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midnight movies
The natural and the unearthly share space with L.A.’s
elegant surrealists.
Words: alexander posell photo: marc goldstein
During the day, the modern world and its straight
lines prevail–money and machines, time and technology,
order and organization… but after dark,
the winds of the imagination come into play. In
the middle of the night, strange creatures appear,
unusual events occur, familiar objects take on new
aspects, the real becomes the ethereal.
Like a story told in the late hours, the music
on Midnight Movies’ self-titled debut conjures
these dreamlike images–autumn mists at twilight,
hazy, multi-shaded tableaus, psychedelic colors
and shapes. Their name comes from a book about
‘60s-era underground films, and it fits perfectly
with their spacey, kaleidoscopic sound. Far from
presenting some sort of contrived image, however,
the band’s style comes simply from a natural ease
between its members. Having met through musicians’
wanted ads, they originally got together as
a group of six, but quickly whittled themselves
down to three whose visions and aesthetics
aligned effortlessly.
Midnight Movies is a first for two of its members–drummer/singer
Gena Olivier and keyboardist/guitarist
Jason Hammons had never been in
serious bands before, having both previously been
involved in electronic projects. Their prior experience
makes itself plain on the album, as Hammons’
pulsating synth tones and lush keyboard landscapes
blend seamlessly with Olivier’s vocals
and Larry Schemel’s reverberating guitars. The
result A moving, hauntingly ethereal cult thriller
soundtrack that is as palpably vibrant on record as
it is on stage.
Their conspicuous live presence has helped
contribute to the buzz surrounding the band–
Hammons plays with a laptop but, preferring to
keep the human element as tangible as possible,
uses almost no sequences. Schemel tackles his
instrument like a man on a mission, and the sight
of Olivier crooning in her eerie tone while briskly
pounding her kit is both electrifying and exhilarating.
Though the music itself is otherworldly, the process
by which it comes about is surprisingly natural.
The band members, in their own words, don’t “try”
to write music, they simply allow the songs to come
into being. Schemel says the songs can come from
anything: “…other music, dreams, art–we’ll all
write parts and kind of flesh out the idea. It’s like
we’re creating this little creature.”
Midnight Movies is available now on Emperor Norton/Rykodisc.
www.midnightmovies.net
Midnight Movies: Larry Schemel, Jason Hammons, and Gena Olivier
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