Liberate Yourself From The Future

Modern counter culture is in a bit of a slump right now. With thoughts of the last election's hanging chads, and popular vote debate to this year's "stiff" Democratic challenge and new scandalous electronic voting machines, the balance of things seems a bit off lately. Apathy is high among those who disagree with this administration and its' wars, and those who have a voice aren't using it. It's an election year and the left is lacking a singular voice or someone they feel they can truly stand behind, someone who speaks for them and only them, without trying to cater to both sides equally for political gain. Often times these voices come in the forms of musicians or bands or actors, people with established fame and a voice people want to listen to, and even trust. This voice is absent right now.

While Trans Am might not reach a wide enough audience, or are perhaps too cryptic in their message to invoke real organization and change, they show us that there are people out there speaking up through their art. Inspired by their home base of Washington D.C.'s increasingly paranoid and fearful tension, Trans Am might not be the first band that you would think to release an album with such a strong political agenda, but through these abstract and sometimes absurd songs, it has become an album that deserves several spins. On, Liberation (Thrill Jockey), Trans Am speaks up and out about their feelings toward this administration and their view points towards the State of the Union. The Trans Am sound of combining unpredictability, odd 80's synth pop, and 70's stadium rock as filtered through krautrockers, Can is still there and in stronger form than on their past two releases- yet it's gone in an even more varied and rhythmically pummeling direction. Mixed with cut up samples of our "fearless leader," and the occasional political lyrics- they've made an album with a message that still mostly instrumental, and remains challenging.

This interview was conducted via email with, drum machine, Sebastian Thompson during the week of the Ohio Primaries, so I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask. Thanks to Sebastian for answering them all with such thought.

Interview conducted via e-mail by Dan Rizer. Pictures provided by Trans Am.

Trans Am Are:
Philip Manley- guitar, bass, keys, vox
Nathan Means- Bass, keys, vox
Sebastian Thompson- drums, guitar, bass, keys, vox

Bettawreckonize: Your new album Liberation takes a bit of a turn from your past efforts, especially your last album TA. What were the events that took place between the recordings of TA and Liberation that cause the giant shift in your focus from writing an album focused on fun and partying to one focused on politics and current issues?

Sebastian: First off I don't think that TA was 100 percent about partying and fun. For example, “Afternight” was written the day after September 11 and “C Sick” is not a very "party" song. What we were trying to do was try to show that interesting music and partying/dancing don't have to be mutually exclusive.

The Bush presidency in general and the war on Iraq in particular were the events that shaped the attitude on this album. We were (and still are) so outraged by what this administration and this country have done in the past year that we had to criticize it. In the past we always said, "politics is for politicians, not musicians" but we realize now that putting politics in your art is an act of desperation. There was absolutely no real criticism of the invasion on mainstream media or by mainstream artists and we felt it was our obligation to use whatever notoriety we have to let people know, it's ok to criticize your government. It's not patriotic to shut up and lump it.

BW: How do you feel your current political voice meshes with your more well known focus on the future and technology?

S: I think it meshes quite well if you consider the technological aspects of the war on terror and propaganda. The whole idea of "Total Information Awareness" is straight out of our album The Surveillance, which came out around 1998. How can one have such awareness without the internet, satellites, microphones, cameras, etc. etc. Also the concept of the "Idea Machine", these people and organizations who manipulate public opinion through misinformation, is tied directly into our not too bright image of the future.

BW: The 60s counter culture movement had some very strong voices in music and art. Do you think that this generation is lacking a powerful political, outspoken voice in the realm of music and art? Do you think that there are any potential artists or bands that could possibly "step up" and unify, and is it needed?

S: I definitely think we are missing some outspoken musicians right now. Anybody with any education or sense of history knows that there was no connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. They would also know that the US has supported countless dictators in the past, as bad as Hussein and also including Hussein. We need people in the public eye to say these things. There's this idea that if do say anything you're un-American, which is a really scary road to go down. Remember what happened with the Dixie Chicks. It's funny, I remember all these bands in the late 90s like Rage Against the Machine being critical, but after 9/11 everyone has lost their balls. I wish more people would step up to the plate - I guess that's why we did.

BW: How do you think being in a band in Washington D.C. has shaped your political views?

