Interview: The Faint

Joel Petersen of Omaha, Nebraska, guitarist, bassist and keyboardist for The Faint answered some questions about the band’s current tour and newest album Fasciination. Petersen also is Broken Spindles, for which he writes music for between touring with The Faint.

The tour allowed for a stop at the high profile Lux disco in downtown Lisbon, Portugal on December 4th. With a wide repertoire, spanning almost a decade of hit albums, The Faint smashed even the highest expectations, with non-stop electronic dance rhythms and faithful presentation of their studio quality tracks. The album is available for digital download at their homepage. The full interview is after the break!

The current tour is to promote the new album Fasciination, how is it different from your previous work?

Sonically, Fasciination is our attempt to emphasize only the important elements in the songs and to omit the fluff. Not necessarily a stripped down approach, just realizing what a song needs as opposed to what we want.

Tell me about recording the album.

We did it in our newly constructed studio called Enamel.  It took us about 6 months to record and mix and then re-record and re-mix.

How is the new label working out?

Great. It feels good to have everything under one roof.

Where did you find the electronic synth sound used in The Faint?

The pawn shop. We saved our money and spend about $50 on the first synth for the band. I think we just got tired of hearing guitars and wanted to hear some new sounds and synthesizers seemed interesting because they were mysterious and at that time really uncool.  I guess we are drawn toward things that we don’t understand.

Do you have sequenced parts in your songs? What software do you use in your music?

Yes, live we are currently using an Akai MPC4000 for our sequencing needs. No software.

How do you view mainstream media? Would you collaborate with Madonna?

That does not interest me. I make music for the art of it, not the entertainment of it.

What are your reactions/political views on the Presidential Election in the States?

The man we all voted for won, so we are happy and hopeful.

What are your plans after the tour?

I am going to work on some Broken Spindles music in the studio and The Faint is going to take a bit of a break to recoup before our next tour begins in the spring.

Last question: If you could perform in any other musical project, which one would it be?

I would want to be a classically trained concert pianist so I could play some cool Schoenberg or Liszt.

Photography courtesy of Hugo Mascarenhas