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06:
Columbia Tourist Interview
21:
As soon as I got off of the bridge I turned off of the main road to drive down next to the water to park my car. They told me there would be a dirt path next to the Mohawk River and for me just to walk down about 150 feet and they would be sitting there. When I started walking and got a little closer I could see there was some sort of thing next to the water made out of wood. When I got closer I realized they were all sitting in a large lean-to made from rocks and driftwood with a huge tree as the seat wide enough for everyone to sit comfortably, I was quite impressed, especially after learning they made it only while while waiting for me to arrive.
Interview featuring Chris Morin, Derik Healy, and Erik Hiddie
ChipGallery – How was Columbia tourist formed?
Erik Hiddie – Down here by the River, I was riding my bike “Columbia Tourist”
Chris Morin – I thought you found that bike?
EH – No I stole that Bike (laughs) but yeah,
CM – The bike said Columbia Tourist on it
EH – And I said what if we had a band and we named it that and it went from there
CM – We wanted to play for a while, like months right? And we never did, and I was getting a new guitar, a fender telecaster, and Erik said the day you get the guitar we will play, and we did, and we played everyday from then on. That was the summer of 2007
CG – And you more recently joined the band, right Derik?
Derik Healy – Yeah, these guys had a bunch of songs already together, And I really liked everything they played it was really organic and different, and I started jamming with them this past spring
CG – So what effects do you think growing up around here has had on your music in comparison to a big city where a lot of music is going on?
DH – Well for me my grandfather has been playing around here for a long time, he was pretty popular years ago with country music, he was a singer and guitarist, he played right back there at the Village Tavern (points back through the woods to a little old Tavern sitting next to the water). He played acoustic, country and stuff like that, and it was all local.
CM – It’s that minimalist idea of hanging out next to the river everyday for hours at a time, it gets portrayed in the music by the undertones even though we still have more complicated parts, theres still a minimal underlying tone to all of our music which sort of is influenced from living like this.
CG – How do you think that lets the music evolve differently, rather than conforming to a much more often seen Indie style that’s seen in larger cities?
EH – I think it lets it evolve differently because we all have such different tastes in music, like Deriks into Jazz, and I just like so many different artists, and Chris is really into the whole Rock sound, and we all just come together as one, and its just a force to be reckoned with. (laughs)
DH – Also I think that there’s not a lot of other Indie bands in this immediate area, so were not like going to other bands shows and such to compare ourselves too and to let ourselves get influenced by.
CG – You recently played at a café, or a bar, how did that go?
DH – Good, there was some sound issues, you know our first show together and just setting up all the equip is just a new process, I know for me atleast.
EH – But we had a lot of positive feedback so I think it was good
CM – Yeah due to some problems with a mixer we shouldn’t of used we had to start and then start over cause everything got messed up with mics and everything.
CG – You have a show coming up at Valentines soon (Thursday June 25th), so what do you think you’ll be changing or doing different at your next show?
CH – More updated equipment definitely
EH – Or a sound Guy
Everyone – Yeah Yeah
CG – Derik you said Organic before about your style of music, can you explain that a little more and how your music sort of comes together and how it evolves
DH – Well a lot of the time we will be sitting in a room and one of us will have something or something will come up which we sort of start to feel and like, and Erik has tons of lyrics, or something will come up and we will just sort of go off of it and keep playing on it for a few minutes to see what it becomes.
EH – Or later I’ll show them lyrics that I wrote to something we played, You know called blankets or whatever, and see what they think and we will sort of do the lyrics and then Chris will do all of his touches, and we will come up with all the harmonization’s and play off that til it feels right. It’s a pretty fast process to tell you the truth
CM – Yeah we came up with like 15 songs within the month before the show.
EH – Yeah Chris and I came up with an EP in 3 days
CM – Yeah, We recorded “Everlasting Pull”
CG – Yeah, everlasting pull came out a couple months ago right?
CM – Yeah thanksgiving of 2008
CG – How was that recorded? The process was 3 days?
EH – Yeah we recorded it in Chris’s basement on the computer in the pink room
CM – (laughs) yup the pink room
EH – That was fun, I had a lot of fun recording that, we had this crazy heater on us cause we were freezing down there late at night
CM – Yeah that was a lot of fun though
CG – Are there any near future recordings for all three of you?
EH – We’re going to be recording our debut album as soon as possible
CG – Do you have any songs lined up?
EH – Yeah we have around 15 of them right now that are ready
DH – Yeah basically our set list
CG – Do you have a certain style which you’d like to bring out during the next debut album with all three of you guys?
EH – Yeah we’re more of a Rock band now
CM – Yeah weve always talked about doing more of a rock sound and were sort of coming together more with that.
DH – We all switch different instruments too which is really nice
CG – When not doing music what do you guys like to do, besides of course chill down by the river
EH – I like to chill with girls and skateboard
Everyone – Laughs
DH – I like to camp a lot and spend as much time in the woods as possible. Learn survivor skills and go hiking
CG – You guys are still in school right?
CM –We Just graduated and were thinking about relocating
DH – Yeah, I’m in Schnectady community college as a guitar major right now
EH – Yeah we want to do something with videos at some point with humor and such too
DH – Yeah we were talking earlier about how were a band but we wanna do more than just that
EH – Yeah me and Derik wanna have a sword fight before one of our shows which is going to be sick, but I don’t want to be held down to just music, none of us do
CG – Derik I know you shoot photos and such and everyone sort of has their own little art they do. Do you guys think after the debut album there might be a chance of some sort of tour even if just Upstate NY or the Northeastern area.
EH – If were down south id be so glad to do something like that
DH – Im down for whatever man
CM – We’ll have to get a van or something to bring all our shit around in.
CG – If you guys could each choose one person to play with by the fire next to the river, alive or dead, who would it be?
CM – Justin Vernon instantly, but I’d have to say George Harrison too
DH – I guess I’d have to say my Grandfather, play some acoustic guitar with him, or maybe Isaac Brock, something a little more relaxed
EH – Mine would be Jesus Christ
CG – Jesus Christ?
EH – Yup
The Peace Within by Columbia Tourist
Thursday June 25th at 9pm, check out Columbia Tourist at Valentines
Columbia Tourist | Everlasting Pull
10:
Check out this band from Upstate New York called Columbia Tourist. This song is called “the peace within” and is as well as the rest of the ep downright amazing. I interviewed the three band members recently next to a river in the woods and the interview should be up to read within a few days.
Grizzly Bear | Two Weeks
05:
Take a look at the song “Two Weeks” off of Grizzly Bear’s newest album “Veckatimest” backed with the footage from Albert Lamorisse’s “La Ballon Rouge” (The Red Balloon). Edited by jthelms of jtylerhelms.com
