Featured Artist Interview: The Transmissions

By Travis Woods

Space rock, prog rock, psychedelia—whichever combination you choose, the formats those words describe all essentially refer to the same type of music: a nebulous genre that weaves dense tapestries of effects-pedaled guitar lines though even denser song structures until the entire self-indulgent sprawl interlaces into a massive, intractable Gordian Knot of decadent, M.C. Escher-with-a-Marshall-stack bluster.

The Transmissions succumb to none of those things–they have taken elements of those dangerously imperfect styles (along with swaths of postpunk and new wave) and Rubik’s cubed them into something else entirely. Theirs is the sound of the Knot coming undone–stungunned guitars coalescing around frontman Christian Biel’s howled vocals, lunar drifts of near-ambient beauty colliding with the whirpools of a churning rhythm section.

Having just released the excellent Greater Imperfections EP earlier this year, and with a stellar lineup of Death to Anders, Radars to the Sky, and the Monolators on Monday, September 15, Transmissions vocalist/guitarist Biel spoke recently with Web in Front about the new EP, recording with Dave Newton, and the merits of the word ‘feral.’

The Interview


Web In Front: Thanks for doing this today… How’s it going? What’s new with the band?

Christian Biel: My pleasure. All is well here. Been busy handing off our new EP to everyone we run into lately. We have also been writing a lot of new songs as well, which I’m always happy to be doing. It’s always when I’m most excited about a song, when it’s just starting to come together, but has barely been played live.

WiF: I’m really looking forward to the show on Monday—a lineup with the Transmissions, Death to Anders, Radars to the Sky, and the Monolators…that’s a pretty damn sonically cohesive lineup.

Christian: I agree about the line-up. For me it’s a combination of liking the way all that music fits together, combined with having a lot of affection for all those band members in each of those bands.

WiF: I really love the grouping of the Transmissions and Radars, as I feel that—especially in their more intricately arranged moments, like “Big Bang” or “You Take it to Heart”—that both bands to some degree occupy a stylistic vacuum not explored by a lot of other groups in town. Do you agree? Especially on the new EP, it sounds as if you’ve captured something really unique and moving…

Christian: Thank you for the kind words about the EP. I’m really grateful that our music connects with you. Part of the process of creating/ playing music is certainly self absorbed, but feeling like you are actually communicating with someone else… that’s quite important to me.

And I definitely agree about a specific similarity between Radars and us. Of that residency group, Radars was the last I got to know, and it was through Rob of Death to Anders (he’s so great at finding great bands and telling all his friends about them). I’m really glad I got to know Radars. They let themselves loose in their songs in a specific way I really relate to. It’s way less about being calculated or formulaic and way more idiosyncratic and cathartic. Seamus and Andrew are both great guitarists, and I also love Andrew’s lyrics. And his voice. Lyrics are a tough one for me. It can ruin my love of a band, no matter how great the music is.

WiF: Before we move backwards into band history, previous releases, and the band’s tax forms, etc., I want to talk about Greater Imperfections. That is one of my favorite records of the year, and “Safe” is one of my favorite songs of ’08. How’d the EP come together?

Christian: Thanks, Travis! I am very happy about the EP. I loved working with Dave Newton, who is a fantastic engineer and a great guy to hang out with! His wife Becky is a wonderful person, too. His studio is at his place, so we got to hang out with her too. I had heard of Dave through Henry Clay People, Death to Anders and The Happy Hollows. He recorded each of them and their tracks sounded great. They also had nothing but great stuff to say about working with him.

WiF: I think Newton was a smart choice—he’s got quite the monopoly on L.A. bands these days, for good reason. What’s the recording process like with him?

Christian: This was our first record in a while, working with an engineer outside the band. We have made 5 releases so far, the 1st, 3rd and 4th being done on our own. The 2nd (Over Wires) was recorded by J.D. Andrew. We kind of did that one in his spare time while he was at the Record Plant, and so it got pieced together over 6 months. He is also a fantastic engineer and a very cool guy. He plays with the The Boxmasters now. That’s Billy Bob Thorton’s band.

Anyway, working on Greater Imperfections with Dave was such a pleasure after doing our last two albums on our own. I’m just not savvy enough with the home musical equipment to really know what I’m doing, so every album we make takes forever to mix!

