How did you come to
work together?
Tim: We met in high school when I joined
a band that Joe was in. It was a metal cover band playing
Judas Priest, Scorpions, Black Sabbath, etc… We
both played guitar. This was in Virginia around 1984
in a suburban sprawl about 45 minutes south of Washington
D.C. Joe lived up the street from me. That band was
very short lived and me and Joe and our drummer moved
on and started trying to play more progressive rock
stuff. And we started doing a lot of late night drug
induced acoustic jams. We also did quite a bit of four-track
recording experiments that led to our excursions into
ambient style stuff a la Brian Eno. We were really big
into that shit.
JoeD: It’s worth noting that Tim has
settled in NYC (where all the work is) and I’m more
of less on the opposite coast, in Seattle, where....
which leads to a different methodology than most similar
acts I think. Really makes you examine your stuff before
put it in the post, or not.
What is you musical background?
Tim: I started playing guitar when
I was 12. I was a big Beatles, Hendrix, Zeppelin freak
at that time. I got more into jazz in high school and
played in the school jazz band and took music theory
and the whole bit. I picked up classical guitar by the
end of high school and went to college in a music degree
program playing classical and jazz guitar in different
ensembles and my degree focused on music business as
well. I did a lot of live sound for bands and me and
Joe had a sort of fusion band playing quite a bit of
King Crimson and John Scofield and stuff like that.
The last year in college the music program finished
building their recording studio and I got the job managing
it and had my own keys so I basically lived in there
that year learning the ropes and recording everything
I could get in there. After college I went to a recording
school in Florida for a year and then moved to New York
and started working in recording studios there. I've
been doing that now for 8 years. I'm working as a freelance
engineer now.
JoeD: Yeah, rock bands, messing about
with gadgets, that sort of thing. And record collecting,
seeing a lot of music. Improving a lot at an early age
I like to think helps one later on.
When you started 310, you both lived in New York.
These days, Joseph lives in Seattle, while Tim is still
in New York. How easy is it to work when you're so far
apart. How does it affect the creative process?
Tim: Actually Joe lived in Virginia
still when I first moved to New York and we started
focusing heavily on the ambient stuff. We started sending
four track cassettes and DATs back and forth then. We
were heavily into :Zoviet*France: and things like
that at the time. So 310 proper started taking shape
at that time. Joe moved to New York shortly after that
and lived there for a couple of years. We put together
a cassette release that we made 100 copies of and got
it out through a friend's label in Virginia. That was
the first proper 310 release per se. A couple of years
later after putting together more tracks we decided
to make our own CD with the materiel from that cassette
and the new stuff and that was Aug 56. So around
this time Joe was living in New York and in between
that and our next release, Snorkelhouse, he
moved to Seattle. Amazingly enough we found working
at a distance more conducive for us. We seem to work
better in our own environments building on each other's
material and bringing our own influences from our separate
cities to the table. 310 seems to come alive in that
context and we've been able to put out a record a year
since we started. When we're together in the same city
we usually don't get much work done. Beer is infinitely
more interesting. When we rehearse for shows together
it's like pulling teeth to get us out of the bar and
into our rehearsal space. So when we give each other
our own space to work on our stuff we get things done
more efficiently.
JoeD: And for me it’s become something
of a city-country thing as well, I’m trying to spend
more time in the woods. I’m finding I like more space
between beats.
A lot of musicians use the internet to communicate
between each other, exchanging ideas and compositions.
I read that you send tapes to each other. Why use tapes
rather than the web?
Tim: Well we sent tapes back and forth
a long time ago. Since Snorkelhouse we've been
sending zip discs of MPC2000 programs back and forth.
On After All we started emailing mp3's of mixes
back and forth so that we could give each other immediate
feedback as we were trying to finish that record but
during the creation of it we still sent zip discs. Currently
though, we're starting to send CDs of Protools sessions
back and forth now. The next record is going to be done
primarily on Protools it seems. So in sending the mp3's
of mixes for feedback is the only use of the web we
utilise at the moment. I'm very interested in how things
are developing with online studios where me and Joe
could feasibly work on Protools with our audio being
recorded at a central server that we both have access
to and work at simultaneously. At the moment we don't
have the ability to do that and I'm not sure if that
shit's up to speed enough to entice us into it yet.
