charm of the record. Grenas:
In a record store in Ventura with proprieter and lowfi extraordiaire
casey staples. The situation was again live and budget and very loose
ideas. The store held a cashe of interesting noisemakers and devices
used in the sessions....all fed into an archaic reel to reel player
with a semi gauzed tape. In between songs some muffled bleeds are
still present. We left that in. It was nice revisiting it on
the reissue http://reissue.it/" rel="nofollow - It had
been a while since I experienced it as a whole and it came thru like
a low find cosmic voyage......... 
Please
tell us more about your fourth album 9 Pin Body from 2002 Grenas:
A comp of tracks recorded at my studio the antechamber in highland
park by len del rio. Esther:
This was mostly culled from The Myth of Solid Ground sessions that
were recorded after the Belief Module sessions....
I
had left the band by 2000..... so this came out in the period I
wasn't an active member......
Please
tell us more about your fifth album When Science Fails from 2002 Esther:
I leave this one to Tommy..... While we were on tour we were talking
about this album and I guess some of my guitar is on there.......... Grenas:
Brandon LaBelle and me always wanted to do a conceptual soundtrack. I
have friends in Lubjuania Peter Bratz and Maya Wiesse Who are
independent film makers and had asked for a couple of tracks which
were used in a film called guardian of the frontier. We just
continued the theme till we had created the lp. Other musicians were
Scott Rushe guitar and Ryan kirk bass. Michael was on a little hiatus
at that time though I think he played on a piece called "Something
in the Water" which was recorded earlier. I always hoped
this lp would represent the diversity of the psych spectrum to flung
listeners from a stripped down more atmospheric place, it was a good
place to have this release in our history as it marked a movement
from brandon to his new venture in artistic fields afar and a primer
for new twist that became the wound album. I like the fact that every
lp we have done while being cosmic supplies a different vibe. What
were you up to during the six years between When Science Fails and A Wound In Eternity ? Esther:
We were all working on different projects...... We started to work
together musically again around 2005, both Ryan and I played shows
with Grenas's band Anubian Lights, there was some stuff with
Damo from Can. Grenas and I worked on some experimental film pieces
for Roedelius of Cluster. I was working on an on going project with
Jean de Bassecour called Le Momo Sonic. Ryan and Grenas had a project
called Suns Lungs that I played guitar in.......after that album was
caned we decided it was time for a new Farflung album so we began
the'Wound' sessions Grenas:
As Michael says
Please
tell us more about your sixth album A Wound In Eternity from 2008 Grenas:
Wound had to be a powerfull return. Long hours and heavy sessions.we
wanted to play again and have fun on the road ect and we knew that
wouldent be possable without a new lp that would get noticed and
raise the name amongst a new generation of spacerockers. It's Tight
machine that lp but in the tradition of flung it's another slice,as
the next one shall most likely be.
Esther:
This was a lot of fun to record without very much pressure..... we
took a year to record it
What
is the latest update on Farflung ? Esther:
We just finished a very successful European tour. We are working on a
new album and we have a series of split 12 inches that will come out
in 2011. How
is the creative process in Farflung from coming up with a
theme/riff/idea to you get it down onto an album ? Grenas:
Me and Michael with guitars trading off ideas. The jams resulting in
songs. The songs inspiring lyrics, Michael laughing at my bad vocal
takes, smoking eating mixing fixing. Figuring out who the hell is
going to put it out...........
Esther: It usually starts with me and Grenas trading riffs and as the
recording process starts we make adjustments....... kind of
boring hahhaha.........
Just
to give those of us who are unknown with your music a bit of a
reference point or two: How would you describe your music ? Grenas:
The term progressive means to move ahead and spacerock the
future. We try not to be retro or become obvious clones of past
masters. That's the goal of flung to me. I'd like to think
millenium headrock Esther:
Total sonic cinematic sound......spacerock for 21st century
heads!!!! hahhaha How
is your gigs situation in America ? Is there any plans or wishes
to play gigs or festivals in Europe, Asia or in Latin America? Esther:
In the last two years we've done to great tours in Europe. One
with our friends WHite HIlls and the our friends Black Land. We
are planning to be back in Europe in the Spring of 2011 and there
are some festivals it looks like we will be playing but nothing
has been announced yet.
We
would love to go to Latin America and to Asia
What
is your experience with the music industry and the new internet
music scene ? Esther:
The record industry has changed so much since we started..... I
think for bands like us now is a very good time Grenas:
Same as as Michael What
is your plans for the rest of this year and next year ? Esther:
To to try to keep on expanding our heads....... hahahha! Grenas:
To only put out what we think is our best effort with what we
have to work with and do it with a head full of fuel and astral
vision. To
wrap up this interview, is there anything you want to add to this
interview ? Grenas:
Thanks guys syug sknaht
Esther:
Thanks very much to everyone at Progarchives!!!!!! Cheers! Thank you to Farflung for this interview
Their PA profile is http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4434" rel="nofollow - and their homepage http://www.farflung.org/" rel="nofollow -
|
|
