A Lot More To Less Than Jake
Recently, Less Than Jake remastered and reissued their classic albums Losing Streak and Hello Rockview with updated packaging plus a second bonus disc--a live DVD with additional material. HuffPost exclusively presents a pair of Less Than Jake live audio beds to the tracks "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts" and "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads" that can be found below.
A Conversation with The Submarines
Mike Ragogna: Your latest album Love Notes/Letter Bombs features the single "Birds" which sounds a lot like The Beatles. What groups and musicians influenced the band? What's your favorite era for music?
John Dragonetti: Hmmm.... Must be the backwards guitar. No doubt they're a part of our acquired musical DNA, but so is Kraftwerk and Joni Mitchell. In fact, B.O.B. is mutating my musical DNA as I write. I don't know...every era has had something great but for me it's the '60s and '70s. Anything from Piper At The Gates Of Dawn to Black Market Clash.
Blake Hazard: At the time, we felt the song was a bit more doo-wop meets Gary Numan--with maybe a bit of Revolver-influenced guitar. But, yeah, we both have pretty wide-ranging influences. When we listen to music at home, it's usually old school dub or reggae.
MR: This album is like watching the movie War Of The Roses. What is up with the John Dragonetti/Blake Hazard relationship? Can't we all just get along?
JD: I haven't seen that movie. I hope it's good. The English civl wars were brutal, so I hope we're not headed in that direction..........
BH: Haha. A lot of that came out of the tensions we had working together on the record. But no worthwhile endeavor ever came without some struggle, I suppose, so maybe it's just part of the process. There were a lot of proverbial plates thrown against the wall.
MR: And yet it sounds like you're having a lot of fun together musically. What went into the creation of the songs? The production of the album?
JD: Glad to hear it! It's funny that so much conflict and struggle can go into making something sound fun. This record did take a long time to make. We knew we wanted to push ourselves sonically, but still keep it close to the heart. While Blake was writing, I was monkeying around in the studio. We recorded most everything at our place, but I did go down to Austin for a week to work with Jim Eno on the tracks while the songs were still in their infancy. He really helped bring a live element to the recordings. Once Blake and I finished the writing and recording--many months later--we asked John O'Mahony to mix it for us. We loved what he had done with Metric. He really helped focus the songs and give the recording more punch than we were used to. We're proud of the album.
BH: I second that. We really did manage to have some good times with this record. Lying out in the garden, listening to mixes drift out of the studio at the end of the day as the sun went down was pretty sublime. I don't think we'd do most of it at home again--we need more referees.
MR: How did you get Spoon's Jim Eno involved in the blissful madness?
JD: We've been fans for a long time. He has a great ear and is a super guy. We met Jim a couple of years ago and talked about how we'd love to work on something together. He's a busy fellow, and we were too at the time, so it was hard to line up. Eventually, we both had a small window to try some stuff out. It's just too bad that we couldn't have worked on more of the record together. Next one hopefully!
MR: "Shoelaces" is one of my favorites, real honest. I think on many levels, what you're communicating about relationships in all your songs is more honest than most people express. Are relationships even worth it?
JD: We try to keep it honest, but some of it is just imagination. I do worry that we say too much sometimes. I detect some relationship cynicism in this question. I suppose if someone wants to be single, then a relationship might not be worth the work that coexists with all of the pleasure and joy. Being single probably is a lot of fun. Otherwise, take a chance.
BH: I think we made a decision at the beginning of this record to just bluster into it all with our real feelings and not filter ourselves with each other too much--maybe it's just part of being open in the writing process. I'd like to be more sophisticated about it and find some way to veil things a bit--but, that's not very "us." I'd hate to see us trying to get too clever. We don't mean to, really, but we sort of go for broke in the what we say in our songs. When I listen back, at times, I can't imagine how two people could sit in a room and say some of these things to each other.
MR: "Fire," as well as so many of the other tracks, evoke many musical entities including St. Etienne and even Matthew Sweet. If I had to, I would classify you as Smart Pop, do you think that variation might be making a comeback?
JD: I'm not very smart, so I have no idea.
