LAist Band Interview: Remote (Part 2 of 2)

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PART 2 of 2

The members of Remote have known one another since elementary school and kindergarten. Despite their differing styles, they share a core love of music and a lack of pretense.

Continue reading part two of our interview to find out how Tal and Ran balance being brothers and musicians, without suffering an Oasis-style implosion.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring musician, what would it be?

Ethan: I think the first thing, you know, is to find a good band name.

Ran: I agree with that. I think it's also important to think about the music first. It's not about how long it takes, it's about how good the music is. Play out a lot and rehearse a lot.

Tal: In LA, I think you need to keep focused. Bands who are elsewhere don't get sucked into [the scene]. For us, we've been taking our time. We're all locals, so we didn't come out here for Celebrity Poker. We're just concerned about impressing ourselves and that's a good barometer for any band, I think.

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Describe your sound, or what you're trying to accomplish with your music.

Tal: We definitely have an itch not to corner ourselves or be defined by just one thing, but to just constantly experiment so we feel like we have this open canvas so people won't say, "that's not like you're other stuff." We won't be pigeon-holed. Even though it's not commercial or expedient, in the long-run I think we would rather have that creative freedom.

Ran: Because, the music is also about having fun, too. Certain songs do push the envelope lyrically and musically. It's hard to describe... we want to try things nobody's tried. Those can be the most fun to pull-off live. As far as categorizing ourselves, that's a tough one.

How did you decide to collaborate with Avishai Cohen for the song “Add it Up?”

Band: Avishai Cohen is a trumpet player in Third World Love... I had this song that had a flavor that needed a little bit of trumpet. We didn't want it to come off Latin, but he said that something he specialized in was playing with effects and I was totally into trying that out.

With whom would you most like to collaborate as a band (local or otherwise) on your next project?

Tal: That changes all the time. Until the opportunity comes, you get excited about something that's going on out there. We'd like to work with other people. We'd have fantasies of working with Peter Gabriel to David Bowie.

Ran: I've been honing the sound of Remote through the year as a producer...for me, it would be wonderful to co-produce...it would be such a relief. Royksopp would be a cool collaboration. But we haven't thought of anyone specific.

Tal and Ran, how is it working together as brothers and musicians in Remote?

Tal: I think we're very passive-aggressive. Yesterday my brother played a song to me saying, "we don't see eye to eye." It's a very honest experience, because we say everything to each other.

Ran: We can be very mean to each other but five minutes later we get over it. There's been maybe one time throughout all of Remote where we got to each other. As brothers we know how to get to that soft stuff.

What was the first album you purchased (or an album that made you realize you wanted to be a musician?)

Ran: I can remember being into music for a while, but the album that really did it for me was Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts...I remember, In the 5th grade [Tal and I] dressed up like the beatles with two other guys.

Tal: I remember... winning a dance competition and winning "Our House In the Middle of Our Street" by Madness. That was the first 45 I ever earned the hard way.

Ethan: The earliest CD I can remember owning is this record of Disney songs. I'd play the electric light parade over and over... it had these really weird 70s synthesizers. I do remember everything changing for me when I got into Jane's Addiction in junior high. I remember thinking Bon Jovi was heavy. It definitely turned everything upside down for me in a good way.

Mike: I just remember hearing the people in line behind me once... talking about this new song... It was by Dire Straights. I was a Mark Knopfler fan after that.

What are the top songs in your iPod right now?

Tal: Arcade Fire.

Ran: The most intriguing music I've heard lately is the soundtrack to Winny the Poo. (I have a 20 month old son, so I hang out with him a lot. Carly Simon wrote the music for these Poo movies and they're heart warming)

Ethan: Nine Inch Nails' "Broken"

Mike: Ministry's "Worker Love"

When you aren't performing, what's your favorite thing to do in LA?

Ethan: I love spending my Sunday mornings at the Griddle on Sunset. It's amazing, you'll never finish the food. They have so many types of pancakes, like chocolate chip pancakes [and] M&M pancakes.

Mike: I like Morton's on Melrose. I like to sleep. I like St Nick's on Third Street. They have the best cheeseburger.

Name one thing your fans probably don't know about the band?

Ran: I'm what would be considered in this art form a "mentalist." It's a more adult branch of magic.

Tal: I think he's trying to avoid saying he's a magician... You think Spinal Tap was weird. On Halloween night, you never know what'll happen!

When is new music coming out?

We're really excited about the new material. We might release an EP just to release some material. There's no time table yet. We want to promote our current record. We're building a new studio in Van Nuys, so we want to record the whole thing there to give it a good sound.

What's your overall goal as a band?

Ethan: I want to keep pushing the live show and tighten up. I think we're a good live band, I think our record sounds really good. So I want to have the kind of live show where someone sees it and becomes a fan.

Tal: Our goal is to be able to do what we love, and to live and survive while we do it. If we want to be remembered for anything, it's that we make good music.

It's 9pm on a Thursday, where were you before the interview, and where are you headed afterwards?

Ran: Tal and I have been in the studio for the last 8 hours.

Tal: I'm currently homeless... I'm just bouncing around from place to place. After this I'm going to see a show at Hotel Cafe.

Mike: I came straight from work and the 405... after this I'll grab food.

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Ethan: I'm currently on crutches so I'm at everyone's mercy.

Where can fans see you next?

October 31st show at Cine-Space.