by Poppy Reid
After recording as Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes, the self professed nerdDayve Hawk has finally settled on a band name; Memory Tapes and won success through internet blogs for his remixes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Britney and even Michael Jackson.
Hawk is headed to Australia for the Parklife festival and because Hawk has no phone of his own FasterLouder caught him on his friend’s phone to find out about the tour, new album and what genre Hawk places himself in.
You’ve been placed under a few interesting genres and subgenres; glo-fi, chillwave and dreamwave to name a few. What’s the weirdest label you’ve been given so far?
Actually the one I always hear is the Chillwave, they’re all pretty goofy to me. I don’t actually know what any of them are about.
Actually the one I always hear is the Chillwave, they’re all pretty goofy to me. I don’t actually know what any of them are about.
What genre do you put yourself under?
I’m not really too fussed with that whole thing. I understand that we need to place people under different types of music, but the genres for the different types of electronic music are ridiculous to me.
I’m not really too fussed with that whole thing. I understand that we need to place people under different types of music, but the genres for the different types of electronic music are ridiculous to me.
You now have your show at South by Southwest under your belt, how was that?
Pretty terrible. There were a couple of good shows; Pitchfork’s show actually was pretty fun. The whole thing at South by Southwest is definitely not for me. I have a friend that lives in Austin so I spent my time hanging out with him. I don’t know, not for me.
Pretty terrible. There were a couple of good shows; Pitchfork’s show actually was pretty fun. The whole thing at South by Southwest is definitely not for me. I have a friend that lives in Austin so I spent my time hanging out with him. I don’t know, not for me.
Was that because it was South by Southwest or are you just not into festivals?
It’s that kind of festival. I don’t mind festivals that are like a concert kind of festival but they’re sort of music industry, whatever you wanna call it, like CMJ, South by Southwest, it’s the press and the labels and the A and R and you can’t get anywhere, you know what they’re like.
It’s that kind of festival. I don’t mind festivals that are like a concert kind of festival but they’re sort of music industry, whatever you wanna call it, like CMJ, South by Southwest, it’s the press and the labels and the A and R and you can’t get anywhere, you know what they’re like.
Now you’re heading to Australia to play Parklife later this year. How are you feeling about your live act?
I actually have a live drummer to play with me and I’m going to be on guitar, and I’m gonna be on time, it’s cool. I would like it to grow beyond what it is now but we’ve got so many sideshows here and there so I think it should be cool. [The drummer] Matt Maraldo, he actually is one of my best friends and he was in a band that I was in before called Hail Social, the drummer of the band. Now he’s my drummer so it worked out well.
I actually have a live drummer to play with me and I’m going to be on guitar, and I’m gonna be on time, it’s cool. I would like it to grow beyond what it is now but we’ve got so many sideshows here and there so I think it should be cool. [The drummer] Matt Maraldo, he actually is one of my best friends and he was in a band that I was in before called Hail Social, the drummer of the band. Now he’s my drummer so it worked out well.
Do you think your time fronting Hail Social has affected your live show?
Yeah sorta, it taught me what not to do. Hail Social was kind of a bad situation and I learned a lot about what I don’t like.
Yeah sorta, it taught me what not to do. Hail Social was kind of a bad situation and I learned a lot about what I don’t like.
Will your Parklife set feature mainly Seek Magic songs or will you play a few from your new album?
It will mostly be stuff from Seek Magic but different versions of them when I play them live. I’ve totally reworked some of the songs to the point where they’re completely different songs. I may have time to work in some of the new tracks. It depends on the drummer and if I can teach him, he’s in New Jersey or traveling so I dunno we’ll see.
It will mostly be stuff from Seek Magic but different versions of them when I play them live. I’ve totally reworked some of the songs to the point where they’re completely different songs. I may have time to work in some of the new tracks. It depends on the drummer and if I can teach him, he’s in New Jersey or traveling so I dunno we’ll see.
