Noah Has Ideas

The Hard Lessons – “The Arms Forest” from The Hard Lessons on Vimeo.

She was puttered around her room right before bed. Placing her clothes from the day in the hamper and preparing to brush her teeth. They hadn’t spoken in awhile and she began to grow weary as each minute went on, as each brush stroke went back and forth. She played with her hair as the tooth brush dangled so delicately, wondering if her hair is the reason he doesn’t call. She began to pinch her stomach fishing around for fat, trying to convince herself the fat is there and is the reason for his absence. The water runs over the brush and cleans it of foam, she slides it back to it’s holder for the night.
She washed her face, splashing the water to her skin, absorbing the warmth of the water. Dabbing her face with a towel, she looked at her teeth, “well, maybe it’s my teeth” she thought, putting the towel up, she started her walk out of the bathroom. She shut off the light and started to think of different ways she could spend more time awake. Hoping to get some form of contact from him. It was times like those she wished  she had more hobbies, more things that could steal her time, more things that would distract her from the thing she wants to think about. It was times like those she wished she had met more people, made more friends. Friends she could talk to about what she is feeling, what she wants, what is going on. But alas, this wasn’t  the case, she just stood in the doorway of the bathroom, thinking how she could waste more time before she crawls into the cold sheets. Slowly, she paced towards the bed, hoping for a sign of anything. The sheets bit at her legs as they descended into the black hole that were her covers. Her head rested on the pillow as she locked eyes on the ceiling and began to day dream. She day dreams for what could have been, what could be, how simple things should be. Almost cinematically the door makes a thumping sound. She rushed out of bed she thrusted her self to the door. Quickly gained composure, and slowly pulled the door open.
The door was open, and it was him, in all the glory that she wanted, he stood there, just like she imagined. He was there, but he wasn’t there, this was the person she wanted to see, but at face value, it wasn’t him. It was raining outside so his hair was a victim of this sudden down pour. He wore his glasses and was smoking a cigarette, something she thought he’d never do. “hey” he said quietly as he took drew from the cigarette. “um..hi” she replied wondering what else she could say. “you busy” he said as he invites himself into the room, walking past her, he puts the cigarette out on the wall and then flicks it into the hallway. “We need to talk” he said, she looked at him and shut the door.

N-How did you guys meet and form the band?
M-We all met at school when we were attending Florida State University through friends and a pretty small music scene.

N-How did the band first start off, what was it like?
M-At the time, our old guitarist Dave and I were wanting to start a band in which we could do whatever we wanted. When we met with Josh, we knew we could. In the beginning, we were half and half instrumental and ‘with vocals.’ Slowly, we’ve moved into being a more vocal oriented band, while still keeping much emphasis on the instrumentation. Now we just do what the rock and roll ask us to.

N-Where are you guys from originally, how does it effect your music/attitudes?
M-Dave- Sarasota, FL
Joshua- Atlanta, GA
Matt- Central FL
Smith- Jacksonville, FL
Slate- Jacksonville, FL

We were all in plenty of bands growing up in our hometowns. Spanning from punk, hardcore, emo to blues, and even funk bands. By the time we met in Tallahassee, we were a lot closer to finding our own styles of music to play.
N-What is the meaning of the band’s name?
M-Look, Mexico…

N-Who are some of your musical influences?
M-Rancid.

N- What are you guys listening to right now?
M-Dave is frequently listening to:
Bob Dylan – blonde on blonde
My morning jacket – the Tennessee fire
The walkmen – you & me
Arcade fire – funeral
Modest mouse – the lonesome crowded west
Leonard Cohen – best of Leonard Cohen

Matt- Built To Spill – There is No Enemy

N-Does Look Mexico have anything in the works album wise?
M-As a matter of fact, yes we do! We just finished a brand new full length that will be released in mid-late February 2010.

N-Where are some of your favorite places to tour/visit?
M-NYC, Austin/San Antonio, California (in general), Chicago, Portland. Anywhere, basically. Haha.

N-What are some of your favorite of your own songs/ which do you love to play?
M-”You Ever Get Punched in the Face for Talking Too Much?” is always fun. It’s simple, but doesn’t really ever get old to me. Other than that, I know we all have a lot of fun playing a few of the songs off our new album. “Just Like Old Times” and another that’s yet to be titled (we’ll call it “Fast D” for now).

N- What’s next for Look Mexico?
M-Right now we’re writing as much as we can for the (next) next album. Then we relocate to Austin in January and tour as much as possible after that. It should be a pretty busy year.

N-Superman or Batman, or other?
M-Batman. C’mon. Clark or Bruce?

N-Favorite movies of ‘09?
M-I Love You Man. Watchmen. Harry Potter.

N- If you watch LOST, any theories?
M-Smoke Monster.

N- Some of your favorite foods?
M-Fish Tacos. Anything Cuban. Anything Italian. Well, every food is my favorite.

N- I’m going to ask my favorite James Lipton question from Inside the Actors Studio, When you get to Heaven, what do you want the Lord to say to you?
M- Noice!!!!

N- Any last words?
M-Thanks for havin’ us, Noah!!

Seriously some great music, I’d like to sit here and try to describe what kind of music it is, but I can’t. I just can’t put my finger on what this band is, they are poppy, they are melodic, they are fast, they are just awesome. It is not very often where I am thoroughly impressed with a band right off the bat, and Look Mexico has done just that. Support them, Listen to them, Love them.

Thanks for reading,

Noah

To Nicole from Tyler Gatlin on Vimeo.

This is a video Tyler made for lady friend Nicole all the way in Seattle. This relationship will probably turn into competition now, and he set the bar pretty high. She might need to get Johnny Depp to beat him, or maybe even SHIRTLESS Johnny Depp…double win.

I have certain music kicks, these kicks will last months at a time. Most music kicks will correlate with the season and the changing weather. More “up beat” music to be the soundtrack for the spring leading into summer. Heartier music shake the leaves off the trees and taunt the skies to bring the snow. One of these bands that help invite the changing seasons is one of my favorites, Bear Vs. Shark. This great band hails from Highland, Michigan, so I cannot help but feel connected to a band that goes through the same things I do, at least geographically speaking. What is more important, is how the music speaks to the audience, how it really grabs you. Only certain bands have what it takes to produce music that can ride down your spine. Connecting memories, feelings, passions, love, friends, anything to what you are hearing at that moment, and Bear Vs. Shark does just that. Another impeccable trait of this band is to allow the listener to day dream, to go from being in a car or room listening to the outrageous rhythms. To a field, running with a battle ax to take out a redcoat in the name of a free country separated from tyranny (or is that just me?). What a person has to realize is the music is just a front, a front from what it’s really trying to do, summon an emotion from the listener. That is why I tap my feet, that’s why I sing in my car and tap the steering wheel, or go all out air drum (or is that just me?). These are all emotional responses, triggered by the music you listen to, the music forces me to react and adapt memories and feelings to it, my music is personal. I say I listen to good music because good music is the type that evokes feeling. Bear Vs. Shark does just that, they push out feelings in the form of flashbacks, dancing, and for the time being, making me love the cold state I reside. __Tracks to start out with- “Catamaran” and “Ma Jolie”.
Thanks for reading.
Noah.

Noah- So how did you guys meet?

Augie-Ko and I met randomly at a mutual friend’s party at MSU. The following semester we randomly sat next to each other at our 8:00 am Political Science class. After that we figured we should actually plan to see each other and it snowballed from there.

N-Where did you come up with the name?

A-I wrote our first album (Gasoline) in my dorm room and the lyrics pretty directly referenced teaching or learn hard lessons.

N- My friends and I are all MSU Spartans as you once were, where did you used to go as a student in East Lansing?

A-We were students in the early 2000s when Grand River was MUCH different that it is now. There were so many great independent businesses like the Bagel Fragel and Lower Level record store. Luckily a couple of our favorite places are still there: Flat, Black and Circular and the legendary Peanut Barrel. We used to take touring bands to both of those spots pretty regularly when we played with them at Mac’s Bar.

N- What do you love about East Lansing/MSU?

A-We were fortunate enough to be a part of it during an amazing time for music. There were 4 or 5 nights a week when great local and national acts would play at places like Mac’s and the Temple Club. A really early Animal Collective show was booked by Steve Lambert. We played with Modey Lemon and The Apes a lot. Calliope was playing in town. It was just really great.

