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Interview with Sarah Scott : Two Loons For Tea
The Seattle-based band Two Loons for Tea are in the midst of their "Looking For Landmarks" National tour. They will be performing in Los Angeles at The Knitting factory Next Wednesday September 10th. We caught up with the co-founder of the band Sarah Scott.
Q) Sarah, Where's Jonathan Kochmer, the other co-founder of the band.
A) He is taking a little break. He is doing most of the driving and handling the club and radio appearances details. I am answering questions on behalf of both of us.
Q) Now that the buzz is growing on Two Loons For Tea, tell us about the national Looking For Landmarks Tour?
A) It is very exciting. We have a loyal Northwest following, but we are going to places we have never performed before. Like Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, Washington D.C.(visit www.twoloons.com for complete schedule)
Q) Who Are the members of Two Loons for Tea Playing at The Knitting Factory?
A) Two Loons for Tea is Sarah Scott (vocals) Jonathan Kochmer (guitar),Tom Armstrong (drums, percussion), Bill Horist (electric guitar), Marty Ponte bass/warr guitar) and Hannsjoreg Scheid (bass).
Q) Is this the standard band line up?
A) Jonathan and I are the core. When we play in Seattle, depending upon which of our favorite musicians are in town, we invite different people to play, as many as eight people sometimes. It's different every time, it's like a Mad Hatter's tea party. We have for the tour three version of the band: The West Coast Loons, The East Coast Loons and The Texas Loons.
Q) What other acts are on the bill at The Knitting Factory?
A) Also playing that night will be Trespassers William, and Petracovich.
Q) Last year, Two Loons for Tea played in Los Angeles at the Knitting Factory. What's it like to play again in L.A.?
A) We loved playing at The Knitting Factory last year. Our biggest challenge is that we are still building an audience. When people come to see us for the first time, they like the fact that the show is more that just music. There are a lot of visual effects that add to the experience.
Q) You were born in San Francisco and at 17, after you had moved to Spokane, WA, you snuck into a nightclub to perform and then landed a frequent appearance with one of the bands. What was the name of this band and what sort of music did you sing with them? Were you considered a member or were you more of a 'guest'?
A) I didn't actually sing with them, I danced on stage. This went on for a month or so until I got carded. I believe the band was called The Cruisers, and I especially remember dancing to "Black Magic Woman" (Santana).
Q) How did you meet your musical partner, Jonathan Kochmer?
A) I was singing for an R&B band in Seattle and we were introduced by a mutual friend who managed the band who thought we'd get along. And we clicked instantly, it was like we had always known each other, and we even started playing together that night.
Q) Both you and Jonathan are like Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, as you both compliment each other so well, musically. It was said that Stevie and Lindsay were made to perform together, do you think that same way about you and Jonathan?
A) Musically we communicate almost telepathically. And we complement each other - it's like how different colors in a painting combined play off each other and are greater than the sum of the colors.
Q) Jonathan was involved with the beginning of Amazon.Com, as a way to help pay the bills. Now that the company that he helped design is a huge success, did you both manage to get any stock out of the venture?
A) What Jonathan earned from working insane hours at Amazon has helped fund our music and our label since then.
Q) Where did the name Two Loons For Tea come from? Do you both think you're a little 'loony'?
A) We sure do. We were sitting in one of our favorite spots to hang out, smoke cigarettes, and watch people and cars pass by, and I said, "we're like two birds on a wire and our friends say we're kinda loony" so we came up with the band name Loon. Then we found out there was another band named Loon and we monkeyed around with ideas until we came up with Two Loons for Tea. The image was partly the idea of us walking into some posh English tea room, and saying "Two loons for tea, please". The absurdity of this image appeals to us.
Q) How does "Looking For Landmarks" compare to your previous self-titled release?
A) I guess Landmarks is more sophisticated. The first album had a bunch of songs Jonathan and I wrote over many years, so it's like a collection of musical snapshots from a long period of time. It was also mostly self-produced. But most of "Looking for Landmarks" was written really spontaneously in ten days-though some of the lyrical ideas were floating around in my head for several months. We also had Eric Rosse on board who is a wizard with female vocals. So Landmarks is more polished, layered and lush, and we think it's a better album overall. But there are some people who like the first album better, so it's just a matter of opinion. Jonathan likes to say that Landmarks is our summer album, and the first is a winter album, a Dark Side of the Loon.
Q) You were joined by a sea of talented session musicians, like Matt Chamberlain, who is noted by Tori Amos as being the only drummer in tune with her. Why did you decide to include so many people in the recording process (over 20!)? How did you get so many people involved in an indie release?
A) A lot of these musicians live in Seattle, and we ran in overlapping crowds and often went to the same shows. Over the years, we started playing music with them in shows and recordings. We also had a wish list of people who we wanted to work with, and through our friends managed to work with some folks we hadn't met before. We worked with so many people because each had something unique to offer to each song.
Q) What do you think are the needed 'ingredients' to making a good record? Do you think "Looking For Landmarks" used all of these elements? Is there anything you wish you could have changed? Anything you hope will stand the test of time?
A) I don't know what makes a good record, but speaking from our experience, we gathered together the best people we could and let it fly. Eric Rosse, our producer for Landmarks, has a unique style that worked well with us. He created a great mood for songwriting and helped structure our spontaneous compositions. The energy was crackling, and we got what we got. It's an elusive thing.
Once the energy was captured, there was a lot of serious mixing by Kevin Killen, Eric, Mell Dettmer and Jonathan. We also really tried to steer clear of trendy effects and clichés that could become dated. We really do hope the whole album will stand the test of time: people still enjoy Pink Floyd or Fleetwood Mac thirty years later, and we hope the same for our stuff. Honestly, there's nothing we would've changed about the Landmarks sessions-it was a great experience. But we might do things completely differently for the 3rd album. Change keeps us stimulated.
Article by: TLAMS
Submitted: September, 2003
Photos: Artist's Website
Artist Website: www.twoloons.com
Email: info@thelamusicscene.com
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