What is your favourite song to play live?
“I Will Be”.

Do you have a favourite venue to play?
I love Madame Jo Jo’s in London.

What is your first memory of playing live?
Being wasted, fronting a terrible band in front of 30 people.  I was 19?

What does live music mean to you as a performer?
I am giving it my all; performing your songs is such a bizarre thing to do, but it feels like nothing else when you do it well.

… And as a music fan?
I absolutely love listening to records, whether loud in my living room or in headphones, but when a band is good live, it is breathtaking and life-affirming for me.

What was the last gig you played that sticks in your mind and why?
Our last show of this tour was the midnight slot on Pitchfork’s stage at Primavera in Barcelona.  It looked like 10,000 people were watching, and it was this frozen moment in time.  We played our best and it was thrilling; if you watched closely, you could’ve seen our love for each other solidify onstage.

What’s the best gig you’ve seen recently?
Pet Shop Boys closing out Primavera!

If you had to name one (and you do!), what’s the best gig you’ve ever seen?
Spiritualized in Toronto, 2008.

Have you had any bizarre heckles, things thrown at you or the like?
I don’t listen.

You get to curate an imaginary festival stage. Aside from your own pick five bands, two old and three new, to play alongside you?
Spacemen 3, Shangri-Las, Crocodiles, Girls, and Woven Bones.

If you have an iPod hit random play and list the first three tracks that come up?
“Can’t Explain” Black Tambourine, “Titanium Exposé” Sonic Youth, and “Needle in a Haystack” The Velvelettes.

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had geniuses’. A genius was a spirit that attached itself to an artist (often animal, human or otherwise) that helped him or her create. What would your genius be?
A black cat.

Dum Dum Girls play a string of UK dates from late July including 1234 Festival in Shoreditch Park July 24th, Cargo July 30th and those massive MGMT support slots at Brixton Academy Sept 29th-Oct 1st.

So this is your first proper tour?
This is definitely my first proper tour. I’ve played a few shows in LA and a couple of gigs in San Fran and then did the whole SXSW thing. This is my first time over here, I’ve never even been to London.

To us a couple of the tracks featured on your new Curtis Lane EP, ‘When Your Love Is Safe’ and ‘Take Shelter’, sound more like straight up dance/pop than the rest of your songs. Were you conscious of that when making them?
‘When Your Love Is Safe’ is definitely a more straightforward pop song. ‘Take Shelter’ is an earlier song I wrote maybe a year and a half ago. Some of the other stuff like ‘Weight Of The World’ and ‘I’m In Your Church At Night’ was just this past fall so may have a bit of a different vibe to it.

What’s your songwriting process? Music or lyrics first?
It’s almost always music first. Often I’ll start just singing into a mic and feeling out a range, maybe holding a note and creating a couple of harmonies over that. Then I can feel out what sort of rhythm is in my head and some sort of drum beat and then it just builds from there. You add a synth layer, add a pad layer and the more you shape it the more the lyrics start to come to me. But I wouldn’t say I’m too formulaic otherwise you start making a lot of the same shit!

What’s with the harp?!?
Ha ha. It came about two years ago, I’ve always been fascinated by it and had the desire to play it. I was living in Denver at the time and a friend of mine had rented a viola and I tagged along with him to the shop where they had a big harp showroom. I sat down and gave it a strum and it was everything and more that I thought it would be. I was looking for some kind of organic element that would fit with my voice and I think it added a nice touch.

What is your favourite song to play live?
Probably ‘Wilderness’, it feels really big to me and I’m comfortable banging it out. It doesn’t have some of the gut wrenching high notes that the others do!

Did you have vocal training to learn to hit those notes?
I grew up on the Eastside before moving to L.A. and sang in the Philadelphia Boys Choir from about age 9 to 13. They were a really prestigious group and we travelled the world and played some amazing venues.

What is your first memory of playing live?
I was really young and my parents didn’t know I could sing so they were shocked I was accepted into this choir. About three months later the choir was playing Carnegie Hall, which is one of the most famous concert halls in the U.S. and I ended up singing a solo. My grandfather was in the front row and I remember singing and him getting teary eyed. I was only a little guy but it was a moment.

What does live music mean to you as a performer?
To me it’s pretty essential to the music. I don’t feel really my live show is where it should be but I was anxious to show people what I have now. I think a lot of people turn up and think “I wish it was bigger”. But for now as a performer I think it’s important to put my ass out on the line and hopefully people feel it.

… And as a music fan?
I went to a lot more shows before I started playing shows myself. You spend a lot of time at venues and it starts to weigh on you a bit but if it’s a band I’ve been really curious to see perform, I’ll be there checking them out.

