with
(Conducted and written by Mary Lenoir Bond)
So, if you are a committed No-Fi reader (as well you should be!), you may remember my glowing review of this bands CD from last year. If not, you should go look it up in an achieved issue (April 2003 I believe), because I really gave them about the highest compliment you can give by calling them "flawless". And, I am afraid I have to stand by that. The sound, the energy, the sentiment, the talent... It all comes together into such a wonderful package. I could listen to this band for hours and hours and hours, and I have actually! It is the kind of sound where each member of the band is equally talented and each person really serves an important purpose. Each element they contribute as individuals melts together easily into one incredible sound. To describe them is a bit difficult- they are a bit like folky-alterntive-pop with classic rock and ethereal-spacey elements tossed in. That does not make much sense, but they do mention their influences/comparisons later in the interview, if you want a bit of a more accurate idea of who they are similar to. I think they sound a bit Belle And Sebastian / Leonard Cohen / Beachwood Sparks. The vocals are smoky and the lyrics are intelligent, heartbreaking pieces of personal experience that we can all feel on a very deep level.
AG = Andrew Gleason (vocals and lead guitar)
DV = Devin Valdesuso (bass)
PH = Paul Horn (drums)
JL = Joel Lustre (rhythum guitar and backing vocals)
JN = Jen Nguyen (keyboards)
KH = Kim Humphreys (violin)
MH = Mrs. Horn (guest mom)
MB = Me (Mary Bond, of course!)
When I arrived to where they rehearse (a small studio sectioned off in part of the Horns residence garage), they were locked up in mid rehearsal, so I took the opportunity to have a little fun...heh heh heh. I have always thought it would be pretty fun to interview someone's Mom or Dad, and as my luck would have it- (Drummer) Paul Horn's Mom was a prime and willing target! She was outside doing some gardening and offered me a drink, upon which I trailed after her and began asking a few questions...heh heh heh...(don't worry Paul, I'm nice...)
MB: "Well, how long has he (Paul) been playing drums?"
MH: "I think since he was nineteen...and he's 23...yah, ah...four or five years. He either started when he was nineteen or he started in 99. Yeah, either way, it's gonna be four or five years.
MB: "So he wasn't one of those little kids that was always..."
MH: "No. He started late."
MB: "Really? Did he have any musical interest when he was little?"
MH: "Uh, he had an interest in music, uh, passionate about music, but not about playing an instrument, no."
MB: "What was he like as a little kid? Is he an only child?"
MH: "Uh-huh." (pause)
MB: "Was he like shy, was he a bully, was he picked on...?"
MH: "Oh no! Oh no! He was...careful. He was funny. Popular. A good student. Um, that's about all I'm saying!"
(We laugh)
MB: "Okay!"
MH: "He was a delight to be the Mother of. Ya' know? I mean..."
MB: "Really?"
MH: "Yeah, he was a real...he wasn't a troublemaker.
MB: "Did he ever wish he had any brothers or sisters?"
MH: "He never asked for one. I was amazed.
MB: "Yeah, I'm surprised."
MH: "Me too."
MB: "Cuz a lot of my friends that are only-children wished...
MH: "Yeah, I know! (yelling toward the garage, as the music has silenced...) You better get out here Paul!"
MB: (Yelling toward the garage as well) "I'm interviewing your Mom!"
At this point they all (the band) come out for a break. Paul offered to get me something to drink, and I informed him that him Mother had already taken care of me. I sit in the backyard in a lovely garden area at a table set up with a few chairs and begin questioning the violin player.
MB: "How long have you been playing the violin?"
KH: "Since I was five."
MB: No! Really? Wow. I have a violin, but I never learned how to play it. It was a Christmas present from a boyfriend one year- he just thought it would be cool..."
KH: "That's really cute"
MB: "I know and I just ended up kind of playing with it and never really took lessons or anything, so...I don't know...I never really got good at it. So, how long have you been playing with The Temporary Thing?"
KH: "A little over a year"
MB: "Cool" (pause)
AG: "Interview over!"
(We laugh)
MB: "You wish!"
Now, to Paul's dismay, I whip out some old pictures of him from about a year and a half ago when I interviewed him briefly during my KXLU's Demolisten interview, as he was the sound engineer for KXLU at the time.
MB: "I might use one of those!"
PH: "No, you may not! I don't look like this! I look like I'm twelve!"
