The Dreams in Their Heads: An Interview with BRAHMS

A few months back, Passion Pit stopped by our fair city and brought with them the relatively unknown BRAHMS. A wonderful show overall, but it was BRAHMS who served as the perfect foil for Passion Pit’s sugary sweet, love-stricken beats.

It’s been a little over a year since BRAHMS formed, and even less than that since they made their auspicious live debut to a crowd of over two thousand. Certainly, the band has something to prove and a style and sound that should be appreciated. The Brooklyn trio’s dark, brooding sound is reminiscent of early New Order, giving the audience that night a chance for some introspection before the collective emotional release that was Passion Pit’s performance.

I was given the opportunity to email some questions to the band, to which lead singer Michael Cale Parks (formerly of Aloha and also currently of White Williams) graciously replied.

SCR: You’re a pretty new band; in fact, barely half a year old. Tell us about how BRAHMS came to be.
Michael Cale Parks: I was playing solo music last year and after playing alone onstage for a while; I asked Eric [Lodwick] and Drew [Robinson] to join to help play my solo songs live last fall. Inevitable jamming and writing as a band occurred in these solo band rehearsals, so we changed the name and birthed the new with the new year.

How did you decide on the sound you wanted to create? Was it something that you knew from the start, or was it crafted after spending time and playing together?
Individually, we draw from a variety of influences. They manifest naturally when writing together, and the sound that comes out is simply whatever you’re feeling at that time. We don’t set out to sound a specific way.

NYC — Brooklyn, specifically — is an epicenter for a lot of creative energy. How much has the Brooklyn music scene or even Brooklyn itself influenced you?
You can find a lot of interesting gadgets on the NYC/Brooklyn Craigslist.

You’ve really hit the ground running, not only opening for Passion Pit a month after forming, but now touring with them across the country. How did you pair up with Passion Pit and how has the experience been for you?
The Passion Pit tour was perfect. They asked us to do the shows. Their crowds are nothing short of inspiring, as is every member of that band. Nicest people out there.

You guys are in the process of musically defining yourselves. What do you want your audience to understand and feel about your music?
We write to figure out our own feelings. They’re there to take what you will from them.

What should we be expecting from you in the short term and long term? Is an EP or LP in the works? Any artists you’d like to work with in the near future?
We’re writing and recording tons of new demos. The original demos on our Myspace and Website were recorded after we’d been a band for only one month. You can expect the new songs to be stronger and the new deeps to be deeper. No definitive release plans have been made. I personally have always wanted to collaborate with Trish from Broadcast. Who knows… END

Feature photo by Shawn Brackbill.