Monday, August 8, 2011
Death Cab for Cutie Interview
In 2000 hardly anyone had heard of Death Cab for Cutie. They had two albums to their name, a new EP, and were getting airtime from a few college radio stations. In their home of the Pacific Northwest they were treated to leading band status, but for the most part they were still opening shows for others and scraping by. A lot has changed since then. They've released two more albums and their 5th full length is set to drop August 30th. After being namechecked incessantly on "The OC," being featured on "Six Feet Under," and seeing their videos find heavy rotation on MTV2, Death Cab has emerged as the most successful indie rock band to break mainstream audiences. You may have also heard lead singer Ben Gibbard's side project, The Postal Service, whose debut album went on to be used in dozens of TV shows, movies, and sell over 100,000 copies. On November 4th, 2000, after Death Cab finished opening for Pedro the Lion, my friend Jordan and I followed Ben outside and chatted him up. The following is the first interview I ever did.
Interview with Death Cab for Cutie
Aug 13, 2004 - © **
In indie circles, Death Cab for Cutie has had a healthy buzz for a number of years. With the release ofTransatlanticism (their best record to date) and the help of some prominent endorsements (such as onThe OC), the band's mainstream profile is now bigger than ever. Having just signed up alongside Pearl Jam for a quick jaunt through swing states on the Vote for Change tour, Death Cab will have another chance to take their music to a very large audience. Guitarist/producer Chris Walla, who has also done a slew of notable behind-the-boards work for some of the better bands in the Pacific Northwest (The Long Winters, The Decemberists and Carissa's Wierd among them), takes some time to catch us up on all the progress.
ADAM: Thanks for doing our interview, Chris. How's life?
CHRIS: Life is quite good, thanks for asking. It's hot in Seattle this week, and my windows are painted shut, but that's a minor complaint.
Death Cab for Cutie
Biography
Death Cab for Cutie is an American indie rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Chris Walla (guitar), Nicholas Harmer (bass), and Jason McGerr (drums).
Death Cab began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard, now the band’s vocalist and guitarist. Gibbard took the band name from the satirical song Death Cab for Cutie, performed by The Bonzo Dog Band in The Beatles’ 1967 experimental film Magical Mystery Tour. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette titled You Can Play These Songs With Chords; the release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the band into a complete project. He recruited Chris Walla (who had also worked on the cassette) as an electric guitarist, Nick Harmer as bass guitarist, and Nathan Good to play drums.
Death Cab began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard, now the band’s vocalist and guitarist. Gibbard took the band name from the satirical song Death Cab for Cutie, performed by The Bonzo Dog Band in The Beatles’ 1967 experimental film Magical Mystery Tour. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette titled You Can Play These Songs With Chords; the release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the band into a complete project. He recruited Chris Walla (who had also worked on the cassette) as an electric guitarist, Nick Harmer as bass guitarist, and Nathan Good to play drums.
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