[The subjects of today’s interview, Searching for Signal (photo above by Nicole Christians) will be part of the Ghost Room’s show this Saturday, 7/26, headlined by our earlier interview subject The Pons and also featuring Wiretree and STEREO IS A LIE…]
How did the band start? When did you get together? What kind of factors led to your coming together? Crazy cosmic destiny, the good, old friends-forever bit or just a lucky answer of some classifieds?
"This is like homework," says Matt Salois. "Did you see how long this interview is??"
We’re a band; we just decided to start playing. We started playing in freshman year of high school. Matt (guitar, lead vox) and I (Benny – drums), had been good friends since 7th grade and jammed occasionally. Freshman year, we met Michael (guitar) at a Super Bowl party and we started Searching for Signal, writing songs and jamming and eventually playing shows. John (bass/vox) joined the band in junior year for the release of our full length self-titled LP and we recorded our EP Its So Bright… during senior year.
What would you say you’re all about? Who your musical influences are, what you want your music to do/where do you want to take it/the genre/your audience? What genre do you consider yourself, or would you rather try and stay genre-ly undefined?
Love. We are about music and getting it to the people. We make music we like to hear and hope other people like to hear.
"We’re in it for the sweat of our brow," says John.
We define ourselves as post-rock and are influenced by Explosions in the Sky, Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters, Beatles, Phoenix, Pilot Speed, Radiohead, Coldplay and local artists trying to do the same stuff we do.
John says he is personally influenced by Ronaldo and Journey.
We are post-rock but vary to indie rock and hard-pop-core.
We have been described as Explosions in the Sky meets Coldplay.
What is the best/favorite venue or show you’ve ever played?
The best venue we’ve ever played is probably House of Blues Houston or Emo’s Outdoors.
Our favorite venues personally are:
Walters on Washington (Houston) – John
The original Super Happy Fun Land in Houston – Matt. "We started playing our first shows there and continued playing there all through high school. We went there to see bands we liked in high school, ended up playing there and setting up shows there. I like it for the memories."
Artmosphere in Lafayette, LA – Michael. "Best hookah bar/pizza cafe/drink bar/music venue on this side of the Mississippi. I love it when people get up to dance for us"
Emo’s Outdoors – Benny.
How do you like to get ready for a show? How do you like to perform a show, what’s it all about for y’all?
Trying not to sweat. Trying to comp drinks, and avoid getting x’s on our hands.
Its about not messing up, not sweating, being energetic and getting the crowd involved by winning them over with our boyish good looks.
Sometimes we do themes (suits, sunglasses, hats, blazers, basketball jerseys, button-ups etc).
Is there a new album in the works? Concept phase, recording? What’s the idea behind it? Tour plans?
Yes in fact. We will be recording this summer and releasing 4 or 5 songs for free by the end of the summer.
We recently went on a week long tour through Austin, New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and Houston and will probably tour again next summer.
We tried to get a van but apparently you have to be 25 and responsible to rent one. So we took two cars and managed to fit clothes, equipment and ourselves into a Ford Escape and a Chevy HHR. We had a venture, but just to list a couple topics:
-Staying at a frat house with no running water (no bathroom aka craps in the Circle K)
-Michael getting patted down by a female LSU cop.
-Matt going on a 6 am bike ride around a lake in the clothes from a show
-and finding out John looked like Ben Linus from Lost
What are your Top 5 Desert-Island Albums?
Instead of a top 5, we each gave one:
John – Blood Bank EP by Bon Iver
Benny- Into the West by Pilot Speed
Michael- Electric President by Electric President
Matt – All of the Sudden Everyone by Explosions in the Sky
All – our personal mix of favorite Annuals songs.
Let the yellow mellow or flush it down?
Flush it down. Gross. Unless you’re at a frat house with no running water and you don’t have a choice.
Guiltiest-Pleasure TV show?
The Hills – John
The OC – Matt (he owns two seasons)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians – Michael
Dog the Bounty Hunter – Benny
All-time favorite movie?
Aristocats – Michael
Aladdin – John
Remember the Titans – Matt
Lord of the Rings trilogy – Benny
Do you consider Austin a part of your band? Would you be the same without this city?
"Who’s Austin?" – Michael
Just kidding. We love Austin. We recently started playing here and it has a very receptive music community and enthusiastic audiences who love to support local bands. We look forward to more interviews and more exposure in Austin for many years to come. Thank you for everyone’s support who is reading this and thanks to Deli Austin for doing this interview.
Love,
The S4S boys
–Mitchell Mazurek