Norfolk and Western are not only one of the better bands from Oregon, they are one of the better bands from the US. Their unique brand of catchy folk rock has earned them a strong cult following. Yet their latest album The Unsung Colony, with songs as good as “The Longest Stare” and "The New Rise of Labor" proves this is a band with more than just potential, this is a band which has every chance of being as big as state peers The Decemberists or The Shins.
HOLV: Hello Adam how are you?
AS: Pretty alright thank you.
HOLV: Folk rock has had a bit of a make over in recent years, thanks to bands like Norfolk and Western. What do you think that the increasing success and exposure of indie/folk bands is down to?
AS: Honestly, I'm not really sure. I don't feel like we've been particularly successful and those who have, perhaps people are finding that folk music is an escape from the technology that pervades our society. People on computers and cell phones and in cars all day long. Folk music by nature has an organic sentiment and perhaps it is a reprieve from everyday life. But really, folk rock, it seems, has enjoyed a steady amount of interest since the 60's, hasn't it?
HOLV: You are part of an ever increasingly impressive clutch of bands either from Oregon or based there. Do you think that in time people will refer to the Oregon scene in the same way they refer to say . . . 80's Manchester and early 90's Seattle?
AS: I have no idea. A lot of the bands that live here now have moved here since their "success", and it’s not like all the big name bands play local shows all the time. Most just play in Portland as part of a tour, so it’s not really different than playing anywhere else. They all just happen to have similar zip codes. And I don't think there is a "Portland" sound, so I guess after thinking about it, no, I don't think people will refer to a Portland scene. There's no name for it- like how the media called the Seattle sound "grunge." But it’s true that most of the bands that were making a splash in the early 90's in Seattle had a similar aesthetic- that dark rock sound.
HOLV: The band makes use of a great range of instruments, and it looks like you keep Peter Broderick pretty busy! How do you figure out what instruments go where when constructing a song, do you leave lyrics till last?
AS: Lyrics are almost always completed before recording begins. Usually we add lots of instruments, then start taking sounds away until it feels right. Kind of like sculpting. It starts as a block of sounds and then we start pull out the hammer and chisel and try to make something out of it. You never know when two things might sound good together that may not necessarily sound good on their own.
HOLV: I read the 'translated' review from Brazil on your myspace, fantastic stuff! Where is the oddest foreign place you have gigged?
AS: Well, about 3 years ago I did a solo tour mostly in Germany opening for a Christian Rock band. I flew into Paris, they picked me up, drove me to Germany, we immediately rehearsed for a few hours (no sleep) then got in a car and drove to this venue is Eastern Germany that was an old Communist school building. It was very drab- all concrete and just a big box. And all the people there were younger kids with their parents. And as I was playing, I kept thinking to myself that all these parents have lived most of their lives under Communist rule, and now their kids see life so differently under this Capitalist system that is such a challenge for the whole of Germany to come to grips with.
That part of Germany seemed like it was in such transition, even though the wall was torn down almost 20 years ago. But these were all Christians, see, so that added another element to the strangeness. Were they Christians before the wall came down? If so, did they hide it? I felt like such a privileged, ungrateful American over there sometimes. Anyways, I played the show, and afterward there were these kids outside drinking beer and I was standing outside and they were saying "Ami go home!" and laughing with their friends. I was so tired and bewildered and confused as to where I was and why I was there. It didn't feel like the type of venue I should be playing- people weren't really interested in what I was doing. They were young kids wanting to hear the rock, and who can blame them! Sorry for the rambling answer.
HOLV: Have you ever been to Norfolk in the UK?!
AS: No, I don't think so. Maybe I have driven through it, I'm not sure.
HOLV: Ok, lastly what would you say to our readers who perhaps haven't bought any of your records?
AS: Well, we don't have a UK label, so I'm sure it’s not easy to get our records over there*. But feel free to get them any way possible, either illegally or legally. Because the more people that hear it, the better chance we'll have of possibly getting a label and perhaps even coming over to tour sometime. That would be nice.
* Luckily for our UK readers you can actually grab Norfolk and Western CD’s on amazon.co.uk very easily. Isn’t the internet wonderful!