WiF: There’s a lot of kinetic layering of sound in the band’s music, everything seems very tightly, complexly arranged. Watching you put that sound together live is pretty stunning, but how did you do it for the record? Was it recorded ‘live,’ or was it all intricately jigsawed together?

Christian: We did track it live for the most part. The only exception was adding keyboard parts after the fact. I did do overdubs for my vocals and guitars just so we could re-mic the setup, and Corey did a pass or two again for his bass, but we weren’t really layering in new stuff. It’s basically how we play it live, just recorded better. I also play through a setup of two amps and a split in my guitar effects chain. So each amp has different effects on it and that kind of makes it sound like two guitars. Poor man’s version of a quartet.

Listen to “Safe”

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WiF: Something I wrote about in the G.I. review was that music like yours, with its more experimental elements, could so easily go off a cliff of self-indulgence. The Transmissions never seem to do so, to get into that really maximalist or masturbatory realm…everything has a point—do you ever feel the need to ‘reign it in,’ or to be careful? Or do you just go where you want, regardless?

Christian: I think that is so central to music that matters to me. Whether it be considered self indulgence or losing yourself in the music, I prefer the musical experience of something with abandon versus carefully planned presentation to convince the audience of something you are not even really feeling. Not that everything needs to be high drama emotional catharsis. Different songs hit different emotions, and some of them are quiet, short, or understated.

WiF: One thing that struck me about the record was the fact that not only had the musicianship naturally evolved and progressed, with the band’s interplay locking in with an almost laser precision, but also that, lyrically and emotionally, it feels like the most dynamic thing you’ve done. There’s a palpable sense of… I’m sure desperation is the right word…urgency and intensity, perhaps? The vocals are nearly feral at some points. Was there anything specific which fueled that added edge?

Christian: Feral is a great word! It’s fun to say. It flows so well for something that is suppose to mean wild. Anyway, a lot of the urgency and intensity just come from the way I live my life. I am quite a hyper, excited person.

WiF: “Safe,” for instance, is an incredibly moving song and performance, maybe the most powerful on the record (though “Under Mountains, City Mountains” scores a lot of points in that department as well).

Christian: Those are definitely the two that are most personal to me. The other three songs are a bit more observations/feelings about a situation or some sort pep talk I’m giving myself. “Safe” and “Under Mountains” are both from aspects of my life where I felt very lost. That’s the part of “abandon” in music I really treasure. As lost as I feel, playing music like that and letting everything go makes me feel good, or at least not so lost.

WiF: Another great feature of the EP—Christine Hale’s artwork. How’d that happen?

Christian: She is such a beautiful person! She is so full of creativity and ideas. It’s inspiring. I first got to know her art through the stuff she does for Joe Fielder’s Let’s Independent! shows. She makes really cool posters for each month’s lineup. And then I checked out her website of art. There is definitely a lightness, playfulness, creative sense of humor in her art that I loved. Our music can be pretty chaotic, passionate, and angular. I thought the two would go together in a way that would re-contextualize both a little. I hope that doesn’t sound too pretentious. I really like thinking of things in term of context. It can change so much!

WiF: As a finished package, how do you feel about Imperfections?

Christian: Great and eager to move on to the next album. Want to do another full-length soon.

WiF: Let’s go back—the creation of the Transmissions. I’ve talked to some bands who’ve said that from Day One of their formation, their ‘sound’ was a conscious aesthetic decision, that they knew exactly what they wanted to sound like. Others have told me they had no idea, and that their style simply evolved over time out of constant, consistent jamming. What category does the Transmissions fall in?

Christian: Tough to answer succinctly. Then again, everything is tough for me to answer succinctly…The band has changed lineups several times over. Every different combination of people has profoundly affected the sound of the music. Everyone writes their own parts so each period of the band really reflects it’s members. We all discuss and suggest things to each other, but eventually each band member finds a part that is their own. I would say our formation and the evolution has been predominately organic, but there is always our conscious influences that we press in to the mix.

WiF: As I’ve said, yours is a rather intricate sound—how long did it take to develop? And is it where you want it to be?

Christian: That is probably one of my greatest frustrations and it centers around the ability to play music without working a day job. I have a pretty decent day job, that I enjoy, because it’s around animals. I work at a pet supply store. I love animals and I get to see dogs all day long who drag their owners into the store so they can get a treat. It’s pretty fun. But it doesn’t pay very much and rehearsing/playing/recording music costs quite a lot. I’m not so great at the business side of things. Not so inclined to sell stuff to people and I feel like that’s quite an important aspect of the business side of music. This really does all relate to your question about our sound, I promise!

