What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.
a_v (guitar): I guess it all starts from some realisations you may have as a listener. There are moments in a song, and probably fractions smaller than a moment, when whole worlds are revealing themselves and then disappear into nothingness, and this can happen during a swoop the band is doing or a theme that is lurking in the background of the main theme, or the wrong note that challenges a whole chord structure, and so it goes. All these instances we value in our favourite music pieces, where you feel music is directly rearranging your gears. Sound is the most penetrating thing and it seemed like a noble thing to pursue and do, to write music that can offer this kind of sweet turbulence and dislocation. As for the current incarnation of the band, let’s say that one of the members of the band wanted another member of the band to get involved with music again after years of silence. That other member of the band was always talking about the third and last member of the band and how he could join them and turn them into a proper functioning unit. That’s the story.
Provide us with some info about your latest release…
a_v: our latest release is our first long-play release. The album, ‘untrue’, contains six tracks that we wrote as a way to acquaint with each other musically. It was finely engineered and produced by dear Coti K. in his downtown studio Suono, being the very first record made there, before the walls were even brought down to make more studio space. It’s music that none of us would necessarily create on his own and it’s the absolute product of all three. For the time being, we like to sum up the band as an ‘electric minimal rock trio.’ We were lucky to find a vinyl label along the way (Underflow Record Store & Art Gallery) and release/distribute it worldwide.
Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?
m_c: Each one of us listens to a variety of bands and genres, and what have you. We found common ground in our appreciation for such bands as the Beastie Boys or The Knife, especially their Shaking the Habitual LP. All of us have a soft spot for Dubnobasswithmyheadman by Underworld. The bassist is obsessed with the Cure, but mainly listens to black metal, while the drummer had a hip-hop upbringing. Lately he has been caught talking about painter Yannis Moralis quite a bit.
a_v: an influence is something deeper than what we like or listen to. I mean, you don’t pick your influences, they pick you. And they are foremost of a non-musical nature. I am always trying to recreate a scent of wood I remember from a carpenter’s workshop my aunt took me when I was four or five years. Or looking at the sky when the news about Chernobyl disaster broke out, I thought there was a booming sound raining all over us.
In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?
m_c: An obvious thing is the absence of vocals. In terms of musical direction, we don’t really listen to genres of music, but rather to bands we find interesting and innovative, regardless of labels. We don’t think in terms of genre in general. There is a track on our album that sounds kind of “metal” and another one, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Knight Rider theme. We’re currently working on a track which we call “funk”. It’s not funk, but it’s not un-funk either. There’s underlying humour throughout the record, although it may not be obvious to outsiders. One could also say that our tracks are often based on dynamics. Most of our tracks are derived from drum patterns, bass lines or solid themes from hour-long sessions. What the string players usually do is discuss what each theme or melody sounds like, what is the feel it conjures and how should we treat it in order to come up with a slice of strong musical experience. It’s a slow process of conceptualising sound and silence. That type of thing.
a_v: there is no need to listen to our music, really. There is so much music going on currently that we don’t know what’s the point anymore. On our part, we are trying to return the favour to music for saving our minds and restore a sense of awe back to the experience of music. If anyone else is interested in these notions and loses his sleep over them, maybe he or she should happen upon us.
Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…
a_v: we don’t do well with these questions I am afraid. We don’t usually play our favourite albums, they are kind of imprinted somewhere in our head and we just have to think of them. The others are kind enough to let me mention writer Roberto Bolaño and director John Cassavetes, people whose work is essential in all kinds of deserts. There is a place around the corner where your dead friends live.
Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?
m_c: The drummer prefers performing live. The guitarist enjoys both. The bassist is mostly interested in recording the music.
Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?
m_c: The drummer is mad. He once broke his leg, a couple of weeks before the beginning of the recording sessions. He actually recorded the album with a busted leg. And played live too. He’s the nicest and calmest dude, but releases a lot of tension when he bangs on his drums.
Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?
m_c: They’re all special to us. If we had to choose just one, it’d be Delta…or Fidel. There’s a groove in them and a sense of rhythm, structure and balance.
Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?
a_v: we are happy to follow the typical cycle of a band’s life: writing, rehearsing, playing, recording. Right now, the room is full of sketches for new tracks, some of them close to completion, some still in the Ether. There are approximately twenty tracks that we have to go through. The second album will be better than the first one because it has to. Also, some gig dates: 13 December (Death Disco – Athens, opening for Fontaines D.C.) and 28 December (Romantso – Athens, playing with the great, great Kooba Tercu and mysterious $oft $kull).
Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…
a_v: “The Answer to the Great Question… Of Life, the Universe and Everything… Is… Forty-two,” said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.
m_c: I disagree with the above statement. The answer is seven, then three, then One. Thank you.
Curated by: Christos Doukakis
Recommended listening:
Connect with ̶s̶i̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ :
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sister.band.gr/
Bandcamp: https://sister-gr.bandcamp.com
Band contact: sister.band.gr@gmail.com