photos by Riki Feldmann
The Dark Reactions is a great project from Matt Biggers, who you will recognize as one of the players in L.S. Underground. The Dark Reactions is Biggers’ own project. There is no music available quite yet, but there will be soon. I was fortunate enough to get a few tracks from Matt, and I liked them so much I wanted to do an article with him. In addition he is a part of L.S. Underground and he is also at work on other projects with his buddy (and band mate) Josh Lory.
The Dark Reactions MySpace page lists the bands music as “an evolution of pioneering neo new wave/rock bands 101 and Soul Device. The first album from The Dark Reactions is in progress, but you can listen to the MySpace demos for now.” Below is a pretty in-depth interview with Matt about his band and what he does. Make sure to stop by The Dark Reactions MySpace site and say hello.
www.myspace.com/thedarkreactions
Can you tell me a bit about The Dark Reactions and how that came together?
To make a short story long, Soul Device and 101 (the two main groups I was in) had pretty much disbanded by 2001 and I was looking to start something new. It just so happened that the trend toward affordable home recording had begun around that time. So I walked into my local Guitar Center and stumbled upon a digital 8-track recorder which they were marketing toward musicians. I bought one and began recording idea after idea, song after song, and sometimes even alternate versions of the same song.
As with many musicians, recording seemed over my head before they actually came out with stuff that I could actually afford to put my hands on. So, being able to create my own multi-track recordings and develop new ideas at home instead of having to actually be physically present at a band practice is really what helped me write the songs.
After studying audio production for the last five years or so, and being on the “engineering side of the glass,” I have decided that it is finally time to take a break from the production side of things and finish The Dark Reactions album. Now I’m in the process of connecting up with a lot of really talented people to lay down tracks for this project. Josh Lory kind of woke me from my slumber when he asked me to lay down some tracks for the L.S. Underground album — for a long time prior to that I had my head in a book all the time.
Is the band just you or are there guest players as well?
Although the project just started with me and an 8-track, the 8-track recordings have now become pre-demos for what will be an album with lots of collaboration. I was a bit rigid and protective of this project at first just because it is so important to me. But I finally realized that the whole DIY concept was getting in the way of me finishing the album and being a one man army didn’t represent what the album is about. Releasing the engineering for the album alone has already lifted a great weight off of my shoulders and enabled me to focus on the music more.
What other projects outside of DR are you involved in?
You could say that I am a current member of L.S. Underground since I am on most of the songs on the album. Josh from L.S. Underground recently asked me to sing and play some guitar in project he started called The Bloody Strummers as well. Other than this, I work as an Independent music producer and freelance engineer with my production company, KTD Sound.
For people like myself (who don’t know), what does engineering entail?
Engineering is the technical part of the recording process – setting up microphones and getting all of the various pieces of equipment to work together nicely while capturing the essence of the music. With smaller studio budgets and more “one man” studios popping up nowadays, engineers tend to take on the role of producer as well, which is perfectly feasible in a small studio. A producer lends an objective musical ear. It is almost impossible for band members to produce their own stuff because it is almost impossible to be objective when you are in the band (not to say it can’t be done, but assistance is needed). And in a larger studio setup, engineers are preoccupied with the technical side of things, so giving any direction to the musicians is a lot to ask.
When did KTD start and what does it offer?
KTD started when I realized that being an independent producer and freelance engineer, rather than a staff engineer or producer, was for me. I am not the guy who wants to live on top ramen my whole life just so I can say I am a staff engineer at a big studio. I would open my own studio before I did that. Being freelance, I can actually work with artists and projects I am actually into, not just whoever happens to book time at the studio. My main interest on the engineering side of things is actually post-production sound for film, but there isn’t a lot of work for that in Northern California. So, the band books the studio of their choice and I produce or engineer the session – that’s pretty much what I do. What I have to offer is my experience, a very good aesthetic and great set of ears.
You said that Josh hooked you up with Knott for the L.S. Underground project?
