Scrit: When did Ten East come about and whose idea was it exactly?
Gary: Ten East was an idea I had about a year and a half ago. I wanted to do something apart from Yawning Man, more raw and heavy. I wanted the line-up to be different as well. Bill Stinson is probably one of the heaviest drummers I know. So it was a given, he was the first person I called to start up Ten East. Mario�s a great rock guitarist, so I called him as well. We didn�t really have a bass player �til two days before the recording. So Mario called Brant and he was there with his bass ready to play.
Scrit: The album Extraterrestrial Highway has been in the can for a while, correct? I know there was some delay with its release (as is the case with virtually everything). Do you recall exactly how long it took to create?
Gary: Yeah there was some delay due to everyone�s conflicting schedules. Especially when everyone involved has their own band that keeps them busy. It took two months to pull it together.
Scrit: Where did you guys lay it down?
Gary: We recorded at Unit A in Palm Springs, California. Robbie Waldman owns the studio. The same place both Yawning Man albums were done.
Scrit: There is a symbiosis between you guys that�s allowed for confident improvisation when you go into the studio. I understand that The Perfect Rat album (to be released also by Spain�s Alone Records) was recorded in this manner. How much structure ahead of time vs. improv in the studio did Ten East utilize?
Gary: Ten East was both improv and semi-structured in the way that a couple weeks prior to recording I was working on guitar parts and trying to piece them together. I didn�t know if I was going to use them for Yawning Man or Ten East. You can tell the difference in the songs that are jams, �from scratch,� or songs that have a pre-conceived idea. Like �Scraping The Barrel,� �Draggin� Balls,� �Extraterrestrial Highway,� �Spiritual Hangover� which all were semi-structured. The thing that blew me away most was that I showed Brant my guitar parts once with Bill, and that was it. There was no stopping and relearning anything. The whole album took three or four hours to record. We all felt relaxed and everything flowed.
Scrit: Do you guys hate the term �supergroup,� which many would certainly call a line-up of Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli, Bill Stinson, and Gary Arce?
Gary: �Supergroup� is a little extreme. It�s basically four guys that love playing music and really get into their instruments, on a plain and personal level.
Scrit: Is there any inclination to tour in support of Extraterrestrial Highway? Or was this a one-off effort of friends having fun together? Are the players too involved in their other bands to allow time for such a tour, be it small or large?
Gary: It�s a one-off thing. It was a fun project and if it ever happened again it would take a lot phone calls and scheduling months ahead of time. The moon and the sun would have to be aligned.
Scrit: Tell us a bit about The Perfect Rat album. A very experimental record recorded with Black Flag�s Greg Ginn?
Gary: The Perfect Rat is myself, Bill, Greg, Jack Brewer, Mario, and Tony Atherton played a little bit of saxophone. It�s all improvised music apart from Jack�s vocals/ spoken word. It basically stemmed from an on-going thing Greg, Bill, and myself had been doing for quite some time. We just decided it was time to record ourselves and put it out. I�ve always been into Greg Ginn�s music since I was a teenager. And that type of guitar playing. It reminds me a lot of John McLaughlin, who is also one of my favorite guitar players. On this recording I played the guitar and Greg played bass, and working off of Greg really let me approach my guitar style on a different level. The record should be out by April or May. We�ve already done more recording for a second album.
Scrit: And the newest project we can expect is called Echo Friendly Approach. This has more in common with Yawning Man?
Gary: The music�s going to be more reminiscent to that of Yawning Man. I will be adding African and Indian percussion along with didjeridoo and possibly sitar, but it will still maintain the Yawning Man sound and tone. Bill Stinson will be playing drums on this project also. Mario Lalli may play bass, so it should be an interesting album.
Scrit: Are there any plans for Yawning Man to record again? Or is Echo Friendly Approach essentially the next incarnation of that band?
Gary: If anything ever happened again with Yawning Man, I would probably want to add Mario again on bass, and possibly Larry on second guitar like the original line-up. One cool thing about music is that it is the great equalizer and unfortunately I found out the hard way that some people have other intentions than simply playing music. I like to surround myself with people that like music for music�s sake and because it�s fun.
