1. If I knew absolutely nothing about Oppenheimer,
how would you describe the group’s music to me?
-- Short, sharp indie pop songs with layers and layers
and layers of sounds.
2. If I were to buy your new album Take the Whole
Midrange and Boost It, what songs should I pay particular attention to and why?
-- On this album we've really hit things harder
and got some of our
favorite musicians to guest. I'd probably tell you to pay attention
to:
1) 'Before and After the Quake' because the layers and layers of vocals
and
the fantastic, dreamy, intricate guitar work at the end of the song
will
take you to another place.
2) 'The Never Never' because it has Matt from The Bronx singing his
heart
out on it! Seriously, we still find it amazing that he's on our record!
3. When and where did the band form, and where didthe
name come from? -- Myself and Rocky
formed Oppenheimer after going to see an Album Leaf gig
in Belfast, Ireland at Hallowe'en 2004. That's where we're from and where
we're based. We were in an indie rock band at the time and we just started
talking about synths and the like and decided to get together to dabble with
all things electronic. At first we thought we were going to be Kraftwerk
meets The Aphex Twin but then it naturally turned into what it was/is.
The
name 'Oppenheimer' comes from it being just that - a name. Around the
time
that we formed it seemed like every new band was 'The ........"somethings"'
so we decided on surname that we both liked. People always think it's
after
J. Robert Oppenheimer, hailed as 'the father of the atomic bomb' but
if
really pushed we pretend that we're named after the guy that did the
voice
for Skelator in the 'He-Man' cartoons. He's called Alan Oppenheimer.
4.
What was your worst on stage experience? What was your
best?
-- Worst: Manchester 19th April 2007. What can
I say? Too many beers,
exploding monitors, terrible sound, I missed the start of one song. A
truely
terrible performance especially from myself.
Best: There are too many to mention and I'm finding it difficult to pick
just one. Today I'll go for our Belfast gig last Christmas - A four person
strong airhorn solo, six piece band, confetti cannon mayhem - it's all
good!
5. Do you think that the Internet (whether it be Internet
radio, legal downloading, MySpace, streaming audio, etc.) is a good tool
for musicians or is it a bad thing because it hinders profits?
-- I think it is a good tool. Everybody seems to be
talking about the
'death' of the record industry these days (well, at least some people I
know). Personally, I really don't want to get into a great debate about
profits. We've been able to keep our heads above water with hard work, a
few
really lucky breaks and having a fantastic bunch of people working with us
and for us. Remember - money can't buy you love. Well, there was that one
story that our soundman told us about what happened when he was on a trip
to
Amsterdam and.....
