Music; My Single Thread of Coherency

Another great interview, this time with Joshua Pederson of Minneapolis/Chicago based band Where Astronauts Go to Hide.

-Where Astronauts Go to Hide, very creative name. Made me wonder...where do they actually go to hide? Where did you come up with your band name and is there some meaning behind it?

The name has very little meaning, actually. I thought of it while dining at a small pizza place in Minneapolis that’s outer-space themed. Their delivery drivers dress in spandex suits, and wear a helmet and a cape, while transporting your pizza in a small, electric pod-car. The phrase “Where Astronauts Go To Hide,” just popped in my head. The name serves no role, and does not influence my songwriting whatsoever. We actually aim to ignore it – we’ll never intentionally have space-themed merchandise or song titles, etc.

- Who are some of your musical influences?

My greatest musical influences are my close friends in the music industry, regardless of the style. We share ideas and provide constructive criticism. So, my greatest musical influences and friends are Brett Saxon (a singer/songwriter from Brooklyn), Down with the Ship (a great folk-rock group from Omaha), and Flashbulb Fires (phenomenal, talented dudes from Denver). Then there are the obvious influences that you may or may not hear in our music: Wilco, Springsteen, and Dylan the leaders amongst them.

- Do you have a certain theme or feel for your current album?

Well, our most recent effort, “Amongst Friends,” is supposed to convey a sense of comfort in chaos, I guess. The songs on the album were written during an interesting time in my life where I didn’t know what I wanted or where I wanted to be. I’d discontinued my college experience and really decided to orient my energy toward music. Despite the chaos and change surrounding me, I did everything I could to maintain a positive outlook on life. In my struggles I realized that a house is a place to keep your stuff and “home” is where you are happy. Where you are comfortable. For me, “home” is amongst my beautiful friends.

- Describe your sound/genre.

Simple: Fun-loving folk-rock.

- Who are the members of your band and their roles?

Well, I’m Joshua Pederson, and I write the songs. Of course, the whole band plays a role in the creative process once I come to the table with the skeleton. I sing lead vocals, and play acoustic guitar and mandolin. Rachel Kahn plays violin mandolin, trumpet and piano. My brother, Andrew Pederson, plays electric guitar. Another pair of brothers are in the band, Matt Krumm on bass guitar and Mike Krumm on percussion. We’ve recently added Ronnie Parpart, and he will essentially play the role of the “auxiliary guy.” He’ll play a bunch of stuff. Everyone sings backup vocals.

- What would you like to accomplish or achieve with your music?

We are not a band that wants to headline arena tours and sell t-shirts for $35. Our mission is to connect with as many people as possible nationwide and assist in creating a community of talented people and music-lovers. Most of all, we are lovers of travel who love nothing more than performing for new faces each night and the healing therapy of the road in between.

- What is your creative process like?

When it comes to me, it’s sporadic. My songs assemble themselves randomly – I don’t have a staggered method. When it comes to the band, I present the song to them (usually via a demo recording) and they seem to craft their parts loosely. We’ll meet and put everything together, exchange ideas and make decisions together here and there. The band always seems to have a great idea of what vibe I’m trying to convey with a song, and for that, among many other reasons, I love them. I trust them and hardly question what they contribute.

- What instruments do you use (technical specs for the nerds)?

Well, here’s what I know for sure. I play an Alvarez acoustic guitar. Rachel and I share an Epiphone Mandobird mandolin. Rachel plays a Samuel Shen violin. Andy and Matt use assorted Fender and Vox guitars and amps. Mike plays a Tama Rockstar kit. Ronnie plays a guitar rig he essentially personally assembled, so I wouldn’t dare try to explain it.

- If you could jam with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

It’s hard to answer this question. I’m not a “jammer.” But I feel like if I were to have the opportunity to present my songs to anyone in an intimate setting, I would have to select the people whose advice I would be the most likely to respect: Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, Andrew Bird, or anyone in the Hold Steady. I could easily say Hendrix or someone like that, but I feel like I would rather discuss music with people that are currently creating something new and interesting – and surviving in the brutal environment that is today’s music industry.

- What's on your MP3 player currently?

I recently discovered an absolutely wonderful band from Montreal called Land of Talk. I can’t get enough. I’m also listening to a lot of An Horse, Maria Taylor and Kevin Devine.

- Any upcoming concert events or releases?

We’ve got some local shows in Chicago and Minneapolis coming up before the end of the year (yeah, we’re local in two cities…). We are also premiering a music video on November 19th in Minneapolis for our song “The House that Kevin Garnett Rebuilt.” We’ll be hitting the open road again come early 2010.

- Any final thoughts, shoutouts, tips or words of advice?

Of course, I would like to thank Mstoc for featuring us on your blog site! Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this and look up our music. I have one shout-out: our great friend Laura in Chicago who has designed a website for us, and taken loads of live pictures and video. I feel like I should credit her more often, I’m just lazy about that. Advice? I don't feel like I'm in any place to give anyone advice, but here's what I would say, if I did assume such a position: Don’t get discouraged. Some people in some cities have opinions of their own, some people only like what Pitchfork tells them to like, some cities will only like Minus the Bear cover bands. Someone, somewhere, will love what you’re doing.