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Blending a diverse collection of afrobeat, rock, and pop influences, Bay Area 5-piece Waterstrider have most certainly been on the grind creating some incredibly creative, captivating music that we’re really excited about over here. They are are currently on the tail end of their tour and have big plans for the rest of the year. If you’re in LA, be sure to grab tickets to their show this weekend at the El Rey, as they’ll be opening for Gardens & Villa. GroundSounds recently caught up with members Brijean, Nate, Scott, Walker, and Drew for an exclusive interview. Check it out below!
Thanks for chatting with us at GroundSounds! You have been tour since the beginning of February, tell us what the experience has been like so far and what cities have been the most fun to play in?
Brijean: Atlanta was an amazing one. The people were incredibly warm and inviting. We didn’t have a place to stay that night and mid set made an announcement that we were looking for a floor to crash on. We got at least five offers from different pockets of the club and a couple napkins with some numbers on stage. We ended up staying with a sweet couple who hooked us up with a king size bed, two couches and sleeping pad- alongside the late night porch hangs and blueberry pancakes in the morning.
Nate: And of course… the booty glitter! Touring has been pretty unreal. We now have a more broad understanding of the U.S. and the various cultures from state to state. The highlight was probably New Orleans though. I decided that was a place I could definitely find myself living in at some point. It reminded me a lot of the Bay and that the artists there are so focused on what they are doing and will stop at nothing to make it happen. It’s all about the arts there. We saw this kid, probably only eleven or so, just killing it on the alto sax. He would go from one group to the next jamming with each group of musicians. It blew my mind.
Scott: Its been awesome for us being able to reunite with tons of friends from childhood in different cities along the way.
For those who are just discovering your music, describe your sound and how it has developed over the years.
Nate: This kind of question is always so impossible to answer for us! How do you describe something that is an amalgamation of all of your influences without sounding full of yourself or just name-dropping every artist and style of music that you love? People at shows will tell us that we remind them of Radiohead, Fela Kuti, Dave Matthews, Sigur Ros, Michael Jackson…Just listen to the music and make your own judgement! I like the idea that music is a subjective experience, so I’d rather just maintain that unadulterated first listen. As for how it’s developing, I would say that it’s heading in an organic electronic direction.
I’ve been exploring some of your older releases, particularly Wind-Fed Fire and Constellation. As I’ve been listening to them, I can’t help but notice these underlying rhythmic themes and catchy guitar licks that really give your music personality. How did the whole group come together and begin working on the music that we now hear?
Nate: It developed out of jamming with friends in the co-op that Brijean and I lived in. I was writing some songs and decided to try and turn it into something a little more like a proper band. We played house shows and the band went through quite a few incarnations. It was definitely more of a jam-band/afrobeat inspired band at first, then went a little punk, then became the 6 piece foundational band that tied into the release of the Constellation EP. Now it’s a 5 piece that is based on the sound I’d been crafting for our full length. More than ever, the sound is forming out of each member’s individual influence. It’s making me really excited to start honing a lot of new material.
How did the name for your group come about? (It’s awesome and fun to say!)
Nate: Thanks! I like the name of your blog too! Nice rhymes. It’s a nickname that a friend of mine gave me. She believed that it was my spirit animal. As time goes on, though, it starts to mean more and more. I like the image of someone effortlessly striding along the surface of a river, ecstatically chasing their dreams. I feel like that kind of endless pursuit of happiness is a huge part of who we are.
I really love your newest single “Redwood.” I really enjoy the way it begins with that tight percussion, followed by clean guitar licks and overlapping acoustic strumming, leaving just enough room for these soft, passionate vocals to come into the mix. How long had this song been in the works and what were some of the main influences behind the writing and production on this track?
Nate: Thanks so much! How kind of you to describe my voice in such a beautiful way! The song has been in the works for about a year and a half… way longer than I ever want to spend on a single song ever again, but it’s taken a lot of personal growth to get the tracks on our upcoming album to a place that I am happy (enough) with. The influence for the lyrics came from this fairly dark night where things just started falling apart around me: the old incarnation of the band started butting heads, a dear friend of mine fell out of a tree and broke her back, a bomb threat was issued a block away from where I lived–trapping us in the house; and this sinister full moon just hung over the whole scene. As for production, it all started with that bouncy programmed kick drum that I was basing on some of the electronics in “Kid A.” I like to just let productions dictate how they want to sound and take on the character of the various spaces they are recorded in. I wanted the whole thing to be explosive and jungly.
When listening to “Redwood,” I can’t help but think of various visual ideas, including places, environments, and colors. Are there any plans in the works to make a music video for this incredible track?
Nate: Maybe. I’ve been talking to a few different folks about music videos and we might be able to make something come together. Just have to feel it out and see. I definitely have some fantasy-oriented ideas, but the sorts of things I tend to imagine are way outside of our money capabilities right now.
Which artists and bands (current and/or classic) are you currently listening to?
Drew: So many artists! We’ve been spending at least 6 hours a day listening to music in the car. We’ve compiled a little playlist of the main tunes for you:
1. Let’s Have a Kiki- Scissor Sisters (this is the pump up song for long drives)
2. Jibal alnuba- Alsarah Debruit
3. Baltimore-Nina Simone
4. Klapp Klapp- Little Dragon
5. Imidiwan Ma Tenam-Tinariwen
6. Contemplation- McCoy Tyner
7. Like Fire- Lion Babe
8. Cavalier- James Vincent McMorrow
9. Wakin On a Pretty Daze- Kurt Vile
10. Ingenue- Atoms for Peace
11. Heart- Darkside
12. Afro Booty Musique- Debruit
13. Dust And Water- Antony & the Johnsons
14. Can’t Seem to Make You Mine- The Seeds
15. Retrograde- James Blake
16. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair- Debussy
17. Jasmine- Jai Paul
What are some of the festivals or venues on your bucket list to perform at? Are there any artists that you would like to tour with or collaborate with in the studio?
Nate: I’ve been to Sasquatch before and the scenery is serene. So it would be pretty rad to play there. But on the whole we are excited to play gigs for any audience that is responsive and looking for a collective transcendent experience. I definitely want to collaborate more with our friends in the bay area. So many amazing musicians there right now.
Scott: Collabo: Stephen Hawking. Tour: Bill Murray
Walker: Let’s tour with Atoms for Peace! Little Dragon or James Blake would be incredible too.
Drew: Touring with this amazing Sudanese singer named Alsarah would be incredible. It would be cool to collaborate with artists based in different musical traditions around the world.
Brijean: I’d love to collaborate with Alsarah. She’s my hero!
Nate: I would love to tour with Bon Iver. Especially after the Gardens & Villa boys telling us about how kind Justin Vernon is! I’ll definitely jump on the Alsarah bandwagon too. I think we all became her biggest fans on this tour.
With the tour in full swing and your fresh single out for the world to listen to and digest, what are your plans for the rest of the year? Can we expect a full debut album? We want to hear more!
Scott: We are about 80% done with our full length at the moment. Looking to go the label route, but it will be released one way or another. Probably by the fall if things go well.
Walker: For the rest of the year, we’ll keep playing shows and finishing up the album. We are lining up some really great shows in the bay area, and we are excited to start working on some new material.
Nate: I’m starting some work on more sample-based electronic stuff (probably some kind of side project)… trying not to get too distracted from the album though. I’m stoked for some of the new stuff we’ve started working on since the band reformed! Things are trending a little more towards the electronic, and the beats are huge-normous. It’s just endless good times playing music with these folks! We are one big happy family!
