An Interview With

THE SEARCH FOR SATURNALIA

You guys recently lost a founding member of the band, Jeff.  I know everyone is sad to see him go.  However, I also know everyone is very excited about the addition of Mark.  How did you guys decide on Mark?  Mark what was your reaction to being asked to join the band?

 
DAVID: I feel very sad about Jeff leaving, and I wish we could have made it better for him so he would want to stay, but he has to do what is right for him.  He has a real job that takes up his time and a wife that needs him also.  I guess our band was not in the cards anymore.  As for Mark joining the band....I am so happy that he wants to do it.  I think Mark is the best person around who can add more to the band and have doing it.  Mark is a great musician and it is a real treat to finally do something with him.  We decided on Mark because: 1.He is one of our biggest supporters. 2.He loves music. 3.Like I said before, he is a great musician.  Mark has always been in the band even when he was not playing in the band.
TINA: Mark seemed like the obvious choice.  I think we all felt the same way.  We have all known Mark for a very long time.  He has been super-supportive and has been to nearly all of our shows, so naturally he is familar with our music and our sound.  He is a good friend and a great musician.  Plus, he totally rocks!
MARK:   THESE GUYS HAVE REALLY LUCKED OUT!!! (JUST KIDDING) I can't wait.  I can't think of many groups I'd want to join.  I hope I can contribute something, in the way Jeff did before me.  He is a great musician and will be a hard act to follow.  As for the band, I really feel that they (we?) are on the verge of something really great and I am excited to be a part of it.
CHRIS: Mark has been a good friend of the band since the very beginning.  We played with his band at our first show, and we would help each other out with support and equipment.  Mark has really helped Search by selling CD's and telling people about the band.  He's a cool cat and we are excited that now he is a part of the band.
A lot of people have compared y'all to the likes of Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Superchunk.  Do you think those comparisons are still applicable ones?
DAVID: Yes, we do have similarities to the said bands, but only hints.  We like to rock.  They like to rock.  I have also listened to all those bands since Jr. High, so there would naturally be some influences.  At the moment I would say we have a rocking Sonic Youth feel, but really just the rock parts.  Sonic Youth really lay down the effects; we are pretty straight forward.  If I could afford all the equipment they have, I would be in Heaven, but right now it's hard enough to keep all our amps working.  Who knows what we really sound like.  I have been listening to a lot of The Who lately, maybe we should add that our list of comparisons.  The reality is, everyone sounds like someone else, it has all been done before (at least all that you can do with a tube amp), so if you think you are doing something so original think again someone in the 60's has already done it and probably better.
TINA: I think at points in our first CD, these influences might be heard, but I don't think that any of these comparisons fully capture our sound as a whole.  We have certainly developed more musically since our first album and I feel like the sound has become our own creation.  I wouldn't anticipate anyone comparing our new music to superchunk with the loss of Jeff as vocalist....his vocal style definitely contributed most to that comparison.  I feel that bands with distorted 'sonic' sounding guitars get compared to bands like Fugazi and Sonic Youth too often and too quickly without recognition of what makes them different.  Not that I think being compared to them is necessarily a bad thing.
MARK:   Comparisons are just critical shorthand.  It's an effective and fast way to describe one's sound.  I'm guilty of making some of those comparison's myself.  Of course, it sucks when it's overdone and over time it can get annoying.  I think there is more to this band than the above comparisons, but stylistically, there are some comparisons.
CHRIS: To some degree, yes.  We are an Indie rock band, just like the bands you mentioned above.  We listen to those bands, we like those bands, so we are influenced by them.  I don't think we sound like them, but I don't think we sound unlike them either.

What are some plans for the future as far as releases, side projects, touring?

