Tuesday, April 5, 2005
The Whys and Wherefores Of: An Interview With [the] Minor Thirds
Static Multimedia April 2005 by Donna Brown
[The] Minor Thirds founder/singer Chris Piuma has a lot of explaining to do. But he’s not worried; Minor Thirds songs are rife with explication. In fact, a song on their 2002 album The Zealot’s Curse is called "Casuistry," which any English major will tell you is just a fancy way of saying "rationalization."
The Portland band’s songs are demanding - to appreciate them you need several listens and "a sturdy dictionary," according to the liner notes of The Zealot’s Curse. The songs are not at all immediate, but they are worth your time. Hyperintelligent and articulate, the guitar-based songs are not averse to humor - think maybe of a cross between the Mountain Goats and They Might Be Giants. Piuma admits that it’s tough to play smart music in a dumbed-down culture, even in a scene as accepting as Portland’s.
"Hard to win over those who listen to us? Our music appeals to some people (some types of people?) and not to others, but this is true for any music. I don't know. Sometimes it is hard because it is not easy. But it would be ridiculous for it to be easy. I probably have more to say about this."
On the origin of their name Piuma says, "Minor thirds are intervals, the space between two notes, the space between 'Hey' and 'Jude' at the beginning of the song of that name. That seemed like the best interval to name a band after. We are not the Perfect Fifths."
There are four Minor Thirds- Piuma, Charlotte Wells, Jake Anderson and Chris Calvert. In the beginning there were only two Minor Thirds, Piuma and Wells. Eventually Anderson and Calvert joined. Piuma explains, "In early 2002 I started writing and recording the songs that would become our first album, The Zealot's Curse. I asked Charlotte to join in on a few songs because I was tired of hearing my voice all the time. It turned out to be a good match. The album felt a bit different from the stuff I had been writing and recording before, and so I thought perhaps it was a good time to stop recording under my own name and become one of those one-person "bands." Except Charlotte was also there. Around when the album came out we met Jake and Calvert; Jake joined the band after the release of our 2nd album, Saskatchewan, in 2003, and Calvert was brought in after Dishwasher Thief."
They do not suffer fools gladly, and therefore must continue to work for a living. The band’s four members all toil in the working world. Piuma works as a part-time office manager and part-time web designer; Charlotte is a high school math teacher; Jake teaches SAT prep, and Calvert works in freelance photography. But they still find time to practice once a week, and play shows anywhere they can. "We've played a bunch of places, clubs, coffeehouses, benefit shows, California, Saskatchewan, living rooms, children's parks, empty streets in small towns, but so far no car dealerships. We are working on that." The friendship upon which the band is built helps to keep them together even when they’re not. "Things are also fairly low-key and, not being internationally famous pop stars, low-stakes. Also given our flexibility with shows and touring, as far as who can make it or not, there isn't as much stress as there might be in other bands. If we play a show without a drummer, that is not the end of the world! Though at the same time the official line-up is the preferred one."
The Minor Thirds’ new DVD, Saskatchewan, is a mini-travelogue, featuring videos for all six songs from the mini-album of the same name. The band gets around, but they have no intention of leaving Portland. "We stay in Portland because we live here and also we like it better," says Piuma equably. "Though the new library in Seattle is great. And it's nice to visit."
The endless quest for shows and practice time can make you not want to make music, but Piuma notes that it is not a question of want, but of need. "Because it's there; because we must; because I said so. Writing songs is something I have always done and something I suspect I will always do, something I feel terrible about if I don't do. It's nice to have an audience these days, though."
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