Birds & Batteries [rank: 551] based on users subscribed

"In the fall of 2005, Mike Sempert moved to San Francisco from Boston, immediately after completing an 18 song demo called, 'Nature vs. Nature'. He took a job at the legendary Hotel Utah Saloon, doing live sound, seeing it as an opportunity to scout talent. That's where he met B&B drummer, Brian Michelson, who was playing there one night and B&B SF was born. The two started adapting the material from the demos to a live show, with laptop as a crucial tool for executing the synth programming and drum machines. Adding Neil Thompson of Low Red Land on pedal steel guitar, B&B found the right combination of sounds and textures that well-reflected Mike's recordings, but also took them to a new level in a live setting. Birds & Batteries has since become a well-soiled machine, with dozens of shows in the Bay Area, a west coast tour and a national tour under their belt. Their influences include Neil Young and Daft Punk and they could be described as a cross between Gary Numan and Randy Newman. Before leaving on their first national tour (with friends, Low Red Land), B&B pressed a new version of their first recordings, called 'selections from...Nature vs. Nature,' which was newly mixed, mastered and cut down to 12 songs."

[reproduced or excerpted from band website linked above]

Bandega Interview with Mike Sempert of Birds & Batteries (June 2010)

Find the new and break out of the mundane with Birds & Batteries.

Q: How have your shows changed over the years? Has your perspective on performing live changed?
A: With our live show, in the past we were always focused on execution and playing tight sets. I think now, we're still striving for that, but we're also thinking about how to create special moments in each one.

Q: Describe the most memorable live show you've played.
A: Memorable good or memorable bad? Somehow, the bad ones are more fun to recount. And the best shows tend to fly by like in a dream. We played a show at Burt's Tiki Lounge in Albuquerque and a guy came up after and told me that the music had helped him through hard times. That's something I'll always hold on to.

Q: What venue do you consider to be your "home", where you feel most comfortable, with the crowd and the place itself?
A: I think Bottom of The Hill is the place in SF where we've had our most successful and enjoyable shows.

Q: Describe the most enjoyable show you've ever experienced as a fan.
A: I saw Les Savy Fav in Boston years ago. That show was completely insane and sweaty, just a euphoric dance party. Tim Harrington is an incredible showman and that band was so good live.

Q: Mike Sempert has mentioned inventing a loose protagonist for the Up To No Good EP: the villain. Has the band found this creation of a narrative voice preferable to a "traditional" first-person voice? What advantages/opportunities does writing in this manner provide?
A: In general, its really liberating to step away from the personal lyrical approach and just tell a story. I'm not a big fan of artists who vent through songwriting (unless its absolutely compelling) and I like the idea of music being a way of finding the new and breaking out of the mundane.

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