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Group Name:
Animal Nation
Artists:
Steige 'Tall Man' Turner, Mike 'Armadillo Slim' Armitage.
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How/What started Animal Nation?
Tall Man - An almost fight between me and Mike about whether or not a certain band was any good. I told him he wouldn't know good music if he made it himself. Turns out he did.
When did you decide that this was something that you two wanted to take to the next level?
TM - I don't remember taking it to the first level! Haha. I mean, it's been about ten billion tiny little baby steps, so it's been more of an uphill climb. Up a steep pitch. And we're both pulling really heavy refrigerators.
AS - And my refrigerator is filled with beer! (for a little while)
What’s your music background?
TM - I guess my dad used to play the drums. He was a studio musician for a while, but he hung up the kit when I was born, so I never really knew about that side of him until I found a drum kit in the garage one day. Jackpot!
AS - I don't have too much of a musical background besides the fact that I used to write a lot of poetry growing up. My mom tried to get me playing the piano and the violin when I was younger but I was too much of a rebel to listen to her. Momma's always right!
Who plays instruments?
AS - We have a house full of different instruments from slide whistles to potato shakers, but for the most part we just use them to jam out with. Steige plays the guitars and MPC and is getting good at the piano too. I just stick to the turntables and my voicebox mostly.
Take us through the process of creating a new song?
TM - We like drink until we blackout. That has nothing to do with creating a song, but we like to drink until we blackout.
AS - Its a really magical feeling knowing that you can create something besides a baby when you are drunk as a skunk and cruising in auto-pilot!
How do you guys get your beats? Do you create everything? Who is more into creating the beats and song flow?
TM - We gotsta do mad hutlez for beatzz! Sometimes we'll trade a beat we've made for a beat that we like that someone else has made. Sometimes we'll buy beats with money we've made selling our beats. Sometimes we'll make beats to use. Mike makes tons of beats, like a new one every other night. It's kind of ridiculous. He loves digging through old records and what not. I used to love the art of the chop (sampling), but I've gotten too much into listening to the music lately. And I always find it hard to sample a song that I want to keep listening to.
AS- The internet has played an integral role in the networking of Animal Nation which, in return, has allowed us to work with producers from all over the world. Hence the title, "TimeZone".
TM - As far as writing the song goes usually one of us will come up with the idea of the song, write a verse or a chorus for it, and give it to the other person. We'll pass it back and forth a few times, adding different parts, or changing the layout of a song, then record it. Recording the song completely changes the song. Halfway through recording you'll realize that you want to throw a couple instrumental bars in, or you'll want to take out the drum track for the second verse or something. Sometimes a song will take two hours to make, sometimes it will take two months.
What is your favorite song to perform?
TM - The corner of broadway. When we recorded it I recorded the entire song as a story, but when we do it live we go back and forth on nearly every line. It's cool to deconstruct and recreate your own music. Bop!
AS - I like to do the 'Aw Man Aw Well' remix produced by my man Matthias Relling in Germany. That one goes back and forth too and it relates to most people’s current financial situation. Cheery-O.
TM - I'm broke again! Aw man!
AS - Aw well.
What is a crowd favorite?
TM - I Never Cared (About the Troubles). That's the track right there! Scamp made the beat and it is amazing! We could have rapped about lasagna and it still would have been a good song. Although people seem to like that song we have about lasagna too, so who knows.
AS - Yeah that song pretty much appeals to everyone’s ear buds! Nuff said.
You guys have built your own recording studio at your place, how’s that?
AS - It’s awesome because we can do everything music related from our house but it sucks sometimes because we can’t always rock out as loud as we want due to the neighborly situation. Overall, it’s pretty convenient, though.
TM - People don't like harmonicas at 4 in the morning.
What was it like to be picked up by a record company? How is it?
TM - It was a thrill at first. Then we quickly started to realize that we could do everything that they can do, but we can do it without wasting time in meetings or wasting money on other people's efforts. I mean, I work 8 hours a day at my day job, then come home and spend another 8 hours doing music. I have no social life and I can't remember what kissing feels like, but at the end of the day we're the ones deciding how much we get out of it, and where we want to go with it. It rules.
AS - Yeah record labels pretty much suck.
You guys did a little trip over to Europe in the fall. How did people take to your shows?
AS - We got a great response from the Euro-Folk! People actually get into live performances and music in general over there. I just wish that all girls here looked like the ones in Denmark... DAMMMMN!
TM - I dunno man, the girls around here are pretty top notch. Too fine to give me any time, hah!
What’s the biggest/most publicity performance you guys have done?
AS - Thats a 3-way tie between the Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival, the pilot we filmed for MTV, and the morning news show we did for Global. The TWSSF was good because it was our first main stage act for a festival, the MTV pilot was awesome because all our fans/friends showed up to make the crowd rowdy, and the morning news was good because that was probably the biggest audience we've ever played for. Either way, they're all fun and games until somebody gets too hammered and needs to be carried home!
TM - Or loses two iPods on the same night.
Do you guys get to ride much?
TM - Dude! I got a pass super early this year because I was so stoked to get up on the hill, and I still haven't gone up once! Right before all the snow came I bought myself a fancy new guitar, so I've been spending most of my weekends locked up in the studio with my head in the clouds.
AS - I bunged up my shoulder early on this winter so I won’t be shredding again until spring. That’s ok, it’s not like this has been a good season or anything. NOT!
TM - Double NOT! Good luck untying that one.
Where can we hear your music?
TM - Check out our myspace page. That's easy. http://myspace.com/animalnation.
Where can we buy your music?
TM - Order it online at myspace for a hard copy, or iTunes for digital. You can get it in most indie record shops. If it's not on the shelves of your favorite record shop hold the place hostage with a butter knife and demand that they stock it!