(We laugh and Andrew makes fun of him)
MB: "Do you still engineer for KXLU?"
PH: "No."
JN: "I read that (the no-fi interview I did with Demolisten) interview...it was about a week or two after I joined the band. You make reference to me in the article."
MB: "Oh yeah! Someone said, 'Some new hot girl joined (The Temporary Thing) or something."
(Now the focus returns to the pictures of Paul.)
PH: "I don't like these pictures..."
JL: "You look like girl. With facial hair."
PH: "F—you, Dude!"
JL: "Oh, I'm sorry, are we recording? I take that back..."
MB: "Too late!"
DV: "Great, great, now everybody is going to think you are all big and tough. And you're the girl, with facial hair."
(We laugh)
MB: "So, where are all of you from? (To Paul:) I know you're a Southern California native. (To Andrew:) Where are you from?
AG: "Uh, Massachusetts"
MB: (To Joel) "Where are you from?"
JL: "Manila , Philippines." Long ways..."
PH: "He's legal though..." (some laughter)
MB: "Where's Devin from?"
AG: "He's from the valley."
MB: "And where are you from?"
KH: "From Los Angeles."
MB: And you?"
JN: Harbor City
MB: "Are you? Hmm...sweet."
AG: (to me): "And where are YOU from?"
PH: "Oh wait, I know..."
MB: "San Francisco. Who do you guys get compared to? I know who I think you sound like, but who do you think you sound like or who do you get compared to?"
JN: "Belle And Sebastian"
MB: "Yeah, uh-huh."
AG: "Early Deep Purple."
(We all laugh)
DV: "Someone said we sound like Chris Issac mixed with The Smiths or something like that."
PH: "What did that one article say? Nick Drake and who else?"
AG: "It said something like if Nick Drake met Bob Dylan , was friends with Stuart Murdoch who knows Beck...in French..."
(We laugh)
MB: "So, tell me the history of the band. I know it started with you Andrew..."
AG: "It was a cold day... (We laugh)
DV: "Much like today..."
AG: "When dinosaurs roamed the earth (we laugh some more)...No, I started playing and writing songs when I was like fifteen or so and then I came here about five years later and then (met) Devin and then met Paul...and then...
Now there is a quick crashing sound, as Paul jumps in his chair like he has just been bitten by a snake. It was actually just a bush blowing behind him that suddenly brushed up against his ear and spooked the heck out of him. We all laugh. Now we discuss the rest of the grouping of the band in order, but it just pales in comparison to the hilarious display of Paul jumping out of his chair. But, being a professional, I know I must continue on...
It is discovered that Kim is a KXLU DJ, and her show is on Mondays from 6 to 10a.m. in the morning.
MB: "And we all know that Devin does Demolisten (on 88.9 FM KXLU) on Fridays from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Um...Devin...do you have a scar on your nose and why?"
(Everyone laughs at my insider knowledge...)
DV: "It's a battle wound."
MB: "From what?"
DV: "From an angry telephone."
MB: "Uh...okay..."
AG: "He was dehydrated one night...
DV: "Yeah, yeah, yeah...I wasn't drunk..."
AG: "Passed out"
DV: "I was post-drunk..."
MB: "You were post-drunk and dehydrated and so you were attacked by a telephone?"
DV: "Exactly. You should see the telephone..."
MB: "Uh, okay...so, have you guys ever played the Porn Name game?
PH: "Oh, with your street and your middle name?"
MB: "No, no. It's um, what your first pet was and..."
JN: "I told you!"
PH: "Oh, see I heard...okay street and..."
MB: "It was who your first pet was and then street you grew up on..."
PH: "See, mine would be Sasha Eighty-First"
MB: "I have a good one. Mine is Trixie Colorado."
(There are a few ooo's and ahh's)
PH: (being the smarty pants he his, chimes in) "Yeah, that's dirty, cuz Colorado is dirty. Just kidding."
JN: "Mine is Benji Bodger."
MB: (to Kim) And yours?
KH: Simeron West Adams
MB: (to Joel) "Yours?"
JL: "Boomer Zinc"
(Everyone laughs)
MB: "Devin, what's your Porn Name?"
DV: "Cleo Adele, I prefer Isis Lavender though..."
MB: "Isis Lavender? That's sweet."
PH: "Andrew? Andrew? What would yours be?"
AG: "Uh...the first one who died?"
MB & PH: "Sure..."