N- What are your musical influences?

A-We listen to all kinds of music. Not everyone understands that. People like to set very specific rules for themselves, which I think is really stupid. I cringe when someone says “I HATE country music.” That is so final. I mean, I hate Toby Keith but it doesn’t mean I hate Johnny Cash. Or even worse is when people say things like “I hate bands who have names that start with ‘The’” – really? Ko and I love music and have a huge and diverse record collection that ranges from a capella gospel recordings to Talking Heads. I also really like Neil Young’s entire attitude toward music.

N- What are you listening to right now?

A-We were in Los Angeles last weekend and I stopped by Amoeba Records. They have everything! I got some T. Rex, M.I.A., Crazy Horse, Circle Jerks and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic all on LP! We even stopped by the legendary VIP Record Shop in Long Beach.

N- What is your favorite place to play in Michigan?

A-That’s like choosing between children! We love Michigan and I’m really proud of some of the things we’ve accomplished, like playing on every Great Lake and on both peninsulas. Selling out St. Andrew’s Hall with The Muggs was a huge milestone for us, but I also love playing smaller Detroit dives like The Lager House. I mean we’ve played everywhere from a tiny bar in Lansing called Dagwood’s to Cobo Hall in Detroit to Mount Pleasant, South Haven, Charlevoix, Lexington, Marquette… everywhere!

N- What was your favorite thing and place about touring overseas with Ok Go?

A-Playing at the legendary Melkweg in Amsterdam in front of a sold out crowd of 650 was pretty amazing. They were great guys too, but by far my favorite thing was eating Doner Kebabs.

N- How does it feel getting your songs on national television?

A-I guess it feels cool. I’m very grateful for the positive feedback we get from people, but while it is actually playing on television it doesn’t really feel like anything.

N- Do you have anything else in the works in regards to a tour, new cd, recording?

A-We’re always writing new music… and we’re always playing shows!

N- I’d hate to bring up anything negative or bad, but I noticed that The Anvil is no longer your drummer, care to share what happened?

A-We just parted ways. It was probably a long time coming on both ends, and it was the best thing for all involved. He’s in Los Angeles getting some work on movie sets, and we got to play with some of our favorite drummers. Right now the band is as tight as ever, and our new drummer Ryan Vee is insanely awesome. The hardest hitting drummer we’ve ever had, but he is also really dynamic and makes it all look so easy. It feels great to finally have such a cohesive unit on and off stage.

N- I read that you and KoKo recently got married, how is life with the ol ball n’ chain?

A-We met when we were teenagers, so nothing really changed. We’ve toured the world over together, so getting married didn’t really expose us to any surprises.

N- My first concert was a Hard Lessons show at the Flint Local, do you think Flint is going to turn around and become a fun city as it used to be way back when?

A-I still love Flint, like I still love Lansing and Detroit. But all three of those towns are not what they were a few years ago as far as heathy and supportive music scenes. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with the economy and they’ll come back eventually, but it has been a bit of a bummer.

N- What is your favorite one of your songs?

A-Right now playing the new songs off of Arms Forest are my favorite to play live. They’re some of our best, and that resonates with our fans.

N-Batman or Superman?

A-Superman, because he actually has real super powers. I’d love to be able to fly and bend steal.

N-If you watch LOST, do you have any theories about it?

A-I’ve never seen LOST. I don’t really watch television, except for CSI because it is always on at 3:00 am when we get home from gigs.

N- What is your favorite movie of ‘09?

A-I really liked “Where The Wild Things Are” because I grew up with that book, I love Spike Jonze, and Karen O’s soundtrack is amazing.

N-Favorite foods?

A-I could eat spaghetti everyday.

N- I’m going to ask my favorite James Lipton question from Inside the Actors Studio, When you get to Heaven, what do you want the Lord to say to you?

A-”You can come in”

N- If you weren’t a musician, what would you want to do?

A-Disappear

N-Country you would like to visit the most?

A- Australia

The Hard Lessons are true Michigan music, you can feel the state in their music. They are one of the VERY few bands that can transfer their music from record to stage and sound even better. Their music plays to whatever mood you are in and is guaranteed to put a grin on your face. Pick up their new album, Arms Forest now! They are also on tour. Thanks again guys!