Happy Daze

Recently, we tried to interview The Fonz, but Henry Winkler’s PR agent gruffly declined.  So we interviewed The Fauns instead (and stole their joke, though I’m sure it’s nothing you weren’t thinking when hearing their name for the first time). We discussed ambition, favorite artists, how important envelope stuffing is to a band’s success, and the trials of getting gigs… 

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The Fauns started in 2007, and only 3 years later have already made headway with a successful debut and a follow-up soon to be released. So many underground bands receive praise far too late or toil for years before making an impact, but you all are fortunate enough to be thriving as a band amidst your popularity. What do you think are the primary factors contributing to that success?

Michael Savage - We were lucky in that The Fauns arrived with the resurgence of the shoegaze sound, so there is a receptive and growing audience. The rest is down to hard work, a lot of time spent envelope stuffing and surfing music forums and social networking sites… Elliot is particularly dedicated to the internet side of things which has made a massive difference to our profile.

Elliot Guise - Having a clear outlook on the sound you are trying to achieve has helped us get to where we are quickly. Myspace has been a great tool in helping our music to reach the right people. The problem with Myspace is that too many bands get caught up with power in numbers. I’d rather have 50 people that like the music and 5000 that are there to make up the numbers.

Lee Woods - It’s easy from the outside to think that a bands success is all down to chance, but anyone in or around a band with ambition knows that chance is a small factor and it’s more about making it happen, making people aware of you and taking the right steps at the right time. We are very lucky in The Fauns to have a couple of members who are very good at this – myself not included!

Your debut album was truly inspiring. How far do you feel the follow-up will stray from the formula that made your debut so well-received? What new elements are you adding, or what is remaining the same? Is the album still looking good for a September release?

LW - Well I’m a new element for a start! I’ve been chipping in with the songwriting already so the second album is bound to have a different edge. That said, I think that when people hear the second album they will know straight away that this is a Fauns album. The main reason for that is Mike, who has a great way of moulding the individual tracks into an overall sound and overseeing the whole thing – which I think is an important thing in a band.

EG - Emphasis on making a good record will always be our primary focus, but how we get to that point very much lies in experimenting with recording. The first record, it came together through two years of mistakes, successes and U-turns, but had a clarity which felt genuine.

Tom Adams - The first album was put together over quite a long period of time and we had several lineup changes over that period, so the process was a bit slow and fragmented. The second album will be a bit more organic; the initial recording sessions have gone well and the songs for the second album are more complete as pieces of work at the recording stage than perhaps they were for the first album.

MS - We’re on target for a September CD release. The second album will be quite raw compared to the first album. We’re experimenting with a string quartet for a couple of tracks, we’re also borrowing a £40,000 Steinway piano for another. I can’t wait to get it out there.

You all grew from 3 people to 6. How daunting can it be to compose or record music with that many members, or do you find a natural synergy amongst each other that just works well?

MS - We work very well together probably because we’re not really a jamming band, there is no clash of egos that tends to come with that. We write seperately and file share until a track starts to gel. Some members contribute more to the live side than the recording side, but everybody contributes in some way. I tend to tie things together and make the final call.

LW - It could be daunting if you think of the overall task when starting out, but it all happens much more organically than people think. The great thing is that not all 6 members will be working on one thing at once; we don’t really all write together. We mostly each all have our own things going on writing-wise and tend to just bounce certain things back and forth to each other. There are currently lots of complete and incomplete ideas for tracks flying around between us that are that have now become the basis for the next record. We’re basically in the process of moulding these into the album and it feels that we’re now past the embryonic stage.

So who are the founding members, and how did the remaining three enter the picture?

TA - Three or four years before The Fauns existed, Mike asked me to do some drumming for him, he had some ideas and wanted some drum patterns recorded in a certain style. I think the plan was to cut up the drum tracks and develop some songs. So myself and Mike spent a day at Geoff Barrow’s (Portishead’s) recording studio putting down some drum tracks. That was the last I heard of it for about a year. I’d assumed that the recordings hadn’t worked out, but then Mike got in touch again and sent me a CD of a song called “The Sun is Cruising” and I was blown a way by it. At the time, I was already in another band and not to keen to do live stuff with Mike. I did, however, venture down to see The Fauns’ first gig with the original line up of Mike, Olly & Emily. The gig was hampered by a number of problems, but I was impressed with the songs and what they were trying to do and offered my services for future live gigs. That sounds really patronising, but it really isn’t intended that way. I became a fan of the band and wanted to drum with them live (at the gig they were using a CD of me drumming from the recording we’d done a year or so back). Matt was also at that gig and also agreed to join the band on the strength of the performance.

