Interview: Ever-so-android
Seattle, WA
03.06.16
When Ever-so-android invite you over for waffles, say yes. Full disclosure, we’re pretty big fans of the dark electronic rock group, and we think you should be too. Their hooky beats, bolstered by the scorched-Earth guitars of Drew Murray and the soul-stirring vocals of Hope Simpson are a glitchily alluring brew. Throw in breakfast, and we’re 100% sold.
We show up at the adorable mother-in-law apartment in Ballard where Drew Murray and Hope Simpson reside – with their 80-some-pound boxer mix Duke – just in time for “first coffee” as the duo shuffle about in slippers, easing into their Sunday, possibly brushing their teeth twice by accident. “Dude, even when we’re broke, coffee is the one thing we’ll still spend money on,” says Murray, as Simpson passes a fresh pot our way.
Full disclosure, Murray wanted to answer “fart” for every question, because he’s a grown-up.
SMN: What’s your favorite venue to play?
Both: The Crocodile.
SMN: What’s your dream venue?
DM: Headlining Glastonbury
HS: I want to be the first band to play in space.
SMN: What’s your dream lineup? If you could support any other band, who would it be?
DM: The Dead Weather…
HS: Opening for The Dead Weather, with Led Zeppelin headlining.
SMN: Who’s your guiltiest pleasure to listen to?
DM: Katy Perry
HS: Justin Bieber
“That new Justin Bieber song reminds me of Ani DiFranco,” says Murray, “you know ‘cause she has that song “Fuck you and your face.” Note that this comes after earlier discussion of how often the new Bieber song “Love Yourself” is on the radio during the four car trips he takes per week.
SMN: What’s your favorite food?
DM: Waffles?
HS: I’m an equal opportunity food lover.
SMN: Best late night snack recommendation?
DM: Cakes… any type of cake product.
HS: I’m super into pretzel rods… with trashy chocolate. It’s funny because Drew is really put together and articulate but then there’s this trashy Pennsylvania side of him that wants to get the box of donuts at the grocery store and he’s like “how comes?”
SMN: If you had a superpower what would it be?
DM: This is where we started saying farts last time… but what sucks is so many times I’ve been like “… and that would be my superpower,” but I never remember what they were.
HS: Eating waffles in a single bite. That’s your superpower.
DM: I’d want to be extra visible. I want to be opaque. Being able to remember my previous ideas for super powers.
HS: Being able to fly would be pretty cool.
SMN: What’s your spirit animal?
DM: Duke.
HS: What’s something large and annoying?
DM: An ostrich.
SMN: Coffee or tea?
DM: Coffee and tea? I love both so much.
HS: Coffee first. Then Tetley.
SMN: Salty or sweet?
DM: Sweet.
HS: Salty.
SMN: West coast or east?
HS: West coast is the best coast.
DM: I dunno. East coast is the neast coast?
SMN: Favorite color?
DM: Oh me? Mauve. No, I think I’m into gray right now.
HS: Uh, right now sparkles.
SMN: Favorite Seattle restaurant?
DM: I like Wayward Café a lot.
HS: Silence-Heart-Nest. Go get their ‘neat’ loaf.
SMN: Most interesting place you’ve been on tour?
DM: Oakland was pretty interesting.
HS: Greenpoint Gallery in NYC was cool.
SMN: Weirdest tour moment?
DM: Playing to the sound guy in Lawrence, Kansas… that was weird.
HS: The entire state of Missouri.
SMN: Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?
DM: Europe. That’s all I need to say.
HS: On a big ass tour with really nice shoes.
SMN: How would you describe Ever-So-Android in three words?
DM: Rock and roll.
HS: Crazy, sexy, cool.
SMN: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one book, one movie, and one album?
HS: The Poisonwood Bible, American Beauty, and Abbey Road
DM: In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, But that’s so disturbing so I don’t want to say that. But that’s such a good book. I’ll come up with something else. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. Oh wait my Dostoyevsky phase… True Romance, and The Dead Weather Horehound.
There’s plenty more conversation about Björk, Dr. Dre, how to cut hair, “It’s not really a science,” says Simpson, “You just kind of chunk it,” how much we miss Nate Dogg, and the song – “Go To Sleep” – that got Murray into Radiohead. But frankly, the pictures are worth way more than 1,000 words. This is a band who knows who they are, what they want, “I’m on this kick where I’m really just trying to write a great song. Not like ‘look at all this shit I can do’ but just a really great song,” says Murray, and where they want to be. And they’re brutally fantastic in person.
Make sure to check out ESA’s latest live video for their track “Leash” and then pick up tickets for their show this Saturday at Tractor Tavern in Ballard.
The Stranger Presents: Ever-So-Android w/ special guests NAVVI & Gibraltar
Saturday, Mar 12, 2016 9:30 PM PST (9:00 PM Doors)
Tractor, Seattle, WA
21 years and over
Interview by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
