Faulkner - Music in SF

Q&A: Faulkner

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Faulkner is set to release their debut LP Pariah at the end of this week. The album was recorded at Rick Rubin’s Shangri La and East-West studios, produced by RZA, JP Bowersock (The Strokes) and Mark Needham (The Killers).

The band quickly made a name for itself when their unfinished demo NY Anthem landed in the hands of Wu-Tang mastermind RZA. The single (co-written, produced and featuring RZA) made airplay on major sports outlets, as well as NFL, U.S.Open, and N.Y. Yankees’ home games.

We recently caught up with the band and talked about how their collaboration with RZA came about, what their take is on all the club closures in LA, and what it’s like to have a song played at major sporting events all throughout the country.

What’s the meaning behind the band name?

Each member has a different version of it. None of them are true …

How’s the band first come together?

We met in the LA music scene while working on different projects. We started working on “These Kids Nowadays”, and it felt great, so we kept going.

What inspires you to write songs?

We can’t see ourselves being able to live without making music, so I guess survival.

How’d you end up hooking up with RZA?

We reached out to him and sent a demo of “NY Anthem”. He felt that there was something there that he could contribute and he did. He truly elevated the song and the band.

You’ve had some success with the song “NY Anthem.” How does it feel to have your song played at the New York Yankees home games, the US Open, NFL and more?

It’s an honor and makes us very proud to have the song being so well received. We’re very happy we’ve been able to reach such a big audience!

Being that you’re an L.A.band, what’s your take on the state of live music with all these clubs recently closing down (Keyclub, House of Blues etc.)?

It’s a bummer. Tough to see historic LA venues close down, but there are so many more great ones open now and many more to come. No shortage of spaces for musicians to perform in this town and that’s a good thing.

You’ve toured pretty extensively across the country. What’s the craziest road story you can share?

There was a couple in one of our Midwest shows this summer that decided to go full TMI on their sex life. It involved feces. We’re all trying to forget.

What’s one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you?

We have a marine biologist in the band. We’ll let you guess who.

Photo courtesy of FAULKNER

Having released albums under Digital Nations, a label founded by Steve Vai, music critic Louis Raphael has remained deeply connected to the pulse of the San Francisco music scene. Following his tenure as the San Francisco Music Examiner for Examiner.com and AXS.com, he embarked on creating Music in SF® to authentically highlight the vibrant offerings of the city's music scene.

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