This is Radio Freedom Q&A Interview with Matt

"His love of the world, his cause and his people is one of the most inspirational things that I've ever come across."

November 25, 2008, 04:00 AM

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Altsounds: Many are unfamiliar with This is Radio Freedom. This ain't on, guys. Could you give us a brief history of the band?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: Sure... we put this line-up together in January, after Sean, Dave and I drew what we were doing before to a close. We thought we'd put something together that had an obvious focus and mission statement, and see how much fun we could have shouting about things that we love.

Altsounds: Why will This is Radio Freedom strike sparks ANYwhere?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: Live, it's great. Rather than just trying to come across like normal guys who've grown up together and formed a band etc, we wanted to put something direct, forceful and memorable together. Whether you agree and think we've done it or not, I guess will only come from either seeing it live or listening to the record. But we think that there's been enough attention to the playing, the message, the stagecraft and the music to make it something for most folks, wherever across the globe that may be...

And we've also tried to wear our influences and inspirations a little clearer than some. There's a lot of things that we love in there, whether it's from the music, literary or political worlds. It means that there's a little more there than with a lot of music about. I'm not trying to put us on a pedestal - far from it. But there's clearly been a dearth of intelligence and passion in certain scenes for some times - and that's come from a mainstream acceptance and then clear dilution of what it was all about in the first place.

Altsounds: Obviously a band needs support from its audience, but do you think it's best to keep a mysterious air about This Is Radio Freedom, or just dive in there and become best mates with all and sundry? Which approach do you think works best, or which approach suits you best?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: I don't know. We're a sociable bunch - and so we do find ourselves out and about a lot, and we do meet a lot of folks. Of course you want to talk about what you do when it means a lot to you, but there's a lot of time needed to work that does pull you away from the crowd. I also think that in recent times there's not quite as much sense in trying to play the reclusive musician, when you've something that you want to talk to people about. The internet has changed everything about how people can get messages across - and so it seems pointless to not run with all that potential.

Altsounds: When it comes to fans – quality or quantity?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: Wow. Good question. There's nothing more rewarding than having someone write to you, or talk to you after a show and tell you that they get what you're doing - why you said something in particular, or what they've garnered from your music. But then - it's just as great when someone who's missed what you're trying to do but still managed to pull something positive out of it... so I'd say something of both. I can't be a liar and say that I'd rather two hundred people, all looking from exactly the same perspective is any better than thousands belting it back at you. Just different. Or so I'd hope to find out. We've not got there yet...

Altsounds: What was the driving force behind the writing on your EP?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: A few different things. Each song's coming from a slightly different place, but they're all about action. Activity. Politics has been a dirty word in music for a long time, but the counter-culture has been incredibly important to pop and rock music since their birth. 'Strike Sparks Anywhere' comes from a Hunter Thompson quote that I'd loved for some time - but the song itself is about the artists like him (loosely, I know that no-one's really like him) who sail close to the sun so that everyone else can push forwards in safety. I'm talking about people like Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, Norman Mailer. These were the men I was thinking about lyrically.

'Bombthreat' was loosely based on the political imprisonment of a Turkish poet called Nazim Hikmet. His work's incredible - and he managed to maintain hope through 12 years in prison. Incredible. His love of the world, his cause and his people is one of the most inspirational things that I've ever come across.

Altsounds: What are your 3 most important ingredients for the perfect pop record? (Pop not intended to be a dirty word.)
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: The riff, the hook and a cheeky wink. I don't think that we make very poppy music, and it's not what we aim to write. But that's not to say that I don't love it - and there's plenty of people doing pop now who have a clear understanding of what they're doing, and are in control of it. I'm not talking about major label puppets - but fortunately, the death of the majors is slowly moving away from that. Labels can't make as much money from singles, and so they need their artists to tour. It means that the talentless fuckers who used to top the charts and get worked into the ground for a year before they get dropped are being replaced by people who actually can perform live as it's the only real way to make money. So like what they do or not, at least more and more are actually able to do it properly.

Altsounds: What are your personal goals and aims as a band? Stadium grandeur, or keeping it real?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: Why not both? I'm not sure if what we do would ever go stadium, but I don't think that you have to compromise what you're trying to do by aiming high. Shoot for the moon, fuck it. More interesting that way.

Altsounds: You seem to be creating quite a hype in the US already, was that a planned move?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: No, not at all. But this is an independent operation in the extreme, and we've never had much cash behind it - so when we won a Sonicbids competition we ended up getting some three months worth of publishing and radio plugging over in the states, from a company called Tinderbox. All sorts of things that we couldn't really find the money for ourselves. The results were great, and we ended up on a load of college radio stations and with invites for North by Northeast, CMJ and a load of label interest. So it wasn't planned - we were hoping that people would like what we do, and it just turned out that some of America heard it first. That's fine, however it comes. We're just a bunch of attention junkies, so as long as someone's listening everything is fine!

Altsounds: In your experience, would you agree that US audiences think much more positively of new music, whereas in the UK it seems to be increasingly difficult to 'break through'?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: They're certainly more enthusiastic. In parts of the British music industry it's not all that cool to wear your heart on your sleeve - whereas there's not a lot of cynicism about that in North America. People are more interested in what you're doing when you give a fuck about it. Ideas get squashed quickly in British culture, whereas in the States people want to run with it. I was watching a programme the other week, which had an interview with a British guy living over there, who's the chief designer for Apple. He mentioned that as someone seeking to innovate and create, the environment there is much more positive... there's more to it than that, but that's certainly a possibility.

Altsounds: With Christmas just (still many) weeks away, what are you likely to be buying for each other?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: A ladder, some paint and some overalls. We're in the process of moving our studio into a warehouse space, which is going to make sure that Christmas isn't as much fun this year. If anyone's bored in North East London over the next two or three weeks, get in touch. We've a fair bit of painting to do in between writing sessions for the album!

Altsounds: What will you remember most about This is Radio Freedom's 2008?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: Headlining the closing party at North by Northeast was a hell of a night - it was a busy and exciting week. Good people, and passionate about the music. Valencia was pretty special too - the crowds in Spain are always up for it... I don't know. It's been a good year. For a few weeks at the start of it we were really concerned about getting the right players, and making sure that we could put together what we wanted to, and to the standard that we needed and still need it to be at. After some pretty full-on times to actually get it together for an Academy tour from scratch and have it appreciated like it was made it a pretty special few dates at the end of the tour.

Altsounds: Where do you expect to be by the end of 2009? What should we look out for from you?
This is Radio Freedom [Matt]: This studio had better be built, that's for sure. If we get the record done to the standard that we want it to be at, then I think we'll be well travelled by the end of next year. If we're moving around, and if we're getting responses like we have been... but in growing numbers... then who knows? Fuck it, it's been an adventure so far. And I can't see it getting boring for a fair while yet...

This Is Radio Freedom – Strikes Sparks Anywhere EP is out 1st December 2008 on Sidewalk and will be available to buy online at iTunes.

www.thisisradiofreedom.org

http://www.myspace.com/thisisradiofreedom

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