Exclusive Interview With ...music video?

Thanks, guys.

Tucson band ...music video? embarked on an extensive tour of the United States this week. Fans in markets including Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Nashville and Austin will hear material from their wonderfully winning album Now That My TV Has Wings I'll Never Be Lonely. It and Fireproof Your TV are available at iTunes. The nation's interstates and cheap motels may prove taxing, but they might be less grueling than enduring my silly questions.

There Stands The Glass (TSTG): Did you deliberately set out to find the most difficult, least Google-friendly band name possible?

Wes McCanse of ...music video? (MV): Yes, that was our goal since day one. But joking aside, no.

TSTG: Your music is very emotional. That's something that I don't always associate with electronic-oriented music. Am I listening to the wrong stuff or do you feel that your approach is unique?

MV: We've always felt we were a pop band that happens to be electronic and not the other way around. We think it's important for the listener and
ourselves to have a good song to listen to first and foremost.

TSTG: I love the lyrics to "The Little Boy On Fire"? Is it (dare I ask) autobiographical? Is there an overriding philosophy behind your rather unusual lyrics?

MV: No it wasn't autobiographical per se, but I didn't particularly enjoy practicing the piano as a kid. As far as a lyrical philosophy, I do try to blend fiction and non-fiction in my writing without making it too obvious.

TSTG: Does your music sound like it does because of- or in spite of- your base in Tucson, Arizona?

MV: I think Tucson has a very diverse music scene. We don't all sound like
Calexico or Giant Sand down here. I think our music is a byproduct of the
the music that we listen to. However, the music fans in Tucson have
definitely embraced our sound.

TSTG: Which is a bigger influence- Brian Eno or the Flaming Lips?

MV: Paul: The Flaming Lips. Wes: The Flaming Lips. Justin: Brian Eno.

TSTG: Should fans in Kansas City expect to see three dudes hiding behind laptops? What's your show like?

MV: Definitely not, we'll all be playing instruments. We don't rely on laptops
to make music, we do make our music using laptops though. Chicken vs. egg, right? We play traditional instruments like guitar, but we also play synths, samplers, and a slew of other gadgets that tend to intrigue the audience.


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I had no idea what I'd been missing. I love Speech Debelle. Thanks, Mercury Prize!

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The BBC's tender portrait of Dave Brubeck is charming.

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Bones! (Found via Lawrence.com.)

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I remain completely smitten with We Were Promised Jetpacks, perhaps because I experience them as equal parts Arctic Monkeys and Mogwai.

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Kansas City Click: ...music video? is joined by Tut Tut and Thee Water Moccasins Thursday at the Record Bar.

(Image by Joe Odea.)