Speaking of the new album, it’s your sophomore effort under Memory Tapes. Do you feel that pressure that often comes along with the second album or does it feel different because of your past work under Weird Tapes and Memory Cassette?
Luckily I made the record before Seek Magic came out, I haven’t completely finished it yet but the bulk of it was before the first record came out so any kind of pressure that I feel wasn’t really present in the making of the record. It doesn’t really matter to me whether it succeeds anyway. I feel a little kind of pressure, it’s a little different, I’m sure people will be scratching their heads and there’s usually that kind of back lash that I’m sure is coming my way. I won’t fall to the floor, I kind of just expect it so, it’ll happen and I’ll keep making records.
Luckily I made the record before Seek Magic came out, I haven’t completely finished it yet but the bulk of it was before the first record came out so any kind of pressure that I feel wasn’t really present in the making of the record. It doesn’t really matter to me whether it succeeds anyway. I feel a little kind of pressure, it’s a little different, I’m sure people will be scratching their heads and there’s usually that kind of back lash that I’m sure is coming my way. I won’t fall to the floor, I kind of just expect it so, it’ll happen and I’ll keep making records.
Does the new record have a name yet?
No. It should come out in December but I haven’t really finished it. The date keeps getting pushed back because I haven’t been around enough to finish it. I’ve been over in Europe and stuff like that. It will hopefully get finished up in August when I have some time off and then maybe it will come out near the end of the year or January.
No. It should come out in December but I haven’t really finished it. The date keeps getting pushed back because I haven’t been around enough to finish it. I’ve been over in Europe and stuff like that. It will hopefully get finished up in August when I have some time off and then maybe it will come out near the end of the year or January.
How long has this new album been in the works?
I haven’t been working on it for that long. It’s basically that I’d finished Seek Magic quite a while ago, I recorded that album May-June of 2009 and probably shortly after that I started working on this record. But probably the bulk of it for maybe six months. Once Seek Magic came out and we started touring and all the rest of it, it just got so busy that it’s been hard to finish the record so it’s kind of just been on hold but now it’s pretty much done.
I haven’t been working on it for that long. It’s basically that I’d finished Seek Magic quite a while ago, I recorded that album May-June of 2009 and probably shortly after that I started working on this record. But probably the bulk of it for maybe six months. Once Seek Magic came out and we started touring and all the rest of it, it just got so busy that it’s been hard to finish the record so it’s kind of just been on hold but now it’s pretty much done.
You grew up in Southern New Jersey, not really famous for a lot of music, unless you count The Misfits and Bon Jovi. What was it like growing up in that environment?
I find South Jersey fairly rural in a kind of a foresty, piney, pine trees kind of way. I didn’t know any other musicians there to learn from so it pretty much turned me into an introverted music nerd I guess. I ended up playing guitar, drums, recording and doing that kind of thing by myself because there weren’t any other kids that were into music, no one was getting into punk bands or anything like you would normally do growing up. Yeah how weird are they…
I find South Jersey fairly rural in a kind of a foresty, piney, pine trees kind of way. I didn’t know any other musicians there to learn from so it pretty much turned me into an introverted music nerd I guess. I ended up playing guitar, drums, recording and doing that kind of thing by myself because there weren’t any other kids that were into music, no one was getting into punk bands or anything like you would normally do growing up. Yeah how weird are they…
You use a lot of guitar on Seek Magic, what was your writing process like? Which came first the synths or the guitar?
Guitar. I start playing on guitar, then drums. At first I started playing on drums and then guitar but that’s usually what I’ll write the songs on. I’ll put them on with the piano and then record them and build them up with the synthesisers and all that and just blare ‘em up. I write the songs in a fairly traditional kind of just the way.
Guitar. I start playing on guitar, then drums. At first I started playing on drums and then guitar but that’s usually what I’ll write the songs on. I’ll put them on with the piano and then record them and build them up with the synthesisers and all that and just blare ‘em up. I write the songs in a fairly traditional kind of just the way.
