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 Pop may be the pick-me-up of music, but local band Quadrophones has come onto the scene with one serious attitude. INsite caught up with the self-proclaimed faces of the “new pop song”: David Byron (vocals, guitar), Hannah Pyper (vocals, keyboards), Otis Stamp (drums) and Tim Walsh (vocals, guitar) to find out what makes their pop music unique, and the rest just old news. (Bassist John Richter couldn’t make it to the interview--he was stuck in the rain.)
By Lindsay Smith Think Fast Favorite place to play in Gainesville: The Atlantic
Band you would die to open for? David Bowie
One word that best describes your sound? Swashbuckling
How many cars does it take to get your equipment and members to a show? Two
Who is the hottest member of the band? John Richter, who has animal magnetism
David: There’s a band called the Quadrophonics, and we thought that was a really cool name, so we got ours from there.
Tim: We ran through a couple of names that were kind of wild until we all finally found one that we liked--which was kind of a miracle. On your MySpace, you say, “The old pop song is dead.” What’s your take on modern pop?
Tim: That idea was something we took from the Oberhausen Manifesto when they wanted to create a new type of German cinema. I love pop music, but I kind of despise the business in the pop and radio industry, although I like the pop music of the late ’50s. Do people still support that kind of music?
David: I think this is a good town to try it in. A lot of our friends, lots of venues around town, No Idea Records, they all support people a lot through shows and festivals. Gainesville is a very cool place to try and get people into it without having to work through a lot of things in a bigger city like bigger labels. Here, you can be yourself musically. With everyone trying to save money, are the crowds still coming out to support bands as much as they used to?
Hannah: There was definitely a drop toward the end of the semester in the crowds. There was a problem getting people to come out, but [during the] summer, people have money and they’re bored so they’re coming back out.
Tim: It depends on their school schedule, too; at the end of the semester we usually don’t get the best turnout--but it seems like if you play much better and you work and you actually get off your ass and focus on the music, people really come out to support you.
Hannah: We’re very fortunate to have friends who come out to every single one of our shows. What’s been the best experience you’ve had at a show?
David: Last October, we got invited to play The Fest, but we were also booked to do a costume contest right afterward. So, we went to The Atlantic and played a 9:30pm show for The Fest and rushed straight over to The Hippodrome and played in this tiny, tiny little area--there were people of all ages in costumes, and an 80-year-old woman with a walker was dancing to our music. I think that if you put the hard work into it, then all the shows are really enjoyable. Hannah, is it tough being the only girl in the band? Does the testosterone ever get to you?
Hannah: No, it’s not bad, I’m kind of used to it, actually. I have a lot of male friends, so when they start making jokes, they’re just playing … but I get picked on a lot. What are Quadrophones plans for the future?
Tim: I don’t know, for me, it’s just playing it by ear. I find playing music a lot more enjoyable than whatever else I stumble into. We just recorded three more demos that came out really well so we’re just trying to work as slowly as we can. I think we all have one more year in Gainesville.
David: I think we’re going to be quite around for a while. For more info on the Quadrophones, check out myspace.com/quadrophones.
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