Big Eyes by Pete Mella With the eccentric and enchanting Big Eyes ready to release their latest album, 'We Have No Need For Voices When Our Hearts Can Sing', L2SB fired some questions to the band's mastermind James Green.   How does the new album differ from previous Big Eyes records?    The approach to song-writing was less standard on this record than previous albums. Some songs took nearly 2 years to emerge in their complete form, whereas others were recorded and mixed within a week of the album being complete. After the last album, ‘Love is Gone Mad’, I wanted to experiment more with song structures. A lot of that album was recorded with a vision to playing them “live”, but with ‘We have no…’ I wanted bigger string sections in some parts, and instrumentation that wasn?t restricted by what we could do ‘live’. This album is also the first one that David has had a major contribution to. It is also the first time brass has featured on any Big Eyes material too, and I think Terry Edwards really blew us away with his contribution to that song!    It states on your website that it’s the last album featuring the old Big Eyes line-up. Why is this?    I think after 4 albums with the same line-up, I, and everyone else needed a change! There was no falling out or anything, and I wouldn’t rule out working with any of the group again. Things have to change though, otherwise the music can get stagnant. David and myself are currently working on new material, but under the name ‘The Big Eyes Ensemble’.    Big Eyes started off as a personal project of yours. With the addition of additional players did it become a more democratic unit or was it always your band?    I think it was quite clear from the start that ‘Big Eyes’ was my baby, but I guess things have got a little more democratic with people contributing ideas more and more as things have progressed. I guess I have a single-minded vision of how things should sound, but anyone involved has always known the score. Mind you, I don’t think I’m the easiest person to work with sometimes!    The new material is a lot more collaborative, however, but I’ll come on to that later.    With rare exceptions, Big Eyes’ music is instrumental. Was the absence  of vocals a conscious decision, and if so, why?    The absence of vocals was conscious, yes. My mission, initially, was to create “classical music”, from the position of someone who knew very little about the genre (apart from being bombarded by Elgar at a very early age). I really like the idea of “Naïve” or “Outsider” art, just putting your head down and doing something you love, without being swayed or influenced by anything specifically. There are some vocals on the new album, but they’re only really used as another instrument, not as something that the music is ‘backing’.    As a very distinct band, who do you see as Big Eyes’ main influences and peers?    Hard to say really… Initially, people like Tindersticks, Nick Drake and Tom Waits inspired me to start the project, but since, it has become less clear, and more of an internal thing. I’m really inspired working with David. He comes from a much more historically ‘trained’ background, and really is an amazing guitarist.    Are peers people that you admire? If so, other than the above I guess I would consider people like Dirty Three, Clogs, Eric Friedlander, Rachels, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Penguin Café Orchestra, Nick Cave, Nico, Bablicon, Will Oldham, Alasdair Roberts... I think I’ll stop there!    A while back you stopped performing live with Big Eyes as a full band. Why was this?    I think my answer to question 2 answers this one really. We had toured with the 6-piece line-up for 3 years or so and it just seemed long enough. Most of the shows were really good fun, but after the last gig, it felt like a good time to put in a full-stop. It felt like we had pushed things as far as they could go with that line-up, and there seemed little sense in just continuing for the sake of it.      How did the Big Eyes Duo gigs go, and can you tell us a bit about the forthcoming ‘Incredulous Broken Big Eyes Ensemble’ gigs?    The ‘Duo’ gigs, on the whole, were great. It was a little scary with just two of us on-stage, but the whole process has definitely improved my guitar-playing! We played all over the country between last September and December, but I think the best show was in Sheffield with Alan Sparhawk. The Memorial Hall was quite an amazing venue. I’d really love to play there again sometime.    We recorded quite a few of the shows, so at some point we may collate the best versions of the live stuff and put out a ‘Big Eyes Duo’ release.    ‘Thee Incredulous Broken Big Eyes Ensemble’ is a new group. It features myself and David from Big Eyes, along with Brian Ellis (Acolytes Action Squad/Hot Snack), Andres Sotorrio (Bingo Jesus), Matt Howden (Seiben/solo), J “Chrome” Smith (The Evil Me/Truckstop Women) and Lindsay Aitkenhead (East-Handed/Tashbain). It will be quite a different thing, but using similar instrumentation to Big Eyes. We will be playing improvised drone music with all sorts of things going on! There is quite a range of musical backgrounds of the people involved, so it will be interesting to see how it will all fit together.    I’m really excited about the first show! It is at the Grapes on Sat 17th April.    Your solo album is released in June. How will this compare with Big Eyes’ music?    To me, it seems very different, but maybe someone familiar to Big Eyes music may spot a similarity in style. The solo recordings were put down during a series of quite intense recording sessions last year. I gave myself instructions before I started, I guess in rather a Dogme kind of way, and stuck to them, no matter how frustrated I became by the process.    Firstly I was only to use 2-track recording. Secondly there was to be no practicing. Thirdly, I was allowed only 2 attempts at each track. If I made a mistake I threw away the recording straight away, and started a new song. Lastly, I would record only with a nylon-string/classical guitar and no other instruments.    It was quite a liberating way of working, but at the same time, very focussing.    It?’ also your first release on your own label, ‘Early Winter Recordings’. Do you plan on releasing material by any other bands?    Not sure yet. I am hoping to record the ‘T.I.B.B.E.E’ show, and if it turns out ok, I’d really like to release that. No other plans really, its early days…      Apart from everything already mentioned, what are the future plans and ambitions, for you as Big Eyes and as a solo artist?    Well, as I mentioned before, David and myself have been recording new material for the ‘Big Eyes Ensemble’ project. It is much more of a collaborative project, much less directed by myself and involves contributions from several wonderful new musicians! There are about 40 new songs now, including material we have been working on with Jeremy Barnes (A Hawk and A Hacksaw / Bablicon / Neutral Milk Hotel). He has laid down some percussion tracks and somepiano/accordian bits too. He truly is an inspired/inspiring musician, and  I feel very lucky to have worked with him.     We’ve also recently got Suzy Mangion from George to put a guest vocal down on a country track that we have recorded. She has a lovely voice, if you haven’t heard George, you  should check out their album on Pickled Egg called ‘The Magic Lantern’. It’s beautiful. We are also about to start working on recordings with viola/violinist Lindsay Aitkenhead and possibly Matt Howden too. What we do with this new material is another matter, but for now we are very happy to just keep ploughing along with our heads down!    Solo-wise, aside from the mini-album, I have contributed a song to a compilation that will be released by Leeds label, Misplaced Music in June 2004. It is a benefit album to raise money for two animal shelters in Leeds, both whom are really struggling to keep going. Other artists featured are Hood, Alasdair Roberts, Lucky Luke, Low, and Vibracathedral Orchestra, so I reckon it will do pretty well! I hope so anyway.    Apart from that, there is another ‘Big Eyes Duo’show in Leeds at the Packhorse on 6th April supporting Charlie Parr.    ’We Have No Need For Voices When Our Hearts Can Sing’ is released on Pickled Egg on 3rd March.   February 26, 2004 11:14pm