Die vier Herren im The Dismemberment Plan werden für immer mit Washington, DC, der Stadt, in der sie geboren wurden, in Verbindung gebracht, aber ein Großteil der Musik auf dem neuen Album der Band,Uncanney Valley, wurde vom Frontman Travis Morrison von der Hauptstadt des Landes nach Brooklyn inspiriert. Morrison nahm sich ein paar Minuten Zeit, um mit nycgo.com darüber zu sprechen, wie New York City den LP informierte, warum er gerne imPark Slope Food Coop einkauftund was für die CMJ-Performances der Band vorrätig ist.
In the song “Invisible,” you make a very specific New York City reference. Did you really have a moment where you felt invisible while waiting for the 7 express train?
Travis Morrison:
Not the 7. No, the 7 was always there for me. The C? Not so much.
But did you have the feeling of people looking through you?
TM:
Yeah! I moved to New York and then realized that I liked it here, but I wanted to reassess my life and go a little bit underground. So I think I did feel like that here.
What made you feel that way in New York City?
TM:
Well, no one knew who I was. It's a bigger city. I kind of just wanted to be a face in the crowd, you know? Go to shows, work a job, go to
, be a fan, make some money. And that's what I did—so it was partially by choice, and it was very exciting.
How was it different from DC?
TM:
It's a big scene, New York City. It's not a
scene
—it's a huge, crazy jungle ecosystem. There are lots of people in the arts, lots of people to meet. DC's a small world. I knew most of the people involved, and…my work preceded me, let's put it that way. Here, not so much. [I was] starting fresh, trying all kinds of different things creatively, working at
The Huffington Post
as it was growing really quickly, which was an extremely exciting—and at times terrifying—but very satisfying experience. [It was] the pace and the hustle—the hyper-individualistic hustle, which doesn't happen in Washington, DC.
How about your neighborhood, Park Slope? What do you like about it?
TM:
It's awesome. We've got the Park Slope Food Coop, we've got The Gate. It's beautiful. Nice people. Babies everywhere!
Did you ever see a baby in a bar in Washington, DC?
TM:
No. It's happening more now. Not when I was there.
You shop at the Park Slope Food Coop, right?
TM:
I do. I'm a co-opper in good standing.
Why does the place appeal to you?
TM:
It's cheap. It's got great produce. Great cheese. [The produce] is as good as the farmers' market—the same stuff as the farmers' market, but much cheaper.
Are there any other Brooklyn spots you'd recommend?
TM:
I always really like to have a beer at the
in Bushwick. It's just really good beer, really good music, really good food. I have a soft spot for it because my New York band [
] rehearsed over there, and then we would go drink and eat.
Speaking of which, your bands have played all around the city. Do you have any favorite venues?
TM:
I really like Union Hall. That's a great place, a great little venue. I haven't played
, but that's a nice small venue. And when I'm playing to large groups of people, I think
is really awesome.
Do you have any surprises in store for the CMJ shows?
TM:
I think everyone will be excited to see the fruits of my plastic surgery [
laughs
].
Fantastic. What procedures did you get?
TM:
No more nose. No, I don't know. Just rock 'n' roll. We're just going to play a show. It's really exciting.
Das neue Album des Dismemberment Plan,Uncanney Valley, wird am 15. Oktober veröffentlicht. Travis Morrison wird am 15. Oktober um 12:30 Uhr auf dem Panel „Wie man als Musiker 2013 überlebt“ sprechen (Details finden Sie auf derCMJ-Website). Der Dismemberment Plan wird am 18. Oktober zweimal bei CMJ durchgeführt: als Teil der kostenlosen KEXP-Live-Übertragung von der Judson Memorial Church um 14:00 Uhr, gefolgt von einer nächtlichen Show imTerminal 5.
