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SXSW2010: Everest
Los Angeles-based rockers Everest are a sort of an under-the-radar super group. Various members have played with or are connected to Sebadoh, the Watson Twins, Jenny Lewis and John Vanderslice, among others. Add to that an endorsement by Neil Young, who heard the band, signed them to his label and took them on tour last year. In April they’ll be releasing their second album, “On Approach.” Below, guitarist/drummer Russell Pollard talks about Neil, recording and how the band got its name.
Is this your first time at sxsw?
No, this will be our second time.
How would you describe your sound to people who haven’t heard your music?
We have a wide variety to our sound. We can go from loud Sabbath gates-of-hell noise and Maggot Brain groove to Velvet’s boozy sunrise. Never know what you’re gonna get.
You recorded your last album on Neil Young’s label and went on to tour with him. How did that come about?
He saw us play a few years ago, I guess he’d heard about us through Elliot Roberts, his manager. The two of them liked our band and offered to put out our record. Shortly after it came out, Neil invited us to play some shows in Europe, the first being at a castle in Ireland…uh…yeah. After the second or third show, Neil pulled us aside and said some things, one of them being that we were gonna play more together. We were freaked out and joyous and humbled by the whole experience. It was life changing.
What is your favorite Neil Young song?
“Revolution Blues,” “Words, Change Your Mind,” “Ambulance Blues,” “Cortez,” “Long May You Run,” “Music Arcade,” “My Heart,” “Don’t Let it Bring You Down…”
How has the band’s sound evolved from “Ghost Notes” to your upcoming release? We kind of melted down while making this record and I mean that in a positive way. We were existing in a cubist environment for quite a while and it took some uncomfortable honesty to push ourselves out and beyond to create a new sound for ourselves. That’s how we came across the title of our new record, “On Approach.”
You said in an interview that the band formed at a Taco stand. Why a taco stand? Because we live in Los Angeles and there is a wonderful abundance of taco stands/trucks around. The first discussion where the idea of Everest surfaced happened at one of L.A.’s finest, Allegria on Sunset Blvd.
How did the band get its name? Jason (Soda, guitarist) and I were looking for a name for our recording studio and we both liked the word Everest. Shortly after forming the band we chose the same name because we really envisioned the whole thing as a collective. Also…Abbey Road was supposed to be called Everest, that had a little to do with it, and there was a British cigarette brand in the ’60s and ’70s called Everest with an amazing logo. A lot of things inspired the name.
What has been your most memorable experience on tour? Playing Madison Square Garden with Wilco and Neil Young Dec. 16-17, 2008.
What new music have you been listening to lately? \Richard Swift’s “Atlantic Ocean,” Watson Twins’ “TTY/TTM,” Kurt Vile, Sunn O))), Black Keys.
photo by Zoran Orlic
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