BRNLV Tour Week Interview // Stairs To Korea vs Michele Stodart of Magic Numbers

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Stairs To Korea is preparing his debut 7″ release, a compilation of all three singles to date and live favourite ‘Guy Fawkes’, called the Small Fractures EP. There’s a free download available below – a Dreamtrak live session of ‘All Of Your Friends’.

Stairs To Korea – All Of Your Friends (Live Dreamtrak Session) by brainlove

Once you’ve enjoyed that, you can read Michele Stodart of Magic Numbers grilling Mr. Stairs about his musical development…

So tell me Will, something I’ve always wanted to know… When you start writing is it usually when you pick up the guitar or is it more a sit down with a pen and paper kinda thing?

I’ll usually wait until I think of something that sticks in my head, then I’ll rush it onto a mobile phone or Dictaphone, or whatever’s to hand. I’ll then probably spend that evening translating it to a setting and arrangement on my computer, then spend the next couple of weekends going for long walks with whatever I’ve got so far looping in my headphones, adding and changing little lyrics and phrases before demoing it and then changing it all around again until it either pleases or exasperates me enough to leave it alone.

What are your influences? And do you apply these to your music?

I always have trouble answering this, but I like Smog, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr, Sufjan Stevens, John Coltrane, The Jesus Lizard, The Pastels, Steve Reich and Whitney Houston. I honestly can’t claim any overarching influences though: Mine’s a very insular songwriting process, eschewing external influences as much as possible, although I can occasionally steal Sufjan Stevens’ flutes. And some of Whitney’s strut.

Have you always wanted to be a musician, or was there ever another dream you had?

I’ve wanted to be a detective, a palaeontologist, a surgeon and a musician.

Do you have a favorite gig that you’ve played? Or watched?

Remember Belgium? Belgium’s amazing: everyone comes for all the support acts. No-one talks through sets and there were dinosaur skeletons in the lobby. Either Belgium or a house party at Internet Forever’s house. I think we had to unplug the freezer for the amps.

Ok what was the worst job you’ve ever had… And why?

It’s just too hard to choose between packing mobile phone accessories in a massive shed in the home counties surrounded by drunk angry old men, cleaning some awful business park at the arse end of Derby, dogsbodying in the medical records department of a large hospital (I once clanged straight into a zipped up corpse on a trolley whilst listening to GoodBooks), Caddying at 6am for ungrateful sociopathic millionaires at 15 etc. I appreciate people have much much worse jobs than this though.

So finally Will, what’s next for Stairs to Korea? Touring? Albums? Etc…

There’s going to be a 7″ E.P out soon. I’ve not really told anyone this but it’s going to be called Small Fractures. The cover art is swoonsome. But first…THE BRAINLOVE TOUR 2010.

Do you like touring? Anywhere in particular?

Iceland’s been very good to me. Iceland.

Do you have any touring rituals that you just have to do or have and without it, it wouldn’t be the same?

Early days as it is: I’ll never forget your “New socks on the rider” tip. Amazing difference that makes.

Thanks for that… And good luck with the tour next month.

Always a pleasure. Always always always.