But one day soon I assume. We still like getting them
packages in the mail. There's something really nice
about getting a package and throwing it on and hearing
what Joe's done to a track. And it's what we've grown
accustomed to. It's been the nature of 310.
JoeD: Hell, I’ll use any old media
as long as it has a bit of soul to it. Which, admittedly,
the web sometimes does not. But it is helpful
too.
Does each one of you have a precise role in 310,
or do you alternate things between the two of you?
Tim: When it comes to making the tracks
we both add our own elements and give feedback equally.
I do most of the mixing of the tracks in New York. We
work on the song sequencing of the albums together after
all the mixes are done. I take care of the mastering
of the record in New York and Joe works on the album
cover design. Joe also keeps up our website.
JoeD: Yeah, it’s a matter of who's
got he right tools at the time. Also it seems to be
the case that when I’m really busy with work or chicks
or something, Tim’s got some time off and can keep the
whole machine in motion.
Tim, what's New York like a few months after September
11?
Tim: Things are pretty much back to
normal except for the scattered and bizarre anthrax
scares and the airline crash out in Rockaway. People
are just moving on not letting all this stop them from
living their lives. I am reminded of September 11 everyday
though. I live in Brooklyn just across the East River
and I could see the twin towers at the end of my street
from across the river. I saw them burn and collapse
from that view. Now everyday I walk out my door I look
down the street to see where they used to be. When I
take a cab home from Manhattan I always look out the
back of the cab as we're going across the Williamsburg
Bridge to see a twin tower-less downtown. I think
about all the old pictures of downtown Manhattan before
there was a World Trade Center and now we have that
view again. It leaves an empty feeling in your
chest. It's an astronomical loss. When you've
stood at the bottom of the twin towers and looked up
you realise just how massive those building were and
how many thousands of people worked there. The devastation
and loss of life is more than I can fathom. It's really
a very hard subject for me to go into detail about.
I was reading recently that it is more difficult
than ever for European musicians to come and play in
New York, and, on the other hand, a lot of tours have
been either postponed or cancelled over the last few
months. Do you think it is going to have a deeper effect
than anyone could anticipate on the music scenes on
both sides of the Atlantic?
Tim: Barring any more attacks I think
things will shape up and be back to the regular swing
by spring when the weather gets nice and we've had many
months to process all of this. Right now people are
just reluctant to travel or come to New York because
they don't know what's going to happen. New York is
still the most amazing place on the planet and there's
nothing to be afraid of. But I understand. I'm a bit
squeamish myself about flying. I'm not sure when
I'm going to fly again. But yes I have noticed that
a lot of the major recording studios have lost quite
a bit of business because artists haven't been coming
to New York to record. I don't know fully the
state of the touring business but I imagine it's the
same deal. I don't know about the difficulties of coming
to play in New York. Has it been hard to get gear through
customs or getting work visas? If fear is the
only difficulty then there's nothing to be afraid of
in New York. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right
now. If anything this whole situation has only rooted
me in further here. The Olympic Games in Salt Lake City
this winter will be a big factor I think in people's
confidence. If those go off without any incident then
I think people will be more willing to travel and gather
in numbers and things like that. And by the time spring
comes everything will be fully back to normal. That's
my feeling.
JoeD: And getting thru this last holiday
season was a big deal. Things are a bit more relaxed
it feels now.
What is your opinion on American artists cancelling
tours abroad? Would you have reacted in the same way?
Tim: Back in September I think I would
have backed off on travelling if we had anything scheduled
in Europe. I wouldn't cancel anything now though even
though I'd have a hard time not letting my imagination
get the best of me as I'm getting on a plane. Everybody
has their own reasons for not travelling now and it's
a shame to cancel tours and I feel bad for the state
of the airline industry. But it's a sketchy time you
know… It won't last, God forbid anything else happens,
especially on another airplane.
Do you think that what's happened on September 11
is influencing your work?
Tim:
After the twin towers went down I was more or less stuck
out in Brooklyn for 4 days. I did a whole new piece
at home during that time and it ended up being very
sombre with these weeping string parts and things. It
had a heavy effect on me those 4 days but since then
my working pattern hasn't necessarily been affected
by any of the events I think.
