Girls : Q & A

Pitchfork championed and San Francisco originating duo Girls convey a welcome realism to lo-fi melodic Californian pop with their simple and otherworldly tales of heartbreak and friendship.  

Their forthcoming debut album recorded in bedrooms and rehearsal spaces and described as honest, loose, ethereal, obnoxious and perfect, will be a welcome perpetuation of earlier singles 'Hellhole Ratrace' and 'Lust For Life'.  The two tracks that initially garnered the attention lavished upon Girls, gave us a small yet perfect glimpse of the haunting production of JR Chet Wilson and the purist if not narcotic driven songwriting of Christopher Owen.  

Each song different to the last, Girls are unique in their approach, with influences both shocking and diverse and worn on their sleeves with a kind of relaxed ambivalence.  Throw into the mix experiences encompassing religious cults, drugs, former bands most notoriously infamed punk group Holy Fuck and the millionaire philanthropist Stanley Marsh and lyrically you are in for a mind-opening treat.  

Romanticising yet gritty realism, delicate production and Owen’s yearning yet often climactic vocals sets the scene for Girls and their soon to be released long player.  So to get a greater understanding of the band, their music and the poignant backgrounds that led them to this point in their lives, we put some questions to Christopher Owen of Girls and here are his candid if sometimes bizarre answers.

4or The Record: For anyone that hasn't heard of Girls, tell us the story of how the band originated.

Christopher Owen: I was feeling so sad and alone, then I found a friend in the song that I'm singing.  I was feeling like a nothing inside, then I found it all in a song.  It's coming straight from my heart, I gotta let it go.  

4TR: Why did you call yourselves Girls...?

Christopher Owen: Because there's a Denim song where Lawrence sings, "You can send all your letters care of my lawyer in New York, and you can keep all the letters, except the ones that were sent to me by Girls". 

4TR: How would you describe your sound?

Christopher Owen: Beautiful, classic, punk.   

4TR: What influences you musically both individually and as a group?

Christopher Owen: People, drama, TV, art, comedy, beauty, bands, films, drugs, life, family, hope, Jesus, and a need to succeed.  

4TR: I read the interview you did for faqmagazine in which you spoke in detail about your upbringing within The Children of God.  Would you say that past has shaped your musical ideas in any way and if so how?

Christopher Owen: It has shaped my music in every-way, nobody else could ever sound like me because nobody else has had my experience, that’s the beautiful thing about it, I have a very unique pedigree, and a strong need to leave it behind and reinvent myself. I'm like James Dean.  

4TR: Was music integral to your youth?

Christopher Owen: Very much so, the bible says, "Make a joyful noise unto the lord, all ye people, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing." so we did that on a daily basis.  

4TR: For a while you played in the band Holy Shit, how did that come about?

Christopher Owen: Through falling in love with the singer, Matt Fishbeck, it was mutual; we had a love triangle, which involved Ariel pink.  

4TR: Touring with Holy Shit and being involved in a punk band with a renowned cult following, must have been an incredible experience – any highlights?

Christopher Owen: It changed my life, it's the only reason that write songs now, and I learned how to play the guitar for three days without sleep, through magic.  

4TR: What made you decide to leave and go and make music on your own?

Christopher Owen: I didn't leave, you never leave Holy Shit, I just started my own band through a need to have my own voice. HS4Life. 

4TR: You write all the music and JR produces everything - what do you think each of you individually bring to Girls, and why do you think you work so well together?

Christopher Owen: Because we're both very good at what we do, we bring our hearts, which a lot of people don't do.  

4TR: Your debut album entitled 'Album' comes out in September, does it form a cohesive package of work or is each song written individually without an album is mind?

Christopher Owen: It was written as an album, but we allowed it to be very scattered, like our brains.  

4TR: Any specific themes or autobiographical content included throughout the writing of the record?

Christopher Owen: The second coming of Jesus, enlightenment, surrender, the power of love.  

4TR: The album is being released in the UK through Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile - how did those relationships come about?

Christopher Owen: Fantasytrashcan is our label, turnstile is our managements label, and we have them in our corner, they're like our big brothers... so don't fuck with us man!  

4TR: I have read that Michael Jackson is a specific influence - what part of his work or life influences you the most?

Christopher Owen: His love, his victimization, his talent, his taste, his performance, his control, his suffering, his face, his bravery, his defiance, his strength, his charity, his voice, his style.  The first album I owned was Dangerous; I still think it's one of the greatest albums of all time.  I think he died like Jesus, on the cross, for our sins, I'm dead serious.  

4TR: Do you have an opinion on how his career, personal life and music should be respected from now on to appreciate his genius?

Christopher Owen: With all our hearts and all our souls. And like Jesus said, "let he who is without sin among you, cast the first stone"  

4TR: A lot has been written about Girls in the context of drugs - is that fair?

Christopher Owen: Yes and no.  We were honest about it, but it should not be what we're known for, I mean we just made a classic pop album, I think that’s more important.  

4TR: You have spoken about how the music of Girls is trying to get to a simplistic sort of expression, which you have attempted to replicate through your videos - tell us more about the videos for 'Hellhole Ratrace' and 'Lust For Life'.

Christopher Owen: As effortless as sun bathing, like the Beatles we just "Let It Be", like Jesus says "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."  

4TR: How important is artwork to the band when putting out a release?

Christopher Owen: Extremely important, that’s why I make it all. It's the window to its soul.  

4TR: What's happening over the rest of 2009 for Girls?

Christopher Owen: Tour tour tour tour tour tour!

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR 'LUST FOR LIFE' HERE...

Girls are giving fans the chance to hear the album in its entirety up front of the release online. 'Album' – which features Girls’ two sold out singles ‘Hellhole Ratrace’ and ‘Lust For Life’ – will be streamed exclusively through www.turnstilemusic.net from Monday 14th September

Words: Francesca Strange

loan
Posts: 4

Re:
Reply #4 on : Sun September 04, 2011, 16:46:59

---

People in all countries get the credit loans from different creditors, because it's comfortable.

nwitqxxnee
Posts: 4

gJgWzsaUpgpaFO
Reply #3 on : Sat July 16, 2011, 11:26:09

---

JkQ7Eh <a href="http://pakqhwbhjllj.com/">pakqhwbhjllj</a>

bhmaplie
Posts: 4

eyQaXysrmcyEmVRjNT
Reply #2 on : Thu July 14, 2011, 07:56:56

---

LK9Yfi <a href="http://ilzieuvijiwl.com/">ilzieuvijiwl</a>

Bison
Posts: 4

iHlAVbodqPGwDWaWy
Reply #1 on : Wed July 13, 2011, 22:57:10

---

I really neeedd to find this info, thank God!

Write a comment

Name:
Email:
Subject:
Comment: *

Security Code: