Sunday, May 18, 2008

Two and a Half Questions with Hammock

How did your debut live performance shape your music production?
The production process on "Maybe They Will Sing for us Tomorrow" centered around capturing the same vibe & spirit of the live performance. We were able to record all of the pieces very soon after the "Riceboy Sleeps" opening & that helped in capturing the essence of that body of work. We performed the songs more or less live (very few overdubs & no click tracks) & then went back & focused on the string arrangements & wrote 2 additional pieces. Initially we were planning to use some of those songs on our next release, but after hearing them on tape, in context to one another, it seemed to make much more sense to release them as a single project.

What is the most important lesson that you took away from the experience?
In performing these songs, we had to put ourselves in the mindset of a string section basically. Because there are no beats to follow, all of the cues & changes are not only felt & heard, but come about through visual communication. A nod here, a glance there; I think it has helped us become much more intuitive & focused, especially live.

Will the rest of us get an opportunity to see Hammock live?
Hopefully so. We have a few things on the books, but I think the initial hurdle of performing our music in a live setting has been cleared.

myspace.com/hammockmusic | hammockmusic.com

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