MS - Tom and I were the initial Fauns. Myself, our original singer Emily and original Guitarist Olly formed the first live line up. Emily moved on and Olly went to college. Olly still writes and remixes for us. Tom & Matt joined after our first ever gig as he’s explained, Lee and Elliot joined a bit later as the lineup evolved (I actually started on guitar and then moved over to bass, making room for a better player). At the moment, it’s a perfect mix. I’m not a natural musician, so it’s kind of humbling working with people who really know what they’re doing.

The U.K. is responsible for producing some of the most amazing bands in the history of underground and mainstream music. With that said, how competitive is the music scene in your area?

MS - Bristol has produced a few well known bands, but in recent years there has been a drift toward very generic funk/ska/hip hop bands. I can’t stomach any of it, to be honest. Bristol-based label, Invada, has some very interesting acts. Beak>, in particular, are well worth checking out. In Bristol, there are very few bands doing what we’re doing, so it’s an open field.

EG - It has been quoted recently that Bristol is the most musical city in the UK. I can believe this as a general statement as there is a vibrant dance scene, but I don’t think Bristol has a consistancy in producing successful bands. The 90′s had Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky, which established Bristol on the musical map, but it’s hard to pinpoint an act that has had the same impact since.

TA - Bristol’s a very laid back city and I’ve never gotten the sense that there is a great deal of competitiveness between bands. There’s more of a community feel: bands either help each other out, or have nothing to do with each other. There’s little point in being competitive, it’s hard enough to get on in the music industry without fighting between bands. In Bristol, there seems enough room for all bands and styles… unless they’re Razorlight and they can fuck right off!

LW - I’d just like to second the Razorlight comment!

The words to some of your songs are as haunting as they are beautiful. As lead vocalist, is Alison Garner primarily responsible for lyrics, or is that a joint effort?

MS - It’s a joint effort, Ali and I tend to work on the melody, I work on lyrics and then we tweak things together until it sounds sweet. The tracks Lee produces generally come complete with vocal melody and lyrics, Ali and Lee will then work on them in the same way.

Of course, we have to talk about influences. I always like to ask how important the influence is of bands you play with regularly in your scene, or do you primarily rely on music you listened to growing up?

TA - I learnt how to play the drums listening to The Smiths and The Fall and that is always my starting point. They are the two benchmarks for how I rate other bands.

LW - I was never into your typical guitarist’s guitarists as I grew up. Heavy-rock, riff-orientated music never really did it for me and I always liked guitarists who took the guitar and got that something extra out of it and took it elsewhere. My initial influence as a teen was and still is Edge from U2. I won’t get any cool points for saying that, but I really believe he is a great innovator and should have more respect than he deserves…maybe it’s all Bono’s fault. There are all these jokes about Edge playing one or two strings and letting the effects do the work but as far as I’m concerned if it sounds great who cares? I mean shoegaze was all about how many effects units you had anyhow, so if that’s the case the Edge is the king of shoegazing! Another of my main guitar influences is Nick McCabe of The Verve, who could be sonically stunning. I’m not saying I’m as much of an innovator as my peers but, I try to be as creative with my sound as I can. Finding THAT sound is a journey that never ends, but you get some nice results on the way.

MS – I try not to absorb what our peers are doing even if some of them are really amazing. I also don’t want to be infected with the popularist electro/indie thing either… When it comes to the Fauns, I stick my fingers in my ears to block out contemporary music scenes. Past influences are more important (MBV and Slowdive are the obvious ones), but I still try not to take too much of what they were. A lot of acts copy another style in perfect detail, but lose any originality. To be honest, I don’t worry much about what other bands are doing or did.

Give us a glimpse of The Fauns’ musical tastes. When you’re not making your own music, whose are you listening to? What’s in your tape deck/record player/CD player/iTunes playlist right now?

