SPINearth's Em Brownlowe interviews Levator

Progressive-shoegaze trio, Levator, hope Seattle's moody rain cloud won't follow them into sunny California. In search of a cure for seasonal depression and to realize the rock n roll dream, Sky Lynn, Rando Skrasek and Nate Henry aim to leave Northwestern territory and embark on a month long tour of the Golden State's inland empire.

Such an adventure is nothing new to Levator, as the trio tours regularly throughout the year. However, this time they are driving senior-style in an old school RV (which singer, Sky Lynn, has inherited from her grandfather) to promote their latest self-released album, The Biggest Waves Come At Night.

Levator's first show on the road happened at Portland's Mississippi Pizza, a kitschy pizza lounge whose decor is inspired by the lost city of Atlantis. Inside, Levator's unique sound washed over the audience whose conversation was drowned in awe of the band's somber orchestrations. Sky Lynn, a master of atmospheric sound, wears pointy toed heels to assist her maneuvers upon a effect board containing over a dozen pedals, creating live loops of guitar and vocals which she exhales with impressive range. Meanwhile, saxophone player, Nate Henry adds suspense and mystery through tasteful blows while Rando Skrasek keeps the songs steady with his forceful minimalist beats.

The next day, before departing on a 110 mile trip to Eugene, Levator and I met up to re-nourish ourselves with Bloody Marys, eggs and plenty of bacon. Afterwards, they gave me a tour of their beloved RV and spoke about rock n roll's place in small towns, their new record and living the dream.

EM: Where are you all headed on this tour?
SKY LYNN: Our final destination is San Diego, CA.
NATE HENRY: And every place in between.
SKY: Different town every day...sometimes two towns in one day.

EM: A lot of bands just hit the big cities. What is it like playing small towns?
RANDO: Awesome!
SKY: A lot of times people are appreciative that you stopped through because a lot of people just blow through it. I grew up in a small town so I can appreciate that.
RANDO : I was very appreciative of any band that came to my small town as well.

EM: Where did you all grow up?
SKY: I grew up in Oregon in a town of 1,100 people and one stop light.
RANDO: Oklahoma
NATE: I grew up in eastern Washington and we didn't have bands come through....ever. Unless they were big....like Boston would show up.

EM: What are some of the smaller towns you're going to play between Seattle and San Diego?
ALL: Eugene, Arcata, Redding, Chico, Bakersfield, Monterey, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Eureka, Merced, Modesto...

EM: Tell us a little bit about your newest record, The Biggest Waves Come At Night. How and where was it was recorded?
SKY: The title, The Biggest Waves Come At Night, is a lyric taken from one of the songs. We recorded it in multiple locations. It started at my grandma's old house and then we took it to our practice space and our apartments. We mixed it in our apartment.

EM: Did you find any themes coming through during the recording process?
SKY: We weren't really picking a theme. We recorded a basket full of songs and let them sit together. The two or three that didn't fit the mold of the basket will be put on something else like a 7".

EM: How was the song collection composed?
SKY: We started to record them and then they grew on their own. We would record a skeleton and then listen to it and someone would put something here or there. It was cool and really collaborative.
RANDO: We had good experimentation with micing and sounds that all came out very colorful.

EM: What are the music genres that have influenced these recordings?
SKY: Gosh, what have I been listening to a lot?
NATE: Pink Floyd.
SKY: Yeah, I've probably seen "Live In Pompei" fifty times! I think that's the best movie ever!

EM: What are some of the records you have been pumping while on the road?
SKY: Well, we haven't been listening to a whole lot of music because we broke down twice and couldn't use the stereo because the battery was dead. I taught these guys a couple of rye whiskey songs and had a little sing a long.

EM: Do you all get cabin fever in the RV?
SKY: Not yet!
RANDO: (laughing) Shoo fly shoo....
SKY: Compared to a Chevy Astro Van...
NATE: We're living like kings.
SKY: It's like a football field! I was doing cartwheels, lunges, running back and forth.
NATE: We're gonna be making bacon right over there (points to built in stove)
SKY: And pizza! I brought a pizza pan.

EM: Well, I'll let you all hit the road. Is there anything else you would like to tell the world about the tour or your music?
SKY: I would just recommend [touring] to bands. I just can't even describe the pleasure of being in random places and towns I normally wouldn't even go to.
NATE: And meeting all sorts of cool people that you wouldn't necessarily meet otherwise.
SKY: And finding about all these other bands that I never would have known existed because a lot of people don't go on tour anymore. I mean, there is Myspace but it is different when you see it in person. It's always nice to come home with a stack of new stuff.
RANDO: The explorer...
SKY: The wanderer, gatherer.

Click here to see the video and pictures from the interview.