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Return to Mono

Kelleher: I'm not sure, really; I guess most singers are inspired by the music they like. I've always been a fan of music that is somewhat ethereal and dreamy, and my style most likely is just a reflection of that. Part of my style is definitely just me, for sure, but the other part is attributed to sounds that inspire me.

Jim and Andy, what are your backgrounds?  How did you meet?  How long have you been working together?

Sybilrud: I grew up in Minneapolis, MN playing for a few small punk bands before going to the McNally Smith School of Music in St. Paul, where I fell in love with electronic music and synthesizers and studied music production and engineering. After finishing there, I moved to San Francisco and started collaborating with Tanya, and afterwards in '06 we sought out Jim, who's not just a sick guitarist, but someone who can add that other dimension without sounding too much like a guitar all the time.  

Paulos: I feel like this project is definitely a great vehicle for all of us. I'd been a part the S.F. music scene since I moved here with my band from Santa Cruz in the early ‘90s playing everything from punk angst (The Cast-Iron Canaries) to electronic ambient soundscapes (Stellamara). I felt that chemistry that Tanya and Andy share, and it was a really inspiring and challenging landscape for me as a guitarist to help take that music where I imagined it could go. When we got together, there was no doubt; we all instantly knew, through our creative energy, even through our twisted humor.

The first song I had heard from Return to Mono was 'Give Me Something' on the Digital Bliss compilation.  It was a beautiful, heart wrenching song that immediately made me search out more by you.  Although it is also included on your current release, Involution, I didn't hear it at your recent live show in San Francisco.  How do you choose your set list? Is it based on time, mood, or are certain songs just too difficult to arrange for a live show?

Kelleher: We certainly try to play everything live. In terms of choosing our set list, we generally create it during the rehearsal we have a night or two before the show. It's always based on how we're feeling, but other factors included are do we have anything new we want to try, have we played it a million times...oh, and 'Are we sick of this song yet?' is always a popular question.

Paulos: The order of songs is really important to us too. We like the emotion to travel at each show, so just like on a CD track list, we put some real thought into the pacing and timing of each set. Balancing the instrumentation and processing in every song is sometimes challenging, but since we write and redesign together at each practice, we know that we can bring it to the stage and totally kill it.

Most of your songs have multiple layers of vocals , and during the live performance, the prominent backing vocals are provided by a prerecorded track.  Have there ever been technical difficulties that make them unavailable?  How would you alter the performance to make up for their loss?

Kelleher: We've had problems with this in the past, and there really are no other options other than sing your little heart out and try not to miss them, and be thankful that at least you haven't lost your voice like that poor little track on your computer. So sad.

Paulos: When we first started we used two separate E-MU samplers and a sequencer, and we had the vocal processor connected through MIDI to my guitar preamp. That was a ridiculous setup to edit, program and juggle when you just want to kick out the jams, so now without all that lost time and crossed wires, we have more time to throw down and deliver without the stress and fuck-ups. 

What are your current projects? How will your next release differ from the current one?

Sybilrud: It's stronger, more upbeat, more intense and more analog. The new material has been getting a really great live response at the last few shows.

Kelleher: Yeah, it's definitely more upbeat. We've been working at trying to make people shake their booty a bit more when they listen to our music. We like that.

Paulos: It's a logical evolution for us, and we've put a lot of love into it. It will also feature some very cool collaborations with Sonja Drakulich (Stellamara) and Dopestyle, as well as our good friend and multi-instrumentalist Florian Simon. Also, look for the track 'Song of the Beast' on the next Digital Bliss compilation.

There are rumors of a remix album sometime in the future.  Who are you considering working with?

Paulos: I would definitely love to hear Kozee (of Redline and Brapdem) remix 'Attack and Sustain' or Anon Day remix 'Seeker Circuit,' but it's still in the beginning stages, and I don't want to say who might do it yet, so I should probably keep my mouth shut! 

Kelleher: Do you know of anyone good? Send 'em our way!

Finally, how would you like Return to Mono to be remembered?

Paulos: We're definitely going to keep challenging and surprising ourselves as we evolve. It's just nice to be noticed in the moment, let alone be remembered.