VOCALIST/GUITAR INTERVIEW WITH
VAN DUSER AKI BY NATASHA IST BRIAN KANAG
W
e knew that we wanted to try something completely different,” says Loma Prieta vocalist and guitarist Brian Kanagaki. “What’s the point of trying if you aren’t always progressing and working on becoming better at what you are passionate about?” Loma Prieta have been a strong force in the Bay Area hardcore scene for quite some time now, but with the release of their upcoming fifth studio album, Self Portrait, their fans are about to hear a whole new side of the band. Come out on Deathwish Inc. on Oct. 2, Self Portrait is set to launch a brand new chapter for the Loma Prieta sound. “We have been thinking more about songwriting in terms of verse and chorus,” explains Kanagaki, “push and pull, builds and crescendos. So, whereas we have written songs that were very linear in the past, songs that are flashy because of impossible [and] breakneck changes, we are sort of organically moving toward writing songs that are driven more by melodies and very driving rhythms.” No band ever wants to make the same record twice; in this industry, your music needs to perpetually evolve, and Loma Prieta are well aware. Thus, the sonic progression from 2012’s I.V. to Self Portrait can be heard in the dynamic created on the band’s latest 7’’ release. The promotional EP debuts Self Portrait’s first single, “Love,” with an older, previously unreleased track entitled “Trilogy 0 (Debris)” as a B-side. “When writing I.V., we didn’t have time to get to every song that we had in mind,” explains Kanagaki. “There was a lot left over and one of those songs evolved into ‘Trilogy 0.’ It seemed to exist both before and after the other trilogies [the tracks ‘Trilogy 4,’ ‘Trilogy 5,’ and ‘Trilogy 6’ off of I.V.]. It’s a song that we wanted to release, but it wasn’t necessarily a step forward, so we didn’t think it deserved a place on the new LP.” While “Trilogy 0” may not have been the perfect fit for Self Portrait, it did work as a perfect transitional song to help listeners digest the movement from I.V. to tracks like “Love.” “[‘Love’] seemed like the best song as an introduction to the new material,” notes Kanagaki. “It bridges the space between our older songs and the songs on the new LP. We didn’t want to release something too ‘out there.’ There are definitely songs that are better in our
opinion, but not necessarily good singles. This record as a whole flows very well and some songs need context. ‘Love’ is a strong stand alone track that is a subtle glimpse into our new direction.” As “Love” displays, there is a more organic flow to Self Portrait than previous Loma Prieta records, due in large part to working with producer Jack Shirley. “Working with Jack is great,” says Kanagaki. “We are very comfortable around him and that’s really important when trying to open up and be creative. We do a lot of things productionwise that other engineers might not want to try to tackle. I’m sure we are terrible and annoying to work with, but Jack seems to get that we are trying to push the boundaries and push ourselves musically.” Shirley even let the band track an entire song for the record improv style in one take. Loma Prieta headed in a direction further from the scattered noise of their earlier days, and closer to a progressive, post-hardcore flow. “We’ve been moving toward writing music that is rhythmically more driving and less chaotic,” Kanagaki says. “I think that’s pretty apparent with the new songs. We have pretty particular tastes in melodies and rhythms, so even though the new material is very different from I.V., it still somehow sounds like the same band.” As the release of Self Portrait approaches, Loma Prieta have begun playing some of their new tracks on their latest European tour. Along with debuting their new sound, they’ve also discovered some new aspects of their performance. “We finally realized that we aren’t a band that people want to rock out to and go crazy,” explains Kanagaki. “People want to sit and just watch us play. […] We view the whole set as a performance; it’s meant to flow as one piece. We don’t talk, there’s no banter. We try to string it all together into different movements, we try to make it as organic as possible. […] Sometimes, it’s noisy and chaotic, other times, it’s more reserved and pulled back. It makes more sense to us this way; it’s always an honest performance.” Kanagaki may humbly downplay the excitement people have at their live shows, but he cannot downplay the anticipation for this new era of Loma Prieta. With their new, out of the box, it will be a journey to see where this new style and record take both the band and their fans.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE CALIXTO
ISSUE 20 NEW NOISE
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