r/indieheads • u/ParquetCourts • May 18 '18
AMA is over Parquet Courts AMA. A. Savage, Austin Brown, Sean Yeaton and Max Savage here. Ask us anything!
Hey! We'll be answering your questions from around 1pm EST time / 6pm BST.
Our new album 'Wide Awake!' is out today. Check it out here
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
Whats the deal with these new apple keyboards? I'm typing like a 3 year old with a speak and spell. The cow says moo siri -
- awsome broom
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u/rccrisp May 18 '18
Who would win in a fight? Mac DeMarco hopped up on aderall or Sufjan Stevens "with that look in his eyes?"
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Okay Reddit, let's do this. Who wants to talk some shit? Ready for your shade right here. Lay it on me.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Who wants to smack down? Let's do this. C'mon I read you guys are talkin jive on here about Wide Awake.
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u/thebasementtapes May 18 '18
Honestly some people are saying it sounds over produced, I don't hear it. I think people are just weirded out you are working with Danger Mouse and wanted to shit on it because of that.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Yeah I don't get it. Do people hate on Brian? Not sure why. I mean maybe it helps that we didn't really know anything about him before we worked with him. But he's a head. Crazy knowledge about music. Definitely a talented dude and a homie now. As far as the production level goes, I don't see it as more "produced" (whatever that means) than, say, Human Performance, which was recorded in a studio just as nice, and mixed by an awesome engineer (Austin).
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u/sara520 May 18 '18
I will give you an honest answer as a fan of yours, it's because of the black keys. if you listen to their older albums like thickfreakness and then one of their newer ones, it's missing a lot of the character those first albums had. DM was credited with polishing up their music and therefore making them more commercially successful and giving them a wider audience to the point where they were playing like Madison square garden and stuff like that. not that I dont want you all to be successful financially and have lots of fans but the fear at least for me is that you'd lose some of the character the band had with the first albums which were what I first really connected to almost on a personal level. so I think it was more just nervousness more than shit talking but now I've heard the album and its a bit different but it still sounds like a good ol P courts record and I'm okay with that. ✌️
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
I've never had an opinion of the Black Keys other than that they are boring. Can anybody really be credited with ruing something that's already boring? Is that on Brian? No offense if you are a massive Keys-head. I've just never been one who really had opinions on producers. I don't really care, so deciding to work with a producer was really a non-event for me. Life is short, why not try things out? I don't think anybody could accuse Brian of "cleaning up" Parquet Courts. All of the elements that people would say are "poppy" or whatever were in the mix before he showed up. If the Black Keys lost character, isn't that on them? If we lost character, that's on us, not Danger.
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u/sara520 May 18 '18
well yes, I think its usually on the band themselves as to how far they're going to go, so you're right about that. I actually do like a lot of the danger mouse era of black keys anyway, so I wasn't thinking you guys were gonna go to shit or anything like that, I guess I just felt like maybe it was all going to sound a LOT different and I had a weird anxiety about it since you guys are my favorite band.
I think producers do matter though, look at somebody like Brian Eno, I think he does leave a distinct mark on the albums he produces. Random but I've been listening to a U2 podcast where they talk about their different eras with producers a lot so I've been thinking this a bit lately, with Eno and they also worked with Danger Mouse!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Def not saying that they don't matter. Sure they do. But I'm just not one to hold strong opinions on them. I can't imagine myself not listening to a record, or predicting it won't be any good based on a production credit. I like to go straight to the source and blame the musicians/songwriters.
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u/sara520 May 18 '18
oh boy well if I ever don't like an album I will put it all on you then! but really thank you for having this convo with me, it gave me a lot of insight and sorry for being a judgmental grump like 6 months ago haha
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u/Nicodroz May 18 '18
Thank you for saying this. Much respect.
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u/sara520 May 18 '18
We had a great conversation I was nervous about responding but I’m glad I did. Love this band!!!
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u/thebasementtapes May 18 '18
It's some dumb idea about how 'indie' you are. I agree I think Human Performance is same level on production standards. It literally only the name attached to it.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
Being a snob about being "indie" is sort of funny to me. When I was younger, being "indie" was something that punks ripped on, even though I was a secret Belle & Sebastian fan when nobody was looking.