 
DAVID: We have plans to tour in September, but it has not been booked yet.  A seven inch out on Has Anyone ever Told You?  A great label that will soon take over the world.  A full album in the fall.  The tour will be short , about two weeks, (people have work), and we shall head east.
TINA: We have a split 7" coming out at the end of this month with a band called Egon from El Paso and a full length album coming out in the fall...both on Has Anyone Ever Told You? records.  We are planning a tour of the east coast in the fall with the release of our new album.  I am learning to play the drums and hope to start something up sometime soon.
MARK:   Rule Austin by July!  Rule the U.S.A. by early October!  By early 2001, the entire world will be ours!
CHRIS:  We will have a split 7" out very soon with Egon, a very good band from El Paso, on Has Anyone Ever Told You?, which is a label that my girlfriend Jennifer and I started.  We will have a full length CD out this fall a 12 day tour through the Midwest and east is being planned to support that.  I am involved in a new band called We Talked About Murder, that is going very well and I like because I get to play bass and do some vocals.

I know that y'all have been in the studio on and off recently recording for your second CD that should be out this fall.  how is that going?  What can we expect as far as differences from the first EP?

 
DAVID: It is going great.  We are recording at The Bubble in Austin, which is run by Steven and Chris of 16 Deluxe.  It has been the best recording situation we have had.  A great atmosphere and great people to work with, since they really get into what they are doing.  It makes for a fine time.  It will be very different from the first EP, since I will be singing most of the songs, and Tina and Mark too.  There will not be as much Superchunk in the voice, since Jeff is no longer with us RIP.  As for how it sounds-I don't know it could be bad or good.  Jeff has a good voice and it is very distinctive so some may really miss that feel.  Time will tell.  This music ROCKS YOU LIKE A HURRICANE!
TINA: It is going great.  I think we are all much happier about this recording.  Not only the sound of it, but the whole recording experience.  When we recorded the last time we went to a really uptight studio.  They were not too nice to us and obviously didn't like what we were doing.  We are now recording at the Bubble, a studio here in Austin.  The guys there are so nice and are really into making good records, not money.  We are recording analog instead of digital this time, so hopefully it will sound better in that respect.
CHRIS: Recording is going very well.  We're recording at The Bubble with Steven Hall.  He is very creative and he is giving us some great ideas.  He is actually making recording fun.  One difference from the last CD is that Tina and David are doing all of the vocals, as opposed to Jeff doing all of the vocals on the first CD.  David's vocals are much different than Jeff's and so I think the music is going to have an overall different feel.  Also, recording is going a lot better this time than last.  This time we are more relaxed and not being rushed and pushed like we were last time.  I think this CD is going to be better and more mature.

People call Austin the 'Live Music Capital of the World', how has trying to fit into the Austin scene been?  Do you think Austin is more or less difficult to get noticed in due to this title?

 
DAVID: It has been very difficult to get into the Austin scene.  Everyone is in 2.5 bands on average.  Thus, it makes it hard to be seen as a real band.  People drop in and out like flies, so to get noticed one must do a project for 3 years or more before everyone think you are a new band on the scene.  It is really all about who you know.  There are lot's of really good bands in Austin, but nobody wants to admit that to another band.  So much for really getting bands together at a show and watching each other play or even talking to the other band - that is forbidden.  Not until recently have people become receptive to our existence.  So things are looking up.  Austin needs to get everyone a fair chance, and we should strive for a supportive music community.
TINA: I have met some really great people here who have helped us out tremendously, and a bunch of people who are working really hard to get smaller bands noticed around town.  It can be hard to get noticed by people. in Austin because it is so full of musicians and bands who are busy paying attention to their own music.  It is so easy to get wrapped up in your own music that you forget that there is other great stuff out there in your very own city.  I don't feel that there is a good sense of community among musicians in Austin.  It feels grossly competitive sometimes and it is hard to feel supported in such an atmosphere.  It is really sad because there are so many talented musicians here.  It seems that Austin bands are more appreciated and supported outside of Austin, or Texas for that matter.
MARK: From a distance, Austin is still the best place to hear live music, even with the incredible growth spurt over the last few years.  Touring bands love to play here, people vacation here for the music.  From my perspective, however, the town I grew up in seems almost unrecognizable.  I see Austin as growing colder as a whole, more like the big cities.  I don't think our music scene is thriving at all.  The few clubs that are booking local bands are relying on touring Indie bands to stay open, and these seem to be the only shows the 'kids' are coming to see.  So, the only way to get any kind of audience is to open for these big shows, and I think it's hard to develop as a group under these circumstances.  I think there is a symbiotic relationship between a performer and an audience, you can practice for 10 years and not grow as fast as the band that is out playing live.
CHRIS: It's very hard to be recognized in Austin.  Everybody here is in a band or in multiple bands, so there is a lot of competition.  Also, I think that because a lot of potential show goers are in bands, there's not as much enthusiasm to go watch another band play after you have spent all evening practicing.  Everybody's into their own thing so there is not a lot of room for hometown support.

