Image via Dischord Records.
By DCist contributor Jessica Garson.
The sound of Alarms & Controls is representative of D.C.’s past, but with a new and refreshing twist that is a joy listen to. The new album by Alarms & Controls, Clovis Points, has thoughtful introspective lyrics making it a truly great album that begs for multiple spins.
Recently, DCist talked with guitarist/vocalist Chris Hamley about their new album, making the transition to singing, future plans to tour, and playing in D.C.
DCist: You have show coming up at the Black Cat?
Chris Hamley: Yeah, on December 3rd
DCist: You have a new record that just came out?
CH: We wanted to release a full-length because after that it’s much easier to book shows. After our 7-inch, we really made a strong push to finish these songs and get over to Magpie Cage, J. Robbins’ recording studio. It’s a lot work involved. Doing vocals is a harder for me than playing guitar. It was hard to get everything done, and we did not want to cut corners. It went well and I felt like the work we put in paid off.
Dischord has done a great job of getting the word out about our release. They’re great to work with. Our record was released on November 19th. We’re getting e-mails from all sorts of people in Germany hawking their tour manger skills.
DCist: Do you think you will tour Germany?
CH: At some point, we’re going to tour Europe. It’s just a matter of time. I mean we all have families and jobs. It’s a matter of us planning well in advance. I feel like it’s something we want to to do and I’m sure we will have an opportunity to do so.
DCist: Have you toured much?
CH: No not too much, someone just had a new baby. You know, our families take a lot of time. We’re going to do as much as we can. Maybe not unbroken stretches of weeks. Most likely when we tour there will be a lot of little clusters, like weekend tours.
DCist: You got started in 2010? How did you meet?
CH: I met Vin when he was in Crownhate Ruin. We played a few shows together but I didn’t know him that well. A couple of years after that we were in a Rock Opera together, the Nitrate Hymnal. It was Bob Massey’s production. I played guitar, it was like an orchestra and Vin did percussion work. We played together a few times at his house, and other things happened that drew us away. Eight years later, Vin called me and he was like “Hey, I’m moving, come pick up your amp.” When I picked it up, he confessed to me that he did not know why we stopped playing. So we decided to give it a roll again. It just sorta started after that, in that whole time I was keeping my eyes open to find to find someone to play with where it would work out.
A lot of times, people are not sure how much they want to do. People will say they want to get together and they never do. Vin was very measured and consistent about it. He was very supportive of things I wanted to try. That really helped the project get longevity. He’s really skilled and experienced.
DCist: You’ve been in a few bands in the past what’s different now?
CH: Well I’m singing now. I did a similar thing in Antimony, that was sorta a trio where Seth and I were singing. I’m older, I’m more confident about my ability to do things. I’m a little more centered and deliberate about getting things done. All of that makes a difference. It took me a while to get there. I think other people get there when they are younger, but you get there when you get there.
A lot of doing my own stuff, the musical part I had the ideas for. I wanted to try singing and there is a whole part of it that is based on lyrics. Some people’s approach is not to sweat that too much. For me, I could not feel good about doing it, unless I felt I did a good job with the lyrics. It needed to mean something at least to me. It might seem, not so straight forward, at least it’s coming from a specific idea to me and I feel I really represented it. It was a real stumbling block for a long time. I worked on it for a long time stopping and starting on trying to write songs. I could never follow through and finish the songs. I didn’t know why for a while but I learned it was because I didn’t get to the point where I’d write lyrics I could follow through with. There was one song, Kirtland’s Warbler, and it clicked and I thought “I can do this well.” I had that feeling for the first time and I was able to finish songs.
DCist: What do you like best about the new album?
CH: I’m really proud of the job I did on the song “Ocean of Storms.” I just like singing. There are some real challenges for me as a singer. I need to work at it and practice a lot before recording. It’s a song that has a complicated cord progression, and I feel really good about that. I made an effort to push hard to make sure the standard stayed high. I feel like it happened. We cared about and it came out well. There were no typical conflicts that bands have. It was a good experience.
DCist: What’s your favorite place to play in DC?
CH: The Black Cat backstage is great to play. The sound on the stage is really good. You get a good feel for what’s coming across in the audience. If it gives you a false idea, it’s a really good false idea that makes you feel more confident. You always have a great show playing the black cat. We also played Iota recently and I really liked playing it. It was a good experience.
Alarms & Controls play the Black Cat’s backstage tomorrow night with Soccer Team and Talk It. $10, doors at 8 p.m. Get your tickets here.
