Hockey are the Portland band that have been stirring jaded senses with their breezy, lazy, funked up style that includes ‘Too Fake’ which might have crossed your ears via the radio. They’ve been compared to LCD Soundsystem and The Hold Steady but there’s also dollops of The Human League and vintage Springsteen to delight anyone who finds their taste bordering on manic-eclectic.
We whizzed bassist Jerm over some questions and he answered them rather politely and it went a little somethig like this:
Where you all a little suprised by the hella good reaction Hockey provoked on these misty shores?
Yes, selling all the shows out was a little bit of a shock. Before we went over we didn’t know what to expect at all really. We were really happy that people showed up every night. The reaction…? Different from
town to town, but mostly positive, and we played some shows better than others.
The comparisons are being to rack up with everyone piling in to place the band in some esteemed company. Thoughts?
If I like the band or artist that they are comparing us to it’s just like yeah, ok cool. And we know that there is no single band who we sound too much like, so I don’t worry too much about it.
Hockey did have a deal with Columbia but it went awry, but this clearly didn’t sour their taste for major label status as they are now with Virgin….
The record label stuff became like a storm that we had to get out of quickly, it was fun for a second, but then we really wanted to move on. We went with our instincts, and no matter what you do everything is a
gamble.
Do you have a ‘hey, we went to England!’ tale to tell as novice UK visitors?
We were in Bristol, and I was very tired and fell asleep on a bench in the park. When I woke up no one that I knew was around and there was a guy talking to me. “I was 14 when I realized I was fearless,” he said.
I was interested, but I didn’t feel part of the conversation so I started to leave. He said, “Wait, I can help you accomplish your goals here in Bristol.” I said “No you can’t, I have no goals here in Bristol,
or anywhere else for that matter.” Then I walked back to the club.
Will we be seeing you back to take over the country in the summer?
Yes we will be playing at a bunch of the festivals this summer. T in the park, Oxegen, and some others too.
If Hockey were advertising in the singles column, how would you sell yourself?
Naive, good listener, ready to go anywhere.
http://www.myspace.com/hockey
Pic by Max Knight
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