What was the last gig you played that sticks in your mind and why?
Club Koko just last week. It was one of the coolest venues I’ve seen or played. In soundcheck I remember playing the harp and just singing with nothing else and the place was echoing. I’d never really felt such a big sound in a space before. Then the very next night I played upstairs at The Garage which was just the worst sound!

What’s the best gig you’ve seen recently?
I saw the Smith Westerns at SXSW and they had a good little rock swagger going on and some good songs. I saw The Drums and was more impressed by the lead singer who’s a bit of a rock star. So I took some tips from him and I’ve started throwing some mic tricks into my game!

If you had to name one (and you do!), what’s the best gig you’ve ever seen?
Probably Nine Inch Nails at a big amphitheatre called Red Rocks outside Denver, Colorado. The sound was amazing and I like the songs but it was the stage props that did it. Trent Reznor had this kind of screen in-front of him that he could touch and move almost like Minority Report. It was psycho! That’s for my stadium world tour that one!

You get to curate an imaginary festival stage. Aside from your own pick five bands, two old and three new, to play alongside you?
I’ll take the Jackson Five in there as an old band and maybe just get some soul with it and take Al Green.

Then maybe for the new stuff maybe The Knife, then a crazy metal band like Gwar and maybe throw The Walkmen into the mix, I’ve been dying to see them live.

And my festival’s going to be free with unlimited drinks and free glasses because the whole thing’s going to be in 3-D!

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had geniuses’. A genius was a spirit that attached itself to an artist (often animal, human or otherwise) that helped him or her create. What would your genius be?
Now that we’re looking out at the ocean I think it would be some kind of liquid spirit, some kind of plasma spirit that could phase out to where it wanted to be at that moment. Maybe the Silver Surfer covered in plasma!

Active Child’s Curtis Lane EP is out through Merok Records on May 24th in the UK and June 1st in the U.S.

Buy it here: Rough Trade 10″ Vinyl / cd / iTunes

Tell us a little bit about your forthcoming EP ‘A Party In Motion’
It’s definitely different from anything else we’ve done but not because we don’t like our old stuff! It’s just fun as a band to change with each release. This EP is more Krautrock influenced, the songs are a lot longer.

Currently, what is your favourite song to play live?
Right now there’s a song from the new EP called ‘Bull Riff’, it’s long and repetitive and really fun to play. At the moment on this tour we’re playing it with twelve people but usually it’s about eight.

Do you have a favourite venue to play?
Back home in San Francisco it’s probably The Great American Music Hall, it’s too big for us to headline but we’ve played with a few friends’ bands and it’s great. The Paradiso in Amsterdam too.

What is your first memory of playing live?
There’s a guy in Still Flyin’ called Bryan who plays percussion and sings also. We started playing acoustic guitars together at high school when we were about fifteen. We’d play during lunch break. That morning we’d pass out flyers saying where we would be playing.

What does live music mean to you as a performer?
To me that’s the reason I play music at all. In a band like Still Flyin’ where there are so many people in the band and we live all over the world, it’s so expensive for us to go on tour and so complicated but there are magical moments on tour when it all comes together and it feels so good. When it happens the crowd feeds off your energy and get more energetic themselves and it’s like a big high five between each other.

… And as a music fan?
What matters the most to me is the personality of the musicians. The band has to look like they’re into it and doing more than just playing fifteen songs back to back. I like the stuff that’s in addition to the music.

What was the last gig you played that sticks in your mind and why?
We did a five week tour of Europe in February and March. We went to Italy for the first time, not knowing what to expect, whether anyone would know who we were. The first show was in Genoa in a really big theatre room. It was the first time the promoter had booked a foreign band for that venue so he was nervous but there ended up being 300 people all going crazy so that was really fun.

What’s the best gig you’ve seen recently?
We were supposed to play a SXSW party thing that got shut down by the cops before we were due to play so we ended up going to this other party down the street. We didn’t know them at the time but a band called Lord Scrummage from Detroit played. They were all on keyboards and facing the walls, not even looking at each other or the crowd and they just started playing awesome, dancey video game music.

If you had to name one (and you do!), what’s the best gig you’ve ever seen?
My favourite band ever is The Go Betweens. They were hard to see, I only got to watch them twice and the second time was at a club called Slims in San Francisco. It was around six months before Grant McLennan died, so their final tour. They had to play like four encores, people wouldn’t let them go.

Have you had any bizarre heckles, things thrown at you or the like?
We love getting heckled! The one that comes to mind was in Glasgow on our February tour. We’d never played in Scotland before, the room was small but rammed out of control and at the front there were these guys with shaved heads that looked like the type that fight a lot! They were heckling the shit out of us, being funny but I thought we were gonna get beaten up. Then they mentioned Maserati, a band no-one has heard of that some of the guys used to play in. It turned out they were these forty-five year old superfans and things went from fear to joy.

