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The Comfort Interview                            10-3-08

Tola Brennan- vocals

Aya Yamamoto- violin, vocals, hands, elephant

Charlie Dore-Young- guitar, "kinda sings"

Thanks to Katie Brawl!

OBB: Where is your band name derived from?

Tola: Well, it's supposed to be ironic. Partly it's not comfortable, and not appropriate that we're called The Comfort. It's discomforting and comforting.

Aya: Comfort is a paradox. To be safe and welcoming is too comforting lures you to sleep.

Tola: When we think of The Comfort we think of imagery: couches, chairs, lamps, books, coffee tables, feathers, geometric black and white shapes…

Charlie: Cocks.

Tola: Retro sepia.

Charlie: Pino noir.

OBB: What do you consider is the genre of music that you play? How would you describe your music?

Tola: Spastic indie folk, like The National, but also mellow.

Charlie: There is nothing spastic about The National!

Tola: Spastic is like dotting an "i." There is nothing special about an "i" until it's dotted.

OBB: This is similar to my last question: What are your influences?

Tola: The National, Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, a little Of Montreal.

Charlie: I… Guess… The Velvet Underground, Neil Young, I guess The National, yeah.

Tola: Big time.

Aya: Princess Mononoke, Hayao Miyazaki, did you know he composes 10% of the music in his movies?

OBB: I actually didn't.

Tola: Also music from Final Fantasy X.

Charlie: And Ocarina of Time.

Aya: Also for me, trees, American bluegrass, Celtic tunes and fiddle… (Tola and Charlie continue their video game discussion while Aya thinks.) …and a little Klesmer.

OBB: How do you guys think you work together as a band?

Charlie: It's convenient.

Tola: Spatially.

Charlie: Well for me, I wasn't hesitant to join The Comfort. I need action and busyness beside my other band, Calamus.

Tola: Our music sounds better together, because we collaborate really well.

Aya: It's a small group; each of our input is all felt. We each have different energy. It's hard to describe.

Tola: We're each three different colored lamps.

Aya: Each light has a different color.

Charlie: The heat from all of the light bulbs together.

Aya: We're also elves!

Aya: We're all a similar size.

Charlie: We're the best-looking band! We're mannequin models that play music!

OBB: Well here's a touchy subject… Would you consider yourselves a "kids band?"

All together: NO! FUCK NO!

Tola: Our target audience is between…

Aya: Age is irrelevant!

Tola: … forty year olds and college students.

Charlie: A lot of problems with the music scene now is that people just want to get their pictures taken or jump around.

Tola: Hell, people create themselves, my common observation, on what is and what should be.

OBB: Where do you find the inspiration for your songs?

Tola: Depression, loneliness, Bright Eyes, lack of sleep.

Charlie: Delusion.

Aya: We're working on a happy song-

Tola: At some point. Oh, and being on the train.

Aya: Not all of us are depressed, like me!

Tola We're rainy day music.

Aya: Comfort!

Charlie: It's chill out music, for shooting the shit.

OBB: Do you think The Comfort will come out successful in the scene of high school bands currently occurring? If so, why?

Charlie and Aya: We don't care.

Tola: It's irrelevant.

Charlie: Fuck that. We're more concerned with affecting people.

Tola: People come to our practice in awe, and we're happy with just that.

Aya: It's about the music itself, not how people will receive it. It's not about popularity.

Charlie: We'll be satisfied if we keep getting good reactions.

Aya: People's positive reactions are more valuable when it's closer to your heart.