Form Guide:
SANDPIT
Brendan Webb is in a band called Sandpit and has a solo side project under the name BL Stryker.
I like playing by myself because it's a lot more free. I can do exactly what I want to do. I can change parts. I guess it's different because it gives me a chance to hear what I'm singing and you can concentrate on the song in a stripped back sense. Some things I play, I'll know pretty much as soon as I've worked out two parts that go together whether they are going to suit what we do in the band or what I'd like to do by myself. I like playing by myself, but then I like playing in a band situation as well because it's just heaps more powerful. It has more impact.
The second Sandpit EP The Tyranny of Creeps.
Obviously if you had the studio time right now to do it again you would go in and do things differently. I really like the first two songs. The last three I'm not so confident with. In some ways they could have been treated a little differently. You only get a couple of days in the studio to do what you can. The drum takes for six songs took two days. Everything took longer for the second one. We were a bit concerned when we first went in. We weren't sure whether the songs we had were the ones we wanted; whether they were up to scratch. People had said good things about the first EP so it creates some sort of expectation. I guess you always want to do your best anyway. You always want to produce your best work. Most artists who are passionate about their art are perfectionists anyway. It's so easy to be critical of what you do yourself. You listen to you own disc and you listen to other bands that you like and you wonder if you're coming from the same place. We try to play music that's original and a representation of ourselves. In the last two bios there's been a Sonic Youth comparison, Sister-era Sonic Youth. I really like some of their first couple of albums, probably more so than the stuff they're doing these days. I did listen to a lot of Evol and the Sister album, but I don't consciously make those sounds and when you sit down and play something that sounds like Sonic Youth, you know it.
Is it the tuning?
Yeah, possibly. The only reason that I use tunings other than the standard tuning is basically because, if I play on a standard tuning guitar, more often that not you just end up with standard sounding songs. Ash from Polvo was saying in one interview about weird tunings that they came from a need to create different sounds out of the instrument; to do something different with such a common instrument; something that's been used for so many years. So much rock music sounds the same. I don't really like guitar effects pedals much. I've never been a big fan of chorus or delay or phasing effects. I just basically like distortion and that's about it; and only minimal distortion at that. Not some big Tumbleweed, big Muff, fuzzy guitar sound either. It's like a macho type of thing. I prefer modest guitar parts.
A poppier disc?
There's never any conscious decision to write a song in a particular style and go, "I better write a ballad" or "I better write an uplifting modern-rock song". They just came out. They were just a bunch of songs that we had at the time. I guess some of the elements of it are a bit catchier or poppier, with more hooks, or whatever. Both EPs have probably got the same range of pop and rock elements in them anyway. They're just different songs. You feel yourself maturing as a person who writes songs.
Music and industry.
My ideas about music and the music industry have totally changed since when we first started. I think being a signed band and a band that wants to achieve some kind of success on our level, whatever that is, has made me cynical about the whole industry. You basically have to have a hit song on JJJ to be successful in Australia and that's not even where it's at. Getting involved with all the politics brings you down after a while.
An album.
Hopefully we can come up with ten or so decent songs to record as an album. We've started on some new things. But we've gotten to the point where I'm so disillusioned with everything I don't know what kind of music to make anymore. Rock music's had its day. Techno music is about to have its day. Even drum and bass stuff has nearly been done to death. It's hard to know what comes next really. I get into all different kinds of things. Anything that's got a good tone really I like. I've got a friend who's a DJ and into scratching. He played me DJ Shadow. I like that kind of stuff. I've been getting into that and TransAm. It's human drumming but with a dub kind of sound. It's a mixture between Tortoise and more drum and bass, hip hop sort of stuff. But then there are guitar songs too. They've got really good sounding recordings. Just cool kind o dub hip hop. I'd like to have a go at doing all sorts of different things. I'm more than interested in doing a side project - more experimental stuff. I've been jamming with this friend of mine, I'm playing drums and he plays guitar. I like it lots. It's kind of what I want to do at some stage. Get better at drums and maybe play drums in a band.
It all comes down to this.
I'm a really big fan of music and there's so much music that you want to own, but I can't even afford to maintain my guitars never mind buy records.
Bold Heading.
Brendan Webb spoke to Derek Agnew.
Derek Agnew