| Originating in San Rafael, San Francisco this garage
rock two piece are a complete anomaly in that they produce
without doubt the most joyfully exuberant music I have heard in
many years, music that could only be knocked out by
teenagers, and yet.....and yet they have a knack of
effortlessly coming up with a perfect melody, in this they
are blessed with a gift that is way beyond their years. I
managed to get hold of both their debut album To Pass The
Time....recorded when they were fifteen!....and 2006's
follow up Until We're Legal, and I can assure you that there
really is not a weak track on either, this is a level of
consistency that is all to rare, genuine quality control!
|
 |
| Each time I listen to these albums I find
myself having to take a step back (with a big smile of
satisfaction on my face), an experience I remember all to
well....The Ramones 1976.And talking of the early US punk
scene, one of the first things you will notice about Sierra
Frost is what a perfect 'punk' voice she has, one part
Jonathan Richman, one part Evan Dando and just maybe one
part Joey Ramone, its a timeless laconic vocal style that we
old punks have enjoyed so many times over the years. Oh, and
on top of all this, Two Seconds isn't Sierra's only band,
she also features in increasingly popular San Fran
atmospheric muso's Elephone and has a new project called Kil
Moi with Elephone frontman Ryan Lambert, and guess what?
Both of these bands are bloody ace too! |
The Interview....
Mad Daddy-You're
seventeen years old and producing music that seasoned twenty
somethings would be proud of, my experience of seventeen year old
American kids playing what purports to be "punk rock" is not good,
but
you've bucked that trend completely! Tell us something about your
influences.
Sierra-
Well hey, thanks- you know? I'm not especially great at handling
praise of that calibre, but I can tell you that much of my music can
be chalked up to having been raised in such a great area--The San
Francisco Bay area, that is. I spent my pre-and-mid-pubescent years
frequenting all-ages music clubs around the bay, which is where I
met
Lily and was first introduced to the concept young people receiving
huge amounts of support from their peers.
The scene was strong, especially in Oakland, which spawned several
great bands my age with whom I associate. Panda, Taylor P the MC,
and The Broken Dolls, to name a few. It was a great environment to
be brought up in/around.
Mad Daddy-
Your first album must have been recorded when you were
fifteen!
Sierra-
Ah, yes. Lily and I began playing together during the summer of
'05... The album was recorded live and finished in literally one
day. Things were really natural, so the process was quick. There was
nothing pre-conceived about what we were doing. We just both knew
how to play instruments. That was all.
Mad Daddy-
Were you (and Lily) those type of kids that were fed rock
music from an early age? If you go back to the Eighties there were
bands forming whose parents were hippies, so I suppose it makes
sense that we're now seeing a similar kick on from the punk
generation.
Sierra-
No, neither of our parents were punk-rockers. To tell the truth,
Lily and I don't see ourselves as punk rockers. What does that even
mean anymore, you know? My parents followed the Grateful Dead and
fed me
The Beatles growing up. Fairly typical. My Dad plays guitar. Lily's
parents are computer programmers, so yeah- Beatles. Nothing too
exciting there.
Mad
Daddy- Lily is an incredible drummer. Where the hell
did she learn to play like that? She hits those skins like a
female John Bonham!
Sierra-
She had drum lessons, that's all. What I do know is that
that girl has more confidence and stage presence than anyone
(or anything) I've ever known.
Mad
Daddy- I notice that any guitar/drums combo is
immediately likened to The White Stripes whether they sound
like them or not. Do you feel any affinity with Jack and
Meg?
Sierra- Yeah, the White Stripes are good... but their
band has nothing to do with the way we fashioned ours.
Essentially, we didn't have the patience to find a
bassist-it's really convenient to have two members.
The song-writing process is pretty much as easy as playing
the song. There. Bam. Done. We're like an insta-band. Just
add water. We can tour in a small car easily. That sort of
thing. |
 |
Mad Daddy-
An obvious reference point when describing your sound would I
suppose be Sleater Kinney. Do you share any of Kathleen Hanna's
feminist/riot grrl opinions.....or do you just want to have fun!
Sierra-
We've never really described ourselves as feminists in particular.
We have unwavering self-respect and confidence, but I think everyone
should have that. Not just women. We have never tolerated people in
the music industry talking down to us because of our age or gender,
but I'm not into riot grrl bullshit. I just feel like that's
creating separation more than equality. Men will never receive any
attention from us if they're patronizing or presumptuous, but
neither will anyone else... I'm not into victimizing myself like my
riot-grrl predecessors. You'll never see me throwing a "Don't hurt
me love me just cause I'm a girl" tantrum.That doesn't mean we cant
be fun or sexy or flirtatious. I mean, we are.
Mad Daddy-
I think perhaps a seventeen year old American and an old man
from the UK may just view the term "punk rock" a little differently.
When I loosely described Two Seconds as "punk" I certainly didn't
mean the
popular images of either studs and leather or...in the modern
sense...black clothing and a touch of eyeliner! To me and to most of
my peers punk is an attitude, that in your case has come, perhaps
unknowingly, via the natural exuberance of youth, coupled with the
ability to write and record songs with that "one take" simplicity.
In other words you retain that ramshackle, snotty...a British
term!...vitality that all the best early punk bands had in bucket
loads. Believe me, whether you realise it or not, you are as "punk"
as it gets!
Sierra-
No, YOU'RE punk.
Mad Daddy-
San Francisco is a big city, so how difficult is it to break
out of that "local band" situation? Is the competition fierce?
