IPOD
RADIO
Orba Squara's Mitch Davis
By Erin Broadley
Jan 25, 2008
You might not have heard of Mitch Davis yet, but you have definitely heard his band Orba Squara. Yes, you… sitting there, eyeballing that iPhone idle on the corner of your desk… pretending to ignore the hole its first bill burned in your pocket. We all remember the gleaming simplicity of those first iPhone TV commercials, and we all remember the Orba Squara song that chimed delicately in the background. Apple’s iPhone commercials rocketed its product -- and Davis’s song -- into the hands and ears of millions. Talk about a grand debut. By a seemingly effortless stroke of brilliance, Davis turned what could have been merely a jingle into a whimsical term of endearment for an entire generation of romantic, indie-rock consumers.
Like fellow singer-songwriters Sam Beam (of Iron & Wine) and Devendra Banhart -- both of whom have had their music featured in major ad campaigns -- Orba Squara’s Mitch Davis has emerged from amongst the wooly beards and threadbare sweaters of the introspective, indie-rock scene, and prettied up the mainstream with lilting, sunshiny songs. Or, in Davis’ case, "sunshyness" songs.
Sunshyness, Orba Squara’s full-length debut, is a magical collection of songs to dream to, and that iPhone track, “Perfect Timing,” is only one of its many gems. SuicideGirls called up Mitch Davis in New York for an afternoon chat about how music that began as a personal artistic outlet became part of a worldwide phenomenon. Soft-spoken and sincere, Davis filled SuicideGirls in on all things Orba Squara, including his ever-growing collection on vintage instruments and the band’s follow-up album, due later this year.
You can listen to the music of Orba Squara by visiting the band’s iTunes page here.
Erin Broadley: So how are you?
Mitch Davis: I’m doing great.
EB:
Since the release of your song “Perfect Timing” with the iPhone campaign you’ve dealt with a whirlwind of popularity and publicity… not to mention the cesspool of mainstream entertainment [laughs]. Is it overwhelming yet?
MD:
It’s okay. It takes a lot to overwhelm me. As long as it’s good then I just keep doing my thing. It doesn’t really change what I’m doing; I’m just talking to a few more people and playing in front of a couple extra people.
EB:
So you know how to handle yourself in moments of stress.
MD:
Yeah, I’ve done it. I’ve been through it a million times. I’m holding up okay so far.
EB:
Yours is the classic, DIY rock-and-roll love story. Your website says about your music that, “even the sad songs make you come away with a smile.” Was this part of your intent?
MD:
Yeah. Without passing any judgment on other music, I do feel like a lot of music out there really does take itself very seriously. I like the idea of making music where even [with] something that might be a heavy topic, you can do it in a way that is still pleasant to listen to. Because in the end, music is entertainment. You want to be entertained and feel good, even if it’s somewhat negative subject matter.
EB:
Yeah, there is so much dark stuff that we deal with constantly as people; it’s nice to give a glimmer of hope with music.
MD:
Yeah, definitely. You show that you can relate to their hard times but in the end you can still have fun relating to each other.
EB:
I read that originally you released sunshyness yourself and, simply by giving it out to friends, it worked its way up to Universal by word of mouth and that’s how you ended up with the iPhone TV campaign.
MD:
Yeah. I don’t have any record deal or anything like that. Universal just kind of picked it up and that whole thing worked out. From making music myself and getting it around, that’s how Universal found out about me and it just went from there. It’s also good that I’m able to make the music I want to make. Our association with them happened in a way that was really perfect because they don’t try to change anything I’m doing.
EB:
No one is hovering over your shoulder telling you to change your music.
MD:
Yeah, so that’s good. That’s the only way I’d want to do it. The only reason I don’t have a record deal is I feel like I’m making [music] for me… stuff that I want to do. If I were to be making music based on somebody else’s direction then I might as well just have a regular job.
EB:
Well, the most recent news I’ve dug up on you is that, not only did Apple pick up “Perfect Timing,” but nearly the whole record has been picked up and licensed out as well?
MD:
Eight of the 10 songs have been used; a couple before the iPhone and some after. Someday maybe the whole album will be used for stuff.
