Interview #501: Hockey

It’s been a runaway train-ride of a year for US band Hockey, whose dance-inducing pop tunes sound like the Virgins throwing shapes to LCD Soundsystem. Debut album Mind Chaos earned them the label ‘ones-to-watch’ from all corners of the press, which is exactly what hoards of enthused music-fans have been doing over the course of their extensive touring.

I Like Music met singer Ben to discuss songwriting, touring, the music that gets his toes tapping, and how Radiohead saved him from a career as a rapper.

"I Like Music because… it’s the quickest way to make sense to people.” Benjamin Grubin, Hockey

ILM: You’ve just been in Japan. Was that you first time over there? What was it like?

Benjamin: Yeah, it was our first time. It was really weird! I was excited to go there, but I hated it! I can’t stand that food! I don’t like raw fish, so I was screwed with that. I barely ate. The shows weren’t the best shows we’ve ever played. The people there think you’re so exotic or something, they think you’re so cool. But in a weird way. Like, they scream if they see you.

ILM: Japan always seems to stick out in bands’ memories as an unforgettable experience, why do you think that is?

Benjamin: Yeah, the hype level is mad. The adoration is really intense.

ILM: We first heard your song 3am Spanish on the Camden Crawl 2009 mixtape and loved it! What’s the story behind that track?

Benjamin: I studied in Granada in Spain a while ago. So it’s just about going there and what happened next I guess. It’s just a story.

ILM: Is it typical for you to write a song about a personal experience like that?

Benjamin: Yeah, it’s often autobiographical. It’s all personal. Some of it’s stories but most of it’s just like snap-shots of your mind running in circles for a day. So it’s like thoughts and events combined.

ILM: Do you write lyrics separate to melodies and then pick and choose what will fit?

Benjamin: Sometimes. I can write a lot if I’m just writing, but it’s hard sometime when it has to fit the meter of a song. So sometimes I just go back to stuff I’ve written and look for stuff that fits and I know will work. Then sometimes I just come up with a phrase that dictates the melody and everything. That’s usually the best, when it’s just a phrase and that has the melody within it. It gives you a central point and then you just work outwards from there.

ILM: What’s the working process like in the band?

Benjamin: On the last album I wrote it all and then we arranged it together. We recorded most of it in our basement. It was only me Jem and Anthony, and they didn’t know how to do it so it was just me doing it and then they would help me fix it up or change it around. So that’s how this one was, but maybe the next one could be a little different. We’re more together now. Some of the new songs we’ve written have been more just us playing together and me singing over it.

ILM: What was it like working in your basement last time round?

Benjamin: It’s about the size of this room, maybe a bit bigger. It’s small! And it’s unfinished and horrible! About 70% of the album was done there, like 3am Spanish for example. Some of the cleaner ones, like Learn to Lose and Song Away, we did after we got the record deal in a studio.

ILM: Did the ones recorded in the basement get any further production?

Benjamin: No, they got mastered elsewhere. But mastering doesn’t do anything. I couldn’t tell the difference! They make it a little louder…

ILM: Aside from Hockey, do you write for anything else or experiment with any other genres?

Benjamin: Not really, I focus all my energy on this stuff here. There was one song that we wrote that we left off the last album that one day could be in a movie or something. It sounds like a 1930s love ballad with jazz chords and stuff! But other than that there’s nothing, and that was just a song that we wrote with the band rather than something I did on my own.

ILM: You’ve got a lot of tour dates coming up. Are you fans of touring and all the travelling that comes with it?

Benjamin: Yeah, we’re in the middle of it now. We left home in mid-January. I don’t like the alternatives to being in a band. I didn’t like the job I was doing before. I’m not wishing I could be in my mansion relaxing by the ocean cos that’s not my alternative!

ILM: What were you doing before?

Benjamin: Just working in a restaurant in Portland.

ILM: So this is a real Hollywood story!

Benjamin: Yeah, I guess! But this is what it’s like for most people probably. But yeah, there are some aspects of being on the road all the time that are weird, but I basically like it. As long as I’m not sick and I can sing then I’m happy. I’ve had tours, like the first time we toured England, when I wasn’t used to it and my voice was just getting so messed up. I was in fear all the time about that. We never cancelled a show, but we played some where I just wasn’t singing well. I didn’t like that, but I’m getting better at not losing my voice.