TW - Apart from The Smiths and The Fall. I saw the Gorillaz playing live on the telly the other night and they were excellent, so I’ve just bought their new album, which I’m listening to as I type this. I like The Super Furry Animals and I like a lot of American stuff, to, like Sparklehorse, Lambchop, Luna, Sliver Jews and Bill Callaghan (his last album was brilliant!).

LW - Influences that spring to mind as far as bands go are the likes of The Velvet Underground, Spiritualized, Mercury Rev, Low, Slowdive, Bowery Electric, U2, Verve, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins and a little known band called Aspen Woods (ahem) to name but a few. There are a fair few solo atrists I’m a big fan of, mainly the innovative types such as Brian Eno (my biggest influence of all) and Kate Bush. More recently, people such as Rufus Wainwright and Joan Wasser have interested me, all people who know how to create their own all very different musical worlds. At the moment, Besnard Lakes are a new band that I’ve been listening to and liking, and I have to agree with Tom on Gorillaz: their new stuff is great (I wasn’t that bothered about their earlier stuff). I’ve spent alot of my life listening to ambient music, mainly Eno and his hoards of collaborators and Labradford are a favourite too.

EG – The Smiths, Efterklang, Joy Division. Music which makes its presence known. I just wait for those chord progressions or key changes that Jonny Marr does so well.

MS – I’m listening to the last album by The Prodigy at this very moment. I also bought the soundtrack to “Moon” earlier today, it’s stunning. Clint Mansell is a very talented man… I’m very into soundtracks, I’m hoping we can get The Fauns on a film score one day.

As you know, The Sound Mind is based in San Antonio, TX. What’s it like making an impression in a place half the world away?

LW - It’s a real buzz that our stuff is getting heard all over the world. It’s an even bigger buzz that every piece of feedback and every review so far has been nothing but positive. We owe it to people like yourselves who take it upon yourselves to give valuable exposure to bands like The Fauns, thank you very much!

MS – It’s still weird to see something that was written in my bedroom travelling so far around the world. To be honest, I don’t remember quite how I wrote them at all really… These pieces of music came out of my head and then went off on their travels, it’s strange.

TA – I love it that our music is getting heard outside the UK. We seem to be getting quite a lot of attention in Japan as well as the USA which is great. I often think the the UK can be too trend-driven and faddy when it comes to music whereas in America you seem to make up your own minds about music and have a little more patience with bands. The NME in the UK has a lot to answer as the self-proclaimed arbiter of taste, but thankfully its influence is on the wane.

Your Myspace page reads that you are an unsigned band. Without backing, has it been difficult for you to organize shows in support of your debut, or just booking shows in general? Are there any plans to sign with any labels in the near future?

MS - We have our own label, Laser Ghost Recordings, which we used for the first release. I’ve also helped three other bands get out there. We have been offered a bigger deal, but we’re still undecided as to whether we want to accept it or self release a second time. In the present climate, it’s unclear whether a deal can actually take you any further.

LW - At our current level, the UK can be a complete nightmare to try to get gigs, and even if you do you aren’t guaranteed to be treated too well! Trying to get a support tour with a more established band is probably the best route. In my experience, mainland Europe is a much better experience all round when touring. I’m sure most US bands who tour Europe would agree! I really can’t put my finger on exactly why the UK is so shite for bands at our level – but it is!

TA - It’s been quite easy to get gigs in Bristol, but not so much elsewhere in the country at the moment. We do have a tour of Germany planned for September, which should be great.

You did a show in May with 2 members of Galaxie 500. That’s pretty impressive. Have you played shows in the past where you’ve just had to step back and absorb the reality of who you were sharing the stage with? What are some of your most memorable performances?

TA – We played with Durutti Column a while back and as Vini Reilly played on Morrissey’s first solo album, I had to go up and shake his hand. I didn’t mention Morrissey, though, as I’ve heard that its not his favourite topic of conversation.

MS - The Damon & Naomi gig was last night and it was pretty cool, a real pleasure to meet them. I also play bass for The Telescopes occasionally. It’s nuts playing bass with Stephen Lawrie who is one of my musical heroes. The Pastels support slot was another high point.

And if you could play a show with any band, who would it be?

MS - Supporting The Cure or Depeche Mode maybe…

TA - Personally, I’d have loved to have played with Sparklehorse, but sadly because of Mark Linkous’ tragic death recently it can only be a pipe dream.
LW - Spinal Tap

The self-titled debut was recently released as an autographed double vinyl set. How/where can fans get their hands on that and how many are you pressing?

