David Kelley's best writing tends to come out of the late night/early morning hours, hence his bands name, 2 A.M. Orchestra --who in three years have gone from quirky Ben Folds Five-type jingles to a full on "do it yourself," indie rock band.
With the new album, "Impermanence," set for release in April--you will surely be hearing more from David, Aaron and Randy in the near future.
Souls & Sounds.com spent some time at the local coffee chill spot (The Revue in the Tower District of Fresno) with David and Aaron of 2 A.M. Orchestra to chat about the new album and the new changes with the band.
Ladies and Gents......This is 2 A.M. Orchestra!
S&S-Paul: How long have you been playing together and are you guys originally from Fresno?
David: I am.
Aaron: I'm originally from Ventura.
David: I've played together with Aaron and Randy since high school (Hoover High). I met Randy in my freshman year. Aaron, I met at church when I was a sophomore.
S&S-Raina: So what have you guys been up to lately?
David: Well, we did a little bit of recording and got some new songs down. Just in the last three weeks we've been on the road doing the Northwest loop--Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho....
Aaron: Utah, Colorado....
David: Yeah, we went, got really cold and now we're so glad to be back!
S&S-Raina: You guys already have a fan base over there then?
David: We've toured over there before, so we made a point to repeat the same area.
S&S guest interviewer-Richard: How is this (new) album different from your previous effort?
David: The first record was done in 2001 and the music has definitely changed since then. It was a lot more mellow. Also with the first album it was just me under the name 2 A.M. Orchestra. Now that we're playing together as a band, the sound has changed into more of a rock sound.
S&S guest interviewer-Richard: Do you feel more comfortable musically doing this sophomore album, Impermanence?
David: To be perfectly honest, I've worked on it for so long and I'm so close to it that I'm to the point of relying on other peoples ears. We're finishing the mastering of it next week and I've listened to it so many times it's just one of those things that I've become close to...but I'm definitely proud of it. It's definitely put our music in a new direction and I think it makes sense, the flow from the first album to this one. Different in a good way.
S&S-Raina: Has your songwriting changed from the first album? Are you tackling new topics?
David: Actually, there is a consistency. Very recently though, it seems there has been a shift from the introspective--which the first record was all about, kind of figuring stuff out from within. Lately the focus has been more on storytelling--so it's gone from first person to third person in the writing aspect.
S&S-Raina: Who are your influences?
David: That's a hard one because I can only list who I like to listen to....like the oldies, I'd say for sure Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Radiohead is one of my favorite bands. Pedro and The Lion.
Aaron: I'd say Pedro and The Lion, Radiohead...I really love 80's music..The Cure, Depeche Mode, stuff like that. And then our drummer (Randy) is sort of like the school of rock...Perfect Circle, Tool, Soundgarden...
S&S-Raina: What's in the future for 2 A.M. Orchestra?
David: We'd like to do music full-time. Basically, we've come to the point where it's just become a financial issue. We'd like to tour alot more and record more...and we have, but we still have to come back to town and save up... that kind of a thing. What we'd like is to find some type of financial backing so we can work at our music full time. Whether that means a label or just better shows, I don't know.
Keep and eye for 2 A.M. Orchestra as they will be releasing their new album , Impermanence in April. Also, keep an ear out for the CD release party coming soon!
*** Photos on right, courtesy of John Paul Jones the great***
***Photos on left, courtesy of S&S-Paul Garcia***
