Charles Spearin is a founding member of Toronto-based Do Make Say Think, whose studied, exploratory instrumentals came beautifully of age on last year's & Yet & Yet (review here). Next to exclamation-point jugglers God Speed You! Black Emperor they're one of the larger exports of Canadian indie Constellation, and share the label's strong ethic of independent production and creative freedom. Charles also plays in k.c.accidental and works as a producer, notably offering his services to Tamara Williamson on The Arms of Ed, which was subsequently released as a free download on her website.
He also makes dresses.
The interview took place via email in November 2002.
Nathan Lee: First of all, how were your UK live dates received? Did you come across any bands that impressed you over here?
Charles Spearin: The UK shows were great. Fantastic. We love playing there. Except maybe
NM: Several of the reviews I saw picked up on the production and mixing on & Yet & Yet. Do you subscribe to the idea that the studio console is an instrument in its own right, and how great a part did it play in making the album?
CS: If I was to use a metaphor or simile or whatever I’d say the mixing board is more like a conductor’s wand than an instrument in that when you’re at the controls, you feel very powerful and important but when you get right down to it you’re useless without the band. Ohad and I did the engineering on the last two records and we found that we could put just as much creativity into the placement of a microphone as we could into the notes being played. But still, the board doesn’t make music; it just makes it sound good.
NM: Are there elements of dance and electronic music that interest or influence you?
CS: Sure. Not only do each of us own a Slayer record or two but we’ve all got some Amon Tobin and Autechre too. When we first started as a band we’d play in the chill-out room at various raves so that all the little glow-in-the-dark kids could trip out when they ran out of steam. We were a lot more old synthesizer-based back then. I can’t imagine doing that now.
NM: To you, what are the three most important things about being on an independent like Constellation?
CS: Freedom to make all artistic decisions, Trust that we’re not being misrepresented in order to sell more records (we never actually “signed” to Constellation, we just shook hands) and Respect for the integrity of those who represent us. (How’s that for a declaration of independents?)
NM: Do you think artistic support structures like that can ever be a threat to creative growth and flexibility, in the sense that they reduce the pressure on you to make your work matter to a wider (and perhaps more critical) audience?
CS: I can imagine in some cases there could be a kind of musical inbreeding where a bunch of bands under the same umbrella consider themselves to be elite or superior in some way. That kind of thing could easily stop a band from progressing or pushing themselves. I don’t know what it’s like in Montreal (constellation H.Q.), but here in Toronto we’re exposed on all fronts and properly nervous about every move we make. I have many friends who are on major labels and many friends who are into all kinds of pop music, so it’s impossible to smugly sit back and feel that the rest of the world is fucked. On the other hand, it is good to have a community of supportive like-minded artists if just to give you some courage to push you into what you really want to do.
NM: Aside from DMST, k.c.accidental and your work as a producer, what other projects are you involved in?
CS: I volunteer at a local street youth program teaching kids how a recording studio works, I volunteer at a local jail, I used to be a Buddhist monk, I toured the U.S.A. as a sound tech for Franklin the Turtle, I play in a band called Broken Social Scene and I’ve recently started making dresses for my girlfriend. Is that what you mean?
NM: What was the first piece of music you heard this morning, and was it of your choosing?
CS: Good Question. Could be a Vic Chestnut CD my girlfriend put on.
NM: I gather Do Make Say Think grew out of some improvised home recordings. Do improvisational techniques continue to play a part in your composition?
CS: Well, you could say everything is improvised the first time, but lately we just call it ‘fishing’. Nobody ever comes in with arrangements and charts, in fact nobody really tells anyone else what to do. Someone will just throw in a spark and see if it catches fire. Or somebody throws a line in the water to see if it catches anyone’s attention, whatever.
NM: Recording methods: digital or analogue?
CS: Not fussy. Sometimes analogue can sound clinical and, if you know how, you can make digital sound warm. Personally I prefer linear recording to non-linear, what I mean is I don’t like looking at a computer screen and listening to a song five seconds at a time. Tape is better in that you can’t get too caught up in details, you’re forced to use your ears and look at the bigger picture.
NM: Do you use any ‘non-musical’ sound sources?
CS: Like a vacuum cleaner? Yup.
NM: Regarding the Tamara Williamson record, were you on board the project before her distribution deal fell through? What’s your stance on file-sharing culture, and do you think the decision to make The Arms of Ed available for download has helped or hindered it in terms of publicity and reception?
CS: I didn’t know she ever had a distribution deal. My involvement was strictly studio-oriented. I heard that she put the whole record available for download on her website and thought that it was a good idea but then again I’ve never been a real businessman. As far as file sharing is concerned, I have no qualms about it at all. I used to make mixed tapes for girls in high school and I see this as the same thing. Listening to music makes you feel good; sharing it with others makes you feel better.
NM: Is what you do political, and in what sense?
CS: The only politics I feel involved with is a very immediate kind of politics. The politics of taking responsibility for my own situation and treating others as though they were myself. I would be political if I stumbled into a political situation, but I have no interest in seeking out flaws in the world in order to impose my own ideals.
NM: Do literature or visual arts have an influence on what you produce musically? How great a part do they play, if any, in the cultural communities you belong to?
CS: Any medium that can bring across a fresh idea is going to be an influence in who you are and how you live. However, I can’t say that, as a band, we’re very influenced by literature or film in a direct way. We don’t try to relate images to sound and we don’t do musical interpretations of classic novels. At least not like Rush.
NM: Where’s the best record shop in the world?
CS: Soundscapes at College and Manning. Maybe it’s not the best, but it’s home.
NM: Finally, what are you up to in the coming year?
CS: Not much, what’d you have in mind?
www.cstrecords.com/html/domake.html / www.noisefactoryrecords.com/k.c.htm / www.tamarawilliamson.com
Nathan Midgley
Nathanmidgley@hotmail.com
This interview was first published on www.the-echo.com
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