You get to curate an imaginary festival stage. Aside from your own pick five bands, two old and three new, to play alongside you?
Old bands would be The Go Betweens and Velvet Underground.

Current ones I’d want Matthew McConaughey to start a band and play the bongos. He got arrested once on a noise complaint where the cops had to break into his house and he was naked playing bongos with a bunch of pot lying on his table. He seems like a funny guy!

I’d also get Phil Collins and the Gorilla from the Cadbury’s commercial and they’d only be allowed to play that drum fill from ‘In The Air Tonight’. We’d see who could play it best.

One more would be Lord Scrummage I guess but they might be hard to track down, they were pretty elusive!

If you have an iPod hit random play and list the first three tracks that come up?
The Darkness – Friday Night
The Phones – Zombies
Stricken City – P.S.

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had geniuses’. A genius was a spirit that attached itself to an artist (often animal, human or otherwise) that helped him or her create. What would your genius be?
It would have to be a sloth!

What is your favourite song to play live?

My favorite song to play live is one we’ve just learned called “Take Me In” which hasn’t been released yet. It’s a bit more abrasive than anything else I’ve done, has a lot more energy and edge I guess haha. It’s also a bit darker so it lets me get my post-punk on sort of.

Not yet. We haven’t really been playing live that long so we’ve only played a handful of venues in NYC and Virginia. We got to play the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn which was fun just because it’s a really big venue with a great sound system. But it didn’t have a ton of character or anything. I still prefer playing house shows for friends at the moment.

Hm, I wish I had a cool story but I don’t haha. The first time I played live was a few years ago with my previous band in a basement. We sucked a lot. I mean I guess I had played a couple little acoustic shows and stuff for my friends before that but I don’t know. It’s always been kind of frightening for me until recently.

I think it’s something that is definitely necessary and important. At the same time I really feel more comfortable and inspired by the recording side of music. I think that is the reason why I make music in the first place and performing is kind of secondary to that. But I recognize the importance of playing live and it’s something I want to continue doing and continue improving. It’s certainly the most honest way to portray your music.

I don’t get to see as many shows as I’d like to, but live music is always something I’m interested in. I enjoy seeing how groups translate their music to a live setting. Usually if you like the songs enough it’s an enjoyable experience. I’m probably more forgiving than most though because I know how hard it can be sometimes. It seems unfair to judge a band that can’t quite pull off what they do on their record. They are two different worlds to me. I love both.

We played a house show here where I live recently that was a lot of fun. House shows have such a different vibe. I think it just has to do with the fact that everyone in the band is either 21 or 22 so its just what we are used to. Its the only way music can exist in Blacksburg because there is nowhere else to play. So when shows do happen, people get really excited and come  out expecting to have a good time. Kind of a win win for everyone. It was raining outside though and the next day the entire house was covered in mud. I felt terrible.

Again, I don’t get to see a lot of stuff while I’m here at school in the middle of nowhere, so the best show I’ve seen recently was probably just watching Real Estate and Woods after we played with them at the Music Hall of Williamsburg a couple months ago. Fun groups.

Ah! Well I saw My Bloody Valentine last summer in Richmond which is something I never thought I’d be able to do. It really is as loud as everyone says it is. I think I got brain damage because sometimes I don’t even feel like it happened. I remember seeing a pregnant woman there and just being like, ohh myy goddd. I hope that baby wasn’t born deaf.

I’m trying to think… Someone yelled out “Keep your chins up!” one time, which confused me really bad because I didn’t know if it was like a heckle or an encouragement. I think we probably just looked out of it that night because we had just driven 9 hours and didn’t have a chance to sound check. Then everyone in the audience was just crossing their arms anyway. New York can be weird like that sometimes. Too cool!

Well obviously The Smiths would reunite to co-headline with Kate Bush. Honestly just the two of them could play all day and we can call that a festival. BUT, I guess I would also pick Jens Lekman, The Radio Dept. and Abe Vigoda to round it out. I mean, I’d go to that.

Mount Eerie – Don’t Smoke

Animal Collective – It’s You

Madvillain – Accordian

Hmm that’s hard. I think my “genius” must somehow come from my Scottish heritage. I’m descended from the Rose Clan and I just discovered that their clan crest has a harp on it. No way that is a coincidence. Some guy with a big red beard in heaven must be slipping me musical talent.

Wild Nothing’s debut album ‘Gemni’ is out on June 1st through Captured Tracks.

What is your favourite song to play live?
“Real Love” by John Lennon

What is your first memory of playing live?
Playing “Beautiful Dreamer” for my Mother, on my first little organ.