Scrit: Is Larry Lalli full-time with Fatso Jetson?
Gary: As far as I know he is. I know he and Mario are super busy with their cafe and music for now has taken a backseat. But they do try and play as much as possible.
Scrit: Tell me about Cale Bunker, a name I�ve heard kicking around a long time now. Is he like the resident film and video maker for the desert bands? His work is great�
Gary: To be honest I have only met Cale once or twice. Cool person. I have not seen much of his work. Yawning Man has some music on one of his films, but I�ve yet to see it.
Scrit: How is your family? I understand it just grew by one. A whole-hearted congratulations to you.
Gary: My wife and I just had a baby girl; her name is River Elise.
Scrit: Are you able to find that elusive place of balance between creating your music/art, and the requirements of your time from your family?
Gary: I can�t really write on demand. When I get ideas I pick up my guitar and start playing. Sometimes for two minutes sometimes for an hour, depending on if things start flowing. My wife and kids understand and give me space.
Scrit: Do you know if any of your European gigs with Yawning Man, from either 2005 or 2006, were recorded (outside of the live DVD the band released)? That�s a lot of shows I �wouldn�t mind� hearing.
Gary: I really don�t know apart from the DVD. But if anyone does have any recordings let us know. I would like to check them out.
Scrit: I�m a little slow. Only recently did I realize the name was a clever variation of the term ECO Friendly Approach. Is there the chance, given the reliable collaboration of you and Bill Stinson, that Echo may play a couple of live shows in 2007 in the desert or greater Los Angeles areas?
Gary: I would really like to. I love playing live and jamming. Bill Stinson and I really click musically.
Scrit: I�ve seen some confusing listings online, so for the record: Is The Perfect Rat album or the Echo Friendly Approach album called Endangered Languages?
Gary: The Perfect Rat is called Endangered Languages. Echo Friendly Approach is not yet titled.
Scrit: In the long, crazy story of Yawning Man�s The Birth of Sol Music double album, has there been any development in its hopefully eventual release?
Gary: Cobraside Distribution will be releasing it through their iTunes. I discussed it with Alfredo and Mario and we were all in agreement to finally "just put it out."
Scrit: In the Yawning Man supplemental interview I conducted with you last year, you said there were another four or five new Yawning-tunes you�d written and not yet recorded. So you�ll likely be laying them down with Echo then instead?
Gary: Possibly. I have already been writing music for Echo Friendly Approach and the unrecorded Yawning Man songs would fit right in to the sound and vibe of Echo. But the names of the projects can and do change. It very well could be called the second Ten East album instead. It all depends on a lot of things, namely the vibe, the result, of what we record in the studio. It can all change.
Scrit: Have any of you ever seen an extraterrestrial or UFO?
Gary: I live in California so I see aliens everyday (just kidding). Actually, when Mario and myself and another friend were driving out of the hills near the desert, a red ball of light was following us down the hill. I remember this strange sound .The light then followed us side by side for quite some time. You have to take into account we were partying all night but when three people see and hear the same thing it makes you wonder.
Scrit: Do you think Martians listen to music that sounds like Ten East?
Gary: I think so. It�s good travel music. And the extraterrestrial highway is in reference to them.
Scrit: Thanks very much Gary, we look forward to the music.
(Gary has asked me to mention my involvement. I�ve gotten to know Gary Arce pretty well during the last two years. Over the course of this time, during one of our many discussions about music and the three interviews I`ve conducted with him, it came out that I`ve been a percussionist in a two-piece, world-fusion band with my brother for five years. I`ve studied tabla with master teacher Aloke Dutta for a brief period, and play djembe, dumbek, and various other African drums. Gary wanted that type of sound to be included on one of his projects and, as it turns out, Echo Friendly Approach is that project. So he`s asked me to contribute some percussion during the recording of that album, which will be the beginning of February 2007. Simon7 is a master didjeridoo player I`ve known of for seven years since my days of living in New York City. So I put he and Gary in touch and Simon will be later adding didjeridoo from his studio in Australia. I`m thrilled and honored to be a part of this project. More to come soon...)
