Smokey Brights CD Release @ The Tractor

Ryan Devlin, Kim West, James Vermillion, Michael Kalnoky and Nicholas Krivchenia have created a remarkable piece of work with their brand new album, Taste For Blood.

Whatever dark, deep seeded memories or creative writing classes or elated states of mind that aided in the production of this album should be celebrated and thanked by all for years to come.

In short, Taste For Blood is massive, it’s mature, it’s moody, and it’s something you need in your life, like, right now.

I had the chance to chat with Smokey Brights all about their new album, which you will find below. Make sure to catch them at The Tractor this coming Saturday night!

Smokey Brights Taste For Blood Album Release Party:
Smokey Brights, Ravenna Woods, Kelli Schaefer,
Show: 9:00 PM, Doors: 8:00 PM, $10

Buy tickets here.

the mixtape: Within the last couple of years you all have released two EP’s with a bright, almost optimistic sound to them. Now we have your brand new full length, Taste For Blood. The overall tone of the record, I think, is bit darker than your previous releases. Was it a conscious decision to have a darker sound to the album?

Smokey Brights: We’ve been a band for about three years now, so this full length comes after years of exploring what we can do together, listening to each other, and shaping the sound we wanted. A lot of the themes and tones on the new record ended up darker than the bright optimism of the first few recordings. Honestly, the world has taken a few dark turns along the way as well, so it’s not surprising to me that our sound has reflected this new environment.

We recorded close to sixteen songs in the Taste for Blood session in a big drafty barn in Carnation, WA. It felt a little like Twin Peaks as most days were dark and foggy and we were surrounded by acres and acres of trees. The space and the time of year definitely resonated through the recordings. We started with the intention of pulling the best tracks and turning it into an album. I think instead we realized that there were songs that held together thematically and tonally and some that didn’t. The final product was dark but with a brightness around the edges.

tm: What is the significance of the name of the new album?

SB: The name comes from a song on the album, “Taste for Blood,” which is about the faint, ghostly recollection of past lives and experience; the mammalian, subconscious memory of a distant former self. However, I don’t know that there is a literal meaning in the title. Even the name “Smokey Brights” doesn’t have a literal meaning. We try to be very conscious of tones and impression. We like when words and imagery are affecting enough to solicit a reaction, but aren’t so literal as to dictate that reaction for everyone. I like the name Taste for Blood because it gives you pause. It’s visceral. You at once accept it and ask yourself why.

tm: Who is the cover model on the Taste For Blood record and why did you choose this person?

SB: Our good friend Cam Shaw is the cover model. Funny thing: it wasn’t until shortly after the photo shoot that she admitted she’s not crazy about having her photograph taken. You wouldn’t have known it, though, because she was absolutely amazing to work with.

When we had originally envisioned the cover of the record, we wanted it to feel like the front pages of a 70’s fashion magazine: soft focus, washed out, with a striking glamour of a different era. Cam’s incredible and unique beauty was perfect for that.

tm: Can’t Rightly Say is the first record released by Smokey Brights in 2011 but your Facebook page reflects Taste For Blood as being your debut album. What’s up with that?

SB: Can’t Rightly Say was our first set of recordings, but our debut full length will be Taste for Blood. Can’t Rightly Say was more of an EP, or really a set of demos. We tracked it only a few months after forming when we were still figuring out what our intentions were. Were we merely recording a few songs together? Or was this going to be something greater than that? Even the name, Can’t Rightly Say, is a nod to it’s orphaned nature. It’s a little longer than most EPs, but not long enough to be a full length. We couldn’t rightly say what we were at that time because we didn’t truly know yet.

Taste for Blood, on the other hand, is the product of patient years of exploring ourselves musically to discover what we truly wanted to sound like. I think it was well worth the wait.

tm: On your song “Baby Marmalade” you have vocalist and keyboardist Kim West start off the song. It’s the only song on the record that doesn’t have Ryan Devlin take the lead. What was the choice behind this?

SB: When the band originally formed, pretty much all of the songs were written and arranged by Ryan and then brought to the band to be supported. But everyone in the group is so creative and technically talented that this strategy seemed like a waste of peoples’ abilities. Plus, writing like that gets super boring.

Things have since become much more collaborative and “Baby Marmalade” definitely reflects that. Kim takes the lead on that one because she helped write it and the melody makes more sense for her voice. By the second full length, we imagine that even more of the songs will be like “Baby Marmalade”. We’ve realized our songs are stronger when everyone takes part in the writing process.

tm:When will we see the release of the music video you’ve been working on? Can you divulge which song it’s for or is that a secret?

SB: The video will be for “Baby Marmalade.” It was written and directed by local director Ethan Folk. It’s going to be pretty exceptional. Ethan had a really strong vision and recruited some super talented actors to bring it to fruition. He also landed an incredible, iconic Seattle home as the location for the shoot. We’re going to release it later this month.

If people like the video, they can support Ethan’s full length, Vernae, which is an experimental dance film based upon The Rite of Spring, by donating to his Hatch Fund for http://www.hatchfund.org/project/vernae. He’s a hugely talented director. We seriously cannot wait to share the video.

tm: If Smokey Brights were an action figure, what accessories would you have?

SB: Pizza, definitely. Also a big white van and a Fleetwood Mac cassette tape.