How do you guys all feel about this quote from a recent article in The Austin Chronicle.... On Indie Rock: "I hate it.  It's a cycle that perpetuates mediocrity.  It's a self help network:  I'll come see your band, if you see mine, but let's not get too good at this".

 
DAVID:   I have the luxury of meeting the piano player of this infamous band, and let me tell you we were not about to discuss music, since violence is not a good thing in public places.  Really, I think those guys are full of themselves.  Their goal is to live off of their original David Bowie rip-offs (that's someone they compared themselves to).  It's a new face with a same old story.  They will be a flash in the pan, and as soon as all the fraternity and sorority people graduate they will be just another cheese rock band.  On the other hand, they will become a famous band who would have further enriched our lives with their re-issue music.  Bottom line is those guys are in it for money, and bands like us in the 'Indie Rock' scene are in it for the pure enjoyment of the music.  Basically, they are saying one should leave it up to the professionals to make all your music and you should never aspire to try something new because you won't be as good as they are, (and I don't think they are good enough to boast such a statement).  It was fun to read such an interview.
TINA:  I have heard versions of this several times, it is somewhat true.  Austin has it's share of joke bands.  It takes hard work and dedication to be a successful band.  Most people don't realize this.  It is easier to be in a band that is not serious because they can't be called on it when someone says they suck.  You see so many bands come and go.  The funny thing is that the same people end up in another band together with a different name playing the same crap.
MARK:   That entire article was astonishing!  I wish there was time to pick apart the whole thing.  It so perfectly articulates what is wrong with Austin, and what is wrong with the music industry in general.  The quote came from these egocentric assholes who are way too old to be entertaing these kind of 'rock star' delusions.  I can't wait to watch these dumbfucks get completely bent over by some major label, if they're even that lucky.  The lack of support is what is strangling the life out of the scene.  You can't cultivate anything in this kind of environment, and every musician needs to be out watching other musicians.  How can a writer write if she doesn't ever read?  If you are serious about it, you need this kind of input or you stagnate.  Everybody benefits from this, it's like musical cross pollination.  You can even learn from a bad band, figure out what isn't working for them.  Besides, it's fun.  I don't know if the band who wrote this is having fun, and that should be the most important reason to be in a band.  It's really their loss.
CHRIS:   I think it's blunt, but truthful.  I think a lot of people are scared to branch out for fear they won't have a lot of people watching their band (even though all the people watching are their friends), so they don't try hard to get better musically.  They don't try to get out of Austin.  they don't take the time to decent recordings.  They just sit around with their thumbs up their asses and think they are rock stars, just because a lot of locals recognize them.  There is a lot of attitude in this town by people who have done nothing but play in a band that lasted for two shows.

Tina how has it been being the only female in a band with 3 other guys?  For the guys, how has it been having a female in the band?  Do you think the sexual dichotomy has changed the way you sound at all?

 
DAVID: I think it has been great being the only female in the band...Oh, I mean it has been great having Tina in the band.  I don't see it as having a 'female' in the band, I see Tina as another guitar player who happens to be female.  It has never been an issue or a focus of the band, we are a group that works together to accomplish a goal.  Everyone brings their own personal touches that in turn create a synthesis of who we are.  To place more focus on any one issue or person detracts from what we want to be, a band.  The sexual dichotomy has not changed the music.  Tina has been in the band since the beginning, therefore any growth or change in the music has been due to the band growing together, not for her being female.  Tina is a guitarist, not a novelty, and I think the music proves she rocks just as hard as anyone else, male or female.
TINA: Well, I really have nothing to compare it to.  This is my first band, and I have never been in a band with other girls.  Though I did start out playing guitar with one of my best friends who is a girl.  I think it would be different playing in a band with other girls in that we communicate differently.  I don't think that the sound would be affected by the gender of the players.  It would just feel different and people's reactions to it would be different.  I have seen plenty of girls who can rock out with the best of the guys and plenty of guys who don't rock.  One thing that I have noticed is that when people hear that I am in a band they automatically assume that I am the bass player or just the vocalist.  I hate feeling like I have to prove myself as a musician more so than a guy.  I love being in a band with these guys.  They are good friends, good musicians and I feel that they respect me as such.
CHRIS:  No I have never felt that it is any different with a female in the band.  We all play hard and like to play rock-n-roll and have fun.  So, I don't think the sex of the players matters.  We are all friends and we do things outside of the band.  I hope that people never think of us on terms of a boy/girl band, we are a rock band, and it doesn't matter who is doing it as long as it's fun.

