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Interview: Tyler Hanan [1/29/12]

Loma Prieta recently released I.V., their Deathwish debut and possibly their best album yet, followed by tours of Australia with Raein and New Zealand with Parents. Drummer Val Saucedo took some time after those tours were over to answer a few of our questions concerning all things Loma Prieta in 2012.  

Tyler Hanan: First of all, you’re currently touring Australia with Raein and New Zealand with Parents (or you‘ve just finished, depending on when you’re able to answer this). That sounds like a blast to me; how did was that whole experience? What is the best tour story to come out of it?

Val Saucedo: Well, we just got home from the tour one day ago so we are still taking a few moments to process the whole experience. It’s hard to pick out a best story when the whole trip was so good. First I will say that touring with Raein was the fulfillment of a huge goal for us. Getting to tour with such an amazing band and great set of guys was in itself an experience of a lifetime. One of the craziest things that we saw on that tour was also one of the weirdest that any of us had ever seen. So we had just gotten lunch in Brisbane and were hanging out in a park munching on fruit. I noticed a big crow and a pigeon standing together on the grass and didn’t think much of it. A few minutes later Sean looked over my shoulder with his eyes bugged out of his head just pointing. We all turned just in time to watch the crow peck the pigeon to death with its beak and rip its head off. Then the crow started picking at the pigeon’s insides until it found it’s heart. Finally it took the pigeon’s heart in it’s mouth, and no joke, looked right at us and then flew away over our heads. So weird.

TH: Would you say those are the most interesting or different places you’ve played? If not, which places you give that distinction?

VS: New Zealand is definitely one of the most interesting places that we have played. Simon and the Parents crew did an amazing job setting up the tour and taking really good care of us while we were there. It’s kind of hard to describe just how far out and isolated you feel in New Zealand. Playing punk shows there, however felt really normal. Interesting dichotomy.

TH: The big change with the new record, I.V., is the move to Deathwish. Who approached who, and how did that partenership come about? What changes have cropped up, and what are some of the positive and negative results of the change?

VS: The move to Deathwish came out of a mutual respect between them and us. Deathwish has always been a label that we have been interested in and there is some history with them and bay area bands (Life Long Tragedy, Ceremony, etc). Truthfully though we were originally planning on releasing the record in a different way and Tre changed everything with one email with the subject line “loma” and a body that read “I like Loma Prieta…”

So far I really only see positive results from working with Deathwish. Everyone over there has been extremely supportive and have let us do everything that we have wanted to do with the record art and layout. “No” is not a word in their vocabulary. They are all artists and huge music fans themselves so I think for them they just want Deathwish bands to be able to have complete autonomy over their art.

TH: How was the recording process for I.V.? You’ve worked with Jack Shirley before; how did that and the fact that it was your Deathwis debut affect it?

VS: The recording process for I.V. was very similar to all of our other records except that because of our busy schedules we had to record the album in two completely separate recording sessions spanning April-May 2011. We originally went in to the studio thinking that we were recording pre-production demos. We quickly realized during the first recording session that most of the songs were finished. I think we only ended up redoing one or two songs during the second session. Also, Jack let us do a lot of crazy/dangerous things in the studio that I am sure other engineers would never let bands do.

Deathwish didn’t approach us until after the album was recorded so it didn’t affect the album at all.

TH: Deathwish’s press release states that I.V. was “written during a time of great personal suffering and transition for the band.” Though you obviously don’t have to go too deep into the details, could you discuss how that affected the writing process as compared to past efforts? Do you think it helped the band create a better album than it would have?

VS: It’s hard to say whether our situation helped create a “better” album, but it definitely did affect the writing process. For me personally, I felt like we had something to prove to ourselves and to a particular person on this one so we worked extra hard to make sure the songs came out exactly as we envisioned them. I also really feel like this album is the first Loma record where we were able to really let go of all preconceived notions of what kind of band we are and just go for it and write songs that are actually fun to play live.

TH: The reviews I’ve seen for I.V. thus far range from “great” to “incredible” so far. Are the preliminary reactions you’re getting all good so far?

VS: We try not to read too many reviews. I think it’s bad to take in too many overly congratulatory reviews. It’s bad for the ego. It’s also bad to take in too many negative reviews – certain key words end up sinking in and weighing you down eventually. But so far people that I like and respect seem to like it and we’ve been getting coverage in outlets that have never covered us before which is humbling and flattering.

TH: What are a few of your favorite moments on the album?

I haven’t listened to the album very much since we recorded it other than to re-learn and re-arrange some of the parts for live performance. I think that one of my favorite moments is the straight-forward chugging part at the end of trilogy 5. We had never done anything like that before and it felt really good to be able to write and record a really simple part just because it fit the song so well. Like, yeah we could have put some weird mathy guitar part there there but sometimes you’d rather just nod your head than watch some dork shred his guitar.

TH: This is obviously a touchy subject, but how do you feel about an album leaking? Do you try to look at the bright side of people wanting to hear your music, or is it more disappointing or upsetting that those people aren’t paying for it? 

VS: I don’t really care if people aren’t paying for music in 2012. I would be more concerned if there were some kind of pandemic of hundreds of people sneaking in to shows and refusing to pay for seeing live music. 

TH: With both Loma Prieta and Punch signed to Deathwish, how often will Discos Huelga be releasing records?

VS: Yes, Discos Huelga still owns and presses the back catalog for both of those bands. We are also doing a new Skin Like Iron 7” this year as well as more Loma side project bands like Nervous and Coma (members of Loma, Graf Orlock, and the Separation). 

TH: One of the facts that often gets mentioned in conjunction with Loma Prieta is the involvement with a number of other bands, a conversation that can get testy if it goes in a bad direction. How do each of you balance multiple bands, and how do you respond to people that want to compare them all despite the fact that they’re separate entities?

VS: It’s pretty easy to balance all of the bands that we play in because Loma is our main focus. All of the other bands that we play in right now are bands that we joined after they had already formed. So those bands all have primary songwriters that are not members of Loma. As a drummer, for me Loma is where I come to experiment and make music that is interesting and challenging. Some of the other bands I play in fall into much more identifiable categories.

TH: The scenes Loma Prieta, Beau Navire, Punch, etc, operate in aren’t exactly the most profitable ones. What kind of work do you do outside of the band to keep the van running and the bills paid? Are these jobs related to the bands work at all, and if not, how hard is it to find employment that will work around touring schedules?

VS: It is extremely difficult to find employment between tours. No employer wants to hire someone who can only work for one month and then be gone for four months.

Right now Brian runs hxcmerch.com and hvmandvst.com, I (Val) run discoshuelga.bigcartel.com, Jake works part time as a chef, and Sean works part time for a photographer.

TH: Any future releases or tours planned? Maybe a 7” or split, a few shows once you get back in the states, or anything else that might be happening?

VS: We have over 180 shows planned for this year all across the globe. We also have a few new songs written for some upcoming secret releases. We are always looking forward and working on the next thing.

TH: Before we go, a bit of non-business. What do you guys like to do for fun when you aren’t tearing it up? What kind of hobbies or entertainment are you guys into?

VS: Jake and Sean both love to cook. Brian is very much into coffee and I am currently learning how to weave with a hand loom.