By Joe Fielder
We've missed the hell out of LA southern-fried indie pop act Death to Anders. They'd really hit their stride with their Dave Newton-produced album Fictitious Business, with such pretty/loud/pretty gems like "Camera Lens" and "Great Plains States."
The band put the album and a follow-up EP out into the world, played some great shows, then vanished from sight for almost a year. We worried that they might disappear completely.
But now front man Rob Danson tells us that...
The band is back!
The band is definitely back and I have to say that I'm so happy about this. Playing all of my old songs has been really liberating for me. There's something about having to re-learn old music and, in a way, revisit what originally inspired the songs to begin with. It sounds cheesy, but its like meeting up with your best friend from years ago... laughing about the good times, and remembering the bad.
Plus, its quite interesting to go back and have to listen to old recordings, just to remember how to play them. At first, It feels like I'm learning someone else's song, but after a while, the part grows on me and it becomes a part of me once again.
Where have you been? Why the hiatus?
Death to Anders' hiatus lasted roughly 9 months. Apart from the occasional trip to the desert or various hiking trails, I've pretty much stayed here in Los Angeles. The hiatus was a necessary break that I needed to take. I was really overworked while playing in Death to Anders for five years. As I was putting out an album with Dave Newton, playing an Echo Residency and going to SXSW, I was slowly becoming more and more exhausted. Shortly after SXSW, our drummer John left the band in order to quit music altogether. It was at that point when I realized I need a break too. The hiatus was more of a mental break than anything else. While I was on hiatus, I continued to play music and do art, but anything related to Death to Anders was put on hold.
What have you been keeping yourself busy with?
Before I got Death to Anders back and running, I got myself involved with two different projects which I'm still actively doing. About a year ago, I joined the band Radars to the Sky as their second guitar player. We've performed a bunch of shows around Silverlake and Echo Park together, and we also just finished recording a new full length album with Dave Newton.
In addition to Radars, I'm also involved in the creation of a short film starring Michael Rosenbaum, who played the character Lex Luther in Smallville. Yes.....that sounds really random..... but its true. I co-created the short, along with Rosenbaum and the director. I am also currently writing the musical score to the short. The whole project should be finished within the next few months. I'm also doing a lot of visual art - drawing, etc… I created the artwork for all of our album covers including the two new singles that we've just put up on band camp and myspace.
Who's in the re-formed band?
The reformed band is still somewhat in the works. I just found an amazing drummer named Robert Smith (not to be confused by the other guy with the same name...). We are currently looking for a bass player and 2nd guitar player. Because I don't have a full lineup in place right now, the next Death to Anders show (June 22nd at the Echo), will include a few of my musician friends from the scene play with me. Andrew Spitser and Kenny Kupers from Radars to the Sky are playing guitar and drums respectively. Josh Solberg from One Trick Pony is playing bass. I am REALLY excited for this show!!!
You mentioned you're looking to record new songs soon?
I've been doing a lot of recording and mixing lately. I recently mixed a song called "Anne Marie," which we just put up on Bandcamp as a new single. I've been recording, mixing and mastering a lot of the newest songs in the mix, but its also great to let a second part of ears take over. I've worked with Dave Newton with both my album Fictitious Business and the new Radars to the Sky album. He has been so incredible to us, and I'm quite positive we'll revisit again for more future recordings.
And you've got a new video in the works?
Yup....I'm currently mixing a new song called Counterbalance. I'm also preparing to make a stop motion music video for it was well. Hopefully, I'll have it ready for our June 22nd Echo show.
You have a lot of the material you recorded with Dave Newton free on the Band Camp. The album and those other songs like "Anne Marie" and "Handshakes and Earthquakes."
Our two new singles, "Anne Marie", and "Handshakes and Earthquakes" along with our full length album Fictitious Business are available for free, high quality download at Band Camp. Our good friend, and amazing photographer Zoe Ruth engineered the two singles and I mixed and mastered them. Dave Newton recorded and mixed our full length album.
I fucking love those songs.
Thanks, Joe! I had a blast recording all of them!! I'm also thrilled to play them live again as well.
When are you playing next?
Death to Anders is playing on Tuesday, June 22nd at The Echo. We are playing with Seasons at their CD release show, Tenlons Fort and Magik Orchids. Death to Anders has played with Seasons a few times in the past. Recently, I got to see their fabulous performances at the Silver Lake Jubilee and the RFSL Undercovered show. I am equally excited to play The Echo as well! We've had some really good times over there throughout the past five years. The Echo was our first introduction to Silver Lake, when I stumbled in on a very early Silversun Pickups show. We've also played our residency there as well. Its one of my favorite venues around here.
DOWNLOAD:
- "Handshakes and Earthquakes" MP3
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