VI Interview: The Diggs

The Diggs are a New York City three piece that create anthemic and unabashedly emotional guitar rock.   I caught up with the band at BOA (on 11th and A) and enjoyed some conversation, a few drinks and the bartender’s perfectly sequenced playlist.

MP3 Masala: "Trouble Everyday"
MP3 Masala: "It's Just Like You Say"
MP3 Masala: "Everyone's Starting Over"

After a round of introductions, the discussion quickly turned to The Diggs’ massive, arena ready sound.  Their drone guitars -- lurking beneath delay saturated chords and distorted bass in “Trouble Everyday” -- remind me of bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, and I inquired after the extent to which those bands were stated influences.

“Sonic Youth definitely is,” vocalist and guitarist Tim Lannen told me.  “The first time I really heard My Bloody Valentine was in that Bill Murray movie in Japan, ‘Lost in Translation.’  But I did love that song, and you can really be influenced by just one track.  I love the way that one song sounds, and sometimes that’s all it takes to shape you.  Definitely Sonic Youth, though.”   

“You’re shaped by all of it,” bassist Rob Haussman added.  “I think that Tim is probably still influenced by Phil Collins in some way.  There’s probably a modge podge of influences that you aren’t even aware of.  Sonic Youth, Stone Roses are definite standouts, but stating influences is weird because I’m also influenced by The Misfits and Nina Simone, you know?”

Regardless of influences, the band’s success in attaining its melodramatic and emotional tone is predicated largely upon Tim’s aphoristic lyrical style.   “It's Just Like You Say” is a perfect example of Tim creating emotional imagery, leading the listener without pinning her down in that space.  He repeatedly declares, “It’s just like you say…your blood is in my veins,” a stylistically representative couplet that bears repetition and never breaks down in the ear. 

Take the jump for more with The Diggs...

“For me, I like the sound of certain things,” Tim offered.  “I hate telling stories; in fact I hate 99% of what I write.  I’m more melodically oriented, but I hear sentences in movies, or just walking around, and I feel like using them in a song.  I think it’s really cool when people tell me they like the lyrics, because I’m always like ‘lyrics aren’t everything.’  Half the time you can’t understand what people are saying, and I’m too self conscious to have a real point anyway.”

“But you come across really clearly,” answered Rob nearly reflexively.  “Which I’m sure is a blessing and a curse, but you can always understand what you are saying.  ‘Just Like You Say,’ that was the first time I realized that, lyrically, I just didn’t need to worry about what Tim was doing.  He had it covered.  I mean, I had written lyrics for that song, but that whole experience was my first and last lesson in ‘don’t ever…ever write lyrics.”  After some laughes, he added: “I had some ideas which were terrible, but by the end of that rehearsal Tim told me to 'play the bassline again,' and he just put together these lyrics-and all I could think was, ‘This is fucking great.”

The Diggs’ emphasis on craft and arrangement is especially evident on a track like “Trouble Everyday,” which begins with a simple guitar drone and builds to a stadium sized coda, propelled by drummer Charlie Schmid’s impressive facility.   When asked about their songwriting process, Haussman spoke to the various methods by which the band’s songwriting seeds germinate.  “Some of those songs we kicked around for a long time, some were just riffs for a long time.  There were lots of very precious elements that we tried to treat almost motherly, and nurture them.  The songs are credited to the band, and the ones that wow even us are a collaborative effort. 

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Sometimes Tim will have a verse and a chorus, a riff and a vocal line, and at others Charlie will come to me with an idea for the bass.  Some songs are put together in 20 mintues, and some take six months.  We just play through the ideas until we develop a personal relationship with them.”

The sound created through this collaborative and personal approach to writing is one that, though rooted in 90’s indie rock, defies easy characterization within NYC’s style and sound.  We finally discussed the issues that arise in forging one’s own path in a scene heavy city like ours. 

“We have had people turn their noses up for style reasons,” Rob intensely responded, “but when all is said and done, if you are focusing on that, you missed the point.  We aren’t trying to be ‘that’ because we have something better.  If you’re focused on the style of dress, you aren’t hearing the music.  And it’s finally coming around to a supportive place that people understand what we are trying to do.  We put more of our energy into writing good music than looking cool.”

“It comes down to whether you can pull it off live,” Tim coolly and confidently offered.  “For whatever reason, we are good live.  It’s an odd thing-we don’t practice to be good live, it’s just that something clicks.  And so long as you’re good live, you can do whatever the fuck you want.  You feel less self conscious, you feel less of the need to be a hipster socialite or something.  You’re free, cause you’re good.”

The Diggs debut album, Commute, is in its second pressing on Sugarspun Records.  Go see them this Thursday (2/16) at Northsix with Slowlands.

Comments

[blue99]

awesome interview. I am def gonna check these guys out at NorthSix on thurs. Cant wait to see them live!

[feenicks]

great interview. these guys r gonna hit it big time....

[sarab]

great interview...
the diggs sound awesome...i think i may need to scope out the show at North 6th!