John Andrew Fredrick of the black watch interviews tbw bassist cum producer Scott Taylor concerning the new CD, Icing the Snow Queen, on the eskimo record label--plus random other things--in La Bufadora, Mexico where Scott has a house that overlooks a beautifully blue bay, shimmering and placid as anything. They sit at a table that's well-situated with golden Coronas--many of them properly drained, "dead soldiers" gleaming in the still-hot late-afternoon Mexican Spring sun:
JAF: I don't think, coming over to your studio/practice space/house, that I have heard you listening for the past six months or so to a record that came out after 1969 or something. What is it about The Move, Status Quo, Tomorrow, et al. that, um, moves you so much? What's up with all the purple microdot rock, Scott? And how come I am way deep into it now as well? I must be just a "me-too!" You were laughing just the other day like a madman to Tomorrow's "The Good Wizard vs, the Naughty Wizard"! A preposterous track!
ST: It started with my boredom of current music--I wanted to seek out the tons of rock that has been recorded going on, oh, for 40 years now. 60's music in particular interests me cause it was a time of innovation in recording, writing, performing. Plus I dig the sounds that were achieved with limited equipment--a "less is more" sort of thing. And yeah you are a me-too, but I still love ya.
JAF: You've said you've left your "stamp" on the new album--just as Tim Boland (tbw's ex-guitarist and producer) left his on the last four CDs. What is your stamp, then?
ST: I don't know if stamp is the proper term. I prefer flavor. A less imposing term. Anyhow, you have the equipment that is available to you and that's how you make the record. If you have the knowhow, and an ear, you can make a great record. That's what I try to achieve every time I record.
JAF: As someone who writes, sings, plays guitar and bass, and who used to play drums, who owns 17 guitars, a home studio, octagons and mellotrons and all sorts of other gear, and who has just finished his own band's second CD (Velouria, Kiss it Better) that is coming out on eskimo, when did you realize you were a "lifer"?
ST: My dad taught me to play at around 8 years old or so. Strictly jazz. Then of course I got into Hendrix, Beatles, then punk rock. Music's a bug you catch; you can't let it go. Sounds silly, I realize, but music is freedom. I am recording some musicians here in Mexico and we can't communicate verbally--mostly cervesa-ly hahaha--but it doesn't matter: we still understand. I'm a music addict--what can I say?
JAF: Now that you are a bona fide producer, are there three producers that you pay close attention to/love? Of course you can wax eloquent about George Martin if you want to...
ST: As far as "modern" ones go, Rick Rubin for sure. What can I say about George Martin that hasn't already been said? Rudy Van Gelder--though he was more of an engineer. He recorded pretty much the entire American jazz catalog between 1954-1977 or thereabouts). He put two mics in a room and captured a performance--a lost art for sure.
JAF: Are you a perfectionist?
ST: That's something you can never achieve, so why try? No, seriously, I want the best out of myself and others. Otherwise, stay out of the way and keep your day job!
JAF: Do people take indie rock too seriously or not seriously enough?
ST: That's a strange question. You aren't doing advanced calculus or even trig, so why be so serious about it?
It's music--it's meant to be fun. Even a brilliant wit like Elvis Costello takes the piss a lot of the time. Digital recording, the cliche goes, has made it too easy for the most basic "musician" to compose and record. Know your history and add something new--otherwise, please stop! One can't sift through millions of releases every year to extract the .00125 per cent that contributes something.
JAF: How about those Lakers?! 50 per cent of the black watch (i.e. you and me) loves the Lakers--it's amazing we get anything at all done artistically during hoops season (Ed. note: don’t worry, it’ll be over soon!).
ST: The Lakers are looking very good, but I don't think they are going all the way this year, although my friend Hector from Whittier might beg to differ. Pro basketball is one of the last things that I refuse to believe is a scam--though it probably is.
JAF: What do you like best about Icing the Snow Queen?
ST: I like that we stretched out somehow. More psychedelic, more bass, more of a "fun" vibe on the songs. What I like least is obvious, so I'm not telling!
JAF: Anyone you would like to produce?
ST: Annette Zilinskas (ex-Bangles) I would like to do many things with. Steven Schayer (ex-Chills, now in tbw), the Pavoratti of indie pop! And of course another tbw record. Do I pass the audition, mate?
The Black Watch’s Icing the Snow Queen is released June 10, 2008 on Eskimo Records.
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