Q&A with Brian Sendrowitz (Beat Radio)

How did you get started? What was the inspiration to start this project?

It sounds funny, but I actually woke up one day and wrote the first 2 songs for this project, "Ancient as the Stars" and "Mexico,” and then the rest followed over the next couple weeks. I put out a little 6 song promo CD-R called 4 Track Demos, April 2005 because I wrote and recorded all the songs at home on my 4 track that month. The inspiration was pretty direct, at least what got things started. It came from my friends. There's this NY band called the Diggs that are good friends of mine. 2 of the 3 members actually played in an earlier version of Beat Radio a couple years ago. I saw them play a show at Sin-E on a Thursday night and I was absolutely floored. There's something intangibly great about their songs and their performance, and whenever I see something like that it drives me to be creative. Then on that Friday my friend/producer Phil invited me over to his studio to play me the new record he had just finished, before anyone else got to hear it. His band is called Gordo Gringo. The record was called Everybody Loves the Party. I was amazed once more. We listened all the way through. It was a complete departure for them. It was really emotional. I thought it was a really triumphant artistic breakthrough. Anyway, I started writing the Beat Radio songs the next day. Some of the lines in "Mexico” were directly inspired by Gordo Gringo's "Old Suitcase."

Was there something unsatisfying about being a solo artist?

Not at all. I mean, it is hard to keep people excited about what you’re doing, and getting them out to shows. I've been playing around New York pretty steadily for 6 or 7 years, so I’m always trying to keep changing and keep things fresh. I think Bob Dylan said it best in the Scorcese documentary (which I seriously recommend if you haven't seen it) when he said "an artist has to remember to constantly be in a state of becoming...as long as you remember that...you'll sort of be okay." Beat Radio really started as a new solo project. I made all the demos by myself at home. Giving it a different name than just Brian Sendrowitz just felt kind of liberating. Then I asked some friends who happened to be the best musicians I knew to get involved to do some live shows, and we sort of evolved into a band after a few months of that.

How exactly would you personally describe your sound?

I say indie rock, but that can mean anything these days can't it? I guess I mention influences to fill in the blanks: Yo La Tengo, Sparklehorse, Broken Social Scene. We've been compared a lot by others to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Luna, and Sebadoh.

What kind of progression with your sound do you see in the future?

The EP we just finished has some pretty big grandiose rock songs on it. We're working on a second EP tentatively scheduled for a spring or summer release that is a bit more mellow and experimental, incorporating some elements more prevalent on my solo records.

What influences your band's sound in particular?

Making demos on my 4 track recorder definitely helped shaped our sound. I had some real limitations. I made the drum beats on my crappy old computer so it introduced a sort of electronic element that we've kept for some of the songs. Also, we're all about vintage gear. Phil and I both use guitars and amps from the mid 60's. I'm just sort of obsessed with that particular sound. I guess I’m sort of a songwriter first and I think that comes through. With Beat Radio I wanted write songs that were as catchy as I’m able to write, and then leave the band room to indulge themselves musically on top of that, to have fun and experiment.

Is there anything in particular that you would want the public to know about your current project?

I guess that we're about to release the Ecstatic EP, and that we can't wait to meet them. Also, that we give away lots of music for free at www.beatradio.org.

- Rose Steele
KPSU Editorial Team