Death From Above 1979 is Sebastien Grainger (vocals/drums) and Jesse F. Keeler (bass/synths). They are from Toronto. There have been two-piece bands before, but that none have managed to make such as a big sound as Death from Above 1979. It has been said the DFA 1979 met in prison. Apparently when they got back on the outside they saw a world without guitars. Their music is loud and uncompromising.
They have been one of the most interesting international bands. Death from Above 1979 recently completed a visit to the UK that included three headlining shows in one night, and gig in a 15-year-old fan's living room. After two EPs, Death from Above 1979 recorded their debut album "You're a Woman, I'm a Machine" for VICE Records. Look for their first video "Romantic Rights." They have been touring nonstop this year and should be back in America in Summer 2005.
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AL: How long have you been playing together?
Sebastien: We started this band in about 2001. We have both been playing in bands since we were kids. We were playing in a band together called Femme Fatale before we started this band. It was a more traditional format with drums and keyboards and bass and guitars.
AL: When did things become stripped down?
Sebastien: That was in 2001. We started writing the first songs then. We were playing around with the idea of a two-man band. It was more economical to tour as a two-man band. It was logistically difficult to bring five people on the road. One tour we were supposed to do as Femme Fatale we did as Death From Above because it was cheaper. We were able to get some free flights with one of our parents' points. We could only get two flights at a time. It was easy for us to go to different places. That is why we became focused just on this band.
AL: What was the initial reaction to the first shows?
Sebastien: I don't know. I don't really remember. Nobody knew who we were. Nobody knew our songs. Many of those early shows we played to very few people. That still happens. We played to less than ten people last year in New Jersey. They were mostly our friends. The first shows we did were poorly attended so there was no craziness. It was just a show at some kid's living room or some weird hall.
AL: Was the original interest in your band from other bands? Maybe they thought you would be a good band to open up for them?
Sebastien: Yeah. We headlined a bunch of small shows at the beginning. That was weird. We wanted to make a living playing music so we got a booking agent. He would get us on opening slots for bigger bands in our hometown. It was consistent. It was different bands with different audiences. We could play four times a month. We didn't burn out playing once a week in the same city because we were playing in front of different crowds. It is a result of us not sounding like many other bands out there right now. We are able to play with Anthrax and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in the same week.
AL: You like that sort of diversity?
Sebastien: Definitely. That is something to be achieved in music and in your audience. You don't want one sort of person or one demographic to like your music, or you will drown very quickly.
AL: Who writes the songs in your band?
Sebastien: It's collaboration. Generally there is a discussion. We talk about songs and ideas about how we want a song to turn. We talk about how we want it to sound. Jesse will write a riff on the bass. We will get together and play it together. If this were two years ago we would have written a song in rehearsal. We haven't had any time to do that since. We tend to write songs in the studio. We write the music together. Then I will write the lyrics and the melody afterwards.
AL: Are all your songs about sex?
Sebastien: You are not paying attention. "Sexy Results" and "Pull Out" are about sex. "Going Steady" is about a family. "Romantic Rights" is about relationships and also about nothing. Only two songs are about sex.
AL: When you write lyrics are you just choosing words for their sounds or are you writing about your personal life?
Sebastien: I don't over-complicate lyrics. I try to write about simple ideas. I try to sing words that I won't regret singing a year down the line. I write for myself. Usually the melody comes first and the words become a vehicle for the melody. I will have a general idea what I want the words to be, so I will go back to things that I have written in the past. I go back to good ideas I have had for lyrics and sculpt those words into the cadences that I have set up with the melody.
AL: Is it difficult to drums and sing at the same time? Sometimes when you see a drummer singing the beats are not so complex.
Sebastien: It's just a matter of practice. It's all I know right now because we do it every day. I don't think about it anymore. I don't about being just a singer or just a drummer. I am so involved in it that I don't think about it any more. People ask us "Why we don't have any guitars?" I don't know. We just don't have any guitars. This is how we do it every day.
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