New York duo Phantogram are having a great 2011 in the pages of Bowlegs. We included their tracks on not one but two of our mixtapes, and, quite frankly, we really liked their EP Nightlife. And it’s that lukewarm sentiment that we’re carrying forward into 2012 as we hope for an album from the band. We caught up with Josh Carter and levelled some questions at him.
Bowlegs: Which album has been a major influence in your life, and why?
Josh: The White Album, because there is such a wide range of styles and influences in their sound on that album. As a songwriter I try to really incorporate a lot of different elements in our music, so it’s a big influence.
Bowlegs: What was the last album you bought?
Josh: James Blake’s.
Bowlegs: Which bands have you been listening to this week?
Josh: Mostly to classical music on the radio, or this show called Radiolab on NPR. Ideas that I’ve been working on while on the road.
Bowlegs: Name an up-and-coming band Bowlegs should look out for?
Josh: Sacred Spirits out of Cincinnati OH.
Bowlegs: What was the last gig you went to?
Josh: Deerhunter, about three years ago.
Bowlegs: Who is the best band you have ever shared a bill with?
Josh: We’ve shared the bill with a lot of awesome bands – I can’t really say that I consider any band better than others because everyone has their own style, but I appreciate the music of The Antlers – especially live. The XX, that was a good tour – I really got into their minimal sound live. I thought it was interesting. This other band that we’re taking on tour – Exitmusic – it’s real droney and emotional sounding. It’s a really tough question to answer.
Bowlegs: What was the first gig you ever went to, and who did you go with?
Josh: I went with my father when I was 11, to see Phil Keggy in a theatre – he played acoustic guitar and had bunch of loop pedal. The first show I chose to go to was to see Beck, around the time Midnight Vultures came out.
Bowlegs: What made you realize that being a musician was the career of choice?
Josh: Well, there was really no other option for me. As soon as I started playing music I got so passionate about it I didn’t care about anything else. I didn’t want to do anything else. I get my mind set on something, and I don’t really care if people tell me I can or can’t.
Bowlegs: What is your favourite music documentary?
Josh: I haven’t really seen a lot – I like The Song Remains the Same – Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden. That I really like. I saw a cool thing on Bruce Haack. I think it was called Haack: the King of Techno.
Bowlegs: What was the last film you saw, and was it any good?
Josh: I watched this movie called Drive last night. I thought it was pretty good. Didn’t love it, but it was definitely watchable.
Bowlegs: Name three great books Bowlegs must read?
Josh: The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake by Breece D’J Pancake; A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole; and Junkie by William S Burroughs.
Bowlegs: What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Josh: I don’t usually know what I think about what I look like, so when I look in the mirror, I think – “that’s what I look like – weird.”
Bowlegs: Name a song that takes you back to a certain time in your life?
Josh: Probably, I don’t know about a song, but Siamese Dream really brings me back to – maybe the song Today – brings me back to 8th grade and having a supper duper crush on this girl that I liked.
Bowlegs: Tell us one of your favourite album covers?
Josh: I like the cover of Revolver, by The Beatles. I like the Black Sabbath Vol 4 a lot. I like The XX album cover, how simple it is; Joy Division, the one with the weird waves on it. I kind of like the look of old soul records from the 60s. There was a certain aesthetic.
Bowlegs: What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
Josh: That question.
Bowlegs: Do you think music videos are important and do you like making them?
Josh: I think music videos are cool. I don’t really know how important they are or not. It’s not like I go on YouTube and watch videos too often, and unfortunately it feels like YouTube is the only place you can see videos. They were important for me growing up because it was a way of discovering bands. I always found it interesting to watch an Ice Cube video – Today Was A Good Day – I always liked that video. As far as today – I really like the clay-mation Grizzly Bear video.
Bowlegs: Are albums still important or is it more about individual tracks?
Josh: To me, albums are super important. I miss the whole experience of buying an album, putting it in listening to the whole thing. These days too may people – myself included – play DJ with their iPod. It seems like with modern technologies albums are becoming less and less relevant to a lot of people sadly, because a lot of people latch on to singles and forget the contents of the record. Often the single is just a way for me to get people to listen to the rest of the material.
Bowlegs: What do you have planned for the next six months?
Josh: I plan in finishing the tour, and then moving someplace warm, and working on the next record.
Bowlegs: What is on your iPod?
Josh: I don’t have an iPod. I use Sarah’s – she’s got all kinds of stuff like Prince, Flaming Lips, James Blake, old soul. I dunno, it’s pretty eclectic, classical, and jazz.
Bowlegs: What is your favourite track from the new Nightlife EP?
Josh: The song Nightlife.
