The Battle of Land And Sea
I heard about this band a few months ago when one of my friends told me how, when he and his house mates were in the kitchen cooking dinner together, he faintly heard something wistful, ghostly and mysterious creeping through the hissing and chattering. He told everyone to "shush" in order to hear what was drifting from the radio and for the remainder of the song they all stood in silence... After finding out their name he told me about them and following one listen it became the soundtrack to my sleep for the next few weeks...
The Battle of Land and Sea are a two-piece psychedelic folk act from Portland, Oregon. A band whose natural and echoic sound could fool you into believing that they had recorded on board a wooden house boat, in the middle of the stillest lake...
Shut caught up with band member Sarah to find out what elates, inspires and influences her, amongst other things…
You're from Portland Oregon, although densely populated and built up in parts, it is contrasted by some of the worlds most outstanding natural landscapes ... how much would you say your surroundings influence your music?
I didn't live here when writing the record, so it hasn't had a direct influence yet. My imagination I feel has resided here for awhile though, I’ve found a great creative place to feel at home within, i hadn't had that in a long time, if ever. I do want to go live in a cabin for a few months and write and record an album though.
Some of your music has quite dark and ghostly undertones, not only in the lyrics, but also in the way it seems to have been recorded. How did you achieve this effect? and do you feel your style music is a reflection of your personalities?
Recording quite humbly and with a producer like Jacob Golden who really
understands the sound and how to capture and enhance it. I wanted a record that would sound great on vinyl, I hope that'll happen at some point, good heavy vinyl.
I don't want to give away Jacob's specific recording secrets too much, but there
are creative ways to give recordings a timeless feel, I think we achieved that.
I'm a very positive person, I have a dark side for sure, i put it into the songs though, and it’s my way of processing and making sense of things in a constructive
way. I am far from the sad miserable songwriter stereotype though, I’m incredibly silly and use the F word too much.
You have a lot of influences, Many of which are folk artists from the 60's and 70s psychedelic era. Which are the most influential artists for you? And do you have any aids to help with ideas for songs, if so have you had any interesting experiences?
Van Morrison, Neil Young of course, Leonard Cohen, Dylan, the usual suspects. A simple song can just floor me.
If by "aids" you mean a metronome, then no. But if you mean something on the other side of the law, then yes, I’ll indulge in a joint or two. Nothing crazy, i get really obsessed with the tuning of my guitar if I’m too stoned, so I keep it mellow, a few glasses of wine usually creates the best creative space. I have yet to dive deeper into the psychedelic realm of treats. The only time i tried was completely unsuccessful, it was in Los Angeles at Arthur Ball a few years ago. I had some mushrooms that I had won at a white elephant Christmas party the year before, they were ancient. We took them a little before seeing Joanna Newsom play, in hopes of a psychedelic forest adventure, no luck, completely sober. Not very rock and roll...but the show was amazing.
What do you do when you're not performing, practicing or recording and what did you do before you formed the band?
My life really does revolve around music, although not always in the actual creative process of making music. It can be t-shirt design, website stuff, videos or planning tours.
I'm a true homebody, i can go days without leaving the house. I love to watch movies. Before the band, i was in other bands, worked hard at a lot jobs where I was underpaid and under appreciated, so being a full-time musician isn't a huge change, right? I worked in a couple indie record shops, clothing stores, coffee shop, i worked two weeks at a children's day care before quitting, for fear it'd make me never want to have kids myself.
So, your albums out, what was recording like? it seems like it would be a very peaceful process, was this the case?
It was peaceful since there wasn't any outside expectations, no label was involved at that point, i wanted to record the best record i could, to capture that point in time.It was carefree, creative, liberating and exciting actually. I had not a clue where it would lead me, i felt stuck in a job that was making me miserable and needed to forge my musical identity to save myself really. I'm not sure what took me this long.
What angers or upsets of you the most, as a band?
Being on mismatched bills, playing with loud rock bands and having to play to an audience that obviously is wondering where the hell our drummer and bass player went.
So, What makes you happy?
Most people that have known me for longer than a day know that coffee is not only a necessity but makes me extremely happy. I'm all for quality not quantity.On the flip side, i can pretty damn scary in the morning if I’m out of cream or sugar
for my coffee. It brings out the best and worst, I’ve been told numerous times I have "a problem", but since living in Portland where it's such a coffee drinking culture my habit is celebrated, I’m accepted for who i am, finally.
An afternoon of freedom to do exactly what you feel like doing, hanging around the house, sewing, gardening, some baking, pretty much anything domestic, then I’m happy. It's an alternate form of feminism, just embracing the Betty Crocker housewife in me because I truly enjoy it.
Being productive and lazy within the same day.
click here to go direct to The Battle of Land and Sea's myspace.