What does live music mean to you as a performer?
Art, heart, and soul.

And as a music fan?
Inspiration, life force, genius.

What was the last gig you played that sticks in your mind and why?
It was our last gig actually, in Santa Barbara, I always think that
our last gig is our best, and that the last song I’ve written is my
best.

Who was the last artist/band you shared a stage with that made you
think – “damn this is good!”?
“Smith Westerns” – they make me want to commit suicide.

What’s the best gig you’ve seen?
“The Smashing Pumpkins” opening for “The Rolling Stones” in Fort Worth
Texas in 1997.

Have you had any bizarre heckles, things thrown at you or the like?
No, people love us, thankfully.

You get to curate a festival stage. You’re playing on it and you get
to pick five other bands, three current and one past, who would they
be?
Ariel Pink, Holy Shit, Cass McCombs, Smith Westerns, Magic Kids.

What have you been listening to lately?
Ariel Pink, Holy Shit, Cass McCombs, Smith Westerns, Magic Kids.

Do you have any strange or guilty listening pleasures?
Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Dwight Yoakam, although i don’t
think it’s weird, just my friends make me feel weird for it.

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had
geniuses’, it was a spirit that attached itself to you, animal or
otherwise that helped an artist create. What would your genius be?

Me at my best, either that or pain, otherwise Real Love.

Girls are back in London in February and play Scala as part of the NME Awards series of gigs as well as a handful of other UK gigs. Go see them!

Girls – Darling

What is your favourite song to play live?

Laurel: For me at the moment it’s the one we open with. What’s it called again?

Pete: “A moment that Keeps Repeating”.

Laurel: We have a habit of keeping songs without names for a while.

Pete: Mine changes but at the moment I’m really enjoying “Photobooth”.

What is your first memory of playing live as exlovers?

Laurel: The Windmill (Brixton) is the first memory. It was actually alright our first gig! I don’t think it was our worse. We only rehearsed for about two weeks before we played.

What was the last really memorable gig you played?

Laurel: I think the last one here (The Lexington) was really good, it was with Young & Lost Club. There was a really great atmosphere and crowd and it’s always good to play a Young & Lost night.

Pete: The sound seems to be really good in this venue.

Laurel: Yep it’s a huge factor.

Pete: We can’t afford our own sound man.

Who was the last artist/band you shared a stage with that made you think – “damn this is good!”?

Pete: I don’t think we’ve ever played with a good band.

(laughter)

Laurel: Pete & The Pirates, we love them and love playing with them.

Pete: Yep, Pete & The Pirates, let’s leave it at that.

Do you have any strange rituals you go through when playing?

Pete: We’re not a very ritualistic kind of band.

Laurel: No high fives in the back room!

Pete: We pick our noses and eat each other’s bogies, not even our own.

Laurel: It builds up our immunity.

What’s the most memorable gig you’ve seen?

Pete: I really liked seeing Spiritualised at an ATP event not too long ago.

Laurel: Mine’s probably The Breeders at Black Heath Hall on their first ever comeback tour about five years ago.

You get to curate a festival stage. You’re playing on it and you get to pick five others, three current and two not around anymore, who would they be?

Laurel: PJ Harvey, as a current one.

Pete: The Beatles and Nirvana for old ones. My Bloody Valentine are kind of current. The Lemonheads. Actually I probably wouldn’t anymore, I didn’t really dig their new album.

Laurel: The Breeders and PJ Harvey would be the ultimate for me.

Pete: The Shins would be pretty cool.

MM: Ok I think that’ll do it!

Laurel: We could easily curate a whole festival.

What have you been listening to lately?

Laurel: I listen to a lot of The Lemonheads, The Breeders, PJ Harvey but not that many new bands.

Pete: Bon Iver is pretty good as far as new bands go.

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had geniuses’, it was a spirit that attached itself to you, animal or otherwise. What would your genius be?

Pete: It would probably take the shape of some kind of muscle-clad hero, which is quite homosexual. Maybe Schwarzanegger or Bruce Willis.

Laurel: Would it? That’s interesting! Is that how you feel when you create?!

Pete: I think there’s a Brice Willis inside me trying to get out.

Laurel: Ha ha so your creative spirit is Bruce Willis! I like that.

Pete: Yep my creative spirit would be Bruce Willis. That’s a horrible answer!

Laurel: Mine would be some kind of ethereal meanie that keeps deserting me when I need them.

MM: Which one of those would win in a fight?

Laurel: Probably my ethereal meanie!

Pete: Mine’s Bruce Willis!

