October 2015 “Band of the Month” – MOTHERS
Started in January of 2012, the “Band of the Month” feature has allowed The Blue Indian a unique opportunity to share some of our favorite bands with our readers. As we move into our fourth year of the feature, we’re eager to continue showcasing some of the best and brightest bands around. Thanks for the continued support!
photo by Kristin Karch
Originating in Athens, GA as the personal project of Kristine Leschper, MOTHERS quickly expanded into a full band and the group found themselves on tour with of Montreal, supporting Unknown Mortal Orchestra (and more) in their hometown, and making the leap from house shows to headline sets in the matter of just a few months. With their first ever tour behind them, the band has settled in to record a debut full-length with Drew Vandenberg (of Montreal, Deerhunter) that will be released in early 2016.
MOTHERS = Kristine Leschper, Matthew Anderegg, Drew Kirby, Patrick Morales
How does it feel to be home from tour?! You all just finished more than a month on the road that included shows with of Montreal and was capped off by a stellar performance at Midpoint Music Festival.. Life is good, yeah?
Patrick: It’s been nice. There are so many brain bending aspects of tour that I think give you a lot of perspective on how your being interfaces with the rest of the world. So when you come home you kinda have this fresh slate to sort of look at a lot of habits that you have good and bad. It’s kinda nice to slip in and out of the world for a while.
Kristine: Surprisingly, I’m actually feeling more energized after tour. I was excited to get out on the road, but couldn’t help half-expecting it to be this brutal, torturous labor of love. Don’t get me wrong, tour was hard – but it left me feeling leveled and stoked to start working on new material.
I’m sure it was all a complete blast since it was the first tour as a band but what are a few high points from the time on the road? Any lessons learned or new favorite restaurants discovered?
Matthew: We played in Norfolk, Virginia twice in the last month, and both shows were really wonderful. There are some really cool things going on in the neighborhood around an art space called Work Release in Norfolk. Also, Rock Island, Illinois is the home of an amazing place called Rozz Tox.
P: I got to see a lot old friends that I hadn’t seen a while. One of ’em is finishing his PHD in Paleoanthropology in DC and gave us a cool tour of the Natural History Museum and then we watched the sun set over National Mall. I went into this really sweet HiFi store in Winston-Salem called EmberAV that no one else in the band believes exists because they didn’t get to see it. There’s was a ton of stuff but those two really stuck out for some reason. Being a nascent member of the band it was really neat to see the response from the crowds. We were really well received and everyone had a lot of nice things to say.
K: I learned to take things as they come, and to not be so expectant of tour. I had this idea of myself writing and making art nonstop, and initially it bummed me out that I wasn’t able to be as productive as I wanted. When I took that pressure off of myself, I was able to interact with my surroundings, be inquisitive, store away ideas and experiences to use in future work.
photo courtesy of artist
What’s your relationship with Athens like? Obviously, you developed this project into a band there and have some history but how has the city and the people there shaped the creation and continuation of Mothers?
K: Athens is very much a place where “anything goes”. Weird shit happens intermittently, and it’s encouraged. The atmosphere is conducive to new projects because it’s low pressure. It was the right place to get started.
For people who haven’t been to Athens, what are a few places you recommend hanging if you have a long weekend in town?
P: J and J Flea Market. See the best representation of who lives inside of Athens Clarke County, engage in the ancient art of negotiation, and eat a really tasty taco. Oh and maybe grab some socks.
K: Botanical gardens, Ben Burton Park, Cine
M: Wuxtry Records, Hi-Lo, Caledonia Lounge, Go Bar
“No Crying in Baseball”, your first full band studio recording, was released just before the tour with of Montreal started last month, so people haven’t really had much chance to get to know the band’s sound unless they had already seen you live. What was it like to tour on material that was nearly entirely new to people each nigh? What response did you get from people you talked to after your shows?
K: I love that about it. As a listener, my favorite way to experience new music is in a live setting.
photo courtesy of artist
Plans are to release a Drew Vandenberg-produced album that should have a few special guests on it early next year, correct? How has the writing/recording process gone for you all so far with the amount of time you’ve spent on the road?
K: That’s right. The record is finished – it feels great to be able to start grinding away at new music. We’ve also been using this time to draft set design/visual aspects of our performance. We want to work towards a more immersive, controlled environment during our shows.
Other than the CMJ shows later this month, are there any other plans to tour through the end of 2015 or are you expecting a lot of time off to focus on getting out the debut album?
K: It’s sort of up in the air. It feels good to have time off to write, we’re taking advantage of that right now. We’re confirmed for a couple of festivals next year – I think the plan is to hit the road hard in 2016.
Inquiring minds want to know… What are your reading/listening recommendations from the past few months?
Here’s a compiled list from all of us:
listening to:
This Heat, Wire, Protomartyr, Cop City/Chill Pillars, sBACH, Carson McWhirter, Fred Frith, Sparks, Isaac Hayes, Beak, Micachu
reading:
Valis – Phillip K. Dick, Hurt Others – Sam Pink, Collected Works – Louise Gluck
What’s your wildest prediction for where things with Mothers will be this time next year?
M: If we’re lucky we won’t be working in restaurants anymore.
K: Maybe we’ll have one of those extended top dodge sprinter vans with like a thousand cupholders and a tour cat.
P: We will be smack dab in the middle of our Mothers house boat tour which will either consist of a tour of various houseboats or the acquisition of one houseboat that we float down the Mississippi on from town to town. There’s also talks of a motorcycle tour in the band. Here’s to hoping…
MOTHERS at CMJ
Tues. Oct. 13 – 6:30pm @ Cameo Gallery @ Cameo and TAYF PR)
Thurs. Oct. 15 – 4:10pm @ Cake Shop (NYC Taper Presents)
Thurs. Oct. 15 – 7:15pm @ Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 (United Talent Agency Presents)
Fri. Oct. 16 – 4:10pm @ Berlin (Rosquatch showcase)
Fri. Oct. 16 – 9pm @ Rough Trade (Aquarium Drunkard Presents)
Sat. Oct. 17 – 2pm @ South Street Seaport
Sat. Oct. 17 – 7pm @ Pianos (BirDog Promo)