AG: "Uh, King...King Crestview or something, (we laugh). Wait, no, I had a dog named Beau. Beau. Beau Crestview. Well, I had another street- Beau Winterberry.
(We laugh)
DV: "Kim should be Stephanie Grape Jelly" (We laugh)
MB: "Stephanie Grape Jelly? Why?"
DV: "Cuz it's hot" (we laugh again)
KH: "That sounds like a cartoon, like Strawberry Shortcake's best bud or something."
MB: "Okay, describe each other in one word... Paul, in one word?"
AG: "Dude."
MB: "Dude? Cool. Andrew, in one word?"
PH: "Drunk!" (We laugh)
MB: "I thought that was Devin...What is Devin in one word?"
AG: "Plantain"
(We laugh, although I have no idea why...)
MB: "And what's Joel in one word?"
DV: "Joodle."
MB: "Joodle?"
PH: "Boomer!" (Everyone laughs)
MB: "Okay, what's Kim in one word?"
AG: "Late" (more laughter)
JN: "I'm late too..."
MB: "What's Jen, then, in one word?"
PH: "Sentimental...she always makes stuff, like coasters of the band, calendars with our pictures on it, and like..."
MB: "Dedicated?"
PH: "Thoughtful."
MB: "Andrew, do you really think there are just two types of girls? Mothers and ones who want a Daddy? (giggling now ensues) Do you know what I'm referring to, I hope?"
AG: "Yeah, yeah, I do. (Pause) No...yes..."
MB: "Yes, you do think that?"
AG: "Wait..."
DV: "Oh, great..."
(Laughing and snickering now develops...)
MB: "Hey, you wrote it!"
AG: "Hey, the song wrote itself"
(We laugh)
KH: "What song is that?"
AG: "Blackout Smile"
KH: "No..."
MB: "Yeah it is...'there are two types of girls'..."
KH: "Those are the lyrics?"
AG: "No, but see, it says 'You say...'"
PH: "Yeah, it's about someone who would say that, not Andrew..."
MB: "So, that's not your opinion,...but you just said that it was actually your opinion..."
(Laughter)
AG: "Yes. No, I, I don't know... I mean...yes..."
MB: "Yes, you do think that?"
AG: "Well, what else can they be?"
MB: "Okay, um, what fed the lyrics for 'She Always Gets Her Way'? It could be very obvious, but I'm just asking..."
AG: "Uh..."
MB: "I like that song, I like the title. It's cool."
AG: "Well, doesn't she?"
MB: "I don't know, does she?"
AG: "Usually."
DV: "The smart ones do..."
AG: "The dumb ones do even more, cuz, ya know...they do...well... I don't know what to say to that... I think the song knows more than I do..."
PH: "Uh, here you go" (Paul hands Andrew a drink and everyone laughs)
Now we talk about No-Fi "Radio" and Devin tells me that he has listened to one of the episodes that I DJed! Yeah! I then also inform them that The Temporary Thing are listed on my Friendster list as one of my favorite bands. They are happy, especially Jen. And now we discuss Valentines Day and how Devin got his girlfriend some lovely white lilies as a gift. Paul has now left the table temporarily and unknowingly becomes the subject of some funny banter.
MB: "Where did Paul go?"
DV: "Paul is kind of embarrassed of his studliness."
(We laugh)
MB: "Really? Hhmmm..."
DV: "He doesn't like to flaunt it, but..."
AG: "That's why he's Dude."
KH: "He's Bro...Paul is so Bro..."
DV: "'Dude, you don't gotta go there,' would be his answer"
MB: "Is he more Bro or Dude?"
DV: "Dude Bro Sweet...all of them..."
AG: "He's Dude Bro Sweet."
MB: "I like Sweet... Sweet's good..."
(Paul has now returned and so I continue on...)
MB: "Um, alright, we're gonna play word association...so if I point at you... I'm gonna say a word and then just say whatever first comes to your mind..."
PH: "Oh Jesus..."
MB: "Uuuuhhhh...Jesus? Paul? What makes you think of Jesus?"
PH: "Andrew"
(We laugh)
MB: "Okay, Andrew...love?"
AG: "Uh... "
PH: "Whiskey!"
AG: "I was thinking of the band Love actually..."
MB: "Jen...Seagull?"
JN: "Flock"
MB: "Cute...Kim, vegetarian?"
