Stereoboard Talk To British Trio Amplifier Ahead Of Their Forthcoming UK Tour (Interview)
Friday, 25 November 2011
Written by Ben Bland
Amplifier is one of the best bands in Britain, although you may not yet have noticed. Frontman Sel Balamir was kind enough to take the time to tell Stereoboard about the band’s year.
Well, 2011 is the year of the octopus. How pleased have you been with the reaction to the album since its release?
Well it’s definitely been very positive. It has probably been the most positive reaction of any of our albums so far. Then again, having said that…some people hate it!
How do you view “The Octopus” in comparison to your previous records? Do you see it as superior or just different?
I see The Octopus not just being superior to its predecessors, but I see it as being infinitely superior. I mean in the depth and scope of the sound of it and its construction as a set piece, to its intellectual content. Just the book in itself is something completely different to anything else. It’s probably the best thing we’ll do. It took a long time. We won’t get that luxury of time ever again.
You’ve managed to get on some pretty great festival and support bills this year. How much of an impact do you think this is having in terms of raising the profile of the band?
It makes a very big impact. That’s why everybody flights tooth and claw to get on the bill of a major festival. Even an early spot is worth a lot in terms of exposure and profile. It’s all about profile in this game.
There’s been a bit of a ‘prog revival’ of sorts in recent years, not to mention the rise of ‘djent’. Do you feel you have much in common with bands like Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Karnivool, etc?
Well - not musically, no. I think that Amplifier are just a Classic Rock Band, but one that doesn’t bother with song writing formats. That makes us easiest to tag as Progressive. We don’t mind. We like that kind of music as well, but we’re really just too rocking to be truly prog. We play more from the heart and the crotch than the head and the fingers. I like and admire all those bands you mentioned though, especially Opeth. We get compared to these bands often, so there’s obviously some sort of connection.
You get attention in quite diverse sections of the press, from ultra-prog to metal, where do you see Amplifier most fitting in…of course you’re completely free to say you’re in a space all of your own!
Draw a Venn diagram of music. Amplifier is a band that straddles many different sets. That’s what a personality is. It is just a kind of tension between all these things and Amplifier is just an extension of our personalities. It’s true that diversity is a strength but it can also be a real weakness.
Any bands or records you’ve heard recently that you’ve particularly enjoyed?
Well, I tend to just listen to a few things for a long, long time to squeeze everything out of it. Currently trapped on my stereo as they have been for many months:
And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – Tao of the Dead
Rose Kemp – Golden Shroud
Frank Zappa and the Mothers – “We’re only in it for the Money”
Early Learning Centre - “Sing-along Songs for the Car”
This last one is a favourite of my kids. …
When the self-titled record came out back in 2004 there was a lot of hype in the press about the band, saying you were going to become a massive arena level act. Do you ever look back and think what might have been?
It wasn’t hype. That’s what people genuinely thought. Yes it’s true – we probably could have become a massive act if various things had and hadn’t happened. But that’s stupid to think about what could have been. What is – is far more immediate…
This upcoming tour is your first full UK tour in a while. Do you enjoy being out on the road?
I love it. It’s the closest thing I get to a holiday. We have good times. We’re a good team and enjoy each other’s company. That’s really important.
The Octopus logo itself seems to have become some kind of this cult symbol that all my friends have now seen and think is cool but kinda weird. What was it that actually prompted the use of the octopus?
Good I’m very pleased. Your friends think it’s cool, but weird. That is the very definition of a success. All the people, films, books and art that I admire can be summed up by exactly that description. The Octopus is a thing in itself. The Octopus is independent of Amplifier. Amplifier will exist and die, but The Octopus will live forever. That is the point.
I’m incredibly jealous of your pedalboard. How important a part are effects in the Amplifier songwriting process? Do you write riffs and then experiment with the sounds or do you find yourself just jamming using them and seeing what happens?
The Octopus is exactly built around long bouts of improvising that were allowed to condense into the album it became. The songs weren’t written on an acoustic guitar in the back of a transit van on the way home after a gig in Aberdeen. They were not written on a palmtop 4 track between shows while staying in a Travelodge. The Octopus is just the idea of The Octopus transmitted through the sound of Amplifier, and that sound is defined by our taste and equipment. When we recorded The Octopus we left a lot of it to chance and improvisation. We worked out the key points and riffs but left all the little flourishes and details to the moment. That’s why it sounds real…because it was. There were very, very few overdubs. All our other records were completely overdubbed track by track. The Octopus is basically just live with a few textural additions.
Without wishing to delve too much into the realms of my guitar geekery, I’ve always found your guitar tone quite distinctive. What do you credit for giving you that awesome crunchy sound?
My 1972 SG has a very distinctive “glassy” sound of its own. I just augment that. It’s like applying make-up. But essentially it sounds unique in its own right.
Charlie Barnes added some nice “floaty piano interludes” (as I believe he likes to call them) on the new record. Do you ever see keyboards becoming a more important part of Amplifier’s sound?
I often use keyboards as a production device, but I don’t see them as becoming an integral part of our sound. It’s better to save them for special moments. That way they are, well, special.
Steve Durose (ex-Oceansize guitarist) has become an important part of the Amplifier live machine. Is he going to be involved at all with the production of future Amplifier material?
Never try to guess the future. Well – you can, but it never works out how you imagine.
Speaking of future material, how long are you planning on riding the wave of the octopus before recording another album?
There are things afoot. I won’t say any more.
In what direction do you see the band progressing, dare you get even more prog than a double album?
Nah – we’ve done that now. Amplifier albums are never the same.
If you could write Amplifier’s own legacy (which hopefully won’t be needed for a long time yet), what would you like the band to be remembered for?
For a couple of things actually: Doing their own thing and not taking any shit from anyone. We make our own luck and hustle each and every occasion, just like real people. I hope we are remembered for inspiring bands to do the same thing.
Also, the crime fighting…
Cheers for taking the time to answer these questions Sel. As someone who has been a fan for a good few years now I can only wish you all the best with the future of the band. You never know, maybe those arena level band predictions from the heady days of 2004 will come true sometime!
Well like I said – Don’t try and guess the future!
Best Wishes!
Amplifier tour the UK from the 4th-12th December calling at Nottingham, Glasgow, York, Wolverhampton, London, Manchester and Bristol. Tickets are available now – don’t miss out!
In an exciting new development, Amplifier have worked with ticket agents to allow all who buy tickets for their upcoming UK Tour in advance the chance to download the brand new track "Silvio" from Bandcamp. This track is taken from the forthcoming album "Mystoria". If futher incentive to buy a ticket to see Amplifier this December was needed - this is it!
The Stereoboard-approved double album 'The Octopus' is out now.
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I’m incredibly jealous of your pedalboard. How important a part are effects in the Amplifier songwriting process? Do you write riffs and then experiment with the sounds or do you find yourself just jamming using them and seeing what happens?
