On our drive to Milwaukee to catch Grizzly Bear at the Pabst last night we listened to Bowerbirds Hymns For A Dark Horse a couple times as we continue to find more and more reasons to adore it.

We asked Beth Tacular of the Bowerbirds to participate in our ongoing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature and she responded with some great and insightful answers to our questions. We are very excited about seeing them open for the Mountain Goats at the Pabst on Tuesday, October 30th for a $10 show!

Could you lend some information on the recording process of Hymns For A Dark Horse? Where and how was it recorded, and were there any lessons learned that you’ll apply towards future recording sessions?

We recorded both our e.p. “Danger at Sea,” and “Hymns” at Mark’s studio. Mark Paulson, besides being in Bowerbirds, records and produces albums. We recorded in a room in an old Victorian house, using nice room mics and some other equipment of Mark’s, some of which he made himself. We recorded everything live, and then went back and added backing vocals on some songs, where you couldn’t hear me and mark singing very well, or we would add a violin or piano part on a song that we hadn’t finished parts to, by the time we started recording. The recording process was sort of haphazard over a few days.

It didn’t take that long, because we record live, so we don’t have to take turns making each part sound just right. But I think it makes for a more natural sound. If you listen carefully, you can hear us making occasional mistakes.

We came to know you guys from an interview we did with Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver, who recommend you guys and whose For Emma, Forever Ago has been getting some serious attention lately. Are you a fan of his and what are your thoughts of his record?

We are good friends of Justin’s, since he moved to Raleigh a couple years ago. “For Emma” is a beautiful album. Mark is going to play with Justin for his CMJ shows. Mark, Justin and Phil actually all currently play in the band, Ticonderoga, which Phil and Mark started a few years ago with Wes Phillips, who is no longer in the band. I guess Mark is the link that joins all three bands together, with his silky and talented musical self.

What was the last show you went to see, as a fan? Also, who’s at the top of your list as far as concerts you’d want to see?

Well, we have been touring a lot, and playing local shows over the last several months. I’m having a really hard time remembering a show we went to that we weren’t playing in. We actually live an hour from Raleigh, so we don’t come in town all that often. I think it might have been a Midtown Dickens show, these awesome ladies from Durham, NC who play hundreds of instruments and sing about Tetris and other fun things. The last show we saw locally, of anyone not from around here, might actually be Joanna Newsom, which I think was in January! I had a migraine the day of that show, but it was still totally fucking amazing. That lady is pretty magical.

That’s really terrible to have missed so many shows, since January. I’m sort of embarrassed. Oh, wait, I forgot. We went to see David Karsten Daniel for his CD release party. I made the cover art, and they made these cute buttons with the face of the guy on the cover, which melted my heart. David is really good.

The reason we are most excited to play CMJ is because we will get to go watch other bands that we have really been wanting to see. It will be cool to see Bon Iver’s first ever show!

The internet has dramatically altered the way bands can reach an audience. With things like blogs/myspace/etc, what are your thoughts on the power of the internet in terms of helping (or hurting) your music?

Well, we love the internet, although just like with other media, big corporations are still taking it over in a lot of ways (like Myspace). We know a lot of people have downloaded our music without buying it, which makes us happy, that people want to hear it. I don’t know how to feel about whether it is helping or hurting us. It is certainly helping people find out about us, which is awesome. I think it is too early to tell how much people will like our music, since this is our first album. It is certainly helping people find out about us, which is awesome.

I think the internet, with free downloading, is making it really hard for artists or labels to make money on music unless they tour a lot. It seems like there was a heyday for independent artists, around the time Pedro the Lion released “Control,” where he was actually able to make OK money off the sale of that album, but now people aren’t buying CDs as much. Although I know some people who download music to hear it, and if they find they really like it, they will go and buy the album.

I remember when my friend Abbie first heard “Give Up,” by the Postal Service, and she had to buy copies for all her friends. I got one from her in the mail, and I listened to it on repeat for like a month. She never would have burned me a CD of it. I think now people are more likely to download music than they used to be willing to burn copies of CDs. But I really have no idea. John Vanderslice thinks the internet is helping artists. Maybe everyone will start buying vinyl.

I’m not really a fan of capitalism in the first place; as a band we don’t want to get rich or anything – we just want to have time to work on the music and tour, and also have time to hang out with friends. But I also think the whole system of how music gets out there is weird. It’s weird that people have ever had to pay to listen to your music. That never happened when we were hunting and gathering, which I think was a much nicer time (back when we were all hunting/ gathering).

The other thing about blogs is that I think the speed at which an album spreads is now a lot faster, but maybe people are also quicker now to want the next hot new thing, and so they forget about an artist faster.

So, basically, I don’t know if the internet is helping or hurting artists.

You recently ended a tour in support of the new album, what’s next for the band? Will you be going out on the road again anytime soon?

We will be going out in three weeks, for a two week tour with the Mountain Goats again, which is gonna be fun. We will finally be going to the midwest. We are also playing CMJ. Also, we are working on plans for touring this spring. And we are working on songs for the next album. Mark is working hard on finishing recording the new Ticonderoga album too, which we are excited about.

Myspace: Bowerbirds
MP3: Bowerbirds – Hooves

Photo Credit: Derek Anderson