It would be difficult for a musician to move from the towering skyscrapers of bustling New York to the lush landscapes of volcanic Iceland without changing their sound. Apart from the change in the pace of life, the island’s efforts to promote its talent and its tight-knit musical community offer a different type of support than the kind found in the States.
Ryan Karazija made that move; once the lead singer of Californian indie-rock act Audrye Sessions and now the voice behind Low Roar, the change is evident in his music. Now churning out ambient, avant-rock, Low Roar will be making their way back to the US to tour with Active Child, and we had the chance to ask Ryan some questions before the upcoming concert at the ICA on Thursday, June 18th:
Your latest album, 0, has a lot of interesting sounds. What did you use to create some of the sounds on the album?
We tried to keep it organic, make everything naturally. Amongst the things we used for making sounds were Mike’s car rims that were lying around the studio, little toy samplers and keyboards.
Do your good friends actually take out your garbage?
Yes if they’re good.
What was the best garbage you and your friends have made?
The last album.
Could you please describe your music without using genre names?
Dalalæða. (Thick, low-lying fog, or “moving soundlessly and playfully into the valley.”)
If (according to a track off 0) a vampire is on your fridge, then what’s in it?
Nothing, because I just moved and haven’t had the time to put anything in the fridge, as we’ve been touring for months. Haven’t even seen my current fridge.
I read in a previous interview that your favorite author is Shel Silverstein. What is one of your favorite works by him?
What was different about recording 0 from recording Low Roar?
We were in a studio– the first one was all done in my kitchen – and we had more options for using instruments.
Which process do you enjoy more, recording and creating music or playing live?
For me personally, I go back and forth, to me they both require each other. One of the cool things about making a record is during the recording process you start visualizing how the songs will turn out played live. Then there is the process of transition of making the live versions of the recorded songs and then playing live. At some point after playing the songs live for a while you reach the point where you want to make a new record. These processes are all important and need each other.
Grab tickets for Thursday night’s show here; $15 for members, $18 for non-members.