erasing clouds
 

100 Musicians Answer the Same 10 Questions

Part Eleven: Aaron Snow of Landing

instigated by dave heaton

Since the end of the last decade, the Connecticut-based band Landing has been specializing in sonic exploration, taking willing listeners to exciting places. Their 6 LPs (most recently: 2005's Brocade, released by Strange Attractors, and 2004's Sphere, on K) take gorgeous, probing flights into the realms of atmospheric soundscapes, psychedelic folk-pop, and experimental space jams in general. Anything with their name on it is guaranteed to be intriguing, spellbinding, and strange. Mp3s can be heard on their MySpace page, and more updates on their website. Founding member Aaron Snow - whose wife Adrienne is also a central member of the band - plays guitar and a variety of other instruments with Landing.

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What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

Right now, I'm feeling inspired to try new things, new rhythmical styles, weird electronics... I guess I'm really just excited to start all over again. As a band, we've always been willing to change styles (perhaps to our detriment) but some things have always remained constant. At this point, I'd like to throw everything out the window and see what (if anything) happens with Landing.

What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?

Almost everything except for the actual making of the music. Even in the independent music world music is not judged on its own merits. You've got to know the right people, look the right way, say the right things, be part of the right scene, etc. I find this aspect of music making stupid and meaningless. I think the marketing side is way too important right now.

What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).

Landing's not really doing anything. We've been recording and playing shows since 1998 and within the last few years things have really slowed down. A big part of that is the fact that founding member and close friend Dick Baldwin has moved away and effectively left the band. I think we're all sort of waiting to see what will happen without Dick, who was a huge part of the songwriting process. Even so, we have an LP coming out soon called Gravitational IV that was mostly recorded during the sessions for 2004's Sphere. I think we're also going to be appearing at the Brainwaves Festival. After that, who knows...

Adrienne and I have been working on a pet project for the last few years called Paper. It's heavily inspired by krautrock rhythms and electronics and is actually pretty fun and stuff. I think we're going to be putting something out on the States Rights Records label sometime later this year hopefully.

What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?

Well, we've always recorded at home, so we've always been really comfortable while recording. Playing live, however, has been awkward at times. We once played in a dingy little basement with sweaty walls and beer spilled all over the concrete stage. The entire crowd (of 5 people) left after the first five minutes, but we finished anyway. Dick was playing barefoot and whenever he touched his guitar strings he got shocked. After the show, he nearly passed out from all the voltage he'd consumed. I think the qualities of that place affected us by making us mad. I seem to remember it being a chaotic and unpleasant experience.

In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

When we formed in 1998 we were all living in Utah County, which is like 1950's america, but way more repressive. The experience of being so far out of the mainstream there cemented our friendship and made touring to uninterested crowds for the next 6 years a breeze. Had we not lived in that environment, I doubt we would have become nearly as experimental or interesting.

When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

I guess the last song I wrote was for Paper. I remember setting up my little loop station thing and writing a bass part. Then I switched to drums and fiddled around until I got something decent. I should probably finish that song.

As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

I am definitely less interested in other peoples' music than before. Making music has forced me to limit the scope of what I think is good and really focus in on what I believe to be worthwhile. This may be totally wrong, but I feel like I sort of know what it takes to make certain types of music and I can't help but feel that certain genres are too easy... whereas before I would have been ignorant of the process and probably would have been more likely to buy into different musics. Also, because we've never gotten the attention I felt we deserved, I'm a jaded prick.

Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)

At this point, I pretty much only listen to mid to late seventies german music, Fela Kuti, or crap that I've loved forever. I find that the stuff made by Cluster, Neu, Harmonia, Kraftwerk, etc is so freaking interesting. Once in a while I find a new band, but they're mostly pop type groups like the Futureheads or Sereena Maneesh or something. I'm getting less interested in the avant garde and more into stuff that is easy to listen to - or music that is just fun

Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

There are actually two bands that need to be rediscovered: Light and Harmonia. Light is a guy who helped out with Flying Saucer Attack recordings and made an album called Turning and a few 7"s. He also had a compilation called Paperboat that collected the 7"s. I must have listened to Turning every day for a couple of years before Landing started. The influence is huge. He's just dissapeared now. It's a shame. Harmonia is much better known, but still not nearly huge enough. Consisting of Cluster and one guy from Neu!, Harmonia made beautiful, playful, experimental music. If you don't have Deluxe, you're really missing out. I still feel like the sound they made together is so forward thinking and futuristic. Simply awesome stuff.

What's the saddest song you've ever heard?

Anything on The Pearl by Harold Budd and Brian Eno. They put so much emotion into that album. It's definitely one of my favorite albums.

To check out the rest of the Q&As, click here.


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