(You can find the band and their latest EP, Five Heartaches in Stereo, at myspace.com/rimskymusic)
Rimsky may hail from Miami but their songs indicate a musical influence more in line with that of The Pixies and the Elephant Six collective. Its more Boston than any other band you will find in our city's eclectic music scene, and that alone makes these power poppers unique. Now, what actually makes them good is that lead songwriter Rimsky Pons isn't afraid to lay his soul bare and see what happens over the course of an upbeat pop song, rare in a time where only irony and kitsch seem to be prevalent. On their latest EP, Five Heartaches in Stereo, Rimsky proves that five songs can say a lot, with tunes such as 'Adaptation' and 'Your Good Nature' presenting stories of everyday apocalypse set to an entire studio's worth of sonic trickery. I caught up with Rimsky Pons recently to talk about the rigors of touring and how Rimsky (the band, obviously) came to be.
Hector Mojena: How did you get the band together initially? Who are the members and what does everyone play or contribute?
Rimsky Pons: The band wasn't very difficult to assemble. I work at a studio called the Shack North and I play in another band called Humbert, so between bands coming in and out of the studio and bands I've met and befriended over the years of playing with Humbert, it was almost like cherry picking a fantasy sports team. Currently, two of the guys from the now defunct band Pyrojet are playing with me. I've got Joseph Larrea, who was the guitarist and lead vocals for Pyrojet, and Orestis Bardoutsos, who was the drummer for Pyrojet. Also, Jorge Adrian Ubieta handles all of the bass duties. Additionally, he plays in two other bands. One is Arsonist and the other is Vultures are Wolves.
HM: The first time I saw you guys play was at Ninja Fest and the whole band put on an awesome set. How often do you tour and what are your favorite places to play, if any? Is touring generally something you like to do or is it more like a Jesus and Mary Chain thing, just work? Also, what's the favorite song to play live?
RP: Thanks for the Ninja Fest compliment. Matt from Rotagilla pretty much put that show together. He saw us perform at Churchill's and put us on the bill. I felt a little out of place because there were so many young kids and most of the bands leaned towards a really strange version of hardcore music I heard when I was younger. The cool thing was that as our set progressed more and more people kept peeking into the bay we were playing out of and stayed. It was really flattering. I know I went on a tangent, but I really like to talk. Answering your real question, though; touring for someone at my level is a very difficult thing. Booking the shows is easy. Getting on the road is hard, especially when your band is made up of working adults and the fact that gas is so expensive. There used to be a time when you could book a two week tour and take a reasonable economic loss, just to get the name out there. Right now, you really have to be tactical about the whole thing because filling up gas in a van full of people and gear is pretty expensive. Tactical means keeping it regional. Florida, Georgia and maybe the Carolinas. I just got back from Phila, and NY a few months back and although I had a great time, it really broke me. Favorite places to play. My new favorite is Alligator Alley in Oakland Park. Small venue but it's got a nice stage with a good sound system. The most fun has to be the Poorhouse. It's a hole in the wall in Ft. Lauderdale next to Revolution. I've had some of my wildest shows there. Favorite songs. I don't really have a preference. The only thing about that is I generally tend to stay away from the slower ones because when people don't know who you are, the patience to let a slow song develop may not be there. You're usually catering to weekend crowds who want to get away from their problems by having a few drinks and listen to some upbeat music. it's just the way it is at the local level, especially for the more successful local bands.
HM: I really love your album Five Heartaches in Stereo. It reminds me of The Pixies or Teenage Fanclub circa Grand Prix. I wanted to know what was the genesis of these songs? Had the songs been gestating for a while or was the whole process very immediate? They seem really personal but they also have this upbeat, optimistic quality to them, like 'Adaptation' and 'Your Good Nature'.
RP: I was seriously dating another local musician for the last four years and if you ever want action and adventure for your emotions, that's the way to go. During the decline of that relationship, those feelings kept seeping out and instead of falling apart all the time, I tried to channel and articulate those feelings in my songs as honestly as I could. It doesn't totally heal how you feel inside, but it sure does relieve the pressure. The most rewarding part has been people who have truly given my modest ep a chance and sympathize with it's message. I mean, who doesn't get heart-broken every know and then?
HM: What is the song writing process like for you? Do you typically come in with something that's already fully formed in your head or is there any sort of conceptualizing during practice?
RP: There is no practice. I've been doing this for so many years, that I will typically come up with the melody in my head. If it sticks, I'll flesh it out on guitar. At that point, I'll record the rest of the instruments myself. If there are instruments I can't play, like a piano or sax, then I'll seek assistance elsewhere. It really feels like back-tracking when you teach someone something that you already know how to play just to record it, especially when you can do it yourself. I don't want this to be confused as ego, though. It's just pragmatic.
HM: I heard that you co-own a studio called The Shack North. How has that been? Have you been able to record a lot of bands?
RP: I've learned so much from recording bands. The good one's the bad ones. The in-betweens. It almost falls under the umbrella of psychology more than the actual recording process. It's gotten to the point where recording software is so powerful, I almost think that if you taught a trained chimp how to mic, it could probably be an engineer. The real trick is feeling out people. Are they passive are they aggressive? If you can take the variable of the artist's vision and there budget and somehow make it work, then I believe you have a successful project, at least at the local level. In short, I've probably recorded over fifty clients. I'm not sure if that's a big number, but it's kept me more than busy.
HM: Last question. What future tour dates do you have planned at the moment and where can readers find out more about your music?
RP: Like I said, the touring will be really sporadic. I've got some local shows lined-up. It's on the shows section of my myspace page, which, coincidentally, is where you can get the most updated info. and keep in contact with me. I don't know if it's good or bad anymore, but most of my traffic comes through there and it's really easy to keep tabs that way.
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