Sierra-
Have you ever been to San Francisco? It's itsy compared to LA or New
York! And quite compact, you know? There aren't THAT many places to
play. I wouldn't know about breaking out of the "local band"
situation, but I'd rather be in SF as a musician than anywhere else.
Things are so tricky in the music industry, now more than ever,
because one has to get noticed by someone who presumably can (and
intends to) support you, with the means to promote your project on a
national level, record your album in some sort of passable way, and
(if you're lucky, and you wont be!) give you some petty cash advance
that you take like a fuckin' dog because your rent is due. And who
knows where you're going to find someone like that? Second, that
person probably doesn't exist because a: record labels are going
belly-up left and right due to illegal downloading. b: rock music
has become so sub categorized that the chance of your music
appealing to a large enough audience to support a tour isn't lookin'
good. Who has the time? c: You're (I'm) not beautiful enough to have
your (my) face plastered everywhere in this homogenized new world of
contrived pop bullshit.
I'd rather be local, really. If our fanbase grows over-time, at
least we'll have a real following and a long-lasting career instead
of being one-hit wonders.
Mad Daddy-
How far afield have you played/toured, or has it been mainly
California gigs so far?
Sierra-
We've played shows as far east as Las Vegas and as far south as
Tijuana... that's about it, although we have plans for SXSW and
possibly CMJ.
Mad Daddy-
What size of crowd would you normally pull in your home
town/county?
Sierra-
Two Seconds originally started in San Rafael ( a suburb north of
SF). We've never been able to draw more than 40 or so to a show up
there....mostly because there's no scene or good venues. In SF we've
played to sold-out places of like 450, especially around CD
releases. Average shows (counting 21+ shows that some of our fans
cant get into) draw about 250.
Mad Daddy-
I know this is a Two Seconds interview but i have to ask
about your other bands, firstly tell me how you got involved with
Elephone?
Sierra- I
was first turned on to Elephone by the programme director of Life
105.3 FM (local alt. rock station), Aaron Axelsen. Elephone's
drummer quit, so Lily joined. Lily and I are inseparable, so
naturally i came as part of the package!
Mad Daddy-
I bought 'The Camera Behind The Camera....' when I was over
in the States earlier this year, it really is a superb album.
Sierra- I
agree whole-heartedly.... and had nothing to do with it at all!
Great album though. Favorite local band of 2006, certainly. Elephone
is amidst pre-production currently for a new album on which Ryan
(singer) and I will be sharing the task of singing/song-writing.
Mad Daddy-
With the right backing its a sound that could break really
big in the UK.
Sierra-
If you know anyone interested in "backing" give them my number,
please.
Mad Daddy-This
is a slightly awkward question, but who do you see as your main
band?
Sierra-
Hermans Hermits.
Mad Daddy-
Your third band Kill Moi have just the one song up on your
MySpace page at the moment, but what a song! Writers Block really is
a killer tune with definite shades of Evan Dando at his most
whimsical.
Sierra-
Hey, thanks. About the one song. Sorry, we've been lazy about that.
We're going into the studio next week with producer Scott Blonde
(The Lovemakers) to record more songs. We'll send them to you first
for your stamp of approval (should you chose to stamp it).
 |
Mad
Daddy- How do you juggle the interests of three bands
simultaneously?
Sierra- I really have only three friends- and two of
them are in bands with me, so I don't really have a social
life outside of band practice and shows. Instead of going
out and having friends, I just have bands.... It's about
equally as time-consuming.
Mad
Daddy- Do you get pressure from your labels to favor
one or the other of your two main bands.... meaning Two
Seconds or Elephone, I realize Kill Moi are unsigned.
Sierra-
Not really. I think everyone understands that being in
multiple bands is something I need to do. I feel like I've
been able to create more of a "scene", just in that I've
created close association between three bands. Also, if one
of my bands does well, all of my bands benefit. For example,
if Two Seconds is on the radio a lot, then our
myspace will get more hits and people will check out our
page and see that I'm in other bands, which they're likely
to check out... blah blah blah. Basically, whatever time I
dedicate to music (writing, recording, playing, promoting,
making connections) is positive for all of my bands... I
feel like I'm doing a horrible job of explaining this. |
Mad Daddy- Where
do you see your musical career going over the next couple of years?
Sierra-
Plan A: The album (any album) goes triple platinum I do one world
tour before taking the money and running away to the south of
Argentina where I will be a hermit and you will never hear from me
again. Plan B: I experience moderate success with which I'll fuel
the careers of exceptional upcoming indie artists and offer them
support with the rad label I start (Ala Ecstatic Peace Records.)
Mad Daddy- Can
you tell us about any local bands we should be looking out for?
Sierra-
From the SF bay area ... Brilliant Red Lights (are amazing), The
Blacks (are pretentious assholes, but good), The Felix Dukes (blow
your mind), Fauna Valetta (painfully hip, but have an awesome
sound), Awesome Color (not from SF, but very indie and cool), Turbo
Fruits (also not from SF, but amazing).
................And finally...
Mad Daddy-
Whats your favourite cheese?
Sierra-
Spinach Dip???
................so there you have it, an insight into the world of
Two Seconds, a pair of inseparable young Californians who really
have no idea how talented they are. How will their future be shaped?
Will maturity strip them of that essential zest and bring with it
over production and "metal" riffs? Do you know what? For the moment
i just don't fucking care because they're....My Favourite New Band!
MySpaces...
Two
Seconds |
Elephone
|
Kill Moi |
