Interviews: Deep Time

In honor of their show, which we just posted about a bit ago, we wanted to share with you an interview we just did with Deep Time.  We talk about their recent record, Jennifer’s voice, and Austin bands you need to check out. Be sure to make it in time to check out one of Austin’s most deserving bands.  I’m guessing they’ll go on around 11. 

Let’s do a few Austin-centric sort of questions:

ATH:  First, what was the reason behind the name change? Does it have any particular meaning to the band’s current direction? Anything to do with geologic time scales?

Deep Time: There’s a tacky clothing shop in NY that has the rights to the name even for releasing music. So we changed it to avoid dealing with them. Well YES, it most definitely does!

ATH:  What’s the best thing about the Austin music scene? On the flip side, what are some of the downsides to being involved in the Austin scene?

Deep Time: HAAM and SIMS! All of our out-of-town musician friends are completely blown away by the fact that we have medical insurance for playing music. We are so grateful for those organizations.

I guess a downer is that Emo’s is not on Red River any longer. We love and miss Emo’s.

ATH:  I feel like with the millions of bands playing around Austin, a lot of bands don’t get the attention they deserve (including ya’ll). What’s your favorite Austin band of all time? Any bands you think we should pay attention to that we might be overlooking?

Deep Time: Hidden Ritual! Hatchet Wound! Horse Plus Donkey! Anything Thor Harris does, like walk down the street or humming while doin’ the dishes.

Let’s Move on to the new record:

ATH:  Since the record is self-titled, is there a thematic element that you feel is central to the album that people might not notice at first, or does that sort of thing even matter to you as a band? There seem to be a lot of tunes about travel or movement.

Deep Time: The travel and movement themes might just be a symptom of our lifestyle. There’s no central theme. I guess the hope is that each song can stand on it’s own.

ATH:  If you’re closing out a set, which track from the new record do you put out at the end? I guess, which song packs the most memorable punch in the live setting?

Deep Time: Sometimes it’s a logistical thing because we play so many instruments at once. We like to keep things smooth. Ending with Coleman is a common choice though because it has all that hootin’ and hollerin’.

ATH:  In terms of the live show, do you feel that your music is confined by being a duo? What are the pros and cons of just operating as a twosome?

Deep Time: It is confined, but I think that we make good use of our resources and that it’s affective. It’s good to have restraints within creativity. I think it makes you more innovative. I suppose a downside is that we each have more responsibility, but it’s easier to travel and earn something close to a living.

ATH:  Jennifer’s voice has incredible range on the album, especially in songs like “Homebody.” Does she (you) have any classical training? If not, how did the unique voice come about? Just toying around with pitch and tone and what nots?

Deep Time: Both of those things. It’s like any other instrument. I’m just trying to come up with something I find interesting. So I train my voice to do new things. I’ve also got a good vocal training base from high school and college. My last voice teacher talked a lot about voice mechanics, how the sound is produced and how the shape of your mouth and throat, and where your it resonates in your head affects the quality of your voice. It was a freeing way to learn because you can apply it to any kind of music you want to sing, not just opera or choral music.

ATH:  I’m sure this isn’t on Jennifer’s list of priorities for discussion, but I was just curious as to how she feels her article for Impose was received? And, in retrospect, are there things she wishes she had said or not said? BTW…that Grass Widow record rules, and Vice is so 2001.

Deep Time: II was really encouraged by the positive response. When I decided to write it, I wasn’t sure how it would be received and sort of expected to be called like a whiny feminist or something. It’s really inspiring to open about something that you feel strongly about and to be met with so much support. Makes me want to do it more often.

And special thanks to Jason Baxter at Hardly Art for helping set this up.