Secret Cities appears in Fargo when MJ Parker and Charlie Gokey only were 15. They loved psychedelic pop so they recorded some songs with pen-pal’s help. Some time later, Alex Abnos join the band as drummer. Their first recordings were released thanks to Baltimore’s Fall Records, although their proper full length debut Pink Graffiti was edited by the prestigious record label Western Vinyl. After publishing their first record, they toured along their country. In 2011, they released their second album Strange Hearts. After that, they got their first international tour, travelling to Europe. Their music inspired in classic pop is mixed with sounds of Caribbean music, turning the listening into a great experience for the listener.
We have the opportunity of talking to them about the process of recording, their musical influences… This is the interview. Enjoy it!
You come from a very cool place how is Fargo.
However, your music has very colourful sounds and could be defined as psychedelic pop. How did you start your interest in this kind of music?
Charlie: My earliest memories of music are listening to the Beach Boys with my parents. It’s always sort of seemed like the default music to me, like there are other kinds of music but that kind of music is the primary music in my life. I’m not sure if I feel that way anymore, but something close to that.
Your last album called Strange Hearts is a very complete record which contains a lot of luminous songs mixed with elements of lo-fi and even tropical music (Always Friends, for example). In what did you spire to compose the record?
Charlie: Dusty Springfield was probably my biggest inspiration at the time, followed closely by the Shangri-Las.
Marie: I had Joanna Newsom's Have One On Me playing pretty much nonstop during the few months we took to finish the record. I don't think a listener could easily hear that influence in our final cut, though!
Alex: I was listening to a lot of reggae and caribbean music at the time, especially vocal groups like the Mighty Diamonds and the Paragons. I really like how that stuff blurs the line between being energetic and relaxed and wanted that kind of vibe in our recordings.
I read that the process of recording took place in an abandoned basement of a bank. It was deliberated or appears spontaneously?
Charlie: We had used the bank to rehearse before our first tour; it was just sort of a place that was randomly available to us. We were quite fortunate to have it, besides the times we were forced to stop recording or rehearsing because the church (which had moved into another part of the bank) was having a service.
Alex: That place also got unbearably hot in the summer, and unbelievably cold in the winter. The room was littered with fans, an air conditioner, and several space heaters. I'm sure our instruments LOVED that.
In your concerts Alex usually wears an instrument shaped in a bow tie. Could you talk us more about it and the effect that produce in your music?
Alex: As much as I would like to claim total credit for the Electric Bowtie, the idea actually comes from Charlie. Before our first tour he was trying to think of ways that he could sing and still walk all around the stage and do dance moves or something. At the same time, I had outfitted my drums with a few contact microphones, which are basically little strips of brass with a cord attached to them that pick up the vibrations of whatever you stick it on. They’re used a lot to amplify acoustic guitars that don’t have a pickup. Anyways, Charlie tried putting one on his throat and we couldn’t get it to be loud enough but I tried practicing a bit with it, and it worked out well. We originally used duct tape to keep it on my neck but that felt awful and it made my neck sticky. So Charlie took out one of his Dad’s bowties and...voila. After that I ran all the contact mics - the one on my throat and the ones on the drums - through a mixer and a bunch of effects pedals. And that’s that.
I think the main thing it adds to our live performance is headaches for whatever poor soul is assigned to mix our sound. Only sort of kidding there. In all seriousness, I think we see the instrument as a way to replicate some of the weirder, more atmospheric moments from our recordings in a live setting. It works pretty well for that, but outside of a few moments on Strange Hearts (“Interlude,” the end of “Brief Encounter”) we haven’t had much use for it in the studio.
You have played in a lot of different and important places such as SXSW in Austin, NXNE in Toronto, Apolo Hall in Barcelona… What do you prefer, big or small stages?
Charlie: On reflection, I think I prefer smaller venues. I’ve always sort of rolled my eyes at musicians saying stuff about smaller venues allowing you to connect better with the audience, but I think I’ve come around. I’d say the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis is just about the perfect size.
Marie: I don't have a preference; I like variety. Ideally, no matter the size of the venue, there'd always be a fun, responsive audience.....actually, I kind of wish we could take the Aquarium (Fargo venue) crowd with us wherever we went. They are my favorite.
Alex: Agree with Marie - the audience is most important. We’re lucky enough to have had good crowds on both big and small stages. JJ’s Bohemia in Chattanooga Tennessee is always a wild time and that place is tiny, but Le Point Ephemere in Paris is much bigger and that show was great, too. It just depends. I will say that the Teatro Principal in Zamora is the most intimidating place we’ve ever played, though!
All your songs have a lot of vitality and many of them are connected with youthfulness. I believe that starting a band with 15 years must be a interesting experience. What memories have you got of this period?
Marie: I remember picking up hobbies and getting sick of them really quickly. I remember wanting to learn to play every instrument I possibly could, especially after I started listening to a lot of musicians who were multi-instrumentalists. I remember looking around for obscure or unknown bands.....and thinking I was smarter than everyone else for it.
Charlie: Mostly I remember being awkward around my peers. I also remember being at the point in my life when I was discovering music for the first time and thinking every time I found something I loved, “I need to write songs more like this.”
Alex: I still think that whenever I hear something I love!
You belong to Western Vynil, a very important independent record label (including Balmorhea, Dirty Projectors, Ola Podrida…) . With what bands of this record label would you like to play?
Alex: A long while ago Charlie mentioned the idea of us playing a show with Balmorhea providing live backing. I haven’t been able to get that idea out of my head since. That would be incredible.
Charlie: What Alex said. I love that band.
Marie: I love Balmorhea. Aside from being amazing musicians, they are also our friends. Would love to play a show with them again....or maybe even a series of shows.
After releasing Strange Hearts in 2011. When could we enjoy new Secret Cities’ music? What are your plans in a short future?
Alex: We’re actually in the middle of putting together songs for a new album. For the first time, we’re all going to go into an actual studio to record it instead of piecing it together from afar. That’s going to be a very different experience for us but I think it’ll result in a really good-sounding record, because the studio we’re recording at is kind of legendary. Plus the songs are sounding great so far, in my opinion.
We’ll have a Kickstarter campaign up and running very soon, and we’ll reveal all the details then. So I’ll leave it there for now. But more info is coming soon!
Photos taken by Forester Michael.
Photos taken by Forester Michael.
Thank you so much for the interview. We're looking forward to listening the new songs!
Photos taken by Forester Michael.