In an interview with Exclaim! You said you are ‘pretty terrible with career decisions,’ in what way?
I tend to get yelled at a lot by labels, management and people like that. I won’t accept jobs that they tell me I should do or if I won’t go on a tour that they want me to go on and I won’t. Or I’ll release records not when they think I should, stuff like that. There’s a lot to being a successful musician and I guess I don’t have the patience to do them right [his label – Acephale/Something in Construction] so I anger them with that. I just like to do my thing, I mean I appreciate any success that comes with it but I don’t like making the decisions.
I tend to get yelled at a lot by labels, management and people like that. I won’t accept jobs that they tell me I should do or if I won’t go on a tour that they want me to go on and I won’t. Or I’ll release records not when they think I should, stuff like that. There’s a lot to being a successful musician and I guess I don’t have the patience to do them right [his label – Acephale/Something in Construction] so I anger them with that. I just like to do my thing, I mean I appreciate any success that comes with it but I don’t like making the decisions.
Does that get frustrating?
I think that’s part of it, you know that age-old thing where the artist hates the label and the label hates the artist. You have a lot of that adversarial kind of thing where you wanna do what you wanna do and they wanna do what they wanna do and as long as they don’t cross any kind of a line and are honourable with their reasons then ultimately you get to do what you wanna do.
I think that’s part of it, you know that age-old thing where the artist hates the label and the label hates the artist. You have a lot of that adversarial kind of thing where you wanna do what you wanna do and they wanna do what they wanna do and as long as they don’t cross any kind of a line and are honourable with their reasons then ultimately you get to do what you wanna do.
So you’re not a rockstar type that spends his first paycheck on extravagant, frivolous toys like cars?
Na, na most of my money goes on fixing my daughters teeth. I don’t even know hwo to drive so I wouldn’t use a car.
Na, na most of my money goes on fixing my daughters teeth. I don’t even know hwo to drive so I wouldn’t use a car.
Will your daughter come to Australia with you?
She’ll have to stay behind, I don’t think she could handle a tour. I’d like to take her eventually, but I’d have to make her comfortable. The way I tour now [wouldn’t suit her], sleeping on peoples floors and never eating.
She’ll have to stay behind, I don’t think she could handle a tour. I’d like to take her eventually, but I’d have to make her comfortable. The way I tour now [wouldn’t suit her], sleeping on peoples floors and never eating.
Does she like your music?
She does. I try really hard to not get her into music I don’t wanna be that kind of dad. She hears it all the time though and she’s always commenting. She said she likes Black Sabbath better.
She does. I try really hard to not get her into music I don’t wanna be that kind of dad. She hears it all the time though and she’s always commenting. She said she likes Black Sabbath better.
You gained a lot of kudos leaking your remixes onto your Internet blogs. How important do you think social networking sites are for artists today?
I can’t decide. I’m sure that it is, I’m sure that having those things allows your fans access to tap into what you’re doing. I’m not sure how else they could be that well informed about what you’re doing. At least here a lot of music magazines and record stores spend more time, not a lot, [uploading information] on the Internet. I think it’s probably pretty important, I can’t get super into some of it. It’s one of my bad career decisions, I get yelled at a lot about how I need to go onto Twitter more. I’m like ‘yeah sure’ and just put a whole heap of random stuff on there.
I can’t decide. I’m sure that it is, I’m sure that having those things allows your fans access to tap into what you’re doing. I’m not sure how else they could be that well informed about what you’re doing. At least here a lot of music magazines and record stores spend more time, not a lot, [uploading information] on the Internet. I think it’s probably pretty important, I can’t get super into some of it. It’s one of my bad career decisions, I get yelled at a lot about how I need to go onto Twitter more. I’m like ‘yeah sure’ and just put a whole heap of random stuff on there.
No comments:
Post a Comment