Photo by Christopher Tack

[tweetmeme]A few weeks ago I ran into this incredible video of a band singing on Watch Listen Tell and I had to find out more. Turns out the song was called “Young Glass” by a Newfoundland band called Hey Rosetta!. Their ability to compose beautifully layered and vocally enchanting songs makes me sure that you will love them! Check out my Q&A with the band below, and then visit our Flickr page for more awesome photos from the band’s show in Seattle last week!

How did you all meet?
Well, Tim (songwriter/singer) and I had known each other for several years because our older sisters had been best friends through their teens. So we were always aware of one another, although we didn’t really hang out. Years later, when Tim was forming this band, I guess he was aware that I played guitar and just asked if I was interested. I met Josh (our bassist) at our first rehearsal, he and Tim had played in a band together back in high school. We met Phil from seeing him perform with certain local bands in our hometown. Romesh is the most rock and roll cello player that we know of so it made perfect sense for him to join. He was a friend to most of us, and we were basically waiting for him to finish his music degree so he could jump in the van full time, which he did about three years ago. Kinley was playing with several bands in eastern canada around the time we met her. She was this awesome player, awesome person, and was already hardened by years of touring, so it was a perfect fit.

What was the writing process like for the songs on Seeds?
It was a similar process to what it’s been in the past. This process generally involves Tim writing a song on piano or guitar, then bringing it to our rehearsal space where we will sit down and wrestle with it until we find something we’re all happy with. A certain song may come together rather quickly, others will need to be explored in variety of ways before it’s direction is finally settled upon. Several of the songs that ended up on ‘Seeds’ had been kicking around for a couple of years, but weren’t really worked on intensely until the couple of months leading up to the studio. The writing process is continually interrupted with intense touring schedules, so new songs can end up being neglected until the last minute. So a lot of the material on Seeds actually pretty fresh upon entering the studio. This was probably a positive, it meant we couldn’t over think things too much.

I love how you include a variety of instruments and layering. Was that always the vision? How do you approach putting all of the instrumental parts together?
We tend to try and listen to what a song is asking for. If a song wants to have huge dynamic swells with layers of instruments, then we’ll follow that path. If it wants to be more simple and stripped down we try and keep it that way. Yeah, we don’t hesitate when it comes to adding extra layers of instrumentation such as horns or woodwinds if it feels like the song requires it. In terms of fitting the parts together, it’s just a matter using our ears, and knowing what particular melody or part wants to be highlighted a particular time. It’s about being comfortable playing a supporting roll i suppose.

What inspired the title?
One of Tim’s ideas behind the title of the record is that songs are like seeds, these tiny things that have the ability to grow in people’s minds and become more meaningful than just what they are. Rebirth is a lyrical theme throughout the record which helped inspire the title as well.

Did you go into the studio with a clear idea of what you wanted to accomplish with the record?
Yeah, I think so. We certainly felt more comfortable being in a studio this time around. More confident in our ability to take the sounds from our heads and find a way to record them. At the same time, I don’t feel you ever know exactly how a record’s going to turn out until you get into a studio and start hearing the stuff back. Everything really solidifies in those 2 or 3 weeks of tracking.

What are your goals as a band?
To continue to write and record music that excites us and hopefully other people.

What are three albums that have inspired you the most over the course of your life?
Off the top of my head…
Wilco – Summerteeth
Neil Young – After the Goldrush
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Hear more from Hey Rosetta!:

And what the band is into: