Written by: Paul Gleason
Comprised of an alum of Red House Painters and Sun Kill Moon and a classically trained pianist, Desertshore are one of the most evocative and stirring bands around.
Inhabiting their compositions with careening sonic panoramas and virtuoso musicianship, the band’s fourth album Migrations Of Glass is one of the year’s best.
The all-instrumental effort is a mesmerizing blend of sonorous indie rock soundscapes and dark, brooding rhythms that are shimmering with complexity, improvisation and an almost preternatural sense of harmonics.
The band was willing to subject themselves to our Scouting Report questionnaire…
FULL NAME: Charles Christopher Connolly
NICKNAME: Chris
HOMETOWN: Alameda, CA
WEBSITE: www.desertshoreband.com
RECORD LABEL: Darkhan Records
DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN ONE SENTENCE: A journey to the center of your mind
PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: Realizing you have the opportunity to reach people through music remotely and that there is appreciation for your creations gives one a sense that perhaps there are hidden treasures in the world worth seeking.
THE SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN: Brahms Op. 118 No 2
FIVE MUSICIANS YOU ADMIRE: Robert Smith, Mark Kozelek, Julian White, Glenn Gould, Christopher Parkening
ALBUM YOU CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO: Lotta Continua by Durutti Column
DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A KID: Quiet and in a dreamland
THREE THINGS THAT KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT: Back pain, missing piano practice, general anxiety
LAST BOOK YOU READ: I spend to much time playing piano, so does Tchaivkovsky’s “Piano Concerto 1 Movement 1” count as reading?
THINGS WE’D FIND IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR: Broken cds, books about aliens, Mozart piano sonatas (not because I like them but rather because I don’t play them that’s why they are still in my car), random cables
HARDEST PART ABOUT YOUR JOB: Difficult to say
FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU GET TO A NEW CITY: Go for a walk
WHAT WORD DO YOU OVERUSE IN CONVERSATION?: Irrelevant
WHAT WILL THE TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY BE?: I don’t expect to write something as pretentious as an autobioagraphy but it could happen that I am forced to, in which case it would be: If You Want To Know Me Listen To My Music.
FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TV SHOW: “Ancient Aliens”
DRINK OF CHOICE: Gin and Tonic
BEST ALBUM TO PLAY AFTER A BREAK-UP AND YOU’RE HOLDING A BOTTLE OF VODKA AND SOMETHING SHARP: The Cure–Pornography
INDULGENCE YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP: Coffee and chocolate
WORDS TO LIVE BY: “Et Tu Brute?”
FULL NAME: Phil Carney
HOMETOWN: Alameda
RECORD LABEL: Dharkan
DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN ONE SENTENCE: Through the use of extended chords, reverb and delay, I would say we achieve a spacious and melodic sound.
PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: The first Desertshore record.
THE SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN: “Little Wing.”
FIVE MUSICIANS YOU ADMIRE: Hendrix, Robbie Krieger, David Sylvian, Stravinsky, Jascha Heiftez.
ALBUM YOU CAN’T STOP LISTENING TO: The Rolling Stones–Let It Bleed
DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A KID: Normal and average.
THREE THINGS THAT KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT: Hot weather, noise, uncomfortable bed.
LAST BOOK YOU READ: Bio of Guitarist John Williams.
THINGS WE’D FIND IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR: Dirty clothes and snacks.
FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU GET TO A NEW CITY: Find someplace to eat.
WHAT WILL THE TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY BE?: I Like To Watch
FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TV SHOW: Colbert.
DRINK OF CHOICE: Water
INDULGENCE YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP: Cinnamon rolls.
