Transistor Transistor Interview

When communicating with Transistor Transistor guitarist Brad Wallace, we learned quite a bit about the New Hampshire based rock band. How the band got its name, how they wound up on the quirky Level Plane label, and his thoughts on the state of indie touring in the states are just a few of the nuggets of information you'll get as you scroll down and peruse this interview.


The Gauntlet: How did Transistor Transistor form? How did you guys come up with the name?

Brad Wallace: Transistor Transistor formed because some dudes wanted to start a band. Said dudes eventually got a show and needed a name. Thus, the name Transistor Transistor was used on a flyer and it stuck. I wish it was a better story than that, but that's the gist of it.


The Gauntlet: What sets Transistor Transistor apart from other bands?

Brad Wallace: This question is tough because it's hard to come off sounding modest, but with that in mind, I'd like to think that we're not a band that is easily pigeon-holed into anyone genre. We're not the most diverse band in the world but as far as loud rock music goes, I think we put a lot more effort into writing songs that will keep people interested in the band throughout the length of the whole album, instead of writing a couple decent genre based songs and then filling the rest of the album with songs that sound exactly the same. We're not interested in being the flavor of the month; we're far more interested in continually making good records down to every last detail and hopefully having some longevity.


The Gauntlet: Tell us how you guys wound up on Level Plane and how the relationship has been thus far?

Brad Wallace: The band ended up on Level-Plane because a friend suggested that we send in a demo, Greg like it and soon after Transistor and Greg's band Hot Cross played a show together. Greg then asked the band to do a record, which ended up being the first EP. Ever since the relationship has been fantastic, and especially since we started the process of creating ERASE ALL NAME AND LIKENESS. The amount of support and access to resources that Level-Plane has given us in creating this album is more than one could ask for a band that had only done a few EP's prior to this. Greg put a lot of faith is us and gave us the opportunity to the make the best record we possibly could. I think this was beneficial as it gave the band a reason to work the much harder. Knowing that someone was that supportive and willing to put a lot on the line for us, motivated us to work as hard as we could and try and really take things to a new level. We wanted to do that for ourselves anyway, but when someone is working that hard for you, it's just that much more of a reason to work hard for them. I'd like to think that Greg gave us an opportunity and almost even a challenge to make the best record we could at this time, and that we worked hard to do that.


The Gauntlet: Describe the process of recording ERASE ALL NAMES AND LIKENESS. Where did you guys record and with who? Any funny recording stories you'd like to share?

Brad Wallace: We recorded the Recorded with Kurt Ballou at his studio God City. I can't think of any specific funny stories right now regarding that session, but I do remember that recording the record was some of the most fun I've ever had. We worked hard for the better part of a year writing the songs so everyday it was very exciting hearing that hard work come to fruition. The whole experience was great and I think Kurt did a great job both in creating a good atmosphere in which to work and in delivering a quality finished product. Whenever it comes time to make a new record I'm sure we'll be looking to return to God City.

The Gauntlet: Which song was the easiest to record? Hardest? One you feel came out the best?

Brad Wallace: I don't recall any of the songs being particularly hard to record, probably because we were pretty well rehearsed. I think James had a hard time with some of the drum tracks occasionally but only because he would work really hard and redo a whole track just to make sure he really nailed a fill or made sure the tempo was absolutely what he wanted. "Sweet William" may have been the easiest since it's so short and I suppose "A sinking ship full of optimist" was a little more difficult due to it's 13 minute length and that we brought in a friend to play upright bass.


The Gauntlet: How has growing up on New Hampshire shaped your music?

Brad Wallace: I grew up in Alabama so it really hasn't affected me at all. Although I was raised to hate and loathe the state of New Hampshire and all that it stands for. This anger underlies all my motivations to make loud and angst-ridden music. Fuck New Hampshire.


The Gauntlet: How does a Transistor Transistor song get written?

Brad Wallace: Usually someone will just show up to practice with a riff or two, or just a single idea. We play around with it a little bit see what's good about it, see what other people are thinking and basically just jam it out until it's a song. Most of the time the majority of the song is just come up with at practice, and is just a reaction to the first idea placed on the table. Nat and I are primarily the ones bringing in the initial ideas, but more or less everyone takes part in the process of creating the song.


The Gauntlet: Who are some of your musical influences? Any we wouldn't be able to pick up on by listening to you?

