Combining their impressive credentials in some of the most unique and talented bands in towns, the husband and wife duo of All in the Golden Afternoon produce a hauntingly beautiful tapestry of dreamy psychedelic moods. Rachel Staggs and Carlos Jackson take their group’s name from a poem in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and their music could well soundtrack a trip into the subconscious, mellow tones dripping behind Mazzy Star-like vocals and powerful blocks of distortion and fuzz. They released their fantastic debut EP this past winter, and are preparing their first full length for later this year, from which you can preview an mp3 below. You can also catch the duo this Saturday, August 9 at the Scoot Inn as part of the River City Class of 2008 show, which includes an amazing lineup with Black Black Gold, the Astronaut Suit, the Tunnels, Ripe, the Koreans, the Strange Attractors, and Tia Carrera, with the music beginning at 4:00pm.
Profile: All in the Golden Afternoon
Year Formed:
2005
Members/Instruments played:
Rachel Staggs: Composer, xylophone, organ, sleigh bells, tambourine, casio, nord, omnichord, recorder, drums, bass, sitar guitar, 12-string, guitar, vocals
Carlos Jackson: Songs, organ, backwards drums, sound effects, guitar, bass, vocals
Former Bands/Side Projects:
Carlos: The Shells (’99-’06), Polyphonic Spree (’00-’01), the French Films, the Arthurs. I also recorded early Voxtrot tracks & filled in for one show with the Octopus Project. I think I played two shows with the Black Angels when Rachel was playing Bass with them. We both currently play in The Tunnels.
Rachel: (former projects) The Swells (’00-’04), The Black Angels (’04), The Weirding (’02-’04), The Divers Tone (’03-’04), Bees Are Black (’02-’03), dim (’96-’97), j27 (’97)
(current projects) Rachel Goldstar (’96-present), Experimental Aircraft (’97-present), Eau Claire (’02-present), The Static Silence (’02-present), Monster Movie (guest vocalist ‘04-present), The Tunnels (’07-present)
Albums:
12 Feb 2008 - All in the Golden Afternoon EP (Mind Expansion Records #2012)
July 2008 - our song Tidal Wave is featured on Mind Expansion Compilation #2 along with tracks by Mercury Rev, Bardo Pond, Spectrum, Faust, The Telescopes & others
Fall/Winter 2008 - All in the Golden Afternoon LP (Mind Expansion Records – TBA)
We’ve been working on this LP for nearly two years now and have finally finished it! We’ve also had conversations about including a set of mixes Carlos dubbed out as a bonus for the first run.
Influences:
Carlos: That moment you stand up too fast and your vision becomes yellow then pink then black.
Rachel: the Redwood forest, Cinque Terre, San Francisco, distant seas, road trips, desert landscapes, love, loss, sunsets, the moon…
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
“muses and sirens dance at a silent beach party. waves of blurry guitar fuzz break and recede. murmuring magic words.”
Favorite local bands:
Octopus Project, Fires Were Shot, The Tunnels, Experimental Aircraft, Sugao, The Ugly Beats, A Five & Dime Ship, Ringo Deathstarr, She Sir, Honey Thief
Favorite local venue:
The Parlor on North Loop — we can get a vegan pizza & wine for playing! In addition, we don’t have to drive downtown and deal with parking.
We like The Mohawk, Emo’s, and The Parish when we are downtown. It would be nice if the “live music capital of the world” would build its musicians a parking garage - could make performing downtown a more enjoyable experience. It’s lame when you have to pay to park and you’re performing.
Upcoming shows scheduled:
Aug 8 – The Scoot Inn (Day Show w/ the Tunnels, the Strange Attractors, Tia Carrera and more) Starts at 2:00pm
Aug 22 – Emo’s Lounge w/ the sour notes, the little bicycles, & flowers to hide
Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:
Ratatat, A Place to Bury Strangers, Indian Jewelry, Monroe Mustang
Some of your favorite albums from the past year:
The Duke Spirit “Neptune”, Sunray “Tomorrow”, Film School “Hideout”, Panda Bear “Person Pitch”, Ulrich Schnauss “Goodbye”, Warlocks “Heavy Deavy Skull Lover”, Booka Shade “Moments”, Soundpool “Dichotomies + Dreamland”, Midnight Movies “Lion the Girl”, The Static Silence “Found”, Experimental Aircraft “Third Transmission: Meet Me on Echo Echo Terrace”
Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:
all of the bands listed above, Stereolab, Spectrum, Silver Apples, Fuxa, Velvet Underground, anything overtly psychedelic
Austin Sound questions:
What are the best and worst aspects of having a band with your spouse?
Best: We’re always on the same page, and have an implicit trust in and understanding of the other’s tastes.
Worst: If we’re creating or rehearsing, no one is cooking dinner or changing the cat boxes!
Since y’all adopted the band name from Alice in Wonderland, which Wonderland character would each of you most identify with?
Carlos: a combo of the Caterpillar & the Cheshire cat
Rachel: a combo of the Shy Violets & Alice
Song Introduction:
Tidal Wave: This was one of the first songs that we finished for our upcoming LP. We’re always excited to experiment with different combinations of sounds. We were able to explore territory that had not been available to us before.
Sound Off:
Carlos: Rachel and I love to make art and travel to interesting places. We enjoy long evenings on temperate balconies overlooking the Ligurian Sea. I do not like getting sand between my toes but Rachel loves the seashore. We have been lured to house hunting everywhere from Marfa to Monterosso al Mare and the Humbolt County & Central Coast regions. We aspire to someday visit Reykjavik, Montreal, Curacao, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Valencia, or any coastal European city. Rachel wants to take me to Avebury, England to fulfill her post-modern druid commitments.
Mp3 from upcoming LP:
Tidal Wave
Websites:
www.rollerderbyrecords.com/AITGA.html
Myspace
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