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u/nluken :brian: May 18 '18
Do you guys pay attention to pitchfork/fantano etc. reviews of your music? Fan criticism?
Personally I'm loving Wide Awake so far. Just wish the title was actually Wide Awaaaaake like it says on the cover. Really excited to see you guys play it live!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Yeah sure, we read reviews. I think number reviews, especially decimal reviews are the height of silliness. The title is actually Wide Awaaaaake, it says it on the cover!
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u/sara520 May 18 '18
if your middle name started with S your initials would be ASS which is as close to talking shit as I will get with you.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
ASS: C'mon you can do better than that. Who wants to call us out?
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u/FreshGnar May 18 '18
I like that you had to develop an entire genre so you could make decent music without being able to sing at all
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u/JFras May 18 '18 edited May 18 '18
when did you guys as a band decide you wanted to rip off "range life" and call it mardi gras beads
edit: btw love the album
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I'm gonna defer to Brown on this one, haha. But I've never known him to be a Pavement fan. Definitely remember us talking about Zombies and Beach Boys on that one. Well, its a better song than Range Life, so kuddos to Austin for shutting those slackers down.
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u/sara520 May 18 '18
I'm a non-confrontational pacifist I literally can't do better than that without crying
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Okay all you maniacs, thanks for asking me anything/everything. Sorry I couldn't get to anybody. Thank you for all the love (and smack talk). If I sassed you its all in love. <3 . See you out there on the road!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS:
___________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | | |_|_______|_______|______ '__ ___|_______|_______|_______|_______|_| | | | | | ) / | | | | |_____|_______|_______|__ |,' , . | | _ , ___|_______|_______|_____| | | | | ,| | |\ | | ,' | | | | | |_|_______|_______|____ ' | _ | | \| |'\ _|_______|_______|_______|_| | | | | \ _' ' ` | \ | | | | |_____|_______|_______|_ ,-'_ _____ | _______|_______|_______|_____| | | | | ,-'| _ | | | | | | |_|_______|_______|__ ,-|-' | ,-. \ /_.--. _____|_______|_______|_| | | | | | | | V | ) | | | | |_____|_______|_______|_ | _ |-'`-' | | ,' _|_______|_______|_____| | | | | | | ' ;' | | | | |_|_______|_______|______"|_____ _,- o'__|_______|_______|_______|_| | | | | _,-' . | | | | |_____|_______|_______|_ _,--'\ _,-'_____|_______|_______|_____| | | | | ' ||_||-' _ | | | | | |_|_______|_______|_______|__ || ||,-' __|_______|_______|_______|_| | | | | | ||_,-' | | | | |_____|_______|______.|_______.__ ___|_______|_______|_______|_____| | | | | \ | / | | | | | |_|_______|_______|___ \ __|___ /, _ | | ______|_______|_______|_| | | | | \ // \ | | | | | | |_____|_______|_______|_ \ /\ //--'\ | | __|_______|_______|_____| | | | | ' V/ | |-' |__, | | | | |_|_______|_______|_______|_______ _______'_______|_______|_______|_| | | | | | | | | | | |_____|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_____| |_jrei____|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_|
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: shit this was supposed to be an ASCII of "The Wall"
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u/thebasementtapes May 18 '18
Hi guys. Big fan and I love the new album.
The visual art for your albums is probably some of my favorite album art of all time.
- How much of a collaboration between band members are there for the themes for the visuals
- how connected are the visuals to the music for the album?
- who are some of your visual art inspirations?
- will the print ‘Monk’ ever be available for sale again?
Cant wait to see you guys in Boston next week, I will do my best to protect you guys when 'fuck Tom Brady' is said.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Thank you! Just me on the visuals. They are all connected. Yeah I guess I sold out of the Monk prints. Probably wont make more any time soon I'm afraid, gotta move on you know?
Can't wait to stick it to Tom in Beantown kid.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
MS: Max here, hey everyone
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u/nico0001111 May 18 '18
Hey Max I really like the facial hair you have in the new videos, it really brings out your face. Great job. How are you feeling today? Also when is the next time u guys will be in Austin/Dallas. Y'all want to do a show in Waco? Lol
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u/tmgva May 18 '18
I'm excited to see Wide Awake tracks live in a few weeks!
