OK Go talks to triplew.me

In one of this month’s international features, triplew.me catches OK Go’s drummer Dan Kanopka to talk about the new album, staying fresh and sane on the road and downloading.

OK Go has a tough act to follow.  Their last album, Oh No, was received by fans and critics alike as one of the best albums of 2006, with the hit single (and THAT treadmill video) ‘Here It Goes Again’. The band last year hit the studio for the follow-up with famed producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah).  The result was ‘Of The Blue Color Of The Sky’, their latest album, of which regional radio has been featuring the track 'This Too Shall Pass'.

Recently splitting from their major label, constant touring and releasing another brilliant album (see our review here) has meant a big year for OK Go. We catch Dan between gigs in the US to talk about the recording of the album and just what it is that makes OK Go tick.

You’ve just formed your own label, Paracadute. Tell us the best thing about being out of the label and release cycles?

The freedom. We're free to release pretty much anything we want when we want - music, videos, tshirts, whatever.  On a big label there are many different people involved in every decision that's made, and it can slow things down or even stop things up.  Paracadute is a tiny company and it makes decisions fast that can execute very fast as well.

After the success of Oh No and years of touring, how difficult was it to refresh yourself, write Of The Blue Colour of the Sky and hit the studio?

After the years of touring on Oh No, we took about 6 months off to decompress. When the writing process kicked back in we allowed to roll-out our song writing differently than before.
Basing our songs off of simple grooves and bass-lines. The ideas/songs weren't fully formed like they used to be. We did most of the song structure writing while we were in the studio.

Did you intentionally go for a more textured/layered sound (e.g. This Too Shall Pass, White Knuckles, End Love, Back From Kathmandu) on this album?

We definitely wanted to spread out sonically on this record. Our previous records had a very dense, "on the speaker" kind of sound to me.  We knew we wanted to allow these new songs to have more depth to them - more atmosphere, and that's pretty much why we chose Dave Fridmann as producer. A lot of his records have a special atmosphere about them, and we knew he would get the balance we were looking for.

What was it like to work with Dave?

Working with Dave was really an amazing experience. Dave has an incredible understanding of the studio he operates. There probably isn't a sound he couldn't achieve at Tarbox Studios. On top of that he's a classically trained musician. He understands and can advise you musically, but at the same time knows exactly when to let things happen on their own.

Anyone you’d like, or want, to work with next?

I honestly would like to work with Dave again. I feel like we were just getting it all (the studio, the music, our rolls in the process) figured out by the time we were finishing up. Now that I know him and his studio well, I think we could make an even more fulfilled record.

How do you stay sane on the road?

Well each of us have different ways to stay sane. For me the important thing is to find time for myself. An hour or two a day away from the other band guys, or the club, or the bus, maybe at a coffee shop, is enough to pull my head out of the haze of touring. Thank God for video Skype! Being able to see my wife when we talk really helps keeping me sane.

Your music videos are amazing and are a great example of how bands and artists can use the internet to great effect. How do you come up with your ideas?

For our music videos, the ideas usually come from one of us in the band, or from friends and families. We're always open to great ideas for music videos. We take our making our videos just as seriously as any other artwork we make. If the video idea is good and we feel like we can make it work, we'll try it.

Are you involved in the story-board process for the videos?

Everyone in the band is involved in almost all the elements of the video production. Some of us are better at certain aspects than others, but since we're such a small operation, we all pitch in where we can....continues after video....

Check out Dan Vs Animal from The Muppets in a staring contest:

As masters of self-made online marketing, what’s your opinion on the of downloading music?

In regards to downloading music without paying, I have to admit I do that... I do it all the time. I've taken loads of music from friends off their ipods. Although, If I want something right away or if I want whatever comes with the purchase, art or what-have-you, I buy it.  There isn't really anything we can do to stop illegal downloading. Once non-degenerating recorded formats came into the picture (cd's, mp3's, etc) you knew the goose was cooked.

What plans do you have for Paracadute in the future?

Right now I think we're going to just keep our heads down and focus on finishing out this record. The idea that we can do pretty much whatever we want next is quite thrilling - I'm excited to see what's next.

What advice can you give to up-and-coming bands?

1. Try to keep your artwork the main focus. If you focus on money or fame first, it will be an empty ride, and you'll probably never get it.
2. Always keep making the best stuff you possibly can, as much as you can. The more the better, but it has to be your best.

Have you ever been to the Middle East?  If not, we’d love to see you out here...

We would absolutely love to come out by you for a gig!

What is OK Go listening to at the moment?

We're all very into a new band called Surfer Blood, and their record Astro Coast.

Would you rather permanent day or constant night?

I think I'd go with permanent day.

OK Go’s ‘Of The Blue Color Of the Sky’ is out now through Paracadute Recordings and available at Virgin Megastores in the Middle East, and digitally from amazon.com.

Check out the new video for the new single, End Love here: