Sometimes you can come across a musical project that encapsulates the fun we all have in our lives which then instantly becomes a soundtrack to get you through your daily grind. We were lucky at the back end of 2009 to discover that more of this fun we speak of was bubbling away in a remote studio down South in the magical island of the Isle of White, so welcome to the world of Boe Weaver, where 3D sunglasses are needed just to understand the madness of what is being concocted.
They are currently working on a new project with some of Hip Hop’s biggest names to create a psychedelic/rap/soundtrack masterpiece and are also working with some new vocal discoveries from their trips across the net. In the time it has taken to put this project together, they have recorded close to 30 pieces of music, reworked and remixed everybody from Cee Lo to Paolo Nutini to Temper Trap and even Tom Jones. Lots of people are whispering their names right now, here’s your chance to hear why…
Please explain the world of Boe Weaver in one line…
Boe weaver spit out pure acid freak soundtrack music for monster movies!
Is Boe Weaver a force like Jedi or indeed some dude who lives in a grannie flat on the Isle of White?
It’s both. Yoda ended up hiding in a swamp and we do kinda the same thing…the only difference is that we run everything through a space echo and don’t hang about with a post car crash Mark Hamill. Now you mention it, we do wear dressing gowns and smell like wee… just like a Jedi.
Explain who is behind the project and how it was formed...
Hello, we are the brothers Homes aka boe weaver. Our tracks started as studio production techniques and transformed into songs. (Songs with no words).
Do you play live?
Nope. Not yet anyway.
What’s the connection with Cherrystones?
Our manager swaps music with him, we listen to it.
Is Boe Weaver a full time meal or a side dish?
Boe Weaver is the cheeky mars bar on the way home from dinner = Boe weaver is our creative reaction to the bland music we record for a living.
You have remixed a few records, does Bertie Big Balls always get what he wants on his terms?
Bertie Big Balls is a like watching a documentary on our working life. A&R men really are like that kids! Go work in a bank.
We think you should take him on in a brand new viral episode…
Taking him on in the real world was enough for us… we won btw.
What approach do you have to remixes compared to your own music, do you find it a challenge or just fun to fuck about with other people’s art?
Remix work is not comparable to our music. We ALWAYS have to pull back a bit (there are lots of people to make happy on a remix). Boe Weaver remix’s are like a dirty affair… Its seems like a sexy idea, but in the cold light of day your are just left feeling used and violated. Ha ha ha! Violated with a fuzz pedal. We have a simple format for remixes, we throw away everything (except the vocal) and re-make the song as we hear it.
Which ones were fun and what’s coming up?
They are all fun, getting something good out of something not good is always a challenge.
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Vu records, is this your own label? Do you think that in the future more people will just release their own records rather than hawk a dying industry that was never prepared for new media and still isn’t
Big labels are like graveyards. Full of zombies! If you have the money or (the backing) then setting up and releasing a record is nothing you can’t do on your own, More and more people will do it im sure.
Production is obviously important to you, how technical do you guys get in the studio? Would you say you were nerds?
We are nerds. FACT. We love obsessing about sounds. The technical aspect is foreign to us, its all trial and error. That’s the only way to get something interesting – listen to things. We are quick once we are recording. A Boe Weaver song is a one-day write, record and mix.
What’s the longest time spent on a particular sound you have tried to either re-create or invent a noise you have identified for a particular song?
All the best noises happen by accident… leave a pedal in line or record the wrong mic etc.. If we are trying to recreate a sound we do it in a workshop so it doesn’t ruin a sessions flow.
If you had to list a favourite production expert from over the years who would be your top choice?
Oooooooooo, that’s hard! Bob Rock? Ha ha ha!
Movies are obviously an influence on your music, I get a mix of Bruce Lee, Hammer House and Russ Meyer as images when I hear your music, do you also get the Horror licks with Kung Fu style Big Tits connection or is there another mix of films you come up with when looking back on your sound?
You’re pretty much bang on it. We see it more as mysterious cities of gold intro with an Ulysses middle eight. It’s hero music! They are all themes for your hero’s out there!
Your music feels like it is screaming out for vocals, will the follow up to this mini album feature a vocalist for the band or guests?
The more people bang on about vocals the less we feel like doing them – we are working on it though. We are in the process of making a choir, “the choir of dead” to be exact – a little like the witches in ghouls but with the Wolf Man, Baron Greenback and the guy from Focus thrown in. The choir is on the second record we are working on.
Your Ghouls video was made on the cheap, we heard rumours of 90p?! Is this a new wave of economy indie?
Videos are dull to make, we decided to have fun while doing it. A green screen and dumb animal masks helped that along…to be honest it was £10.90. (£10 for masks, 90p for clothes pegs to hold up green screen!)
Do you have to watch it in 3D glasses to get the best out of it?
You have to be using ‘Boe Vision’, ask your local spec savers about the option next time you get a trendy pair of NHS specs.
Boe Weaver “Ghouls” from VU Records on Vimeo.
You obviously love the psychedelic aspect of life, is 2010 the year that will bring the Nuggets back out into the mix?
I hope not (puts on his best Shoreditch voice) “we wont like it once everyone else does”.
Name 5 recording artists that you cannot live without…
Link Wray
Archie Bronson Outfit
Ennio Morricone
Pete Reno
The Sonics
We can hear your music all over raw skateboarding due to the lack of vocal interruptions and general flow, is this an area you want to explore moving forward?
We both grew up on skate VHS’s and all joking aside it’s something we think about when we do a track..’would it work on a skate promo…’ To hear our music on a production would be grand!
I take it you are aware of the Wight Trash skate movement on the Isle?
We are close friends with John the owner. It’s his camera we borrowed to film the Ghouls vid.
How can you skateboard with massive panda heads on?
Sitting down, in a ‘true toys down a hill’ kinda way.
What’s the reaction of people in the local supermarket when you guys roll in for some fresh meat dressed in bear suits?
This is the IOW, they don’t even blink.
Finally, who would win if Boe Weaver were put up for a fight with Wolf People and the Gaslamp Killer?
Hmmm, can we have a clock tower and a Parker Hale Model 85?
Any last words?
Hum Hum Chuff Chuff
Boe Weaver’s exotic, psychedelic debut album is out now on Vu Records and will be your new favourite album of 2010. Visit their myspace for the sweets and i-tunes to pick one up.
That’s right Heshers, it’s a night of Thrash Metal in the Engine Room, and there’s a decent turnout considering it’s a shit awful cold and windy Monday… so let’s mosh.
Having given birth to the likes of Arab Strap, The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Twilight Sad, it’s fair to say Scotland’s musical heritage (albeit great) is centred around some pretty miserable sounding bands. In fact, if your only knowledge of Scotland was its music, you’d be forgiven for thinking the country was a pretty glum and depressing place to live. This is where Errors step in to correct those misconceptions.