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BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About LOTD
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Describing the music created by Pyramid, an 8-piece band from Charlotte, NC, is no easy task. Since 1997, the band has developed its sound within the growing Charlotte music scene, incorporating elements of jazz, classical, and rock and perfecting their uniquely stirring live performances. Earlier this year, the band released its debut album, The First American, to much critical acclaim throughout the region. In support of the album, Pyramid is making its first northward jaunt this October, including an October 2nd date at Arlingtons Galaxy Hut. LOTD talks to Pyramid about the making of The First American, the band's upcoming tour, and being a part of Charlotte's music scene. LOTD: It seemed that Pyramid was mostly a live band for nearly eight years, playing several amazing shows during that time; but with the exception of a few mp3s online and a few songs on compilations, there were no official recordings released until this years album. After spending so much time perfecting your live show, was it difficult to translate your largely improvisational sound into the recordings for The First American? Pyramid: We were never really a live band for eight years. For five of the last eight years we were eight guys from three different states, holed in a basement, under the influence, blinded by youth and improvising music with whatever we could find to put in our hands. We pulled music out of our collective asshole and made some of the most questionably beautiful music ever created. Music only we could love. I think we played one live show while we were in college...and I didn't attend. It wasn't until 2002 that the improvisation phased into more attainable music. Being a musician, it's hard not to write songs with words or music or structure. I don't think it was difficult to translate our sound from our past to our present. The structure came so naturally. In many songs, especially when we first began playing out consistently, songs formed themselves. Certain songs and passages from the endless catalogue of Pyramid basement tapes were revisited and reworked with the intention of taking them to a stage. Songs like Adelaide, Monster in the Canyon, Waiting for Buffalo, Sidewalk Explosion, and Monster were all chord progressions recorded on the fly, sometimes five to six years ago, then expanded with words and music later. LOTD: There was a period of time in which Pyramid was a side project for its many band members, who even lived in different states. What made you all realize this was a project worth pursuing as a first priority? Pyramid: It all happened pretty fast. I can site the song Sidewalk Explosion as a turning point. We were all living in different states: North Carolina, Georgia, New York, Washington, and California. The music was 100% improvised and hastily recorded over a week-long Pyramid session in the summer of 2000. Someone in the dark sang something that sounded like "Sidewalk Explosion." Listening to the recording some two to three weeks after it was made, after we had all returned home, I laid down a vocal track using "Sidewalk Explosion" as a theme. In the middle of night, I put a microphone up to an open window and recorded the rolling sound of an incoming storm. Random thunder at all of the right moments. Crickets everywhere. I sent it to Walldorf, who after purchasing Pro-Tools, added some percussion. I think once we heard that new, remixed recording, we heard Pyramid music in a different way...and there wasn't any real doubt. We re-recorded Sidewalk Explosion for The First American, but it never really measured up to the distressed beauty of the original.
LOTD: Tell us about your songwriting process. Having eight members in your band, is it completely collaborative or do individuals bring their own ideas to the table for everyone to work on? Pyramid: We all bring ideas to the table, some more than others. If an idea is formed in someone's head, then generally that idea is heard by everyone else in the band. Sometimes it changes drastically, and sometimes it remains fairly untouched. Other times a song is partially formed in someone's head and then fully formed once it's in the hands of the band. I'd say that up to this point, the majority of our music starts with one person's idea. The beauty of Pyramid is in many ways comes from what we do within the boundaries of that person's song. I've seen our music take some pretty unpredictable turns within the length of a four-minute framework. And other songs, like Monster, were completely spontaneous, vocals and all. The very first version of that song, recorded by three of the members one night, doesn't sound that different from the version that appears on The First American. LOTD: Your sound has been described as various genres (rock, country, classical, and jazz) being torn apart and reassembled. That seems to be a pretty accurate description, but how would you all describe your sound? Are you influenced more by some of these genres than others? What artists have influenced your sound the most? Pyramid: I think it moves much like a film score. Our music does have and should have drama. Its dynamic. It leaves room for interpretation. When a song consisting mostly of a string/horn section is listened to immediately before or after a song with raging feedback and pounding drums, then the dynamics between the two can be wildly effective. Throw in a slow keyboard-driven number or a song with acoustic guitar and lap steel, and things can become hard to describe. I hear all of the elements commonly used to describe our sound, but I don't think we sound like any particular genre. We use pieces of all of them. We certainly aren't rock, jazz, folk or classical, not exclusively. LOTD: Pyramid uses far more instruments than the typical band (baritone and alto saxophones, clarinet, accordion, piano, harmonica, cello, and violin to name only a few). On The First American, the texture of the sound is at times amazingly thick, but it still retains a beautifully dark sparseness in other parts. To accomplish that with so much instrumentation is a credit to the albums stellar production. Tell us about your approach to producing the album. Pyramid: We began recording live. Much of the record consists of live takes: the vocals on "Adelaide," the strings, horns, and accordion on "Rubble," "Monster" all live. With "Monster," we laid down all of the vocals and music in one take, then immediately overdubbed the entire band on another take. We have a version of "Devil in the Details" that is entirely composed and performed with horns and strings. "Monster