Laurel: But mine’s invisible so he wouldn’t see it coming. But it does desert me when I need it so it would probably pansy out.

mp3: Ex Lovers – A Moment That Keeps Repeating

buy: exlovers – You Forget So Easily EP

Micah Talks

On his early days:

I was signed to Sketchbook Records. They were really small, I was actually the first proper band they signed. Everything else had been licensing deals, they did Steve Merritt and probably the biggest name was Daniel Johnston. You know sometimes you get the idea you want to move on and do bigger and grander things but without saying too much, I miss them. But I guess a lot of musicians miss the older times when things were just a bit fucking easier.

I remember the first paycheque I got from BMG (publishing) in Manchester I spent on a big fucking bag of MDMA, needless to say I didn’t get a lot of sleep that week and I felt like a real asshole at the end of it, it was fucking terrible. That stuff sucks all the happiness out of you man.

We first saw you play in Bristol back in 2003, it was a Sunday afternoon audience and a large proportion of the crowd was being really noisy, you handled them by being noisier. Is that your normal way of dealing with troublesome audiences?

Those were the early days. As you’re speaking I can see inside my head on that day. I was getting pissed! I’ve seen people who stop and berate the crowd but I’ve never found it fun to do that. I prefer to fuck with them. When they’re talking I get loud as fuck and when they get quieter I get quieter. It’s amusing. People are like lemmings, they’ll all jump off the mountain if you go first.

But that show you’re talking about was back in the early days, it was a tour with Vetiver. I got totally sideswept on that tour. What they said all along was that it was supposed to be Vetiver then me then Devendra Banhart. A week before I got an email saying no actually Vetiver’s headlining and Devendra is in the band.

Veitver had just released their first album and had never done a tour over here. So the pecking order and perhaps my ego got to me and fucked me off because I’d been busting my balls then all of a sudden they were making a lot more money than me, and spending a lot more money. But Vetiver aren’t bad man, they’re really nice people. I kind of see them like the original Fleet Foxes.

On Fleet Foxes:

Fucking Fleet Foxes, people love that shit! I tried to get into it. I even went out and bought the EP and the full record and I just felt after listening to each song that I could just listen to My Morning Jacket and be just the same.

They were actually supposed to open up for me in Shepherds Bush (Bush Hall, July 2008) and then my agent called me a month before and told me they’ve gone gold already and they’re selling the fuck out of everything so they’re not going to be playing with you anymore.

In the five years or so I’ve been doing this you see a lot of people shoot past you but a lot of them you sit back and watch (makes a noise of a rocket launching and exploding). Slow and steady wins the race man.

Photos courtesy of Pedro Teodoro

On his new covers record ‘All Dressed Up and Smelling Of Strangers’:

I took the new record not strictly like a cover album. I tried to be more like someone like say A.P. Carter and take songs that have already been done and mix them up in my own kind of way. And we’ll see what people think of it because I’m covering some things which are pretty hard-hitting motherfuckers which I really have no business to mess with.  But I guess the thing is that I’m not trying to be like them, I mean I cover ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra but it’s just a guitar and me, I didn’t try to create that grandiose sound.

On his origins:

I moved back home to Abilene, Texas after getting married (Micah proposed to his girlfriend in the Union Chapel at the end of a gig in Dec 2007). But it my parents ended up moving to Oklahoma right after we moved. My family are Chickasaw Indians and my father is developing a drug and family clinic, a physical place for the Chickasaws to go and sort through their drinking and meth and heroin problems.

The bloodline actually goes on my mother’s side though. My fifth great grandfather was head of the Chickasaw Nation, my fourth great grandfather was a guy named Levi Colbert who cut his hair and put on a suit and went to Washington DC to talk to the people. I guess you can sort of see that as pussying out but I think the end of the Native American states was inevitable so better to go in like that. But I can see both sides because I can also see the appeal of staying out on the range and dying that beautiful death. My brother is now third in the line for leader of the Chickasaw Nation.

On his work in progress:

So Tunng are finishing up a record just round the corner from here (East London) and they’ve asked me to come and sing some stuff. And I’ve been doing collaborations with U.N.K.L.E. recently, I’ll be on their next album. They sat me down with three tracks and I really struggled with them. So I listened to some of the old UNKLE shit like the Thom Yorke track (Rabbit In Your Headlights) and I saw that DJ Shadow was involved back then.

I used to take a lot of LSD and listen to DJ Shadow, he had a huge influence on me so I knew I had to produce something half way good. I took a 3 second vocal bit and started looping it into this big choral, psychedelic gospel effect and I sent it to them thinking they’d hate it but they liked it. It was an honour to be invited by a band like them that I’d been listening to years ago.

mp3: Micah P Hinson – You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice (By The Lovin’ Spoonful)

mp3: Micah P Hinson – You Will Find Me

buy: Micah P Hinson – All Dressed Up and Smelling Of Strangers

2xCD / mp3 / iTunes

Like Micah’s new album, the interview was full of so much good stuff we had to split it into two parts. Check back next week for round deux.