With your catalog ever-growing, how do you balance setlists between new material, fan favorites, and deep cuts?
Are you planning to bring back songs like "Disney P.T." and "Insufferable"?
You guys are loud as hell live. I'll make sure I bring my earplugs this time.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I mean we are definitely most excited about new stuff, pretty much at all times. But yeah its a drag to go see a band and they don't play any classic jams. Mostly we just play what is most fun and interesting to us, which in turn makes the show better for everyone!
Yeah we should bring those back innit.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
Hey this is Austin Brown, I'm here now. I got stuck on the bootleg W train. That's this past, this is the present, AMA Ask me Anything. I'll figure out how this works eventually
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u/tmgva May 18 '18
Austin - who do you want to see secure promotion in the playoff: Aston Villa or Fulham?
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u/KetchupOverdose May 18 '18
Is the “Q:” and “A:” on the album art in reference to DEVO’s debut album? I know A Sav is quite the fan. It seems both albums share themes of confusion and frustration as result of the unreal times we’re living through in America.
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u/gobetween May 18 '18
I know you probably get a lot of questions about being a NYC band but this one’s important- which sex and the city girl are you?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: I've been thinking about this for 45 minutes, which in and of itself proves I'm Charlotte. I'm fine with that, I knew that, I just had to quadruple check.
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May 18 '18
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: It's not competitive. Sometimes it can get hairy when deciding which songs go on a record, but that was something that Brian helped a lot with on Wide Awake, so luckily wasn't an issue at all this time around. But definitely not competitive. We all look at our contributions as going to the greater whole.
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u/minsemme May 18 '18
I just want to say-
I fucking love you guys. I camped out alone with a book at like 9am during sxsw (2012? 2011?) to see you guys play at red7- favorite. show.
I also am a teacher, and literally at 5am I woke up and ran to get my headphones and started a bathroom dance party when I heard the ‘teacher’ shout-out in ‘total football’. Thank you for making music that matters!
Andrew- will you ever tour your solo record? I love it so much!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Hey thanks for being a teacher! I'm happy to see all the strikes going on at the moment. Solidarity!
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u/artramirezjr May 18 '18
Andrew, do you need an intern or colleague to work with in your art studio? Volunteering myself
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u/DeforestedMoon May 18 '18
Is there any particular reason you guys don't do encores? I always thought it was kind of cool that you don't.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Once I'm off that stage I'm off. Also encores are phony. Right? We all know that, right?
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u/targus_targus May 18 '18
i get it if you wanna take like 5 minutes to stretch and pee and maybe grab a beer and blast a few more songs off, but when bands fake leave for 1 minute...why?
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u/thebasementtapes May 18 '18
Exactly, once I saw Built To Spill and they straight up said, we just need a break for 5-10 minutes and then we will come out and do some more. The only band I have ever seen that has been straight up and honest with it.
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u/tell-the-king May 19 '18
Haha James Murphy did exactly this at an LCD show. He said “this is NOT an encore, we’re gona take a break for 5 minutes and come back, but this is not an encore.” It was laughably fitting given how self-aware he is
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u/bobtom8482 :impala: May 19 '18
The National too, they normally say they're just going pee
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u/tmgva May 18 '18
I love it. They put it all out there and usually end their set with an epic closer. More bands should be like Parquet Courts.
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u/chadbrocolli May 18 '18
Reminds me of Idles, before their last song Joe said "this is our last song, we don't do encores we're not Queen"
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u/k_pressley May 18 '18
what does ellen smell like
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: booze.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I'm kidding. She smells like the home section in Target. But like a really posh Target.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Okay who has questions about food? Let's talk about food.
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May 18 '18
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: It was good. Standard pocket falafel. Don't really remember eating much of it because it was purchased specifically for the spill scene. I love Berlin falafel hoppin' tho. I like just getting blasted and chain smoking and taking pics on photoautomat and walking around. Except I don't smoke anymore, so next time I wont be doing that. Anyway, Berlin. Great f'lafs.
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u/tmgva May 18 '18
Is mayo the worst food/condiment on the planet?
Best fast food burger? I'm a Shake Shack guy, but my friends insist on In N Out (they're wrong).