in the Canyon" has two different piano players. "Speakeasy" has two different drummers. "Appalachian" has a violin running through a distortion pedal so loud that the feedback decides where to go next. The piano on "Shelley" was recorded in a church at night. We were literally racing to finish before the building's automatic alarm activated itself. Bottom line...We approached the recordings as an exploration, a way to get shit out of our system. A lot of angst and emotion went into the album. It wasn't easy. We own the studio so we weren't paying studio time. This allowed time for a lot of mix options...which led to a lot of arguments...which led to a lot of hurt feelings. But as adults and as friends, we let music speak for itself. Personal feelings aside, if the song sounds and feels right, then that ultimately dictates its direction. And it certainly helped being friends for so long. You can say just about anything to a close friend...no matter how terrible. Much of the album's sound can also be attributed to in-depth mixing. We kept mixing and kept mixing. It was necessary. When you have eight amazing musicians together on one song, it's remarkable how much you can cover or uncover. LOTD: What is it like being a part of Charlottes local music scene right now? I know theres been a lot of collaboration going on with Complex Radio and other such projects. Have you found it easy or difficult to find an audience for your music and to book shows in your area? How does your sound compare to whats going on in the local scene? Pyramid: This city has been very, very good to us. We've had no problem finding an audience. Clubs basically let us do what we want. Last year we put on a show with our band and two other local bands in the area. Together we learned each other's songs and sang and played each other's songs as one giant orchestra. Easily one of the best nights of music that I've ever been a part of. At times we had 14 people on stage at once. But it's a fickle town. Too much exposure can kill you, at least in our experience. We try to treat shows in Charlotte much like we do in surrounding cities. We play across North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee as much as we play Charlotte. But Charlotte's always a good show. We generally play theatre size venues that allow us a lot of stage space and extra instruments and lights and video the works. We go all out here at home, and it seems to help. We do well here. The local scene consists of a lot of rock bands with the usual guitars and bass combo. Good rock bands...loud as shit. Some incorporate a lot of experimentation, like Calabi Yau and Bullship. A couple of acts stand out in my mind. Sea of Cortez features two lap steels and stand-up bass among others instruments. The Houston Brothers, a two-piece with one guy on drums/keys and another on guitar/bass pedals...though I haven't seen those guys in a while. I can't think of a band whose sound can be compared to Pyramid. Maybe Sea of Cortez, but they're instrumental. I think we're the only 8-piece in town. LOTD: Your press kit and web site hint that you are looking for a record label. Have you been approached by any labels yet? Any ideas where youd like to end up or where your sound might fit best? Pyramid: We've been approached by a couple labels but no offers. We like the Chicago music scene and labels thereabouts. Of course there's Merge, Saddle Creek, Sub-Pop, etc. The list is endless. LOTD: This upcoming East coast tour will be your first time venturing this far north, correct? What kind of reception are you expecting your unique sound to receive? Was it difficult finding venues that would book an 8-piece band? Are there any cities in particular you are looking forward to playing on this tour? Pyramid: It will be the first time we've headed up North, and I expect a lot of mixed reviews. Some towns were harder to book than others, but being an 8-piece hasn't been problematic. Last week in Chapel Hill, we set up on the floor in the corner of a room with a 4-channel mixer and played one of our best shows. Pyramid is the smallest 8-piece on the East Coast. We've tried to book venues that fit well with our sound, and we've been getting good responses from media outlets so we'll see. I don't really know what it's like to play a show for three people some 500 miles from home, and I don't really want to. It can't feel good. And while we're hoping we don't have to go through that, we're prepared for it. I did, however, just get a phone call today from a writer in Pittsburgh who wanted to say how much she and the magazine she works for enjoys the CD, and how they regretfully have already sent next month's issue to press before receiving our press kit. She certainly didn't have to apologize for not printing something about our band...but she did. A good sign, right? We consistently receive e-mails and sell the CD to people across the country, so hopefully that will translate into some success on the road. We have three shows across Tennessee, and we're all looking forward to those. It's always exciting taking on something new. I've never seen Nashville or Pittsburgh, so naturally, that aspect of the tour will be memorable. And we have a lot of close friends in New York that we'll finally get to play for. LOTD: Whats next for Pyramid after this tour through the end of October? Will you look to book even more shows across different states, or will you hopefully start writing more material? Your fans probably dont want to wait another eight years for an album! Pyramid: One idea floating around is to revisit something we did a couple years ago a set-up where we bring out eight or more keyboards and abandon the majority of the instrumentation we roll with now. We still incorporate guitars and horns, but with everyone playing a keyboard, it leads to new ideas and sounds. Plus we've acquired some nice instruments since our last venture into that territory. There's also South by Southwest which we'll give a go. That'll mean road shows to Texas and back. New material is already in the works. A few songs we've recently been playing live have yet to be recorded, and some have yet to be introduced. We'll probably start recording beginning in the New Year. I'm hoping the next Pyramid record doesn't take as long, but I'm also not afraid to really dig into the guts again. I think we'd like to have something in 2006. As any artist, we're measured by our body of work, not one particular piece; and producing that body, no matter how big or small, should never be compromised, certainly not by ourselves. We're in it for all the right reasons. If things were easy, then I'm not sure things would be worth it.
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