Restorations are a band that defies classification. They combine elements of post-hardcore, indie rock and punk, together with thoughtful and accomplished songwriting, to generate a sound that’s both unique and engaging. Their songs cans be intricate and complex at times, but they also know when to just go for it and rock out with immense energy. In short, Restorations have crafted in LP2 what is arguably one of the most refreshing and impressive records of 2013. We caught up with the band before their recent show at Subterranean and talked with singer/guitarist Jon Loudon. We discussed their new album for Side One Dummy, their summer tour, future plans and more. Also, be sure to check out Restorations’ video for the song “D” after the interview.
Bill – How did you go about partnering with Side One Dummy for the release of LP2?
Jon – It’s actually a really good story. There’s a guy that we’ve known for the longest time from the local punk scene in Jersey named Rob, and he ended up working at The Syndicate in New York, which is like a radio promotions company. Rob is good friends with the guys at Side One, and The Syndicate is kind of like Side One’s radio arm. He was talking to Alex, Side One’s warehouse guy, about bands. He wasn’t like pushing us on him, but then one thing led to another. Alex told the other guys at the Side One office about us and we just started getting emails and calls from them, like “Hey, what are you up to?” We were right in the middle of starting to write LP2 at that point and they were just like, “Hey guys, if you need a hand let us know. Keep us posted on what you’re doing.” We sent them a couple songs and then they wrote us back and said, “Let’s do a record.” That was kind of it. We were this tiny little band and they kind of just picked us up. It was a really exciting time for us.
Bill – What was it like recording the album with Jonathan Low at Miner Street Recordings?
Jon – Jonathan’s great, he’s actually my roommate. He ended up mixing our first record and we just kind of became friends after that and hung out a bunch. Both of our leases were up at the same time and we needed a place to live, so that’s how that happened. He allowed for a really nice, relaxed environment when we were recording. Just to be able to record somewhere as nice as his studio, with someone as good as he is; it was great. Also having plenty of time really helped. We did the last record sort of quickly and really low budget, and we were kind of stressed-out the whole time. To be able to do the second one and take our time and enjoy it was a really nice experience.
Bill – What do you like best about how the recording turned out?
Jon – I just think Jonathan’s production. He understands that we want to be loud, but he was able to figure out how to do that within what our band should sound like. I’m really pleased with the tones, just the drum sound and the guitars. I think he did a great job.
Bill – How would you compare the songs on LP2 to your previous material?
Jon – I think it’s a little more focused and a little more aggressive. The first couple of things we did were sort of purposely designed to distance ourselves from our old punk and hardcore bands. With this record, now that things have been going a little bit better and people have been reacting really well to the older material, we felt like we had some extra room to try some stuff. It’s just been so long since any of us played anything that’s kind of a little punchier that we wanted to give it a shot.
Bill – Would you say that the record has an overall lyrical theme?
Jon – Totally. I guess the running theme is essentially that the band is one continual thought. We’re always writing, always working on stuff in this slow, continual motion, and I try to make the lyrics reflect that sort of long haul. I don’t know if I can explain it better than that. I’ve always enjoyed taking little, monotonous moments and trying to draw those out and have that fit along with music that’s also a little bit more monotonous and drawn-out, I try to match them up.
Bill – So when you say the “long haul,” is that also representative of the sacrifices that you have to make with being in a touring band?
Jon – Sure, or even just any of our day jobs when we’re at home. I think it’s the same sort of thing. We’re at a point where sticking with it is the name of the game. Paying attention to all the things that you’re doing and really giving it the time that it deserves, as opposed to just sort of winging it like it felt a lot of us had been doing for a long time. We’re at a point now where we just want to buckle down and make it work.
Bill – What inspired the album’s artwork?
Jon – Our buddy Bruno Guerreiro has done artwork for us for probably a good ten years or so, between some of our bands. He’s just great. We have it at a point now where he kind of just art directs. We give him the record and let him go nuts and run with it. He’s not the kind of guy that does a lot of revisions or likes to sit down and talk about what he’s doing, he just sort of hands you a finished thing. I opened up an email one morning and there the artwork was, all done. He’s unbelievable, just a really great talent.
Bill – How do you guys typically write songs? Does one person come up with an idea or is it more of a collaborative approach?
