music: interview: Ivan from Tiny Masters of Today
Tiny Masters are Brooklyn-based brother and sister Ivan and Ada (born 94 and 96). They first appeared in 2005 and were quickly picked up by the likes of Newsweek and the British Artrocker, and tours and records followed... with another one due sometime soon.
What their fans like about them is their bratty punkiness - a sort of back to basics
honesty that's a little on the rare side generally. We talked to Ivan during the
summer.
main site
myspace page
I think your next gig is Loolapolooza in Chicago at the beginning of August 08. Will that be your biggest so far?
"Probably although we have played some other big shows. We have played to more people but the total experience of Lollapalooza is the biggest."
Going back a bit, there are lots of kids who muck around with instruments with the general idea of playing out sometime but don't actually get around to it. Do you remember the point where you felt, yeah, we're ready!
"Our first show went really well and it just kind of took off from there. We never really had a chance to think about it too much."
When both of you were learning how to play, did you have a fairly structured method (lessons and such) or did you start making noises which got refined as you improved?
"We both took lessons but neither of us can read music and we hardly ever practice. That might be our secret."
You've had Jon Spencer Blues Explosion drummer Russell Simins playing with you and Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs involved in a video as well as performance appearances. How did those things come about?
"We met Russell through Myspace which is how we meet most people these days. Basically everybody we worked with came through the Myspace page to some extent. Except Gibby, I am not sure he has a Myspace page. He lives in our neighborhood and is friends with one of the people who produced the album."
Who are your favourite bands?
"Right now, I really like Animal Collective. Ada always says Belle and Sebastian."
... continues below ...
Any favourite guitars/basses and effect pedals?
"I used to use a Danelectro but know I use a Fender Jaguar. We also use some Daisy RIck guitars that are really cool too. I use a lot of pedals. For distortion I use a Big Muff and a really cheap Danelectro. I also use a Blue Box that sounds really crazy. The weirdest pedal I use is a Fuzz Factory which sounds death but louder."
As you've come along you're using more effects and electronic stuff on some tracks... for some people that's like losing or finding religion! Do you have any "religion" in this way?
"We actually always used a lot of electronics because we recorded all our first singles on Garageband using drum loops and stuff. We are bringing more experimental stuff into our live show so I suppose it is a bit like finding religion."
In your song Bushy, you had a few words to say to the current but soon to be gone President. What do you hope for next time around?
'We just did a song about the election. Hopefully we won't elect an idiot this time,"
What have you got coming up after Loolapolooza?
"We are just finishing up a new album, it will come out next year. We aren't doing a lot of shows til then."
Thanks Ivan.
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