What does playing live mean to you?

I don’t know, to explain live music, the way I feel about music man, I think you’ve got to get intertwined with my existence a little bit. This particular tour that I’m playing now Spain, London, Paris and Milan, it represents to me so much more than simple live gigs. I view this stuff as a kind of rebirth. Fuck…how do you say things without actually saying them?! Basically what had happened was I was doing some not very moral things to some very very moral people and some shit went down and I wasn’t even sure for a while whether playing live was going to have to step out of my life. And I guess it did because of my back I cancelled a bunch of gigs. I cancelled Glastonbury, I mean who the fuck has the balls to cancel Glastonbury?! I kind of put my career on the line because if you’re not in people’s faces the whole time then they forget about you so fast but it needed to happen.

How do you feel about playing solo again?

I guess for a while I’ve had a small band with my wife playing piano and organ and then a friend Nick who plays banjo and organ and they’re so easy to hide behind even though I’m singing the songs. You feel this camaraderie not being the only person up there. So you know it’s odd being up there on my own again even though playing solo was how it all started until I met The Earlies. (MM: The Earlies were a UK/U.S.A band that took Micah under their wing, playing on, recording and producing his debut ….And The Gospel Of Progress).

What is your first memory of playing live?

The first time I played live I was like 14 or whatever age you are when you’re in sixth grade. I was going to a Christian school and they had these kind of dinner party events where the band would play and the choir would sing and individual people would perform too. There was this one kid in particular called Jason Euan and he was a goddamn piano genius. He’d memorise all this modern Japanese music and fingers moving faster than a fucking butterfly man. It was insane.

And so that was first show and I wrote a song for one of my girlfriends at the time and I guess that began the idea of what I wanted to do but I clearly never thought in a million years that I’d be here doing this now.  It’s strange every day to be man. It’s a massive blessing, that’s all I can chalk it up to.

Who was the last artist/band you shared a stage with that made you think – “damn this is good!”?

Probably the first time I saw The Twilight Sad form Scotland. Me and my buddy Nick were on tour in America and we showed up to Philadelphia and we had no idea who The Twilight Sad were but we were awestruck by them. It was like that song 2+2=5 by Radiohead. There’s something about the opening to that song and the song itself that holds this power. That’s what you want to see when you watch live music; you want to be kicked in the fucking crotch by something you’re not expecting to kick you in the crotch!

What was the last really memorable gig you played?

Probably Spain. I guess I’m just getting bigger out there. It’s ridiculous that place, I’ve been lucky enough to sell a good few records there and I’ve been able to play festivals like Primavera, Benicassim and I just played one called Isla Christina close to Portugal and it was amazing!

You get to curate a festival stage. You’re playing on it and you get to pick five others. Who would they be?

Early Cure, like disintegration era Cure.

My Bloody Valentine.

Pixies from the Surfer Rosa era to sort of the Trompe Le Monde era.

I think it would have been pretty goddamn stunning to see Bob Dylan back when he was in his prime, you know when he was acting the role of the railroad kid and he was making all these amazing tunes.

David Bezan who used to be in a band called Pedro The Lion (Micah covers their Slow and Steady track on his new album).

Will Johnson.

Josh T Pearson from a band called Lift To Experience.

Have you any had any bizarre heckles, things thrown at you or the like?

I played The Green Man Festival in Wales once and I made an arse out of myself. I made a comment about the shitty English weather, which is obviously very offensive. So on the count of three I got them all to call me a cunt! 1500 people out there shouting cunt at me all at once, it was amazing. I felt a lot better because I’m just a small hillbilly, I don’t want to offend people man.

What have you been listening to lately?

David Bazan’s new record and a single he put out beforehand called American Flags. It’s a story about how all these American flags come off their flagpoles and attack people. It’s biting fucking irony, some really good shit.

Other than that another Full Time Hobby band, School Of Seven Bells. Songs two and three off the album (Alpinisms) I got hooked on. I’m always listening to ‘Loveless’ by My Bloody Valentine too. But when I listen to too much modern music it gets me slightly depressed in a weird way. There’s something soulful and very real about old music because it’s just people in a room playing. Roy Orbison never did a track by track song, it was all live and the Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’ that was recorded on a four track or an eight track, I mean holy shit that’s quintessential rock’n’roll.