EB:
What’s really interesting for me is that, for so long there’s been this indie-rock snobbery where if you license out your songs to commercials or such then you’re selling out, or considered being untrue to yourself as a artist. But now, with the digital overthrow, it seems there is no room for that snobbery anymore. It’s a moot point because like, for you, it’s not being untrue to yourself as an artist; it’s just another way to get your songs heard by as many people possible. Would you agree?
MD:
Yeah, definitely. If it weren’t for the iPhone commercial we wouldn’t be talking, probably. I think there’s a difference, you know. One thing I wouldn’t do is if someone said, “Oh, I love your song for this commercial but just change it so it does this instead.” I don’t want to do that. If I feel that they like it the way it is, and they think it’s something they’d like to represent their product with, and something I feel comfortable with it being used for, and as long as I am able to retain the integrity then I’m fine. I think there are certain things I’d prefer to be associated with than not. I prefer the commercials that are a little more artistic looking and that let the music shine through.
EB:
How do you choose outlets that are worthy of your music, whether it’s TV commercials or whether it’s concert venues? Your website says, “Each of these songs would feel equally at home on mainstream radio or included in an indie film soundtrack or as part of a homegrown mixtape for your love.” Where would your songs not feel at home?
MD:
With TV stuff, I like something where the music would have a chance to come through and it won’t be just, “Buy this, buy that, buy this.” With anything, like I said, as long as I don’t have to change the music, as long as the commercials aren’t too “message-y” or anything... that’s why the iPhone’s nice.
EB:
What’s cool is that the better commercials have become little artistic statements in and of themselves. They have artists and graphic designers working on these otherwise typical canvases and they’re doing some great stuff… creating little short films, short animations or music videos even.
MD:
Yeah, they’re very visually based like little short films. It’s really nice and a lot of people who make these commercials are directors and writers also, so some are really quite artistic.
EB:
Another thing you wrote on your website is that “sometimes you just need to step back and simplify.” Can you elaborate some on the feelings that led to this statement?
MD:
Yeah. Actually, before this album I was doing a lot of electronic stuff and other more aggressive music … stuff that was very, very different from this. It just got to a point where it became a race as to who can do the most or the loudest album or the fastest or the most avant-garde thing. After awhile it came to a point where, for any kid starting out making music, it’s all electronics. [Electronics] have become the starting point, whereas before you used to start out with an acoustic guitar and then just build up. Now, when people hear a guitar they’re like, “Oh what synth is that making that sound?” And it’s like, “It’s not a synth; it’s just a guitar.”
EB:
[Laughs]
MD:
I feel like, to go further, you actually have to go backwards to the instruments people aren’t using anymore… the natural instruments that the synths are emulating. That felt like my way to go forward. Nothing against [electronics] – I’m a big electronic fan, I’m a big synth collector – it’s just one of those things… it felt like the right thing to push [my music] forward. It wasn’t even something that I expected would turn into an album or that I would be performing live with. It was just one of those things for myself that let me do something that’s totally different from what I would normally do. I made one song and the others started flowing out. And now it’s become something I feel really good about.
EB:
It’s like creative spring-cleaning, when you can do something like that. There’s just such a heavy bombardment nowadays with how many new tools are available for musicians… sometimes it’s good to simplify. I mean, for example, I’m a photographer and I learned on film. Now all the dark rooms are shutting down and I’ve lost that access so for the most part I’ve switched to digital. But with all the new fangled Photoshops and programs and all these amazing things that digital has allowed, sometimes it’s just healthy to go out there, slap a role of film in the camera, and remind myself what a chemical process is and how it lends itself to the photograph, in order for me to get rid of all the clutter.
MD:
Mhmm. It seems like an analogy to film also, with Photoshop you have all these filters and this and that… you have the filters that make it look like it has film grain and a roughness or vignette, meanwhile you don’t know that the photograph has this vignetting because of a certain way the film is held in there or that it’s grainy for a reason. People don’t always realize that those filters came from something else, a chemical process… [Digital] is kind of the same thing and you get that effect but when you go back and use the real camera, it’s so different… it has so much more dimension to it.
