Cut & Sewn talks to The Main Drag
Posted on Saturday, December 13th, 2008 by leeThe Main Drag hailing from Boston is the latest to talk to Cut & Sewn. Playing a vast variety of instruments, including synthesizers and glockenspiel, they have a sound that many bands wish for. Their last album, Yours As Fast As Mine has earned them Salon’s Best Unsigned Artist as well as reaching #78 on the CMJ top 100. The track A Jagged Gorgeous Winter is being used in Rock Band 2. Enjoy the interview and mp3s at the end, too.
Lee Frank: I’m talking to Matt Boch and Adam Arrigo of The Main Drag. What instruments do you both play?
Matt Boch: Adam and I are both multi-instrumentalists. Most notably we’re the singers in the band, but we both play guitar, keys, bass, xylophone, and I play the trumpet on some songs.
Adam Arrigo: Yea, we’re the front men. We don’t need the other people. Wait, I’m kidding.
How long have you guys been playing music?
I first started taking piano lessons when I was 3 and I’ve played music ever since. Since then, I’ve played rock music.
I’ve been playing guitar since I was 8.
Where did the name “Main Drag” come from?
It could be a lot of things. It could reference the main drag of a town. But maybe someone could interpret it as a Death Cab for Cutie lyric, but that’s not really cool anymore.
So you don’t want them to attribute that to them anymore?
I used to like that band.
No more? You don’t like Narrow Stairs?
No, I really hate it.
We’re indie snobs over here, I guess. The earlier stuff is always better. That’s why we’re not making anymore records.
Who is the heart throb of the band?
Jon Carter.
Oh yea. Absolutely.
He has that cool laid back guitarist vibe. You that manly attractiveness that no one can resist.
He gets really sweaty on stage, too, which I’ve talked to some girls and they found that to be a turn on.
What bands are your influences?
I’d say Broken Social Scene, John Vanderslice.
The Notwist, Neutral Milk Hotel.
Hot Chip, Of Montreal.
What do you think of the current state of the record industry?
It’s a mess. I think that there was some arrogance on the part of the major labels. They thought their continual sales wouldn’t be hampered by new technologies and they were unwilling to flex even late in the game when they saw that the technology was actually changing the industry. As a result, the forecast isn’t great for the record industry as a giant corporatized institution. However, I think the opportunities for the individual musician have never been better. Over the next twenty years, we will see more bands with fanbases and more total number of bands with pockets of fans all over the country. The recording tools have gone from being multi-thousands of dollars just twenty years ago to under $1000 you can make a record that sounds pretty great. Music as an industry is always going to exist and there’ll always be opportunities to have people hear your music and make money by playing live shows, selling merchandise, and selling music. But the current state of the industry as a whole is somewhat depressing. That said, I can point out a huge number of artists that I have respect for that are on major labels that continue to play that game pretty well. I’m a huge fan of the new Lil’ Wayne record. He has his game. There’s money to be made and he’s making it. Obviously, I don’t think the same sort of strategies work with our type of music and we want to be more ad-hoc about the development of our band and fans and push forward. We just aren’t really a perfect fit for a major label given how we sound and what our ethics are like. And indie labels are like ‘you guys are a little too pop, you should talk to the major labels.’ We find ourselves somewhere in between, but we’re finding success in that place.
The interview continues after the jump as well as 3 tasty mp3s.