MS – The signed vinyl can be bought direct from our Myspace page (but we are running out). The main bulk of the 500 copies can be bought from Deep Space Recordings in The States. Anyone who purchases a signed copy will get a “thank you” in the sleeve notes of the forthcoming album.

I appreciate you taking time out for this interview. It’s always refreshing talking to amazing new talent in a world where some music listeners are convinced that the end of good music is nigh. Your songs are catching some attention with our readers and music lovers in San Antonio. Anything you’d like to say to those readers and listeners?

MS - As a new band with no real financial backing, it’s incredibly hard to break out of the UK, so we’d like to thank anyone and everyone who has bought our music. Every dollar spent goes back into the band fund and back into recordings. If you downloaded our stuff for free, please try at least to spread the word, promotion by word of mouth is supporting us… Finally… We need help in TV/film publishing and on the live/touring side of things. If you can assist us in any way we’ll be eternally grateful. We’d love to play the States, but at the moment it’s unclear how we’d go about that.

LW - Tell your friends! But make sure you explain we’re ‘The Fauns’ and not ‘The Fonz’ as some people think… actually, that gives me an idea for the title of the next album – ‘Happy Days’!?!

The Fauns Sail the Emotional Spectrum, Return with Gold

The Fauns is one of those bands whose musical appeal is every filmmaker’s wet dream.  While it may be cliché to compare the tracks of the Bristol six-piece’s self-titled debut album to a movie soundtrack, it’s difficult listening to most of the 11-track album without imagining interior shots of elevated train rides, protagonist looking out the windows expectantly as the golden sunlight of a waning afternoon sifts between buildings of an urban sprawl, etc., etc., etc…

But aside from the obvious statements about The Fauns’ music, the debut album really wrangles a drifting landscape of various emotions, neatly packaged into 11 tracks that could play endlessly and purposefully in the background of any situation.  Although the main focus of their sound seems to be a light, feathery female voice, The Fauns nestle it comfortably within delicate folds of intricately woven guitars, bass, percussion, and electronics, essentially obscuring any main driving force behind their music while simultaneously creating the necessity for the sum of its parts’ presence for true efficacy.

Perhaps the most representative sampling of The Fauns on their self-titled debut is the sequence of tracks 4, 5, and 6 — “The Sun is Cruising,” “Fragile,” and “Road Meets the Sky,” respectively.  At its very center, The Fauns’ music is a melancholic nostalgia — not quite sorrow, but bittersweet — encased in catchy pop melodies.  Each song is crafted like a story with an instrumental prologue in which not all of the musical counterparts have unified until finally spilling over into an orchestrated movement of warm, rich layers and aural textures.  Once the full-on orchestra of each song has reached its apex, the song not so much ends as it does float to a calm stop, and just as this is true of most of the debut’s songs, it is definitely true of the entire album: an emotionally-charged central core draped in drifts of warmth.

“Shall I see you again?…”  Definitely.

- N. Gonzales

The Fauns Gain Steam with Ethereal Sound

Bristol’s rising stars, The Fauns, have recently released a double vinyl version of their acclaimed self-titled debut, and with a second album already in the works, there appears to be no immediate creative end for the brilliant sextet.

Forming in 2007, The Fauns began as a trio until finally establishing themselves as a six-piece with Alison Garner fronting the band as vocalist.  In 2009, they released their self-titled debut to much critical acclaim on Laser Ghost Recordings.  Their most recent endeavors include the release of a double vinyl set of the self-titled album whose proceeds will directly fund their follow-up, which is currently in process with an estimated September release.  The vinyl set, signed by each band member, is available through Deep Space Recordings, or directly from the band.

The Fauns is one of those bands whose subtlety is misleading.  Their music, though understated, explodes with fervor at times, harnessing emotions that are ever-present if not always acknowledged.  Garner’s vocals move effortlessly throughout each track, blanketing the music like a gorgeous veil and creating a stunning ambience.

Until the end of the month, The Fauns have unveiled “1991″ (Mastermind Deserted Helipad Mix) on Soundcloud for exclusive download.  Our recommendation is that you click the link, download the track, and drift away on the vapors.