Akron/Family
A brief
interview with Seth of Akron/Family
© 2006 Ross Simonini
Posted: May 9, 2006
Images courtesy Young
God Records
Akron/Family has written some of the best songs of the current
century. They have released two albums on Young God Records, both
of which juxtapose musical sensibilities of the most diverse sort.
To love them is to love music, not genres.
Identity Theory: Can you explain “Ak Ak”?
What is it, exactly? I heard someone call it a religion.
Seth: It’s less a religion, and more of
a perceptual glitch caused by over-exposure to loud volumes and
extended periods spent in the van resulting in the breathing of
rainbows and grids and bold statements like “the truth is
such.” We know even less than the average person and are happy
about presenting that on stage. Our faith in our lack of understanding
is both hit and miss.
Identity Theory: All of your new material could
definitely be considered “polarized.” You have the intense
death-metal style of music juxtaposed against an intensely subdued
acoustic sound. What effect are you interested in creating, by combining
this two extremes? Or do you not view them as extremes?
Seth: I don’t know if we use the specific
word “extremes,” but dynamic [shifts] are certainly
one of the most prevalent and important parts of what we do. I do
not think that we do it just to do it. Sometimes, I suppose it is
for effect, other times it expresses specific ideas, other times
it works to grab attention. But I think we are just drawn to including
counterpoint, be it volume, melody, emotion, speed — one generally
calls out for the other.
Identity Theory: When you write songs, do you
feel that the structure and/or melody of the song could fit within
multiple sounds? For instance, do you think a song like “Afford”
could work as a darker, heavier and more aggressive treatment? Could
“Moment” work as a subdued song? Or do you find that
all songs call for a very particular treatment? I guess what I’m
asking is: are songs and genre one in the same?
Seth: I think it depends. Especially considering
the wide range of what we do. I’m inclined to say that something
like “Moment” as a song is very arrangement-oriented,
so that the arrangement of it, as well as the lyrics and structure,
are much more integrated and tied together than something like “Afford,”
which is a little more of a traditional so-called song. I would
think that pieces that are simpler and more song-like would lean
themselves more towards reworkings of arrangement and what you call
genre, where as something like “Moment” is a little
less flexible.
Identity Theory: How does the band interact together,
in terms of songwriting?
Seth: It varies quite a bit from song to song.
Some are started by one person and more or less finished (structure,
harmony, melody, lyrics) and then just filled out by the band, for
example “Afford” or “I’ll Be On the Water,”
while other songs are more or less ideas that over time and lots
of “discussion” are fleshed out into full pieces, like
the songs “Moment” or “Future Myth.”
Identity Theory: How would you describe the mental
state of the band during the recording of the last two albums?
Seth: The first album was collected from material
recorded and worked on over a long period of time, and we were all
a bit crazy. The last album was recorded in a week as soon as we
got back from a 6-week tour with Michael Gira, and we were all a
bit crazy.
Identity Theory: A lot of your lyrics use religious
imagery. Would you say this comes from a religious place or would
you say that you just like using the idiomatic phrases of “Lord”
and so forth?
Seth: We all have our own beliefs and I would
say it may mean something different for all of us. But it is truly
sincere, and when we say “Lord” we mean “Lord”
and are not just referencing some idiom or style, like “ohh,
look at these nice post modern boys doing a gospel bit.” Usually
people get it if they get it. We try very hard to include everyone,
and by no means are trying to get people to think one way or another,
but are trying to create a somewhat specific space for this music
to unfold in.
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