Three Stars: Greenland

Greenland, however, also has its own distinct identity. They are arty, experimental and ambitious in their own right, closing the set with nice melodies and a raucous “he said the world was made to die” shouted repeatedly. At this the audience was both rattled and enraptured. The band continued to jam in the background as Jamie said in a fatigued, serious voice, “I got a word – Scotch. We’re gonna drink it, but first we have to pack up the gear and drive. Then we’ll drink it.” He paused for a moment as the music began to rise. As it did he concluded, confused, “For once I have nothing to say – it’s like that Belle & Sebastian song,” dancing above the abyss of theatrical pretensions. Impressively, this DCist and the audience went with it. We were sold on Greenland.

Visit Them at: http://www.myspace.com/greenland.

See Them Next: at the Rock-n-Romp Showcase at The Quarry House TONIGHT!

Questions for Greenland:

How did you start as musicians and come into the D.C. music scene?

Jamie: I grew up in Northern Virginia (Tony did too when we where tykes then he moved to the Europe) and we all started making music in college. This includes both of our more permanent drummers. I moved back in w/ my parents after college and Tony moved over here and we started to make music.

Tony: Well I first met Jamie in 1985 but we weren’t exactly making music back then. I grew up overseas and played in different sorts of bands throughout elementary and high school. A good friend of mine, Nicky Dayal, kept me interested in playing guitars and being in bands. I had a café gig in Italy for a bit playing British/American cover tunes. Eventually in 1999/2000 Jamie and I met up again in Virginia and started a lot of the groundwork for what is now Greenland.

Favorite Venues?

Jamie: Wembley; Hammersmith.

Tony: We just played Fort Reno and it was such a pleasure being able to play outside in great weather like that to a very mixed audience. DC9 is a great venue with some great sound guys.

What do you like most about the D.C. music scene?

Jamie: It's hard to say I've never been involved in another. There's a lot of different things going on. I am no authority. The Points are my 
favorite DC band. Apparently.I wrote that on my hand last Saturday night; it could be true.

Tony: There are a lot of very good, very down to earth bands working very hard at what they want to do.

And the least?

Tony: I think most peoples answer would be that the lack of industry infrastructure in D.C., compared to other cities, hinders the progression of a lot of bands to get to that next level. That and getting more people into the music that’s going on can be very challenging but that’s not necessarily unique to D.C..

I personally see similarities in your music to Interpol and Mission of Burma. Do you get that (often)? If so, how do you explain it.

Jamie: We've gotten the Interpol thing off and on. Tony's got kind of a Peter Hook thing going on at times (though he's a smidge better) and I have a bit of a baritone so there you go. Tony’s not a bass player, but he plays bass like guitar, with chords. It comes off sounding very angular like a lot of post-punk. He sounded really good, so we just stuck. I'm not sure if it goes further than that. Tony's listened to them more carefully than me.

Mission of Burma I've seen a couple of times and they are one of my favorite bands. When we first started we were self-consciously informed by them. It's been a while sense I've listened to them though. We're both cheeky singing fellows and we love a spare sound so there you have it.

Tony: I get that because both of those bands represent genres of rock music that we listen to. I think overall we relate a little more to Mission of Burma than Interpol. However, musically we do from time to time give a good tip of the cap to “post-punk”. Basically what I’m trying to say is that being compared to either of those bands is very flattering.

On your MySpace page you cite "misc. postwar blues" as an influence. Are you referring to Elvis?

Jamie: No--I think we would have just said "Elvis." For a while we were getting into Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Otis Spann -- my real first loves in terms of listening to music. My first bands involved me on harmonica singing about blues themed stuff I knew absolutely nothing about. And trash cans. There were trashcans and kazoos and washboards. It's really a quality of feeling and sparity that we get from that stuff, if anything.

