It’s a stereotype used all too often, but Americans know absolutely nothing about football. New-York based group We Are Scientists are definitely no different, despite the fact that they’ve just recorded a song to celebrate this year’s World Cup.
“We didn’t know about soccer before we came over here! Now we support Tottenham Hotspur.. a lot of Londoners do, so maybe that’s why. It’s definitely a culture thing over here and a lot more mainstream than in the US.”
Chris Cain, bassist and backing vocalist for the group, openly admitted that they don’t take football, or soccer, remotely seriously; or much else for that matter. We Are Scientists’ biography states that Chris and Keith (lead vocalist and guitarist) “majored in Babes” during their university education in Southern California; their website (www.wearescientists.com) is a complementary amalgamation of sarcastic wit, and tongue in cheek tweets. The pair have also produced a comedy television series, ‘Steve Wants His Money’, which was shown on MTV. Chris, however, assures that the band are serious about their live act.
“I was a big fan of Stone Temple Pilots in the 90s. They have two incredible albums and when I saw them, they played very well but their attitude on stage was just stupid. When he talked between songs he was just a dick, and almost making fun of the fact that people would actually like Stone Temple Pilots. It’s very upsetting to meet a musician with this incredible catalogue, watch them play it really well and then make fun of it between songs. It’s really disheartening.”
Often we presume that bands spring out of nowhere, somehow getting their lucky break because their singer’s-sister’s-boyfriend’s-half cousin’s-landlord’s-nephew happened to know a DJ who got them on a bill an at exclusive London club, and as they say, the rest is history. But We Are Scientists are different; they gigged for years to crowds of ten, thirty-five, and eventually several hundred, before they made a record that caused people to pay attention.
“We played little shows we could book ourselves for five years before we really got in front of anybody. We played at the level we should have been playing. A lot of bands are suddenly at a level of popularity that their abilities don’t really stand up to and it seems very difficult to get past that point because you immediately acquire a reputation as kinda, sucking. It’s, comparatively, easy to record a couple of songs.. but if you can’t play, people are gonna hate what they see.”
When asked about how he thinks bands can succeed nowadays, Chris admitted: “I don’t know if there’s any tricks or anything, but you’ve gotta get your live act honed and polished.”
Last year, the band broke ties with their record label, Virgin, and created their own label, Master Swan Records, to release their third album, Barbara.
“A label is a steamline way of developing a fan base, and being able to tour, which can initially be expensive to the band. Now, we’re just paying individual vendors to do all the things that a label does., we hire people to do press, people to help us with marketing, and people to do sales.. it’s just that, with a label, each of those people would be on the same floor of a building.”
I asked the bassist if it was possible for a band to breakthrough into the music industry today without label support. “I wouldn’t want to try! For a band just starting out, to afford those services without any real guarantee that it was going to go anywhere, it would just be very difficult. You’d have to be a real dice roller..”
Now that the band retain more control over their musical output, it has become increasingly important for them to consider how their services are distributed. “It was our label’s decision to put our record on Spotify. Spotify is a good thing. I think that’s the direction music is moving towards – a subscription model. I don’t think it’ll be long until Spotify can pay the rights holders for playing the songs. They already have the model in place; they just haven’t yet begun to make any money. Actually, I think Spotify is starting to pay us nominal amounts for each play..”
When asked if he’d rather than fans purchased We Are Scientists’ music, Chris admitted: “I guess it’s nice for people to buy the record if that’s how they like to consume music. I think ultimately Spotify will become the equivalent [of buying music]. The commercial radio station model is exactly like the free service on Spotify – they acquire ads and that’s how they pay their PRS [artist royalties]. Some people will never come to a show who buy music, but the people who listen to Spotify might go to a show and buy a t-shirt or something. There are a lot of ways to support a band, and ultimately if you’re really into a band, then, probably, something you’re doing is going to make them money.. whether it’s listening to radio stations who play that kinda music and therefore making that station more popular, or going to live shows. We live in a consumer economy and all of these activities have values attached to them.. people are making money off them one way of another. Lots of ways are compensated.”
But there isn’t necessarily enough compensation to keep the entire music industry, as it is today, afloat. After reported cuts and a lack of funding for artist development, the future of music is looking increasingly uncertain.
“I think we’re going through a technological revolution and we don’t know where it’s going to go, or even what the possibilities are yet. People are having a hard time catching up to it, with their revenue plans.”
Chris talks about his disappointment in how listeners are made to feel like they’ve caused the problems, as without their support, the industry simply wouldn’t exist.
“The real crime would be if in five years from now, music in general is just a less popular art form because it’s been so flooded with bad feelings. The thing that worries me most about the current situation is that we are criminalising, or vilifying listeners and fans. It’s a terrible precedent and it’s a terrible way to move music as an art form. I don’t think music should be realm where people have to feel guilty.”
We Are Scientists will be touring America later this year, with support from up and coming band, Rewards.
“They’re a band you definitely won’t have heard of yet. The frontman is really incredible and has put together a really good group of dudes to play! By this time next year, the Rewards’ record will be on your radar. They’re more indie than us, definitely darker and moodier.”