Silver Antlers hacen música para los sentidos. Sus canciones se despliegan con parsimonia y te transportan mentalmente por encima de vastos paisajes naturales. Una arrebatadora mezcla de shoegazing, kosmische musik y ambient que ha situado al grupo en el punto de mira de los aficionados a bandas como Emeralds, Tarentel o Stars Of The Lid. Los caminos del facebook facilitaron el contacto que posibilitó esta breve entrevista (si necesitais traducciónescribid un comentario), en la que nos pone al corriente sobre la escena de Salt Lake, sobre la influencia del entorno geográfico en la creación artística, digital vs analógico, etc...
Os podeis descargar el fantástico último disco del grupo, "Pulling Diamonds From Dirt", de su propio bandcamp.
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First of all can you tell us a little bit about the history of the Silver Antlers project (releases, other projects, etc..)? When did you start playing this kind of music?
I used to play in a sorta dance punk band that turned into a noise kinda thing or something? I dunno. It was music is all that really matters. It was also fun, which matters even more. After that group disbanded I had a bunch of money saved up and decided that I wanted to make my own music so I bought recording equipment and a lot of gear that I'd been really interested in using. Around that time I started having these sort of reoccurring dreams that all existed in this similar world, so I decided to create a soundtrack to that world and that is mostly how Silver Antlers started. Silver Antlers is just the name for all work created by me in any medium. I released my first album under the moniker of Silver Antlers titled Black Blood of the Earth, but back then I was in a much darker emotional space, and that is reflected in the sounds that were created in that time. Since then things have lightened up and the new sounds represent where I'm at now. A much more peaceful zone, I guess.
Salt Lake City is not a city well known for its kosmische-drone oriented music, but I understand that you guys are kind of building a scene up there. Is that true?
There are so many beautiful and absolutely incredible sounds coming out of Salt Lake City right now, and a lot of close friends(family) are making them. Some of my favorite people and close friends are also some of my favorite musicians working currently. To name just a few, Seven Feathers Rainwater send me to a different place in space every time I see them live. If you have not heard their record, it is imperative that you do (and PLEASE see them live!). Brilliant people, lovely people, favorite people. Stag Hare is also one of my favorite humans on the planet, and his work is absolutely astounding (get ready for his new album Spirit Canoes, world... it is something to behold and swim deeply in). WYLD WYZRDZ, who also operates the absolutely incredible Inner Islands record label (which will release Stag Hare's Spirit Canoes) has been making some of my favorite music as of late. Amazing person, amazing ear for beautiful music, and all around an incredible musician. His music could lull me out of the darkest void. There are so many lovely things happening in this area of the US, and I hope more people can find out about it all. These sounds are very important.
Do you think that your geographical surroundings (plane mountain views, lakes, etc..) influences your music? I have always thought that the music you do can not be created in an urban landscape.
I think that it's definitely possible to create anything out of where you are, as long as it's honest to you, but environment definitely has something to do with the final product for me. I feel a strong connection to the lake (that being, the Great Salt Lake), the enormous and humbling mountain range, and the wooded areas. There is something mysterious about these areas. I think the connection to all living things is extremely important, and to live without those connections can be depriving (for myself, not all artists). I, personally, thrive on those mysteries and that unknown world. It's something to explore and something to discover, ultimately. It all translates, and if these zones resonate with you, you will push that connection into your art whether it's voluntary or not.
I´ve watched some videos of Silver Antlers playing live and was surprised to see that it´s not a one man band. Do you approach your live shows differently than recording?
For the most part when playing live Silver Antlers is only me, but there have been certain times when I've invited up to 8 musicians to play live with me. For a while I was having a friend from Seven Feathers Rainwater play with me at most shows. It mostly just depends on how I'm feeling about the show, and also if I'm feeling like the show could use more people filling in any gaps. I would say 85% of the time it is just me... though I really enjoy playing with other people. There is something about the mental communication between playing with friends that is so amazing, and also impossible while playing alone. Recording is definitely a different animal. That process is kind of like building the skeleton for what will happen on stage, and learning from performing live where the song will go in the recording process. A lot of learning and discovering through both processes and building off of them back and forth.
I got to know Silver Antlers through a description I read in a blog that compared your music to Terakaft, a band from the north of Africa that I really like. Do you know them? Are you into African/desert blues music at all or the resemblance is a mere coincidence?
I have actually never heard Terakaft, but "African/desert blues music" sounds really up my alley, and I would LOVE to hear that sometime. I imagine this was a review of my older music. That, at least, sounds more like some of the stuff I was working on when I released Black Blood of the Earth and the split I did with Seven Feathers Rainwater.
What kind of art do you consider an inspiration for your music? Do you follow the contemporary music scene or you focus on the older stuff?
Oh, man... such a broad question for me. I love so many forms of art that it's hard to say what is currently inspiring to me. As far as visually, Andy Goldsworthy has been a big influence on me. I really love the idea of creating fleeting pieces of art that last until the elements take them. If you've never seen his work I highly suggest checking it out. It's all really beautiful. I listen to a handful of older stuff (Dylan, Neil Young, Velvet Underground, etc.). I have been listening to a lot of Brightblack Morning Light, which is always blowing my mind. Everytime I listen to them the world sorta slows down and takes a breather. Been listening to a lot of My Bloody Valentine as well. I really love their approach to textural sound. Lots of others as well. Aside from that, I listen to a lot of music friends of mine make. Very special things are happening, and it's really exciting to know that my friends are making most of the music I listen to.
What´s your point of view on the current situation regarding MP3s and records? Are there any record stores in Salt Lake? Do you download music?
Personally, I think file sharing is a great thing. Most people would probably never hear my music without it. If people hear my music and don't have the money, but want to hear the songs I highly encourage downloading them. Have at it! I have a bandcamp page to stream all the songs I create as well. All I really want is for people to hear the vibes I am sending out. If people feel inclined to pay for my music (thank you in advance! Love you!) I am totally down with that, but to be honest... all I want is for people to hear it and hope it makes an impression. I download music all the time. If something hits me hard, I buy it. I don't expect everyone to be on that page though. In closing, I love all of ya. (Sorry to not answer the record store question... not a lot of legitimate record stores in Utah...)