Tony: I think we meant postwar greats like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. Of course those guys and others like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry paved the way for Elvis and eventually the Beatles as well. Since the Beatles and a lot of other blues/r’n’b British invasion groups are a big influence on us, it would be pretty tough not to mention those amazing postwar blues players.

How was adjusting to the Adam leaving the band? How's it working with "Fresh Meat" Duran?

Jamie: Ha ha. "Fresh Meat". His name's Mike now. He's through the hazing, self-esteem reasonably intact. I should update myspace. Personally, playing with Adam really influenced the way I play and what I expect to hear, so it will take time, getting reasonably tight and ironing out the kinks. But I really like the new sound.

Tony: Adjusting to parting ways with Adam was very tough because he is a dear friend and a very talented musician. Luckily for us we were able to keep our heads together and continue writing. We played a few shows as a duo, which helped us focus on singing and bringing a new approach to some of the older songs. We also had the great opportunity of playing/ practicing with some really talented drummers before Mike came into the picture. Having Mike in the band is great. We had been in a band with him a few years back so it’s very comforting to have him back there. He’s such a dynamic player and he’s always willing to take the time to find the best beat for the song even if it’s rather stripped down.

Your lyrics and delivery are very literary. Was the line "I got a word -- scotch," at the end of the last song of your set a lyric or just a statement? Where does that earnest spoken word fit into your music’s message?

Jamie: Ummm. I was just talking to my brother. He was at the show and I was saying we were gonna go drink scotch afterwards. Which we didn't. Did it seem earnest? I felt kind of stupid. I like improvising, but sometimes I just end up babbling and that's no good. Generally our lyrics are worked over obsessively but some are completely off the cuff. I wonder if people can tell the difference?

Also I'm not sure what you mean by "literary." Does it sound like writing? Some of our lyrics are revised to the point of abstraction and some are way more off the cuff. Most of them are rather personal. Results vary. They're sometimes seen as my pet project but Tony always helps edit and writes many of them as well. Writing can be a very personal thing so it's a rare gift that I've found someone who I can work with. Also the writing's getting more political/cultural (indirectly and through a ambiguous narrator, of course) and I'm excited about that.

Tony: Those are lyrics I can relate to!

What is “Forward Frame to Frame” about?

Jamie: It’s actually part of a three song arc about Greenland, where we get the name of our band from. We don’t play the other two parts that often anymore. I like the idea of places that are desolate but have potential, like in Modest Mouse’s “Moon and Antarctica.” Personally and lyrically, the song is about the struggle to move from emotion toward logic after a break up. Most of the songs are about breakups, they are a good window through which to see life.

Do you construct the more complicated vocal arrangements separately from the music or with the music?

Jamie: When coming up with [vocal] harmonies and melodies we often have to stop and figure them out with some simple guitar chord accompaniment. If that's what you mean. A problem that comes up is I have these long rambling lines and getting them to fit melodies is a problem so we often have to decide which is more important. A whole lot of our ideas are vocal. Tony used to sing from school plays and church. We both sing instinctively. A lot of what we do is trying to make up for the set-back of being a three-piece. We layer vocals and have dense lyrics to make up [for that].

The best ones often start as a joke. The end of the last song we always play, for example, combines the end of "Born to Run" with a stupid little idea ripped from "A Quick One While He's Away." We're always copping people. I think that's a very important musical skill.

Tony: Generally speaking, all of the vocal arrangements are very natural. Whatever sounds the best normally wins out and often we’ll arrange the music/lyrics around what sounds best vocally.

Though you have garnered a lot of buzz in D.C. for a while, you are currently unsigned. Are you waiting for the right deal or is there some other reason?

Jamie: We just have to get our shit together and we'll be fine. We need more recorded material. It's a sin how much material we have and how little of it is recorded. We'd record it ourselves but that's exhausting and it cuts into working on playing/writing. As soon as we're tight enough with Mike we're going into some kind of studio to record a bunch of songs.

Tony: We’re waiting to do some more recording and then find the right deal with the right people.