Home Video Interview: SXSW 2010

Home Video are heading back to SXSW for the second time. The Brooklyn, N.Y., electronic duo -- Collin Ruffino on vocals and guitar and David Gross on bass and keyboards -- was once named an "Artist to Watch" by Rolling Stone and has opened for the likes of Blonde Redhead, Yeasayer and Grammy-winning duo Justice. Gross gave Spinner a call to discuss SXSW, rowdy New Year's Eve concerts and the artistry of Nelly Furtado.

How would you describe your sound?

We're really visual and atmospheric but at the same time rooted in beats and rhythm. It's on the darker side most of the time, but I think our newer stuff shows more optimism.

Who are your musical influences?

When Collin and I first started making music together we were listening to a lot of stuff that built the foundation for where we are now, like Massive Attack, Björk, Radiohead, Unkle, DJ Shadow and Portishead. But we've been living in New York for a long time now and a lot of the New York stuff has invaded, as well, bands like Blonde Redhead, the DFA stuff, LCD Soundsystem.

Your bio says that you didn't know much current music until Collin introduced it to you.

That's pretty much true. I had other friends before Collin who were trying to introduce me to stuff, but nothing was sticking. It's not like I was living in a bubble. I just wasn't really passionate about anything.

How did the two of you start making music together?

Collin had been working with another friend on this project. He played me a tape on his Walkman of a song they were working on. It just blew my mind and I realized it was something I would love to be involved with, so I started playing with them. It was really downtempo, moody, atmospheric stuff.

How did you settle on Home Video as your band name?

We thought about names for a long time. We wanted something that had a certain blankness to it but also something that didn't sound strange to people. It's a phrase we thought we could bring our own personality to. As far as meaning, it ties in to the nostalgia thing, like home videos capturing everyday moments and the feeling that's associated with that kind of nostalgia. That's something we try to invoke in our music, as well.

Less lofty than that, Collin and I, in the early part of our friendship, made a lot of home videos. He was a film student at NYU and he always had a camcorder with him whenever we were hanging out, so we made lots of really stupid videos.

Are any of those on YouTube now?

I hope not [laughs].

Do you prefer the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

I've never gotten obsessed with either band, but the Beatles are closer harmonically to the kind of music I like. And there are several Beatles songs I love. I hear their influence in more of the bands that have influenced us.

Do you have a musical guilty pleasure?

Tons. I love Nelly Furtado -- the Timbaland stuff. I like some Gwen Stefani, T.I. That stuff's not really guilty, though. That stuff is just good.

What's the craziest thing you've experienced while on tour?

That would have to be opening for Justice on New Year's Eve just over a year ago in Chicago. It was a really big night for all of us because it was going to be the biggest show we'd ever played. We were drinking a lot. I was going heavy on the bourbon. I think there was a little Red Bull in the mix, which is dangerous. I was blackout drunk right after we played.

So I don't remember Justice playing. I've heard that backstage I started trying to speak French with them, and I don't speak French at all. I was introducing myself saying, "Je m'appelle David," and I was trying to introduce Collin by saying, "Je m'appelle Collin." Of course, that doesn't make any sense. So it was a pretty embarrassing night for me and definitely the craziest night we've ever been a part of.

You've played SXSW before. How do you expect things to be different this time around?

I hope we're playing higher-profile parties this year. We had a good time the last time we were there. A few of the shows were kind of questionable, but that's how it goes. You just try to play as many as you can. You don't ask questions about whether the venue has a PA or a drum set or whatever else you might need.

We're in better shape going down this time. We have a new album that's ready to go and we're talking to labels. We have a manager on board and a new booking agency, so it seems like things are lining up for us. So I guess I'm just hoping some good comes out of it. At the very least, more people will have heard of us at the end of the festival.

What is your live show like?

We try to adapt everything so it's even better live. It's really a studio project, so that was always a challenge for us, but we've evolved the live show to a place where it's a good representation of the sound. We have a live drummer [Jim Orso] who joins us. I play bass guitar and keyboards and sing backup vocals. Collin does lead vocals and guitar, and our drummer is handling the sequencing and playing live acoustic drums as well as electronic trigger pads. So it's a three-piece, but it ends up sounding like a lot more.

What's your take on the Brooklyn indie scene? Do you fit in there and do you associate with any of the other bands?

We do more and more. We've been going at this project since 2003 and always felt like outsiders to the scene, but just in the past couple years we've found some other bands that are doing great things and I think we're a small part of the indie scene in Brooklyn. We're definitely not in there with Chairlift, Yeasayer, MGMT and all those guys, but more than ever before we have a few allies and mutual respect with some other bands based in Brooklyn.


Scott Shetler is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.