EB:
That leads me to the next thing I want to talk about which is your use of all these organic instruments on this record. Lets talk organic versus electronic and the dimension you get with instruments that are really pushing air to make a sound… instrument’s that aren’t just sound effects on a keyboard. Can you share some more about your decision to use such a range of instruments like the dobro, mandolin, glockenspiel and so on?
MD:
I played everything on the album [and] I’ve had a collection of a lot of these instruments around but I wasn’t using them as main instruments in my records or anything. I wasn’t sure, sometimes they’re just nice to play around with. Rather than a new shiny instrument, I always prefer the beat-up crappy instruments. They always have more character.
EB:
They have a history.
MD:
Yeah. I just picked them up and started playing and as I started making this music, I started acquiring more instruments that were older and crappier and using them to make songs. It just developed on it’s own in a very organic way. I picked up an instrument and played, and whatever came out of that instrument would influence me to play whatever next. Most of the songs were done in one or two takes. I wanted to get really inspired performances where even if I made a mistake, that would be part of the song.
EB:
A lot of great songs and riffs and melodies started as mistakes [laughs]. Again, in photography there is this technique called Solarization which was pioneered by Man Ray and Lee Miller… it’s this halo effect you can create on a photograph in the darkroom and it was only discovered because, one afternoon, Lee Miller was in the dark room and a mouse ran across her foot so she inadvertently flipped on the lights while the photos were developing. A huge mistake but it led to this really progressive technique that became signature of the Surrealist photography movement in general.
MD:
Yeah! It’s the same with distortion on guitar. It was an accidental overdrive of an amp or whatever. Things like that. So many things came from mistakes.
EB:
You’ve got to leave room for them; you never know what might happen.
MD:
Exactly. That’s what gives things personality. What makes one drummer sound different than another is because they have their own internal clock that makes them have a certain swing to them. Once you start taking all that out, then everything sounds the same. That’s why the idea of doing everything pretty much in one take not only has a more inspired sound to it, but it’s also the closest I felt I could come to experiencing the music for the first time myself. That’s the one thing I feel is missing… when you make the music yourself you can’t really be surprised by it. You know what’s coming next. I like when I make mistakes, like, “Oh I didn’t know that was coming!” [Laughs] I like that part of it the best. What’s really fun about music to me is being surprised. When I listen to music and hear some change coming like, “Oh that’s amazing. I would have never expected it to go there.” If I’m writing it, then there’s no mistake unless I say it’s a mistake. Whatever I do it’s like, “Well that’s the way it was supposed to be.” You know? It may be a horribly wrong note but maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. If that’s how the song is supposed to go then it’s the perfect expression of that song. However I record it is the exactly way it should be.
EB:
How far back does your music making go. Since you were a child? Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
MD:
Oh, jeez. [Laughs] No, I don’t remember one of the first songs I ever wrote.
EB:
[Laughs]
MD:
I can tell ya, they would have been in the metal genre. My early songs were very angst-driven, too serious… I’ll try to find those tapes. I’m sure they’ll be amusing [laughs].
EB:
Well, don’t you dare get rid of them!
MD:
I wouldn’t get rid of them, that’s for sure. They’d be hilarious to listen to. Never get rid of anything.
EB:
So you picked up instruments as a kid?
MD:
Yeah. That’s pretty much how I did it. I started playing guitar way back when, took lessons for a long time, and then everything else I just picked up myself. I think the fact that I’m not properly trained on a lot of instruments is what gives me my personal character. Which is why, actually, in my live band I made sure to use people who, the instruments they play in the band, are not their normal instruments they play. They are people who are great musicians but, like, the other guy who is playing guitar and mandolin now, he’s really a saxophone and flute player.
EB:
It’s like musical chairs [laughs].
MD:
Yeah, and to me, that’s what makes it sound interesting. You’re hearing him do an innocent take on an instrument. It’s not mechanical, it’s not slick, he’s just learning and figuring it out and I think that gives it that first take quality in the live show, same with the recordings.
EB:
I think that lends to the personal feeling the audience gets from it. Everyone wants to think they have a unique interaction or that they hear something special in a band, but when it’s been polished and perfected beyond a certain degree, to the point where you know that every other fan in every other club across the country has heard these same songs delivered in the same way, it robs the audience of that personalized, intimate experience.
