On Laughter, Pain and Dread ... Himalayan Bear Interview

The December issue of !Earshot will include my recent piece on Victoria's Himalayan Bear (who, in case you haven't heard yet, released one of my fav's of the year in ...Attacks the Brilliant Air). I had the chance to interview Ryan Beattie a few weeks back for the article and have posted it below unedited. He's writing to me from Italy, where he is currently touring with Frog Eyes. It's always exciting when an artist you appreciate so much also appears to conduct himself well in interviews. Enjoy!

JF: You're currently on tour with Frog Eyes. How has the tour gone thus far? Is this the first time you're touring overseas?

RB: This is the first time I've toured overseas. I'm enjoying it much more than touring in North America. The food is better. People that come to a show listen more. There is very little pretense to what happens at a show. We just got to Italy after a show in Moscow. It was one of the best shows I've ever played. People were just so appreciative and receptive. Obsessed Russian Frog Eyes dudes. We got quite drunk on Vodka with members of the Latvia National Opera that night and almost missed our flight out of the country the next day. That is, if it weren't for an angry German booking agent yelling "come on Ryan, we don't have time for this dilly dallying. Get on the bus!" A hangover caused me to laugh uncontrollably while my head was splitting with pain and crushing dread. It was all pretty funny and Christian, our booking agent whom I spoke of, is top drawer. Also, I mean, there are some pretty beautiful places here. We are currently driving through the Italian Alps. It beats the Midwest any day.

JF: With both Himalayan Bear and Chet you have a significant role in the songwriting process. This doesn't seem to be the case when playing with Frog Eyes. How has it been working with a band that's not being directed by yourself?

RB: It's helping me tremendously. Playing in someone else's boat has cleared the sense of stagnation that I tend to slump into. It's making me a better guitar player, at thrashing that is.

JF: Has there been a different response to your sets in Europe as there has been in North America?

RB: It seems totally random. On the one hand you have some shows where there is an attentive adoring audience who truly is there for music. Then on other nights it is more of a feeling that people are just going out to see what's happening at the club they go to and "what's this? It's a band from North America? They're ok. Can I have a beer?"

JF: Looking at the lyrical aspects of your work, it's fairly clear that your surroundings have a significant impact on the direction your lyrics take. How has touring across Europe impacted your music?

RB: I'm not doing much writing. There is not time…we ran through Florence the other day. Mike and I had a lovely street lunch in some beautiful alley then walked out upon Piazza del Doumo. In all honesty I write more about things that relate to things at home when I'm away on tour. I've never really considered myself to be a crack lyricist. There are so many of my friends that are really beautiful writers. Coming from Vancouver Island does tend to seep heavily into a lot of people's music.

JF: Coming back to '... Attacks the Brilliant Air' (which I find absolutely stunning by the way), given the fact that the album was released at a similar time as Chet's 'Fight Against the Darkness.' How have you found the two to play off each other? What has been some of the differences between working as a solo project and working in a full band setting?

RB: The last time Frog Eyes toured North America, I was able to open the Canadian shows which worked really good. I'd never really given thought to the idea of a Himalayan bear tour. Himalayan bear has been something that I do in between Chet albums. That tour gave it a sense of seriousness to me. There were people that knew of the record and came to see me play. I've anticipated recording another record ever since. Still, having a band is way better. Guy with a guitar gets old pretty fast.

JF: I've found the songs on '... Attacks the Brilliant Air' are longer and much more open-ended than those on 'Lo Lonesome Island'. Was there a deliberate attempt on your part to be more exploratory on your new album, or did it just kind of happen that way?

RB: The main reason for the way the songs are structured was the location we were recording. My friends Kate and Ben use to run a bookstore in Victoria that had 25 foot ceilings. They let me record there at night and I had a long time to do it. It sounded so beautiful in there, especially the organ that I ended up adding these long droning passages simply because I enjoyed listening to the room. The space conducted the performance and ultimately arranged the songs.

JF: Victoria seems to be pumping out awesome album after awesome album lately. Whether it's the 'madman in the basement' aesthetic of Frog Eyes, the country charm of Carolyn Mark, or the almost-straight-up pop frenzy of Run Chico Run, Victoria seems to be a great place to be a songwriter right now. How has being part of such a vibrant and supportive musical community in Victoria impacted your songwritting?

RB: I'm really more antisocial these days and tend not to see people that much. But a few years ago it was great to have all these buds around that played music and made records. It is always easy to find someone to play on a record or find big groups to sing gang chorus'. I think 75 percent of the albums recorded in Victoria last year had some kind of gang chorus on it. It's time to move on.

JF: What plans to you have coming up (recording or touring-wise)?

RB: When I get home from tour, I'll be starting a Himalayan bear record with my bud Tolan who has a studio in a cabin in his back yard. He's recorded most of the Frog Eyes, Chet and Carolyn Mark albums. Chet is going to release an album on the San Fransisco label Absolutely Kosher. Frog Eyes tours in the spring as well as Chet.