A lot of modern bands seem to forsake me. I mean the Flaming Lips ‘Hit To Death In The Future Head’ and ‘Ambulance Driver’ were great, ‘The Soft Bulletin’ was fucking genius and almost their peak for me. But a peak on their previous sound and then they put out ‘Yoshimi and The Pink Robots’ and that was a new peak again. But then ‘At War With The Mystics’ I was like… what the fuck?!

It’s sad when bands disappoint you but they’re just humans at the end of the day and I’m sure they’re concerned about disappointing their fans. I mean maybe there are some people that get on stage thinking they’re the bees knees but I don’t fit into that ball park.

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had geniuses’, it was a spirit that attached itself to you, animal or otherwise. What would your genius be?

That’s actually really close to a question my wife asked me the other day. She asked me what my patronus would be, you know like from Harry Potter.  But that’s interesting. I think that the art of creating involves spirits. And there’s been times, shit before I was making this covers record even, that I was questioning has it left me, has it gone? I could sit and noodle in front of a piano but every time I picked up a guitar I just kept on playing C and G like I was thirteen again.

So it’s interesting you mention that because I’ve thought about it. But what would my genius look like? Probably like Iron Man but the original Iron Man when he had that badass old iron suit. Fuck Jack Kirby is a genius man. I’m a massive comic book nerd, I work part time in my friend’s comic book store in Abilene. I’m such a fucking nerd!

buy: Micah P Hinson – All Dressed Up and Smelling Of Strangers

2xCD / mp3 / iTunes

mp3: Micah P Hinson – My Way (Frank Sinatra)

mp3: Micah P Hinson – The Day Texas Sank To The Bottom Of The Sea

What is your favourite song to play live?

Hmmmm, I hate to give the middle of the line type of answer, but it does truthfully vary from show to show. It’s usually a safe bet to say I like playing the newest stuff best. I am my own worst critic so I enjoy moving forward on new material.

What is your first memory of playing live as Local Natives?

We jumped on an LA show with a band we are good friends with for their CD release show at this somewhat random venue in LA. I remember it was a great show and a lot of friends came out to see us that night, but the venue was also trying to pull a “double booked” night. This meant that one show that goes from 8pm-10pm(us) and another from 10pm-12pm. It was a small room and there was a line out the door for people to get in, but the owner informed us that they could only let in about half the room capacity because they needed the place cleared by 1015pm to make room for the second show. Not a fond memory and I don’t think we will be playing there again anytime soon, but a distinct one none the less for our first show as Local Natives.  I think that was about 9 months ago.

What is the best gig you’ve played?

There’s two that leek into my brain immediately during our short existence as a band. First would be during this past SXSW in Austin, TX. We played literally at 2am at this amazingly beautiful church in downtown. There might have been 20 people inside by that point, but there was something in the air with the natural reverb and atmosphere that felt just right. Second, would be just a few weeks ago when we had the opportunity to open for Of Montreal at Shepherds Bush Empire in London. We don’t get too nervous before shows and I think everyone was freaking out a little bit during that one. That feeling of playing in front of such a large crowd for us will stick with me for a while. It’s such a tall spiral room that it felt like I was being swallowed alive during the set.

Who was the last artist/band you shared a stage with that made you think – “damn this is good!”?

I would say Of Montreal…they had their act down to a perfect blend of creepy/insane/fun that works with the music and they also did a great cover of Bat For Lashes’ “Daniel” that night.

Do you have any strange rituals you go through when playing?

At this point I don’t. I’m sure with time I’ll start making up all these weird superstitions and soon enough you’ll see me washing my hands 13 times whistling the theme to Jurassic Park or something right before we go on stage.

What’s the best gig you’ve seen?

Ever? I think it really depends on where you are at in your life for what you expect to be a “best gig”. If you asked me when I was 15 I would of based that on completely different criteria, but more recently I was really blown away by Thom Yorke solo and St. Vincent.  What a difference teen angst can make.

Have you any had any bizarre heckles, things thrown at you or the like?

We played a hippie earth day festival and people started throwing pita bread like frisbees onto the stage. I don’t think it was out of anger, but more of a “we are out of hummus so now lets have some fun” type of thing.

You get to curate a festival stage. You’re playing on it and you get to pick five others, four living and one dead, who would they be?

Five other members or bands? I’m assuming bands and by “dead” I’m going to assume you mean broken up.

1. Radiohead

2. Talking Heads

3. Fugazi

4. ELO

5. Violent Femmes

Is there something on your iPod that would shock me?

There is probably plenty as its been around since I was in high school. How about some Faith No More?

What have you been listening to lately?

Really been digging Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent, Abe Vigoda and Wild Beasts to name a few.

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had geniuses’, it was a spirit that attached itself to you, animal or otherwise. What would your genius be?