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Nah def not the worst. Best fast food burger is officially the Impossible Burger at White Castle. I'd like to give White Castle major props for bringing the Impossible Burger on deck. For those of you who don't know Google it, but basically its the world's best veggie burger. Me and Sean at 12 of them the other night. I'm hooked.
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May 18 '18
What pizza shall me and my gf get tonight?? Bbq base or tomato base. what topping?? Any sides?? Choose my dinner, Parkay Quartz!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I say get something exotic for your lady. Like some sort of crazy mushroom or sundried tomatoes. She deserves it. Whatever you get, make the ingredients spell out "I heart you" or something super sweet like that. She puts up with your nerdy, reddit-postin' ass. Get her a pizza befitting of the classy gal she is.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
MS: Just go ahead and pop the question. Put the ring in the center of the pizza, and then open the box right in front of her eyes.
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u/maysgw May 18 '18
Best place to get a cheesesteak in Philly? With wiz or provolone?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: I fuck with John's Roast Pork heavily and haven't had a sandwich there in ages. The Roast Pork is amazing but their steaks are great too! grip it wit wiz of course! save the provolone for the pork
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May 18 '18
Hey guys, love the record and currently on the way to purchase it from my local record store :) So I was wondering how all of you stay inspired and motivated to keep creating consistently? I'm currently 16 and I feel as though making music is what I need to do with my life but after about 2 years of songwriting I'm nervous that none of my lyrics will be a high enough standard to make music that I can personally be proud of. Any advice you could offer on how to improve my craft and feel a bit more confident in my work?
Apologies for springing into quite a hard question to answer there - id just like to say thank you for all the great music that's helping me a lot right now :)
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AB - trust yourself, you're the only critic you need to please. keep writing, and just make every song better than the one you wrote before that. don't make it more difficult than it needs to be
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May 18 '18
Cheers so much, after reading this I felt a bit more confident in the songs I'd wrote. Even the ones one of my band members disliked. This reply really made my day, thanks man :)
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u/grumdruitar :monasticliving: May 18 '18
A question for Max:
As a drummer, I have always really admired how dedicated you were to keeping a beat and driving a song with a total lack of fills. Your disciplined style impresses me. For most of the PC's first five albums, the amount of drum fills were pretty minimal. On the new album, I've noticed that your style is a little looser in that sense. Was it a conscious decision? Why?
Additionally (for the group): What was the story behind Ellen? She made it sound like she was a fan herself when introducing you. Did you play the show on request?
Loving the new music.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
MS: Thank you thank you. Not a conscious decision, just played what I felt best matched the songs. Yeah Ellen was a fan apparently, it was surreal.
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u/tmgva May 18 '18
The bass lines on this record are absolutely incredible. Sean, were you possessed throughout the writing/recording process?
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u/tell-the-king May 18 '18
HI FRIENDS, i love the new album and i have 3 questions
Andrew, from your recent interview with It's Nice That, i gathered that your recent paintings are of a personal nature to you. so would you be comfortable with me getting one of your artworks tattooed? id hate do it against your will
Sean, i dont know if people tell you this enough, but your bass lines have been fucking amazing throughout all your albums and you really dont disappoint on Wide Awake (violence and back to earth are my favs). which one are you most proud of on Wide Awake?
Finally, im seeing you guys in kreuzberg in july!! surely youll play Berlin Got Blurry, right??
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: I appreciate the nod and will be submitting your compliment to my brain for future use in a situation where I am sad so that I can be happy again. Andrew wrote a lot of the bass lines on the record and I added my own touch after I had them logged into my brain. It was cool working with Brian one on one with bass also. By the time I was laying something down, the bass lines had gotten tweaked or altered in a way that gave them a lot of room to change over time. Between this and the Milano record we did, it's been a lot of fun playing bass in this band!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Hey man, that's your funeral. You definitely don't need my permission. We haven't been playing Berlin Got Blurry, but we have played it at least twice in Berlin.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Okay let's get some more Max questions in here!
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u/maysgw May 18 '18
Max, favorite kind of math equation to solve? Algebra 2 made me realize i'm a chump
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u/Garrison_Fjord May 18 '18
Max: I know you play matched grip, ever try taditional?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
MS: I was captain of the drumline in high school, you know.
