Portugal. The Man has been having fun with a sturdy return to stay music. On the heels of a welcome again tour with Alt-J, the band has continued to play stay reveals and can proceed to take action by means of the autumn, all whereas supporting their newest file launch.
Jason Sechrist, the band’s esteemed drummer, and Kyle O’Quin, the group’s keyboardist, hopped on a name with Excessive Instances earlier this spring to talk extra about their ardour for hashish, their musical trajectories, and the artistic interior workings behind the Grammy award-winning band’s upcoming new album.
Excessive Instances: Ranging from childhood, did you guys at all times know you needed to be musicians?
Jason Sechrist: Music gave the impression to be all the pieces to me. It was simply sort of this factor. I might take pencils and pens and bang them on books and pots and pans after I was six years outdated. Quick ahead to the ‘90s, and I received my very own drum package, and [then things continued on from there].
Kyle O’Quin: I began taking part in classical music at age six. I keep in mind I realized find out how to learn music after I realized find out how to learn English. I’ve by no means understood not with the ability to learn music. It’s like being bilingual.
Excessive Instances: So music was a “lifestyle” for you each.
Jason Sechrist: My dad and mom did a great job of elevating us on fairly good tunes. I listened to David Bowie, Sure, Pink Floyd—all of the “greats” of that period. However when it got here to pot, I wasn’t a stoner till a bit of methods again.
I dabbled in it within the teenage years, however for some purpose, man, the place I used to be rising up and the individuals I used to be hanging out with… It was at all times a foul journey for me.
Excessive Instances: In that getting excessive would ship you to a bizarre, darkish place?
Jason Sechrist: Everytime there’d be an opportunity to smoke it might be like, alright, let’s skip faculty, go to the again of this creepy park, and smoke out of a bone pipe or one thing.
Kyle O’Quin: I’ve a hilarious reminiscence from when the film Idle Palms got here out, to provide you an thought of the period. I’d made a pipe out of an inhaler, however then realized it was plastic, so it didn’t work out too nicely.
Excessive Instances: You included the plastic fumes into your excessive.
Kyle O’Quin: These lungs have seen worse.
Excessive Instances: Would you say early on in life, weed felt like this “forbidden fruit,” or did you may have a unique perspective round it?
Jason Sechrist: For me, it took a number of instances as much as bat. Everytime I did it it was a forbidden fruit sort of excessive that didn’t appear to click on nicely. It took so many tries and each time I used to be like, “Fuck, this can be a catastrophe, this can be a nightmare, it’s not for me.” And I felt so bummed out about it as a result of so lots of my trusted buddies and fellow musicians could be like, “Oh, I’m having a good time on these things.” So I used to be like, “How do I faucet into this?”
The altering second got here round 21/22 after I was kicking it with a great pal of mine and he placed on the Aspect B vinyl of The Rolling Stones’ Tattoo You. He reached for a kind of two-dollar steel pipes—and abruptly—the music spoke, all the pieces fell into place, and I used to be like, “Dude, that is it.” I felt a way of leisure because the music sank in, a way of calm, security, and safety. I used to be like, “Oh man. I’m on this staff ceaselessly.” From that day ahead, [weed] has been essential.
Kyle O’Quin: We completely stay the excessive life. We love what we do for a dwelling, however to say it’s not disturbing could be a lie. On the finish of a present, me and Jason’s favourite half is strolling off stage and getting stoned.
Jason Sechrist: There are many instances you want you could possibly be stoned coping with a problem or being in a punishing circumstance however you continue to must stay life and be purposeful and get by means of issues and be an expert to sure levels after which reward your self.
Kyle O’Quin: At totally different instances, too. I received in hassle in highschool and needed to go to some drug class the place they taught me about it. In your regular imaginative and prescient, peripherally, say you possibly can take note of like 14 issues. Weed sort of places blinders on so that you’re actually targeted on like 6. That’s why you is perhaps driving like, “I’m going precisely the velocity restrict,” however you’re not being attentive to one thing else.
To equate it to music, after I’m dwelling, I need these blinders on. After I’m sitting at my piano taking part in classical or within the studio simply a synth making bizarre noises, it’s completely applicable. However once we play stay, we’re taking part in off one another, so it doesn’t look like having blinders on is the easiest way to play stay music generally if you’re improvising.
Excessive Instances: Does weed impression your artistic course of then by way of creating new music? Not essentially performing it stay.
Kyle O’Quin: It’s a really fine-line dialog. On the finish of the day, I don’t actually promote that individuals want medicine to be artistic and I don’t suppose that’s the supply of my creativity. However I’ll say, if we’re down within the basement all day, recording, not smoking weed, and we name it for the night time, I’ll go upstairs and get stoned and be like, “I wanna return down and pull that out for a few hours.” It offers me a bit of further enhance generally to place in a bit of further work. It’s simply further credit score.