JoeD: My work’s frankly been crap,
pretty uninspired. Months of low-level shock I think.
Especially the first week or so. But I’m getting some
new ideas now.
Your music has a very urban feel, and your sound
is totally unique, developing from album to album. Is
the environment you live in important to your inspiration?
If yes, how do Seattle and New York compare?
Tim: Our different environments play
a great deal in our work I think. I walk around the
city a lot with a DAT recorder getting sounds and those
make their way into 310 pieces or much of the time become
the root of a new piece. In New York you're constantly
surrounded by every class of people and every nationality
of people and a plethora of cultures. All of those cultures
are constantly crashing into one another and hybrids
are being thrown to the surface all the time. You can't
help but be influenced by it and that characteristic
makes up a great deal of what 310 is. I bring that New
York vibe to the table and Joe brings the influences
of Seattle to the table. It's made a nice fusion. East
Coast vs. West Coast.
JoeD: Probably the only difference
for me out here is that I have a lot more time to shop
for records, and seem to be getting a lot more purely
musical influences, if you take my meaning. And I get
to read a lot more. So you'd think there'd be much more
raw material to draw from. Sometimes that's true I guess.
Your compositions are also rather complex. Is it
something that you deliberately try to achieve, or is
it a more organic process?
Tim: I think it's an organic process.
It's just how we ended up working our pieces. And with
both of our ideas being thrown to the table we end up
having a lot to work with so that ends up translating
into multiple parts and layers. If we only worked individually
the music would get a bit boring I think. Joe is always
throwing stuff at me that I would have never have thought
of and all that takes the music in interesting directions
and we have to explore all of that. So the pieces take
on this complexity that naturally occurs. Plus we've
grown up listening to a lot of music like that. It's
sort of a neo-prog rock thing I think, using the electronic
music genre.
Do you have any clear musical influences? What gave
you the envy to create music in the first place?
Tim: We listen to a ton of different
stuff. We've know each other a long time and we've gone
through so many different musical phases and I think
that all finds it's way into 310. 310 has been great
because it is a conglomeration of all of our influences
over time. It allows us to do whatever we want to do
and that's a great thing. We're very fortunate to have
a label like Leaf that has been willing to put our stuff
out as is. We don't go into something saying this is
where we're going, this is what 310 will be. It has
a life of it's own and we never know from record to
record where it will end up. It will be what it will
be. I guess the clear influences in 310 are things like
Steve Reich tape loop pieces and Brian Eno and things
like :Zoviet*France:, Nocturnal Emissions, Rappoon,
early 90's hip-hop like 3rd Bass, Tribe, Eric B. &
Rakim, prog rock, stuff like King Crimson and Genesis,
dub stuff, classical Indian music, I don't know what
else. Joe?
JoeD: Uuum. All the above. I’ve
listened to indie rock for a long time. Lots off weird
electronic stuff, a lot of dub. LOVE dub. Love I told
hip-hop. Hard jazz.
Do you have musical "heroes"?
Tim: Eno's always been a big hero of
mine. I have a huge admiration for Indian musicians
such as Zakir Hussain and Shiv Kumar Sharma. I have
a lot of admiration of Björk and PJ Harvey, Tom
Waits, Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell. I don't know I could
go on forever.
JoeD: Heroes are usually fusionist
for me. Eno, Laswell, James Brown, Tubby, Reich. Filmmakers
too.
You sometimes use vocals on your tracks. Is this
something you would consider exploring further?
Tim: Our good friend from way back
in Richmond, Virginia, Andrew Sigler, aka fire/fly has
done all the vocals on our records. We've worked with
him for a long time. I recorded his first electronic
band in '91 at the studio at my college. We work with
him on his fire/fly material and in turn he makes appearances
on our records and does shows with us whenever he can.
He fits into our sound so well. We basically come from
the same background. I think primarily 310 is instrumental
in nature. Occasionally a track screams for vocals and
we go for it. So if a track starts screaming for it
on the next record you'll hear some more fire/fly. He
also does a lot of sampler work as well so he brings
that to the table also.
