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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
 Posted - 10/07/2009 : 03:59:16
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The Sheaf.
ARTISTS on ARTISTS: Shuyler Jansen
The Pixies stand the test of time with their
groundbreaking style
6 October 2009
GREG REESE
Arts Editor
“They established the airy girl vocal and
the guy vocal just grating. Kim Deal was
the good cop; Black Francis was the bad
cop.”
-Shuyler Jansen
on the Pixies
Shuyler Jansen moved to Saskatoon a number of years ago and has been blowing away the local alt-country
scene ever since.
Before that, his band Old Reliable was a mainstay of the Edmonton scene. He has toured nationally and
internationally countless times with Old Reliable, The Deep Dark Woods and as a solo artist. Jansen talked
with the Sheaf about the highly influential American band the Pixies — their influence during their own time
and in current music trends, mainstream and underground.
The Sheaf: When did you first encounter the Pixies?
Shuyler Jansen: Probably in the early ’90s. They started in like ’83 or so — in the mid ’80s — a similar time
to all the Dinosaur Jr, Husker Du and Replacements stuff, maybe a little later than that.
I had heard songs in clubs, like remixes. I think the album Doolittle was somewhat old by the time I heard it. I
mean I was hearing club remixes, right?
We used to hang out in the stairwells listening to the
tunes, because we didn’t really dance and we just
wanted to hang out and talk to the girls. Doolittle was one
of those classic albums that everyone had; every party
played The Pixies. I think they might have come to
Edmonton right before they broke up, but I didn’t see
them. I was probably too young at the time.
Sheaf: What attracted you to their sound?
Jansen: I think the thing I like the best is that they are a
band. In other words, every part of a song is integral; all the members have catchy, interesting contributions
to each song.
Basically, Black Francis and Kim Deal wrote the songs and eventually it was more of a Black Francis thing,
because Kim Deal was probably saving her songs for the Breeders. But the arrangements were a group
effort. Many of the songs must have started on a riff-jam.
Sheaf: Have they influenced your sound directly or indirectly?
Jansen: Probably some sonic influence. I don’t know that any of it would show other than that. Just tonal and
sonically; just my love for some form of abrasion once in a while, and delay and reverb. But I don’t think my
music sounds anything like theirs.
Sheaf: Are they still a band ?
Jansen: I think they got back together to do the entirety of a record at a concert, you know how bands do that
now? I think they were trying to make a new album but it was a disaster or something; I’m not sure. I think
that they like each other but only to a point. Black Francis is firing out records every year still and the
Breeders are doing some touring too.
Sheaf: Do you have a favourite album or song?
Jansen: I really like “This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven,” which is always a classic, and “Where is my Mind?” but
I don’t have a favourite album. They have many, many great-ass songs but they also have weird jams which
are album filler. So it’s better to make a Pixies mix-tape, in some ways.
Sheaf: How would you describe their aesthetic in words?
Jansen: There is a Mexican surf mentality, almost like a new genre, like Tex-Mex and the California surf thing
mixed together. But also this spazz abrasion and some super candy-ass pop songs like “Here Comes Your
Man.” But they invented the loud, quiet, loud thing — distortion on, off, on. Nirvana picked up on that and now
it has been done to the point that it makes people gag, like it’s done on mainstream radio all the time. That’s
what the documentary about the Pixies is called, loudQUIETloud. So that is a good way to describe their
aesthetic.
Sheaf: Were they college radio or mainstream radio?
Jansen: Mostly college radio. Near the end, there was a bit of mainstream FM because they opened up for
U2. Then they broke up. I assume the mainstream push kind of drove them apart. But since they broke up,
their reunion tour sold out in two minutes. They literally had to add a second date to every place they booked.
In the 10 years they were broken up, they probably gained in popularity tremendously.
Sheaf: What kind of bands do you associate with the Pixies then and now?
Jansen: I hear them in a lot of stuff now, both bad and good. They were peers of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur
Jr, the Meat Puppets — ’80s underground stuff. They probably were a massive influence on Nirvana and
from there all kinds of bad and good.
Probably the most obvious influence is Mother Mother. Sometimes they sound dead on to the Pixies; still, I
don’t really listen to them. And the Killers definitely. But you don’t need to put that in the article; nobody needs
to hear about them.
Sheaf: Why do you think they have such staying power?
