BONE PARADE INTERVIEW

**PERFORMING THIS FRIDAY - 12/5 @ NO RADIO

Interview with Kevin Johnston and Erica Sparrow of Bone Parade
By Bubba Crumrine

This question may come up frequently but, how did a group from Albany end up with lyrics sung in German?

Erica: (Laughs) I study voice classically so a lot of what I do outside of Bone Parade is Lieder from the 18th century so, I sing a lot of songs by Schubert and Brahms. It’s a repertoire that I already know and am pretty intimately related to. When we began, it turned out that Kevin had a book of poetry which used to be songs and that’s how we got the text for our first song in German, Der Erlkoenig, which is also done by Schubert. It’s just looking back to old text. A lot of our sources are, in actuality or in spirit, old things.

Where did you study?

E: I currently study with a woman whose name is Karen Rannan, here in Albany and she’s got to be about 83 or 84 and she is a real amazing teacher with a very unique approach to the technique. Her work has been the song repertoire, like the Lieder and the French song. We focus on poetry as song. To me they are more moving than, say, an opera, which is very melodramatic. The songs are things unto themselves and therefore very powerful.

Earlier you brought up the song, Der Erlkoernig also the title of your latest album. Are the tracks themed around the Goethe poem as a concept?

Kevin: The one EP we have out now isn’t so much a concept album as just two singles (I use the term loosely) that we put together. The new album we’re working on that we have recorded and are mixing this week is more united in themes, but concept album might be a bit too lofty.

What kind of gear do you rely on – found objects, analogue synths, digital instruments?

K: We bought a sampler that really helped us out.

E: When we lost our drummer, we primarily thought it would be a drummachine but now we use it more for sonic samples rather than percussion

K: For the samples, I have an analogue keyboard that I like a lot, different scrap metals… any type of a strange sound we can rework and reprocess to weave into sonic collages. Seems to work pretty well.

Is there a favorite piece of gear that you’re using now or have used in the past with Bone Parade?

K: Yeah, my favorite is these little finger cymbals – we’ve gotten a lot of sample use out of those. They lend themselves nicely to a ritualistic air.

I can definitely see that. That’s a great sound source! In your influences you mention greats like Einsturzende Neubauten, Swans, Godflesh - were these groups you both grew up on or found later on and were inspired by?

K: The heavier groups were ones I grew up on or discovering in recent years. We both come from pretty different schools of music.

E: I had some friends who were into noise music so I was familiar with some of them and definitely liked the idea. I have really broad tastes and Kevin played me a Swans album and it was so slow in developing – I loved it! He was surprised because most people he played it for would just be like “when’s it going to do something?” but the subtle textures just grabbed me right from the beginning. It’s not anything I grew up with but it’s something that immediately appealed to my ear.

K: We both like music that comes to a slow boil. Its similar with a lot of classical works, many parallels can be drawn.

I agree. Back to the literary references we were discussing before like the EP, does the moniker “Bone Parade” come from written works as well?

K: Actually yes, in part in comes from a series that aired on PBS, originally from BBC I believe, called Mystery, hosted by Diana Rig. They had mysteries and ghoulish turn of the century English stories. There was one series called Cad File and ironically enough both Erica and I watched the same series growing up. One episode entitled A Morbid Taste For Bones, about a Benedictine monk who solved crimes I loved that title and I adapted it. It really captured the feel I was going for.

Always great to hear a group with a back story to their name! Has there been a favorite part of the recording, writing, or releasing process as Bone Parade?

E: My favorite part of our creating music together is that it’s really seamless and organic for us. We don’t spend a lot of time hashing out songs. It’s a matter of simmering daily in our subconscious that comes out in a flash of inspiration one of us or both of us.

There was a song on the 5 song where I had come up with a part and Kevin had just come up with a part two days prior and they meshed so seamlessly. Much of our creative process is like that. It’s intuitive and it just falls in so naturally. The music is not necessarily challenging for us because it just arises as a part of us, so performing and recording the material were very comfortable and exciting process. It’s really pretty amazing for me. I’ve never created music, I’ve been a performer for a long time, but I’ve never been in a creative venue where I’ve been able to make music. It’s amazing to work with Kevin and have it just form in the way it does.

Do you play off that organic nature of how you mesh together in live improvisation?

K: We don’t do as much improv live as we used to. When we first got together and it was just Erica and I, we ended up getting tossed out of a lot of bars for doing improv that just went on and on. It was really loud, and honestly, not very good.

E: It didn’t have the strength our current projects do.

K: It was organic but not as cohesive as the current and new material. Most of our improv comes when we write things. The song she was talking about we actually wrote on a car ride. It felt like we were a mouthpiece for something, like something was singing through us.

That’s amazing! I have to say, I’m a bit jealous.


In regards to Albany, how’s the scene? Any band or clubs we should check out next time we’re up there?

K: In general, Albany suffers, as many towns do, where live music is supported fully.

E: Especially original live music. But, The Albany Sonic Arts Collective, which is comprised of some friends of ours, is celebrating its one-year anniversary so there are people who are appreciative and the interest is growing.

K: there is a small undercurrent of original and interesting music starting to grow; music that you would want to hear and that affects you. It’s pretty grass roots, which is how is should be, generally.

Is there anything that you would like to extend to the people showing up to the show on Dec. 5th?
K: Gratitude!

E: Bring ear plugs!

We’ll have to check it out. For the next release I saw you're looking to release it on vinyl. Any pitch you'd like to make for any labels or benefactors who may be reading this?

E: Its really good and you’ll want to release it!!