Brad Wallace: Well, it's probably pretty obvious that we enjoy the guitar stylings of John Reis, but it really doesn't stop there. We all listen to a wide variety of things that influence us whether it be Nirvana, T. Rex, Yes, Emperor or Interpol. Realistically most of the time we are listening to music that has very little to do with the music we are playing. I think people would be surprised at the amount of metal and prog we listen to in the van, considering the music that we play.


The Gauntlet: Where is your favorite place to play and why?

Brad Wallace: All Books Cafe in Summerville, SC used to be a great place to play mostly because the shows were always well run and the crowd would just go absolutely apeshit when we would play. I also really like the R5 Church shows in Philly. This place K4 in Nuremburg Germany we've played twice now and it's absolutely outstanding. Basically anywhere that there is a good sound, an enthusiastic audience and the show is well organized and well run is a great place to play for us.


The Gauntlet: How would you explain your music to someone who never heard you before?

Brad Wallace: I usually just say loud rock music, because if you say any more than that people start to think you sound exactly like some other band or some specific band and I'm not interested in that. It's a really hard question to answer and I generally think that the best answer we can give is that we recorded the music and if you want to know what we sound like, then become an active participant and listen to the songs and decide for yourself.


The Gauntlet: When I'm not in Transistor Transistor, I'm...?

Brad Wallace: When I'm not in Transistor, I'm still in Transistor. We just finished three months of touring yesterday and here I am early on Monday morning doing an interview for the band. We've been really busy lately so there hasn't been time for much else. I used to be a Mental Health Counselor but I quit that to put more time into the band. After all this touring though I'm pretty broke and it's time to find a new job.


The Gauntlet: Do you prefer the studio or a gig and why?

Brad Wallace: Apples and Oranges. Sometimes I think I feel happiest when we complete a new song, and the recording process is something that excites me greatly. Hearing your song on playback in the studio as it's coming together is a great feeling. Equally though, we love playing live and not much can compare to laying down a great set in front of a great audience. I think part of being in a band means having a love for both. Your live show and your recorded material are the main ways you represent yourself so it's really for the best to be passionate about both forums for your music.


The Gauntlet: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

Brad Wallace: Work your ass off. There are like 2 billion bands out there today and most of them suck. Being in a band is really fun, but it's also hard work. After awhile though, it's easy to see that the hard work is really a lot of the fun. It's tough though; some things you can only learn from making mistakes. There are so many fucking bands out there though, that I'd really like to see people working harder to not just start a band that sounds like their favorite band. The best advice is really that you should be patient. Take the time to let your music develop. Instead of playing your first show after eight practices, why not wait till at least a year before you start seriously trying to play out. Most bands improve greatly after the first year of being a band. Taking the time to do something right will always be more impressive. Quality over quantity.


The Gauntlet: What's the best and worst part about touring?

Brad Wallace: The best part of touring is that when things are going well and you play a great show with great people. You rarely feel better than that exact moment, because it's the success of lot of hard work. The worst part about touring is that it still occurs in this country that you can drive ten hours to play a show and find out that the asshole who booked it clearly didn't flyer for the show, only posted it on the internet for a few of his friends, and that the PA is a bass combo amp that is completely inaudible. Then he only gives you twenty bucks for the show even though you spent 90 in gas, and doesn't have place for you to stay. So basically what I'm saying is that there are still some people out there, that are completely incompetent when is comes to setting up a show, and when your 2000 miles from home and in the middle of a six-week tour there is nothing worse than that.


The Gauntlet: Whom would you guys like to tour with that you haven't yet?

Brad Wallace: I'd kill my first born to open up for Hot Snakes, but that's clearly just a beautiful dream. I'd like to tour with Panthers because they're friends of mine that I don't get to see often enough and a great band. We only toured with the Holy Shroud for about a week and I'd really like to tour with them some more. I suppose some other wishlist type bands would be like Converge, Fugazi, and Les Savy Fav.


The Gauntlet: What can we expect from Transistor Transistor for the rest of 2005?

Brad Wallace: Probably just another US tour sometime in the fall, and maybe we'll head up into Canada. Basically we just want people to hear the new record we made because we are really proud of it and touring seems to be the best way to do that.


The Gauntlet: Any final words for the fans?

Brad Wallace: I'd just like to thank everyone who came out to shows on these last two tours and made them positive experiences and anybody who helped out the band. We'll be touring some more so we hope to see you when we come to your town. Check www.transistortransistor.com for updates. Thanks for the interview.





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Tags:  Transistor Transistor  , Brad Wallace, interviews

Mike SOS    September 01, 2005