Nine Black Alps
Everything Is
Label: Interscope Records

Nine Black Alps have met deserved success with Everything Is, their 12 track disc which was just introduced to the states on Feb. 28. Filled with heavy garage and grunge influence with some Nirvana, Interpol and even Franz Ferdinand mixed in.

In an exclusive interview thanks to our friends at Filter Magazine, Perfect Porridge interviewed Nine Black Alps guitarist David Jones to talk about the new album, f-ing music critics and smoking Marlboro Lights with white tips. Read on…

You guys played your biggest home city headlining show to-date in
Manchester a few weeks ago, right? How did that go?

It was amazing. We got all our family and friends down to watch, and hang out. Lots of drinks and hugs were had by everyone. We had the Longcut and Polytechnic support us too, who are both cool Manchester bands, so it was an amazing night, really cool atmosphere. It was the show we were most looking forward to, Manchester is very special to us, We always love to play there, and all still live there.

Are you all from Manchester originally? Everyone knows the music scene there. What were your biggest musical influences growing up?

We are from the suburbs of Manchester, about 5-10 miles out of the city. But we all moved there about 5 years ago, as with anyone with ambition from a small town in northern England, you go to the nearest big city, and try and do something with your life. Instead of working in a factory all your life, which some of us were doing before this. We all met in the city, and call it home.

My biggest musical influences growing up were Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Bowie and Britpop. I then grew up and found Sonic Youth, the Pixies, and Pavement…along with countless others. I just like good music, be Britney Spears or Godspeed You Black Emperor!, a good song is a good song.

Biggest influences now?

Elliott Smith, still Radiohead, the Beatles, Sonic Youth, and Heatmiser.

For the album, I know Sam had a few songs already written that you guys just tweaked, but overall what’s the writing process like with Sam?

He writes a verse and melody, and chorus, puts them on tape on his track cassette recorder, then we learn the chord progression and write our own parts over the top. We all help shape a song, be it with the composition, sequence, key, if it’s just shit, saying it’s shit. It’s hard to explain, it’s complicated, but completely simple for us. I dont want to over analyze songwriting methods, as it then becomes a formula, and music should not be mathematical, unless you are Aphex twin or Autechre. So, I will say Sam writes stuff, we fuck it up loud as a band.

Got it. So what was it like working with Producer Rob Schnapf?

He is one of the coolest guys I have met. Just wanted to record the songs as good as possible, not fuck them up by putting things on them that weren’t needed, or sound like us live. He produced Elliott Smith and Beck, so we just wanted that sound. We never had to explain how something should sound, as we went to him for his sound, that he creates naturally. He also has the biggest collection of guitars and amps ever. We recorded in L.A., so had a lot of fun just hanging out there.

What’s your favorite track on the album and why?

“Southern Cross” is my favorite song on the album, because we experimented a lot with sounds and geeky things like mic placement on guitar amps. Plus it has my favorite feedback at the end of the track ever recorded. We actually had a track of feedback that went on for 3 minutes at the end of the song, but thought that was a bit excessive. It just sounds cool, the most like us live, and my favorite guitar parts too.

That’s actually my favorite, too. I think you could’ve got away with 3 minutes. Cobain did. Speaking of “that band from Seattle”, how would you classify your sound/genre – American critics are saying Grunge, but there’s definitely some punk in there?

Loud distorted melodic songs. Punk/Grunge, I dont know. The last time people played melodic distorted songs was grunge and punk, we just make music, that’s what critics get paid for, to classify and slaughter.

I read you have a large collection of pedals you perform with – how do you think reverb and effects hurt or help songwriting?

They can help a part of music, but not a whole song. It can be a nice feature, but if there is no song there, what’s the point? Your guitar might sound cool, but where’s the song? FX just help sprinkle some sugar on a track.

Given that you’ve been playing a lot of these songs for awhile now, do you guys have a lot of new stuff ready to record?

Yes, we have lots, about 21 demos. We can do about 8 as a band, and have been playing 4 in our last UK tour live set. They have a lot better songwriting, and sound cool to us. It’s that old cliche, the hard ones are harder, the melodic ones are more melodic.

I know you guys really paid your dues before you got big. What advice would you have for a youngster in the states who can’t seem to escape basement and garage shows?

Don’t change your style of music to fit into a fad or fashion. By the time you have, even if you get signed, by the time you record the album, tour it, that sound that got you signed is over, and sounds old. Try to be original, and make music you like.

You use Orange Amps, right? What kind of guitars/strings do you use?

I use a standard Fender Telecaster USA live. They can be thrown around a lot and never break, plus cut through Sam’s heavy sound. But in the studio I used vintage Gibson SGs, Guild Starfires and Fender Teles. I don’t want to take a $3000 guitar on the road; they break a lot. We use Ernie Ball ‘not even slinky.’ They are designed to keep tight when you detune all your strings, but they are like rope, very thick, so they give a very heavy sound, which we like.

Where do you think Nine Black Alps will be in 5 years – 10?

Probably touring somewhere; just playing live as much as possible.

That’s great, and of course still touring in America. How is that different? What do you look forward to?

America is fucking huge. The drives are killers; they go on forever. But, it’s cool. You get to see some weird and wonderful things along the way. I look forward to eating Denny’s and smoking Marlboro Lights that have white tips. They are cork in England, so now you know.

Nine Black Alps’ Everything Is is currently in stores, and the group is currently touring the country (no MN shows, damn it) to support it. Check their Tour Page for something near you. And here’s a link to their fun Endurance Game