 Courtesy of the Artist
California’s LA River Bend is a band whose music is built upon intricate guitar embellishments, indie-folk facets, and poetically pop melodies. The four-piece - Nate Weiner (Vocals, Guitar), Emily Elkin (Cello, Vocals), Branden Stroup (Bass, Vocals, Guitar), and Jacob Seldes (Drums) - recently released their latest outing, Run These Hills which focuses on the symbolism of nature based imagery, as the tracks depict an artfully serene feeling, reaching new emotional depths. Here, Weiner takes the time to answer his Essential 8 and talk about the influence of his father, songwriting, and more.
Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? Looking back, I'd have to say my father and his love for music mentored me the most. Although he wasn't a musician, he was a huge jazz & blues fan. Growing up in Japan, memories like attending the Blue Note Tokyo on a school night to seeing Buena Vista Social Club's original lineup were impressionable. That exposure to high quality music at a young age helped me tune my ear. Although, I cannot play jazz worth a damn, I think the sensibilities and musicianship that the genre displays is something I still try to emulate. With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? I think with all the songs on "Run These Hills," it took the band for the song to feel fully complete. "Mountain" for example needed Emily & Branden's harmonies to match the weight of the lyrics and Jacob's drums helped carry the ups & downs of the dynamic range. That moment after we had performed it live a handful of times, when it really started to click was when I knew we had done every single thing we could to the song without jumping the shark. I love how it translates in the recording and it is one of my favorites on the EP & to play live. What’s the story behind your album’s title? I originally had a song called "Run These Hills" that always did seem like a more epic album title. Also, Mason Jennings had a song called "Boneclouds" that he did not release on his record with the same name. I thought that has pretty cool and wanted to copy that. Why did you chose to anchor the album with the songs you did? Well we had originally tracked 10 songs for a full-length album. We ultimately decided to shave it down to the best 5 that represented our sound and the direction we were going in with our newer tunes. Songs like "Summer Wind" & "Mountain" are closer to that sound, then some of the folkier, acoustic-based songs that we scrapped.
Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I think personally relationships give me the most inspiration. Romantic relationships of course, but also my bond with music and my kinship with the band. For me, a full-time life of music is romantic, and that fantasy does spark creativity. When/where do you do your best writing? Lately, I have been writing in my new place. When we moved in the garage was already converted to a studio, so it was pretty perfect. Whether its jamming with the band or writing on my own, the ideas are percolating. Definitely helps to jam a lot. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? I have written about all of those things and their hybrids. I think for me the most successful is taking personal experiences to root a song. From there, it is an open canvas to play up certain emotions to make song sections more effective. Most of the time though, I just come up with chords, a melody & sounds that work well together. Then comes the words. The emotional justification can come later. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? I forgot which great musician said, "You don't know shit, until you play 200 shows," but I always thought that rang pretty true. A musician buddy did tell me once that if you quit, then you'll never make it. That was kind of a joke, but that's true as hell too! I'll just keep doing my thing until like Morgan Freeman and Seasick Steve, it'll catch on one day! What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out? Be a good listener. Helps all around. Website Purchase
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