The Megaphonic Thrift Interview: SXSW 2010

Coming off their appearance at 2010's by:Larm Festival, the Megaphonic Thrift stand poised to take the crowds of SXSW by storm. The Megaphonic Thrift are ready to introduce American audiences to their unique brand of Norwegian noise. Spinner got a chance to talk with guitarist Njal Clementsen about art, music and just how important Sonic Youth really is.

How did the band form?

Basically, it was summer a couple years ago. Our singer, Richard, needed new people to play with. And so we were part of the scene in Bergen, which was based mainly at this one bar where three out of the four of us work as bartenders. There were these Monday night jams on the stage, then all of a sudden it formed into a band. From there, it's been pretty fast.

Who would you say are the major influences on your sound?

It's difficult to say because we all listen to so much different music. I think we all took great inspiration from noise musicians. There is a great noise scene in Norway. Yeah, we have a lot of influences -- too many.

Are Sonic Youth as big of an influence on the band as everyone thinks they are?

I mean we are all Sonic fans, but I think the whole angle of us being so influenced by them is being over done. Any time we do feedback and noise we get that. I don't think our song structure is comparative to theirs. Our upcoming album is not really Sonic Youth.

The classic question: Beatles or Stones?

Well, that would get a different answer from each band member. Myself -- Beatles. I'm a huge McCartney fan.

Favorite Beatles album?

It's hard to say. 'Rubber Soul' or 'White Album,' probably. It's hard for me to say one album in particular, I don't think they have one amazing composed album. Theirs are so schizophrenic -- so many great singles, and they jump from 'Submarine' funny stuff to something like 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps.'

Are there any other non-musical influences that factor into your music?

Art. It's big in general. It's the whole way we approach being a band. We are more arty. We collaborate with local artists to do visual stuff.

Are visual stimuli an integral part of the Megaphonic Thrift experience?

Very integral, very visual live band. We do special concerts sometimes with more noisier stuff. We do special pieces for festivals, even playing songs that are composed for that special night.

So now with all of these references in mind, how would you describe the resulting sound that you call your own?

I would say in a live setting, it is overwhelming, almost dangerous. People will get the impression that it's all on the edge of falling apart, they get scared because they're sure we can't be in control in that moment. It's also a mind-blowing soundscape. It's important to be dynamic and have contrasts. That's the idea, you know, to be drastic at its worst and then fall back to structures. That is our sound.

A lot of your press assigns so many labels to the band, from noise pop to psychedelic. Are any of these accurate descriptions of your music?

Sure, a lot of them are relevant. The lyrics are really psychedelic at times. For the album, shoegaze makes sense. But what we are trying to do is something unique and new. We want to create a signature, and I think we are in the right direction.

How did the band come up with its name?

Our lead singer, Richard, actually knew what he wanted the band to be called before he met us. He asked us if we wanted to play in the Megaphonic Thrift. It's a really cool title; I think it reflects some of the extreme noise you get in our live performances.

You guys just wrapped up a showcase at by:Larm. How was the festival this year?

Yeah, we've done by:Larm before, but this year was really different because we had some really good slots in the program. We thought perhaps this time we would reach outside Norway, which we did, luckily. We are really, really, really happy because of all the attention in the US. We were kind of hoping that someone would mention us because of SXSW coming up.

If you had to pick one, what stands out as the craziest memory or experience from a previous tour?

Hmm, well, we did do this crazy show in Brooklyn at last year's CMJ. It was like really late, we were really tired, and it was at this kind of crazy party. It all ended up with three bands on stage playing some insane jam together. I remember our drummer was playing the drums on the drums, using the snare on the floor, kind of disabling the instrument.

Will this be your first SXSW?

First appearance together as a band, yes. But Low Frequency and Casiokids have been before, so we have some individual experiences.

What is the team mission for the upcoming festival?

You know, for us right now, it's like in the US we wouldn't know where to start. If we wanted to do something over there, we would not know where to turn. So, we are hoping to get a hold of someone, we need a contact that can point us in the direction of booking and labels.

What is going to be in your festival survival kit?

Let's see, you should have your credit card. I guess extra socks, if you need it. But for SXSW, you need sunglasses. Yeah, a pair of shades. That's about it, I guess.


Nick Scott is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.