MUSIC CHERRY
Brian M Interviews Danielle • July 2005
musiccherry.com

Recently, I had the good fortune to interview Danielle Kimak Stauss, lead singer for the Lost Patrol. (In case you missed it, I first mentioned the Lost Patrol in this entry last week.) The Lost Patrol is producing some of the best new music you will find today (not surprisingly, it is not on commercial radio), and I was very pleased to be able to explore it in much more depth. Following are my questions and Danielle's answers.

This first one is a bit cliché, but what are your musical influences, and what have you taken from them?

I'll list a few artists and other things because we are such music nerds:

Cocteau Twins: Their sense of melody and guitar textures are pretty obvious influences. I think their personal indulgence has influenced us greatly. Also, the idea that they seemed to write for "impressionistic" effects--one is not really sure exactly what they were writing about, except that there is a mood.

The Jesus & Mary Chain: The juxtaposition of the acoustic guitar and that "really big chorus," the quasi-goth darkness of it all, the very static and precise structuring of things.

There's a whole list of 80's new wave stuff we really enjoy: Echo and the Bunnymen, the Chameleons UK, A Flock of Seagulls, Missing Persons, Throwing Muses, U2 (especially their first four albums)... I can just recall the vinyl.

Dead Can Dance: Well, they are just amazing. Again, the basis of their writing with acoustic guitars, the tightness of their live show, the synth aspects, the self indulgence.

We are also into the western/retro trip. Stephen has listened to a lot of Duane Eddy, Beach Boys, Doris Day, and Phil Spector-isms--Motown and the Ramones. We start to shake if we do a song over four minutes--like crossing the line into the progressive rock realm or something!

We've also traveled to Nashville a few times, and that seeps into your pores. We have bits of slide steel guitar, and toe-tapping Johnny Cash-ified beats all over the place. There is an American roots thing to all of our stuff as 95% of it is based off of the acoustic guitar.

Seth and I are Bossa Nova freaks. I tend to write from the beats of Latin/Flamenco stuff.

Seth, Mike, and I really dig things like Jane's Addiction and Smashing Pumpkins. Mike tends to write in lots of weirdly-phrased chords and beats--I think he's taken from these groups.

There are things like work by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti--those atmospherics for cinema--and stuff from old Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

There are bands we all like, and there are circles of interest which overlap for us. It's never-ending, and we still are turning each other on to new things.

Are there bands that you like to listen to that have not influenced your sound (any guilty pleasures?), or would you say that everything you hear influences you in some way?

We really like the obvious--like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. We are miffed and in awe of things like Wendy Carlos and The Shaggs. Yes, art comes from art, but I don't think we'd ever purposely go out writing things to be like The Shaggs. (But there again is that blind self indulgence...)

Any other media influences? Film, literature, television?

As above, David Lynch movies. We are big indie movie freaks, digging things like Wes Andersen, Jim Jarmusch, Hal Hartley, and John Waters. One of my ultimate goals is to be the band in a John Waters flick (or an over-the-top die-for-your-art character).

I teach art/art history, so every once in a while the idea for a song comes from something completely visual, or the leftovers from some artifact/ritual. The new download on our site--Cup at My Krater--comes from the idea of pouring libations on the grave of a loved one. The ancient Greeks did this through open ended vases/grave markers called kraters.

What bands are you most often compared to? Have you ever been compared to someone else and thought, "No way, we don't sound like them at all?"

Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians: Maybe my voice is a little like hers, but this was one of those "Hah? Do ya think?" I've heard this only once or twice.

Often we get compared to the Cocteau Twins, the Jesus & Mary Chain, and Mazzy Star (which I totally see). Bjork and the Innocence Mission, too.

Your bio starts off with a reference to "suburban sprawl." That's an interesting metaphor; how does that relate to your music and life?