The way I like to work creatively is that each song is a unique, personal expression based on an idea or point of inspiration. Those greatly vary for me, and so I feel our “sound” jumps all over

the place to fit the concept of the song. I’m a fan of a “sound” that is diverse, but in terms of having your music gain momentum so that you can live off it, it seems that the common denominator in success is a “consistent sound.” I mean, maybe we have it and I’m just unaware of it because I’m inside it. Regardless, that’s my love/hate relationship with our sound. I love that it can be different for each song, but hate that it seems to make it so difficult to pick steam enough to be a working band.

Listen to “Over Saving Mountain”

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WiF: What’s the average process for writing a Transmissions song?

Christian: 80% of the time, I bring in a loose version of a song that morphs into a song that the whole band has an influence on how it gets shaped. The other 20% of the time a song starts as an improv and then we all form it together and I write vocals/melody as we go.

WiF: Four years after Over Wires, how do you look back on it?

Christian: Very fondly. Josh Solberg was the bass player with us for that album and the one following it. He’s a fantastic bass player. He plays with Die Rockers Die now and he recorded One Trick Pony’s newest album. Josh is a great friend and real influence on my musical evolution.

WiF: 2006’s six-song Burning the Winner EP included three live tracks. What do you find more definitive—studio recordings or your live performances? Which are the most difficult?

Christian: I really like both. Still don’t feel we have made a true studio album. That has nothing to do with the engineers we have worked with. It’s more about a process of working. Everything we have ever written has been written to be played live first, then we try to capture it as a recording later. The luxury to write and arrange in the studio is one we have not found yet, but I hope to soon. It’s not that we can’t do that on our own, with lo-fi equipment, but the quality of sounds I would like to hear on a real studio album, I don’t feel capable of engineering on my own at this point.

WiF: What’s happening with the group right now, lineup-wise?

Christian: Currently we are Corey Lyons on bass and synth. Jeff Kazanjian on drums. And myself on guitars, synth and vocals.

WiF: Who are you listening to, both locally and in general?

Christian: Locally: There are so many local bands I follow, that I really love. I’ll never name them all. Like the lineup Monday. Radars to the Sky and The Monolators , I’m a big fan of each. Some of those that have had the biggest long term influence on me have been those that I have also seen the most over the past 3-4 years: One Trick Pony, Death to Anders, Happy Hollows, Die Rockers Die and Henry Clay People. Those 5 bands have had such a big influence on me musically.

There is also the local-gone-national bands: Film School, Autolux, and Silversun Pickups. I’ve been really inspired by each of those bands. Haven’t met the folks in Autolux, but Greg from Film School and Brian from Silversun Pickups are two of the nicest guys ever! Seriously. So supportive of our music, which means a lot to me cause I have a lot of admiration for what they do in their bands. If you haven’t checked out Film School’s 2008 LP, Hideout, do so immediately. It is one of my favorites of the year.

On a national level, the most recent passions have been: The Dodos, TV on the Radio, The Frames, Deerhunter, Grizzly Bear, etc……..

WiF: Are there any particular artists or groups that you look to for inspiration either artistically, or in, say, business-model ways (surviving without major label dependency, etc)?

Christian: Well the artistic influences are paramount. I can’t seem to get my mind around the business side of things, and every example of band success that I know always seems so idiosyncratic to that group anyway…

Always inspired by: Talking Heads, Modest Mouse, Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Blonde Redhead, Tears for Fears, Tindersticks, and The Cure.

WiF: What are the future plans for the band in general? What’s next?

Christian: To continue to write music that we are into, record it, and share it. We made one music video on our own already. We are working on two new videos now. Hopefully we can share those before the end of the year. Also working on a side project with Randy from One Trick Pony. We’ve written some stuff but spend most of our time trying to come up with a band name, so it may just be us up on stage yelling terrible band names out!

Rare Tracks

The Transmissions were generous enough to lend Web in Front a live version of the guitar-scraped and slowburning arterial pulse of “Get the Mood.” Listen. Then listen again. And again. And enjoy.

September 15, 2008 | Filed Under Exclusive Features, Featured Artist Interviews 

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