MD:
Totally. That’s also why we’re trying to change up the songs live and do different versions to keep it sounding fresh like that. Just change things around. It keeps things fun and interesting. In a live show, I like to hear things interpreted a little differently than the album, rather than something that sounds like I could have just sat at home and listened to the record. The most fun part is when you see someone make a little mistake and they can just laugh about it.
EB:
Instead of storming off stage [laughs].
MD:
[Laughs] Yeah, and smashing their guitar. It’s interesting because a lot of people who I would expect not to like the songs, seem to like them. On MySpace I get messages from metal kids and they say, “Oh you’ve made me want to start an acoustic thing now.” They’re inspired by it. I guess people can pick up on the fact that it’s not really trying to be anything so much… it doesn’t really alienate anybody. That’s probably my best guess.
EB:
Well, let’s talk about the follow up record. You’re nearly finished recording it, right? Do you have a title yet?
MD:
Yeah, I’ve been working on the follow up. It’s nearly completed and it’s different enough from this one but, once again, it’s kind of the same process with the sunshyness album. Every song I do I’m like, “Oh that’s a great song. I’ll probably never be able to do that again!” And then, you know, I do it again. I’m always like, “Oh this is the last time I’ll be able to write like this. Will I be inspired again?” But then I just make them without thinking about it too much. So it’s the same mindset but it’s a progression, using different instruments and some more layers. I tried to use different instruments that are in the same families as the last ones. That’s one of the big differences… that I changed my group of instruments to a new group.
EB:
But they share the same bloodline.
MD:
[Laughs] Yeah, they share the same bloodline. Like, instead of the glockenspiel I’ll use a marimba instead. I’m trying to move it in a direction without creatively trying to change it, and letting a new set of instruments [pick it’s direction] because the instruments are really what inspire the songs. As with before, I’ve been collecting a bunch of new instruments to inspire me… we’ll see where they take me.
Look for Orba Squara on the road throughout 2008, as well as a new record in stores later in the year. For updates and more information check out www.orbasquara.com and www.myspace.com/orbasquara
You might not have heard of Mitch Davis yet, but you have definitely heard his band Orba Squara. Yes, you… sitting there, eyeballing that iPhone idle on the corner of your desk… pretending to ignore the hole its first bill burned in your pocket. We all remember the gleaming simplicity of those first iPhone TV commercials, and we all remember the Orba Squara song that chimed delicately in the background. Apple’s iPhone commercials rocketed its product -- and Davis’s song -- into the hands and ears of millions. Talk about a grand debut. By a seemingly effortless stroke of brilliance, Davis turned what could have been merely a jingle into a whimsical term of endearment for an entire generation of romantic, indie-rock consumers.
Like fellow singer-songwriters Sam Beam (of Iron & Wine) and Devendra Banhart -- both of whom have had their music featured in major ad campaigns -- Orba Squara’s Mitch Davis has emerged from amongst the wooly beards and threadbare sweaters of the introspective, indie-rock scene, and prettied up the mainstream with lilting, sunshiny songs. Or, in Davis’ case, "sunshyness" songs.
Sunshyness, Orba Squara’s full-length debut, is a magical collection of songs to dream to, and that iPhone track, “Perfect Timing,” is only one of its many gems. SuicideGirls called up Mitch Davis in New York for an afternoon chat about how music that began as a personal artistic outlet became part of a worldwide phenomenon. Soft-spoken and sincere, Davis filled SuicideGirls in on all things Orba Squara, including his ever-growing collection on vintage instruments and the band’s follow-up album, due later this year.
You can listen to the music of Orba Squara by visiting the band’s iTunes page here.
Erin Broadley: So how are you?
Mitch Davis: I’m doing great.
EB:
Since the release of your song “Perfect Timing” with the iPhone campaign you’ve dealt with a whirlwind of popularity and publicity… not to mention the cesspool of mainstream entertainment [laughs]. Is it overwhelming yet?
MD:
It’s okay. It takes a lot to overwhelm me. As long as it’s good then I just keep doing my thing. It doesn’t really change what I’m doing; I’m just talking to a few more people and playing in front of a couple extra people.
EB:
So you know how to handle yourself in moments of stress.
