Interview: Freelance Whales
Meet You At The Show: I heard you guys used to play your songs on the streets and in subways to try and introduce more people to your music. Do you still do any of that or are your street playing days behind you?
Jacob Hyman: We have tried to keep doing that in between tours…we did it again just before we left for our tour with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Bear In Heaven. But it has definitely been harder and harder to find time and energy to hit the streets. It was initially a way to get people to come to our shows in New York, but I think it’s outgrown its purpose in that respect.
Going forward it would be really fun to hit the streets again once we have new material. Performing songs again and again helped us tighten up a lot, and it could still be a helpful tool for us in the future.
MYATS: How have you guys grown as a band from your first show until now?
JH: I think that – much as it is with anything – we’ve gained confidence through repetition, and with that confidence has come consistency. We’re still painfully critical of ourselves, but it has gotten easier and easier as time has gone on to try new things, refresh old ones and recognize and break out of bad habits.
MYATS: How did it feel to get remixed by Aislyn?
JH: It was a surprise and an honor. I’m certainly not a remix aficionado, but I was really impressed with their take on the song.
MYATS: Do you think that their remix does the song justice?
JH: If that was their goal, I think they met it admirably. I think that Aislyn did a really creative and original job incorporating loads of inspired and new ideas that we never would have imagined fitting into that space, while still staying true to the nature of the song.
MYATS: If you had the choice of having anyone remix or cover one of your songs who would it be and why?
JH: We were just out with Bear in Heaven, and John Philpot (lead singer) does some really gnarly remixes. Unfortunately he’s incredibly busy right now doing band-related and extracurricular activities, but sometime it would be a real privilege to have him remix one of our tunes.
MYATS: You guys have been on the road for quite a while now and still have a pretty long way to go. What is the best thing about life on the road?
JH: My favorite part about being on the road is the food. There are as many diverse culinary styles in America as there are entire cultures of people, and it’s incredible to see how crossing an arbitrary state border can affect what and how we eat.
MYATS: What are three things you can’t live without and three things you can live without while on the road?
JH: Three things I can live without: Fast food, speed limits, and video games. Three things I cannot live without: Beef jerky, coffee, and my drum pad.
MYATS: What’s the best thing about coming home after a tour?
JH: There’s no best thing about coming home, though sleeping in my bed is certainly up there. Coming home after a tour is simply the greatest feeling in and of itself.
MYATS: Your upcoming Montreal gig is going to be your second Montreal show in as many months. Are you going to write nice things about Montreal in your tour diary?
JH: Some of us have spent more time in Montreal than others, and even on our last trip there we had to skip town and head back into the US that night. Hopefully we’ll get more time to garner some journal-worthy material. I know from experience that there’s plenty to write about, now we just have to go see it as a band!
MYATS: We are absolutely loving your debut album, Weathervanes. Now that the album has finally been released, is there one overall message or feeling you’d like listeners to take away from the record?
JH: My favorite part about listening to music is when I am able to forge a deep and last connection with every moment of an album; when I can just close my eyes and lose time and get sucked into the story that the music is telling. The story that Weathervanes tells is so magical, and I hope that people are able to connect with our album like that.
MYATS: After all is said and done and the tour is over what’s next for you guys?
JH: Whenever that day comes, I think we’ll all enjoy a little time off working on our own for a bit. Then we’ll reconvene to write some music together. We had a practice space in Queens for over a year, but we’ve had to let it go since we’re on the road so much. After touring slows down we’re going to have to devise some sort of home-grown strategy for where/when we’ll all start writing together.
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We would like to thanks Jacob Hyman of Freelance Whales for taking the time to answer some of our questions. You can catch the band live in Montreal on Friday, May 7th, when they will be opening for Shout Out Louds at The Cabaret. Tickets are $17.50 and can be purchased online here.
