Plantman - The Whisper of the Trees

You released your debut album, "Closer To The Snow", pressing it in very few copies. This year "Whispering Trees" came out without leaving much of a trace online: little information, no streaming. It's even hard to find photos of you online. "Whispering Trees", in any case, has been well received by the press: for many people (myself included) it's one of the best albums of 2013 and would undoubtedly deserve wider exposure. What's your take on the promotional/marketing side of being a band? Spotify keeps growing, but it's widely criticized by artists themselves (just these days David Byrne got worked up about it too). What do you think?

Matt: We haven't played out live all that much yet, the album keeps getting great reviews that trickle in slowly, with a delayed effect.

We're not really interested in photos, I had to take a few and thankfully my son Oliver handled it, in my garden. Definitely more convenient! I find everything surrounding promotion and marketing a bit irritating, I think it's right to find your own audience naturally. It sounds like a cliché, but the only thing that matters to us is the music, really. In the past I had experiences with a major label: it was probably the least creative period of my life. With Arlens it's different now, it's a small independent label run by people who are passionate about and care about music; to me that's the most important thing.

Mark: I use Spotify a lot, I think it's a great tool for discovering new artists. As a consumer I can't complain, but I have to admit I don't see any financial return for the people who actually recorded that music. There's no longer any need to buy an album you don't know, it's all right there. A double-edged sword.

Stafford: We've been around long enough and we've also had our fair share of annoyances tied to marketing and promotion. Plantman is, unashamedly, simply about the music. We're not interested in dolling ourselves up for magazine covers or the internet, we're too old for that.

I listened to your first band, Beatglider. I hear a lo-fi attitude in it and a voice that strongly recalls Malkmus of Pavement. Am I talking nonsense? Do you like American music?

Matt: With Beatglider we listened to a ton of Pavement and Sebadoh, we loved that couldn't-care-less attitude both live and in the studio. Back then I probably only listened to American music, Lee (the other singer/guitarist in Beatglider) was a huge Sonic Youth fan. With Plantman I've tried to move away from the Pavement sound, even if it pops up now and then. Thanks to Pavement I discovered so many great bands, especially the ones from the Flying Nun Rec crowd.

Let's go back to England: Beatles or Stones?

Matt: Both! “Beggars Banquet” and “A Hard Day’s Night”.

Mark: Velvet Underground.

Stafford: Black Sabbath.

Did you have formal musical training, or are you self-taught?

Matt: I taught myself, which is a good thing but a bit frustrating too, because I don't know the names of the chords or notes I'm playing. If they sound good together, I play them!

Bryan: I studied music in college for a while, but it wasn't for me. I'm trying to convince a friend to teach me guitar, it's much better than a formal approach. In terms of creativity, I think it's easier to find your own musical space when you've had the wrong teacher. I took guitar lessons at school, and afterwards I tried to free myself from the boundaries they'd imposed on me. I taught myself drums, it was instinctive. I like to think I learned to play naturally, just from listening to drummers who influenced me. In the kind of music we make, unlike classical or jazz, the emphasis is always on creativity rather than technical skill. For me, Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones) is the classic example of a self-taught player with a great natural groove.

Mark: I was born playing guitar. The doctors were amazed. And confused.

Stafford: Like Matt, I don't know the names of the notes I play. It's incredible the feeling you can get playing an instrument without much knowledge. You just have to give it a go.

I saw you posted a Songs: Ohia song on Facebook after Jason Molina's death last March. As a musician, what's your reaction to something like that?

Matt: It's tragic, we've lost so many fantastic musicians in recent years, I also think of Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse), Chris Reimer (Women), Grant McLennan (The Go-Betweens)... Their passing makes those recordings even more special.

Matt, I know you're a gardener and that's why you chose the name Plantman. Does the same go for the title “Lunaria”, one of the most beautiful songs on the album? What do you all do for work?

Matt: “Lunaria” is the Latin name of a plant. I'm obsessed with plant names, they're the best, great for song titles!

Mark: I work as a professional dog masseur. And I've also got a band, The Strokers.

Stafford: I work in art, which is indeed as snobbish as it sounds.

This summer we had These New Puritans playing a show in Turin, as guests of a festival that's very important for the city. They're from Southend, like you. To be honest, I found them a bit pretentious and boring. Do you like them? Can we talk about a "scene" in Southend?

Matt: Honestly, I don't know them. We're old enough not to belong to any local scene. There are plenty of pretentious bands who also dress terribly - Placebo and Suede come to mind. There are some interesting young bands here in Southend, remember the name Banana Club Sandwiches - they're cooking something up with Sonic Boom, you'll be hearing about them soon.

Mark: I heard one These New Puritans song, but it's not the kind of music I'm into. Even though they're from our own city, I hadn't heard of them until I read a review on Pitchfork. As far as I know, there isn't really a proper scene in Southend. Some people have tried to start one, but people here are too laid-back to get involved. There are musicians who go and see other musicians play, that much is true.

Stafford: I've never heard them, but I'd bet my life it's exactly like you say.

Your "guilty pleasure": a record you own and love, but that's generally considered trash.

Matt: Every New Order album after "Republic". I like them a lot, even though everyone says they lack bite. And the Frog Chorus with Paul McCartney, though I don't think that stuff can really be called trash.

Mark: I quite like Neil Young's "Mirrorball", but it's always a guilty listen because of the Pearl Jam involvement. Pearl Jam are terrible.

Stafford: Anything by Kate Bush. Or Iron Maiden

Matt: What? Kate Bush is absolutely incredible, that's not a "guilty pleasure" at all!

Courtesy of "Indie my ass"

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