BEDHEAD INTERVIEW

Motorcade Question #1. Bedhead's packaging is minimal. No large headshots of the band, as if it is not important. Is the mystery deliberate? Why the anonymity?

Bubba: I think that what seems "mysterious" to you and others (you're not the first to ask this question) was just something that felt natural to us. We never thought for a second about putting pictures of ourselves in or on "WhatFunLifeWas", but at the same time, we wanted some kind of picture to give the artwork a sense of ambience. For us, that meant the studio in which we had spent the better part of a year. The "4-songCDEP" has a picture of us in it, but we're too far away to be recognized. Again, that was done not to appear mysterious, but in some way to contribute to the "feel" of the record. "The Dark Ages" CD has pictures in it just because we thought it worked in the layout, so there are examples of pictures of the band that we feel are used fittingly.

"Mimimalism": "WhatFunLifeWas" was a culmination of years of work in the sense that those songs had floated to the top of the pool of songs from 1990-93 and it was impossible for us to attach a single image to a record that represented so much to us. Matt and I always liked the fact that a lot of classical records had the composers name, the performance ensemble, and the pieces that they played right there on the cover. Even though a lot of those covers are cheesy in their attempt at elegance, they still don't intrude on the music contained within as much as a painting or photograph might. The "WhatFunLifeWas" cover was also a reaction to the excessively overdone record covers that are indicative of the 90's post-4AD, home computer age. I don't really consider the artwork on the whole to be minimalist, especially "The Dark Ages" covers - just concise.

"Anonymity"? Our names are on the new record.

I think everyone maybe always thinks about the "WhatFun..." cover with no band member's names, a picture of only the instruments, just the song titles on the cover, etc. and thinks that it has more in common with the other covers than it really does.

Motorcade Question #2. After touring/traveling, do you see texas as influential regarding bedhead songs? For example, some locations have a trademark sound, Chicago, Seattle, etc. Of course every band from a given area doesn't fit the mold, is there such thing as a texas sound?

Bubba: Texas has some trademark sounds, but no one trademark sound.

Matt: Texas has more of a national identity than any of the other contiguous states. It was an independent republic for nine years before it entered the union; its slogan (the "Lone Star State"), its flag, and the outline it makes on the map all suggest its independence from the other forty nine states; junior high students are required to take courses in Texas history for the their first year, American history for the next. But what really seems to separate it from the rest of the country is its location. If you look at a map of the state and find its largest cities, you realize just how far someone, and any Texas band, has to drive to get to the nation's other populous areas. Chicago and Atlanta are more than a day away, New York and LA are even further. Seattle and San Francisco are hard to get to even on a tour, and Canada, it goes without saying, really is another country. I don't think there is a "Texas sound" either, but a Texas band never quite sounds like it's from the other parts of the U.S. Just as when you hear a Canadian or Australian band, countries that topographically are similar to Texas, you can tell they're from somewhere else, so there's a little something different, usually something a little off, in the sound of bands from Texas. The Texas sound, in other words, isn't homogeneous on its own terms, it's just not the same as the generally uniform sound of all the rest of the bands.

Motorcade Question #3. The numbered sequence appearing on all your records (i.e. TR042BH05RJN90), what does "RJN[#]" represent?

We're not at liberty to say.

Motorcade Question #4. Have you received criticism for having products available at retail chain stores? (While I don't personally evaluate such a thing, perhaps it is an issue...)

Bubba: It hasn't been an issue b/c, quite simply, Touch&Go sells to a lot of distributors, and once you do that, you can't stop them from selling records to whomever they want.

Motorcade Question #5. On the cdep, were the vocals done live as well? They sounded so similar to "normal" studio recordings. Can you explain the process a little? (Technical terms are okay. We're nerds.)

Bubba: Yes, the vocals were done live at the same time. The four songs were done completely live and recorded with one stereo mic in a church that was being renovated and also happened to sound good. Basically, Matt sat closest to the mic, the drums were farthest from it and the amps were spaced in a semi-circle in-between. Since there was no mixing board because there was no multiple miking, we "mixed" the instrument levels by physically moving them around. It took all day to organize and set up and 19 minutes to record.

Motorcade Question #6. Are there moments of brilliance that even you don't know where they originated, a higher power? Do you have favorite elements somewhere?

Bubba: No comment. Matt: Favorite element: air.

Motorcade Question #7. Some songs seem to tease a "jam" in the making, but a subtle structure creeps back in. Is this the case, every note planned? Are all the songs fully prepared before entering the studio, or are some things worked out after hearing a recorded version? (also: do 4-tracks play a role in your life, how have old songs changed over time...)

Matt: Some songs are planned down to the last note, in which case they were usually planned on a four track, but others are more flexible. This question almost has to be answered song by song, a feat for which I don't have the finger strength.

Motorcade Question #8. Are there songs from a time period that don't make it to vinyl, whether not considered for release or just a different song when it's put on tape?

Bubba: Yes, and those are the two most likely reasons why they stay unreleased.

Motorcade Question #9. Have you ever been criticized for a visually uneventful performance? (I think it's brilliant.) The intensity is not in your movement...but it is elsewhere...

Bubba: Thank you, and no, not really, because (I hope) people who see/hear us feel the same way that you do.

Motorcade Question #10. Can you explain a little bit of "the unpredictable landlord" from the first full-length?

Matt: If responsibility for all the things beyond human control that go wrong rested on anyone's shoulders, we would have sought his or her replacement by now.

Motorcade Question #11. Collections? (fender telecasters perhaps?)

Bubba: We do have some Telecasters, but I don't understand the question. I apologize.

Motorcade Question #12. Side projects?

Bubba: Kris has a band with some friends.

::: I have never seen a bedhead interview in print, you are complete strangers to me. It's difficult to ask questions of you without already knowing something about you. ::::
Thank you for your music.

Bubba: We're glad that you enjoy it. Thank you for doing the interview. There are articles in recent issues of Raygun and Milk (from Milwaukee) that are both very nice and well-written. There are more if you care, but a few of them are really bad and inaccurate.

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