A hybrid of mixed parts sewn together w/the wings of an eagle, the tail of a whale, the shell of an armadillo and the head of Joan Rivers.

Local Natives hit the UK in September for the NME Radar tour including a show at Koko. Check their MySpace for details of other dates.

In the meantime check out this excellent version of Talking Heads’ ‘Warning Sign’ recorded from the rafters of a 120 year old barn in Iowa during Daytrotter’s recent Barnstorming tour. We think it’s pretty special.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=od4ES6yMIgg

live: NME Radar: Local Natives, Yes Giantess @ Koko, Oct 13th.

buy: Local Natives -- Sun Hands 7″

mp3: Local Natives -- Airplanes

Upon meeting Ryan his brother Phil, also The Strange Boys’ bassist, is berating him for throwing up in the street because he’s “probably on camera”. Ryan later explains that they’ve only been in the country for a few hours and he’s had to unload the van, sound check, do two interviews and eat since he’s got here. It’s taken its toll.

The band has been touring relentlessly across the U.S. and then Europe for the past couple of months so it’s no surprise that bodies are feeling a little fragile but Ryan recovers in admirable fashion for our interview.

What is your favourite song to play live?

Usually just a new one. We’ve been doing this Dead Moon cover (Walkin’ On A Grave) that I really enjoy playing.

What is the best gig you’ve played?

The recent show in Portugal was really fun (Lounge, Lisbon). The guys there are awesome. The booking agency we go through is based there and those guys are really cool guys and the city is amazing and the food is amazing. And also the festival we played in Sardinia (Here I Stay Festival) was cool.

Who was the last artist/band you shared a stage with that made you think – “damn this is good!”?

We played with the Hip Shakes (who open for The Strange Boys at their Dalston show the night of interviewing) in Austin. We were lucky enough to get on a show with them at this club Beerland.

Do you have any strange rituals you go through when playing?

Yes but they’re better left untold! You could say we have a ritual of not wanting to talk about rituals.

Have you any had any bizarre heckles, things thrown at you or the like?

Someone shouted out ‘Do Probation’ (their song Probation Blues) and Phil (Strange Boys bassist and Ryan’s brother) said “We did Probation”.

Fred Neil did that. When he was recording a show someone said “Do Memphis” and he said “I Did Memphis”.

That’s never actually happened to us but I hope some day it does!

You get to curate a festival stage. You’re playing on it and you get to pick five others, four living and one dead, who would they be?

Thee Oh Sees, I always like to see.

The Fall.

Anybody from the Dead Colt family is always fun to play with.

I saw a band in California called Flowers Forever who I really liked.

What have you been listening to lately?

There’s a lot of good American bands at the moment in general but especially a bunch of good San Francisco bands like Sic Alps, Thee Oh Sees, The Mayors, Nodzzz, Grass Widow, Fresh and Onlys. It’s probably the best scene in America right now.

In olden times people weren’t thought to be geniuses, they ‘had geniuses’, it was a spirit that attached itself to you like an animal or an elf or the like! What would your genius be?

Ryan: That’s a good question. Have you ever read Kurt Vonnegut Jr?

MM: Er.. no.

Ryan: He was a great American writer (1922-2007). He wrote this book called Bluebeard and in that book one of the friends of the main character has this idea that the brain is just like a radio and some people at certain times can tune into a different frequencies and catch what you’re calling genius. So I don’t think it’s one spirit or one form of energy, it’s a bunch of realities and frequencies from those realities that you can grasp.

When you die and your radio turns off, you become a frequency. A cemetery is just a place full of broken radios.

Ryan on 1984 in Dalston.

“You should tell everyone there are too many cameras in London. Way more than America even and there are so many there already. It’s scary. You should read 1984 again, a police state is a scary business.”

“You think if I’m not doing anything wrong then there’s no problem but that’s all dependent upon the laws. If the laws change then the average person may become the enemy and those cameras wouldn’t seem so hot anymore.”

“You could end up doing probation and you don’t want to do probation.”

“The funny thing is as we’re doing this interview now (sitting outside a pub in Dalston) we’re on two cameras!” “It’s interesting to see who will start speaking out against this stuff.  Musicians too. You know Bono isn’t! Bono’s a rich guy so he probably gets heavily taxed so you know a lot of his money is going towards these cameras! What do you think about that Bono?”

A few hours later The Strange Boys play a fantastic set to a packed and sweaty Barden’s Boudoir and Music Mule manages to make their ‘Probation’ dream come true with some choice heckling! Read a review of the gig here.

buy: The Strange Boys And Girls Club CD / LP / mp3 / iTunes

live dates: The Green Man Festival – SOLD OUT.

mp3: The Strange Boys – Probation Blues