We’re still not sure whether “sounds like Weezer” is a compliment or a vicious insult in 2011, but the gents from A Million Years Ago wouldn’t agree either way. The Seattle-based four-piece will bring its fresh-roasted brand of pop to the Banana Stand January 29 alongside ORCA TEAM. Drummer Chris Byrne kindly answered a few of our questions and explained why rules about not throwing rocks apply to both glass houses and house parties.
Banana Stand: How long has the band been together in its current form? How did it come together?
Chris Byrnes: The current lineup has been less than a year. The other three had been playing together for a couple of years, with Seth playing drums. They asked me to join, and Seth moved over to guitar. He's good.
BS: How would you describe your sound? What are your key influences?
CB: I would say we're a pretty straight-forward pop band with a lot of big ideas. Someone recently told me that we sound like Weezer. I didn't get it.
BS: Tell us your thoughts about recording live. What makes you interested in recording live?
CB: Live recordings certainly have a specific energy that you can't make happen in the studio. Also, I guess there's something to be said for the imperfections that can come through. It makes a band seem more realistic.
BS: What's your favorite memory of a live show? Least favorite?
CB: Capitol Hill block party was definitely a fun show. We played in the bean room of a local coffee roaster. It smelled so good. Least fav: We played this shitty house in Seattle. Two songs into our set, Jordan's amp blew up due to some faulty wiring in the house. Then a crazy neighbor started throwing rocks or something, and the cops got called. They were total dicks.
BS: What are your favorite live albums?
CB: Sunny Day Real Estate, live in NYC. Fucking killer.
BS: What other projects are you all involved with?
CB: Jordan and Seth are actually working on a new folk band together (unnamed), Seth and I are in another band together called Sharkie, I am in a hardcore band I don't like talking about, and we all have tons of solo stuff that we don't really ever play.
BS: What are you working on lately?
CB: Next month, we'll be recording six songs for a digital, and possibly cassette release. In the meantime, we've been writing a lot of new songs, and hopefully have enough worked out to record again in the summer or something.
Huge thanks to A Million Years Ago's Chris Byrne for participating in our interview. A Million Years Ago is Chris, Seth, Dashel and Jordan. They're recording live at the Banana Stand on Saturday, January 29th with ORCA TEAM. You should totally be here: RSVP on Facebook.
You can find more from A Million Years Ago at amillionyearsago.com and on Facebook and MySpace.
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