Interview: A Place To Bury Strangers (September 17, 2012)

For the record, who are A Place To Bury Strangers? And how did you guys get together?

A Place To Bury Strangers is a group of men who make rock and roll music. We got together by other people abandoning the idea that rock and roll was worth persuing further. We didn't believe that so we continued to work on what rock and roll is. We break stuff, we scream, we cry and then this is what we have.

What is ABTBS up to at the moment?
We are just about to start a tour in the UK. So I'm on some crappy computer because they haven't brought real internet to the UK. 

How has 2012 been?
I always have a blast no matter what I am doing but this year has been really great for us. Our new record Worship has really exceeded my expectations and turned out great. I don't know how we wrote such a good record honestly.

What was the songwriting process for Worship? Do you write together or work separately and bring it all together? Or do you have certain rituals?
It was a total collaboration between me and Dion Lunadon. We got together and worked on writting and recording every day for about a year. We would work seperately at times but only so we could get more done with our time. The rituals we had were just experiment and challenge ourselves to create something full of life and as fun as we could to recapture what was so cool about being young and discovering recording for the first time.

APTBS are quite a challenging band. Do you set out to make the listener work, or is the music you make just what comes natural to you? 
It is just what comes natural to us. I feel like there should be music that sounds like this out there so we create that. If it were exactly what most people wanted to hear or what sounded natural to most people it probably wouldn't appeal to me. I see "Fitch" tees and bromans and strange things all around me in these times and I just don't fit in with a lot of it so it seems natural to me to not completely connect.

What inspired the lyrics on Worship?
 Fucking.

You guys are pretty infamous for your live shows. How important is putting on a massive show to the band? Do you get more enjoyment from playing live than working in the studio?
 I think playing a massive show is extremely important in this day and age. There aren't really many bands doing this sort of thing and I think it is important for people who might like it to experience it. It's like taking acid. It can be a real eye opener. This can be inspiration for bands to hopefully work harder and see that people got together and made this stuff that we use to create some intense soundscapes. I like both live and in the studio equally. In the studio it is a very comfortable and reclusive place and there is no pressure so it is very safe to live life there.

What can fans expect from shows on your upcoming European tour?
We are playing a lot of new songs and older ones that we haven't played in a while. We also have our lighting master from the US so the shows have a really cool new element that we haven't brought over to Europe yet. The shows have been getting crazier and we have been getting wilder so it looks like its going to shape up to be a pretty intense journey.

What bands have an influence on APTBS? What bands would you recommend? Child Bite, All the Saints, the Lucid Dream, Screen Vinyl Image are all amazing bands and influence us every time we get to see them.

If APTBS was a colour, what colour would it be? 
Death red.

Final words?
Go out and do something. 

Check out their Facebook. Also, listen to Worship out now on Dead Oceans.