Post punk act NIGHTBIRD CASINO have been a band for a while, releasing two album's so far, with a lot more music in the works, right no as we speak! The band talks of new music, and what plans are ahead with said music.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Currently the band is made up of myself; James Moore (vocals, guitar) as well as Oliver Collins (drums), Landon Strine (bass), and Amanda Moore (keys, ondes martenot). We started in 2017. I was based in LA at the time and playing guitar in a band called I Lit a Fire. The drummer of that band – Kelly Hutchinson – and I decided to start a side project to explore some of our more experimental musical tendencies. After about six months we gave the project its current name (Nightbird Casino) and recorded an EP. Then I moved to Texas and he moved to the Bay Area and we went on hiatus – permanently I thought. A few years later – right around when the pandemic happened – I had moved to Oregon and Kelly came to visit; we hadn’t seen each other in a few years at this point. Almost immediately after he got here the lockdowns happened and we were stuck in my house – so over the next month we turned it into a home studio and started recording some of our earlier songs … after a few weeks we realized we had an album’s worth of really eclectic music so we released it as our first LP, Gregorian Nap. The next year we brought on Amanda and Oliver. We recorded a second album, Russian Carpet. In late 2021, Kelly left to pursue a solo career and we hired Landon on bass. The current band has been playing shows and writing non-stop for the last year.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
I wish we had a more exciting story to tell, but we just sat in a bar and wrote words and phrases on a napkin trying to come up with a band name – “Nightbird” was one suggestion and “Casino” was another. We liked how they sounded together.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We formed in LA originally but currently we’re based in southern Oregon, near Ashland. There’s a small music scene here. It’s definitely small but very supportive and close-knit. Slow Corpse is a great band that came out of the Ashland music scene recently. Elk Witch is another up and coming band to watch. We’ve played some shows with them, really love their music.
4. How would you describe your style?
Recently we’ve been compared to Interpol, She Wants Revenge, The National, and Bauhaus – but that’s probably mainly because of my vocals. I think I’d describe us as post-punk revival indie art rock. Definitely some shoegaze influence in there as well.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We’ve released two albums: Gregorian Nap in 2020 and Russian Carpet in 2021. We just released our latest single “Sunglasses After Sex” on December 17.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We’re constantly writing. We’ve got a third album in the works. We’re planning on a late 2023 release this year – and three or four more singles over the next few months! Our next single should be dropping in February.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Currently, we’ve got two local shows on March 3 and March 10, I’m sure more will be added – we’re also planning some tours of the west coast for later this year to support the new record.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
We’re in it to win it, whatever that means. We’re going to keep making music until it isn’t fun or fulfilling anymore, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen to us wherever you stream music. We’re on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, you name it … you can also check out our YouTube channel for our official music and lyric videos as well as some live performances. You can buy our merch (and physical copies of the albums, if that’s your thing) at www.nightbirdcasino.com/store.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I’d say thank you for supporting us – it means the world. And I’d like any listener to create their own meaning – I’d say that about any music though, not just ours. The beautiful thing about music – good music – is that it’s going to touch everyone in different ways. My lyrics may be obtuse on first listen, but I think everyone will find they can relate to what we’re saying. I’d also say I think there’s something here for everyone … we try to incorporate elements of every genre and style into our music and I’d like to think it shows.
No comments:
Post a Comment