SFTS: Innaway

It takes more than luck to get noticed. Being in a band is like being single and trying to get notice through the hundreds of profiles. That could not be more true than for bands in Southern California. Yet, according to Innaway keyboardist Reid Black, all it took was fundamentals.

"Our approach is to play the best music we can. That way might not get us noticed as fast as we like but it is an honest approach and when people do notice, they notice for the right reasons. Silly stage antics and ironic posturing are not our thing."

Beginning in November, Innaway head out on the road with the legendary Echo & The Bunnymen. Before taking off, TGB had a chance to exchange pleasantries with Reid Black.

Tell me how this tour with Echo & The Bunnymen came about.

The tour came about through our booking agent. Unless the headliner hand picks the opening act, a booking agent will have to submit a band for a tour. So we were submitted and Echo & the Bunnymen's management thought we could bring something different to the tour.

Is it ever intimidating opening for such a high profile act?

For me, it can be a little intimidating at first. We just finished a tour with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, which was great by the way, and by the end of that tour our playing had stepped up a couple notches in part to playing with them and playing to crowds that were bigger than we were used to at home. With the Bunnymen tour, I hope the same will happen. This is an even higher profile tour than before, so hopefully we can learn a thing or two from them and rise to the challenge. I guess it's kind of like playing tennis or something with someone who is a lot better than you. At first it is intimidating but after a while you learn more and get better by playing with someone who is above your skill level.

Two acts consistently mentioned when reading about Innaway are Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. What emotions did you experience seeing Roger Waters perform with Pink Floyd at the recent Live 8 concert?

I'm usually not one for reunions but I thought they sounded great that night and it was good to see him playing with the rest of Pink Floyd again after so many years of acrimony. I didn't know what to expect from them at all but I for sure wasn't disappointed by their set. However, Waters and Gilmour never once looked at each other onstage. It was kind of like they were in two different worlds and could put their bitterness aside for one night only.

It must take an incredible amount of self-confidence to self-produce a DEBUT. Where does that confidence come from?

I guess that confidence comes from all of us knowing what we like and being able to think things through using all of our ears as well as two members of the band being well versed in studio engineering. I think a downside to that approach was that we would take a long time and sit on ideas too long when an outside producer would have already gotten over that hump.

I found myself experiencing a gamut of thoughts and emotions as I listened to several tracks. What exactly do you want a listener to experience from your album? from your concert?

We tried to fit the songs together to create a musical flow that invites the listener to play the entire album. I know it's cliched but we want the listener to experience the changes and dynamics of the album in whatever setting is most comfortable to them. It sounds good during a late night drive.

As for the live show, the experience should be the album experience plus a little more. There's more energy in the live show since the songs are more raw and since we change the songs around a little here and there and jam out some parts. It's a bit more unpredictable.

What is most important to you: playing music or creating music?

Both are important. I like creating new music with myself and with the band. Rehearsing new material with the band is fun for me and so is playing guitar lazily while watching TV or something until a interesting sound perks up my ears. Playing live is also important in a different way. It's a good way to reach new people and the most fun way, especially if the band is playing good.

Innaway is singer Jim Schwartz, guitarist Barry Fader, drummer Gabe Palmer, bassist Darrick Rasmussen, and keyboardist Reid Black. Their latest release is a self-titled CD on Some Records. Also available is an EP entitled Rise.