We've been creeping through writing and playing live--a lot of it in past five years--and people are digging our stuff, but it's not the kind of band/image/marketing that the majority of people listen to on commercial radio and come to know immediately (like all the bands that are geared up to be MTV's next big thing , I guess). There's a slowness to "getting us" which is happening very oddly, wonderfully, with patience. This happens by people falling upon us by mistake, through a friend, or through some great little underground radio station like WFMU (freeform radio--which has a BIG web audience all over the planet). We've never set off writing for any specific market/look/sound, so we stick out--sometimes it's good, sometimes it makes things a bit more rugged of a go.

Your bio also references independent film work. Tell me more about that.

Stephen has had stuff in Hal Hartley films in the past. We'd love to write for a film. There are two independent film makers using us in their stuff--Adam Barnick and Ryan Dacko. I think Ryan is specifically writing a punk rock/gothic/drag racing/spaghetti western to utilize our tunes.

I love the name "The Lost Patrol." It seems very appropriate to the music. How did you come up with it, and how would you say that it relates to the music or the members of the band?

It's a reference to submarines who never report back to port. I guess our sound has a lost/lonely/atmospheric feel, like the depth of unknown water. Also, the idea that we do this selfishly, blindly, and out of necessity to survive emotionally--like some weird glow-in-the dark bottom feeders.

How did you first get into music? Did you always plan to be in a “rock band?”

Yes, I knew when I was four I HAD TO DO IT! I saw Heart perform "Barracuda" live on The Bay City Rollers Show. (I think they had a show.) I was like, "That's it." I never studied music writing/instrumentation in depth, but I picked up as much as possible from middle school band. We had a music teacher in elementary school--Shelly Brown--whom I met in second grade when my family moved to south Jersey where I attended a public school. Having come from sadistic/oppressive Catholic school, it was like someone had shown me the light when she came into the classroom with a guitar. I was like, "No way. Is this for real? We get to sing!" Mrs. Brown spent lots of time teaching us pop music structure through half a year of dissecting The Beatles--for real! I did chorus with her. I cried through my music theory class with Dr. Martin Sperber at SUNY New Paltz, but I've always wanted to do music. I stopped playing for a year in the early 90's, and I was miserable. I'm not sure of the other guys' stances, but I'm sure we all will write until we're in the home, on life support, or whatever.

Where do you feel this (your career) is headed? What are your plans/dreams, and how do you plan to get there?

Our goal is to keep playing and writing while finding some kind of support label-wise, although we know it may not ever happen. We have certain things we'd need to retain, especially the creative say and the amount of time touring.

We'd like to play some bigger venues and get more support so more people can hear us. We are ready for stadiums in our own heads. Stephen keeps writing things with these really BIG heart-sucking, black hole bass sounds and driving beats saying, "This will sound great on some really big speakers!" We just have to wait for the venues/bookers to catch onto the idea.

We're coming out with a new CD this fall. We've kept up with a CD a year for the past five years. We'd love to do film, more videos, play some bigger festivals. There is the financial balance of things, but we all have jobs which can allow some decent time put into touring as things are catching on and becoming a bit easier to book. (Just a little-little-little easier.)

How do your family and friends feel about what you do? I imagine they are supportive, but do they consider this as a “phase,” or do they believe that this is the real thing?

My immediate family is REALLY supportive. Some of our relatives and friends just don't get it. We do this like some people are into golfing or "watching the game" or saving up to go on vacation. It's just a bit more time consuming, and we end up with a product at the end of it all. Our next show is a really big deal sponsored by some corporate folks, but I am trying REALLY hard to get people/family out by mentioning that it's also sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts--like some people may check it out to see if it's really finally valid because there's some money behind the happening or something. It will be like my cousins whining in their best Jersey-Italian accents, "Oh my Gawd. You really are in a band! Holy crap. There are real guitars, and real speakas, and the singa is really singin' live!

You've worked with Bruce Springsteen's old producer. From his website, it looks as if he's also worked with everyone from Diana Ross to Paul McCartney. What was that like?

