Jimmy Hall

Tall Firs “Hairdo”

The Tall Firs come from Brooklyn and may have physically absorbed tiny particles of Sonic Youth and Silver Apples after long periods of prolonged contact. They speak now to Jennifer Brandon.

What was it like for you and Dave to learn guitar over the phone?
Aaron Mullan (guitar): I had taken some lessons, but we didn’t learn how to play like how most people learn how to play where you learn ‘House of the Rising Sun’ and then a couple of other songs. It kind of just became what our weird version of the guitar was and more about the actual, physical part of the instrument. We kind of developed our own language versus ever even knowing anybody else’s language was and trying to expand on that.
So you guys were totally experimental! Did you listen to records and try and interpret them instead of duplicating them?
Yeah, it just became like we would try and learn a song part and it was always turn out kind of wrong. We could never quite totally figure out those Sex Pistols songs. I mean we could now! The first thing was to learn our own language and secondarily we kind of learned to speak the general language of punk rock music.
I think the new album Too Old To Die Young sounds like you time traveled back to 1991 in a Delorean full of whiskey and asked Thurston Moore to produce your songs. What was it like to record in Sonic Youth’s studio?
I work for them and run their studio so it was like being at work. It was just very normal because it’s all I know. It’s funny because people hear a very indie rock thing with us and I guess I can’t deny it. But I never even heard Pavement until like two years ago. It’s not like we sit around listening to ’90s indie rock all the time. Or that we were even listening to it at that time. Maybe it’s just the fact that we don’t really have electronics in the band. Or we’re not obviously post-punk influenced or Springsteen influenced.
Well, it seems like a certain sound is just ingrained in you guys. It’s not so much a specific influence as it is an undefinable time and a place. How did you start working for Sonic Youth?
I met Thurston just when he was moving to western Massachusetts and I was moving out of there and our paths kind of crossed. So I was up there a little bit and I was working at this club Tonic in New York. All the members of Sonic Youth would come through Tonic and do their solo stuff. I moved to New York with my friend (drummer Chris Corsano) and he was working at Tonic and he hired me as the first sound guy there. My wife was working some for Steve Shelly at his record label, Smells Like Records, and then the idea came up that they needed someone at the studio and I remember being at home for Christmas in 1999 and thinking, ‘I would like to work for Sonic Youth at their studio.’ So I called up Steve and he was into it. And the next thing I know, there I was in the studio. And then it turned into me touring with them. I’ve done their live sound since 2002. I think I’ve seen them play 400 times.
See, their sound is literally ingrained in you whether you like it or not.
Yeah, exactly…
What is the skuzz rock scene you guys came out of in Baltimore like?
It’s sort of like a Royal Trux-y sort of thing. When I was living in Massachusetts and then I’d moved to New York, Dave was playing around Baltimore and Annapolis. Dave was still living in Maryland and playing in bands. Dave’s bandmates were actually Monica (diGialleonardo) who was the bass player for Moss Icon and Colin (Seven) the singer from Universal Order of Armageddon, which were two of the big Annapolis bands, like early emo. They were playing and Jon Spencer, Boss Hogg and Royal Trux…that side of the ’90s.
I see you are playing some shows with the Silver Apples. How did that come about?
I also go to the All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals as a floating sound guy. I did sound for Silver Apples over there and hung out a bunch with Simeon. Turns out there’s weird stuff like he also grew up in Annapolis. We know a lot of the same musicians and stuff. But also, we’re just like vultures and look at the upcoming lists of shows. We find a show and then we just call up the venue and ask them if we can play on the show.
Do you and Dave write the songs together?
Well for the most part, one of us will have three parts or something. Or other times we’ll rehearse just guitar sections. And then we’ll start to work out the vocal melody and then intertwine them. And because we’re not really trained musicians, you know, we’re kind of a bit slower. So we do our sectional work and then present it to Ryan. Any drummer can tell you that they tend to sit around a lot at rehearsals while the other people work out how to play in key. Well at least in any band I’ve been in because I can’t really play the guitar. But we’re trying! So we bring it to Ryan and then we really figure out, do that part that many times and then that part that many times. Ryan can hear the arrangement where we just have it as a series of parts. Then collectively we arrange it. Dave tends to write lyrics and they are done. I tend to have the lyrics 80% done and then I’ll go to Dave and say, ‘I have this whole set of lyrics. Just tell me what are the cringe lines in here.’ And then he’ll pick out the three or four lines that make him cringe. Then I’ll come up with some alternatives.
That’s good you have a partner you can trust.
Yeah, Dave has a really good ear. In the studio, I record the instruments, cuz that my regular job, I’m an audio engineer. Dave is really good at the vocal production side. I’ll basically sing each song through six times or whatever and then Dave goes through and finds the best lines. Then he does a composite. He does that for his own vocals too which is kind of rare. A lot of people can’t do that.
Yeah, that’s a really tedious, labor intensive process. So basically you guys self-produced your record?
Yeah and we had our friend Tim Glasgow who is a really amazing engineer from London, Ontario. He recorded some of the basic tracks and then he mixed the whole record. He has a slightly more modern sensibility. I hardly even listen to any records made since 1975. To me, that’s what music sounds like. Tim listens to current records and stuff, so it was good to meet halfway. Out idea was to make a classic album. An album that you couldn’t tell what year it was made. I think we got closer to that goal by having people with multiple perspectives.
I think you definitely made a classic sounding record. It sounds very masculine, too, which is nice to hear. A lot of stuff can be so wimpy these days.
All of us are very much into making music that girls like. I think it’s strong to do that. It’s a bummer when you go to a show and there are no girls there. It’s just all dudes and you’re like, ‘What?’ Yeah, I just prefer music that girls like too.

TALL FIRS’ TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG IS OUT NOW ON ECSTATIC PEACE. VISIT TALL FIRS AT TALLFIRS.ORG.