KH: "sushi... I was vegetarian for like five years and then on my sixteenth birthday we went to a Sushi restaurant and that ended it..."
MB: "Joel, Scott Baio?"
(Everyone laughs)
PH: "Boomer!"
(More laughter)
JL: "Idol"
(More laughter)
MB: "Alright...okay...Paul, High School?"
PH: "Loyola"
MB: "Um...Andrew...blonde?"
(Silence)
MB: "Quick! Quick!"
AG: "Blonde? Blonde...uh..."
MB: "What do you see in your head?"
DV: "Do you really want to go there?"
MB: "Just say a word! Say it! Quick!"
AG: "I'm not good at this, go to her (referring to Jen...) Blonde, Jen, blonde?"
JN: "Sex"
MB: "Kim...Dad?"
KH: "Piano"
MB: "Uh, Paul, surfboard?"
PH: "Shut up!"
(Everyone laughs)
The band starts joking about the word Dude and Paul joins in and pokes fun at himself...
PH: "Dude, my life...spirituality...the reason I'm alive..."
MB: "Uh, Joel, flower?"
JL: "Love" (We laugh)
PH: "Scott Baio!"
(More laughing)
MB: "Okay, Jen, coffee?"
JN: "Mug"
MB: "Okay, she's good! She's quick! Okay...Devin, sand?"
DV: "Walking"
MB: "Paul...Baywatch?" (Giggling)
PH: "Dude! Get off the beach references! (Everyone laughs) I wore a bathing suit one time I met you... (Laughter)..."
DV: "That's all it takes!"
PH: "Jesus, man!"
MB: "Devin, alcohol?"
DV: "Andrew"
(Laughter)
PH: "How long is this article gonna be?" How long have we played 'word association'?"
MB: (only slightly insulted) "What? What did you say???"
PH: "Nothing"
MB: "What did you say?"
PH: "I didn't say anything"
AG: "He said 'Dude Bro Sweet'"
(we all laugh)
PH: (making fun of himself) "I said, Dude, throw me my stick, let's hit the waves..."
Yeah, at this point I think it best to take the cue from Paul and get this interview wrapped up. Though the word association does go on a bit longer, and there is much more laughter and silliness, at this point you'll just have to take my word for it, that this band is as fun as they as they are talented. I do ask the band a few more questions...
MB: "If you were on death row, what would be your last meal?"
DV: "I'd start off with an old, nice aged French wine, a fine piece of meat cooked medium rare, then the dancing girls would come in and then there would be more wine..."
MB: "Okay, Jen?"
JN: "Probably a dish that my Grandmother or my Dad made, so something from my family." She then goes on to describe wonderful dishes that her Dad, Mom, and Grandmother all specialize in...making everyone hungry.
MB: "Paul, what would you eat?"
DV: "He'd eat Tuna and Wheat Thins"
(Paul laughs)
AG: "You gotta keep the carbs up"
(We all laugh)
PH: "Dude!
(Everyone laughs again)
MB: "Are you on the Adkins Diet?"
PH: "No! I'm not! Well, after I got back from surfing...(laughter)...I don't know, a barbeque chicken sandwich"
MB: "Kim?"
KH: "A glass oh whiskey and my Grandma's peach cobbler"
MB: "Cute! So far the girls have the best answers...uh, Joel?"
JL: "This is actually not a joke, a Cinnabon the size of a tire"
PH: "And Scott Baio!"
(Everyone laughs)
MB: "Uh, okay...do you have any final words for No-fi readers?"
PH: "Yeah, we've always been huge fans (of No-Fi), even back in the early seventies..." (Such a smarty- pants!)
MB: "Yeah, uh, okay...Andrew, do you have anything you want to say?"
AG: "Um, not really. Just come to the damn shows! Stop pussyfooting around and going to see bands you only know about. Take a chance!"
DV: "Come to the shows, go to our website"
And so, that's that. About two weeks after the above interview, I did get a chance to see a recent live show they had at The Knitting Factory. The place was packed! The fans were excited and the show was very well received. The keyboardist, Jen, told me she had passed out one hundred free CD's within minutes! Even though they did not play either of my two top favorite songs "Wake Me When It's Tuesday" or "Tan Line Blues", the set was still very enjoyable. Their website btw is www.thetemporarything.com, although I was informed that it is in major need of an update, so just keep your eyes open for their shows via the or The LA Weekly for now.
THE END.
