Spraygraphic Interview with The Broken Remotes

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Spraygraphic Interview with The Broken Remotes

By Spraygraphic | November 16, 2007

Spraygraphic Interviews The Broken Remotes

SG: Please tell us about yourself and your band?

BR: When Amy Wood and I get together and play music we call it The Broken Remotes. We both play in a bunch of bands and have our hands in a lot of other projects, like scoring movies, producing friends material, things like that. Together, Amy and I end up playing too loudly, swallowing microphones whole, and destroying drum kits– but at the same time we might be drinking wine, so it’s not completely rock. It’s a release, but we try to keep it classy.

SG: Where do you currently live and work?

BR: Amy and I share an apartment on the Westside of Los Angeles. Amy’s father owns a studio called Stanley Recordings and she works there when she’s not playing or doing session work. I have a really great day job as a music supervisor at a company called Aperture Music. I listen to new releases all day and figure out where the songs might fit in movies and TV. We’re working on the new John C. Reilly movie “Walk Hard” and it’s about the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the music is fantastic.

SG: How did you come up with the name and what does it mean?

BR: We’ve had a few names along the way. The first was “Wiley” which got trashed because a UK rapper of the same name released an album on XL that everyone thought was going to be hot shit. We had already scrapped the name by the time we realized that his LP wasn’t really taking off and we could’ve kept calling ourselves Wiley without any danger of confusion… Not that it’s easy to confuse us with a British MC in the first place. Then we went by “The Backseats” for a while and had our first album (Throw Me The Keys) up on Launch.com under that name– before Yahoo told us there was a conflict with another artist. At this point I was so frustrated that I decided to pick a band name so random, so juvenile and inane that no one could possibly be willing to do battle with us over it. After about 14 seconds of intense contemplation, The Broken Remotes was born.

SG: What instruments do play?

BR: I learned to read and write music on the trumpet back in grade school. They bounced me around the brass section for a while– I played the baritone and tuba before quitting band in high school. I picked up the guitar around 17 and I’ve gotten good enough to not embarrass myself when I try out guitars in a music shop. Then like most guitar players I picked up the bass (and like most bass players, got invited to join 50 different bands) and went on tour with Biirdie (now signed to Love Minus Zero) as their bassist. Before I knew it I was also playing keyboards in Amy’s other band (All Wrong and the Plans Change) at SXSW. Along the way I’ve picked up drums, accordion, harmonica, the usual suspects . I’m not a virtuoso at anything, but I can sit down and hammer out a tune on a bunch of instruments, which is nice.

SG: What kind of music does your band create?

BR: Rock. Stupid enough to party with, smart enough to be worth a second listen. I don’t know, I feel like we keep it pretty honest and heartfelt without getting whiny. That’s the goal, at least.

SG: Describe your working process when creating a new work.

BR: The songs start out on acoustic guitar or piano, then Amy and I play the shit out of them until they sound like the Broken Remotes. 90% of the lyrics are written while I’m driving, I couldn’t tell you why, except for the fact that I live in LA and I spend a lot of time stuck in traffic. Most of the the lyrics from Tonight’s Last Stand were written on the back of receipts and stuffed in the glovebox at some point. I’m a big fan of singing gibberish until the words are finished– but it’s a little depressing how often the gibberish is more fun than the finished lyric.

SG: What kind of things do you do when you get blocked or find it hard to create something?

BR: I go for a drive.

SG: Where are you currently finding your inspiration?

BR: Right now I’m obsessed with a french director named Jean-Pierre Melville. He made a ton of great films, the whole time working independently out of his own studio. Total iconoclast, wore aviator glasses and a giant white Stetson. Borrowed his last name from the author of Moby Dick. His films have very little dialogue and you just can’t take your eyes off them. Even though it’s over 35 years old, Le Circle Rouge will still blow your hair back. Can’t recommend his stuff highly enough.

SG: How many albums do you have out and what label are you on?

BR: We have two full-lengths, both released on our own label, Room 206 Records.

SG: Where has your work been heard?

BR: A track from the new LP, “Stick With Me, Kid” was just featured on the CW show Gossip Girl. One of the best places we ever got exposure though was right here on Spraygraphic.com

SG: Where will it be seen next?

BR: Hard to say. You’ll be the first to know.

SG: What is your dream concert?

BR: Joe Strummer, John Lennon and James Brown all rise from the dead and play each others songs, backed by Levon Helm, John Paul Jones and Frank Zappa.

SG: What is your favorite kind of music?

BR: The kind that punches me in the mouth, then shakes my hand.

SG: Who is your favorite artist? And Why?

BR: I’m a big fan of Spencer Krug. I fell in love with the Wolf Parade LP like everyone else, then I realized that his other projects (Swan Lake, Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes, etc.) were also great. I really like that Menomena record, too. I think what I like most is when pop music is weird and personal without trying to be. “I’ll Believe In Anything” is one of the best songs of my lifetime.

SG: What cd/mp3 are you listening to this week?

BR: I’ve been listening to this single by The Matadors, a song called “Draw the Line”. I keep an Explosions In The Sky LP in my car at all times– I get to enjoy the music while still being able to write lyrics. I’ve also been listing to an OC band called The Growlers and a bay area band called Magic Bullets.

SG: Where is your favorite place to play out?

BR: Probably my favorite place to play in LA is Spaceland. Good stage, good sound, consistently good bills there. Cheap PBR and a smoking room in the back, not to mention a 7-11 on the corner. I really liked playing the Lager House in Detroit though, that might be my favorite.

SG: Any final words of advice?

BR: If you plan on swallowing the mic at a show, you might want to bring your own.

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Spraygraphic Interview with The Broken Remotes

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