Larry is really easy going. He's kind of like a doctor in the surgery room--smiling, reassuring--but there is something awesome, like for a moment your (musical) life is in his hands. He's very clean-cut, as he deals with the technical background of things--maybe that's what reminds me of something doctor-ish in his demeanor. He's mastered all of our previous CD's, but is actually mixing some of the new tracks. He also mixed our live sound once--which was amazing. I recorded with him for the first time this spring; I was definitely more uptight just knowing he's been in the same room with Paul McCartney.

Who would you say are the people in your life who have shaped who you are, and how have they affected you?

My aunt who plays piano and sings church stuff, Shelly Brown (as above), and my folks, who always supported my insane schedule, efforts, and needs.

There have been many great songwriters I've worked with in the past, and I've taken a little from all, but Stephen has been able to present and actualize the whole deal. Stephen Masucci has been a great friend and inspiration. He's totally driven for the technical, the craft of songwriting, the live rendition, all the slumming, a lot of the planning, and a lot of the sheer optimism.

I met Jeff Buckley a long time ago, and it was some weird, brief, cosmic thing where I was not even into going to see him play; I didn't even know who he was. I was so moved by his performance that I cried when he did "Last Goodbye." We got to hang after his show, and he spoke to me of an individual's truth in their writing/performance and the need for really only two chords and a melody. (sigh...)

What inspires you when you write lyrics?

Moods, problems, an intense embellishment of a fleeting feeling--Stephen has pegged my lyrics as impressionistic--some feelings/sentiments I would want people to remember long after I'm gone. I'm really a cornball at heart. I'm no longer angry; I used to have much angst in my youth.

What is something about you that people wouldn’t expect?

I have a REALLY bad temper. People rarely see this. I'm a Taurus earth-momma; you don't want to make me angry.

Any personal vices that you want to share?

I'm really vain. Sometimes I rip apart my closet before a show because I'm so worried of what people will think when they see us perform. Is it too gothic and pretentious? Is it too hokey? I have Tiffany taste with a Wal-Mart wallet, and I love pretty dresses and crazy shoes. (sigh...) I read Vogue, watch the fashion channel, and like things bias cut in amazing fabric. I grew up sewing with my grandmother, but I'm not good enough to do it on my own.

When you perform, are there any rituals that you have?

I get really intense and bitchy--a game-face type mode. (I played and coached soccer for 20 years.) I rip apart my closet, I can't eat (belching can be a singer's nightmare), and I usually end up putting my make-up on in the car while stuck in traffic getting to the show. Mike, Seth, and I will usually have a drink or two as we sound check, but no one gets out of control. Usually chocolate is involved before hand. Stephen usually has a Coke and some fries after we sound check.

Describe a Lost Patrol live show to me. What do you do that makes your show a unique experience?

It's very atmospheric. Some people say they like to dance, but usually end up doing that quasi-goth shoe-gazing bop. The Goldhawk in Hoboken is our "home base." We usually play there every three months or so, to keep it fresh. Last time there were people who trekked over from Brooklyn, Queens, and Connecticut to see us. Wow.

In other venues, people who have never seen us say they really dig it. It's melodic enough that little kids dig it. But this is a great counter to some of the shows we've played where it's like crickets chirping in the background.

We take our time between songs--we're not out to shove things down people's throats. We sound exactly like the CD. We joke around a lot. I have an Ellen DeGeneris effect when I get really nervous. Laughter helps.

Do you have a favorite Lost Patrol song? What separates it in your mind?

"Owl." The beat is completely reversed in it in parts--it's a loop which builds and changes, which is different from most of our other songs. It's based off of Native American powwow drums. My vocals start out very soft and end up in a fabulous crescendo. Stephen has this "Mexican” slide solo, and Seth plays off the beat so the drums sound even bigger. Mike strums a "flamenco bull-fighting" progression at one point.

What do you think is most important for people to know about The Lost Patrol?

We don't really sound like too much else, but we think you could dig it if you like pop/rock/goth/twang. We're good-willed geeks at heart.

BACK TO REVIEWS