Can you talk about the early days and what it was like to produce and promote a record when you're unsigned and doing it all yourself?
Yeah, it's about as difficult as you might imagine [laughs]. It's something that I don't know I want to entertain forever because there's a lot to it. At the end of the day, I wonder why I haven't done any music that day. I'm used to trying to work on music, but all of that [album production and promotion] sort of deprives you. I guess theoretically it's work, but it was all we knew. We didn't have any backing, so we just "bookered" it; we wanted to release a record and we did. After that, we decided that's probably what we should keep doing, but I don't know. It gets a little carried away, and I imagine we could probably use help down the line.
What makes a perfect, magical show for you?
For me, it's different now from it used to be. I'm really starting to recognize the power of the connection with the audience. I really think that if I can loosen up to the point of having a relationship with the audience, I could get more comfortable. [Laughs] I'm not exactly the most comfortable performer all the time, and the best shows are when you can kind of let everything drift away and perform the songs you've been performing for so long in a new way that only makes sense at that particular time. It has everything to do with making that connection.
Maybe it's from watching the Flaming Lips do what they do, having that forced engagement with the audience and having that sort of dialogue that I've really sort of started coming to terms with and appreciate that back and forth a lot more. We've been going out and meeting people after the shows, too - put a face and a name on the people you're playing for and who appreciate you. It's kind of necessary. Otherwise, it's some impersonal mess, and you don't really know who you're doing this for. There's got to be something more than that.
You're playing Grovefest here in St. Louis on Oct. 6. Many St. Louisans were surprised to get such a high-caliber band like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah for a neighborhood festival.
It popped up on our schedule, and we were happy to oblige. I'm serious about that! I'm looking forward to getting over there in any form. Just to play in St. Louis, it's a good thing.
We have that sort of thing [neighborhood festivals] in Philly. To have a community festival, it's like a treat and will break up the tour nicely. Grovefest sounds awesome! We love being able to get out and meet everybody we're playing for, and what better way than at a community festival?
