Crayonsmith
Dublin’s Crayonsmith have just released their second album, ‘White Wonder’. It’s a midget gem of a record, fuzzy and warm like children’s mittens, where Sebadoh bear hugs Grandaddy and Sonic Youth and they all get along. Since their formation in 2004, the band has attracted attention from all the right people, garnering high-profile support slots with Quasi, The Decemberists and Sparklehorse. Now, slap-bang in the middle of their own Irish tour, frontman Ciaran Smith spills the beans on putting ‘White Wonder’ together.
Your new album is released by the groovy label Out On A Limb records. How did that connection come about?
They had seen us play a good few times as a lot of our early gigs were with bands on their roster. At the end of 2006 they offered to put out our next album. We had great admiration for them from the get-go. It just felt right to be working with people who share a similar point of view and taste in music and who are upfront, hardworking and down to earth.
How did you first get into music?
I was given a Monkees mixtape when I was seven and soon after a Beach Boys Greatest Hits where the melody of the songs really pulled me in. Later, I got into The Prodigy and techno and I was really taken by the busy beats and the sense of movement in the music. The way it could make a person react by moving their body. I noticed that in hip-hop it could be scaled down to where there’s just a beat or loop and a catchy melody or phrase. Like with ‘White Lines’ by Grandmaster Flash. That is the song, and no matter what you threw on top, if those basic ingredients weren’t there, it didn’t interest me.
There is a wide range of reference points in your music. What other bands floated your boat when you were growing up?
When I was 18, I got into Pavement, Grandaddy, Elliott Smith and Sebadoh. I just became fascinated by American indie music and the sense of melody and wordplay. The production and feel of the recordings. I saw Sebadoh do a show with just Lou, Jason and a boom-box playing basic beats recorded on a kit and I was blown away. Those amazing songs with just a hint of percussion to enhance them and they brought the house down. That, coupled with the above, helped me to know exactly what I wanted to do after that. That hasn’t changed with other members Ruadhan and Ronan coming onboard. We’ve been friends for the last ten years, and we listen to a lot of the same music. They know that you can’t add bass or keys to a song that’s not really there.
Last year you toured with Sparklehorse. That must have been pretty special.
Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse is one of my favourite artists and producers. When I finished ‘Stay Loose’ I sent him a copy of the album just to say thank you for being a positive influence. I got an email saying that he really liked my music and asking if I would be interested touring with them in the UK and Ireland. Both Mark and the whole Sparklehorse crew were very friendly. The whole tour was great and the crowd were very warm and welcoming. Mark and I would talk about films and film composers, where we grew up, musical gear and recording techniques. We still stay in touch which is really cool.
You’ve toured with the great and the good of indie darlings. How did you find yourself on their radar?
For The Decemberists, we got in touch with them through MySpace and they really liked the music and would like us to play. For Quasi, we were asked by Belfast promoter Darren Smyth. He’s a lovely bloke.
‘White Wonder’ is much more expansive than your debut. Did you deliberately move away from the lo-fi sound of your debut?
‘Stay Loose’ was an album where I limited myself to a certain amount of gear and hoped that the songs would shine through. For ‘White Wonder’ I wanted the beats to sound bigger and all the instrumentation to be a lot clearer. It was great having someone else in charge of the recording this time. Steve Shannon did a great job and has some really cool gear in his studio which really added to the songs. He’d always find ways to achieve what we wanted so that eliminated a lot of headaches.
Was ‘White Wonder’ influenced by any other bands in particular?
In terms of this album, I had been listening to Why?, Of Montreal, Mice Parade, Subtle, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Sonic Youth, The Prodigy’s older stuff, Aphex Twin.
Now that the album’s out, what are your hopes for this tour and for the future?
We want to put our name and theirs out there outside Ireland. We’re touring the album in Ireland for the whole of April and topping it off by opening for Why? in Dublin. We can’t wait for that. Then my friend Nick “Diamonds” Thorburn from Islands has asked us to tour with them in America for the last two weeks of June. We’re delighted about that. I’ll get on to all the friends I made there last year and we’ll try and set up more shows so we’re over there for at least a month.
Crayonsmith play the following dates this month –
Thursday April 17 – Two Step @ The Limelight, Belfast
Saturday April 19 - Album launch @ The Academy, Dublin
with guests Cap Pas Cap & Bats. Doors 8pm, €5 in
Saturday April 26 - Andrew’s Lane Theatre, Dublin (supporting Why?)
Interview by Ross Thompson
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