Q&A: Syncr Music Competition Winner Yard Of Blondes – You and I & I

For those people that haven’t heard of Yard Of Blondes could you tell us a bit about the band, your story?

Back in 2010, I moved out from France to L.A. with the idea to form a new band. That’s when I got introduced to Fanny who just landed from France too. We met in Venice and started as an acoustic duet. One of the reasons we both moved out was a need for change, discover something new and inspiring. It’s kind of a « California dreaming » process, in a way. And it worked! Our line up has been stable for a couple of years now since Forrest Mitchell and Burak Yerebakan have joined us on drums and guitar. Musically, I’d say we are a cross over between Black Sabbath and The Beatles. Heavy, yet very melodic.

Who inspired you to get on stage and perform?

90’s rock bands were our first influences. Bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden are still bands we love and inspire us directly. But even though we’re close to these bands stylistically, we have a lot of various influences and they’re not always musical. We are deeply influenced by people who create their own universe like David Lynch for example.

Are there are any particular artists or albums that have stuck with you and inspired your music?

I speak for myself when I say Elliott Smith was probably the artist that mattered the most. Ever since I discovered his music I have been hooked. Bands like The Beatles, Nirvana, Silverchair and Queens of the Stone age were also very important for me. For Fanny, she was really into punk rock music and she’s still a huge fan of The Distillers and the Ramones. My top 5 albums would be:

• Nevermind – Nirvana
•  Abbey Road – The Beatles
•  Neon Ballroom – Silverchair
•  Songs For the deaf – QOTSA
•  Figure 8 – Elliott Smith

Could you tell us a bit about the writing and recording of the Syncr Music winning track You and I & I?

Actually, I remember very well when I started writing this song. I had previously written about 4 or 5 songs but something was bugging me. It all felt a little bit calculated. It was past midnight someday in July when I finally came to realize I wasn’t being honest with our new songs so I decided to really let go any commercial expectation and I came up with this song.

It was the first song I was really proud of since the last EP and it was the real beginning of what is now the album. But this was just the first step: we didn’t want to just go to a recording studio and record a raw version. We actually wanted to work in a way nobody does anymore, we wanted to work with a producer that would help us polish the songs, give more meaning to our songs by spending time on the production and arrangements.

So once I got some demos, we went to see Billy Graziadei (Biohazard) and it was a perfect match. Although we spent years working on this, we can’t regret anything because the album is exactly what we wanted in the first place, a strong record with unique production. It was amazing working with Billy. It’s just the most talented and funny guy. He’s also a great teacher and he knows how to get the best from you.

Some people were surprised we would work with somebody that is famous for being the founder of a massive hardcore band, they thought that would be a bad match. I guess we’re proving everyone wrong. First, Billy gave us the impact we wanted to the production. We wanted to be as impactful as a hardcore band without playing hardcore music. And then, most people don’t know Billy is classically trained and that he as a wide range of knowledge in music in general.

This is the first single off the album “Feed The Moon” is this a taste of what’s to come?

I think we picked this song to be our first single because it represents the album very well. It’s dark, heavy and yet very melodic. It’s also one of our favorite songs to perform live.

What is the most interesting place that you have performed?

Part of the experience of coming to LA was being able to perform on those legendary stages. And yes it feels amazing to be on the same stages Jim Morrison, Neil Young or Elton John once performed. LA is part of the music history and you feel a little part of it when you get the opportunity to perform at The Troubadour or at The Viper Room. As for the most unusual place, we played was at The Range, the stage in Slab City. Slab City is a community that lives outside of the world, they were pictured in the movie Into the wild. We got there and became friends with the people living there and we performed on their stage. It was amazing.

How different is the LA music scene to that of France?

It’s very different. I really love playing in LA but the people are way wilder in Europe and France. People here are probably too self-conscious to let go at a show. Also, they do actually pay you to perform in France… ha ha

Here at Artistic Echoes, we are always on the lookout for new artists do you have anyone to recommend?

You guys need to listen to Chrxst. They’re great friends from LA and we love to perform with them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN1BUIhyl-Q

What plans do you have for the rest of the year?

Now that we are set with our debut album, our priority is getting the word out there, which is the toughest thing when you’re an indie band. Hopefully, the music will be heard and we will be able to perform the record everywhere.

Find out more:

Website: www.yardofblondes.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/YOBmusic
Twitter: @yardofblondes
Instagram: @yardofblondes