Know Your NYC Bands: Dead Leaf Echo Interview

BeatCrave brings you band, Dead Leaf Echo, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. Combining post-romantic compositions with a sophisticated visual concept, Dead Leaf Echo represents the classy but daring sound of New York City, itself. There is a sense of fashion attached to the band’s creativity, which fans are basking in the beauty of it all.

With projected images behind them as they play, Dead Leaf Echo create almost a sinful surrealism. Their melodies are dreamy, the art is elaborately elegant, and the music is driven. LG, Mike DiLalla, and Ana B. all have the skills to hypnotize you into their world. Have you been longing to be transported through a different state of mind? Your chance comes sooner than you think! Dead Leaf Echo will be play at Vanishing Point on December 18th, right before the holidays.

Until then, check out our exclusive interview with LG, Mike and Ana below! Discover not only which masterpieces are influential to them but also, where they retreat to for a good late night snack.

What part of NYC do you all live in?

LG: North Brooklyn.
MD: Morningside Heights.
AB: Brooklyn!

How did you all of you meet?

MD: I met LG at a local bar.
LG: The origins lay in the Morningside Heights/Manhattan Valley area of the Upper West Side. The band still all lives up there except for me – I escaped to Brooklyn, not the suburbs.
AB: I met LG because I kept running into him at shows and we had mutual friends in the scene. We found out we had an incredible amount of crossover in terms of favorite bands and overall interests and aesthetic.

You guys are known as a band for having a high art concept. How important is the combination of sound and vision?

AB: The music is just one element of the story. All elements are combined to inform the aesthetic experience and expression of the idea.

Do you guys really have live projections at all of your shows? If so, what images are shown?

LG: Yeah, we really do, every time, and we don’t even own our own projector- the situations that it puts us in….
MD: To be honest, I have no idea! I can’t see the projections while I’m on stage!
AB: The selection of material changes for almost every show. LG collects the footage. Sometimes they’re things where he has filmed himself on Super 8, vintage footage, or even just used washes of color and flashes of light. He’ll also collaborate with friends to produce a final edited show. The projections are always a slice of what LG is currently thinking about…like right now its heavily influenced by Ver Sacrum. You’re always bound to see the female form.

There’s a gothic beauty to your sound. Do you think of yourselves as a romantic band ?

LG: More so as a flawed person with romantic ideologies, so I feel this band is Post-Romantic.
AB: Yes, as long as you think there is romance and poetry in tragedy and darkness.
MD: YES! All you need is love.

Shoegaze is a genre that is steadily getting more exposure. What is the most common misconception about the shoegaze sound?

LG: I didn’t know there were any misconceptions amongst this sound; I can tell you what misconceptions there are amongst the hard-core fans of this genre – The 2nd coming ain’t coming. It’s over. Bye-bye.
MD: The “noise factor.” Done well, “noise” can be used in a way that sets the mood for the song. It can take you on journey not normally experienced in your “standard” guitar, bass, keyboard sounds.
AB: That it is not dynamic or original. There is a lot out there that isn’t and gives the good stuff a bad name….but that is true for every genre. I also think the title is limiting. Most of my favorite Shoegaze bands fit other descriptions.

How did the title Pale Fire come about?

LG: Nabokov. Of, his work I feel it’s the most dense. I was going through it during the writing of some of the songs before and after. The titles that I had and themes of Trust and Lies that revolve around a Fantasy World seem to parallel the songs written for this record. That seems to work as well as an homage to Nabokov just as he (Nabokov) was paying respects to Shakespeare with Shade’s poem.

What particular strength was gained since your debut album, Faint Violet Whiff?

LG: Cohesion; mostly amongst the band and inside the studio working with engineers. Everything all boils down to our level of knowledge of working in music and it has increased since the last record.

Year of the Gallon Records is your own label. Is creating your own label hard?

MD: Not really. It was a natural progression. Us not waiting for a label and doing things on our own terms is very important, and in doing so we have carved out the sound we have now.
LG: Creating your own label – easy. Distribution on your own label- not easy.

Which local bands are you currently digging?

LG: Her Vanished Grace
AB: Soundscapes
MD: Soundpool

Quick-Fire Round:
What is your favorite NYC venue to play?

LG: It’s a toss-up between Radio City Music Hall and Meadowlands for me… Too bad Shea’s gone… Which do you guys prefer?
AB: The Bowery Ballroom.
MD: Mercury Lounge.

What is the best place to get a late night snack in NYC?

LG: 24-hr Falafel spot on the corner… melt in your mouth Baklava.
AB: San Loco or if you’re really desperate, there’s always the cheese puffs at Bushwick Country Club.
MD: 2 Bros. Pizza on St. Marks; $1 for a slice of really good pizza.

Where’s the best place to get rowdy with friends in NYC?

LG: I keep going down to this place on the corner, Bushwick Country Club. When you walk in, the smell of the place just slaps you in the face. They force you to put up with it in the exchange for a beer and a shot for 6 bucks. Fortunately, they have an outdoor area where you can go to catch your breath in between shots.
MD: Lit Lounge.

Tell us one thing about yourself we probably don’t already know.

AB: I have a crush on LG.
MD: Um…I voted for Nader.
LG: Hey, I didn’t know that! So did I!

Photography by Mike Kobal