Interview: Heaters

Monday just gone (28th April) saw the release of 'Mean Green', the new 7" by Grands Rapids, Michigan based Heaters on Beyond Beyond Is Beyond records, and it is a real garage/psych/surf stormer! The band have had a pretty eventful year or 2; some may remember them when they went under the name Plantains but since they have been through line-up changes, dropped a few EPs on Dizzy Bird and Stolen Body records, played SXSW and have secured a spot at this years Austin Psych Fest. I caught up with the guys recently and they kindly answered some questions, but before that, what of 'Mean Green'....?

As a single 'Mean Green' is everything you can want....short, snappy and full of energy and spirit, but it's the sound that makes it rather special. From the off the influence of some of the sixties greats can be heard, especially the 13th Floor Elevators....the twanging guitars and the echo give it an authentic feel but there is a 21st century attitude and the vocals almost buried in the mix give it a contemporary vibe. The pace never lets up throughout, the guitars maintaining the momentum set by the rhythm section...and it makes you feel good!! The flip side is 'Levitate Thigh', previously featured on a former EP. Although ostensibly following the same form...some neat twang guitars and buried vocals, it has some neat psychedelic flourishes especially in the breakdowns, and the tempo moves between pacey garage and moody garage...it's like listening to an entire Seeds LP in three and a half minutes. There has been a lot of promotion around this single, Beyond Beyond...must have high hopes for it, and those hopes are fully justified...this a young band who take the good from the sixties garage and psych scenes, pay their respects and then turn them into a vibrant, current sound (and the video for 'Mean Green' is pretty damned groovy as well....)



Could you give us a brief history of the band; how you all got together?

Two of us (Andrew and Nolan) were buds in high school and listened to a lot of the same music. After splitting up during college and stuff we both moved to Grand Rapids and started jamming again. Josh was our next door neighbor at the time so we snagged him and started recording and playing shows.

'Mean Green' has a distinct sixties vibe about it, reminiscent especially of the 13th Floor Elevators - was this a sound that you set out to create or did it evolve through the recording process?

Yeah, we didn't really set out to recreate that sound, but we're into a lot of the same tones and aesthetics that are associated with that sort of music and that time period - sort of crackly, jangling guitars with spring reverb, et cetera.

What bands / artists have influenced you guys?

Guess it kind of depends on the day - we're into a lot of different music, definitely a lot of the older shit. Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, The Stooges, Duane Eddy, to name a few.

Any new bands exciting you at the moment?

We've been fortunate to tour with some really cool bands lately. Our friends The Mystery Lights, from NYC, are amazing. Wand, out of LA, also is killer - aaaand Moonwalks (Detroit) and Uh Bones (Chicago) both rule, too. Oh and Les Marinellis from Quebec are so good! We're playing some shows with them this summer and really looking forward to it.

Could you talk us through your own recording process - who takes the writing responsibilities? Do you rehearse and rehearse before laying down the tracks or just go for it?

Andrew is always kind of working on new riffs and tunes, and since we live together, we're able to bounce stuff off each other really easily. So it's usually like a, "Hey, check this out," type of thing and then everyone will write their parts around that. Or sometimes they'll just come out from messing around together, which is cool, too.

We recorded most of our early music ourselves, which was cool because we could do it with a lot quicker of a turnaround, but lately we've been working with other people to help us out with engineering and stuff - which makes troubleshooting during the recording process a lot easier. But, in those cases, we lose a little bit of our personal touch. So we're working toward a balance between the two.

And yes, lately we've found going into a recording session with the tunes rehearsed obviously makes for a smoother experience all around.

With regard to equipment, do you go vintage for an authentic sound?

We'd definitely have more vintage gear if we could afford it, but most of our setup is just a mashup of stuff we've picked up along the way.

You are playing the Austin Psych Fest - who are looking forward to seeing / playing with?

Pretty much everyone, but Fat White Family, Follakzoid, Mystic Braves, Holydrug Couple, Ryley Walker and Ryan Sambol all are bands we're looking forward to.

You also played this year's SXSW...how did that go? Any standout acts?

It was pretty great - exhausting, but we feel like we came away from it a better band. Moon Duo, Pharmakon, Sheer Mag and Les Marinellis stood out but by the end of the week, everything kind of sounded the same.

The single is being released by BBiB Records - how did that partnership come into being? Previously you have released through Dizzy Bird, why the change?

We were introduced to Mike and Dom through our booking agent, Josh Iden, who loved the label. So we chatted with them a little bit about working together, and then met up with them at a show in NYC and hit it off! We have a lot of respect for them and the label - they're really on top of shit and do a great job.

Over the past few years the interest in psych has flourished and new 'psychedelic' bands are appearing every day...which is obviously a good thing....but is this just a flash in the pan resurgence, or something that is going to shape the musical landscape for years to come?

It's hard to say. Trends come and go, but I think because a lot of "psych" music is rooted in blues and the sound created by some really classic, kind of timeless artists, it has a pretty solid foundation.

OK, finally: you can choose 3 acts (alive or dead) to support you on a world tour, who would you go for?

I think at this point we would be more comfortable being the support, haha. So our three dream artists to support would probably be like The Velvet Underground, The Strange Boys, POND.

Thanks to the guys for their time, and thanks to Dana from High Voltage PR for sorting it.