Larry caught up with four-piece indie rockers Wild Flag to talk about their debut album, touring and much more.
Where about’s are you right now? I know you’ve been in the UK recently.
No, we’re up in Washington DC. We’re going next week actually.
How has your Christmas and New Years been?
Yeah, it was fine thank you.
You’re schedule is looking pretty full on, I hope you’re resting up.
Yeah, it’s pretty full I guess. It doesn’t feel too crazy. We did a tour in the fall that was much longer, so the tours we’re doing now are a lot easier I guess, they’re only a couple of weeks each.
Well that’s true, you’ve got a few breaks. We’re getting you down in Australia in March. Have you been down here before?
No I haven’t actually but I’m looking forward to coming.
What have you heard about Australia? What are you looking forward to doing while you’re down here?
I think my number one priority without having done research would probably be to hold a koala. That’s the only thing that comes to mind.
Well you’ll definitely get a chance to do that, you have a little bit of time while you’re down here. There is Taronga Zoo in Sydney that is famous for its koala holding.
Oh, wonderful!
Well we’re looking forward to seeing you down here. You’re here to play your debut record which was released a few months back now. How do you guys feel about the record? It’s been out for a little while now. What are the vibes in the Wild Flag camp?
We recorded it really fast, which is always a good thing I think, so you don’t get sick of hearing it. We did it all live. We recorded with Chris Woodhouse in California on tape, the whole thing was analogue. It was really fun, I personally haven’t recorded that way in a long time. It was a good way to do it I thought.
How long ago was that recorded now?
It would have been last April. Almost a year ago now.
So just after you killed it at South By Southwest?
Yeah, we booked a lot of tours before we had a record out just because we knew the more shows we played the tighter we would get and just to see what was working and what wasn’t. That was the whole idea behind all the touring before the recording which I’m glad we did because we wouldn’t have finished the recording so quickly otherwise.
You got to play ATP at the end of last month, what was that experience like?
It was really fun, I had always heard about ATP and I was really excited to go over there. It was really great, it was a really fun filled time.
When it comes to your experiences with Wild Flag touring relentlessly, how much did your past experiences prepare you for your experiences in Wild Flag? I understand that you have worked with Carrie in the past.
Yeah, Carrie and I did a couple of little releases, I think we played one show maybe. But, one thing we have in common, in the band, we’ve been playing music for a while. In terms of the rock music world, we are considered the veterans. It’s kind of weird, in the real world we’re normal but in the rock world, we’re considered pretty old. But yeah, we’ve all been doing it for a while and the benefits of that is that we all know how we like to play shows, how we like to record, how we like to write songs together. So I guess that experience has been really beneficial.
I’ve spoken to a few artists over the years who have changed bands over time. One thing I often hear is that after the change, they learn how to party correctly and not getting too burnt out on the road.
How to party correctly? (Laughs) I learnt that really young. I didn’t party much at all in my other bands, this is my first band that I really have. I’m kind of having the opposite experience actually.
Looking forward to 2012, you’re obviously doing a lot of touring. Can we expect any new singles or anything else in the next few months?
We haven’t really discussed that. I think the plan is that we’re touring, and hopefully record again before the end of the year.
The big news lately is that you’re going to play Coachella, what does that mean to you guys?
It’s a new thing for me, I’m really excited. I don’t know what to expect but it sounds like a lot of fun. Playing on the same stage as Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre – that’s what I’m excited about.
Have you got a secret hip hop side project in the works with them?
No, but I might have to start one afterwards.
Well we look forward to seeing you down here in the next few months, and good luck with all your touring in the UK in the next few weeks.
Yeah, I’m really excited to come down.
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Catch Wild Flag this March near you!
March 7th – The Bakery – Perth, WA
March 9th – The Corner Hotel – Melbourne, VIC
March 10th – Golden Plains Music Festival – Victoria, VIC
March 11th – The Zoo – Brisbane, QLD
March 13th – The Manning Bar – Sydney, NSW
