Muzzle of Bees is proud to present DeVotchKa and Basia Bulat at the Pabst Theater’s Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee this Thursday, May 8th. Seriously kids, it’s going to be an unforgettable night - don’t miss out! We caught up with Shawn King who was kind enough to take the time to answer our questions for our continuing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature.

Could you lend some information on the recording process of A Mad And Faithful Telling? Where and how was it recorded, and were there any lessons learned that you’ll apply towards future recording sessions?

The basic tracks were done down at Wavelab Studios in Tucson where we’ve recorded twice before now. There’s a magic down there for us in some ways- in part from being a desert escape, and also from being the 1st studio experience the four of us shared. It seemed to be a perfect fit with Craig Schumacher, so he was along for our string quartet sessions in Denver and our mixing in Los Angeles.

One thing we learned is that we have to trust our instincts and spend the extra days when needed. Nick was singing on tracks so late in the game and drastic cuts and cues were thrown around before we settled on the mixes. Unlike the past we had the luxury this time, and I imagine we’ll never go back.

You guys just played Coachella in California. How was that experience and do you guys alter your sets if you’re playing festivals with shortened sets and a crowd that may be mixed with fans and/or first time listeners?

Coachella was a learning experience for us- mostly cause we don’t need to be playing in the desert in the middle of the day. We’re vampires. Black curtains and red lights suit us much better than sun and hand-held misters. And true, those sets can be alluring to new fans who aren’t expecting a tuba and accordion, but we want them to see our real show- they’ll be amazed at what a soundcheck can do.

We’re always looking to uncover new favorite artists, are there any band(s)/record(s) that you could recommend to our readers?

Denver’s been promising lately- friends of ours called Everything Absent or Distorted are making great songs as is a singer/cellist named Ian Cooke to name a few. People we’ve played with lately- Dawn Kinnard over in the UK and Basia Bulat here in the states. And I can’t say enough good about the Dap Kings, who you’ll see live and immediately fall for.

Your music perfectly fit Little Miss Sunshine. In fact, I can’t imagine some of the movie without the precise paring of your songs. Was your contribution something that you worked on as the film was in progress or did you provide a selection of songs and only see their interplay after the film had been created?

I kept an early copy with the temp music to compare how different the final soundtrack came out- it’s a separate movie in my mind. In the early stages Nick was on the phone constantly with the directors and was sending sketches back and forth to LA until we were given a green light to record. And the editing never ended, even after Fox bought it and we were done with the soundtrack. There was one cue we worked on with Mychael Danna that was a triumph of sorts, and it wasn’t until Sundance that we heard a Sufjan Steven’s tune in its place, which in the end fits much better. It’s definitely much more of a dynamic, evolving project than making a record. Just being invited to collaborate with Jonathan and Valerie was huge for us as a band.

The internet has dramatically altered the way artists 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?

With some bands it works fantastic, and of course, when it happens on a grass roots level it’s great. Like when we went out with the Dresden Dolls, Amanda was blogging about her experiences weekly and sharing every last detail, which in their case brings fans in as close as can be. It works great. In our view though, there’s many an aspect left best to the imagination.

I do love how people in Istanbul and Mexico have heard our music through Myspace and iTunes and what not. We still have to see the negative side of this digital age, cause being independent for so many years was only made possible by those devoted fans who helped spread the word.

MoB Ticket Giveaway: We have two (2) tickets to give away to the MoB faithful. To enter, please send an e-mail to muzzleofbees.com @ gmail.com with DeVotchKa in the subject of your e-mail. We will notify the winners by e-mail tomorrow afternoon.

Myspace: DeVotchKa
Myspace: Basia Bulat
MP3: DeVotchKa - “You Love Me”
MP3: Basia Bulat - “In The Night”

Find more MP3’s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic