Shout Out Out Out Out Interview: SXSW 2010

If Juno-nominated synth punks Shout Out Out Out Out are any indication, then Edmonton loves to dance. This hot electronica outfit has two drummers, four bass players, synths galore and no shortage of electronic energy. Released last year, their pulsing second album 'Regeneration Time' is pure dance floor gold and just one of many reasons to check them out at SXSW.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We are a six piece band with a heavy focus on the rhythm section -- two of us are drummers, and four of us are bass players -- and a deep rooted obsession with analog synthesizers. We create electronic dance music, but all of us come from a rock background and that side also comes through, particularly in the live instrumentation. Lyrically we are kind of a bummer, juxtaposing dance music with themes of self-loathing, betrayal and debt.

How did your band form?

Most of the members of the band had been through my studio at some point recording with other projects -- recording bands is my "day job." I had been recording one of Lyle and Gravy's bands at the time, and I knew Lyle was into synthesizers and stuff, so I enlisted him to work on that project with me. Around the same time, Jason and I had just started DJing. A film soundtrack gig fell through, but Lyle and I already had some songs started, and we decided to turn those songs into a live band rather than let them go to waste. Jason was a given, since we had already talked about starting something up, Gravy was enlisted because Lyle was already playing with him, and we knew he was a good dude and a good drummer, and once we realized that we needed a few more hands to play all of the synth and bass parts, we got Will involved. Clint caught wind of the project, and he asked to be a part of it too, and things were already getting so ridiculous with our extensive setup that we jumped on the "more-is-more" idea and decided to go for two drummers. It was a really inspiring change from the rock and punk bands that we were used to playing in.

What are your musical influences?

I'd say that we are influenced by other artists who use analog synths, and artists and labels that incorporate live instrumentation and classic synths sounds together. I really like long songs with layers upon layers of pulsing awesomeness and slow builds. Klaus Schulze, Neu!, Brain Records, DFA Records, the Emperor Machine, Lindstrom, Steve Reich, Trans Am, Spacemen 3. We also like acid techno and classic house, disco, and synth-pop stuff.

How did you come up with your band name?

It was a lapse in judgment at the time. When we first started we didn't expect to ever be playing for more people than just our friends and we liked the idea of giving "shout outs" to the familiar faces in the crowd. The band was already conceptually over the top with two drummers, four bass players and a mountain of synthesizers and stuff, so we thought it was fitting to make the name over the top too, and just kept adding "outs". If we had known that people would actually grow to care about our band (which we are very grateful for, by the way), we probably would have chosen something else... oh well!

What's your biggest vice?

The acquisition of musical equipment. Our gear lust is insatiable.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Whatever is being offered for free.

Beatles or Stones?

I've always been a Stones guy until recently. Now, I would definitely say Beatles but I do still like the Stones, of course. The Stones are more straightforward and rock harder, but the Beatles took bigger chances, had crazier production and a wider selection of truly beautiful songs. I'd probably take David Bowie over either though.

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

Probably Jaycie's incredible string of bad luck on a tour last year that, within 10 days, included bed bugs, projectile vomiting and a lost synthesizer. Oh, and some of our more harrowing drives have been pretty crazy: driving through the Rocky Mountains in January, and having to weave in and out between giant semi trucks that are actually sliding down
the mountain roads with their brakes on ... that was scary. Or the time we flew into the ditch backwards after our trailer hit black ice and whiplashed us around -- also very scary.