Jansen: They wrote good songs and there was a nice variety on the records. They were just exciting. They
made good records. The production of their records was probably better than their peers, they had better
arrangements and recording than a lot of the lo-fi blanket production that went on in the ’80s. You listen to
Surfa Rosa and the drum sound is amazing. It is clearly good tapes, good mics, good pre-amp and a good
room.
Plus, the girl boy thing. They established the airy girl vocal and the guy vocal just grating. Kim Deal was the
good cop; Black Francis was the bad cop. They were the first with the hot girl bass player. Indie boys came to
watch her and probably girls too. The Pixies are like indie rock 101; all the great clichés. They’re a good
archetype or whatever. Not that I want anyone to start an indie rock band; there are enough already.
Shuyler Jansen is embarking on a west coast tour, ending at Amigos on Oct. 30. |
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 04:57:17
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This is an amazingly un-researched article talking to an amazingly un-informed Pixies fan.
But thanks, Carl!
- Brian |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 09:23:56
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| Yeah, the guy does sound pretty clueless in parts of that interview. I don't read The Sheaf, speedy. It just popped up in my Google Alerts. |
Edited by - Carl on 10/07/2009 09:24:44 |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 10:08:36
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Well it's still odd that the U of S newspaper, that I barely read when I went there, is on your radar.
But again, Shuyler's a good dude. I have no idea what that article is supposed to be about or why it exists. It sounds like a private conversation where he's just shooting the shit about a band he likes some and knows a little about.
He did do a nice cover of Where Is My Mind solo acoustic last week. Sounded like what I imagine the song would sound like if Frank had wrote it during the SMYT era.
www.myspace.com/thepeacoats |
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pot
> Teenager of the Year <
Iceland
3910 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2009 : 12:29:20
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I thought that was a pretty good article, made a lot of sense to me. Though I don't expect me saying so will earn me a promotion.
*emergency crappy askiitobee*
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Edited by - pot on 10/07/2009 12:30:15 |
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Ziggy
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
2463 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2009 : 02:28:39
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| It's annoying to read someone confidently stating 'facts' that are just wrong. |
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danjersey
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
2792 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2009 : 17:14:33
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I see a new talk show in the works
Edit;
After my initial wise ass post I checked out some of his stuff on youtube (I need to get out more) and if I was at a bar where he and The Deep Dark Woods were playing I think I would be content. They're a good band.
The Alt Country label has gotta go though, to me that just means sans mullet and phony drawl
Great song located below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYVpY7oHEXY&feature=related
If anyone has a download of this I would sure appreciate it
It's not every day that you come across a great new song
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Edited by - danjersey on 10/08/2009 21:42:10 |
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
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danjersey
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
2792 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2009 : 13:12:27
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| But that is Shuyler singing with them in the video, isn't? |
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pot
> Teenager of the Year <
Iceland
3910 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2009 : 01:27:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Ziggy
It's annoying to read someone confidently stating 'facts' that are just wrong.
What factual inconsistencies did he state then? I just wondered, I'm not in the  loop you see.
*emergency crappy askiitobee*
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2009 : 04:50:19
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quote:
Originally posted by danjersey
But that is Shuyler singing with them in the video, isn't?
Oh, yes.
I'd never seen that before.
www.myspace.com/thepeacoats |
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Chris Knight
= Cult of Ray =
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2009 : 19:23:18
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quote:
Originally posted by pot
quote:
Originally posted by Ziggy
It's annoying to read someone confidently stating 'facts' that are just wrong.
What factual inconsistencies did he state then? I just wondered, I'm not in the loop you see.
*emergency crappy askiitobee*
"They started in like ’83 or so ... a similar time to all the Dinosaur Jr, Husker Du and Replacements stuff"
Pixies started in '86. Husker Du and Replacements started way earlier.
"Basically, Black Francis and Kim Deal wrote the songs and eventually it was more of a Black Francis thing"
Black Francis wrote everything himself except "Gigantic" and "Silver".
"I think they were trying to make a new album but it was a disaster or something"
speculation at best
"I really like 'This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven'"
"Monkey Gone To Heaven"
To be fair, the guy never said he was a Pixies expert. |
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joe FITZ of molly BANG
= Cult of Ray =
USA
349 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2010 : 04:59:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Broken Face
This is an amazingly un-researched article talking to an amazingly un-informed Pixies fan.
- Brian
soooo true. hahaha!!! i love it. the history of the pixies according to some guy.
________________________________
if you are bored please check out the new song I just wrote / recorded today. my debut on the harmonica. the song is called "get outta here". my band: www.myspace.com/mollybang
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Alt-country artist Shuyler Jansen on Pixies.
