Brightest Young Things

Tennis System are playing not 1 but 2 shows in the next 5 days so we figured we'd rerun this interview with them for everyone's sake.

There are few things that please me more than bands that use volume as a weapon. Tennis System are a Washington DC band who’ve gained a certain amount of notoriety for using massive amplifiers at every performance, regardless of the venue’s size. I first learned about these guys when I saw some photos of them performing at Left Bank in April. All four members of the group (Matty, Drake, Clinton and Brad) were brilliantly dressed and were playing some very beautiful instruments. After listening to their song “FS” on MySpace, I was hooked. I was fortunate to meet them after a performance at the Red and Black in June. And like most DC bands, they were incredibly friendly and down for a good time. (They are big fans of giving high-fives. So if you’ve got soft hands, watch out).
Matty was kind enough to answer a few questions about sonic torture and impersonating other bands whenever they visit New York City.

OK, so where did you get the name Tennis System? Normally, groups that play your kind of music have a name that’s either really violent or blissfully ethereal.

Tennis System is one of my favorite Lilys songs. I love that band, and of course they have so many amazing songs. But when I was in middle school, that song always got me. The transitions and lyrics always made me want to write something as beautiful.
Actually when I was at the My Bloody Valentine show in Richmond and Kurt (Heasley, from Lilys) was opening, I yelled out for the song. He looked in the direction I was in and said "Ah yes, tennis system" and began to play it.

First time I saw y'all play, there were no less than six strobe lights on the stage. The next time I saw you, you had these massive floodlights, à la Echo & the Bunnymen during the Shine So Hard tour. What is it that drives you to push your audiences towards sensory overload? Are you sadists? Or do you genuinely believe that through sonic/aural punishment, you can push the audience to a new level of consciousness?

It's all part of the show. Some of the greatest shows I have ever seen do something live to make you want to keep coming back. Something memorable. Look at all of the early Pink Floyd footage. It is AMAZING! I feel that when you play at a volume such as ours, and you have an amazing showing of lights and or projections it really adds to the show.
When you play at the volume we do, you hear things you wouldn't at lower levels. We want you to come, listen, dance, see the show, and leave thinking "I've never seen or heard anything like that before." At the same time, please understand, louder is better.

While we’re on the subject of volume, what’s with the renewed interest in bands that play loud and use a lot of effects pedals? I mean, I remember reading about A Place to Bury Strangers in the New York Times, of all places. It’s just a bit strange, because here in the US, shoegaze has always been a super, super underground phenomenon. Whereas in the UK, groups like Ride actually made it into the charts…

I don't really think a lot of attention is given to these bands, but I do believe that the ones doing it (now) are all different. We all find a way to translate our art in the form of music. Each show is like an exhibit of art. I believe it (the music) deserves more attention because it is more than a combination of chords, but rather an amalgamation of sounds and ideas.
The process of writing a song with distortion and reverb and any other effect pedal takes time and concentration. You must first learn your pedal and then consider its capability, then determine how you are going to interpret the sounds you hear in your head into a song. You don't just add a few chords and a simple melody. It's lengthy process of trial and error.

Other than the obvious (My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lilys, etc) who are some of your influences?
Well, this could take a while, so for time sake I will only name a few; The Ropers, Further, The Swirlies, Apples in Stereo (nothing after Her Wall Paper Reverie), seBADoh, Spacemen 3, and (Th' Sounds of) Kaleidoscope.

What about your new record? I know that you guys have been working on it for quite some time. When can we expect a release date?
We recorded and mixed with Jeff Zeigler at Uniform Studio in Philadelphia. He recorded Kurt Vile, War on Drugs and Gildon Works. We have spent a ton of time working on it; in fact we are still working on it! You can expect rawness. A coalescence of sound. CDs will be available in November, and vinyl shortly there after.

You grew up in the DC area. And from our conversations, I’ve gathered that you’ve seen a lot of bands come and go. Do you foresee a time where bands will no longer stand in the shadow of Dischord Records? (No disrespect to those artists and the hard work that they’ve done and continue to do).
Hmm. Well I've never really thought of that. Most of the big bands that came from DC are Dischord bands. I believe most of the bands these days that are getting signed or recognition from labels are being picked up by either smaller indie labels or releasing records themselves, only to have it picked up later on. Isn't that the whole Dischord spirit?

You raise a fair point. So who are some of the locals that you enjoy seeing or playing with?
Shapiro, The Points, Imperial China, Last Tide, Dennis Kane.

Y’all played a lot of shows in New York this summer. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done while up there?
Every time we go to New York we have a new alias. People always ask if we are in bands and we always say, "Yeah. We're the Killers" or "Yeah. We're Kings of Leon." 9 out of 10 people believe us.

Do you have any big goals that you’d like to achieve before the end of this year? What about next year?
Yeah totally. We've got a ton of goals. The first is to finish our record. We're so close! We'd also like to play more shows around the country before the end of the year. For the next year we are looking forward to some shows out of the country with (Th' Sounds of) Kaleidoscope.

Point of clarification, your brother is in (Th' Sounds of) Kaleidoscope. Say, what are the odds of you two getting into a fistfight over who gets to headline at Velvet Lounge tomorrow night?
HAHAHAHAHAHA!! The odds are very slim. My brother and I actually get along very well. We seldom fight. Even if we do, we turn it into a joke and just laugh about it. As far as I know they are headlining and I think that is the way it should be.

Want More: follow Tennis System on Myspace and check them out at Velvet Lounge tonight and at Comet on Sunday