Braid have been around for over twenty years now and have influenced a lot of bands over their time. They were one of the seminal bands of the 90’s emo scene. It’s been a while since they released any new music, but we were really excited earlier this month for the release of ‘No Coast’. You can read our review of it right here.
Check out more about the band at www.facebook.com/braidcentral
We had a chat with vocalist and guitarist from the band Chris Broach. Check out what happened right here.
HTF: Hey guys. ‘No Coast’ is out now, how does it feel to be releasing a new LP after such a long break?
Chris Broach: It feels great. Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem like such a long time. The stuff we’re writing now just feels like an extension of what we were doing (albeit with a little more time and different musical experiences behind us – which I think helped shape, for the better, what we’ve done on this album).
HTF: The title track is great – are you pleased with the reaction the new tracks are getting? There must be a fear that after so long, people are just going to have moved on.
C: Sure, I could see where people might think that we’re worried about something or trying to do something, but I don’t think any of us have or had any fear about the reactions we might get. I mean, some of what we’re doing is a little different (in a track like “Doing Yourself In”, for instance), but that’s how you grow. You try new things. The one conscious thing we did do with this record and with this writing process was to make sure that we tried to treat each song as if it were going to be the one song that someone would hear – and we tried to make every song count, if that makes any sense. We also wanted to really showcase the interplay between Bob’s and my vocals – which was a bit of a signature before – but we wanted to really highlight it where we could. There are obviously tracks where just I sing, or just Bob sings – but I think the interplay between us is always exciting (especially live). That said, we also wanted to make sure that every instrument had its place and that the songs all made sense (in and of themselves and within the album – as it flows).
HTF: How do you feel about the ‘emo-revival’ scene that’s popped up since you’ve been away? Does it feel good to see so many bands that cite you as an influence?
C: It’s interesting to hear all these new bands that sound like all these old bands we used to play with. I mean, I’ll be at a show or festival, and I’ll think to myself, ‘that sounds like this band or that band’ – but it’s always with a twist, and usually with some finger-tapping and more competent playing thrown in. When we were doing it, half of the bands I knew were just learning how to play their instruments (though, there were also some really excellent players, as well – Victor Villareal from Cap’n Jazz, Kevin Frank from Guage, every member of American Football – lol). So, back to your question, we decided to write a new record a while back – after we did the EP in 2011 on Polyvinyl – the ‘revival’ just so happened to coincide with us doing a new record. The second part of your question, yes, it certainly feels good that bands cite us as an influence. I’m always surprised when I find out that someone I respect musically, or artistically, or as a chef or whatever says that they’re a fan. Makes sense, bc we’re all growing up at the same time, but I would have never thought when we were doing it in the past that we would influence people in the same way that some of the bands I grew listening to influenced me.
HTF: Are there any of those bands that you particularly like?
C: Well, there are a lot of new bands that I have no idea about. We’re now on a label that houses a lot of great new bands. Whether these bands are part of the ’emo-revival’ or not, I’m not sure, but I tend to like stuff that’s a bit different and catchy in a dancey way… I’m excited about these Topshelf bands: A Great Big Pile of Leaves (though I admit I don’t like their name, sorry dudes – but they sound good), Field Mouse, Wild Ones, Diamond Youth is interesting, Jazz June seems like it will be interesting, as well (like they’re doing something a little different). I like a lot of things, though…
HTF: What are your touring plans like? Any plans to go international?
C: Touring is a little more difficult these days, but we’re doing it as much as we possibly can. My wife and I just had a baby (she’s almost 9 weeks old now)… Todd has a baby girl (who’ll be 3 in August)… we all have other things going on – not the least of which are real jobs. However, we’re planning on continuing to tour as much as possible even with everything we have going on. International? ABSOLUTELY. We have some goals to hit places we’ve never been (as Braid) – like South America, Australia, you name it… We definitely want to get back to the UK and Europe again, as well.
HTF: Are the shows likely to be heavy on new stuff, or will there be plenty of classic tracks, too?
C: We’ll be playing a good mix of both, for sure. We’re still learning how to play some of the new songs live, honestly – but that’s always the case with new songs / new album stuff.
HTF: Can you still relate to the old songs, or does it feel a little weird to play them now?
C: Some of the old songs we can just go on auto-pilot and play without even thinking about them. That doesn’t mean we don’t connect with them. Every time we play any song, I’m always in the moment and playing these older songs always brings back a ton of memories and feelings. The crowd’s reaction is a part of it and a part of what makes these songs fun to play… but it’s not just the crowd’s reaction, though, it’s really the memories that these songs evoke – and thinking about what they were written about, when they were written, how they’ve made me and others feel… I get pictures in my mind as we play the songs. They take me to the places that we were in when we wrote them – and all the places we’ve been since.
HTF: What’s the ratio like at the shows between older fans who were there first time round and younger people who are just discovering you now?
C: It’s hard to say. I see both, but I think we gained a lot of fans after we broke up initially in 1999. During our 2004 reunion tour, we had a lot of fans out that had never even seen the band who had become fans since the original break-up. Now, I see old friends from back in the day (the 90s) at our shows, I see people that are new fans – I think it’s a good mix, actually. The people that are out are all stoked, and that’s all we can ask for.
HTF: The split with Balance and Composure last year was interesting. ‘Lux’ in particular seemed to have less of an emphasis on the math rock guitars and a more straight forward, power-chord-led feel to it. Was that a conscious decision, and is it indicative of how the new album will sound?
C: It’s not indicative of how the new album will sound, actually. There’s a lot more going on in the new album than what you’ve heard from the split. “Lux” and “Many Enemies” are on the new album, newly recorded versions, and the fit well on the record – but “Lux” is definitely the straightest song on the record.
HTF: How did that split come about with the Balance and Composure guys? Was it fun working with them?
C: It was something we discussed doing with our management – and that’s kind of how it happened. We didn’t have a lot of direct contact with the B&C dudes, but we were stoked to be able to do it. They’re a good band. Different from Braid, but I think that’s what made the split kind of cool. We’ve always (in the past) done splits with different bands, and we thought we wanted to try working with some newer dudes and see how that would go over. It was cool to work with No Sleep, as well. We’re stoked to have been able to work with B & C and No Sleep.
Interview by: Jamie Batty
Introduction by: Rhian Westbury
