Interview with Ben from A Sunny Day in Glasgow!

I caught up with Ben Daniels, front man of A Sunny Day in Glasgow for an interview. Despite lineup changes and a huge move to Sydney for Ben; ASDIG still put out one of the most highly acclaimed records of 2009 "Ashes Grammar," and is about to embark on a US Tour. A special limited 12" of "Nitetime Rainbows" will be released on March 2nd.

1. Where are you right now?
   Sydney, Australia.
   
   
2. How did the Sunny Day in Glasgow project come about?
   I had been recording pop songs on a 4-track by myself, but I couldn't (and still can't) sing. So I asked my sisters to sing over my songs. And then people kind of liked it so we kept going writing and recording more songs. Then one day we were more or less a band. Since then it's been a pretty wild ride.
   
   
3. Your band has gone through many changes in the past year. Has the dust cleared from that at all?
   I will cautiously say, yes. The one constant with ASDiG seems to be change, but everyone in the group now is into being in the band, and it's really the best ASDiG's ever been.
   
   
4. You recently played some shows and are going back on tour at the end of the month. What do you like most about touring? What do you like the least?
   I love touring. Life is so simple. You really only have to worry about getting to the next show. That's all you have do. And you don't buy things or spend money and life is just so much easier. And you also meet lots of great people. I love it. Sometimes you just want to be alone or sleep in a bed though, i guess that's the thing I like least. Also, 14 hour drives really break your spirit. I hate it when those happen
   
   
5. Ashes Grammar bounces from shoegaze to almost electronic-sounding type tracks. What influenced you the most while making this album?
   It's hard to say, I think other people are better at picking out influences. But going into the recording, Josh and I were talking about/listening to stuff like Station to Station, In Utero, lots of Michael Jackson, and by the time we were mixing and doing last little touch-ups I was listening almost exclusively to the Pod by Ween.
   
   
6. I would use the word “ethereal” to describe the album, but that is cliché, and I’m not that great of a writer. What is another word that you would use? (Or several words, for that matter.)
   Haha, don't be so hard on yourself! I try not to describe anything I make, I let other people do that. But if my great uncle or like a friend of my mother's or something asks what the band is like I usually say "noisy pop music with lots of melody maybe?". that's my stock answer to this question.
   
   
7. Who are your favorite bands at the moment, from Philadelphia, or otherwise.
   JJ is my favorite band in the world now. So excited for their new record. I also recently was reminded of this band called Stornoway from England. I have a 7" of theirs I really like. But from Philly, I don't know, I very much like Reading Rainbow, The Homophones... There was a band that I started with a friend and played in for a while but don't really play with anymore called King Kong Ding Dong. They just put out a really awesome record I would recommend to everyone.
   
   
8. The “Nightime Rainbows” EP is coming out soon on vinyl. Are you a vinyl collector?
   Kind of. Records in Australia are so expensive I can't afford to buy them. So moving here kind of stopped my record buying. I stock up when I come home for touring.
   
   
9. It’s also on clear vinyl, what is it about colored vinyl that just seems more special?
   I think it's only special when it's a limited run. If you just put out a record on color vinyl and that's how it always is, that's not so special. But if you repress it in black then that makes the color vinyl special. That being said, I have Dots & Loops by Stereolab on green and white vinyl and it's pretty great.
   
   
10. On the b-side of the EP, there are three remixes of “Nightime Rainbows” featuring remixes by The Buddy System, Benoit Pioulard, and Ezekiel Honig. How did these artists come about remixing your songs?Our label set it up actually. The people we suggested or wrote to either didn't want to do it or never wrote us back :( But the remixes are great here. I really love that Buddy System remix. It's like its own song.
    
    
11. What’s a nightime rainbow? In your honest opinion, do you think they’re better than daytime ones?
    I'd rather not say what it is to me but they are definitely better than daytime ones.