Fuck yea, Yeasayer

6th February 2012

Post reblogged from rolex o’clock, peasant with 4 notes

redcaves:

i just really miss yeasayer

Tagged: yeasayerthey need to come back 2 my liferight now

Source: razorlike

11th January 2012

Post reblogged from The Sport Hole with 12 notes

Indie Rock Sports Talk w/ Ahmed Gallab of Yeasayer

thesporthole:

Your Sport Hole editors come from A&E journalism backgrounds, so this new series just makes sense. In Indie Rock Sports Talk we bring in different independent musicians to talk about – you guessed it – sports. Our first installment features Ahmed Gallab of Brooklyn, NY-based experimental rockers Yeasayer. The multi-instrumentalist has a résumé that includes work with indie bigwigs Of Montreal and Caribou, as well as his own project Sinkane.

Check out the track “Jeeper Creeper” off Sinkane’s forthcoming LP “Mars” (due out late winter/early spring):

http://soundcloud.com/sinkane-ra/jeeper-creeper

Born in Sudan and raised all over the U.S., Gallab is also a thoughtful and witty sports nut. He’s loyal to all the Cleveland franchises, but also backs the Jazz, Lakers and Knicks of the NBA. Enjoy our chat with him about the LeBron fallout, Ohio’s emotional distance to the inept Browns and his pipe dream for a U.S. Indie Rock All-Star team.

This is a terribly obvious question for a Cleveland sports fan, but where are you/the City of Cleveland at with LeBron these day? Wound still raw?

We wear our hearts on our sleeves. We’re also just annoyed by a lot of stuff. By “a lot of stuff,” I mean people being dicks about it. Clevelanders aren’t ever going to forgive Art Modell or LeBron James. Well … actually, with LeBron, they will get over it – and most likely drink like 90 beers in the process. I just think that LeBron’s apology for his decision this off-season felt good for other people to hear, but for Clevelanders, it was too little too late. Cleveland fans don’t care about what you say anymore, dude. Sorry.

Jazz, Lakers and Knicks – what’s the common denominator of your fandom there?

Living in Utah made me appreciate West Coast sports. I moved to Ohio when I was 13 and watched some Spike Lee movies growing up.

How do you feel about the Jazz this year? They’ve got to be tough to root for. They have talented players — Al Jefferson, Paul Millsapp, Devin Harris — but it doesn’t really feel like a team that’s trying to accomplish anything, but more like a team of potential trade pieces. Who can they build the team around?

Al Jefferson has had an amazing start to the season. Dominant, scoring well each game as well as outscoring everyone on his team. He should obviously be the focal point of their offense. Matter of fact: he probably should be the only one playing. If I had a choice of cloning him and starting five Al Jeffersons I would absolutely do it. Worst defense, wildest offense imaginable.

Favorite Buckeye of all time?
Eddie George. That guy is incredibly handsome. Have you seen him lately? Wow. He also played like a champ. There are a lot though. John Havlicek, Archie Griffin, Dwight Yoakam, Jesse Owens. All of them fabulous.

How have the Browns remained so consistently shitty since they reformed in 1999?

It’s almost as if they’re trying, right? I think if they won the Super Bowl, Jim Brown would be surrounded in blinding light and turn into several dozen snakes. Keeping that from happening is the only reason that can explain why they refuse to be successful. Honestly, it’s never felt like the Browns since the move to Baltimore. The team of tradition and identity was gone and Cleveland has been on a teenager’s weird puberty journey to mature back to the team they were. The Browns, for now, are still that gangly boy with the patchy facial hair trying to disguise that homeroom erection.

Growing up, did “Major League” help get you super excited about the Indians?

I didn’t become a Cleveland sports fan until I moved to Ohio in 1997. I liked a lot of players back then, not so much teams. Big fan of Thurman Thomas and Frank Thomas. I also appreciated people like Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr. and Ken Griffey Jr. because they seemed so wholesome.

If Yeasayer is a pro athlete, which athlete and why?

I once saw a highlight of a Mexican footballer scoring a goal in the 89th minute, dancing and then producing a rubber chicken out of his shorts. Meaning he played an entire game up to that point with a rubber chicken in his shorts.

Are reviews – in any way – akin to scouting reports and/or score cards for your band?

A little, I guess. It’s like impressing people at the combine to get drafted. But it’s kind of like getting drafted into the minors or like a AA sports team. Doesn’t really matter.

In the indie rock game, what’s the emotional equivalent of a home run, three-pointer, etc.?

Under the influence in 7/8 time.

How do you follow sports on when you’re on tour?

We tend to find a bar that’s playing a game somewhere. It isn’t too difficult in the U.S., but it can get hard to see basketball in Europe. I have a sports app on my phone that keeps me up-to-date and there is always the internet.

Of the indie rock bands you’re chummy with, which are the biggest sports fans?

There are a lot of closet jocks in indie rock. A lot of out and proud ones, too. Yeasayer like sports a lot. So do Delicate Steve, Nat Baldwin, Bon Iver, Smith Westerns. Anand Wilder (of Yeasayer) and I compete against each other in sports quite often. He’s no joke, dude. He might be tiny but he’ll do a number to you on the court – fast and has a killer left-handed layup. I’m still better than him, though. He could use a better outside game. I’ve let him win a few times just to help restore his ego. He’s kind of my boss so I have to yield to that. I’d actually really like to organize an American Indie Rock All-Star sports team to challenge bands outside of the States, giving the proceeds to a charity or something. Rock-n-Jock style. It’d be fun to see that go down.

- by Jay Boller and Mark Brenden

[Photo: Death + Taxes]

Tagged: yeasayerahmed gallab

Source: thesporthole.com