Painted Palms may be Bi-Coastal, but Their Hearts are in SF.

March 02. 2016 | By Leslie Hampton

Noise Pop Painted Palms @ the Rickshaw Stop, SF 2/26/16

THE OWL MAG: We at The Owl Mag love Painted Palms and the new record. How has your writing progressed? Are you still sending stuff back and forth or are you doing more collaborations in person?

PAINTED PALMS: Thanks! We still write in pretty much the same way as we always have. Everything is still done remotely. For Horizons, there were a couple songs that we tried to refine in a live setting before recording them.

TOM: Do you look at a record as collection of songs or a group of songs with one concept in mind?

PP: It depends on the kind of record you’re trying to make. With Horizons we definitely made an effort to write a record with a very specific aesthetic, structurally / melodically / lyrically. But I don’t think there is any inherent value in that. We grew up right in the middle of a shift away from full length records into an MP3-centric / online music culture, so we see value in albums as both ‘collections’ and ‘concepts.’

TOM: In a time when it seems difficult to create something new, Painted Palms has created a recognizable sound. Is this something you sought out, or did it come naturally?

PP: A short answer to that question is that we sought it out. Reese spent a lot of time creating a very specific sound palette.

Noise Pop Painted Palms @ the Rickshaw Stop, SF 2/26/16

TOM: Do you feel there’s a big difference between playing venues in NYC and SF? What are some of your favorite spots in both cities?

PP: Yes, in my opinion there is a big difference. A good audience in SF has a kind of unbridled energy that is really fun, NYC is typically more reserved. Both ways have their charms. But a really energetic SF audience is our ideal environment to perform in.

Glasslands in Brooklyn was such a great venue, it’s sad that it’s gone. Mercury Lounge is rad. In SF, I think the Independent, Rickshaw Stop, and Bottom of the Hill are my favorite places to play.

TOM: Do you love burritos? Are you going to eat all the burritos while you’re in San Francisco?

PP: The first year that I lived in SF, I probably averaged 3 burritos per week. I took about 6 months off after that. I’ll probably have one while I’m in town 🙂

Painted Palms – Refractor

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