Schwervon! are New York based duo Matt Roth and Nan Turner. Both have solo careers outside of the band, with Matt recording Anti Folk as Major Matt Mason USA while Nan records indie pop & raps as Nan & The One Night Stands. As Schwervon! they serve up LO-FI indie, both scuzzy and sweet as well as headlining Olive Juice Music in which they produce and distribute music for a talented collective

With latest album ‘Courage’ *working title* due out this year withguitars Jamie Gambino chats to Matt and Nan about everything from DIY music to Occupy Wall Street.

You usually record the music yourself at home in New York, how was it different working with Sonic Youth engineer Doug Easley in Memphis?
”I think the big difference was the quality of the recording equipment combined with someone who had so much experience recording the specific kind of music that we  love. The thing about working with people who are good at what they do is that they make everything seem so easy. Doug is such an easy-going guy that it’s kind of like working with a sweet uncle who just happens to be a kickass sound engineer. I also think maybe there was something about being in the south. There’s this stereotype about "Southern Hospitality" that is kind of true. Obviously, the pace is quite a bit slower than in New York. We had a relatively short amount of time there but I think all these factors allowed us to remain comfortable and focused.”

Each of your albums has a different tone/style what can we expect from the new record and did Doug influence that sound?
“One of the original reasons we decided to contact Doug had to do with the drum sounds that he got on some of these early Grifters albums. He works pretty fast. I think that was really good for us. He’s also a really good guitar player and he got a lot of the references I would throw at him, right away. He’d be working on a guitar tone before I could finish my sentence. He had some classic tube pre-amps and mics that really got us to places faster than we had before. He understands the importance of momentum in the recording process and not getting too bogged down on little things.
He’s not the kind of guy who is going force anything on a band but he’s totally there to throw in some suggestions if he see’s that you’re in a rut.”

You are both very hands on can you explain your DIY process to creating the music?
“It was kind of a perfect storm to be quite honest. We knew exactly how to use Doug and it appeared to be a way he was comfortable working. I feel like our experience with recording ourselves really gave us the vocabulary to explore what we wanted while at the same time being open to that spontaneous magic that happens occasionally. Part of this process was learning that it’s not always good to be so "hands on." There were a couple of times when I’d be playing something and Doug would say, "Just don’t think too much about it. And that was really amazing because we had just spent the past 2 months really working on these tunes to get them the way we wanted. We were thinking about every little note and beat and how they worked together. We really needed to let go at that point. It was just what we needed.”
Nan: “I think Matt answered this talking about Doug – but I can answer it about Matt and my approach to creating songs: we are very collaborative…often Matt jams on a riff and I’ll come up with some rough beat and end up refining it later – and we’ll each write different parts of the melody. Other times Matt comes in with a song that’s done and I’ll do drums that support it and pepper in some vocals. I love singing/finding melodies off of Matt’s guitar parts too…he’s so good that I often take it for granted – I just like his style of playing so much.”

Does your DIY approach extend to things like artwork and promotion?
Nan: “Totally. We have no publicist. We both try and promote much as we can our shows and releases….. I’ve done the artwork on one of our records, and I like to make our flyers – also for our digital releases I am collaging things on top of scenic pictures which I love doing. This is not to say I turn down the talents of my artistic friends! Our friend Kate Wheeler helped design our Low Blow tee shirts and she has logged a lot of hours helping us silkscreen them. Also our friend Yoko has helped do the layout of the last two records…if there’s something we don’t know how to do we ask around and chances are one of our friends knows how to do it!”

By streaming the album a track per fortnight is it a way of tackling the issue of a music industry in decline?
Matt: “For sure.  CD technology gave more value to music with the selling point of quality. With the advent of computers it became more easy to to burn CD’s and now thanks to downloading, the monetary value of recorded music is very little. Also with MP3′s the quality has come down. It’s kind of like we’re back where we were when cassettes came out right after records. But now we have the benefit of computers and the internet. Making cool recordings have always been a part of what we like to do but now we are starting to look at the recording as more of promotional tool. Luckily, we are also really into performing live so we (Schwervon!) are starting to focus a lot more on this as our income source. With the internet people have access to so much more stuff. To accommodate for more variety we consume things in smaller chunks. You can see it in everything, news articles, youtubes etc… The idea of releasing music more like "singles" just seemed to make sense for how people are accessing content these days. We have some plans for releasing these songs on some limited edition 7 inches and then hopefully some kind of cool full collection package. But it’s kind of a cool opportunity for us to get even more involved in these aspects of our art and how we express ourselves as opposed to just slapping a bunch of tunes on CD and making just one cover for it. This way we can kind of spot light each song and maybe give a little info about it. Nan is making a small collage for each release that can post next to the song. And offering the song for free for the first week is kind of a way to say thanks to our fans who are supporting us at this level.”

