Introducing - Hey Marseilles

Photo by Hayley Young

Would you care to introduce yourself?

My name is Sam Anderson. I play cello for the band.


How would you describe the music you make?

A combination of old and new world sensibilities summoned from our instruments to tell a story. Our instruments of choice for the 7 members are the accordion, cello, drums, guitar, trumpet, viola, and vocals.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

It is a democratic process that decides the final outcome, but there are core ideas consistently brought to the table by three band members. Nick(guitar), Philip (accordion/keyboards), and Matt(vocals/guitar). Idea sex happens and the song is born. We record a lot of different versions of a song in its early stages, the song also changes over time as we play it as a band. We do not limit ourselves to our instruments of choice when we write.


Who are your big musical influences?

We are all influenced by music from the past as much as music from our peers, and there is a broad range of influences from member to member. I come from a classical background so I have an ingrained appreciation of a wide variety of classical composers. I have a great thirst for music from the 60's and 70's. Dr. Dog and animal collective come to mind as my biggest contemporary musical influences.


What kind of influence do you feel that where you come from has had on the music you create?

We come from a bunch of friends getting together in a basement to make some music, and that has always been the biggest influence on the music we create.


What do you enjoy more touring or being in the studio

The two together is the best! We recently started experimenting with recording on the road and it resulted in this video. In the future we plan on recording on the road more often and with a better setup. The studio for us is not a place that we necessarily have to "be in" and we intend to use that to our full advantage for this next record.


My blog predominantly features bands from Scotland, why should my readers make the effort to check you guys out?

There certainly are a lot of great bands in Scotland, but if you check us out and our music tickles your mind, you'll be happy you gave it a chance.


Are there any other bands from your neck of the woods that you would suggest I check out?

Seattle has a giant throbbing volcano of a music scene right now. A couple of local artists doing great things right now are Shabazz Palaces, The lonely Forest, Damien Jurado, Thee satisfaction, Fleet Foxes, The head and the heart, and Band of Horses.


Lastly, what does are the future plans for Hey Marseilles, what are the chances of seeing guys playing a Scottish show next year?

We will be releasing a new album in 2011. If it is good enough, we will likely end up playing in Scotland. I'm feeling like the chances are pretty good but we will need all the help we can get from our Scottish fans. My hope is to be meeting some of you soon!

Hey Marseilles - Rio

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