as a second installation today, i had a chance to talk to a band that goes by the name of small leaks sink ships, from arizona. their first effort resulted in their debut album, until the word is happy, wake up you sleepy-head sun, a spazzy, jazzy, riffy, nifty, all-over-the-place encyclopedia of lyrics that go on for years, vocals that soar and plummet, and instrumental backups that do the same, usually at the opposite time. the results of a conversation with jim mandel jr, bassist? READ ON.
good to have you home: a traditional way to greet someone in gaelic (a scottish dialect) is to ask how one's mother is; to be polite, how is you mother?
small leaks sink ships: cooking up some haggis
gthyh: i remember opening up an issue of alternative press and seeing a full-page ad for your first album (until the world is happy; wake up you sleepyhead sun) on no sleep records. has the promotional campaign helped record sales?
slss: as for the AP add, not so much. i think in the music scene we live in today, promotion machines are very different...things like, your blog, LastFM, small indie web zines, stuff like that. kids are smart these days, they dig deeper to find what there looking for. nothing against AP of course.
gthyh: besides matt damon, where do you draw influence?
slss:the four of us are so vastly different i'm not sure i can answer that. let's just say "life".....and matt damon.
gthyh: what was warped tour like?
slss: hot...and not so much for us i think. i dont know if i'm cute enough to play warped...judd [hancock, lead vocals] is!
gthyh: you've already had a few shows with fellow indie rockers the stiletto formal and piebald; are people coming up to you and saying they like your music?
slss: ya, it's been really amazing. we have all played in bands before slss and never had the response we do now. you can ask any band/musician, people saying kind things about what has taken so much work, thought and heart to put together...words cannot describe how amazing that is.
gthyh: i remember being at a school mass and there being a verse in the bible about "sackcloth in ashes", which is actually my favourite song. do you draw reference from older scripts, your faith, or lack thereof, other artists?
slss: very good. you get an A+ in bible school today. not many people catch that. as for other artists, again 4 very different thoughts and likes about music...and art for that matter. we all love each other though. look for our 15th album sometime in 2020.
gthyh: any plans that could take place in canada?
slss: keep spreading the word and i'm sure we'll get there.
gthyh: personally, i'd describe your sound as a kaleidescopic, yelping orchestra of crashing beats and riffs (all very affectionately - i've told a few friends about your album and they've loved what they've heard); how would you define your sound?
slss: gwar meets the bee gees [!!!!!!!]
gthyh: finish the sentence: we changed our name from beyond analog to small leaks sink ships because ____________________.
slss: singer went elsewhere.
gthyh: the album has been frequently described as "an acerbic ode"; is this correct, or are you just misunderstood?
slss: ehh...let them say what they say.
gthyh: did you know that you can drown in a teaspoon of water?
slss: i've heard that before...
gthyh: i have an uncle that spends the winter in arizona; how's the weather down there?
slss: hot, dry, sunny, miserable, poor air quality, dusty, it's great here[.]
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do give them a listen; for bohemian clashes and guitar crashes.
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