The ever-evolving cast of Many Birthdays puts together an electronic guitar and synth storm that is both fascinating and filled with dance ready beats. Born initially as a recording project of John Dixon, Sarah Luce joined a year later adding their distinct pairing of male-female vocals and mix of Japanese-English lyrics. The swirling effects and textures that Many Birthdays evokes were brilliantly brought to life on 2006’s Days of Beat/ Days of Hollow EP, and the group is planning on releasing their follow up this summer, and they’ve presented a new song for download, the infectious “Black Crow Remix.” They are also apparently currently looking for a drummer, so hit them up from the links below if interested, or better yet, catch their show this Thursday, April 10 at Club Deville.
Profile: Many Birthdays
Year Formed:
2002 as a recording project, live shows since 2005.
Members/Instruments played:
Sarah (synths, sampler, voice), John (bass, sampler, voice), Henna (gtr, effects, percussion, voice), Vince (drms) from AM Syndicate when he’s available. And until recently Jorge (DJ Abominatron) on drms. (currently seeking drum person!)
Former Bands/Side Projects:
Henna & John participated in AM Syndicate in a previous life. Also Henna plays keyboards and cello in Fiction (John sometimes fills in for them on bass). Sarah volunteers at the Town Lake Animal Shelter.
Albums:
The Abstract Door (2002), 35 Minutes (2003), Sub Rapid Express (2005), Days of Beat/Days of Hollow EP (2006). All self-released CDR’s. New EP out by summer!
Influences:
Beats, William Blake, Haruki Murakami, moving bodies, DIY, Japanese underground, OOIOO, Mike Watt’s enthusiasm, Trans Am’s live shows, nature, sex, spaces, allergies, schizophrenic tendencies.
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
“Where are you guys from?” (Asked by many locals…)
Favorite local bands:
Ume, The Always Already, Single Frame, Hello Lovers, {{{Sunset}}}, Fiction, Octopus Project, Coma in Algiers, Fancy Feast.
Favorite local venue:
Depends on who is playing or what is happening : )
Upcoming shows scheduled:
April 10th @ Club De Ville, Apr 26 @ Beauty Bar, May 17 @Lamberts, June 23 @ The Mohawk.
Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:
MIA/Holy Fuck, Attack Formation — it’s hard to decide until the last minute because there’s usually many things we want to see on the same night!
Some of your favorite albums from the past year:
Holy Fuck, Hot Chip, YACHT, Battles
Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:
Not band — the late great Bill Hicks!
Austin Sound questions:
What exactly is the band’s situation in relation to Japan, either geographically or inspirationally?
John & Sarah lived near Osaka in 2003-04 and experienced okonomiyaki, amazing live music in small spaces, and the vast connected world of trains. The current situation is that Sarah is still inspirationally wandering a subway tunnel in Shinsaibashi.
Y’all recorded a new album last fall; what can you tell us about it, especially in relation to Days to Beat?
Well, actually the last CD we released was an EP called “Days of Beat/Days of Hollow” (in 2006). We’ve been playing shows, writing & recording new material ever since, and we plan to release a new EP by this summer. As far as differences between the previous music & our new material, Many Birthdays is constantly changing (new people, new friends, new ideas)…. therefor this next EP has new blood in it. That and our ability to quickly recover from mental meltdowns hopefully points to success!
Song Introduction:
Black Crow Remix — a damn fine painting! It’s in Japanese, but the story goes like this: there’s a little black crow in a tall tree and we’re not sure if he’s watching over us or just WATCHING us. The drums remind us of a train.
Sound Off:
Make hot, fun, disease free love NOT war. Toss salad NOT garbage. Kick ass NOT animals or small children. Escape the drudgery DON’T submit to it. Wine is acceptable WHINE is not.
The Asuka River winds its way through a slightly run down area of Kashihara-shi and into prettier countryside that serves as the graveyard for ancient royalty. Walking along the river, all you might notice is the trash and the sickly koi or muddy turtles. But sometimes, when the sun glows at just the right spot in the sky, it blinds you to the faults & all you see is the original beauty of the water & its inhabitants. Then you realize you’ll probably never see it again.
Mp3:
Black Crow Remix
Websites:
www.manybirthdays.net
Myspace
