INTERVIEW BY JOE FITZPATRICK
PHOTOS BY ENGIN TANIS
United in a love for whiskey, Lost Dog pizza, and binge watching episodes of “X-Files” on Netflix, STATIC SCENE formed in the summer of 2012. The three-piece indie/post-rock band from McLean consists of vocalist/guitarist Zach Caulkins, guitarist Greg Savage , bassist Dann Maher, who also plays in SOUNDTRACK TO SLEEP, and drummer Ryan Burke. According to DC Rock Live, “this band should appeal to heavier indie rock fans, shoegazers, and anyone who appreciates loud quality music…clearly these guys know their sound and even more importantly, something about song craft.” The quality of their music, as well as mutual friends, is the primary reason we reached out to Savage. We spoke with them about the band’s upcoming debut EP, their love for house shows, and their perspective on the local music scene.
What is the meaning behind your band name STATIC SCENE?
Ryan: There is no really specific meaning, but when we started the band, the songs we were writing reminded me of still life portraits.
Zach: People always ask if we used a band name generator (laughs).
Ryan: When just Greg and I were living together, we operated under the name STANDARD for a while.
Greg: We would text each other about 100 band names per day, but we thought they all sucked until we settled on this one. Sometimes we get complaints from people that think we are saying that the local music scene is static, but we don’t think thats the case.
That’s what I thought it meant, but thanks for the clarification. Since you brought it up, do you think the local music scene needs improving?
Ryan: I think there are awesome pockets. For example, The Lab and Paperhaus has a pretty devoted following, but bands that play at Paperhaus don’t play at The Lab, and vice versa. Everyone is doing their own thing, but there isn’t any beef between the two scenes or anything.
If you could improve one thing about the Virginia music scene, what would you suggest?
Greg: I think the best way would be for all the groups to commingle and hope more people would branch outside what they are comfortable with.
Can you tell me what your song “Eye for an Eye” is about?
Zach: I write the words, but I usually just use my gut instinct of what I am feeling at the time. I’m usually just yelling out and even making up words at times. So I can’t really say what it’s about.
Why is the Czech Republic included as a tag on your Bandcamp page?
Ryan: When I was setting up the page, it popped up, but I had no idea how to get it off there. Maybe it was the time zone? Who knows? Maybe we will get a lot of fans in the Czech Republic (laughs).
How much progress have you guys made on your debut EP?
Ryan: We have been slowly going into the studio. We started in June, and we have another session in a couple weeks.
Zach: We have learned a lot and wasted a lot of time. Some of the songs have even changed in the process, which meant we had to re-record them. It’s been a tough process, but we will be much more prepared next time.
Have you set a release date for it?
Greg: We are shooting to finish recording in late February or early March. Then it will be mixed and mastered, and we will release it in April. Our friend Ben Green plays in a band called FAIRWEATHER, and we are recording it with him at Studio V in Herndon.
I have noticed that you guys love to play house shows. Do you have another one coming up anytime soon?
Greg: We play a lot of house shows because we all live together, and we have another one on February 15th. Its open to anyone, but we don’t want to publish it online because some of our friends have had police bust them that way. (You can message the band on their Facebook page if you are interested in attending.) For the show on the 15th we will be playing with LUCY IN BATTLE ARMOR from Richmond and SOUNDTRACK TO SLEEP, who are from this area. Our new bassist Dan Maher also plays in SOUNDTRACK TO SLEEP. We have been told that even without a bassist we have filled out the space pretty well [when playing shows], but adding Dan makes it just that much better.
Other than people’s houses, what are some of your favorite local venues to play at?
Ryan: CD Cellar. We really like that spot. In terms of sound, Velvet Lounge is great. However, we’ve only played there during the week, and it’s been harder to get people to come out to DC [on a weekday]. We played Velvet recently with MAMMOTH INDIGO from Harrisonburg, and they are awesome. We are talking about setting up a tour with them. Old Firehouse in Fairfax is pretty cool too.
You guys already mentioned some already, but who are some of your favorite local bands or solo artists?
Ryan: TIDELAND is an incredible band. Check them out! WALK THE PLANK [is also really good]. Our friend Hilary plays in a cool band called PENDRIFTER from Fairfax. EAST GHOST from DC are good friends of ours too, and they have a new record coming out soon. Much sooner than us (laughs).
