In Studio with LomoAmigos Movements

Interview by Bree Doldron

The band "Movements" is a California based-band bringing together notes of indie-rock and low-fi. Their interest in old technology is something on the rise not only in the photography world, but now in the music world too. They gave us their insight into why this is, and the band's love affair with the older times.

Hey guys, welcome to Lomography! Tell us a little about Movements, how did you guys meet?

Austin and I (Pat) went to high school together. We had a horrible garage band when we were like 13 and 15, and through that band we met Spencer, who was drumming for another local band at the time. We met Ira many years later through our local music scene as well. He was playing for a different band at the time, and when that band came to an end we asked him to play for Movements.

What were you recording here?

All of these photos were taken during our time at Studio 4 in Conshocken PA, while we were recording our first full length album with a producer named Will Yip.

Do these photos represent your recording process?

Yes they do. We documented at least one thing every single day that we were there. Whether it was working on preproduction, tracking, trying (and usually failing) to be artsy/creative, or just goofing off, there are photos for everything.

I play a few instruments myself. As a drummer, I have to ask, how did your drummer break so many sticks?

He hits really, really hard. Honestly we thought there'd be more broken sticks than there were!

What was the recording process like?

The recording process was awesome, but very fast paced. We had three weeks to record an entire full length record. The first 4-5 days were spent working through all the songs to get them perfect to how we wanted them to sound, then we started with drum tracking, moved on to bass, then guitar, and finally vocals, all over the course of the remaining 2 and a half weeks. It was stressful and it was tiring; We pushed ourselves to the limit when it came to creativity and thinking outside of the box. It's safe to say, though, that it was the most fun we've ever had and the hard work was well worth it to see the final product.

What’s the best story from the studio?

We were in a Lyft coming back from getting groceries and our driver backed into another car at a stoplight cause he thought a bus was going to hit him. Turns out we ran into a blacked out Range Rover. Our driver couldn't talk for a solid thirty seconds, all he could do was breathe heavily and mumble gibberish. It was like a cartoon. Anyway, so he finally gets out and starts screaming at the other driver, the other driver starts screaming back, expletives are exchanged, threats are made, our driver gets back in the car and we drive away. No stop to assess the damage, no exchange of insurance, nothing. The other driver speeds around us, cuts us off out of spite, and continues on his way. It was the strangest experience we've ever had in a Lyft. We still gave the driver a good rating cause he was nice. It read, "We crashed but he was a nice guy. 4 stars."

What old records & tapes influenced you guys? Who did you grow up listening to?

My parents are pretty old, so I grew up listening to a lot of oldies. Mostly 60's era radio hits. A lot of the Beatles, The Mama's and The Papa's, Simon & Garfunkle, Neil Young, etc. I still enjoy listening to oldies to this day. It's given me a huge appreciation for real rock music and full bands, and the talent that these musicians had to have because it was much more difficult to make yourself sound good back then.

In your Worst Wishes music video I noticed you used a cassette player. Is there something about retro media outlets that inspires you guys?

Truthfully, they just look really cool. I've always had a fascination with vintage things - whether it's cameras, cars, clothing/style, etc. It all feels so much more authentic and real, and I think that's what really peaks my interest.

How was having the Lomo’instant wide in the mix?

It's amazing. One of the most fun and versatile cameras we've ever had gotten to shoot with. We used it to its fullest potential, and it did not disappoint!

What aspect of using this camera was the most fun?

Our favorite aspect of this camera is the multiple exposure setting. We took a lot of multiple exposures using different color filters for crazy effects. It makes for such unique and interesting looking photos, and to combine such an awesome feature into an instant camera is next level.

Where can we find your newest music?

The new record Feel Something will be available everywhere (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) Oct 20th via Fearless Records! Check out our newest song Colorblind out now!

Keep up with Movements on their website, Facebook , and Instagram.

You can get the Lomo'Instant Wide in the Lomography Online Shop.

written by katphip on 2017-10-05