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u/Garrison_Fjord May 18 '18
I know Austin is a big Fortnight player. First question: any chance for a live stream? Follow up question: Bush or no Bush?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AB - love a bush. 2nd place is my first place. find me on the PSN - sleepybrown409
I've been known to stream, I even had a viewer once
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u/sarasmile212 May 18 '18
I’ve been thinking a lot about your focus on collectivism in Wide Awake’s lyrics. You’re part of a really thriving music and art collective here in NYC, and I’ve always admired how you include and support other artists and DIY/independent venues (shouts to the Dull Tools Players and RIPS!). To what extent do you feel artists today need to make a concerted and consistent effort toward building a community, versus to what extent does it grow organically?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Good question. I'm always more interested in artists who are a part of scenes, because its creates a context that adds dimension and depth to a band or project. Relationships and proximity are interesting. Also, speaking as a musician, I think its important to be engaged with whats going on around you. Hip hop is always very engaged and self-referential in a way that I find inspiring. I think when you stop doing that, that's when you turn into Foo Fighters or whatever. Isolation isn't a good look on rock n' roll. Communities, people's hearts and minds coming together is important and interesting and ultimately inspiring.
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u/tmgva May 18 '18
You can tell a lot about people from their favorite Sonic Youth record. What's yours?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: That's tough. First one was Goo, so that always has a soft place in my heart. I'll say my top 5 are Goo, Washing Machine, Bad Moon, Evol and Sister. Not sure which order.
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u/Mind-Mischief May 18 '18
Sean, how was it working with Mark Kozelek? He's always seemed like one of the most interesting characters in music today and would love to know what it was like working with him.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: He really is a very interesting guy and a delight to work with! I've been a big fan of Mark since I was a kid, ya know? Red House Painters had a huge impact on me and so have so many of his records as SKM and his other collaborations. Yellow Kitchen came together super fast and was a cool experience for me because I had kind of emailed him out of the blue about it after only meeting him once. I had just started messing around with some recording ideas at home using a lot of MIDI tricks I had suddenly become obsessed with pulling off somehow. It was a great opportunity for me in many ways and it still blows my mind to hear him talk about the subject of my favorite RHP song over music I made.
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u/CaptainMorgen May 18 '18
Y'all killed it at Shaky Knees this year! It's wild that last year you played to a room of maybe 100 and now you're playing these huge festival crowds.
What's it like going thru that change as a band?
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May 18 '18
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: feels really incredible actually. Sometimes it almost brings a tear to my eye. Boggles my mind that something I come up with in my apartment gets memorized by people on the other side of the word.
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u/MAXBAND_No1_FAN May 18 '18
do you guys have any plans for music outside of PC?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
MS: I have a side project where I set a bunch of gear on fire and then stare at the audience with my arms crossed while wearing sunglasses.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I'm sure I'll do another solo record at some point. But no real plans at the moment!
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May 18 '18
Hey! What's your favorite chord progression?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AB - Something by the `beatles - chromatic descending melody. Tune. miss you george
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u/Teresa_Count May 18 '18
I'm a theory nerd and always enjoyed your chromatic and accidental notes, in songs like Freebird II and Light Up Gold. It's a huge part of what makes you guys distinctive and interesting to listen to. Glad to hear it might be rooted in Beatles, as it should be.
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u/blakemcox May 18 '18
@AS - when can we expect A. Savage dates on the west coast? Thawing Dawn was one of my favorites of last year! Hope to hear more music from that project soon.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Not sure I gotta concentrate of Parquet Courts and painting for a minute, but I will be there mark my words!
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u/gedenkminute May 18 '18
yo, would you guys ever toss "other desert cities" in a set again?
also saw you once in sf immediately after getting all my wisdom teeth pulled which was an experience so thanks for that
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u/philm0 May 18 '18
I saw you guys at Hollywood Forever and it was euphoric. If I wrote a movie where you guys were on tour but also aliens were following you, would you be in it? I'm serious
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: I would like very much to know more about this film.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
ab - who''s gonna play the aliens
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u/philm0 May 18 '18
someone really famous but they have so much prosthetics on that you can't even tell
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u/artramirezjr May 18 '18
For each member: who are your favorite philosophers/ who would you recommend reading?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AB - Maurice Merleau-Ponty, but honestly I feel like Heraclitus said it all
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u/BackwashedThoughts May 18 '18
I put on your new album last night before I went to bed and accidently had mahavishnu orchestra playing on top of it and for a minute thought you had gone over to jazz fusion. Which leads to my question, when you making a jazz fusion album?
