We Are Scientists- by Ed Gross
we punch you, we nurse you back to health

The Following is an email exchange Ed had in 2004 with Brooklyn-based rock band We Are Scientists. At the time, they were just a promising power pop band - now they are signed to Virgin and have a lot of hype... we thought you might be interested in checking out what they had to say back then. It turns out we caught them just after they made an important decision...

Possessed of a snappy web-site (www.wearescientists.com) and a hook-heavy indie rock sound, We Are Scientists are worthy of your attention and queries for matters both bio-chemical and rock.

EG: Please describe your sound for someone who has never heard your band before. What are some helpful musical references?

WAS: Here is our sound: we punch you, we nurse you back to health; we punch you, we nurse you back to health; we punch you, we nurse you back to health. . . you see where this is going. We're pretty mired in pop, but spend a lot of our time trying to undermine our own pop sensibilities. Is it right to be as poppy as part of us wants to be? Likely, it is not, and so other, more responsible parts step in. That conflict makes the sound that you then hear at our show.

EG: Who are some of your most important musical influences? Who>inspired you to play music? Are there any bands you listen to that would surprise people who listen to your band?

WAS: Very interesting, that question. We have a hard time coming up with a list of general influences, but the following is a woefully incomplete list of bands that we have to admit we've stolen ideas directly from (asterisks indicate theft by multiple members of the We Are Scientists):
The Pixies* The Police, Weezer,* The Yeah Yeah Yeahs,* Liars/Wire, Les Savy Fav, The Dandy Warhols, Blur, The Beach Boys,* Franz Ferdinand.
We have stolen from many other, disparate bands, too.

EG: What are your thoughts on the New York scene? Favorite places to play? Bands you enjoy playing with? Local favorites?

WAS: How interesting that you should ask. Here are our thoughts on the New York scene: love it or leave it!

Michael loves the Double, and he won't stop talking about them. We all love Bishop Allen, too. We seriously get all wistful over them. One good venue in town is the Tank, on 42nd St. - it's pretty far out there, but the beer is like $1 or something. Also, they will sell you a king-sized Snickers bar if you ask that of them. Have you seen these Snickers bars? They are huge - more than one member of We Are Scientists can tackle in a single sitting. Our favorite is when we play with Bishop Allen at the Tank - we generally have to convalesce for a few days after such a thing, on account of all the sugar.

EG: Give us a little background about your band... How long have you been together? What was the genesis?

WAS: Long story short: we are all skinny, white look-alikes, and somebody once asked, based upon our appearance, whether or not we were scientists. That was enough to convince us that a band should be formed, because somebody needed to capitalize on the greatness of the potential band name.

We’ve known each other since back in college, and we like to think that we were a band before we’d even started playing music together. Or at least just a gang.

EG: As a long-time WAS fan, I have listened to each of the CD's you guys have released (Safety, Fun, & Learning (In That Order), Bitching!, In Action), do you see a progression in your sound?

WAS: Yes, see your next question.

EG: When I saw you guys last month I noticed a trend towards edgier, more danceable material. Is this a conscious decision? Do you feel the band moving away from the more traditional power-pop format?

WAS: Yes, it was a conscious decision. After much deliberation involving speeches accompanied by tasteful but graph-heavy Power Point presentations, we took a vote. The results were decisive: the We Are Scientists were in favor (by a 2:1 margin) of edginess and danceability. And so, the move was made, and we are the better for it, although on some nights, you can still catch a grimace flashing briefly on Chris’s face as he plays his mandated dancey/edgey basslines.

EG: Having previously lived in California, what are some of the challenges your band faces in a city like New York? What are the advantages?

WAS: You’re a band. You live in LA. You’re loving it... so much. Then one day you pile into the jet and move to New York. Here are a couple of things that cause you -- musician, artiste, cinephile -- immediate and lasting consternation:
- weather
- burritos
That’s the thing, Ed, it’s the long, punishing winters and the chilling lack of a decent burrito. As sure as the California sun will darken the ass of starlette and harlot alike, so will the NYC deepfreeze and Mexican shortcomings bleach your compassion, your kindness, your very will to compete.

EG: One can't help but notice your band's web-site, which is filled with witty entendres, joie de vivre, and a certain je ne c'est qua humor that can only be qualified in pretentious French. Your on-stage banter is also often humorous as well. Do you guys find it difficult to straddle
the line between "Novelty" band and "Serious" band given the scientific concept of the earlier material, etc...?

WAS: Those few who heard the We Are Scientists during its maybe-novelty stage -- pogo-sticks, capes, vocoders -- are, we think you’ll agree, Ed, long dead. These days, we are funny -- yes, fine, probably the funniest -- but we think it has little bearing on how seriously we are taken by fan and foe alike, which is, Ed? Deadly serious.

EG: Speaking of the web-site (which is excellent by the by), what are some other unconventional promotional methods your band uses to get the word out about WAS?

WAS: Hats, headbands, head lamps, fake Mohawks, artificial bald pates, weird-colored wigs, caps, beanies, like... visors, pageboy hairdos and bobs, helmets, wigs, your spray-ons -- basically anything you can think of, we’ve tried.

EG: Any advice for fledging youngsters looking to start bands?

WAS: Fender’s “Get Your Groove On, Little Kid” package deal, $129.99, is a helluva deal. Take a look.

EG: Finally, since our magazine has a Deli theme to it, I would be remiss if I did not enquire as to your personal preferences in that department. What is your favorite local deli? Do you have a usual (sandwich, salad, falafel, fava beans with a nice Chianti)?

WAS: Keith favors the deli on 2nd ave. and 26th; Michael digs the one on Manhattan near the BQE; Chris will split hairs all day long with you over the deli on 86th st. and 18th ave. in Bensonhurst and the one on 86th st. and 18th ave., opposite corner, in Bensonhurst.

Curiously, we all delight in the lunch special.