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Philly local band Kaufman just released their first studio album, Modern Sprawl. We were lucky to get an advance copy of the album and a chance to talk with the band before the album's release.
We enjoyed the album: the band's press materials bill them as having "flourishes of Radiohead and the Berlin days of Bowie, woven with textures of Sigur Ros and even The Doors." Their album, Modern Sprawl deals, certainly with sprawl in a geographic sense, but, as guitarist Pasquale DeFazio puts it, "[It] also conveys something more esoteric in our heads. I think it relates to the way technology has sped life up and has taken up more space in our heads."
Kaufman isn't your traditional "Philly Local Artist," as WXPN has come to define the term, but we highly recommend trying to catch one of their upcoming shows. (They're already scheduled for a WMMR Rock Show at the Grape Street Pub on August 23.) Check their MySpace account for more details, or pick up a copy of Modern Sprawl in store at: AKA Music (27 N. 2nd Street, near the corner of 2nd & Market), or on the web at:
a I i I r records and CDBaby.. (The album should be available soon on iTunes.)
What was it like recording your first studio album?
It was long. Pre-production started last May, and it’s tough to work full time on an album when you have jobs during the day. (Brian)
Being in the studio can be tedious: Derek Chafin (the producer) was always encouraging us, always giving us ideas. There are a lot of opportunities in a studio space that you just don’t get performing live. (Mike)
How have you grown, musically, since you started the recording process?
More options, more problems, more room for anything. More space means finding a way of making it work. (Mike)
It’s cool to have an infinite number of options, but it’s equally important to do what’s best for the song. "Take & Eat & Be Eaten," for example, because it's the true "studio song" of the album; everything else was written prior to recording. (Pat)
What influences you musically/lyrically? Who made you want to start playing music in the first place?
I think we all have different perspectives. I mean, I wanted to play the guitar because of CeCe DeVille; my first song was a Suicidal Tendencies song. The music happens because we’re all bringing together our own separate things into our collective thing. There isn’t really one main influence. (Mike)
How has being a band in Philadelphia helped or hurt you guys as a band?
I have mixed feelings about the scene in Philadelphia. There’s this very tight clique that’s hard to break into, and I’m not sure how we fit into that scene. I think we’re somewhere in between scenes. It sometimes seems that Philadelphia isn’t just about the music, it’s [also] about who your friends are. And, you know, there aren’t too many rooms to play here, which makes it a little difficult for a band like us. (Pat)
How did the name Kaufman come about?
There’s no great story to it, actually. It’s an anonymous name. Someone will always think of something: Charlie Kaufman or Andy Kaufman or Dr. Kaufman or the hand towel in the bathroom named Kaufman. It’s our version of The Smiths. Seriously, "Swingline" reminded me of high school and gym, and Kaufman is Brian’s gym teacher’s last name. His yearbook photo was our first sticker. (Mike)
How does a song come together for you? Music first? Lyrics first?
It’s a combination of the two. I mean, our lyrics are just kind of stream of consciousness. (Mike)
Some tunes are ideas someone had that become something else at practice when Mike starts singing. No one ever comes with a full song; they usually come with a riff. It’s an inefficient process: it takes a while. But, it's what works best for us and I don’t think we could make the sound we make in any other way. (Pat)
The studio process has really moved us away from writing JUST for guitars, which is new and interesting. (Mike)
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