Modest Mouse Live Issue 83

FEATURE AT !" MODEST MOUSE LIVE Fulsome beards on faces, fearsome tea-cosies on heads – this is indie rock. Text: Christopher Holder Nothing says ‘Indie Rock’ like two drummers on stage. EP: I approach mixing them by not getting in the way. Having someone play a drum over and over and over is It says, “anyone can have one drummer – one wage, counter-productive. For one thing, it simply won’t achieve one set of drum !ight cases, one riser, one ego – but we the result I’m a%er once the two drummers are playing choose to walk the path less travelled.” Mind you, there must !at-out. I could spend hours digging into something with be times when Modest Mouse would look wistfully on at EQ but once it’s back in the mix, it won’t #t. For me, Modest other ‘normal’ bands with only ‘the’ one drummer. Like the Mouse is all about looking at the whole picture, and making night I rocked up to the Prince Bandroom in St. Kilda. "e that sound good. I do that by so%ening things; rounding Prince’s corner stage is adequately proportioned for most things out rather than having everything competing for rock bands, but this night was something else. "e support attention. act’s gear was clinging by its #nger nails to front of stage, while Modest Mouse’s two drum kits, bass rig, two electric CH: So you’re doing your best to ‘stay out of the way’ and guitar rigs, keys, upright bass setup, along with a full- ensure the band feels comfortable? blown JBL side#ll (just for the occasion) made for the most EP: "at’s right, which means getting monitors sorted out crowded stage I’ve ever laid eyes on. Tip-toeing around the #rst of all. "is show is the #rst of the Australian tour so we ‘tulips’ of pedals, DIs, leads and mic stands was positively had a rehearsal yesterday. Once I’m comfortable with the treacherous. mic setup I’m just happy for them to get on with playing. Evan Player mixes the band. He’s been in the band’s orbit for I know I have time on my hands to sort a mix out, so I many a year. He doesn’t have a beard, and generally eschews massage things into place slowly. strange headgear. Saying that, he’s grown a moustache, more At the end of the soundcheck, I thought – I haven’t heard the than likely especially for the Australian tour. Evan’s turned toms yet. So once they were all done and most of the band his back on a life on the road for a settled existence in New had gone, I went through the toms. I did a little something York with his fashion industry Australian wife and two to them and that was it. I had my mix. It may not be totally young kids. He’s the Production Manager of a successful there but it’s as close as I need it to be. Brooklyn venue, Music Hall of Williamsburg. "e band convinced Evan to come out on tour ‘one last time’. CH: By which you mean, it’s going to sound a good deal di$erent when the room #lls up with punters? NEITHER MODEST NOR MOUSEY Christopher Holder: What’s the Modest Mouse attitude EP: "at’s right, we’re rehearsing in a big empty room and in to touring Evan? I’m guessing it’s not about faithful album my experience I’m careful not to paint myself into a corner recreation? with overly dramatic EQ. It’s better to do the #x when the gig starts rather than remedially putting frequencies back in Evan Player: For Modest Mouse, it’s not about recreating – re-EQing for the #rst three songs. With a bit of experience Vocal Sound: “Isaac is using the record, it’s a lot more powerful live – with a lot more an Audix OM! on his vocals. you’ll know the areas you need to address when the gig kicks He’s used a "#, a $%", it really energy – and that’s important to them. "e reason the o$. depends on who’s doing band is so big is because they present a big live experience. monitors. It’s a loud band so I’m happy to defer to the monitor "ey have the ability to have brass on one song, keyboards CH: Sounds like you trust your instincts? engineer most times – whatever on another, with people !oating about playing di$erent he feels will allow him to get EP: I think so. For example, I don’t Smaart rooms. I know the most out of the vocal. It’s instruments. "at aspect of the performance is important to people get great results using Smaart, and sure, it’s a science an aggressive vocal style, and them – the sheer amount of stu$ going on. it’s not about nuance or clarity. but it’s subjective in equal measure – you need to use your Super clean? No, it just needs to CH: How do you approach mixing this amount of stu$? judgement as well as your ears. be there.” AT !" Guitar Blend: “When we’re touring Jim Fairchild uses a RIDING THE WAVE OF STAGE VOLUME So I’ll put the guitars in the mix and %atten out Fender Deluxe and a Twin. I put a Shure SM!" on the Deluxe, which is a bit more present and a Sennheiser #$% CH: !e band is well known to let rip on stage. the EQs a bit. !at way the guitars should sound on the Twin, which is a bit warmer/darker. Issac Brock’s How do you deal with excessive on-stage sound? like they do coming out of the amps and cabs. amp (top right) has two mics that I blend – a Shure SM!" and a Sennheiser #$%. Isaac uses a Soursound custom EP: You’re right, the band has a very loud stage CH: And the crowd will help you get the gain you amp. He used to play through a Fender Super Six – his amp of choice – but they’re very hard to find. So Brian volume. My philosophy has always been to not need for the vocal? Sour reverse-engineered a modern, stable version of that "ght that too hard – because they need that. – easier to keep and repair, yet still very ‘boutique’.” EP: If I can get the vocal sitting on top of the mix !ey’re responsible enough to turn things down during rehearsals I know I’ll be "ne. I may not if it gets out of control – they might turn the be hearing the words but that intelligibility will backline down a bit if I ask them to, to get a increase when the crowd arrives. And that’s club cleaner vocal sound – but I know they need that mixing, for sure… impact on stage. CH: In that everything’s measured by how loud CH: So you’re loath to make that call? you can get the vocals? EP: Well, I know it might impact the show: they EP: Ultimately, yeah. Modest Mouse doesn’t might not be quite so into it, they might be a demand a super-high vocal mix, but it needs to little more hesitant, or a little less con"dent in No-one’s going to storm be present – people are into the words with this “ their playing. I don’t like to be responsible for band so it can’t be buried, but it doesn’t have to the front of house that. If it’s loud and I can deal with the volume, be as high as something like Joan Baez. position complaining then I will. So long as I’ve got enough vocal in the PA, I’ll deal with it. I’ll wait for them to make CH: Folk, eh? Sounds like the voice of they can’t hear the sure they’re feeling it and they’re comfortable. experience. shaker! But not hearing A#er all, when everyone’s the same level of ‘loud’ EP: Right. For a while there I did a lot of mixing the guitar the whole coming o$ stage, it kinda mixes itself! of folk singers. And folk singers do this thing CH: How much of the backline are you mixing where they’ll take out a trio – with an acoustic time… that’s serious through the PA? guitar and a cellist… and all the fans are happy because they can hear a pin drop. !en, as EP: I’ve got mics on everything and normally I folk singers always do, they want to ‘do a Bob would mix the guitars through the PA. Tonight Dylan’ and take a loud band out – with the loud I won’t be mixing quite so much of the guitars drummer and the guitars. So I’ll be sitting at in; it’ll mainly be the drums, bass and vocals. ” FOH in a theatre with an audience who may have But I’ve got to be aware that the backline is on seen the performer with the cellist a few months stage at ‘ground’ level, so the "rst few rows of the prior and they’re now sitting there with their audience will soak up a lot of the backline sound. AT !" hands over their ears – “you’ve gotta turn the they can’t hear the shaker! But not hearing the drums down!” “Where are you sitting? You’re not guitar the whole time… that’s serious.

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