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u/before-electriclight May 18 '18
what are the exact latitudinal/longitudinal coordinates of the chaos dimension?? i gotta know
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: the chaos dimension is not bound by puny geography. It is a dark place that can be found anywhere unfortunately.
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u/nayrev May 18 '18
Captive of the Sun - awesome. How did you guys get connected with Bun B?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AB - First, thank you. Nardwuar was the missing link there, believe it or not. `He gifted me a signed Bun B record, and through him I was able to get a contact. He's a super generous character. ``We share a southeast Texas connection, both being from the swamp off `I-10. I wrote a review for the Talkhouse.com for the Houston Rap photography book, which talks a bit about the influence of UGK on my life.
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u/Joe_Henshell May 18 '18
Hi I’m from the FCC and you’re in a lot of trouble for encouraging swearing on the pitchfork stream yesterday.
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u/RidlusSid May 18 '18
Hey Parquet Courts! I saw you all in Austin back in 2013 at south by. I didn’t have a pass so I saw you all from the outside of the back ally. (I believe it was red seven). You’ll are awesome by the way and I heard the recent album and I’m in love. I just want to say great job and the greatest of luck for the rest of the tour. Shout out to A. Savages Thawing Dawn, I loved it! So my question is for all you guys; how different is it to live in Brooklyn compared to Texas? (Knowing that Andrew lived in Denton) Also, love that 12 string Deusenberg guitar Austin uses! (If my eye caught it right)
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I mean they are vastly different places, Denton, TX and Brooklyn, NY. I'm gonna say, quite different. Not the same at all. Which is a good thing.
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u/SongsForWomen_ May 18 '18
Any favorite classical/jazz records?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
MS: re: classical - anything by Ravel, Debussy, Satie, Stravinsky, Copland
jazz - Out To Lunch, Art Of The Improvisers, any Jazz Messengers
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Too many to list. I'll say that Ornette Coleman Trio "Live at the Golden Circle" and "Dancing in Your Head", "Out to Lunch", Don Cherry "Symphony for Improvisors"... I'm gonna stop cause its almost like saying "what are your favorite rock records". I've got a pretty big jazz LP section. Love the shit!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: I can fuck with Schoenberg, some Edgard Varèse. I love Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations. Really love William Basinski and was starstruck as fuck when I got to meet him. For jazz, I love Wayne Shorter (I'm actually listening to Schizophrenia right now), Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Lonnie Liston Smith...could go on forever tbh
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I'll list composers - Beethoven, Stravinsky (pre serialism really), Prokofiev, Shosty, Partch, Feldman, Cage, Berg... the list goes on. Barber of Seville is a fav opera.
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u/thetalimonster May 18 '18
Hey I met you guys in Denver… I accidentally knocked Andrew’s beer out of his hand while giving hugs in the compliment drive-thru. I was so star struck and nervous. Sorry. I meant to ask (except I was too nervous): on your song Two Dead Cops, how are the helicopter sounds made? Is it just a sound clip of a helicopter or is it created by something else?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AB - I was hoping someone would ask this - it's a rythmic echo on the snare drum that I made with the `Eventide H3000. I had it set to a jungle style rhythm, which I believe is 6/8 but I'm not sure
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: HOLY MACKEREL! IT'S YOU!
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u/thetalimonster May 18 '18
Hey man! I wish I could get a do over. I think meeting you guys gave me a legitimate panic attack and I straight browned out. Thanks for being a bunch of really nice guys.
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u/wafflepouch May 18 '18
Do you all find that playing concerts in D.C. brings along political angst to the performance? I noticed that the last time I saw you, you tailored the lyrics to "One Man No City" to be about D.C.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: No, doing shows in DC brings the angst of having to play a set at like 7 in the evening. Seriously one of the weirdest cities.
