UTG INTERVIEW: The Black Clouds

Under The Gun is happy to bring you this exclusive interview with New Jersey’s own alternative grunge quartet, The Black Clouds.

Earlier this year, the band released Better Days, their newest album that they wrote, produced, and recorded themselves. Recently, the band took some time to speak with us about that DIY process with Better Days, as well as some upcoming plans and the importance of putting in an effort to interact with their fans. Read through the break to get the scoop on all this and more from The Black Clouds.

The thought of black clouds would generally evoke a sense of gloominess, or even perhaps a bad day. Do you feel that your music fits into these categories in any way, whether it be in terms of theme or sound?
I think there’s definitely an element of darkness to both the theme and sound. I like to think there’s a bit of positivity in there too, though. It all really depends on your mindset when listening, I’d imagine. People generally hear what they want to hear.

How did The Black Clouds originally form?
The band formed in 2004 when another band I was in, Sunshine Flipside, broke up. We started calling ourselves The Black Clouds in 2006. I had a bunch of tunes written so I got a few friends together, we started playing a load of shows and eventually recorded our first record, Wishing Well.

How did you come to decide what type of music you would play? Did this just come naturally?
We grew up in the late 80s/early 90s so the alternative/grunge scene was definitely a big influence. We’re really into 60s and 70s classic rock and punk as well like The Beatles, early Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, the Stooges, The Dickies etc. It all comes through in the tunes at one point or another.

Better Days just released this year. How would you describe the album to someone who hasn’t had the chance to listen through it?
It’s a solid rock record. Alternative rock with a touch of classic rock and punk.

What influences played an important role with how this album developed and what the end result became?
I think the short period of time that we allotted to record Better Days influenced it the most. It kept it honest and ensured that we didn’t over-think it.

You guys have your own studio and record there from what I’ve gathered. How has this convenience and accessibility had an affect on the band? What would you say it means to be DIY in this day and age?
It had a huge effect on us. We have the capability of recording records whenever and however we want without the stress of having to pay hourly.

The money that we save in the recording stage makes it possible for us to work with producers that we hugely admire such as Jack Endino and John Agnello in the mixing stage. Being DIY these days is the same as it’s always been. If you really believe in what you do, you’re REALLY inspired to do the work and you’re cool with being broke/completely uncomfortable for an extended amount of time, you can do almost anything.

If you could choose 4 bands, currently active or previously defunct, to accompany you on a national tour, who would you choose?
If you mean bigger bands: Them Crooked Vultures, Mudhoney, Soundgarden and The Pixies. If you’re talking about indie bands: NCM, METZ, Pissed Jeans and The Sex Zombies.

So now that Better Days is out, what has the band been working on? Any touring plans? Writing new material?
We’re working on setting up a tour for the summer to support Better Days. We’ve also been working on a bunch of new tunes. We have over half of the next record written already!

Who are some of your guys’ musical idols that you feel have helped shape and inspire the musicians you’ve become?
There are way too many to name. Generally we’ve been trying to follow in the footsteps of musicians that take music into their own hands and aren’t afraid of change. Some good examples are Frank Black, Dave Grohl, Beck, Jack White, Josh Homme etc. They’re all really inspirational.

Looking back on the writing and recording process for Better Days, now that it’s released and you’ve had the chance to absorb it from a more outside perspective, is there anything you think you would have done differently that may play a role in your next album process?
Not really. The recording of Better Days was pretty fun and smooth. We all learn a few new things every time we’re in the studio that make the next experience a little smoother. At this point, we’re pretty confident and comfortable in the studio. The coolest part of recording Better Days was that we only gave ourselves a month to record it. We actually booked the mixing session a month in advance before we even started recording. A few of the tunes were written in the studio during that month as well.

I see that you guys tend to actually interact with fans on your social networks. What do you feel is the importance of maintaining that relationship with your fanbase?
We’re music fans ourselves. It’s one of the main reasons we write music/record records. I’ve always had a lot of respect for musicians that are accessible and actually give a shit about the people that dig their tunes. Bands that don’t respect and communicate with their fanbase are lame.

So what’s the ultimate goal for The Black Clouds? What effect do you want your contributions to have in the music world?
Complete world domination. We want to get our tunes out to as many people as humanly possible and to show that it’s possible to make cool records on your own.

 
Written and conducted by: Brian Lion – Follow him on Twitter

Brian Leak
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