MD:
Yeah, I’ve done it. I’ve been through it a million times. I’m holding up okay so far.
EB:
Yours is the classic, DIY rock-and-roll love story. Your website says about your music that, “even the sad songs make you come away with a smile.” Was this part of your intent?
MD:
Yeah. Without passing any judgment on other music, I do feel like a lot of music out there really does take itself very seriously. I like the idea of making music where even [with] something that might be a heavy topic, you can do it in a way that is still pleasant to listen to. Because in the end, music is entertainment. You want to be entertained and feel good, even if it’s somewhat negative subject matter.
EB:
Yeah, there is so much dark stuff that we deal with constantly as people; it’s nice to give a glimmer of hope with music.
MD:
Yeah, definitely. You show that you can relate to their hard times but in the end you can still have fun relating to each other.
EB:
I read that originally you released sunshyness yourself and, simply by giving it out to friends, it worked its way up to Universal by word of mouth and that’s how you ended up with the iPhone TV campaign.
MD:
Yeah. I don’t have any record deal or anything like that. Universal just kind of picked it up and that whole thing worked out. From making music myself and getting it around, that’s how Universal found out about me and it just went from there. It’s also good that I’m able to make the music I want to make. Our association with them happened in a way that was really perfect because they don’t try to change anything I’m doing.
EB:
No one is hovering over your shoulder telling you to change your music.
MD:
Yeah, so that’s good. That’s the only way I’d want to do it. The only reason I don’t have a record deal is I feel like I’m making [music] for me… stuff that I want to do. If I were to be making music based on somebody else’s direction then I might as well just have a regular job.
EB:
Well, the most recent news I’ve dug up on you is that, not only did Apple pick up “Perfect Timing,” but nearly the whole record has been picked up and licensed out as well?
MD:
Eight of the 10 songs have been used; a couple before the iPhone and some after. Someday maybe the whole album will be used for stuff.
EB:
What’s really interesting for me is that, for so long there’s been this indie-rock snobbery where if you license out your songs to commercials or such then you’re selling out, or considered being untrue to yourself as a artist. But now, with the digital overthrow, it seems there is no room for that snobbery anymore. It’s a moot point because like, for you, it’s not being untrue to yourself as an artist; it’s just another way to get your songs heard by as many people possible. Would you agree?
MD:
Yeah, definitely. If it weren’t for the iPhone commercial we wouldn’t be talking, probably. I think there’s a difference, you know. One thing I wouldn’t do is if someone said, “Oh, I love your song for this commercial but just change it so it does this instead.” I don’t want to do that. If I feel that they like it the way it is, and they think it’s something they’d like to represent their product with, and something I feel comfortable with it being used for, and as long as I am able to retain the integrity then I’m fine. I think there are certain things I’d prefer to be associated with than not. I prefer the commercials that are a little more artistic looking and that let the music shine through.
EB:
How do you choose outlets that are worthy of your music, whether it’s TV commercials or whether it’s concert venues? Your website says, “Each of these songs would feel equally at home on mainstream radio or included in an indie film soundtrack or as part of a homegrown mixtape for your love.” Where would your songs not feel at home?
MD:
With TV stuff, I like something where the music would have a chance to come through and it won’t be just, “Buy this, buy that, buy this.” With anything, like I said, as long as I don’t have to change the music, as long as the commercials aren’t too “message-y” or anything... that’s why the iPhone’s nice.
EB:
What’s cool is that the better commercials have become little artistic statements in and of themselves. They have artists and graphic designers working on these otherwise typical canvases and they’re doing some great stuff… creating little short films, short animations or music videos even.
MD:
Yeah, they’re very visually based like little short films. It’s really nice and a lot of people who make these commercials are directors and writers also, so some are really quite artistic.
EB:
Another thing you wrote on your website is that “sometimes you just need to step back and simplify.” Can you elaborate some on the feelings that led to this statement?
MD:
Yeah. Actually, before this album I was doing a lot of electronic stuff and other more aggressive music … stuff that was very, very different from this. It just got to a point where it became a race as to who can do the most or the loudest album or the fastest or the most avant-garde thing. After awhile it came to a point where, for any kid starting out making music, it’s all electronics. [Electronics] have become the starting point, whereas before you used to start out with an acoustic guitar and then just build up. Now, when people hear a guitar they’re like, “Oh what synth is that making that sound?” And it’s like, “It’s not a synth; it’s just a guitar.”
