Band Profile: The Whalewatchers
Tell us more about your sound & influences:
Matt: I’d say that R.E.M. and U2 are major influences on song writing. there’s just no way around it. Geoff and I found Murmur in a box of our cousins tapes in probably 1987 and were obsessed with it. And when we first started playing music with friends it was U2’s Joshua Tree that we hit pretty hard. of course, along the way more music mixed in. And i’d say i draw, both intentionally and unintentionally, from Pulp, Neil Young, Paul Westerberg, XTC and, although its a bit of a given for any “alternative” bands playing now, The Pixies.
Thurston: The dreaded question. The quick way I usually answer this is Pavement by way of Neil Young, but that’s not quite right. I’d say we are half mid-90’s style slacker rock band (ala Guided by Voices, Silkworm, Archers of Loaf) and half cosmic jangle-pop (Big Star, early R.E.M,
Who are your favorite local bands?
Thurston: The Bright Youngs things are so good they make me a little angry. They sprung from the ether fully formed and sonically balanced like a veteran band. North Elementary and Simple are both great pop bands that deserve to be big. As a fan of math rock (June of ‘44, Slint) I also love Durham’s Maple Stave.
Matt: I’d also include Starmount. Nobody around here is doing what those guys are doing. It’s nice to have a band get up and play and instantly set a mood.
Geoff: Word!
What other music is in constant rotation?
Matt: I’ve been listening to an English band called Elbow pretty much exclusively for a couple months now. but, it should be noted, recently I’ve had a tendency to seek out Faith No More’s “The Real Thing.” nostalgia or inspiration? you be the judge.
Thurston: I used to be cool and on the cutting edge of music, but as I get older I find myself listening to the same genres I loved in Jr. High; namely anything that sounds remotely like Black Sabbath and cheeseball pop-rock from the 70’s and 80’s. There are awesome bands reviving heavy psychedelica (Entrance, Electric Wizard, Mastadon), and I can’t seem to get enought of the world’s most overproduced band, Electric Light Orchestra. Great pop songs.
Geoff: I feel like I’ve been hit recently with a second british invasion. Elbow - Seldom Seen Kid, the new Doves album - Kingdom of Rust have been playing constantly on my iTunes. Richard Ashcroft and the Rolling Stones are always finding their way into the playlist as well.
What is happening around North Carolina that excites you?
Thuston: I love the fact that we are getting more and more grassroots cultural events. Music fests and craft markets happen on a regular basis now, and I feel like Spark Con shares that stuff to a wide audience in the triangle.
Matt: The revitalization of downtown Raleigh in particular has brought people out to bars and onto the sidewalks and into shows. so, we appreciate that. also, Durham has a bunch of bells and whistles now. And it would be great to see all this growth make way for more small music venues to open up and survive.
What current projects are you working on?
Thurston: We have been working on a bunch of new songs lately, stuff I’m really excited about. A year ago we didn’t really have any slower songs, but now the songs we are are most excited about are slower and more soulful. At this point we have more than enough songs to record a full-length record, so that is in the works.
Matt: I wish we could point you to our website but, unfortunately, it is not a project we’ve been working on. But, check our calendar on myspace for the next show.
They have a show at The Cave tonight!