Jon – It’s very much a collaborative thing, especially now. It used to be a little bit more where everybody had their own pocket of things to do, but now it’s very collaborative. Everybody comes in with riffs, guitar parts, bass parts, drum ideas, even like vocal lines and stuff sometimes. We’ll just kind of build on it, we don’t write stuff that’s finished. It’ll be a part here and a part there, and then we try to join them together and just kind of hack it out. It’s cool, because I think everybody at any given time has 20 or so different ideas floating around that we can bring to practice and bounce off each other. We’re always making songs and working on things. It’s nice in that environment, like I think we’re comfortable enough with each other as a band where we can say, “Hey man, that sucks” or “I don’t like that part.” It makes it really interesting when it comes to writing since we’re bringing in all this stuff and we’re not afraid of editing. We’re bringing things in, throwing stuff out that we don’t like, just sort of feeling it out. It’s a really fun way to write and I enjoy it a lot.
Bill – Tell me about the video that you guys recently made for the song “D.”
Jon – Oh, Mitch is great. Mitch Wojcik is the guy that we worked with on that one. We usually don’t do a lot of imagery stuff; we always kind of delegate it out. With Mitch, he sort of came in and was like, “Hey, I don’t really know what we should do.” So we started talking about bands and then we got off track and were talking about videos and stuff. Then Mitch started finishing my sentences with things and we started to figure out where we wanted to go with it. I was talking about old Fugazi bootlegs and he was interested in that idea. So he calls me back a week later and goes, “I found a box of VHS tapes in the trash, outside in the rain. I think we’re going to use them.” He came to our record release show in Philly with a friend and they kind of rigged some lighting together and shot a bunch of raw video. He brought it home, edited it all together and then ran it through a couple of these old, totally busted VHS tapes. He just ran it back through and it was perfect. It was one of those things where you get it back and it turned out exactly like how you wanted. I feel really lucky that we get to work with artists that I think kind of understand us, but who are also responsible enough to go off on their own and do their own thing. It’s cool, man. That part of it is really exciting for me, to get back other people’s interpretations of our songs.
Bill – What’s the music scene like in your hometown of Philadelphia?
Jon – It’s great, it’s everywhere. It’s kind of the center of life in Philly at the moment. Either everybody is in a band or everybody was in a band. Everything that’s interesting to do in Philly is run by people that used to be in hardcore or punk bands. It’s a really fun place to be. There’s just so much going on, between people running establishments or being in bands or operating art spaces. Everything is happening all at once and sort of feeding into the other parts of the community. It’s just a really interesting place to be because everybody kind of has their own little niche, but everything is working together. I feel like it’s been a long, strange run of people trying to make it work and all of a sudden in the last two or three years it all came together.
Bill – It’s interesting to hear about it from that perspective, because as an outsider it seems like every six months I’m hearing about a new band from Philadelphia.
Jon – Yeah, there’s so many bands and they’re all so good. It probably seems like there’s way too many that you’ve heard of now, but there’s twice as many still to go. There’s plenty more that I haven’t even heard about. That’s the exciting part about it.
Bill – What have been some of the highlights of your tour with The Menzingers, Fake Problems and Captain, We’re Sinking?
Jon – It’s been nice to be out and see how people view what we do at home, because this is very much like a Philly house show. We’ve played with The Menzingers and Captain, We’re Sinking so many times that it’s sort of like habit now. We’ve known Fake Problems forever. They’re kind of like a home away from home kind of band. It’s been really cool to watch how people react to Philly out on the road. It’s been nice to travel too. We haven’t been west of Ohio in a long time, so just to be out and seeing stuff is tremendous. It’s just been a very positive experience for us. Being on a consistent tour, we’ve never done a package tour before, so it’s cool to have everything organized. Really just being out and traveling has been the best part for us.
Bill – What else do you guys have planned for this year?
Jon – We’re not too sure yet. We have a couple of different options, but we haven’t really figured out what we want to do. I think what we’ll probably end up doing is going home and writing and recording a couple more songs for some new stuff. I’m not really sure exactly what yet. Then we’ll probably be on the road again in the fall. We’re playing The Fest and we might go to Europe for a little bit. It’s all up in the air right now, but in the best way possible.