EB:
[Laughs]
MD:
I feel like, to go further, you actually have to go backwards to the instruments people aren’t using anymore… the natural instruments that the synths are emulating. That felt like my way to go forward. Nothing against [electronics] – I’m a big electronic fan, I’m a big synth collector – it’s just one of those things… it felt like the right thing to push [my music] forward. It wasn’t even something that I expected would turn into an album or that I would be performing live with. It was just one of those things for myself that let me do something that’s totally different from what I would normally do. I made one song and the others started flowing out. And now it’s become something I feel really good about.
EB:
It’s like creative spring-cleaning, when you can do something like that. There’s just such a heavy bombardment nowadays with how many new tools are available for musicians… sometimes it’s good to simplify. I mean, for example, I’m a photographer and I learned on film. Now all the dark rooms are shutting down and I’ve lost that access so for the most part I’ve switched to digital. But with all the new fangled Photoshops and programs and all these amazing things that digital has allowed, sometimes it’s just healthy to go out there, slap a role of film in the camera, and remind myself what a chemical process is and how it lends itself to the photograph, in order for me to get rid of all the clutter.
MD:
Mhmm. It seems like an analogy to film also, with Photoshop you have all these filters and this and that… you have the filters that make it look like it has film grain and a roughness or vignette, meanwhile you don’t know that the photograph has this vignetting because of a certain way the film is held in there or that it’s grainy for a reason. People don’t always realize that those filters came from something else, a chemical process… [Digital] is kind of the same thing and you get that effect but when you go back and use the real camera, it’s so different… it has so much more dimension to it.
EB:
That leads me to the next thing I want to talk about which is your use of all these organic instruments on this record. Lets talk organic versus electronic and the dimension you get with instruments that are really pushing air to make a sound… instrument’s that aren’t just sound effects on a keyboard. Can you share some more about your decision to use such a range of instruments like the dobro, mandolin, glockenspiel and so on?
MD:
I played everything on the album [and] I’ve had a collection of a lot of these instruments around but I wasn’t using them as main instruments in my records or anything. I wasn’t sure, sometimes they’re just nice to play around with. Rather than a new shiny instrument, I always prefer the beat-up crappy instruments. They always have more character.
EB:
They have a history.
MD:
Yeah. I just picked them up and started playing and as I started making this music, I started acquiring more instruments that were older and crappier and using them to make songs. It just developed on it’s own in a very organic way. I picked up an instrument and played, and whatever came out of that instrument would influence me to play whatever next. Most of the songs were done in one or two takes. I wanted to get really inspired performances where even if I made a mistake, that would be part of the song.
EB:
A lot of great songs and riffs and melodies started as mistakes [laughs]. Again, in photography there is this technique called Solarization which was pioneered by Man Ray and Lee Miller… it’s this halo effect you can create on a photograph in the darkroom and it was only discovered because, one afternoon, Lee Miller was in the dark room and a mouse ran across her foot so she inadvertently flipped on the lights while the photos were developing. A huge mistake but it led to this really progressive technique that became signature of the Surrealist photography movement in general.
MD:
Yeah! It’s the same with distortion on guitar. It was an accidental overdrive of an amp or whatever. Things like that. So many things came from mistakes.
EB:
You’ve got to leave room for them; you never know what might happen.
MD:
Exactly. That’s what gives things personality. What makes one drummer sound different than another is because they have their own internal clock that makes them have a certain swing to them. Once you start taking all that out, then everything sounds the same. That’s why the idea of doing everything pretty much in one take not only has a more inspired sound to it, but it’s also the closest I felt I could come to experiencing the music for the first time myself. That’s the one thing I feel is missing… when you make the music yourself you can’t really be surprised by it. You know what’s coming next. I like when I make mistakes, like, “Oh I didn’t know that was coming!” [Laughs] I like that part of it the best. What’s really fun about music to me is being surprised. When I listen to music and hear some change coming like, “Oh that’s amazing. I would have never expected it to go there.” If I’m writing it, then there’s no mistake unless I say it’s a mistake. Whatever I do it’s like, “Well that’s the way it was supposed to be.” You know? It may be a horribly wrong note but maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. If that’s how the song is supposed to go then it’s the perfect expression of that song. However I record it is the exactly way it should be.
