When THE VACANT LOTS played in London mid-March 2015, the black room of Birthdays in Dalston was rammed to the “I-cannot-breath” level with boys and girls dancing to their compulsive fuzz-electro sabbath. Jared Artaud and Brian Mac Fadyen got indeed a very quick recognition and deserved following, thanks to tours with the likes of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, a key appearance at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia, and most of all to “Departure“, their album released on Summer 2014 on Sonic Cathedral. That’s remarkable, for two still young boys who grew up in the isolated and peaceful lands of Vermont.
Take a ride with us into their own world – in their own words – built out of dynamics and tensions between dualities: guitars / electronics, States / Europe…and black and white, of course!
Q – Can you tell us briefly something about the genesis of The Vacant Lots, how the band started and what kind of common (or uncommon) music background do you share?
TVL BRIAN – We started very stripped down… Jared plugged directly into a Silvertone and me on drum set. We started from the American roots… Blues and Native American music.
TVL JARED – We formed in 2009 in Burlington, Vermont and started writing and recording demos that year. Our first tour of the States was with Spectrum in 2010 and the following year we released our first single “Confusion”/“Cadillac” with Mexican Summer. We’ve released a couple singles since then and just put out our debut album “Departure” in the summer of 2014 on Sonic Cathedral. We both share a lot of common musical tastes but also have a lot of different ones. I think when we bring these different elements into the mix is when things start to get interesting.
Q – Are you still based in Vermont? If yes, do you find the place inspiring for you or would you consider to move to another city or country?
TVL BRIAN – Yes, in Burlington. I really like it here, it’s quiet and beautiful in the summers.
TVL JARED – I moved to Boston a few years ago with plans to move to New York later this year.
Q – Your latest recordings came out for european labels, Sonic Cathedral and Fuzz Club. How did you get noticed? Do you feel your sound can be more appealing for european audiences then stateside?
TVL JARED – Sonic Cathedral asked us to be part of the first Psych For Sore Eyes in 2013. It all started there really. Then they released our debut album “Departure” in 2014. Fuzz Club invited us to be part of their split single series. And we worked with Alan Vega on that one. We’ve been touring Europe and England more than the US lately. I think it’s less to do with choosing Europe over USA, it just so happens that the other side of the Atlantic has responded more to what we’re doing and we enjoy working with labels and agents that support our music.
Q – You have several connections with Suicide – on top of a similarity in sound. You played live with them in NYC and Alan Vega signed an excellent remix of your track “6 am”. Were they your teenagers heroes? How has been to meet them and work with them?
TVL JARED – Meeting Alan was a truly inspiring experience for me. He invited us over to his house & studio & we were exposed to a lot of his hand written lyrics, light sculpture pieces, drawings and some really memorable conversations. His mind is sharp and he is a great story teller. Just a genuine and sincere individual and 100% artist. Alan and his wife Liz have been very supportive of us over the past couple years. We’re really grateful to get to work with Alan and open for Suicide in New York.
Q – We’ve read that during your recent European tour you stopped in Berlin to record with Anton Newcombe of BJM. Can you anticipate something about this other collaboration and how is it going to be released?
TVL JARED – We had two days off on tour in Berlin and Anton was up for doing some recording. We have enough material now for a release and I think the plan is for it to come out on A Recordings sometime in the near future. Anton really pushed us further during the recording process and we learned a lot from the experience and working with him. We’re really proud of the new songs and our collaboration with Anton as well as working with his engineer Fab. I’m sure more info will get announced on it soon.
Q – Your artwork and public image focus strongly on black and white pictures and photos influenced by 60’s optical art. Is it a stylistic choice of course, but why you chose this and what do you want to communicate?
TVL BRIAN – The whole aesthetic centers around the idea of duality… black and white drives the point best I think, visually.
TVL JARED – I think the main thing is to do what you like and follow your vision. I’m attracted to very minimal and simple works of art. I like Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Piet Mondrian. I like the duality and simplicity of creating a myriad of effects with just two colors. We’re a two piece and there’s a connection and expansive quality to working with the fewest elements as possible. I think the visual aesthetic and sonic aesthetic go hand in hand. I happen to like black and white and I just followed through with it.
Q – We know that Jared published a book poetry. Can you tell us more about it? What are the influences and inspiration? Is it different to write songs lyrics from writing poetry?
TVL JARED – I put out a book of poetry called “Empty Space” last year with independent publisher Dactyl Poetry. Sonic Cathedral is now selling them on their website as well as on the Vacant Lots site.
To me rock’n’roll and poetry have always gone hand in hand. I started writing words before I learned how to play an instrument. I didn’t pick up the electric guitar until I was 18 but I was writing poetry before I even knew what I was doing. Words and sounds have always produced a strange effect on me. The poems were the fragments and ideas that didn’t make it on “Departure”. You can’t cram it all in there.
The poems and song lyrics can appear dense but they’re digestible and accessible. I wanted to make use of the countless notebooks I had filled up during the writing process of “Departure”. I try to make the lyrics of the songs stand alone as poetry but writing poems is a different medium where you can really approach form in a new way.
I was trying to use the empty page like a blank canvas. For me rock n roll has always been a medium to channel and transmute all forms of art through.
The poems reflect another point of view and lets you know where I stand. I think it reflects a deeper look into my perspective on life and the human condition.
Here’s a quote, “In death begins responsibility.”
Q – You just recorded a full new album. What should we expect, something similar to “Departure” or a new musical direction?
TVL BRIAN – More electronic influence, and an improved approach to arrangement.
TVL JARED – I think the sound is more expansive and we refined what we’re doing. The same continuity of vision and style is still there but there’s a more experienced and precise execution now. We’ve always pushed ourselves forward & wanted to push the sound forward too. There’s no point in remaking something that’s already been done. I think we got a little closer to balancing the chaos with the madness with this one. Or maybe not.
And as a bonus, here’s Jared top 5 list for things that influence his creative process.
May it develop and grow for years and years and many new songs and poetry from now.
1. Sonic Boom. He’s been a truly constant mentor for us since we met him in 2010. He’s not only helped guide us and mix our debut album, but he’s been a really solid friend and artistic collaborator. Every time we talk I walk away with at least 5 new ideas.
2. Books. There’s a lot of fuel for fire in reading. I get a lot of ideas and song inspirations from what I read and watching words spiral off the page. Sometimes I even hear sounds when I come across certain words.
3. Museums. I like staring at art for hours. I used to like going to libraries too, but it’s not the same anymore. When we were in Madrid on tour we saw a lot of great art. I feel you can learn a lot thru active viewing and making mental observations.
4. My girlfriend. We’ve been together for almost 10 years. She’s finishing her graduate degree in landscape architecture at Harvard right now. Her designs, drawings and concepts have all inspired me. She’s responsible for editing our live visuals as well as making a few music videos for us. She inspires me beyond words.
5. Our manager, Samantha Tyson aka Little MissManagement. Without whom we might have been the Vacant Lost. She’s given us some really sound advice and indispensable nuggets of wisdom. She’s been with us from the start and has been a guiding light for us. She mastered the art of managing the unmanageable.
Ask The Sky 