Hailing from Stillwater, Oklahoma, one might assume that Colourmusic might dabble in alt-country or Southern rock. Such couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, this intriguing five-piece plays alternative rock with the emphasis on the alternative.
Calling what they do "Oklahoma Sex Rock," the guys in Colourmusic actually claim the theories of Isaac Newton as an influence. And while their music may indeed be heady, songs like "Feels Good to Wear" and "Dolphins & Unicorns" (from the recently released sophomore album, My _________ is Pink) certainly stand as approachable post-punk fare. And with a nice, humorous bent at play, too.
Speaking on the road between Oregon and California and in anticipation of Friday's night show at the Prophet Bar, Colourmusic multi-instrumentalist Colin Fleishacker spoke to DC9 about changing styles and touring with another band with "colour" in its name.
You are touring with Colour Revolt. How many other bands with "colour" in their name have you played with?
This is the first time to play with another band with the word "colour" in the band name. It's pretty cool. I'm sure it's not the most original thing to call this "The 'Colour' Tour."
And both bands use the "u" spelling.
I don't about those guys, but we actually have a British guy [Nick Turner] in our band. I don't know what the reasoning is behind them using that spelling. It was our way of humoring our British guy. We wanted to make him feel at home.
Seeing that Nick is from England, do you guys have football vs. soccer arguments?
No, it's more along the lines of pronunciation. We tell him how to properly pronounce aluminum. He still doesn't understand that one.
The rest of the band is from Stillwater. What the hell is there to do in Stillwater?
You make music and you drink beer. That's about it. And ride your bike around. That is literally it. However, there really are some amazing local restaurants. We even have a great Thai restaurant, and I am a huge fan of Thai food. The place in Stillwater is one of the best Thai places on earth.
How much has the appearance on Jay Leno's show helped the band?
Our profile went up quite a bit after that. We released our record and we kind of lay dormant for a while. With every record that we do, we completely change our sound. That kind of makes it an uphill battle. We are kind of starting all over again with each record. So any exposure, especially on a show like Leno's, is good.
How important have the guys in the Flaming Lips been to your band?
They have been very kind to us and have had a huge impact. I don't want it to look like we are hanging on to their coattails, but they have helped us out. We've played some big shows with them. They are good friends to have.
Your press materials often refer to Isaac Newton and the influence of color on your music. Are you worried about sounding pretentious -- or that many in your audience won't know who Isaac Newton is?
That is a possibility. I think as long as people pay attention to the music, they won't worry about the influences. That's all that really matters. But I do think people understand our concept. We have two records out and they are quite different from one another. We have to put our money where our mouth is and say this is how our music is going to be. We are not to be confined to one genre. I know quite a few people who don't like the new record because they loved the first one. I also know people who were not fans of the first record who love the new one. I think with every record that we do, there will always be shifting within the fan base.
You guys are a record label's nightmare, aren't you?
Totally. Our label is always nervous when we start making demos. But our label is always supportive of us. We talk about that a lot. Our label allows us to grow and change. We really appreciate that.
Do you still have themes to each show as you have done in the past?
We did that with the first record, but we are not doing that now. We feel very strongly in the music on this new record. We don't want to distract from that. We don't want to do anything to take anything away from the music itself. We did buy nearly every roll of duct tape in Stillwater and cover all of our equipment in that stuff. But there isn't any theme to this tour.
