Snailbones Interview
Q: Can you talk about the history of Snailbones?
A: Sure, Kelly and I met in Seattle and started writing songs together. We both were heavily inspired by the local music scene there and we really wanted to start a band. We both ended up moving to Portland and met Drew. He just moved to Portland just a few weeks before we met him. We practiced and wrote songs for a year before playing any shows, recorded a demo after only being a band after three months. Then we hit the ground running playing any and every show we possibly could, never turning down a show when asked. Went on tour, played lots and lots of shows before the pandemic. During the pandemic we took a year and a half off and then decided to get back to it and rented out a local recording studio for five days in November of 2021. We self-recorded two albums. Eventually got back to playing shows and writing more interesting songs. We had a lot more songs in us to make another album, so we booked studio time with Steve and finished our third album. It’s the best we have ever done for sure.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on Keelhaul 'em All?
A: There ended up being a lot of nautical themes in that album. It wasn’t intentional but I ran with that idea. I commissioned a Seattle artist friend of ours Nick the Hat to do the artwork. There are also themes of feeling trapped and wanting to escape.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I used to write most of the songs but more and more as we grew comfortable with each other, songs come out of jamming and we all have equal input.
I think it just makes for a much more creative and unique song. I still write whole songs, it’s just very sparse now. Takes the pressure off. On the new record there is a song I wrote almost ten years ago called “Less I Know.” It fits perfectly on this new album.
Q: Can you talk about the history of Snailbones?
A: Sure, Kelly and I met in Seattle and started writing songs together. We both were heavily inspired by the local music scene there and we really wanted to start a band. We both ended up moving to Portland and met Drew. He just moved to Portland just a few weeks before we met him. We practiced and wrote songs for a year before playing any shows, recorded a demo after only being a band after three months. Then we hit the ground running playing any and every show we possibly could, never turning down a show when asked. Went on tour, played lots and lots of shows before the pandemic. During the pandemic we took a year and a half off and then decided to get back to it and rented out a local recording studio for five days in November of 2021. We self-recorded two albums. Eventually got back to playing shows and writing more interesting songs. We had a lot more songs in us to make another album, so we booked studio time with Steve and finished our third album. It’s the best we have ever done for sure.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes on Keelhaul 'em All?
A: There ended up being a lot of nautical themes in that album. It wasn’t intentional but I ran with that idea. I commissioned a Seattle artist friend of ours Nick the Hat to do the artwork. There are also themes of feeling trapped and wanting to escape.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: I used to write most of the songs but more and more as we grew comfortable with each other, songs come out of jamming and we all have equal input.
I think it just makes for a much more creative and unique song. I still write whole songs, it’s just very sparse now. Takes the pressure off. On the new record there is a song I wrote almost ten years ago called “Less I Know.” It fits perfectly on this new album.
Q: What was your recording process like? What was it like working with Steve Albini?
A: Our recording process this time around went pretty smooth. We were extremely well rehearsed. It was a great experience. Working with Steve was a dream come true for me. I idolized the guy since high school, it was amazing to see him at his craft. Cut/splice 2” tape like it’s nothing. He was very efficient in his work flow. Made things easy for us. The sound of his records is the gold standard for me, I think our music sounds best in the hands of Steve. We definitely want to record with him again for the next album. If you ever visit the studio, ask for a fluffy coffee. It’s addicting!
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: Lyrics are always the very last thing for me, I have a rough idea of what the song is going to be about and I usually don’t solidify lyrics until it gets too close to recording time. Sometimes I’ll write lyrics the day of recording, (not recommended), it’s stressful.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: Nope. Not at all. Other than one important thing…
A: Our recording process this time around went pretty smooth. We were extremely well rehearsed. It was a great experience. Working with Steve was a dream come true for me. I idolized the guy since high school, it was amazing to see him at his craft. Cut/splice 2” tape like it’s nothing. He was very efficient in his work flow. Made things easy for us. The sound of his records is the gold standard for me, I think our music sounds best in the hands of Steve. We definitely want to record with him again for the next album. If you ever visit the studio, ask for a fluffy coffee. It’s addicting!
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: Lyrics are always the very last thing for me, I have a rough idea of what the song is going to be about and I usually don’t solidify lyrics until it gets too close to recording time. Sometimes I’ll write lyrics the day of recording, (not recommended), it’s stressful.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: Nope. Not at all. Other than one important thing…