Ash Reiter spoke with us about his future projects, his inspiration and his upcoming performance in Mexico.
It was a Friday afternoon and we were waiting to sort out some details of the video call. I took the opportunity to ask Reiterthe band's vocalist and keyboardist, where he was. He told me that he was with his family, waiting for the heat to cool down a bit so they could go to a nearby swimming pool. We were approximately 2,000 kilometers apart.
Reiter became a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this stage began in a complicated way due to the challenges of that period, this did not prevent the group, also made up of Will Halseywill continue with their projects, and in 2021 they released their album Impression.
Now, more adapted to motherhood, the band has performed several concerts in different parts of the United States. In April of this year, they began a tour with Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Along with their presentations, Reiter He commented that they are also working on new material.
We’re working on a new album; we’ve already completed a lot of the basic tracks. And we’re trying to find time to collaborate with some friends in Los Angeles and some friends here in the Bay Area. For the most part, it’s complicated. We have two young children, so finding time to work on things is harder than it used to be.”.
The group, originally from Oakland, California, was formed in 2010. However, their sound has changed over the years. Constant evolution and preparation have been key to their permanence as a musical project.
“We tend to go through phases where we get really excited about a certain type of music, a particular band or genre, and then we approach our recording from that perspective, like with our last album, Impression. Well, my partner, who is also the drummer and one of the producers of the band, was reading a lot of old books about the recording of The Beatles and learning all the tricks of the trade to get those sounds. That was the inspiration, although in the end it didn't sound like The BeatlesBut that was pretty much the inspiration.
For this upcoming album, we've been really embracing the sound Motown and trying to capture all the sounds coming out of the Motown at that time, getting that exact drum sound and that kind of bass feel. So that's what we're going for on this next album. We might release a few singles in the meantime, because we have some material backed up and we haven't released anything in a while. But the idea behind the next album is to get a sense of Motown with our own psychedelic touch.”
The group plans to release a few singles before the end of the year. In the meantime, they remain immersed in the genre that has inspired them, despite the complexity of adapting that sound to the current musical context.
“Yeah, you know, The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson, and The Temptationsthat classic sound of Motown. We have been listening a lot to The Four Tops What we're trying to do is almost like learning a language, it's like an immersion program where you focus most of your listening on that type of music, so that it becomes the language that is expressed through you when you go to play and write.
It’s a little tricky though, because by embracing these older styles, I feel like as a lyricist, some of the things that they were writing about back then or the ways of writing don’t apply to a modern voice anymore. I don’t want to say they’re naive, but it’s like we don’t talk as directly about love and things like that anymore. So I find myself trying to find a balance between words that match the style, but also feel modern. That’s been one of the hardest things for me – finding the right words for the music.”
However, the Motownhas not been their only source of inspiration. In addition to everyday life; live performances and living with other bands have set the tone for defining the direction they want to take as a musical group.
“Yeah, I think one of the biggest inspirations we had while touring was when we did a big tour with Keikaku MoilWhat I really loved about that band is that every night they brought something different to their set. It was that improvisation in the introduction parts of their songs that I think makes it really exciting for both the band and the audience, because it's like watching jazz: you're wondering, 'Where is this going? How far can they take this?'
“I like to take that improvisational aspect and mix it with a kind of dense atmosphere so that in those more jam sections we get into an almost trance-like state. I think as far as the inspiration of playing live, that’s what makes it really fun for me, because there are nights where you really feel it and those are the nights that feel really special.”
On a more personal question, Reiter She shared with us what aspect of her work as a singer and songwriter she enjoys most.
“I love recording. I love seeing how songs evolve over time. Often, like with a painter or a writer, half the work you do disappears, because it was just part of the process to get to the final product. So you never know exactly where you’re going to end up. That’s what makes it fun to see where you end up.”
And I love playing live because there’s a particular feeling you get from playing live that you can’t get any other way. It’s like people who surf big waves: when you do it, it’s something special. That’s the hope, to achieve that and share it with the audience.”
After a break during the summer, after finishing their tour that covered part of Texas, Vancouver and the East Coast of the United States, the band is preparing to return to Mexico City this year. Their last performance in that country was at the Hypnosis Festival of 2021.
Oh wow, we’ve been playing a lot more and adding more improvised sections to the songs. The band that’s coming this time is probably even tighter than the one we brought last time. In fact, three of the four members are the same. But yeah, we just, I don’t know, we love going to Mexico, it’s always a lot of fun. So we’re all excited to go there, put on a great show, eat good food and have a good time.”
Sugar Candy Mountain will be presented at the Indie Rocks! Forum On August 23, setting the mood for the night with their characteristic psychedelic sounds, along with the guest band Little Friend. While we wait for the day to arrive, we leave you with this playlist so you can get ready.
