Hi Guys!
This weeks Electric 10 comes from a very electric band that I have only recently found out about and let me tell you, they are quite the addictive sound! Check out what Ali had to say about this and that right here!
1. So come on, who are you and what the devil do you do in this thing you call a 'band'?
My name is Ali and I play bass in this Beyond This Point Are Monsters. We're not a 'band', we're a conundrum to ourselves, a miss-shapen stream of consciousness. A mess.
2. Where and when did you guys first get together?
Rob, Robin & Bazz started the band many years ago whilst they were still in college. The band has gone through a few line-up changes since then, but the current line-up was confirmed when Luke joined as third guitarist four years ago and I replaced the last bass player two years ago. I think this is as solid a line-up as we've ever had.
3. What is it about your music that makes it stand out from the rest of the crowd?
Erm...in reality probably nothing, we're extremely proud of the music we play, but conscious enough to know that we're not reinventing the proverbial wheel. If anything we avoid the traditional song structure of verse/chorus/verse, we almost never repeat part of a song twice, each idea leads into another like Joyce's stream of consciousness. I'd like to think this makes us a little bit more interesting to watch/listen to than your standard slow building instrumental post rock outfit. But maybe that's just me...some people like music that's five ways to play the same riff.
4. What song or songs are you most proud of?
Personally I love all the new tracks we've written since I've joined the band, we have to be to be honest, each track takes about 5-6 months to write and if we're not totally happy with a track then it won't leave the practice room. We're all perfectionist in one way or another and this makes writing a tiring and frustrating process but in the end when a track is done we know its the best it can be. Meggie Miyagi, which is on our split release with fellow Derbian's Alright The Captain, is the only new track we've released so far but its good example of what we're about now.
5. Which bands have influenced your own personal style?
Each band member has wildly different musical tastes to be honest so I can't speak for the group but personally I take a lot of influence (i.e. steal bass lines) from Hip-Hop bands such as Dalek and Subtle. When it comes to bass playing I detest the sort of fretboard wankery people such as (to give an example) Flea are guilty of, bass should be a simple, solid backing to music, not the main focus.
6. How is being a musician different than everyday life?
I guess it's main difference is simply that its not everyday life. Plus you can start drinking at midday on tour...
7. Who do you think is the worst band member at practice?
The one who starts playing Smells Like Teen Spirit everytime he gets bored. I'm mentioning no names...
8. Other than the people you play with now, if you could get any musician, dead or alive, who would you entrust to be in your “Dream Band”?
If I could get Tom Waits, Ornette Coleman and Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert in a room together we'd change the world...
9. Which musician could you spend a year with on a deserted island, knowing that what they could teach you would excel your music career tenfold?
Charlie Haden, who was Ornette Coleman's bassist, I think a year would be long enough for him to teach me how to play double bass.
10. Other than this interview, what is the stupidest thing you have ever agreed to do?
We did an acoustic set once of stuff off of Family Tree (our debut album), that was a pretty bad idea, we're just too rock 'n' roll for it...
These guys are amazing musicians and require your listening ears! Check out their Facebook page and of course, their MySpace page for some more information! Oh, and if you see them out and about at a show or on the street, say Hi to them! I'm sure they don't bite too hard!
Facebook Page!
MySpace Page!
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