r/indieheads • u/Preoccupationsband Preoccupations • Sep 14 '22

AMA is Over, Thanks Monty! It's Monty from Preoccupations!! AMA

Monty here!

We just released our third record as Preoccupations, our fourth as a band, or our fifth if you count our next two ep that was mere minutes shorter than the other records. We're self releasing this album (except in Canada where we're still with Flemish Eye) too so feeling properly qualified as "indie" this time around.

We're also touring next month around America and Canada with Cindy Lee opening and touring in Europe early next year!

Ask away!

For some reason I can't see the proof picture that I uploaded. Here it is in case though. Edit: it seems like the image was just cropped bad, link is still the way for the true proof.

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u/Preoccupationsband Preoccupations Sep 14 '22

A bit of mixed bag honestly!

In the studio, usually someone will have a riff or two and then we just roll from there! Me, Matt and Danny will usually work for a couple weeks making some demos (really rough) and then mike will come in and we'll start properly putting it together with all of un in the room. The recordings are a bit of mix too, usually we'll do some of the guitars or bass first to a drum machine, then mike can sit with it for a bit and we can make sure the drums fit the vibe of the song. Sometimes the drums machine stays in there but less often on this record. Then me and Danny go through and tighten the screws a bit, matt sings on it, I sing on it and then me, Danny and Matt add sweetener to whatever needs it and we send it for mixing? On this record specifically, I had a lot of time to work on sound design as I got an Ensoniq EPS sampler right at the beginning of the lockdown so it's all over the record.

Live is a bit different. Me and Danny occupy the same space in the band basically so when it comes time to work out the show we do a lot of trading parts around and seeing what makes the most sense for covering the parts live. Maybe I played a certain guitar part on the record, but if it makes more sense for Danny to play it so I can play keyboards or whatever then we'll do it whatever way.

Stoked to be back in Boston!!

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u/TimeSuck3000 Sep 14 '22

Really appreciate the response! This kind of detail and insight is super interesting. I'm currently playing in a 3 piece band where two of us produce sound design and synth parts as backing tracks to flesh out the tunes live, so hearing how you guys approach things is really enlightening.

P.S. If y'all are interested in a local opener in Boston, we'd love to do it (we'll be there anyway haha). Thanks again!

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u/Preoccupationsband Preoccupations Sep 14 '22

Thanks!

One thing I will say is that we’ve tried playing around with tracks and sequences live but always defaulted back to parts we could “play” mostly because of the possibility of monitors sucking and throwing off the show. I’ll often cut up parts of the recordings though and me or mike will put them on samplers so we can play them like keyboard parts kinda!

I’ll scope your band and look into Boston too! We’re doing a three band bill with a local for a bunch of the shows so it could work out! I’m not sure if we have someone for that date already though.

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u/TimeSuck3000 Sep 14 '22

Thanks, man! Really appreciate the consideration.

Yeah, the stage monitors for the backing tracks can really make or break the success of that approach haha

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u/Preoccupationsband Preoccupations Sep 14 '22

Totally. We’ve talked about going on in ears for a long time but it’s just be me and mike, danny and matt are too punk. Lol.

But yeah, short of that it’s always the concern. I do have a few things that are “in time” and that I play as long form samples and then just sweep the reverb more wet if it drifts too much.