The TV Sound is a rarity in the Twin Cities' indie rock and alt-country landscape. Steven Hutton (piano/keys/vocals), Max Mileski (bass/synth), Brandon Dalida (guitar) and Josh Lemoine (drums) are the pop/new wave band with all the sugary hooks of the '80s missing since that time.
These snazzily dressed popsters recently sat down and talked with Rift.
Rift: When and how did The TV Sound form?
Max Mileski: In 1997 I posted an ad in City Pages that read "Lebon?" Steve and I first met in the middle of summer at Jitters, back when it was still on Nicollet Avenue. I was clad in plastic pants and some odd electronica-era shirt trying to be all mid-90s glam/post rave or some catastrophe. He walked in with baggy orange jeans, big curly hair verging on a 'fro, a goatee and big rose colored glasses. I'll be honest, he made a head-turning impression.
At the time when bands like Oasis, Liz Phair, Live, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots and White Zombie were all the rage, he was hardly following, ahem, 'suit.' He started talking and he just knocked me over with his exuberance and punk attitude, talking about a set ethos, do-it-yourself, the calamity of over budget major label sludge that grunge, Brit pop and indie were hiding in.
In the '90s, his perspective was unique and I was intrigued. We could talk freely about the influences without chuckling about them. We already knew we had common ground with Duran Duran, the Thompson Twins, Howard Jones, New Order, on and on, but I also remember talking about what was great about George Michael. We agreed "Faith" and "Listen Without Prejudice" were great, great records – important to both of us in our early years of learning the songwriting craft. He felt indie and punk bands had the right impetus, but hide behind lo-fi because they can't do what the slick pop acts do even if they tried. And the big artists with the chops are drowning themselves in fiscal gluttony and gross indulgence.
Rift: How'd you come up with the band name?
MM: We took the name from a lyric in Duran Duran's "Planet Earth." At this time it would almost be as stylistically brash as a name like the Dead Kennedys. Well, okay, not quite, but you get the idea. Duran Duran was the best, most ubiquitous example of all the new romantic bands Steve and I loved growing up.
Rift: Who are your musical influences?
MM: Duran Duran, Prince, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tears For Fears, probably Sting and the Police, the Thompson Twins, the Cure, Love and Rockets, XTC ... I loved all these bands growing up.
Brandon Dalida: Duran Duran, of course, Prince, the Clash – and the dream of seeing the '80s pop scene that once lived here in Minneapolis be reborn.
Josh Lemoine: When I learned to play the drums, I'd play along to AC/DC tapes because it was so easy, but I wouldn't call them an influence. More than anything, local bands I've seen perform have influenced me. Years ago it was groups like Casino Royale and more recently, it's bands like 12 Rods, Love-Cars and Halloween, Alaska.
Rift: What local bands do you listen to?
MM: Low.
BD: Dance Band, White Light Riot, Dead Beat and my favorite, Mercurial Rage, my other band. Can I say that?
JL: This new movement of younger bands such as White Light Riot and This World Fair is really exciting. The Alarmists' new EP has been in heavy rotation in my car stereo. Solid Gold is cool and I recently saw Big Trouble and they blew me away.
Rift: You just released your first self-titled full-length album. What are your plans for touring and future albums?
JL: Doing some shows in Chicago I would say is likely, but aside from that, it's totally based on demand. Building an audience by touring relentlessly isn't an option for us, although it's something I very much respect. If there were a Spin article on us next month, we may want to tour. If another album happened in the near future, it'd be very different from the one we just released; it'd be a creation based on digital collaboration because of our physical proximity (Hutton is in Chicago and Mileski is in Duluth). But everyone in the group has experience with digital composition and computer-based recording. So who knows?
BD: Another album? Ask me that again in six months to a year. No real clear vision on touring yet. Damn corporate job and financial responsibilities!
MM: If folks want to hear more from The TV Sound, we'd love to make another record, but we'll see what people think of this one. Regardless, we are proud because we stuck to our guns, and recorded and produced an album the four of us all enjoy. In many ways the initial vision remained true; even as The TV Sound grew, we stayed the course and that's more than a lot of bands can say.
www.thetvsound.com
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