ILM: As you say, it’s your job to put on a good show…

Benjamin: Yeah, exactly, that’s why we’re here at all.

ILM: What are your tips for not losing your voice then? Was there too much partying?

Benjamin: Yeah, that probably wouldn’t help! It’s so personal though, I think everyone has to figure it out for themselves ‘cos it’s different. We played the Laneway Festival in Australia and Florence + the Machine was headlining and she just partied every time. She was just non-stop! And then she was singing and it was amazing, so I guess it just depends.

ILM: What have been some of your favourite shows you’ve played so far?

Benjamin: It’s fun when you get surprised. We’re at the phase where you can never expect anything. Every night you have no idea. Like, tonight people could just be staring at us or they could be going crazy. You just don’t know. We played this festival in Sweden once on this stupid little stage, but the 300 people who were packed in there just went absolutely insane for some reason. They seemed to love us! That was really endearing and funny. That kind of thing has happened a few times, like in some provincial city in France when everyone is for some reason going absolutely nuts!

ILM: When did you first fall in love with music?

Benjamin: I grew up in New York and it was all rap music. I was rapping in a band in high-school. I really liked it, but it was still just for fun. But then for some reason I got obsessed with Radiohead when I was 18 or 19. Totally obsessed. I thought that was the only think music was supposed to be. That’s when I started to take it seriously. I started singing, and I would write stuff that sounded like Radiohead because that’s what I thought was cool. Then I realised later that I can’t do that, just because I’m not physically able to do music like that and make it sound good. But that was the band that made me get really into it.

ILM: Have you seen Radiohead live?

Benjamin: Yeah, I saw them in New York when Kid A came out, they did one or two shows there. I just thought that was everything music was supposed to be. It’s funny though, ‘cos I love it but I don’t even listen to it now. I’ve heard it so much I don’t need to. I know that stuff by heart!

ILM: So what are you listening to at the moment? Are you constantly listening to stuff on mp3?

Benjamin: No, not enough! I need to buy an iPod or something ‘cos I just have iTunes on my computer. Recently Ryan gave me Kate Bush’s CD from 1984. The first three songs are really cool. Then I’ve got a friend from New York called Penguin Prison who’s pretty cool. I think he’s coming over here for the first time pretty soon. I don’t know, maybe people will start hearing him. He’s been in NME and stuff. And I really like the Fleet Foxes record. I was into Late of the Pier for a while too.

ILM: Is New York home for you now?

Benjamin: No, it’s Portland, Oregan. That’s where we all live.

ILM: What’s the music scene like there?

Benjamin: It’s good. It’s the kind of the place where you can do anything. You don’t have to do a certain kind of music for people to get into it. Some places are like that in America. Like in the mid-West you have to do Punk or Emo or whatever even just to play shows. It’s got a dance music thing going on, but there’s tons of stuff from here, like Gossip, Starfucker, Shins…

ILM: Are there any other inspirational live shows that you’ve seen?

Benjamin: I saw The xx play a few of times at Laneways. That was really cool, I really like it. They’re just doing they’re own thing. It almost could be boring, you hear people say that it is, but they still just do it and it has a cool magic that goes through it. It’s rare that I ever see an entire show. I might check out a band but I usually don’t see the whole thing. I saw the Cold War Kids in Portland. That was really good. Have you ever heard of a band called Ghostland Observatory? They’re just a two-piece. One of them’s a huge Indian guy who wears these huge glasses and dances really well. They have a laser show. It’s the best a two-person show could be, it’s awesome!

ILM: What would be your advice for the people who are still waiting tables and want to get to where you are?

Benjamin: The only thing that I could say is to do the most that you can yourself. Record anything that you think is really good yourself. That’s all you need really. If you wait for other people it gets confusing. No-one does anything unless you somehow can build up some momentum on your own. But it’s a pretty chaotic world. There’s not one way to do anything. Things can happen in weird ways!

ILM: What are your future plans beyond this tour?

Benjamin: I don’t know! A few festivals, and then hopefully we’ll get ready to record another album I guess.