I recently had the chance to do a phone interview with one of my favorite up and coming acts Best Coast. Click above to check out the interview.
Best Coast lead front woman Bethany Cosentino is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting acts out of California in a long time. She is currently working on finishing her debut album. Throughout the interview Bethany showed why she deserves the hype she's getting. She's not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve, profess her love for mainstream radio, The Beach Boys, Vinyl, and Blink 182.
Last year your music really rose to prominence on the internet and by word of mouth, you had been in Pocahaunted and a solo artist prior to Best Coast. What do you think it is about Best Coast that has really caught people’s attention?
I don't really know. To be honest I was kind of surprised anyone talked about it. I dropped out of college, moved back from New York, and put some songs on the Internet, and all of the sudden I was doing all these weird interviews. I'll be the first to admit the songs aren't that complicated. They're short, quick, and fun. I feel like people's attention span for music has died down. Pachaunted had like twenty minute songs and I just didn't have that in me anymore. I just don't have the attention span. I feel like my music is not too mainstream and not too indie, it's in the middle.
I’ve read about artists who remark that over saturation and too many bands causes music listeners to move on from artists. With the lo-fi explosion of last year and a lot of new artists coming out of the woodwork and tons of bands jumping on the band wagon, as an artist how do you maintain the attention and buzz you've been able to achieve?
I don't know. I think you get tagged as a lo-fi artist if you use reverb or effects, but the early stuff was lo-fi, people have been using reverb and effects forever. I don't know. Our early stuff was lo-fi sounding because we recorded it on our own, but the new stuff we recorded in a studio. I don't know why some bands get attention and other bands, sometimes better bands don't. I think it has to do with the Internet like you were talking about. It's overwhelming how many blogs and sites there are and you can download music from. I think it's cool the Internet allows everyone to have a voice. It can be a little scary because due to all the negativity because people can be anonymous.
I read on your twitter that you recently completed recording your new album. I understand this will sound like the Black Iris recordings. Am I right? When do you plan to have an official single out? And when are you planning on releasing the album?
At this point I really don't. We finished the tracking for the album, but the mixing won't start until mid-late February. Our producer is in a couple bands, Fool's Gold and Foreign Born, and he tours a lot and we tour a lot so we have to find time to work on it. We also don't have a label yet or don't know which label we would like to go with. We're hoping to have it out in the summer or fall. As far as a single I don't know. We're playing SXSW, and may be playing on the east coast, but don't hold me to that, we will for sure go to Europe that is confirmed. Those will be the first time people will get a chance to hear some of the new stuff.
With technology being so easy to own and mp3s replacing physical ownership of music and people being able to make slick studio recordings in their bedrooms, what do you think the fascination is to kind of rebel and go back to analog and vinyl?
For me, I honestly think when you listen to something on vinyl it gives it a warm sound. It sounds different on the iPOD in your car. When the needle hits the vinyl that sound is just hard to replicate. For Best Coast vinyl is great because I'm inspired by the 50s and 60s. It really depends on what world you live in. I was asked in an interview if I thought CDs were obsolete. I know a lot of artists like myself, Vivian Girls, and Waves are into vinyl and the sound. I don't download much online. I like physical ownership and experiencing it the way the artist wanted me to with all the liner notes, it's more aesthetically pleasing. Plus CDs get scratched. I don't even own a CD player. If I buy a CD I just put it on my computer.
About every interview I’ve read everyone asks about your past as a child star, so I guess I’m going to jump on the bandwagon but kind of from a different angle. What is the worst job you ever had as a child star?
Honestly, I don't remember a lot because I was really young. I hear this question a lot and I think maybe people have made more of it that what it really is. I was literally not a child star. I feel it gets overblown. I did commercials for Little Ceaser's and Pepsi. The most annoying thing is the parents who are living through their children, show parents. It's really gross and scary. I remember trying to talk to other kids at the auditions and their parents would be like don't talk to them they are your competition and that's a fucked up way to raise their kids. I was never forced to do it; I chose to do it just like I chose to do music. It was something I wanted to do and my parents were supportive of it. I was so young I didn't understand why I didn't get jobs. I was too young to understand it. I remember I did one commercial and I got a fever, because child stars work really long hours and it was really cold outside. I got a fever working these insane hours and my mom said that's it you're done.
