Q: Why such a long wait in between albums?
A: We toured for two and half years on our second record Oh No. By the time we got home from tour we were really burnt out, and needed some time to get our heads together. It took a while to figure out what we wanted to sound like after not having written for a long time. For the first six months of writing we wrote a bunch of music we didn’t really like a lot, but that was Ok because eventually we got to a sound that seemed fresh and new to our ears. Once we had a group of songs that we liked (we wrote over a hundred songs for this album) it then took us about another year to work with our producer Dave Fridmann on the recording of those songs. So there you have it, two and half years of touring, and two years of writing and recording. We are thrilled to now have a third album out there in the world.
Q: Where does the inspiration for this album come from?
A: A lot of the inspiration for this record comes from Prince, Michael Jackson, and other groove based groups that we grew up listening to as kids. There are basically two types of inspiration on our record, the one I’ve just described which is very dance-y. The other type is an outer space – on the porch – jangle-y acoustic sound inspired by bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, Apollo Sunshine, and the Pixies.
Q: What are your goals for the album?
A: Our goal is to continue having a career where we get to make things.
Q: Who writes the songs?
A: Songwriting is a collaborative experience for the band. Initially, we all go off on our own and write. At some point, though, we all bring our songs to each other, and the band then votes on what we want to work on. The songs then go through several more rounds of drafts as the band tries to work things out until we have a complete arrangement. Some songs write themselves, while others take much longer than you’d think to develop. Creatively, it’s almost always a learning experience.
Q: Where does the inspiration come from?
A: Inspiration for songs can come from almost anywhere. It could come from the sound of a radiator, a film, a book, the way a person makes you feel. A lot of the inspiration for this record comes from difficult times in life we’ve experienced both personally and then on a global level. Our record is pretty reflective of the times we’ve lived.
Q: What was the hardest part of coming up with your various creative music videos?
A: We enjoy a good challenge. Generally we like to come up with ideas that seem impossible to achieve, and then work very intensely to achieve them. I suppose the hardest part is often getting over the fear of thinking something can’t be done. Once that fear is gone, or we can prove to ourselves that we can do something that seemed impossible, the creative part kicks in and we have a lot of fun making our videos.
Q: Are there plans for a tour?
A: We are currently on tour in Europe. In February we’ll be in Australia and parts of Asia. March and April we’ll be touring in the United States.
Q: What is the coolest place you visited?
A: The coolest place we’ve ever visited is probably Tokyo. Going to Tokyo is like taking a trip in to the future. Technologically they are always a couple years ahead of the U.S. and it’s fun to go see what the future has in store. Besides that, the Japanese culture is beautiful, and the people we’ve met there have always been extremely kind and gracious. The sushi ain’t half bad either!
Q: How have you stayed together as a band for so long?
A: Probably what has kept us together as band so long is the fact that we are actually friends. Damian and I have known each other almost twenty three years. We met when I was eleven and he was twelve at summer camp. Being in a band has its ups and downs. Its important to have a good relationship with the people in your band or else it could be quite easy to crumble under the pressures of constant touring, recording, and everything else that life has in store.
Q: What is your favorite part of being in a band?
A: My favorite part of being in a band is having the opportunity to make things and share them with people. We’ve been lucky to have a career in a time when making things and sharing them is easier than ever thanks to things like the internet.
Q: Do you create your own creative style or so you work with a stylist?
A: We create our own styles, but sometimes we have friends who are stylists help us out when things get busy. We enjoy clothing, fashion, art etc, so It’s interesting for us to research and play around with style. At the end of the day it’s just fun.
Q: What TV show would you like to write a song for?
A: I’d really like to write a song for the kid’s show Yo Gabba Gabba. I love that Yo Gabba Gabba appeals to both children and adults. It’s actually really trippy and kind of psychedelic, a bit like our record. Yo Gabba Gabba, if you’re reading this… OKGO are big fans!!!!