by jon bosworth jaxvillain@yahoo.com
The hall where Explosions in the Sky played used to be an ornate and decorative swimming pool. The Alcazar Hotel was Flagler’s second hotel in the St. Augustine area, built in 1889. He built it to provide luxury accommodations for people that couldn’t afford the lush rooms at seasonal prices in the opulent Casa Monica Hotel. On Monday, it was filled with young adults and an outstanding instrumental rock band.
From the time Explosions in the Sky struck the first chord until they left the stage, the music did not pause for applause or even to allow the musicians to rest. Playing a non-stop instrumental rock show is far more work than playing songs with standard verse-chorus-verse structures, because there is a certain period of rest that the players enjoy when the vocalist takes over. Explosions never got that rest.
Their cathartic set was textured and took the listeners on a journey through soundscapes that you would never believe a four-piece rock outfit could. This show was so fantastic that it was hard to bring myself to break away to smoke a cigarette, buy a beer, or take in the architecture of this building.
The Alcazar is located in the same building as the Lightner Museum, directly next to the Casa Monica Hotel, and every level of this three-story structure overlooks the center, where Explosions in the Sky was belting out unprecedented orchestrations to bellow throughout the enormous hall. The only thing that could have been cooler than seeing Explosions in the Sky live, was seeing them in this incredible setting.
I sent the band a few questions about their music and career, and this is what they said:
EU: Where did the name come from?
EitS: Watching the fireworks together on July Fourth, and simply describing them to each other (and happening to be in need of a band name at the time).
EU: At least one of your songs has a monologue about evil delivered in a southern drawl. Where is that from?
EitS: The enthrallingly awesome movie The Thin Red Line, directed by Terrence Malick.
EU: Are your songs written strictly as musical compositions or is there a storyline or theme as well?
EitS: Both. It has occurred to us recently that we have probably exaggerated the use of stories in our songs. They are very important – we always have images and themes for every song – but people sometimes seem to think that we have full novellas or screenplays written for each song, which is not the case. In the end, they are primarily musical compositions.
EU: Are your songs a solid composition, or do you tend to play more exhaustive and elaborate versions live? Do you improvise live?
EitS: We tend to only improvise in the transitions between songs when we play live. We had a few improvisations go sour in the very early days, and we find it better to just concentrate on playing the songs as well and as energetic as we can.
EU: When I am listening to your album, mundane aspects of my everyday life feel epic, as though they are part of a meticulous plot in an intense movie. In fact, the songs sometimes sound as though they are from a film score. Is this intentional?
EitS: Well, maybe not strictly intentional, per se, but very natural – we have pretty mundane outer lives that are dominated by dramatic inner worlds, and that comes through in the music.
EU: How has the Austin music scene helped you succeed?
EitS: One of the best things that happened to us was that, fairly early on, the Trail of Dead asked us to open a show for them. We did, and it went startlingly well. From then on, we were able to play headlining shows that got bigger and bigger, and everyone (fans, press, clubs) has been supportive. It’s a pretty great place.
EU: What is an Explosions in the Sky show like?
EitS: I don’t know.... I’ve never been to one. I don’t mean that flippantly—I honestly wish I could go to one of our shows, but alas I have to be on stage.
Well I have seen them live, and there are few shows that compare to it. If you could imagine seeing members of Radiohead and old Flaming Lips playing a soundtrack to a period drama about some Eastern European war prior to World War I, that is probably the closest comparison I can think of. It is equal parts intense and delightful. These players are both skilled and innovative, which is a rare combination. Check them out at explosionsinthesky.com.
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