S: Politics and the Redskins are the local pastimes, so it has shaped it a lot. People talk a lot of politics here, including in the music scene. DC has a long history of political music.

BW: What were your aspirations in writing an album with such strong political themes?

S: To let people know that they don't have to put up and shut up. They can, and should, speak out about a war fought for the financial gain of the military industrial complex, oil companies, Halliburton, and the Pentagon.

BW: Trans Am has certainly presented itself with a bit of a kitchy side. Do you ever fear that this aspect of the band may overshadow the more serious aspects of Trans Am?

S: Yeah, I worry about that. People have this problem with irony nowadays. They assume that if you do anything a little different you're being ironic. Trans Am has always been very serious about our music. Sure, we like to party and have a good time, but that doesn't mean we're joking about our music.

BW: Trans Am has been together for over 10 years with no lineup changes. What is it about the chemistry of Trans Am that makes it work for you?

S: I'm not sure. We're good friends and we get along and we know how not to push each other's buttons, but that's true of other bands that have broken up. I think the fact that there are only three of us helps.

BW: How exactly does a Trans Am song get written? What are your processes?

S: It depends. Some grow organically from a jam and are written as we play. Some are written largely by one of us alone. Others are written in the studio, adding parts as we go along. We don't have one set way of doing things, we just keep whatever sounds good to us.

BW: Your older albums used to have a many more ethereal moments, or more songs with less of a rhythm or hook, though rhythm has always been an important aspect of Trans Am. What prompted you guys to abandon those more dissonant sounds and go more full throttle, rhythmically, than previous to TA?

S: I think maybe we got more impatient with ambient music in general. It's great when you first get into it, but after a while you want something you can sink your teeth in to.

BW: Trans Am has done some great things both with and without vocals. How important are lyrics to the band and who generally writes them?

S: Lyrics are important to us but obviously they are not the centerpiece of what we do. To us they're just another element to a song, like the drums or a bass line. The person who sings the song writes them. All three of us have written lyrics and sung on Trans Am records.

BW: Critics often talk about the past and it's possible influences on the music of Trans Am. How important are your influences from the past and how does that relate to what I've seen you describe as creating "future rock”?

S: The past is important to us, but it always comes out subconsciously. We never sit down and say, "OK, we're going to write a mid 70s Zep riff" or "OK, now we're going for an early 80s New Order hook.” It just happens. I think one way of relating to the past is that in the early 80s there was this sense of pop music going somewhere new and uncharted. As we got into the late 80s we forgot about that. Mainstream acts started going back to classic rock influenced music (like the hair bands). We still believe that we (meaning any one of us) can still make pop music that isn't totally derivative. That's what we mean by future rock. Now with the garage rock thing we've gone even more into the past. What's next, barber shop rock?l

BW: You guys have also developed a recording relationship with the Fucking Champs, including the Trans Champs EP and the upcoming Fucking Am EP. How did this relationship come about and will there be more releases?

S: We became friends on tour and after realizing how different yet complementary our music is we thought it would be cool to collaborate. The first EP was recorded by sending tapes back and from between DC and SF. The second EP had us actually traveling to each other's studios. There is talk of a live Trans Champs/Fucking Am experience, we'll see.

BW: You guys have also been recording your albums yourselves at your own National Recording Studio. What other bands have you been recording there?

S: Most recently we've had !!!, Outhud, and the Apes, but we've also had Ted Leo, Golden, The Frequency, The Spark, Black Taj, Canyon, Wooly Mammoth, and many others.

BW: I understand that you guys also have some film projects in the works. Would you care to tell us about those?

S: Nathan has made a short film of him surfing and hang gliding in New Zealand, Phil has been filming campfires in the SF bay area, and I've been filming backstage parties with The Frequency. Hopefully we'll compile them soon.

BW: Trans Am has a tour coming up for this spring. Is there any place you're especially looking forward to playing?

S: We're visiting more places in Eastern Europe which is exciting. We're going to Budapest, Warsaw, and Krakow for the first time and Zaogreb for the second time. We're also hopefully going back to Japan soon.

BW: Is anything else planned or in the works for the future of the band? How long do think this will last?

S: Right now all we have planned is touring. As far as future albums, we'll have to see how many of you buy this one.