iNTERViEWED BY BRiAN LUSHI have learned not to underestimate the power of the EP. Clearly the Chicago-based REMAINDERMEN understand the power of one all too well with the release of their curiously delectable BORDER STATES. Despite the brevity (seven songs) the ideas and the execution of sound is both expansive and edgy. It’s almost hard to believe that the band – formerly known as TRIO IN STEREO – got their start as a basement party band at
Indiana State University six years earlier. Now with a name change and an embrace of a pop sensibility (though they haven’t entirely shed their instrumental roots) REMAINDERMEN have proven themselves to be
the indie band to pay attention to for the remainder of the year and beyond. BORDER STATES is a sonic journey that opens with the processional march of ‘O’IMMACULATE!’ A heavy drum sound with an eerie bass line opens the track. Eventually an electronic keyboard whistle chimes in followed by a spider-y guitar riff. The echo-y vocals of PJ MCMAHON comes to the fore establishing the moody opener as a pop moment rather than an incessant jam. Two-thirds of the way through – when you get a sense that no more progress is to be made – the tempo picks up and the song begins to rock out. Another moment for this CD is ‘TIDES IN’ – an ENO-esque piece punctuated by call and response vocals. Once again this is a song that builds itself up to an ecclesiastic crescendo and the listener is in flight before they know it.
ROCKWIRED spoke with drummer CHRIS KOLODZIEJ of THE REMAINDERMEN over the phone. Here is how it went.
How do you feel about the CD now that it’s almost out there for people to hear (July 15, 2010) and all of the work that has gone into making it is behind you?
I think we’re feeling pretty good.
What do you think is the biggest difference from the first release?
It’s hard to say. In some ways I don’t think that it’s all that much different because some of the songs on this album were written around the same time that some of our earlier songs were written. What is different about this CD is that some of the songs on it are kind of still evolving where as with the last album a lot of the songs were set in how we wrote them and we had been playing them the same way for a while. The songs on this album are definitely going to be evolving songs.
Talk about the genesis of this band. How did it begin?
It actually began with the bass player having some guys come over to his apartment back in college at Indiana University in Bloomington. We all got together and played some music and over the course of six to eight months and after a while it kind of evolved into playing in basements to playing clubs and then releasing albums. It evolved naturally. It wasn’t anything that we ever really talk about too much.
How did music begin for you?
I actually started playing drums when I was in junior high. It all kind of started when I got a hold of mix tape that one of my friends had made. One side of it was BAD RELIGION and the other side was STATIC AGE. Me and a couple of my friends really got into it and we started a punk rock band but no one had a drum kit so I got some money from my parents and bought a drum kit and started playing.
Talk about you band mates and what it is that you think each of them brings to the not just musically but personality-wise that makes this whole thing work.
MIKE the guitar player has been playing guitar for a long time and has even studied guitar. He took a lot of courses in college on Brazilian guitar music and stuff like that. Even though our music is much different form that you can still hear that influence. He’s very much a rhythmic guitar player and that adds a lot to the rhythm section of this band. MARK the bass player is really into bands that are more instrumental bands and you can hear that in his bass playing. LOGAN is the keyboardist and he’s classically trained and has played in a lot of jazz and in classical ensembles. When he was in high school, he played out in Europe as a part of jazz quartet that he was in. He’s the guy who really helps us structure these songs. He’s got a really good knack for putting chords together. PJ – the singer – is in to a lot of different music and he and I got into music back in college and he just started singing in a band for fun and he just kind of grew into this one.
How does the songwriting process work in this band?
It’s pretty loose actually. Most songs generate a couple of different ways. In one way, someone might have a chord progression and we will jam on it for a while. Usually there is a consensus that the progression that we’ve been working on can be turned into a song. A lot of our songs come from improvisation. We also have the “junkyard” of riffs that we never used in songs and sometimes we’ll take those parts and build up a song kind of like FRANKENSTEIN. Sometimes that is the most common thing that happens.
What songs off of the album stand out for you the most and why.
The one that stands out for me the most is the first track ‘OH IMMACULATE!’ I think the reason why it sticks out for me is because it’s our oldest song. It’s a song that we’ve been playing for about four years now. I also think that it’s one of the best songs that we play live. It’s one of our most consistent songs and it’s really defined as a song. It’s definitely a pop song and for that reason, it stands out for me. It’s a pretty good toe-tapping pop song. It’s one of the most comfortable songs to play. When we do it for a live set, the song just comes really naturally to me. Other than that I would say the last song ‘TIDES IN’ stand out for me because it has a different feel. It was written by our bass player MARK. I can’t quite explain it but for me, the song has a completely different feel.
Talk about live shows. How have people reacted to the band?
I think pretty well. We’ve been playing live now for about six years. People tend to react to us pretty well. I think lately, people have been reacting better than ever. I think because we’ve been playing for so long that we’ve gotten pretty solid at doing a good live show. We’re pretty good about being on our toes because we’re all accustomed to improvisation but lately we’ve been working a lot more on doing different kinds of segues from song to song. Usually our sets are like forty-five minutes but right now we’re retooling the set to where we play the first thirty minutes non-stop. I think segueing the songs that way has made the music a bigger hit for the crowd.
Since starting this band, what has been the biggest surprise for you?
We started this band in college and playing in a basement. Back then I wouldn’t have expected us all to move to Chicago together, playing for this many years, doing some albums and I didn’t expect the progression of our music. When we started, some the songs were instrumental and were fifteen minutes long and had a lot of drone-y synths going on. Now, we’re an indie pop band and I wouldn’t have predicted any of that.
What do you want a person to come away with after they’ve heard it?
I’m just hoping that people like it and that it is something that people can listen to and put on in their apartments and just have a good time with. I would just like for people to feel comfortable with it.
