Underground Railroad to Candyland – Interview and Exclusive Stream

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND
Interview with Todd C
By Groovey
Photos By Shanty Cheryl

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND is a hooky, catchy, jangly indie rock band from San Pedro, California that are about as DIY as anyone could get without manufacturing their own instruments.  Their critically acclaimed album Bird Roughs gained them positive national attention and now they are releasing their latest album Know Your Sins in April.  They are definitely a band you should be listening to.

The new album Know Your Sins is coming out in April. How has the URTC sound developed since Bird Roughs?

Not much actually. Not saying it’s the exact same cos it ain’t, but there’s a certain formula and we dig it. I haven’t A/B’d the two albums yet. But I think the main change, if any, would be the lyrics; a tad more introspective than the last album.

Any new influences, equipment, or musical skills for this album?

We were happy with our first album, so we used that as reference point, if any. We did get a few good pieces of recording gear for our studio before we finished this album. Good mics go so much farther than anyone would expect!

Do you want to geek out on the new equipment at all?

Yea I’ve got two Joe Meek preamp/compressors that we use on everything we record. They were under $300 and when used with a good mic (like AKG 414 which I got for $500! or Nuemann TLM-a little more expensive) they rule! We just put those two mics in the room to record the drums and we couldn’t be happier with the sounds.

What was the recording experience like?

We recorded it at Clown Sound, our own garage studio. We struck out the first two times trying to record this. The first time really took a toll on us as we were happy with it but had troubles to where we couldn’t finish it at the last hour. We’re glad it worked out that way cos about 2 years went by and some songs were ditched and some new songs were worked on making the final draft much more pleasing. This really could’ve been a third album, but who cares. It’s done and it’s our second record!

What’s the full story on Clown Sound and how does that all fit into the mix?

Clown Sound is our studio in my garage. We’ve been recording tons lately (URTC, TOYS THAT KILL, AUDACITY, HOT NEW MEXICANS, STONED AT HEART, etc etc). It’s just really fun and somewhat easy to record there. We can take our time, do it when everyone’s schedules collide, and take time on mixing. It’s such a non-pro environment and I’m under the opinion that this kinda environment makes recordings better. Having really high-end equipment goes a long way, but energy and comfort go further. You can get a good recording with a relaxed atmosphere and a few mid-to-high end mics and some ok outboard gear.

How did the album title of Know Your Sins come about?

I saw this bible tract art, which is pretty much the cover and it said something about knowing your sins and I thought ‘URTC Knows Your Sins’ would be kinda cool. It just fit with the feel of the songs. Some of them, as usual, deal with stupid taboo bullshit that people preach against. So it’s just a parody of that jazz.

What are the songs “Animals? 30 seconds?” and “Animals! Run!” about?

“Animals? 30 Seconds?” is a prelude to “Animals! Run!” which is about animals in huge hordes taking over and killing the human race. The lyrics: Animals! Run!

What tours do you have planned for 2011?

In May we got a TOYS THAT KILL tour out to the Midwest and then ending in Austin for Chaos In Tejas. FYP and URTC are also playing that. Hopefully a tour to coincide with Total in Missoula. and I’m sure were doin an Oct tour. Nothing planned yet, though.

What’s the San Pedro Music scene like these days?

It’s great! More and more people are comin’ out to shows that are very open minded to all different forms of music. Our shows are fun cos they are very eclectic. One band could sound like THE SONICS and the next band could sound like John Coltrane and most of the crowd will dig the whole lineup. I feel like its still growing, too.
Are there any bands you have worked with that you think people should be listening to and supporting?

Oh, I feel like all the bands I put out are worthy of more people’s attention. They are all very hard working and, most importantly, play music cos they LOVE it. Being popular is something that might be a cherry on top as opposed to the main reason for starting and playing in a band. THE ARRIVALS, LENGUAS LARGAS, HOT NEW MEXICANS, LANDLORD, etc all made GREAT GREAT GREAT records recently that I feel more people would dig if they just were a little more patient with it.
Who has the worst day job in the group?

Jimmy always complains about traffic. He’s an IT dude. Doyle complains about bitch ass students. He’s a teacher. I can’t answer this cos everyone has a job and that’s good enough nowadays.

If you could choose any year in history for Know Your Sins to be released to the listening public what would it be and why?

I’m gonna go ahead and say 1920 cos we would’ve been beheaded for making music like that. And that would be a good way to go out.
What would you like to say to the individual human person reading the last question of this interview?

Why didn’t you put the cereal away?! Now the ants got it and it’s your fault.

myspace.com/theundergroundrailroadtocandyland