The Inquisition: 033.NOMADS

1. How did you came up with the name of the band? 

Elijah: It’s funny because Adam and I were just talking about this over the new year holiday while we were finishing the record in Manhattan. We had brainstormed a few names (of which neither of us could remember) but came up with NOMADS because we had all moved around a decent amount. We booked our first show and needed a name, so we just went with NOMADS. 

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it? 

Elijah: Out songwriting techniques have changed pretty drastically over the past couple years. Now that it’s just Adam and I and we live in different cities, our songwriting consists of each of us writing an idea and sending a session back and forth while we each hash out ideas. That’s the “official” answer but we also send a pretty significant amount of Voice Memos from our iPhones. Thank God for technology, right? 

Adam: On "When Those Around Us Leave" a lot of the songs started off as a riff or idea that one of us had. We then would collaborate on arranging, adjusting, and adding parts. After the "core" of the song is down, we would go into the studio together and try different instrumentation to emphasize the emotion we are trying to convey. 

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home? 

Elijah: My biggest influences as a musician are (in no REAL order): Hammock, This Will Destroy You, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Copeland, Nils Frahm. I listen to a good amount of vinyl at home and my current rotation is: Nils Frahm, AWVFTS, This Will Destroy You, and Sigur Ros. 

Adam: Some of my favorite acts are : The Six Parts Seven, M83, Boards of Canada, Sigur Ros, Mac DeMarco, Penpal, Del Paxton, to name a few. 

4. Which is the one album you can't live without? 

Elijah: My girlfriend would laugh at this question because she knows I hate answering “What are your favorite _______?” questions. For now, though, I couldn’t live without Nils Frahm’s “Says” album.

Adam: Hands down American Football's self titled LP takes the cake for me. 

5. What's the first record you've ever bought? 

Elijah: I was given a bunch of vinyl over the years, but I think the first vinyl I bought was probably an old Genesis album. 

Adam: The Presidents of the United States of America was one of the first cassettes I bought. Dookie was another great early album I loved as a kid. 

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with? 

Elijah: There’s two ways I approach this; one being with friends and the other being with a dream band. So, I’d love to tour (again) with our dear friends in Del Paxton (Buffalo, NY) and/or Sigur Ros. 

Adam: If we got to open up for a reunion tour for The Six Parts Seven I'd be pretty stoked. 

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were surprised to know your music has reached to? 

Elijah: Overwhelmingly, yes. When we released our S/T album we were immediately amazed with the response. We saw a huge benefit from blogs writing about us, friends sharing us on Facebook, people discussing the album on Reddit, etc. We literally wouldn’t be where we are without the people who’ve supported us. I was super excited to see our first download in Iceland. 

Adam: Ditto on what Elijah said. We’ve gotten such an overwhelming positive response all over the world online. It only makes us want to continue writing music knowing that music we enjoy creating connects with others. The internet is an amazing tool. 

8. Do you support the idea of Bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like Spotify? 

Elijah: Let me give a resounding YES to this. We’ve never charged for our music on Bandcamp and I’d like to think that would never change. Spotify is fine for what it is, but it’s never going to be a revenue stream for bands like us. That being said, we don’t hate Spotify for the absurdly-conservative share they give artists. We rely on the generosity of people and truly believe that people will support music they love. 

Adam: We have other "real" jobs, so we aren't making a living off of NOMADS. We just want anyone who'd want to listen to our music be able to. If you think it's worth a few bucks, great. If you don't have any extra money, that's fine too! You'd be surprised how many people pay anyways. 

9. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years? 

Elijah: Such a funny question. Adam moved to NYC about 4 months ago to work at a studio in Manhattan. Now, just days ago, he moved to Los Angeles to manage a studio there for a songwriter. He’s killing it! What does it mean for NOMADS? I don’t know what to say. Adam and I have discussed this at length and we always come to the conclusion that we want to keep making music together; whatever form it may take. 

Adam: Creating new music ... as always! 

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era? 

Elijah: I can’t imagine it NOT being important. Nowadays we find ourselves browsing sites like Bandcamp in search of our next favorite band. If the artwork doesn’t strike a chord with the browser, it’s really difficult to get another impression with them. It’s kind of like online dating, you know? You get a few seconds in front of their eyes and if they don’t like what they see, <>. 

Adam: If it's done right, artwork should be a visual representation of the collection of songs. You still see it on your iPhone, so I'd say yes. 

11. What is you favorite album cover? 

Elijah: (See above statement about “favorites”) I can’t choose a favorite. A few that come to mind now are: Balmorhea “River Arms” , Copeland “Beneath Medicine Tree” , and Sigur Ros “Takk…” All of these are mostly because of the emotional attachment I have to each album, but they also are visually great.

Adam: American Football's self titled LP. TNT / Tortoise. Oui / The Sea and Cake. Kid A / Radiohead. Loveless / My Bloody Valentine. Interpol / Turn on the Bright Lights. Sgt. Peppers by The Beatles is by far my favorite though. I'm sure all these pop into my head because I really love the music too. 

 

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format? 

Elijah: Everything comes back around, yeah? It’s just like the cassette renaissance. People like being different, so they like creating/having something most others don’t. Our parents grew up listening to vinyls and grew up on some really really killer music. I think we, as kids, now appreciate how great the music WAS and chase that sentiment. I know so many people who, as teenagers, dreamt of having a release on vinyl because it somehow signified some obtained status. Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic at the thought of releasing “When Those Around Us Leave” on vinyl! For me, the thing that is most exciting is that it feels more experiential that tossing on a playlist in iTunes. On top of that, there are some labels creating legitimate pieces of art with their vinyl releases. I guess my short answer is that it gives the band AND the listener a feeling of exclusivity over other fans/bands. 

Adam: If you sit down and listen to a record on vinyl it's the center of the experience. A lot of times we listen to music in the background. I think vinyl has found it's niche with true audiophile and music lovers who want to sit down and really take in an album they liked enough to spend hard earned money on. 

13. What's the most vivid story or moment as a band? 

Elijah: This is tough. We’ve had some bad moments that come to mind pretty vividly, but I’ll spare you the details. One of my favorite memories, though, is recording our first album. Our friend, Sean, came in from NYC to video us while we recorded so that we could make a little documentary. Sean is a great dude and has done a significant amount of video for us, for pennies. The whole experience of focusing solely on the music and creating something tangible together for the first time was really amazing. 

Adam: We've played some amazing shows all around the midwest and northeast. Shared the stage with so many friends. When NOMADS first started, I really didn't know if we'd ever play a show, or record ANYTHING. Now 2 LPs later I feel stronger and more confident about the music we are creating. I couldn't be happier with the response with "When Those Around Us Leave". Knowing that people connect with it is honestly one of the best feelings.

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