We're sure it was like the Space Needle up there.
When PA's Eastern Conference Champions made it home for the holidays this past year, a barrage of fans, family, and friends were waiting eagerly to greet them for their heady last-minute performance at The Khyber. It had become a full year, with the band releasing their latest full-length Ameritown in July, appearing on the Carson Daly show in August, and being touted by their label--Suretone Records (Chris Cornell, The Cure), as a group with songs that are "deeply complex and passionate". Made up of a solid threesome, members Joshua Ostrander (guitar/vocals/piano), Greg Lyons (drums/synths) and Vern Z (bass/sampler) were just kicking it into high gear when they hit on the strength of numbers such as "The Box", a quietly climaxing crash of a song, and "Single Sedative" which has the rhythm and Black Francis drawl that is befitting completely of the ECC who accompanied the ex-Pixies' frontman Francis on his tour late last year as well.
A quick UK single was released, and with the lead-off track "Single Sedative", the band followed up with a small club tour of the UK--while still keeping their wits about them--even while driving on the "wrong" side of the road, "we reached for the turn signal and hit the wipers on instead about a million times, not to mention all the fucking roundabouts (New Jersey circles to you and us)."
With their new year looking equally as rambunctious and full-on, ECC are head and toes ahead, and will finally be releasing their UK single Single Sedative for US audiences on January 14th. And as a special note to collectors; "'Single Sedative' is released on a unique CD/Vinyl format, with a standard CD on one side, and the top of the disc grooved and able to be played on a record player." Natch.
Download This: Eastern Conference Champions - Navy Man
Girl About Town: What was your favorite thing that came out of the recording and production for your most recent album vs. what you would change for any future releases?
Joshua Ostrander: Working with Owen Morris [Oasis, The Verve]. He produced the record. He might be the polar opposite of myself, but that constant struggle made for a great working environment. I was very happy with the production on this record, I'm sure the next record will be even more stripped down. The band works so hard to prove to everybody that we don't need a fourth member, when I am actually starting to appreciate the simpleness of it. It makes you a better songwriter--lazy songwriters can easily hide behind over-production.
Which song has been your favorite to play live so far, and why?
"To The Wind"; my slide solo is my favorite part of the set.
As Eastern Conference Champions is a hockey reference, which band do you think would make a great choice to go up against on the ice? Who would you draft to be on your team?
I would like to play against The Cobbs, only if we could draft Paul though. That would make it 4 on 4. And we would win. It would be like the Southampton Youth Center all over again. That would make me happy.
Your latest album is "Ameritown" - does this title have any hidden meaning within the band, or was it just a general statement of what you feel are your roots as a band because you are basing yourselves between two cities in the US (LA, CA and Bucks County, PA)?
It's just something I had in one of my notebooks. The three of us together, or apart, have been touring America for the past 8 years. It's all we know. No matter where we might be living for a minute, our home at the end of the day is a piece of shit green conversion van that desperately needs an oil change.
If we were to look in Vern's mustache like the Canadian mounties did on your recent tour supporting Black Francis--what would we find?
Hope. Maybe some blow.
Photo by Michael Alan Goldberg
You have a novel approach to vocals and an original style of singing which people seem to notice before anything else--what do YOU think makes your band original compared to other artists?
We're not reinventing the wheel here. I think we write good songs. I think the lyrics are worth investigating. I think this rhythm section can give anybody a run for their money.
What is the strangest song that you've ever written and how did it come about?
Vern and I have been working on a song about getting pulled over by 'the fuzz'. I don't really have anything else for this question.
What is your favorite thing about Philadelphia?
Coming home.
Ameritown Track Listing:
1. The Box
2. Noah
3. Some Sorta Light
4. Stutter
5. Single Sedative
6. Yuppy Hipster Fuck
7. To the Wind
8. Pitch a Fit
9. Gucci No. 3
10. Nice Clean Shirt
11. Rabbit Hole
12. Hollywood
Eastern Conference Champions - band site / suretone / myspace
Kickass. Love these guys.
Posted by: The Tombo | January 10, 2008 at 07:02 PM
ECC is the greatest...saw them open for Ozma in Detroit back in July and proceeded to buy everything I could find. Ameritown is my favorite album of 2007 and will continue to get constant play through 2008.
Get a video out for Single Sedative and these guys will shoot to the top of the pack!!
Posted by: MozMan68 | January 23, 2008 at 10:53 AM