Bigger and Bolder Bells
Benjamin Curtis discusses the future of School of Seven Bells
“The School of the Seven Bells is a legendary, possibly apocryphal, and deliciously plausible school, said to be based in Colombia. Pickpocketing is largely a skilled combination of timing, and distraction, but South American pickpockets are particularly notorious.
There is, of course, an exam. Thieves-to-be are faced with a mannequin (or even a teacher) in a man’s suit, strewn with pockets, and rigged up with seven strategically placed bells. They must pick the mark clean, without ringing a single bell.”
—CoolThingsinRandomPlaces.com
There is a certain mystical element to the origins and existence of such a school, so it’s appropriate that the band, which has taken this name to represent its musical product, creates a mystical sea of sound.
A pickpocket, however, must operate in stealth, whereas within seconds of a School of Seven Bells concert beginning, fans are completely engulfed by the wall of sound created by guitarist Benjamin Curtis and twin sisters Ally and Claudia Deheza. It’s incredible how full the trio can sound, but then again, Curtis was building sound sculptures the size of the Grand Canyon with Secret Machines before leaving to pursue SVIIB.
Having been on the road for the bulk of 2009, SVIIB finally returns home for a headlining gig at Bowery Ballroom on Friday night with hometown bands Violens and Apache Beat.
New York Press talked to Benjamin Curtis about touring, possible collaborations, and what to expect the band’s sophomore record to sound like.
I have read that the name School of Seven Bells is derived from the name of a notorious Columbian pickpocket academy. Have any of you been victimized by a pickpocket?
Benjamin Curtis: I don’t think so, but who knows. I personally am really bad about misplacing things, so I usually blame myself before I jump to any conclusions.
What is the biggest challenge in taking the sounds of your record to the live setting with only three members? Have you considered adding a live drummer/extending your lineup?
We've actually been on a long process of shrinking our lineup. When we started we had five people playing live, but something just wasn't right. We soon realized that the chemistry of the people performing is probably 90% of what makes a band great, and at the moment, the harmony of the three of us on stage playing our music is really special. We make a surprising amount of noise between the three of us as well, which was a great discovery. For the future, I can't make any promises. We've got a million ideas, and a million plans. As soon as we have the means, we'd love to experiment with all types of instrumentation while playing with musicians we love, but I don't think the typical rock band formula will be a possibility any time soon.
Some bands prefer to always be on the road, others prefer the studio. Where are you at your happiest?
It depends on what day you ask, really. Some days we wake up in such incredible places, and feel so lucky to be doing what we're doing. On the other hand, traveling can be really draining. We've been working out of our home studio in Brooklyn, so after playing 70 shows on this past tour, home seems like a really great place to be at the moment. I love NYC.
I've seen you play venues as varied in size as Mercury Lounge, Webster Hall and Terminal 5. How big of a difference is it to play in front of 500 people or 100 people? When are you at your most comfortable?
Smaller venues tend to be more stressful, believe it or not! Something about somebody standing 5 feet away from you, watching your every move, is more intimidating than 1,000 people who seem miles away. There's also something so satisfying about hearing our music coming out of a massive speaker system, and that can only really happen in a bigger place.
You formed as a band as a result of touring together when you were in the bands On! Air! Library! and Secret Machines. Are there any musicians you've toured with as members of SVIIB that you'd like to collaborate with?
Sarah Jones, who was drumming with Bat For Lashes, is one of the most amazing drummers we've ever seen. If we were ever going to play with one, it would have to be her. We were lucky enough to have Simone Pace from Blonde Redhead play on our record, which was cool. Niki Randa from Blank Blue also sang on “Prince of Peace,” so we definitely have a history of post-tour collaborations.
What has been the most interesting thing to happen to you on this current long stretch of touring?
Getting our van stuck in a dirt road on the top of the Alps was exciting, for sure. Everyday is bizarre in it's own way, I can assure you.
You're currently working on your follow up to Alpinisms. What should fans expect musically?
I think a bigger and bolder record is on the way. We're so much better at doing what we do after playing live so much this year. When we made our record we never really considered how it would be interpreted live, and things have gotten heavier and louder and, in my opinion, more beautiful all around, so I'm ready for people to hear more of that side of us.
What's presently inspiring you creatively?
Sleep, travel, each other, and playing live. There's always plenty to be inspired by.
SVIIB + M83 = Awesomeness
School of Seven Bells / M83
Webster Hall
11.14.08
When Benjamin Curtis left Secret Machines to form School of Seven Bells with stunning twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza , no one could have guessed just how great the records that both bands would end up releasing would be. Critics and fans worried that it was the end of Secret Machines, and then the band managed to convince them otherwise. School of Seven Bells' task was different than Secret Machines. Rather than maintain their fan-base, they had to build one. Starting off like any other new New York band, they began playing the cities smallest venues, but were quickly climbing the ladder, thanks to their resume, connections, and amazing sound. When I saw them open up for Blonde Redhead at Terminal 5 early in the year, I instantly became a fan. There was no question that they were on a fast rise to the top of the music scene. Then when CMJ came along, they played a load of shows, and were finally getting a load of recognition.
At Webster Hall on Friday night, they did not disappoint. Mixing shoegaze, krautrock, and mystical Cocteau Twins-like female harmonies, their set seemed short and left a desire for more. Curtis' powerful guitar playing was just as mesmerizing as during his days with Secret Machines, and the beautiful Deheza sisters' voices were dark and enchanting. There were points during the set where a live drummer would have been more exciting than drum machines, but they were great, nevertheless.
Headlining the show was French pop shoegazers M83. When their record first made its way onto my desk, the John Hughes-spired artwork made it easy to dismiss yet oddly appealing. Strangely enough, the album cover was perfect preparation for the music contained inside—dreamy 80s-sounding pop music. It would take months for me to really begin to enjoy "Saturdays = Youth," but it did eventually happen. While the record never hit me hard enough to make my my end of year list, their live performance on Friday was really pretty spectacular. The mostly instrumental shoegaze pop swept through the crowded venue and sucked us in for the marvelous vocals on tracks like "Graveyard Girl." It was the type of performance that turns casual listeners into big fans.