Excessive Instances: It’s like a artistic espresso in a manner.
Kyle O’Quin: They name that the Seattle Speedball.
Jason Sechrist: On the artistic aspect of it, certain, I do take pleasure in weed. However there’s a narrative about efficiency that’s disaster-based.
Kyle O’Quin: Let me simply preface that this was a very long time in the past. 2007.
Jason Sechrist: It was referred to as “The Baltimore Expertise.” We had been in Baltimore taking part in a gig referred to as the Ottobar and Kyle and I had been kicking it within the van. It was round 5pm, nonetheless mild out, and we’re simply roasting a joint as a result of that is within the period the place you’ve received no cash and also you’re killing time. So we’re smoking and somebody comes as much as the van and so they’re like, “Hey, are you guys able to play? You’re on in about fifteen minutes.” I used to be like, “What? Fifteen minutes?” I assumed we had a few hours to kill however didn’t take note of the schedule. So I mentioned, “Okay, cool. Let’s simply do that. I don’t wish to play this excessive, however I suppose we are able to go for it.”
We play this gig and the gig was going swimmingly. It was so wonderful. We had been feeling it, I used to be feeling it. I felt like Jon Bon, it felt unimaginable. I used to be like, “Hell, yeah. That is it.” After which we get to the final music, our most difficult quantity on the time. It’s received some progressive counts in it and numerous beginning, stopping, tempo modifications and all of that nonsense.
Right here comes time for this musical break and we crash out of this half after which slowly however certainly, everybody begins to look again on the drum package. At me. And I’m like, “Uh, the place are we?” And the blokes go, “, proper right here [makes musical note sounds]. And I’m like, “However what do I do? I do know you realize what you’re going to do, however I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I’d utterly misplaced all music so far as what I used to be presupposed to do as a drummer. After which they jogged my memory and I used to be like, “Oh yeah, yeah. That’s proper. That half.” The entire time the gang’s observing us whereas we’re attempting to determine this shit out after rocking out.
I get able to rely my half again in and I’m going, “One, two, three, 4, 5, six, seven,” clicking my sticks previous 4.
Kyle O’Quin: We are available after 4 and we’re identical to, “What the heck?”
Jason Sechrist: So everybody stops once more and the blokes are shaking their heads at this level, and principally I butcher this half. I performed the final 30 seconds to a minute with my head down.
Everybody received by means of it and laughed, however I keep in mind the singer John [Gourley] was like, “Rattling, dude. No extra smoking weed whereas we’re taking part in.”
Excessive Instances: Simply weed shaming you after the present.
Kyle O’Quin: And we’re nonetheless paying the value right this moment.
Jason Sechrist: We did strive it just a few instances at just a few explicit gigs, however each time you lose all sense of confidence by way of your capacity to show your self. If somebody’s like “We performed the music manner too quick” or “We performed the music manner too gradual,” if you happen to’re excessive—and so they know you’re excessive—it’s nearly like you possibly can’t say “You’re mistaken.”
We realized we weren’t going to be the band [that performs high], and I’ll say you possibly can at all times see those that do. When bands do the “we smoke weed earlier than the gig and play it” whether or not it’s on the tavern/bar stage or arenas, everybody must be all-in. Your entire group must be stoners. You’ll be able to’t have one or two potheads after which three individuals which are sober up there, as a result of then you definitely’ll have that dynamic that will get actually bizarre.
After I was moving into weed and unearthing all the pieces so-to-speak, I keep in mind having this nearly silly intention to be like, “I’ve to do all the pieces higher on this world that I’ve actually been doing my complete life.” Seize the filth, really feel the sand, toes in water, what’s a bug? Virtually re-live your childhood. Be like, “I’ve to re-do all of the issues in my life that I’ve been doing, I’ve to do them excessive now simply to see in the event that they’re great.
Kyle O’Quin: In case you’ve taken classes, you possibly can take a look at a sundown and go, “I can respect this greater than anyone who by no means has.” I don’t know find out how to clarify it. There’s an entire world of weed and appreciation of issues that provides you a bit of little bit of a unique perspective than anyone who doesn’t smoke.
Excessive Instances: When it comes to perspective, what’s the inspiration behind your upcoming album?
Kyle O’Quin: I really feel like we’re taking part in higher than ever and am tremendous enthusiastic about our album popping out in June. Our music “What, Me Fear?”… We’re all 90s children. We grew up on Beevis and Butthead, Mad TV—they had been an enormous affect on all of us, and, particularly in these instances proper now, we’re simply attempting to carry optimistic vibes to the world. We’re getting a bit of bit bored with all of the negativity. Individuals wish to smile. In case you’re not having a great time [as performers], how are different individuals presupposed to have a great time?