EB:
How far back does your music making go. Since you were a child? Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?
MD:
Oh, jeez. [Laughs] No, I don’t remember one of the first songs I ever wrote.
EB:
[Laughs]
MD:
I can tell ya, they would have been in the metal genre. My early songs were very angst-driven, too serious… I’ll try to find those tapes. I’m sure they’ll be amusing [laughs].
EB:
Well, don’t you dare get rid of them!
MD:
I wouldn’t get rid of them, that’s for sure. They’d be hilarious to listen to. Never get rid of anything.
EB:
So you picked up instruments as a kid?
MD:
Yeah. That’s pretty much how I did it. I started playing guitar way back when, took lessons for a long time, and then everything else I just picked up myself. I think the fact that I’m not properly trained on a lot of instruments is what gives me my personal character. Which is why, actually, in my live band I made sure to use people who, the instruments they play in the band, are not their normal instruments they play. They are people who are great musicians but, like, the other guy who is playing guitar and mandolin now, he’s really a saxophone and flute player.
EB:
It’s like musical chairs [laughs].
MD:
Yeah, and to me, that’s what makes it sound interesting. You’re hearing him do an innocent take on an instrument. It’s not mechanical, it’s not slick, he’s just learning and figuring it out and I think that gives it that first take quality in the live show, same with the recordings.
EB:
I think that lends to the personal feeling the audience gets from it. Everyone wants to think they have a unique interaction or that they hear something special in a band, but when it’s been polished and perfected beyond a certain degree, to the point where you know that every other fan in every other club across the country has heard these same songs delivered in the same way, it robs the audience of that personalized, intimate experience.
MD:
Totally. That’s also why we’re trying to change up the songs live and do different versions to keep it sounding fresh like that. Just change things around. It keeps things fun and interesting. In a live show, I like to hear things interpreted a little differently than the album, rather than something that sounds like I could have just sat at home and listened to the record. The most fun part is when you see someone make a little mistake and they can just laugh about it.
EB:
Instead of storming off stage [laughs].
MD:
[Laughs] Yeah, and smashing their guitar. It’s interesting because a lot of people who I would expect not to like the songs, seem to like them. On MySpace I get messages from metal kids and they say, “Oh you’ve made me want to start an acoustic thing now.” They’re inspired by it. I guess people can pick up on the fact that it’s not really trying to be anything so much… it doesn’t really alienate anybody. That’s probably my best guess.
EB:
Well, let’s talk about the follow up record. You’re nearly finished recording it, right? Do you have a title yet?
MD:
Yeah, I’ve been working on the follow up. It’s nearly completed and it’s different enough from this one but, once again, it’s kind of the same process with the sunshyness album. Every song I do I’m like, “Oh that’s a great song. I’ll probably never be able to do that again!” And then, you know, I do it again. I’m always like, “Oh this is the last time I’ll be able to write like this. Will I be inspired again?” But then I just make them without thinking about it too much. So it’s the same mindset but it’s a progression, using different instruments and some more layers. I tried to use different instruments that are in the same families as the last ones. That’s one of the big differences… that I changed my group of instruments to a new group.
EB:
But they share the same bloodline.
MD:
[Laughs] Yeah, they share the same bloodline. Like, instead of the glockenspiel I’ll use a marimba instead. I’m trying to move it in a direction without creatively trying to change it, and letting a new set of instruments [pick it’s direction] because the instruments are really what inspire the songs. As with before, I’ve been collecting a bunch of new instruments to inspire me… we’ll see where they take me.
Look for Orba Squara on the road throughout 2008, as well as a new record in stores later in the year. For updates and more information check out www.orbasquara.com and www.myspace.com/orbasquara
Look for Orba Squara on the road throughout 2008, as well as a new record in stores later in the year. For updates and more information check out www.orbasquara.com and www.myspace.com/orbasquara
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