BH: Very cheeky, Johnny. Maybe Smart Pop and Indie Pop are interchangeable terms. I don't really know, but I'd venture that if a band plays Smart Pop, this means the band has the facility to play straight pop music but chooses to change it, to play with it--to subvert some of the conventions of pop so that it isn't all sweetness and sameness. I think we'd be happy to be considered part of that fine tradition. I do think more mindful songwriting is making a comeback, which is great.
MR: How did you meet and what's the origin of your moniker?
JD: We met in Boston and had lots of mutual friends in the music scene there. I had done a remix for Blake and eventually helped her make her first record. We didn't start making Submarines records until we moved to Los Angeles. There's no real story behind the name. It's simple and we liked the sound of it...and it has nothing to do with Yellow Submarine.
BH: John's record, Aviating had just come out when I was starting to look for someone to produce my first record. I knew I wanted to work with him, but, never dreamed he'd be up for it. And here we are.
MR: Have you seen any of the uses your songs have had, such as in Gossip Girl and Grey's Anatomy? Were you excited by your song being featured in iPhone ads? What about Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist? Did you ever meet Michael Cera and did you tell him how much he represents everything good about American culture?
JD: We only watch PBS. Have you seen Downton Abbey? Amazing. I did really enjoy Nick & Norah. Peter Sollet (director) and Myron Kerstein (editor) are awesome. We met Kat Denning at one of the Nick and Nora premier party we played. Stunning, but no Michael Cera, sadly. I did see him on his bicycle in Los Feliz recently. I'm going to say hello next time.
BH: We're thrilled to have our music in shows and films. Licensing has kind of kept us afloat as a band (please forgive the pun), but, it's also exciting to look around and realize your music is part of current popular culture, to feel like you're a part of this larger imagination of film and television. As for the iPhone ads, that was truly a giant gift for the band. Really, it was an extraordinary thing for us and we're grateful.
MR: What's the future for the band?
JD: To the top of course.
BH: Haha. We both have certain dream outings for the band--shows we'd love to play, songs we'd like to write. In the meantime, we're headed to SXSW to play a slightly insane number of shows, and then we're off on a North American tour this April and May. We hope to go to Japan, Europe and the U.K. before the year is out. Our fingers are crossed.
MR: Any advice for new artists?
JD: Whatever I might say - do the opposite.
BH: Keep your publishing. Seriously, it's a good idea not to sign it away unless you have a great relationship with a publisher. Other than that, I don't really know--we're sort of figuring it out as we go.
Tracks:
1. Shoelaces
2. Fire
3. Ivaloo
4. Sun Shines At Night, The
5. Birds
6. Tigers
7. Where You Are
8. Plans
9. A Satellite, Stars and An Ocean Behind You
10. Anymore
PRESS RELEASE:
CONVERSE TURNS IT UP IN AUSTIN
Converse shows its support of the global music community in Austin, TX
Today, CONVERSE Inc. shows its support of the global music community by announcing a major presence at one of the largest music festivals in Austin, TX. In addition to hosting multiple events throughout the week, Converse will host dozens of bands from the U.S and abroad down south including eight Boston buzz bands who will play at the "Boston to Austin" showcase on Thursday, March 17 and the "Get Out of The Garage Music Contest" winners Beast Make Bomb who will perform at the Rolling Stone Rock & Roll BBQ brought to you by Converse and Journeys at La Zona Rosa on Saturday, March 19. Converse will also introduce emerging Chinese bands Queen Sea Big Shark and Carsick Cars as well as hosting the Team Converse China Skate ambassadors all week. Converse has been the shoe of choice among originals in music - from the birth of rock n' roll, punk, grunge, hip hop and garage bands everywhere.
"Converse is dedicated to championing and supporting artists, fans and the global music scene," said Geoff Cottrill, Converse Chief Marketing Officer. "This year, we've dedicated our efforts towards several new initiatives that all have a common thread - providing young artists with the ability to have their voices heard and providing them with opportunities that will be a catalyst for creativity. We're looking forward to offering some incredible new bands the opportunity to do just that at this year's festival."
