Few bands do a better job tossing catchy melodies and choruses into such a mucky stew of noise and deliberately crappy recording techniques than Columbus, Ohio's Times New Viking. The trio, critically-lauded yet still dodging most of the mainstream love they probably deserve, is riding high on perhaps their crispest and most complete LP yet, Born Again Revisited, a batch of concoctions that sticks in the mind even though about 80% of its words are unintelligible. In preparation for their performance (which, if their other concerts are any indication, will be a nonstop onslaught of energy) at Fun Fun Fun Fest this Saturday, we shot some questions across the internet at Times New Viking, and guitarist Jared Phillips shot back some answers, including this little nugget: "fuck art." Enjoy.

I’m sure you’re painfully aware of the so-called lo-fi revolution, yet your music and the depths of your crunchy early sound, your art school chops, Columbus' DIY culture, etc., predate the mainstream awakening of lo-fi’s charms. How do you feel you fit in this movement, or is it something wholly outside of you?

We don't really feel involved with all that. Even in the beginning we were kind of on our own. I really hope this movement people keep telling me about is over soon. It seems ridiculous. We're ready to make our "Rumours 2."

Plenty of acts from that movement have gotten all the big blog hype and have had their legions of fans followed furiously by legions of haters. For some reason, you’ve seemed to sidestep all of this. Why do you think this is?

Not sure. Perhaps we don't fit in and people don't know how to take us. I'm glad we've avoided all that, but we do have extreme haters. That's usually a result of shitty bands' jealousy. I love that shit.

There’s a comic darkness to your lyrics, as you make hopelessness sound cheery and put into its own ridiculous perspective the mania of teenage life. Despite this almost everpresent humor (one song called “2/11 Don’t Forget,” for example), the music never descends into self-mockery. How do you view the use of comedy in your music, as well as the often seemingly bleak subject matter?

Thank you. To answer this as well as the last question (get stoned with two birds here), we don't take things too seriously. Other groups have a tendency to do that. Too wrapped up in the 'art' side of things. Fuck art. It's entertainment. but you can't get into goofy-ass Ween territory or no one will take you seriously. That's what you want: to be taken seriously without being too concerned with whether you get the wheat grass on your rider. I still want people to be scared though.

Any thoughts of cleaning up the sound further in future albums, to separate yourself from that crowd or to highlight your tunes themselves?

Yes, we definitely want to distance ourselves. At the same time, we are getting better at recording and using the subtleties of noise, so it just comes natural. We'll see where it goes.

Related to that, you’re based not out of a hipster haven like Brooklyn or Athens or LA, but out of the relatively nondescript and “normal” Columbus, Ohio. How has it shaped your expectations as a band, and do you feel any particular sense of pride about achieving critical acclaim from a place considered by many to be decidedly “unhip”?

I think there is some pride there, yes. Ohio is the crossroads, and Columbus is the test market city. We've never had any grandiose ambitions or anything. Nor do we have a particular style we need to ape to get our foot in the door, maybe just a bit of D.I.Y. ethos and good songwriting.

---

Times New Viking [MySpace] [Label]

Times New Viking will be performing at Fun Fun Fun Fest on Saturday, November 7 at 2:40 on the Orange Stage.

Filed in Arts & Entertainment and tagged funfest, funfunfunfest2009, interview, jaredphillips, music, timesnewviking

Comments [rss]