Jason Sechrist: We had been 80s and 90s children and numerous the tangible world appears to be disappearing when you consider what social media has finished to individuals. It’s made everybody a professor of nothing [laughs]. Everybody has a push-of-a-button of an opinion and it by no means was that manner.
Whenever you’re a child, you used to have the ability to go, “What can I do to entertain myself? Nicely, I suppose I’ll flip by means of what my dad and mom or grandparents have as {a magazine} choice. Hey, what’s this? Mad Journal? Cool. Fold the again web page—whoa, look what it does.” We had been feeling the youthful energy behind why we’ve at all times finished this music factor [for our upcoming album]. It seems that what conjures up you’ll proceed to encourage you, even when it’s outdated.
Excessive Instances: Is it the nostalgia of what conjures up you that continues to encourage you or is it the precise thought of flipping by means of your grandparents’ magazines or opening that thriller chest within the attic and seeing what’s inside?
Kyle O’Quin: It’s simply at all times been there, like our musical DNA. When children begin taking part in music early, the issues they connect to musically after they’re 8-10 stick to them.
You would write a senior thesis—not that any of us went to school—on the thought you can play anyone a music and the way it takes you again to a second in time twenty years in the past. There have been research on individuals with Alzheimer’s the place a music from their highschool band is performed and introduced again all of those reminiscences. To me, that is likely one of the most unimaginable facets of music.
Me and Jason grew up working in eating places and stuff. the time period “lifer?” We simply sort of knew once we had been children that we had been going to play music the remainder of our lives. There’s a fantastic quote from Nadia Boulanger—the nice music trainer who taught Quincy Jones, Leonard Bernstein, Elliot Carter, Aaron Copeland, Philip Glass—which works, “Don’t play music until you’d moderately die than not accomplish that,” and I don’t see music as an possibility, to be sincere with you.
Jason Sechrist: You’ll be able to apply this to portray, artwork, pictures, or the rest. Why would some individual wish to go and simply shoot 100,000 photographs over the course of the subsequent decade? You’ve received to show your self the method.
Excessive Instances: What helped you notice that music was your path and in addition give you the arrogance to pursue it?
Jason Sechrist: I knew that music was all the pieces and that it was probably the most highly effective therapeutic factor for me. It was all I may take into consideration. It was “tap-tap-tap”—I couldn’t listen at school, faculty wasn’t for me, sports activities weren’t for me. I knew that ultimately I’d must work to get money if I needed to purchase a CD or get some new music, so the trail appeared like a really lengthy, lengthy street of having fun with music and listening to it normally. In the case of your a part of taking part in it—from younger all the best way to outdated—that energy is actually in that one individual’s determination. It’s as much as you to carry the instrument in your palms and it’s as much as you the way lengthy you wish to maintain that instrument in your palms earlier than you wish to put it down.
For me, I gravitated towards loving drumming and beating on issues, all by means of life. Till it received to the purpose the place it received extra severe and it received extra severe and other people had been like, “Hey man, you ought to be in a band. Come be our drummer.” And I used to be like, “Nah, I identical to to play for myself.” Finally, I received pulled into the stay music world, after which, I had enjoyable.
You notice how a lot enjoyable you’re having, which might be across the time when utilizing marijuana helped amplify issues and provides me a extra targeted trajectory. You need to undergo so many days and weeks and months and years of taking part in with totally different teams and totally different individuals to ultimately—presumably—run into the proper teams of individuals for you.
So, you at all times must have your instrument in your hand. You at all times must be prepared to jam or play at first, and it’s a must to discover like-minded pals with a like-minded focus, too.
Kyle O’Quin: That’s the toughest, most necessary half—discovering a gaggle of pals which are giving it their all the pieces. Like, you’re sacrificing seeing your loved ones to sleep in a van for years, and the toughest factor is discovering that group of individuals. I really feel so fortunate that we discovered that early.
Jason Sechrist: Take into consideration how a lot effort it takes simply being a nine-to-five, Monday-through-Friday individual. Then suppose how a lot effort it takes to—[on top of that]—use your break day in your day to load an amp and cables into your automobile, go to anyone’s home, and actually use your free time [away from work] to simply jam with them. That’s the musical world. It’s everlasting and everybody will get to play and play on some stage.
Kyle O’Quin: We’re not a standard band the place “this man does this, this man does that.” All people has a singular talent set exterior of the instrument they play. Jason in our band has one of the best ears in the case of tones and in the case of listening to recordings. He’s the one who’s airing out the keyboard elements that I as a keyboard participant don’t know. Individuals assume that listening to music is straightforward. Being a classical musician, I’ve learn books on it. It’s so laborious to placed on a chunk of music, hear that first word, and provides your self to it. It’s extremely laborious. Jason is one of the best at it and I don’t suppose he’d be that man if he wasn’t one of many real stoners within the band.
Observe @portugaltheman and take a look at https://www.portugaltheman.com for tickets and tour dates.