INTERVIEW: Know Your NYC Bands With Low Water
BeatCrave brings you Brooklyn-based band, Low Water, as part of our Know Your NYC Bands series. They may be from NYC’s hipsterville capitol, but take a moment and forget the tight pants, chucks, and american apparel posers. Or not; all anyone needs is just one listen to Low Water’s music, and all pretense will be forgotten. Low water embodies a laid back sound that is reminiscent of Wilco and Elvis Costello that is paired up with scratchy yet gentle vocals; On the contrary, this band is not anti-hipster but perhaps pre-hipster – a band that plays music to only play music without too much emphasis on what others think. They just happen to sound good while they do this.
If you’re in the area, see them live at their upcoming show on December 6th at Club Cafe with Lowry and Round Black Ghosts! The show starts at 8:00 pm.
They’ve also just released their third album, Twisting the Neck of the Swan, and have made a video for the track, “Go.” Check out the video as part of our exclusive interview with them below!
Are you all from the Brooklyn area?
Dave: I’m from Pittsburgh, PA. Go Stillers!
Joe: Chesterton, Indiana. Bears fan.
John: New Castle, PA originally. Dave and I are via San Francisco. Long story…
How did you choose Low Water as your band name? Is there a meaning behind it?
John: “Low water” was a 40’s slang term for being broke. Unfortunately, it’s
turned out to be a fitting moniker at times…especially during touring in our van, “the experience.”
I must admit that I didn’t expect a Williamsburg band to have your sound. Some have dubbed Low Water’s sound as “anti-hipster.” What are your thoughts on that?
Dave: I think we sound like ourselves playing music. We all have very different tastes in bands, and that influences how each of us plays.
John: I don’t want to be anti-anything, really; there’s enough of that out there. I do think many people limit themselves to what they expose themselves to by listening to whatever pitchfork says is “okay.” I like to think we make music that isn’t pretentious and is meant to last…if that’s “anti-hipster” then maybe we are…
I hear a bit of alt-country rock in your music. Do any bands in this genre influence Low Water?
John: Sure–Wilco is one of my favorites; I listen to a lot of “old” country: George Jones, Waylon, etc
Dave: I don’t know who influences what I do. I like to sneak in little references to other songs – sometimes it’s just a tambourine pattern from a Throwing Muses song, sometimes it’s a Beatles harmony.
Are there any current local NYC bands who influence you?
John: We are good friends and sometimes-touring-mates with another band here called Lowry who are kindred spirits
Joe: -and Demander.
Based on the music you put out and all the media you do yourselves, it looks
like Low Water has been pretty successful on its own. Will you continue this way or are you looking into indie record labels?
Dave: I really like making videos and taking photos, so I hope that we can always do that.
The video for “Go” is gorgeous. How did the concept for it come about?
Dave: The concept came from the idea for the record cover. I was honestly in a bar and drew out a crappy version on a napkin of a woman floating above the roof. My girlfriend had a bunch of Chinese umbrellas that she was going to throw away. So a bunch of us tore them apart, not really knowing what they would look like, and made a big mess.
Stephanie Sleeper of sleepdance.org took the ideas and umbrellas and choreographed the dancers for the video. We really wanted to make something very different and cool looking.
What do you enjoy most about the NYC music scene?
John: Lots of options every night…always stuff going on. And when it’s supportive, when you find the right folks and get a little niche, there’s a lot of positive things about that.
How does your songwriting process in the band usually work?
John: I write the lyrics and the main chords/structure…
Dave: And then Joe and I shape it into more of a band song. We all influence what a song turns into.
Where is your favorite place to play in NYC?
Dave: The Mercury Lounge.
Quick-Fire Round:
Where’s the best place to get lunch in NYC?
John: I really am a fan of “street meat”…middle eastern, etc. After a while you can tell which ones to trust.
Dave: In NYC, I’ll eat a ham and cheese at Blimpies any day. But I do miss having an In-and-out burger, animal style.
Who was the last band you saw in concert?
Dave: Oddly enough, it was The Killers.
John: God…it’s been a while. I think it was Spoon at Webster Hall
Joe: I saw Rush this summer and it was freakin’ awesome!
What song can you never get tired of listening to?
Dave: Anything by The Pixies.
John: “Making Believe” by the Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald
How do you spot a tourist in NYC?
Dave: Hawaiian shirt and camera around their neck?
Tell us one thing about yourself we probably don’t already know.
Dave: I can say “I am a big duck” in several languages.
Photography courtesy of Low Water
