Undiscovered Band Of The Month: The Antiques

We’ve made it halfway through 2008 and with that we’ve seen some amazing up-and-coming musicians. As Summer approaches, FILTER is excited to introduce our new band of the month, The Antiques. Both musically and lyrically, the soon to be released album, Cicadas is on par with Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or an abridged version of the Beatles’ The White Album.  It represents the new skin that the band has developed since its beginnings five years ago.  Suitably, the album is titled Cicadas, and it is truly a masterpiece. The album was recorded and mixed by Scott Solter, producer of The Mountain Goats, Okkervil River, and John Vanderslice.  Throughout the twenty day session, the band experimented with their indie-folk-rock sound, incorporating instruments beyond their usual repertoire like steel drums, Hammond organs, and banjos.  They also added more obscure sounds like the recording of a wire recorder, vocals put through Leslie speakers, and even the sound of the cicadas, which all added beautiful textures to the band’s beautiful superb melodies.

The Antiques: www.myspace.com/theantiques

Who are your main influences?
These rotate, but mainstays include classics such as Neil Young and the Beatles; and more recently Tim Bluhm and M Ward - and authors like Steinbeck and Gabriel Garcia Marquez

How did you meet?
We met in college at Santa Barbara, several bands later and here we are

What is your biggest achievement as a band to date?
Driving from Flagstaff to Nashville in a day without rest to make it on time to record the record in north Carolina with Scott Solter.

Where did the band name originate?
The name came from an idea taken from a Dylan song about a walking antique.  We just shortened it to make it easy

Favorite Bands?
The Rolling Stones to Wilco and Paul Simon to Elliott Smith

Plans to Tour?
Yes, in support of Cicadas in late August and into the fall - mostly California and the west coast

Plans for next release? 
Songs are currently brewing and another release may be on its way for 2009

Comments

[geography boy]

even more impressive than them making the drive from flagstaff to nashville in one day so they could record in north carolina is the fact that they were able to record in north carolina while in tennessee. i'm guessing he meant "Asheville"?

[Banter Records]

The album was recorded in a small town outside of Charlotte, North Carolina called Monroe. The band drove all day and night from Flagstaff, AZ to Nashville, TN, where they stopped to rest. Then, they drove down to Athens, GA for a night, up the coast to Wilmington, NC for another night, and in to Monroe to record. The long drive proved worthwhile as it gave The Antiques time to settle in to the East Coast, visit a few places, and get their heads in the right place to record. Although it was a grueling ride, it's definitely a good story to tell in detail. You should come to a show and hear the full story. In the meantime, check out some tracks: www.myspace.com/theantiques

[literal guy]

even more impressive than a fool with a voice is the fool with a voice that can't think beyond the scope of what he reads.

the human brain is truly a piece of art, or in some cases, a piece of something.