“Songs start with my bringing in the basic riffs for what you might call a verse and a chorus, an A and a B part...whatever. And sometimes a C and even a D. That's kind of the easy, or at least easier part. The hard part is finding that special, perfect way to order things - how many times to do A before B and back and how the second verse differs from the first. That's all we got.” WayFirstsKindSometimesHardMightSongOrderEasyPerfectSpecialEasierFindingsVersesChorus Author:David First
“Еach song is like starting over. Because somehow, no song's formula works for another. And that's the beauty of it all. Each song's destiny is embedded in its DNA. And our job is to reveal it.” JobsSongDestinyStartingFormulasDnaStarting OverEmbedded Author:David First
“Every improv must be song specific. It has to grow organically out of the particular elements involved or it's just glib self-expression. I hate when I feel like I'm the lead guitarist in a rock band. We all gotta be going somewhere strong together, you know?” KnowsFeelsSelfTogetherHateSongStrongGrowsRocksParticularExpressionInvolvedBandElementsI HateSelf ExpressionGuitaristRock BandsStrong Together Author:David First
“I like to give clues - titles - that can give a simple, evocative hook into what picture or feeling welled up in my mind when I came up with the song.” GivingMindFeelingsSongSimpleTitlesClueHook Author:David First
“I like to go for a certain over-the-top opulence when naming the drone pieces whereas the song titles are all about concision, I guess. I mean, if I were truly a purist, I'd call things, "Long Piece #27" or "Newest Fast Song", but I enjoy titling and it is helpful at rehearsals or when making set-lists.” IfsMeanLongCertainSongEnjoyPiecesListsTitlesHelpfulRehearsalOne PieceDronesOver The TopOpulenceSong Titles Author:David First
“We [Notekillers] are in no way super-earnest about what we do and if you see us live, you see we are cracking up during songs and saying pretty ridiculous things in-between. We're having fun.” IfsWaySongFunRidiculousHaving FunEarnestRidiculous ThingsCracking Up Author:David First
“Back in the day, I came up with the expression "Same Animal - Different Cages" to describe our songs. I suppose over the years I've just broadened the meaning of that.” YearsDifferentSongAnimalExpressionCagesBack In The Day Author:David First