“OWS was probably the most inspiring social construct that I’ve discovered since the Anti-folk scene. I think it’s probably going to be one of the most significant political moments to happen in my lifetime.” Matt Roth on Occupy Wall Street movement.

You have been on some high profiles tours supporting The Vaselines and Belle & Sebastian do you have a different approach to playing larger venues?
“I don’t think we play any differently. Our sets are usually much shorter when you’re the opener. Our job in that case is sort of to warm up the crowd so maybe we play more of our upbeat songs. I feel when you’re an opener you’re like a guest on another bands stage. We probably don’t talk or goof off as much. In a larger venue you are more likely to get a sound person that is more accommodating. But you are also further from the audience so it’s a bit tougher to feed off the crowd. Our live show is very much about us working off of each other so depending on what we get from a crowd I feel like we can just focus on each other or maybe open that up a little if people are really responding.”

Frances McKee of The Vaselines guests on Truth Teller, was that track written specifically with her in mind?
”It wasn’t written specifically with her in mind but while we were in the mixing process I kept hearing this female voice that doubled mine. Since we had toured with The Vaselines earlier that year and seen them perform night after night I kind of had Frances’ voice stuck in my head. It was perfect and really easy. We just sent her the track and she recorded it herself on garageband. We mixed it in at OJ.”

Olive Juice music seems to be quite a large network how does it work?
”It’s pretty much just me at this point. There is a history on this site if you wanna check it. *www.olivejuicemusic.com * It’s kind of like a life long curating project of bands that I work with or just meet and like.You regularly tour Europe, can we expect any dates this year?Nothing confirmed yet but we’re thinking September/October.”

How difficult is it to balance your personal relationship with working together in Schwervon?
“Just like any relationship there are highs and low. We are not so good at keeping our personal and our artistic/professional lives separate. It’s pretty tough sometimes but I can’t imagine it any other way. It helps me see how everything is connected. The kind of energy you choose to convey spills over into things. It’s an important thing to be aware of.You both have solo careers, is it important to have time apart to keep things fresh?Matt: Yes, but as of late I feel like they are all starting to converge a bit more.”

Nan: “Yep I think it’s helpful to have other projects as you are stretching your creative wings a bit and can decide what interesting stuff you can bring back to the band…. but yeah, I agree with matt things are converging a bit more with us which is exciting.”

Nan you have recently been on tour with Jeffrey Lewis how is it different being part of a large touring band to being on the road as a duo?
”I think it’s easier to travel as a duo….especially in terms of accommodations…sometimes touring with the Jeff Lewis Band it was difficult to find a place that could fit all of us to crash for the night. I usually hogged the available bed too which I’m sure they loved. Sometimes 4 people that have to collectively make decisions is a lot more difficult than just 2 people. Like "Where do we eat?" It was fun to be part of a bigger band for a while and to see what a new group of musicians does onstage and their creative process with each other (e.g. Jeff and Jack bickering like they’re in a Woody Allen movie. hilarious!)  But I don’t think I can be a sideman all the time (or "sidenan") I was excited to come home and work on songs with Matt”

Matt you were pretty vocal about Occupy Wall Street on your twitter feed, why did that issue in particular strike a chord with you?
“OWS was probably the most inspiring social construct that I’ve discovered since the Anti-folk scene. I think it’s probably going to be one of the most significant political moments to happen in my lifetime. I was lucky enough to check out some of the General Assembly meetings early on. I saw a lot of very inspired kids. I saw people of all ages, but it was the kids that really inspired me. Playing and recording mostly "Indie" music you kind of get a unique opportunity to stay connected to popular/youth culture. OWS found a way for people to get involved. It reminded us of our voice. OWS strives to say: We can do better. We just have to live what is in our hearts, but like most things you have to get out there and get involved, even if it’s just reading or talking about it.”

Truth Teller is available to stream now, the next free downloadable track will be on January 27th at www.schwervon.com