interview: ride into the sun

Over the past two weeks, I’ve finally been able to connect with Adam Vanderwerf of emerging Adelaide Psych-Shoegazers Ride Into The Sun. The band is fresh from a short interstate tour and had some great answers. Read on below.

How do you describe or define your sound?

Our sound is hard to define. If we had to put ourselves into a category it would be Psych-Shoegaze. We are pretty comfortable in our genre/sound now, you can definitely hear what bands we are inspired by in our music, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It would be boring if we sounded EXACTLY like our peers. I’m glad when someone hears one of our songs they say “There’s that Ride Into The Sun sound…”

Do you dislike being lumped into one specific genre (shoegaze, jam band, psychedelic)?

Not necessarily. It only presents a problem when trying to find similar bands to play with. The genre is definitely growing out there, it’s kind of a little underground swell that is slowly building. Having said that, we often play with bands that don’t exactly sound like us, but we are friends personally with the individuals. It makes for a much more fun show if we are surrounded by friends and people we love.

How long has Ride into the Sun been playing together?

We had our first official jam early 2010. It started off with 5 people getting together to with a specific idea of getting the music in our heads out to the people. We were definitely still finding our sound in those early stages, which can really be heard on those early recordings (unreleased album). Since our beginnings we had a lineup change, and I’m pretty confident in the fact that we have now found that “sound” that we were looking for and its really going well. I mean we love the ex members and wish them all the luck for what they are doing now, there are no hard feelings, it’s just natural evolution.

Did you find that your reception was different when you had a female in the band as opposed to now that it’s all males? Or more generally, how do you think the role of women and the reception to them is changing in the music industry?

Having a female in the band didn’t really have much of an impact. She was a very talented musician and had a really good stage presence, but the reception to what we were to what we are now hasn’t changed. We are still 5 people making loud music that we love to play. We just hope that the audience digs it too. We recently played with an all girl band, and loved it. Personally I don’t care if there are girls or guys in the band, if you are making good music you will get recognised.

When you’re writing a song, do you have a main idea in mind?

Most of our music is written as a band. We practice twice a week (one of those sessions is an all day practice) so we do have a fair bit of time to sit around and jam out ideas. There are a few songs that we have in the “working” stages that Anthony (lead singer/guitar) has written at home, but they certainly fit into the Ride Into The Sun mold. I think our goal when writing songs is to make something that we would like to listen to. If that connects with the audience then all the better, but we don’t generally go out to write something that will automatically appeal just for the hell of it. It’s kinda like changing your sound just to fit to a certain crowd. You aren’t being honest with yourself. You’re being someone you are not, which kinda goes into the title of our latest EP, Goodbye Hipster, Hello Reality.

Are you thinking of the end production (echoes, distortions, etc.) while writing or is that all added after?

We are big fans of reverb/delay on vocals. It kinda adds a “lushness” to the sound and really compliments what we are writing. i think there is a time and a place for big guitar distortion and we really only use that kinda stuff to add color to the music. Make the big bits boom, emphasise chord changes, that kinda thing. We have 2 sets of keys now, one with a more traditional “organ” sound, and one a more dirty growl, which fits better with the bass and the overdrive that we put onto that. The drums are kept simple and driving, which suits the style we are going for. All the other bits just come from jamming a song over and over. Once we know where all the parts go, essentially that is what you would hear on a recording. We aren’t big fans of over producing our music – the more earthy and raw it sounds, the more we like it.

What inspires you?

Good question. Personally, I’m inspired by the 4 other people in the group (Anthony Candlish, Todd Lawrie, Tom Pennington, James Thomas). We all bring a little bit of something to the music, which really makes things feel good and makes it a pleasure to play. I think as a whole, we are inspired by making music that we want to hear, and further inspired when we see people digging the music.

Who do you consider the top 5 biggest influencers on your sound?

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels, The Dandy Warhols, 13th Floor Elevators.

What do you want people to come away with from your live shows?

Ringing ears!!! No, really, we are just being true to ourselves and playing music that we love. We are all best friends (something you need when you are spending so much time together) and I think that comes across when we are playing together. If you are having fun on stage, and feeling comfortable, then it really does show. The crowd enjoys it more, gets into it more, and you can connect to the audience. Connection is a big thing, if the audience can connect to you and the music, then there is more enjoyment to be had. I think we are all a pretty approachable group, come say hello to us after a show.

Especially with music, media and the internet has become such a prominent vehicle for getting exposure. Do you see that as something beneficial or something that you prefer to move back from?

I’ve done some courses in music management, and I know they say it’s all about numbers and targeting your demographic, but personally I think that takes the fun out of things. What happened before the internet? Was there no music? How did people find new music? I think it’s a real pity that people put such a focus on the internet and media to tell them what the next “big thing” is, when it could be right in their back yard. Get out of the house, stop going to see DJs press buttons and spin CDs, take a chance, go see a band whose name you have never heard. If you don’t like them, what have you lost? If you do like them, think of the possibilities of the other bands it could open you up to? I think that’s the biggest problem at the moment. No one is willing to take a risk, no one wants to try something new. Let’s not even get started on digital media distribution…… BUT, you have to play the game at the end of the day I guess.

What do you like to do when you’re not playing music?

Music is really a big part of what i am about. if we arent practicing or playing, you can normally find me (with most of the other guys) supporting the local music scene as much as we can. We have seen some great bands come and go in Adelaide, and its always exciting to see bands perform.

What’s the first gig and the best gig you’ve ever been to?

First Gig: I had seen a few local gigs by this stage, but the first major thing i saw was probably the BDO. I think it was when Rage Against the Machine, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Jesus Lizard, Radio Birdman etc played. 1996 perhaps?

Best Gig: It’s a really hard thing to answer. I’d have to narrow it down to a few that I’ve seen recently – Brian Jonestown Massacre (Fowlers Live), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Fowlers Live), Gareth Liddiard (Jive), One Day As A Lion was a highlight at Soundwave, Two Suns final show recently (RIP)….

What are you most excited for in 2011?

I think that 2011 is going to be a busy year for us. We have just returned from playing some great shows in Melbourne (The Tote, The Espy, The Brunswick) and did some demo recording for our next EP, and also made some great contacts over there for some future shows. Melbourne definitely excited us, and we learnt some valuable lessons on the trip (e.g. make sure your bass cabinet is well secured in the back of the van, otherwise you may be paying for a new rear windscreen), but I’m confident we will be back on the road real soon. We want to keep the ball rolling, and are in the early processes of speaking to some bands in Sydney about setting up some shows there. At the same time we want to finish this next EP, release it, and see where it takes us.