Lines Across Lines have set out to craft a sound made in the image of its maker, drawing from each members personal influence’s, not just in music but the entirety of their lives. The bands eloquent and scattered breed of indie rock expand the limits of the genre, breathing new life into that at times stagnate sound. The Cleveland four piece have one EP “Octopussy” already under its belt and are hard at work on a full-length follow up. We tracked down bassist Michael Barber and lead vocalist/guitarist Chris Wright to talk about the new album, making up fake song names, and sitting in on their classic recording session of choice.
S*KM: You guys are currently working on new songs. What is the most important aspect of creating original material, is it your technical ability, musical knowledge, or that x factor of instincts each individual musician has?
MB: Well, none of us are classically trained or virtuosos by any means. Some of us have had lessons or what have you, but like most musicians in a rock band, we are all pretty much self-taught with regards to our respective instruments. When it comes to composing new material for Lines Across Lines, we lean heavily on the chemistry that we’ve developed just jamming, playing shows and writing together. It definitely didn’t happen overnight. We all kind of play off each other and then try to iron it out into songs.
S*KM: Where is the most common place for a LAL song to start, either through a jam, an individual riff, or your own special method?
MB: The song writing process usually starts with a riff or melody that one person has and then we jam on it to see where it goes. We try to record as much as we can and listen to it later, trying to find patterns, grooves and ideas we can use for songs.
CW: We’ve found it’s always best if the initial idea is general and incomplete. That way, everyone has his own hand in creating the song and no one becomes a dictator in the writing process.
S*KM: What kind of details can we coerce out of you about the new album, do you have a title, how many tracks can we expect, and is there a timetable for release?
MB: So far, there’s no timetable or set number of tracks for the new album. We have 4 solid tracks written since we recorded the Octopussy EP.
CW: We are waiting to see how the new album’s lyrics turn out before we title it. Most of the lyrics from the new material deal with more adult topics. I took a break in my lyric writing as far as intensity is concerned; the lyrics on the EP are more light-hearted. Now we’re ready to let out some more demons. The subject matter will definitely be grittier and more unapologetic than “Octopussy.” We think you’ll see some maturity in songwriting.
S*KM: Will there be any surprises in the direction of the new material, if so what can fans expect to hear?
MB: The songs are bigger sounding; more linear and more intricate but we still keep it groovy. There’s way more emphasis on just rocking out. We’ve really found our identity as a band in writing the the newer material.
S*KM: With the traditional music business self destructing in front of our eyes and the advent of the myspace era bringing every wannabe be hack musician out of the wood work, how can a band over come the great adversity it faces today?
MB: All a band can really do aside from promoting and marketing, is write good, original songs and play high-energy shows to carve a place in the music scene now a’days. The internet and myspace have done well to give exposure to some really good, unknown artists that otherwise would remain unknown. This idea is reciprocated by music fans seeking their own tastes, and finding new bands rather than letting some record company do it for them. It would seem that the pros outway the cons.
CW: Yeah. it will be interesting to see what labels do to make their presence relevant in the next five to ten years.
S*KM: Your record label Turkeyhand Records seems to be taking an interesting approach to the business end of the music industry, by offering the “ultimate DIY platform” allowing their artists to “share resources in recording, promotion, and development without obligation.” How has that worked out for you and is this method something that other record labels could learn from?
MB: I’ll differ to Chris.
CW: I initially started Turkeyhand as a way of networking with our favorite local artists, and to create a network of grassroots promotions. I think we have a very strong group of talented artists who enjoy each others music, and are eager to help each other out. The bands involved have no obligation to each other. It’s more of a “what you put in is what you get out” type of situation. We will be doing some showcases here and there and hopefully will expand outward regionally. I would like to uphold a reputation of well chosen bands unbiased by hipster chic. If any artist seeks larger label support they are more than welcome to do so, as they are not under contract. Just don’t forget ya roots! haha!
S*KM: You released your debut EP “Octopussy” strictly in digital format, how did that go over and do you think it was the best decision for the band?
MB: I’ll differ to Chris
CW: Well, we did it more for historic reasons than monetary. We wanted to be one of the first unsigned DIY (do-it-yourself) bands to release our debut digitally, similiar to Radiohead’s “In Rainbows.” I think the industry is in a major transition as people are still getting comfortable with the idea of digital downloads and the slow progression to equal the audio quality of CD’s. Knowing this, we released the Ep on physical CDs a month later. I’m pretty confident that people will be downloading their music almost exclusively, instead of buying CD’s once technology catches up. CD’s will become like vinyl. They’ll still be made, but in smaller and smaller quantities. Labels and record stores are going to have to embrace the change and learn to make money differently or perish. It’s that simple.
S*KM: Your sound can range from bouncy and upbeat (All I Wanted From You) to dark an atmospheric, (Time Only Waits) could you break down the LAL spectrum of sonic expression?
MB: Each band member has his own tastes that differ greatly from the others At the same time, we all like some of the same music. These two aspects of Lines Across Lines seem to dictate our sound.
CW: I don’t think we are really trying to be a part of any kind of musical movement. We just try to make general rock music; sometimes it comes out heavy, sometimes it comes out upbeat. It depends more on the collective mood of everyone that day and not so much about whether or not we’ll end up on The Warped Tour.
S*KM: Let’s get to know you guys a little better; what band activities ensue once you put down your instruments?
MB: Drinking and joking around. Aside from being in a band with each other, we like hanging out as friends too. Some of the best times I’ve had is hanging out as a just four dudes, getting into trouble.
CW: Yeah. Grilling…….cheeseburgers…..mmmmmmm. We also love some of the shows on Adult Swim and making up fake song names. In fact, the background of our MySpace page is the working song names before the lyrics are finalized and we give the song a real name. We then archive the fake names with a sharpie on one of our guitar cases.
MB: Making up fake song names is one of my favorite things to do in this band. Our drummer Jeff and I have a real talent for it.
S*KM: Say you won a contest held by the “Classic Albums” series that allowed you to attend the recording process for any album in the history of Rock and Roll, which would it be?
MB: Wow…me personally, I would say its a tie between “New World Record” by Electric Light Orchestra and “The Downward Spiral” by Nine Inch Nails. Those, to me are two really great examples of advanced studio skills from two stellar musicians: Jeff Lynne and Trent Reznor, respectively.
CW: Well, I know this isn’t really an answer but, anything Rick Rubin has worked on. It seems like every album he has ever touched, from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Run DMC, to Beastie Boys, to Jay Z to The Mars Volta has turned to gold. I think just watching him work would be such a learning experience.
You can check out Lines Across Lines for yourself at www.myspace.com/linesacrosslines and see them live at The Matinee in Cleveland, Ohio on July 19.