Yes, he did. We’ve known each other for a long time and we seem to include each other on our musical endeavors a lot. I had been going to college for a few years and music was on the back burner. Josh kept telling me, “When this L.S. Underground thing comes together I definitely want you to lay down some tracks.” When I did actually get the call that Josh was ready to record, it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was kind of coming out of a slump during that time and recording really raised my spirits.
You play guitar on that release, anything else?
Nope, I just play guitar. I have always had my own projects and bands where I sing, but I have been involved in several where I just play guitar as well. I was a guitarist for years before I decided to sing, so doing either or is just as fun as doing both.
How was the experience of working with those guys (and Knott) on that release?
Honestly, I haven’t met anyone yet except Josh. We all live pretty far from each other – as you probably know, this kind of “distance” record making is getting more common for bands to do nowadays, with the internet and all. All I can say is that I got a copy of the skeleton of the songs with Mike playing bass and Jim on drums, and I was amazed. As many people know, Mike is an unbelievably good songwriter and Jim Chaffin already accented parts where I would have accented them with my guitar playing. It makes it really easy when you’re working with musicians of their caliber. I haven’t heard any of the other guys’ guitar work except Casey, and it was exceptional too. Rick I know has his project Hidden from Blackout which is great stuff and, last but certainly not least, it is of course an honor to be playing alongside Brian Doidge on a recording. I’ve always been a fan of his playing, especially on the Aunt Betty’s stuff.
What do you think about the upcoming record, how would you describe it?
The best way I can describe the new L.S. Underground record is diverse. You have Mike Knott, who is a diverse artist already, then you add all of these other people from different places with different experiences on top of that and you have quite a unique sounding record. As it says on the MySpace page too, this one is from the heart, and it shows in the music. I don’t think L.S. Underground fans will be disappointed one bit.
Where does the recording for Bloody Strummers stand?
Well, Josh just finished his solo punk, etc. project named Western Grace. He has been a fan of punk rock since before I have known him (about 15 years now) and this is the first album where he is the lead vocalist all the way through which is awesome because Josh likes writing lyrics and there is no more direct form of expression than singing your own songs. Likewise, I have been focusing a lot of time on The Dark Reactions, so we are waiting until we have got our solo projects out of the way then we are going to get going on it. I am looking forward to it!
How close are you to releasing something from The Dark Reactions?
I am giving it a few months because it went from a solo project to having a lot of different people on it just recently. The more people you add, the more schedules you have to deal with. I also have decided to make this a studio recording as much as possible and ditch the idea of recording it at home. I really don’t want to focus on engineering my own music.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I have many. Some that come to mind are The Cure, The Cult, Daniel Ash and Peter Murphy, Bowie, New Order/Electronic, The Violet Burning (Andy Prickett era — has always been one of my favorite guitarists) and The Prayer Chain. So, I don’t listen to a lot of modern music, I mostly stick to what I grew up on, although I do like some of the Kaiser Chiefs stuff.
As someone who is involved in the production side of the music business, what’s your take on the current digital age? Do you think this helps or hurts bands?
I think that, for the most part it helps garage bands and hurts bands trying to make a career out of music. The new mentality is that “with the right haircut anyone can do it, especially since you have Pro Tools and Auto-tune on your side,” but this hurts everyone in the end. Being a musician most of my life, it is difficult to work in the music production side because you often have to dumb yourself down nowadays in order to make a living in the rock/pop/alternative, etc. market. If I hadn’t seen the music business before the digital age I would not be as conflicted about the whole thing. When I was growing up there were more choices – yes there was still fast food, but there was plenty of fine dining around too…and everything in between. Now it seems that pretty much all that’s offered is fast food. Disney and indie, know what I mean? Nothing wrong with either of these, but who wants a cheeseburger every day for lunch?
Anything else that you are working on, or anything else that you want to share?
Sure, anyone who wants to record in San Francisco and make some good music, come book time with me at Different Fur! Thanks Steve!
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