I watched a few videos and read a few interviews before doing this and I was struck by something, in I think it was a Nylon interview, that I was wondering if this piece of information was true or not, it looked like it was said in jest. In a video interview you talked about Bob Bruno being your babysitter. Was Bob Bruno ever actually your baby sitter?
I hate to crush everyone's dreams but it's not true. Bob wanted us to keep it going, but I feel bad about lying. Like you said it was a Nylon interview and they do this thing where they research your band and ask you about it and in the end they want an unknown fact. I couldn't think of anything. My name is always mispronounced so my fact was going to be the proper way to say and spell it. They wanted me to do something else and they were just like make something up. Bob and I had been joking about him being my babysitter earlier in the day, because he's like ten years older than me and I guess he could have been my babysitter. So they were rolling and I said it and it made it onto the video. A lot of people have been asking about it.
I know you’re a big Beach Boys fan. What's the coolest Beach Boys item you own?
Actually I bought a copy of Endless Summer and it's really old. It had the original poster with the album and it's dated like 1974. I actually hung the poster on the wall in my bedroom. I was a little unsure if I wanted to because I had to poke four little holes in the poster.
What is the coolest clothing item you own (or have ever owned)?
My style has changed a lot throughout my life, now I basically wear a lot of black. My mom got me the cape for Christmas and it's fleece, has a hood, and keeps you really warm. It rained here for two weeks and my house gets really cold so it kept me warm. It's kind of a fashionable sunggie. I'm into weird sports clothes. I have a humongous Lakers jersey. I had a Shaq jersey, but I think I sold it on eBay.
Who is one artist people wouldn't expect that you like?
I don't have any guilty pleasures. If I like something I'm vocal about it. I like Miley Cyrus. She may not write all her own music, but I think she's written a couple. I legitimately like Party In The USA. I watch a lot of TV and I really like Hannah Montana. I'm into mainstream rap. I like artists like Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, and T.I. Lil Wayne is so cool he doesn't write his lyrics down and most of it is freestyle. Some music snobs will never admit to liking certain things, but I'm vocal about what I like. I like a lot of mainstream radio. I don't understand stuff like 3Oh!3, LMFAO, Brokencyde, stuff like that. I just figured out LMFAO was nominated for a Grammy and I thought that was disgraceful. I draw the line at music like that. When I first heard Brokencyde and seen the videos I thought it was a joke, but whatever more power to them. That kind of music to me is absurd. Like I said though I'm more of a mainstream radio person and I'm not afraid to admit to it.
I read in an interview that you said if you could be asked any question it would be about cats. So these are the Best Coast Cat Questions:
Heathcliff or Garfield? And why?
Garfield absolutely. My cat is modeled after Garfield. I'm obsessed with Garfield. He's a great comic. He's a fucking lazy cat that eats lasagna. I wanted a cat that was very similar to Garfield and I feel like my cat knew and just went with it. Garfield is awesome he's lazy and sleeps late. Those are two things I enjoy.
Best cat toy you’ve ever purchased?
I got this weird tunnel thing from The Goodwill. It's a tube with a hole in the top. It makes a crunchy sound when he walks through it. I thought he would really like it because he's always jumping in holes, like grocery bags and stuff, but at first he wouldn't go in it. My friend Andrew was over and got him interested in it and it's really cute to see him in it. The only annoying thing about it is the crunchy sound it makes and I can hear it all night when he's going through it at like 4 a.m. I bought him a scratching post and he doesn't use that, so it's nice to know he uses at least one thing I've bought him.
Have you ever seen the Broadway play Cats?
No, I haven't. I've seen clips of it and it's kind of scary looking. I had an awesome looking Cats shirt, the one with the eyes, but I lost it.
Complete the joke: Two cats walk into a bar...
I don't know. This is going to take a minute. I'm sure later on in the day I'll think of something really good to say. This won't be funny to anyone else, but the image of it is funny to me. I guess just two cats walk into a bar and have a drink. Two cats named Garfield walk into a bar order a Budweiser and eat their lasagna leftovers.
Check Out Best Coast at SXSW and for the latest Best Coast News Check Out Bethany's personal blog: www.blogspot.com/bestycoasty
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