Black Isn't Black-An Interview with Christian Bland from Black Angels

Οι Black Angels βγάλαν καινούριο δίσκο και δεν μπορούσα παρά να δώσω το παρόν με την απαραιτητή μου προσήλωση στο είδος και στην φάση αυτής της μπάντας.
Είναι πραγματικά σπουδαίο κατόρθωμα να συνεχίζεις την παράδοση των 13th Floor Elevators ,να εξάπλωνεις ψυχεδελικά κινήματα και φεστιβάλ και plus να έχεις και άλλα 2 project στην πλάτη σου εξίσου σημαντικά(Ufo Club,Christian Bland and the Relevators).
Αν μη τι άλλο ο Christian ζει και αναπνέει για να παίζει μουσική όλη μέρα.
Δεν μπορούσα παρά να τον βρώ και να τον ρωτήσω κάποια πράγματα.

1.Hello and welcome to our lovely blog,it's easter right now in america right?

C.B:Hello, nice to be here.

yes it is Easter. We've been busy for the past week and a half practicing and getting ready for tour. For vacation we escape to the hill country or the west Texas desert. 

2.When you started the band, what were your expectations,did you ever imagine that all this psychedelic movement would be born?

C.B:Our hope was that we could pay our rent and eat by playing music. It's pretty surreal how much we've gotten to experience around the world playing Psychedelic Rock n Roll. I couldn't have imagined we'd be where we are 9 years after the band started. 

Our initial goal was to open for BRMC. Alex and I went and saw them in 2003 w/ The Warlocks here in Austin, and we knew that we wanted to make a career playing music after that. 4 years later we were opening for BRMC. At that point we figured that if we wanted something badly enough, we could make it happen. We wanna be more popular than John Lennon.  

3.You run a record label,you are among the 4 people who run austin psych festival and you are in the black angels, the ufo club and the revelators.

how easy it is to run and manage all these things,i mean you must play and listen to music all day and what are your other activities besides music?

C.B:Sleeping. 

4.i have heard that you started to play guitar in your 20 years old of age.did you had any lessons or you learned by your own?

C.B:I got lessons from Tex Watson on a VHS tape I found at the library by our house. I would stay up late at night and learn guitar with Tex.

I had a broken ankle from high jumping at the time, so time was on my side.

  5.Ok let's talk about some equipment,mainly you use rickenbacker guitars,semi hollow 60's guitars,fender super reverb amps and twin,a compact duo farfisa that pink floyd used to have and some maestro fuzz,electro harmonix reverb,wah,tremolo and vibrato pedals.

eventually is it important all this  equipment for bands that play psychedelic rock music?

if you think that in the 60's they didn't have all that pedals to use.

C.B:I think the best gear was built in the 60's, so that's why we use it. I'm also really into early Pink Floyd, so we have a lot of the equipment they were using. We're trying to bring psychedelic rock n roll into the future by using pedals/effects that weren't available in the 60's. 

6.As Black angels and the Ufo Club do you record and mix in analog or you use both analog and digital?

C.B:We usually record on tape and then mix it in the computer. The first 2 black angels albums were analog the entire process. 

7.About the new album now,to my ears it sounds more mature, soft and maybe a little bit more dark in some places,''holland'',''black isn't black'',what are the differences now from your first period as a band?

Are you creating some kind of a trilogy since you released phosphene dream?

C.B:I think we're still dealing with the same themes as the first album, but we've gotten older and new things have influenced us along the road, so i think its natural for our sound to evolve. We've also played our instruments so much that I think we've progressed in that way too.

I see the first 3 albums as a trilogy. Indigo Meadow is the first in the 2nd trilogy.

8.What would you recommend to all those new psychedelic bands that starts now and they don't have a record company to support them?

a lot of bands even though they create some amazing music they still have their daily jobs to support their music.

C.B:I'd say keep doing what you love. I worked at Gumby's Pizza when the black angels were starting. If you can find a job that allows you to leave on tour, even better. Early on we all decided to move in to a house together. That was definitely the turning point, where we knew we all wanted to make a living playing music, no matter what. If you love something enough, then you gotta do whatever it takes to make it a reality.

We self released our first EP, and screen printed every CD and sleeve. We played all around town at least once a month and eventually people noticed and by SXSW we were signed to Light in the Attic Records.  

9.What was the best period in music,by your view,and why?

C.B:The 1960's. But without the foundation of rock n roll in the 50's there'd be no Beatles, Zombies, Kinks, Beach Boys, Syd Barrett, etc...

I think the 60's was a creative explosion thats been unmatched in the music world (art world in general). We're hoping to bring that spirit back to the now.

10.As a band how do you write your songs,what is the process?

C.B:We write individually and bring them to the group, sometimes we create a song playing together at practice.

After we decide we want to make a song out of an idea, we all craft it together. 

11.What are the things you love most in america and why?

C.B:Austin, TX and California. They're both beautiful places with beautiful girls.  

12.Please Name us some new favourite bands you love.

C.B:The Growlers, The Mallard, White Fence, Apache Dropout, Jacco Gardner, Mikal Cronin, Ty Segall, Clinic, the Night Beats, Holy Wave, Cosmonauts, Temples.....to name a few.

  13.What are the chances to bring austin psych festival to europe?is that possible?i know many europeans(and many many people in greece) who wants to come and visit austin psych festival but the most of them don't come cause it costs a lot of money.

C.B:It's very likely in the near future. We've already started laying some groundwork. We'd like to have Austin Psych Fest in several countries. Our first 2 countries will be Europe & Australia. 

14.And last but not least,if the 13th floor elevators never existed,what is your next favourite band from the 60's(except velvet underground of course).

C.B:Probably Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn

but i recently discovered Billy Nicholls - Would You Believe? and i'm blown away.

Buy Indigo Meadow From Black Angels Official Site From Below
Indigo Meadow