Young Coyotes Interview

Young Coyotes were just named best new band by Westword magazine, fueling their fledgling notariety here in Denver and beyond– And for once they’re a band that actually deserves the buzz (if you don’t believe me check out their myspace page) www.myspace.com/youngcoyotes

It will make a believer out of you.

But, if you’d rather read than listen here’s an interview.  Front man and guitarist Zach Tipton recently took a break from doing “family stuff” in Georgia to answer some questions from me. 

Ashlie: I read on your Myspace page that your band, Young Coyotes, has only been playing music for about a year, is that true?

Zach: Yeah, it’s less than a year right now.  It’s gonna be a year at the beginning of May.

Ashlie: So, how do you guys come up with such a unique and natural sound after such a short time?

Zach: Well, it was very natural. (Laughs)  Actually, we just got asked this question the other day, that’s funny, but now I have a complete, thought-out answer.  I was going to say, when I was in my last band the music that we made was the only music that we could make, the four of us— could make.  And with Adam, with his old band, the crazy, insane stuff, that was the only music that those five guys can make.  And whenever I moved to Denver that was what happened when I had an acoustic guitar and Adam had a suitcase for a bass drum, you know what I mean?  And we were just sitting around.  And I think, like with anything else, that should just be the genuine goal, is just to say that this is what happens naturally.  That’s why whenever we get asked musical influences we really don’t have anything.  Because, you know, I’m listening to jazz and Tom Waits and Adam’s listening to… some…I don’t know.  I don’t know what the hell he’s listening to anymore.  This is just what happens when we’re together and this is the music we make and it just happens to be whatever it is.

Ashlie: So, you guys don’t have similar tastes in music then?

Zach: No, not really, I mean, we like certain bands and we can, like listen to stuff on tour or whatever.  But mostly, it’s completely different. (Laughs) Yeah, I mean, I can’t even explain to you how different we are in our interests and people… but it just kind of matches pretty well.

Ashlie: Did you have a particular sound in mind when you started this band?  Well you pretty much just explained that…

Zach: Basically what happened was… we just, you know… Okay, if you want to know the truth.  I moved to Denver at the beginning of April, and Adam’s band and my old band toured together, and then both our bands broke up and we ended up talking a little bit longer, and I moved there, like a week after he asked me, because I don’t have anything really, in Georgia.  And so, I moved and we basically did lots and lots of bad things, I can just say that— without one day of rest, or anything for about three or four weeks.

Ashlie: Jeez…

Zach: Yeah, I know.  It was pretty ridiculous because I do not do that, at all.

Ashlie: So, you’re getting all your “rock star” partying out ahead of time, before you guys get huge?

Zach: Yeah, if you want to call it that.  Just basically, I mean, just to be honest, I don’t remember one day without doing anything, for about a month.  But anyways, we woke up one day, at around, probably three, and we said let’s see what we can do.  And we couldn’t play my electric that I brought, because he lived in some basement-type thing and he couldn’t play the drums loud so he grabbed a suitcase and we just started playing something that was really easy on the ears, for various reasons.  It just kind-of happened, I guess.

Ashlie: So, how do you feel about the music scene here in Denver?  I know that you haven’t been here for very long, but what do you think about it?

Zach: Honestly?

Ashlie: Yeah, go for it.

Zach: I fucking hate it.

Ashlie: Really? (Laughs)

Zach: Yeah, I think there are some bands, and I think Denver has its own kind of sound, like the good stuff… How bout this?  The passable stuff— is good and it has a definite particular sound and I can definitely tell that they’re related.  But the bad stuff, the techno-synth bullshit— all that kind of crap needs to die a very slow, yet quick, painful death.  Yeah, I mean there are certain bands we like, we like Bad Weather California, and Born in the Flood are super nice guys.  We’re playing with our friends, a band called Empires and Candy Claws, I think they’re from Ft. Collins though… but it’s very hard to pick out the bands that we really like, but whenever we do, we just constantly want to play with those guys, because their music is cool, but they’re also genuine people too. That always helps.  But everyone else I’ve met so far, just to be honest, I mean, I’m not the easiest guy to get along with, but I think their all a bunch of assholes who play shitty music. (Laughs)

Ashlie: Well, you know, I could see that.  I think that there are a lot of pretentious people in this town and a lot of posturing rather than just playing music.

Zach: Exactly. I mean, Adam and I don’t even really want to release CD’s, you know.  We’re like, what’s the point, if everyone’s going to steal our stuff anyways?  We don’t have logos, we’re not pimping our band.  I don’t think we’re really like that at all.

Ashlie: So you said you don’t want to have CD’s?

Zach: Yeah.  Well, at least for these EP’s.  I know we eventually have to, with whoever we sign with, if we sign with someone.  Right now I think we’re doing vinyl for the two EP’s, but like, when you think about it, the EP’s— people are either going to steal it, or you know, their going to put it on their Ipods, or mp3 players, not to get singled out, Apple.  (Laughs)  CD’s… I just don’t see the point of them anymore, and it’s very expensive, the plastic and all that shit… it’s a lot of money for a band where half the members are homeless, you know?

Ashlie: Yeah, I can see that.  And it’s wasteful too, a lot of pollution.

Zach: Very.  I could get into that.  But, I hope people would just understand what I’m talking about…

Ashlie: What are your goals as a musician?

Zach: Me personally, or the band?

Ashlie: Either or…

Zach:  Well, I’d rather just say the band right now.  I know we have the dreams, of playing some kind of late night talk show, or whatever.  I know Adam wants to hit Billboard once or something like that.  But as far as actual goals, like things we can actually work for, I think… I mean, half the full length’s done already, and we’ve only practiced, like four times since like, the middle of the summer… (Laughs)

Ashlie: That’s amazing.  I don’t even understand that.

