Super Who?!

Dear readers,

This is a very special moment for us all as we’re proud to publish our very first interview here at Super Who’s Parade! (yaaay!)

of Telekinesis very kindly agreed to answer a few questions which you can see below. For those of you who don’t know of Telekinesis’ music – definitely check them out! A short review was written in our previous posts if you’d like to read up on some info.

#1) I’ve read that you lived over in Liverpool for a year and studied at Paul McCartney’s School of Art – What’s your favourite memory from this experience and do you have any favourite parts of the UK?

Yes! I studied at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2006. My favorite memory from the whole experience was all of the traveling I was able to do. I am absolutely in love with the British rail system. I bought a student railcard while I was there, and was able to hop on trains for super cheap. So, I would do this thing most every weekend where I would go to Liverpool Lime Street station with just me, and my camera. I would go to the board, and pick a city that I’d never been to, and get a ticket, and go to that city and walk around for a few hours, and then head home. It was incredible.

As far as favourite parts of the UK, the Lake District is without a doubt my absolute favorite. My friend in uni lived there, in a small town outside of Kendal, and it is one of most incredible places I have ever been in my life. Lake Windermere is gorgeous, ambleside is quaint and perfect, and the langdale valley is totally magical. There is this pub at the foot of the langdale valley called the Old Dungeon Ghyll, and it poured the best pints I’ve ever had in my life. I miss the UK!

#2)During the recording process, you played most of the instruments – What was the hardest thing to master and how did you manage it?

The bass was the hardest thing for me to figure out, I think because it was the newest instrument that I had tried to learn before recording. I guess that is why I don’t actually play all the bass on the record! My friend David Broecker played on a couple songs, and Chris Walla (who produced the record) played on a couple tracks as well. But yes, the bass, it’s a finicky one!

#3)I really admire how you approached the album and I think it definitely comes through in the recordings. Is spontaneity and imperfection something you’ve always felt was important in music or did you come to this realisation whilst recording your album?

I think I’ve always felt it was important, probably because I’m someone that has grown up in the digital age. With recording on computers, you can strive for the utmost perfection, and if you spend enough time editing and chopping and slicing and moving around, you can get pretty near perfection. But for me, that’s not what rock and roll is all about. I mean, imperfection is a fact of human life. We all make mistakes, and it’s normal, and okay. I think when you’re making a record to an analog tape machine, as we did in this case, it’s easy to get scared about exposing yourself too much, especially now because you just don’t hear that on records anymore. I can openly admit to many, many mistakes on the Telekinesis record, but I am totally and completely okay with that. I’m not perfect, after all.

#4)Over here at Super Who’s Parade, we love hearing new bands – Is there anyone you’re really into right now that you could recommend?

I guess they’re not new, but the latest record by the french pop band Phoenix is absolutely, totally, and completely unstoppable. It’s blowing my brains out right now. Also, we just recently toured with a band called An Horse from Brisbane, Australia and their record called Rearrange Beds is absolutely amazing.

#5)I’ve been watching YouTube videos of Telekinesis and you seem like a great live band! It’s so refreshing to see a lead singer on drums. Do you have any plans to tour the UK in the future?

Thanks very much! Yes, if all goes according to plan we’ll be heading to the UK in the early Fall! I’m siked! The UK is my second home.

#6) And lastly, we’d like to make a habit of asking every band we interview one random question. So! What’s your strangest possession?

My strangest possession is probably my talking japanese watch. It speaks the time in japanese when you press a button. It does me absolutely no good, because I can’t speak a shred of japanese.

Big, big thanks to Michael Lerner for being so friendly and for making awesome music :)!