Last semester, the multi-instrumentalist Sloan brothers from the Memphis Pencils spent the semester abroad. But as they say in show-business, “the show should still happen” (they say that), so the remaining pencils recruited about 30 people to replace the twins while they were away.
And that’s where we first met Neil Lord and Andrew McDougal.
Since then, the Sloan twins are back in the states, and Neil and Andrew formed a new band called St. Anthony. The two have been playing and recording music together “from the 8th day of God’s creation,” but St. Anthony has only been playing for about 4 months. Wally Phillips, Brian Wolfe, and Jim Sloan (Memphis Pencils) have since joined the band, and voila, we have a new favorite Fayetteville band.
St. Anthony is inspiringly creative, utilizing odd time signatures, quirky guitar melodies, and layers of chant-like vocals, but the first time I saw them live, I was struck by the unique rhythms that anchored many of their songs. On one particular song, three members of the bands were playing percussion.
Also, by the end of the night, most of the band ended up in their underwear.
For those who’ve never seen St. Anthony, don’t freak out. You’ll get your chance this weekend when they play the Smoke and Barrel with Fire Don’t Care. You can hear one of their new tracks, White Aphrams below, or visit their page on our new-ish band directory, and there are plenty of tunes on their myspace page.
We got in touch with the band for an interview, and they were nice enough to answer some questions for us. Great job.
Fayetteville Flyer: What have you been listening to lately?
St. Anthony: Dirty Projectors, Avery Tare & Kria Brekkan’s record Pullhair Rubeye, Pattern is Movement, Here We Go Magic, and also an exceptional record label called Sublime Frequencies that highlights music from around the globe. Other than that, Prince’s rarities.
FF: How long have you guys been playing in Fayetteville?
SA: We’ve been playing typically from the 8th day of God’s creation, but manifest as St. Anthony for about 4 months.
FF: What other bands have you guys been in?
SA: Mount Comfort, Memphis Pencils, Young Christian Brothers Choir, Woolly Mammoth, Bible Bells, Dictionary of Imaginary Places, Social Studies, Horses of Mexico, We Can’t Ride Bikes, and Legions Endless Summer. Trust us.
FF: Looks like you have an East Coast touring coming together for this summer. Have you done much touring in the past?
SA: We’ve done two southern tours with the Memphis Pencils by the grace of God, but nothing this extensive to date.
FF: We’re constantly freaked out by how many incredible bands are coming out of Fayetteville lately. What are some local bands that people need to check out, ASAP.
SA: The Kicker Knot, his fresh release Ghost Mouth of the Clouds just came out on Fontee Fount Records. Color Club is rather exciting. Anyone looking in a new direction foregoing the pre-established Dickson Street motifs.
FF: You just won an all expense paid, 2 week vacation to anywhere in the world. Congrats. Where are you going?
SA:
Ok. You didn’t really win a vacation. I just wondered where you would go. Sorry about that.
SA: I don’t know if this requires a prior knowledge of the region, but we would go to Rwanda. I hear their women are celibate.
UP WIT ABSTINENCE!
FF: I love what you guys do with percussion, both in your recorded material, and at your live show. Where do you get the inspiration for those beats?
SA: Dex rock…and a lot of time, it’s analogous to building a painting. Layers and loops, constructing the dynamic through the use of various instrumentation, including percussion.
FF: Word on the street is you are working on some new material. When can we get our hands on some new tunes?
SA: We’re working on our finishing our LP. It will be some time, but we post new material on the myspace regularly.
FF: What can we expect from the new recordings? How is it different than your previously recorded material?
SA: More unconventional time signatures, the songs are definitely more upbeat, a continuation of the dialogue we’ve been working within.
FF: We saw you guys in your underwear at the Smoke and Barrel a couple weeks ago. Is that a regular occurrence?
SA: If you play your cards right…
Click below to hear “White Aphrams” by St. Anthony
[audio:https://fayettevilleflyer.com/mp3/stanthony_white_aphrams.mp3]