Zach: Seriously.  As far as like, writing, we don’t really spend a lot of time together.  But, whenever we do, it’s just this big surge of writing.  But, writing as much as possible and getting the full length out by the end of the year, I would really like to…  And, if someone wants to sign us soon, that would be nice, just to pay for recording and things like that.  Just writing as much as possible, touring more in the U.S. and hopefully going to Europe or Japan, which I really, really would like to happen as soon as humanly possible.  I just think those things are basically the only things that we can actually work for, that I would really like to happen.  As far as everything else, yeah cool, Grammys.  Whatever.  You know, I don’t even want a Grammy.  I only want it just so I can have all the free stuff that comes with it.  That’s my honest answer about Grammy stuff. (Laughs)

Ashlie: Yeah, isn’t there like some kind of kiss of death associated with getting a Grammy?  Or is that just for best new artist?

Zach: Yeah, that especially.  I remember when I was younger and they had like 10,000 dollars worth of stuff for every nominee.  It was like iPods and gift cards and everything.  And I’m thinking now, and this is totally hypothetical and dream world, but if we got nominated say tomorrow, and I don’t even care about where I’m living, but to say I have 10 free iPods, gift cards for food for the next year and all these free shoes and clothes.  I’d be like cool, man; I’m not going to go to the Grammys but thanks for all this free stuff. (Laughs) I don’t know how we got on that tangent.

Ashlie: Do you think that the best music has already been made?

Zach: You know, that’s a weird thing, I was just thinking about this today. But, best is so opinion-based…  I totally don’t want to do the cliché thing, but I really like Bob Dylan. And he had this quote; he said that nobody was making the kind of music he liked, and so he made his own. And I always think about that, like for everything I do, for everything I possibly do.  And I really think that as long as people don’t think that everything has already been done, then I think we’re cool for a while longer.   And I definitely think that there are tons of things that people can do with music before it dries out and we go back to doing Dylan-type stuff, or something.

Ashlie: Yeah, that’s true.  It seems like there are infinite possibilities, still…

Zach: Which is why I’m so frustrated with what we talked about, the synth type of stuff (laughs)

Ashlie:  Yeah, it seems like everybody has a band these days, that was one of my questions… How do you stay fresh and innovative in a world that’s so saturated by music? Especially with the influence of websites like MySpace that spread the news on bands that would have otherwise stayed out of the spotlight?

Zach: I think it’s a necessary evil.  I like it because I can put everything out there, for free or for sale, whatever people want to do, I don’t even care if they steal it, whatever. What I really like is the fact that if we have a song, or we write one, or have a video of one that’s new— that if we were signed we couldn’t put out for another year, and we can put it up immediately. And I like that because I like to be constantly pushed with the music.  Every band that I really like, I want to hear every new thing that comes out immediately.  I think people just lose patience now because of everything in their lives; people just can’t pay attention to anything, so as long as you’re constantly like Hey, this is new music! New music! Then I think people will be alright.  Does that make sense?

Ashlie: Yeah.

Zach: It’s just like with everything, it’s like when people came up with TV, people were like, yeah we can teach people things and entertain people, and then, I’m not saying it’s bad, but we have the porn industry where it’s like yeah, let’s fuckin’ do that. Or even, with like, a telephone— it’s like yeah, I can talk to my friends and family and everybody and also we can have 1-900 numbers.  It’s the same thing with MySpace, yeah, we can show people new music and we can also ruin their lives by playing things with vocoders for an hour.  That’s the way I think about everything, there’s always two opposite extremes for everything and it just happens to be the same thing with MySpace right now.

Ashlie: What’s a vocoder?

Zach: You know the auto-tuning bullshit?  It’s always in tune but it sounds like they’re underwater… I just don’t get it. Whatever.  That just means they can’t sing. (Laughs)

Ashlie: So, it takes some of the authenticity out of the music?

Zach: Yeah, totally.  I even feel weird thinking about anyone even trying to put it on my voice, like ever.  You know, any time people recorded, like back in the ‘70’s, they didn’t have auto-tuning, so it’s like their voices.  I think everything is just way too easy now and I just try to strip myself of all that stuff.

Ashlie: There’s some quote that I heard that said something like art shouldn’t be easy, the artist should have to struggle for success.  I don’t know if you agree with that or not?

Zach: Um… I don’t know how much I agree with that.  I think struggling doesn’t hurt.  You could also say the same thing about drugs, you know, as long as it’s in moderation and struggling isn’t like a decapitating thing, you’re not on the verge of suicide every day or you’re not a complete drug addict.  Those things can’t hurt.  I think mostly, you just have to have it, or you just have to be extremely tenacious about what you do.  I know 90% of the people that do make music are constantly working on things, at least people I respect.  I just think people who don’t work hard for anything, at least hard mentally even; it doesn’t have to be labor, I think that is the real solution to making genuine music, whether it’s good or not, it’s not mine to judge.  But as far like, I spent a day trying every note for this one song, if someone said that to me I’d be like, okay, well at least I know it’s real.  Yeah, I agree to an extent, but I don’t think it’s the only way to make good music.  I’m not even speaking for Adam and I, because I know that we both struggled extremely, both in out own ways.  I’m just speaking for everyone.

Ashlie: Is there anything else you want to add?

Zach: No, not really.  I just watched Monty Python’s Life of Brian, so it was a pretty fun movie.  That’s all I have to say. (Laughs)