Interview: Crystal Stilts

Crystal Stilts comprises of JB Townsend, Brad Hargett, Andy Adler, Frankie Rose and Kyle Forester and together they have created some of the most endearing music to hit the scene in many, many years.

The group are currently on tour in and around the UK to promote their debut album Alight of Night (SG Review HERE) which was released last year in the US but only recently over here in the UK on their label Slumberland.

We at Strange Glue thought this would be the perfect time to give the band a quick phone call and have a chat with them about everything from the band's very beginnings to their favourite music at the moment, and so that's exactly what we did.

So please, cast your gaze downward and upon our chat with JB Townsend of Crystal Stilts.

SG: Did all of you grow up in New York?

JB: None of us really grew up there but the band formed there. Brad and I grew up near Miami, Frankie is from the west coast, she's from California, Kyle's probably the most native to New York, he's from New Jersey and Andy's from Boston.

SG: So what was it like in the first stages of coming together as a band? Did you have any sort of goals early on as to what you wanted to achieve?

JB: Not really, we weren't very goal oriented at all. It started about four years ago with just Brad and I and we had some members that came and went and just about two years in, we started wanting to be more of a live band so we could get to more people and have it be a little bit more of a live thing rather than a recorded thing which it was for the first couple of years, just more of a project or practice really.

SG: And so it gradually got more serious as you started getting more and more gigs?

JB: Yes, exactly.

SG: Do you feel like you have any direct influences? I mean obviously people have been saying your sound sits quite close to Interpol and Joy Division...

JB: Those are pretty inaccurate, I mean the only influence that really I would say is an influence on all of us is probably The Velvet Underground. That's the only one that...I mean we probably have hundreds of influences but the only one that rings true is The Velvet Underground. If you had to name an influence that'd be the one for the band.

SG: So how are you feeling about the album? Worried or excited? I mean it obviously came out last year in the States and it's just got its release over here in the UK so are you or were you worried about what the fans think, or critics, or do you even care?

JB: I don't care that much honestly.

SG: I think that's the best way to be, to be honest.

JB: I mean its like when the people that really matter like it, that kinda takes any bad review and kinda scrubs it away.

SG: So what is it like during the recording process of a debut album? Was it strict time slots at the studio or was more like long jamming sessions that were cut into tracks.

JB: No...it was more like, I mean the songs all kinda came from long jamming sessions but the recording wasn't, I did most of the recording myself. We recorded it on two inch analogue tape and mixed it about three times from 2006 until 2008.

SG: Did you have reservations with it when you were going into it or writers block as it were? Or did you just go in there and think "yeah this is it, we've got it".

JB: I think we already had it, we had it basically done but the only thing that took a while was the mixing because its such a...there's so many different ways you can go about doing it. We tried doing a Mono mix which sounded cool but there was something wrong...tried mixing from tape onto tape and we just...we weren't quite happy and then finally last year, we mixed for the last time with a little more overdub and kinda trimmed it down a little bit and then...yeah, that was it.

SG: So now the record is done and released, how does it feel? Do you ever feel like you need to rush back into the studio for the follow-up or are you completely happy to take it slow and sort of give it some time off?

JB: Yeah we're happy to do that but I mean we...we'd much rather write and record and I mean...we have another album probably going to be recorded in the next few months and we actually have a single coming out in just a few weeks that's gonna be on Slumberland.

SG: Is that off of Alight of Night or new material?

JB: That's new material yeah...I mean the songs off the LP are pretty old so we're basically ready to record another album.

SG:  So your current tour takes you to some pretty interesting places, i was looking and you've got some cool dates around Europe, is there anywhere you'd love to see?

JB: Erm...well we liked Switzerland a lot, that was good....we loved Glasgow and looking forward to Sweden.

SG: So where's the one place you'd choose to play regardless if its indoor / outdoor / on a mountain / on a boat in the middle of the sea, where's the one place that as a band you'd love to play?

JB: That's a good question, I'm not sure, i kinda would like to go to somewhere like South America or some place kind of exotic where you could have a vacation as well.

SG: So did you manage to catch any great gigs early this year or late last year that stick in your head?

JB: Erm yeah, have you heard of Psychedelic Horseshit?

SG: Definitely heard the name but haven't heard their stuff.

JB: They're really good, kinda good friends with Times New Viking...There's some New York bands I'm liking a lot lately, kinda like friends bands.

SG: French bands?

JB: No, friends bands.

SG: Oh friends! i see...So what about albums? Any records last year or this year that you've really enjoyed?

JB: Err new stuff? Yeah I like Blank Dog...I'm not big on new music i have to say, only recently have I started listening to more new music just because I'm more, sort of keeping up more with bands.

SG: Any movies? 

JB: New movies?

SG: Yeah, that you've seen lately.

JB: Ah shit I cant even remember the last movie I saw in the theatre, it must've been...yeah I don't even remember.

SG: No, that's cool. So anyway, how does it feel knowing that there are people out there, loving your music just as much as you guys? Is it overwhelming to suddenly get some positive attention now the LP's released even though as you said, these songs have been recorded for a couple of years now?

JB: It's cool, it's not extremely overwhelming, we haven't been really...you know...attacked or anything yet. It's fine, it feels good, its nice, that's kinda what we wanted to do. It took us about six years to do it so its cool.

SG: Its no secret that the music industry can be pretty fickle and especially with regards to new bands. What's it like being in an industry that's as demanding as it is? Does it ever feel like your signing your soul away just to get your "job" as it were across and to the masses?

JB: A little bit I mean...there's compromises that you make and that everyone makes and that you have to make for the sake of business. There's a lot of people involved that its their job and they're making money and we're all trying to make a little bit of money as well as do it on our terms so yeah, there's a little bit of a compromise but its not...its not..I think if you work with the right people or the people you trust its easier.

SG: And you've been with Slumberland since the early days right? 

JB: Yeah, we were also on a label called Woodsist.

SG: And Feathery Tongue as well i believe? Though I'm not sure if that was just for the first EP or not?

JB: Yeah, we actually put that EP out ourselves, we wanted to do it ourselves.

SG: OK, so last question, what can we look forward to in the world of Crystal Stilts for 2009? Is there any Festivals that you'd love to do or are playing?

JB: Yeah we're coming back to the UK end of May, doing some Fest's...erm...Primavera...

SG: Yeah that's got a fantastic looking line up so far, some great names. Do you like playing the overseas Festivals?

JB: Yeah, I mean we haven't done much yet but in terms of Festivals they're always pretty good.

SG: Right OK, well thanks very much JB and best of luck for 2009.