The Lovemakers
by Daniel Robert Epstein for SuicideGirls (http://suicidegirls.com/)

There is tons of sex in music today but The Lovemakers are trying to put the sexy back into the scene. The band is made up Scott Ayers, Lisa Light, Josh Kilbourne and Jason Proctor. Their latest album is Times of Romance.

Check out the official site for The Lovemakers

Daniel Robert Epstein: What’s going on today?

Jason Proctor: We’re a little bit hungover after playing Denton, Texas last night. Later we’re off to Phoenix for a show tomorrow night.

DRE: What are you guys doing for the New Year?

JP: We’re playing at the Mezzanine in San Francisco with Every Move A Picture and She Wants Revenge.

DRE: You don’t want to spend New Year’s Eve doing something else?

JP: We played on New Year’s the last couple of years and it’s great. We go to a party with a lot of our friends so it’s a pretty good New Year. At least it takes care of figuring out what the hell to do on New Year’s.

DRE: That’s true. I hate New Year’s.

JP: The decision has been made for me for the past couple of years.

DRE: What inspired Times of Romance?

JP: It was a combination of the decaying relationship between Scott and Lisa and all our influences pulling everybody in different directions.

DRE: It’s really funny because usually when the relationship between two band members decays, that’s the end of the band.

JP: Yes, but in this case it hasn’t been timed so expertly. That would have been in our case but the fact that we were almost on the verge of being signed and going to record the album. So breaking up the band at that point would have been a crying shame.

DRE: It’s happened to quite a few upcoming bands, that’s for sure.

JP: Yeah, it took care of another favorite I liked called Holy Hydraulics a few months ago too.

DRE: How are Scott and Lisa getting along now?

JP: It’s great. We’re back to way we’ve always been. Of course we have a drummer along now as well so that expands things a little bit. I think personally and socially together we’re stronger than we’ve ever been.

DRE: That’s wild. Were you ever the odd man out?

JP: No, I was strictly the provost watching as everything developed.

DRE: What is the writing process with the band?

JP: It is like a like a Pi diagram if you look at it from the outside. Scott writes most of the music and Lisa writes most of the lyrics but there is a chaotic process by which the gel of a song is converted into something somebody else is allowed to hear. One of the reasons a song sounds so different is because they all have different gestation processes and that kind of thing. In the process of going through somebody’s song is we thrash it and then start again. There’s no process really.

DRE: What cuts did you work on?

JP: I start things from time to time, the song Gonna Find is mine and a few of the songs are mine that are coming up. But most of the time I’m hacking away at other people’s stuff or writing drum programs.

DRE: Does the music become personal for you in that process?

JP: Yeah, I’m attached to it. I don’t want to change other people’s stuff but there are times when you have to change the song. Sometimes after it’s arranged you think it’s amazing but then we decide it doesn’t fit in the song. I think you learn that you shouldn’t really get attached to things that much especially writing pop music.

DRE: Why is that?

JP: Because you can get hung up on things. I got hung up on one track of mine for about nine months and I couldn’t do anything else. It was paralyzing. I felt I had to get that one right. I should have learned to carry on because at the end of the day we’re not making high art here. We’re making stuff that’s supposed to be enjoyed rather than something you wrestle over.

DRE: Would the rest of the band agree?

JP: I don’t know. Scott was always telling me never to get hung up on a particular song but if you asked him that question I don’t know if that’s what he would say.

DRE: Are you the more straightforward one and that’s why you do the press?

JP: Oh no we have a lot of press to do today. We’re just switching off. I don’t know why Lisa wanted me to do the SuicideGirls interview. Well maybe I do, can you get me a date with Mary?

DRE: Do you know her?

JP: I don’t know here personally but I do through a friend of a friend and a few other people who come to shows all the time.

DRE: Oh, you’re closer to her than I ever will be.

JP: Pull some strings for me.

DRE: It sounds like you know a lot about SuicideGirls.

JP: I’ve been a member for a while. I drop in every now and again but to be honest I don’t get involved in forums, I’m just there for the pictures.

DRE: Are those the kind of girls you’re into?

JP: I don’t really have a particular type but I like flavor.

DRE: How much of the album is done with computer now?

JP: We write using computers exclusively. The things that sound like guitars on the album are guitars. The things that sound like keyboard are keyboards and all the backing tracks are done with samples. The computer’s never used extensively throughout the process of the album.

DRE: Who produced the album?

JP: It was a community thing. To start with, we had The Transcenders which are the three guys who are phantom writers for Black Eyed Peas and we produced the first album with those guys. We sat around and discussed things then we had Cliff Neroll come in and play with things. We’d all mesh our ideas around and stuff like that.

DRE: Are you trying to put the sexy back into sex, drugs and rock and roll?

JP: Well it wouldn’t do any harm. If you come to the live show there’s a fair amount of sex in there.

DRE: I read that some audience members described it as a pink Ferrari driving through a mountain of cocaine.

JP: That was a guy from a fantastic band called Grand Buffet which is a hip-hop band based in Pittsburgh who we love very much. Onstage we’re all about fun and we’re all about blown up copies of our own personality.

DRE: So there’s no actual cocaine on stage.

JP: That’s only because we can’t afford it. As soon as we can afford it, we’ll have the Ferrari and the coke on stage.

DRE: I read you used to play role playing games?

JP: We all did, actually we just needed large amounts of beer.

DRE: Which role-playing games?

JP: Well my favorite game has always been RuneQuest.

DRE: Do you still play?

JP: Not really. The band is our role playing now.

DRE: Do you still have a day job?

JP: We all do but it’s something we can go back to when we’re not touring. I try to fit in a bit of engineering work when I’m not touring and when I need money, which is usually all the time. We’re in this awkward spot right now where we don’t have the time to do our day jobs really but we need the money just to do the band.

DRE: When are you guys going to break out of that?

JP: Generally what we have been doing is recycling money from shows into tour funding so that we don’t go to the label as much. We’re hoping we could make a profit from shows so that will keep us going for a little while.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

SG Username: AndersWolleck

web address: http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/The+Lovemakers/