Converse has an on-going commitment to supporting the global music community. The recently announced Converse Rubber Tracks, a new state-of-the-art recording studio in Brooklyn, NY where artists can record at no cost, will begin accepting applications at www.converse.com/rubbertracks on May 2, 2011. Converse Rubber Tracks will provide a platform for new musicians and directly help them overcome one of the biggest hurdles in their careers--affording studio time. Converse will also give out "Golden Record" invitations in Austinto a few lucky bands to record at Converse Rubber Tracks once the studio opens. Musicians can visit www.converse.com/rubbertracks to receive more information about the studio and details on the registration process.
Giving emerging bands from the U.S. and abroad a means to expose their music to a much larger audience, Converse will present a series of diverse showcases. On St. Patrick's Day, Thursday, March 17, Converse will introduce eight emerging Boston bands to festival goers including Kingsley Flood, Mean Creek, Viva Viva, The Dirty Dishes, Banditas, Mystery Roar, Bodega Girls, Static of the Gods and Endless Wave at the "Boston to Austin" showcase at 512 on 6th Street.
Converse is proud to bring to Austin the 3rd Annual "Get Out Of The Garage Music Contest" winners Beast Make Bomb. This past October, bands from across the nation entered the "Get
Out Of The Garage Music Contest" sponsored by Converse, Journeys and Rolling Stone. Over
125,000 fans voted online for the grand prize winner, Beast Make Bomb who won a 6-city tour;
the opportunity to record at Converse Rubber Tracks; and $10,000 in equipment from Guitar Center. Beast Make Bomb will kick-off the "Get Out Of The Garage Music Tour" in Austin at La Zona Rosa on March 19 and then the band will hit the road for six select dates to open for Tokyo Police Club and The Whigs in major U.S. cities before coming to a close in New York City at a Rolling Stone LIVE private event.
Throughout the week Converse will also host emerging Chinese bands Queen Sea Big Shark, Carsick Cars and the Converse China Skate ambassadors. Chronicling their experience, a short film will be produced documenting the band's travels through Austin. The Chinese bands and skate ambassadors will be immersed in a diverse community of artists and action sport fans during their time in the U.S. The band Carsick Cars will be performing on Friday, March 18 at The FADER FORT by FIAT. This is part of a larger global initiative in support of the music community. Last month, Converse pledged to support the legendary music venue The 100 Club in London. A partnership that would reunite the 100 Club with a generation who experienced history inside its walls, as well as introduce it to a new generation with a vow to bring the best in music to its legendary stage.
Converse will be offering fans the opportunity to interview bands as if they too are in Austin via "Fan Mail," a digital campaign connecting fans with artists. Follow Converse on Facebook and Twitter for more details on how fans can reach their favorite artists via "Fan Mail."
The activity taking place in Austin caps a series of incredible music experiences launched over the past year by Converse and furthers the iconic brand's long history and commitment to music. In July 2010, Converse brought together three of music's most influential artists - critically acclaimed rapper Kid Cudi, Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, and Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast - for the single "All Summer" as part of Converse's Three Artists. One Song collaboration. Continuing the Three Artists. One Song theme, in October 2010, Converse released the first of two original musical tracks featuring UK artists Bernard Sumner from Bad Lieutenant, New Order and Joy Division, Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) and Hot City, followed by the release of the accompanying music video. The second track, featuring legendary musician Graham Coxon of Blur, Paloma Faith and Bill Rider Jones, formerly of the Coral, will be released this April to music fans globally.
About Converse
Converse Inc., based in N. Andover, Massachusetts, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NIKE, Inc. Established in 1908, the Converse brand has built a reputation as "America's Original Sports Company"™ and has been associated with a rich heritage of legendary shoes such as the Chuck Taylor® All Star® shoe, the Jack Purcell® shoe and the One Star® shoe. Today, Converse offers a diverse portfolio including premium lifestyle men's and women's footwear and apparel. Converse product is sold globally by retailers in over 160 countries and through 58 company-owned retail locations in the U.S. For more information, visit Converse on the web at www.converse.com.