Recently there has been a big shift as far as vocals go from Jeff to David, and now Tina is starting to surface vocally.  How does everyone feel about this?  What have 'fans' had to say about it?

 
DAVID: I guess it is hard for me to say.  I really don't know what everyone thinks, fans or band members.  I know that I am different from Jeff the way he sings and does his lyrics.  Therefore, it is just opinion as to what one may like more or less.  Maybe nobody will even notice or care.  I enjoy doing it, but I don't like being the focus of things.  I just want vocals to work like another instrument with the whole.  Every part is important and I want others to sing on songs too.
TINA: I am excited about it.  We are moving toward more of a sing than a scream.  When we first started playing together, our focus was more on the music (since we were all learning new instruments).  Jeff was the only member that had experience singing and playing an at the same time, so we depended on him for vocals.  Since we became more comfortable with our instruments and playing in front of people, Dave and I started stepping up to the mic.  Dave has a great voice and adds a lot to our music as a whole.  A bunch of people have said they like Dave's singing......(mostly girls! hehehehehehe).
MARK: I've heard nothing but positive feedback from everyone.  I think the vocals are the most cosmetic of the changes.  The music it's self has matured into a more melodic entity, without sacrificing any of the dynamics.  What may be lost is the initial urgency that carried them in the beginning, but every band loses that in time.  I think that energy has been retained and rechanelled into other areas.  I don't think anyone I know sees this as a drastic change, just a transition.
CHRIS:   As I said earlier, I think it's changed the music quite a bit.  Very different vocal styles in all the singers and I think the band is growing and changing, which is good.  Quite a few people have said they really enjoy David's vocals, and now that Tina is beginning to sing more, it's only going to get better.

Which show has been everyone's favorite so far?  Even for those who were just spectators.

 
DAVID:   I don't have one favorite show yet, but I always like the shows at Emo's.  The sound is really wonderful and there is lot's of room on stage.  Who knows, maybe we will play some great shows on tour.
TINA: Our last two shows were really great (Emo's/Triple Crown).  It is so fun to just let loose and have fun at a show.  When we first started playing shows, I concentrated so hard on playing everything right, that I forgot about rockin' out and having fun.
MARK:  The Emo's show, after they spent all that time rehearsing and recording.  They were very tight and enthusiastic, and sounded great!
CHRIS:   I think my favorite show was our CD release party at The Triple crown in san Marcos.  There was a great vibe that night and I remember that we all played really well and had a great time.  We've had lot's of good shows and we've had some not so good shows.  I think they are all important, and even thought I can be a pouty baby when we don't play well, I realize that it is all just a learning experience and it's all just for fun.

If there was any band still alive or now defunct that you all could play a show with, who would it be?  A dream show if you will.

 
DAVID: I think I would be scared to play a show with a band I really like.  There are so many alive and defunct, but a cool line up would be: The who, Sonic Youth, Nick Drake, Slint, Unwound, and The search for Saturnalia (we would open if there was time and they wanted us to).  The show would cover the gamut of music; soft and pretty, full on rock, and interesting crazy.
TINA: Hmmmm....that's a tough one.  There are so many great bands.  Maybe The Who a la Keith Moon era.
MARK:   Wire, My Bloody Valentine, Husker Du, and Mission of Burma.
CHRIS: That's easy...Van Halen when David Lee Roth was still with them.

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