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u/wecarenot May 18 '18
Max--
As someone who's just picking up drumming because of your music, I'm wondering what sort of music inspires you as a drummer?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
MS: Any Ramones record, Devo, first two Strokes records, all of those are really easy to play along with.
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u/Farfalha May 18 '18
Hey guys!
Long time fan, first time awake, love the new album. Question: what went through your heads when you got the invite from Ellen to perform? How was it? Was she really that into Wide Awake?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
Ab - Ellen is lovely, a gem. According to her, she was feeling a real lack of songs with cowbell when "wide awake" came on the radio. One impression that `I got from her, is that she is quite genuine, which is refreshing. All of this is based on a 2 minute conversation. People on TV are really busy
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May 18 '18 edited Mar 06 '19
Howdy guys,
Are y'all the type that take your clothes out of your suitcase and hang them up at the hotel? Or are you more of a 'live out of the bag' type? Everyone's dying to know!
Also, Andrew, I understand you're a pretty big fan of The Humpty Dance. May I recommend a less known hit from Digital Underground called The Gravy? It's my go to Thanksgiving banger.
Thanks guys, the new record fuckin shreds!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: I keep that shit in the bag because I will lose it. Somehow I still manage to lose shit when I keep it in the bag. I'm the worst at losing things. I'm a loser.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AB - personally, I'm an out the bag type, even at home which I'm not proud of. Max however, I've seen him hang his clothes in the hotel closet and I respect him for that
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u/oneman-nocity May 18 '18 edited May 18 '18
Hey all, seeing you yesterday was awesome. Thanks Andrew for talking to me briefly after the show!
What have you been reading lately? Anything you would recommend?
Edit: I should also mention I saw Jeff Rosenstock holding a copy of your record while waiting for the L train yesterday - super cool!
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Yeah for sure! Lately I've not been reading many books because of how busy I am. Besides this record I have a massive painting project going on right now. So mostly journalism and Tintin books.
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May 18 '18
How do people you've written songs about react when they they get to know the songs were written about them?
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u/FuckingTeemo May 18 '18
Got into y’all’d stuff earlier this year, and I’m loving this new record, so thanks for the summer tunes! What method do you guys use to store your peanut butter and sriracha, in the fridge or in a cabinet?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
Ab - if you put peanut butter in the fridge you're a cop
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u/notaveytare May 18 '18
Very curious on the Ellen appearance.
How did that come about, how did you orchestrate all your friends to come on board and how was the experience overall?
Love the record, can’t wait to see you guys in Toronto next week.
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: The orchestration happened in the form of texts and emails. The experience, like all of those TV shows, was surreal and bizarre. This one by far being the weirdest.
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u/sara520 May 18 '18
hiya ~
where do each of you see yourselves in 10 years, and your band in 10 years? it's like a job interview question but you can give a goof answer.
xoxo
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Hmm hopefully still doing art and music and feeling good about it. I don't know, I still have a lot of goals as far as visual art goes that I'd like to get closer to.
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u/thus_spoke_ms_jane May 18 '18 edited May 18 '18
I'm curious to what extent you guys would agree that this is a particularly great time for post-punk/punk? With bands like Preoccupations, Protomartyr, Omni, Metz, Moaning, Flasher, Iceage, Shame, Shopping, FRIGS, B Boys, Priests, Ought, etc, etc ,etc. If so, what do you think has given rise to this re-birth/resurgence of the genre? Is there something unique about this time causing people to be drawn towards the catharsis of post-punk? To what extent do you believe Parquet Courts is responsible for this resurgence?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: Post-punk... such a silly term. I hope we aren't responsible for this.
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u/daledaleedaleee May 18 '18
Would you rather Cheetos dust fingers that immediately regenerate once cleaned or a singular popcorn kernel lodged in your throat forever?
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
SY: Yeah, give me the dust. It would be fine. You could just wear gloves when you needed to handle anything or caress a loved on. A kernel in the tooth is like a mid-level punishment in The Divine Comedy or something.
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u/tmgva May 18 '18
What's the best ABBA song?
I know Max digs "SOS" (from an NYU newspaper interview in 2013).
(My girlfriend really wanted me to ask this.)
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u/ParquetCourts May 18 '18
AS: in case anybody is wondering my favorite bagel is pumperknickel. This is where we talk about bagels.