|
RM : Well , I think that ’ s part of what we have , is an instinct for doing stuff where , you know , you sometimes have to just take a chance and go down a path , and you don ’ t know what it ’ s going to lead to . But hopefully , it will lead to something that will break a log jam or lead you into new territory . But you just have to take new chances , and that ’ s what it ’ s all about – not being safe with what you ’ re doing . And then , hopefully , you ’ ll make more right decisions than
wrong decisions , but you have to kind of keep pushing yourself all the time , and I think that ’ s what Sparks has always done .
IE : Well , you and Wright made the movie in 2019 , but it didn ’ t premiere until 2021 , and then you were caught up in all its promotion . But right after , you got busy with this new album , right ? And what aesthetic left turns did you feel happening then that you responded to musically ? RM : Well , you know , it ’ s not as cut-and-dried as that . It was just more like we would go in and try to do something that was really bold , and that doesn ’ t sound like it ’ s coming from a band that has this long of a history . And so we set out to do that each time we started with a new album , to try to come up with something that ’ s just current and modern , and yet still working within the parameters of what Sparks is , with Ron ’ s lyrical slant and my singing and his melodic approach , but to find fresh ways to present it . So it ’ s kind of not more than that , really .
|
IE : So was there an actual girl in a cafe , crying ? Where everybody had blue coffee cups ? RM : No , I mean , a lot of the stories are just plucked out of thin air in a certain way . I mean , obviously , we go to cafes , and we observe things , too . But I don ’ t thinkit ’ s anythingthatspecificallyhappened – it ’ s just more about storytelling and coming up with an idea that we thought was really striking , that ’ s relatable , and it ’ s speaking about one ’ s isolation , too . You ’ re
going into the cafe on your own , and you ’ re by yourself , and for whatever reason , this girl was crying , and all the girls who follow up , who enter the cafe , they ’ re also in a similar situation . So what you can take from it is it ’ s speaking about isolation and loneliness , and people maybe just finding some refuge in going to a cafe where there ’ s other people to at least feel like they ’ re a part of something .
IE : Where do you guys live now ? And do you live close enough to each other where one can call up the other and say , “ Hey – I ’ ll see ya down at the cafe ”? RM : Yeah . We both live in L . A ., and we are close to each other – a ten-minute drive away , so we can kind of do that . But when there was the lockdown , we were pretty … well , locked down . He had his place and I had my place , and we were fortunate , though , that we could still work and just send things to each other , even though we probably didn ’ t see each other that much during that period because we didn ’ t want to expose each other to any possible stuff . So we kept working diligently through that time because , fortu-
|
newreleases
June 2
Avenged Sevenfold Life Is But A Dream ... Ben Folds What Matters Most Cowboy Junkies Such Ferocious Beauty Foo Fighters But Here We Are Jack Johnson In Between Dub John Mellencamp Orpheus Descending Protomartyr Formal Growth In The Desert Rancid Tomorrow Never Comes
June 9
Godflesh Purge Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Weathervanes Jenny Lewis Joy ' All Rob Grant Lost At Sea The Boo Radleys Eight
|
June 16
Deer Tick Emotional Contracts Django Django Off Planet Gov ' t Mule Peace ... Like A River Kool Keith Black Elvis 2 Queens of the Stone Age In Times New Roman … Yusuf / Cat Stevens King Of A Land
|
June 23
Albert Hammond Jr . Melodies On Hiatus Jason Mraz Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride Kelly Clarkson Chemistry Kim Petras Feed The Beast M . Ward Supernatural Thing Wye Oak Every Day Like The Last
|
Godflesh |
Rancid |
Continued on page 29 |
|
Mesa / Boogie Mark VII
also in : Badlander , Fillmore , California Tweed , Mk V 35 , Mk V 25 , Rectoverb , Subway & more !
|
NEW & IN STOCK !
Mesa / Boogie Mark VII head , combo , & rackmount ... a Magnum Opus of Tone !
|
CORE series S2 series SE series
plus ★ SE McCarty ★ SE DGT and ★ S2 10th Anniversary
Models here !
Over 50 PRS In Stock !
|
and
ESP Guitars offers models to fit any player , all at an outstanding price point .
Tons of ESP in Stock !
|
|||
10 illinoisentertainer . com june 2023 |