Interview: This Patch Of Sky
This Patch of Sky don’t require introductions. They’ve been around for a while and are one of the most respected bands in the Post Rock spectrum. They don’t like to play it by the book and this time around they pushed their boundaries and released one of the best instrumental albums of 2017. We had a chance to ask Kit Day, guitarist of the band, about the new album, the past, the present and the future.
(((o))): With every record, This Patch of Sky takes massive leaps forward. These Small Spaces is no exception. How did the band approach the writing and recording process this time around?
With These Small Spaces we purposefully took our time with the entire writing process. We wanted to do / write something different and set out to create something that sounded unique and different in the post-rock genre. After having all of the song ideas written, we spent roughly 6 months doing pre-production for each song to really have every little detail nailed down. It was a huge learning process for us since we had never done this type of thing before, but in the end it was by far the best decision we had ever made in regards to song writing.
(((o))): Is there a specific theme for the album? If so, which one? What inspired this record?
The theme that we wanted to portray in this album was ultimately a balance between power and beauty, and inspiration behind much of the album was the beauty in nature. Our song titles and album artwork portray this in some fashion, and especially living in Oregon we are surrounded by this world’s natural beauty.
(((o))): Do you feel it’s harder to pass on a “message” or “theme” given you are an instrumental band?
One of the things we love about instrumental music is that anyone can listen to one of our songs and develop their own meaning to it. We never try to force a specific meaning for each song, instead we hope the listener can interpret their own meaning and visualization.
(((o))): What inspires you to come up with song titles?
Generally art or nature.
(((o))): What do you think about the term Post Rock? And do you think you fit in that genre? How would you describe yourselves at this point?A Dead Forest Index,
This is a loaded question! I do find it funny when instrumental bands say they hate the term “post-rock” because it puts them in a label. We embrace the term post-rock, but also don’t limit ourselves to it. We have also been called Cinematic Rock, Atmospheric Rock, or Ambient Rock. In the end we just make music we love and hope others will enjoy it as well, it doesn’t matter what genre we’re included in.
(((o))): What’s your take on physical music (vinyl, CD, cassette, etc)? Does it inspire you to write better music and add more things to the “whole package” (eg. Art, etc)?
We love physical mediums, especially vinyl. Holding a physical medium piece in your hands makes you feel warm on the inside, especially in a prominent digital world. I wouldn’t say that printing physical music inspires us to write better music, however as a band that is drawn to art we try not to print anything that we ourselves wouldn’t buy.
(((o))): I’m curious. How did the band meet and start playing music together?
The original members of TPOS played together in a previous band that was more of a alternative / indie style. As a few members left, we found Joshua Carlton (guitar) and Alex Abrams (cello) through Craigslist. Its been a wild ride so far!
(((o))): Can you let us know about a funny/embarrassing episode from the band on tour or in studio?
Let’s just say we’ve nicknamed our tour vehicle “Durango Diarrhea” for a reason.
(((o))): (I know this is a hard one) What is your favorite release from the band? Why?
Since These Small Spaces just came out I’m going to exclude that one because it’s obviously our favorite release to date! This will be a tie between S/T and Newly Risen. Both of these albums, in my opinion, showcase us exploring new territories in the band and helped define who we are. If I *had* to choose between those two, I’d have to go with S/T.
(((o))): Which bands inspired you to start one yourself?
This Will Destroy You is the band that ultimately inspired us to start a post-rock band, as well as Sleep Design. These two were my introduction to post-rock and motivated me to start an instrumental project.
(((o))): What can we expect from This Patch of Sky in the future?
At the moment we’re already writing new songs and trying to up our touring game. We’ll see what happens in 2018, but we definitely plan to not slow down any time soon.
(((o))): What do you think of fry sauce and Mediterranean food? (this question is for Sean King)
IT CAN ALL BURN IN HELL