JoeD:
There may just be some more vocal stuff very soon actually.
You've just released Nothing To See Here,
which, from what I've read, is quite different from
your other records. Can you tell us more about it?
Tim: The owner of Manifold Records,
Vince, had this idea for a release on his label. He
was going around to flea markets and collecting old
photographs and he wanted to do a record in which each
track had a different actual old photograph on the front
clipped in like a mini-photo album. He told us about
it and asked if we could put together something for
it that was totally ambient in the style of our first
record Aug 56. We loved the idea and since
the cover idea was related to the kinds of cover art
we do we thought doing something for it would be perfect.
We decided to do these short ambient pieces made entirely
of sounds from old films. I love making ambient loops
from old film sounds. They create such a great vibe.
Very mysterious and dark. But in no way is it a new
direction. This is probably more pure 310 than anything.
It's the kind of thing we've been doing for years. Making
hypnotic sample loops that subtly change over the course
of the looping. That kind of working is really the core
of 310. Even the beat oriented material generally evolves
from these kind of ambient loops. Nothing To See Here
is really 310 stripped down to its most basic element.
JoeD: I’m working on more of these
right now. I’d love to put out another volume!
Does it denote a change of direction?
Tim: Not at all. It's a separate release
of its own. We wanted to make a very simple stripped
down 310 record. Our next record is not going to be
stripped down at all I assure you. Quite the opposite.
Why is it released through Manifold Records rather
than through The Leaf Label as your previous albums?
Tim: Vince at Manifold was one of the
first people to pick up our Aug 56 record for
distribution when we put it out ourselves. So we've
had a working relationship with him from the start and
he's always given us a lot of great praise, which we
appreciate very much. He contacted us about his idea
and it just seemed like a perfect thing to do. So it
being his idea it was naturally released on his label.
What do you think of the work of people such as
Scott Heron, who with his Prefuse 73 project, is bringing
complete abstraction to hip-hop, or bands such as Clouddead,
who give a whole new dimension to a form very often
abused?
JoeD: You know I JUST heard a Clouddead
record last night, was pretty into it. Most of the hip-hop
I like is the abstract-y stuff (I think the J Beez
Wit The Remedy is a highwater mark). Go forth and
conquer I say to these people. I always thought Morpheus'
leanings in this direction pretty correct.
What are you listening to at the moment? Last records
you bought?
Tim: I've been listening to a lot of
Biosphere and the last Gas record. I love the new Björk
record. I love the newest David Gray record. I've been
listening to a bunch of Pole and Susuma Yokota and the
newest Eno record. I've been diggin' the new Alicia
Keys record. All this year I recorded the new Angie
Stone record and I find myself listening to that a lot
even though I lived with that record so long making
it. When I went on a road trip last month I bought the
new Pink Floyd greatest hits mix record and went on
a nostalgic trip when I was driving. Some really nice
transitions of songs on there although I hate all the
stuff after Roger Waters left. And on the way back I
stopped at Wal-Mart and bought Moving Pictures
by Rush and went on a Rush nostalgic trip on the way
back. Tom Sawyer was a very vital musical experience
in my early teen years. Changed my life. Seriously.
Really.
JoeD: Stars of the Lid, Buddy Rich
*Big Swing Face* (BITCHIN!), Gotan Project, Jah Lloyd,
some Rhythm Love compilations. Trojan Ska compilations
Beside 310, do you have other projects, either together,
or separately?
Tim: Well being an engineer I work
on all kinds of shit. I worked on the Angie Stone record
for most of the year. There's a new artist named Calvin
who appears on her album that Angie's been producing
and I've been working on that with her. I just got done
mixing the Britney Spears live in Las Vegas show for
a video release and re-airing on HBO. I hooked up with
one of the producers on Angie's record named Eran Tabib.
I've been co-producing demos of songs that he and a
writing partner of his wrote. We're churning those out
and shopping them to labels at the moment. All pop stuff.
Working for those potential production points at the
moment.
JoeD: I do a bitt of DJ-ing, and the
occasional musique concrete thing for an art exhibit.
What is the meaning of 310?
Tim: We can't discuss that. Sorry.
Heh heh.
Email interview January 2002
Thank you to 310 and Tony |
