50ft Wave – The Best Band You Have never Heard Of

Alt Rock’s Kristin Hersh proves there is life outside of her solo guise and that of front-woman of The Throwing Muses, to deliver a darker? maybe, harder? probably, but punk?With Guitars’ Jamie Gambino leaves it up to you to decide on 50 Foot Wave.

50 Foot Wave are the best band you’ve never heard of – FACT. Formed in 2003 by alt rock legend Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses fame, if all you know about Hersh is her haunting, beautiful solo hit ‘Your Ghost’ then you are in for a shock, and a treat if you go to the bands website http://50footwave.cashmusic.org and download EVERYTHING the band have recorded – for free. If you like your music to be loud, raw & punk rock, with gnarly, passionately aggressive vocals then with their latest song ‘A Rushing’ now available it’s the perfect time to familiarise yourself with 50 Foot Wave. With Guitars’ Jamie Gambino managed to get an interview with the bands singer/guitarist Kristin Hersh, despite her busy Preparing for a book tour and solo shows in Edinburgh and Ireland.

Power & Light was released as a vinyl single, with the 5th track from With Love From The Mens Room now uploaded are their plans for a physical release of this EP?

Yeah, we do vinyl whenever we can–I like that it’s listener code for “I care”–but people still want CD’s so we try to do that, too. With 50Foot, there’s always the problem of money, but Strange Angels subscribers help.

How did the decision to give away all your (50ft Wave) back catalogue away free come about? Isn’t it counter productive to give everything away as free download?

We wanted to remove the almighty dollar from the equation. Music and money haven’t always been so connected.

50ft Wave were originally on 4ad, how did the label respond to a new band and new harder sound?

4AD has always let me do whatever I want, for better or for worse

I love how your lyrics often appear in demos of other songs before finding their place, how do you determine if a song is meant to be for 50ft Wave, Throwing Muses or your solo career?

I write 50Foot songs on my SG’s or my Les Paul, I write Muses songs on my Strat or Tele, and I write solo songs on my Collings acoustics

Are their plans to tour the UK (as 50ft Wave) soon?

I would give anything to have 50Foot out on the road. It was originally intended to be a live venture, just staying out on the road, playing everywhere, forever, but that became impossible in this economic climate. I welcomed the collapse of the industry, but unfortunately, 50Foot was one of its casualties.

With the music business in decline Do you think the Cash Music model is something that eventually all artists will copy?

People are finally figuring out why we did it! It was time to do away with all those intermediaries.

How did you get the idea for Power&Light to flow continuously as one long track?

The songs just tell me what to do, always. They’re really bossy.

50ft Wave are very raw & loud & punk! Is that a genre you like/liked

Sure, but, again, it was the songs bossing me around. They HAD to sound a certain way or they wouldn’t be happy. My children are WAY better behaved than my songs.

How does working with 50ft Wave compare to say Throwing Muses, is it more of a collaborative process?

No, it’s exactly the same, but I learned in Throwing Muses that people who don’t get a songwriting credit don’t get paid.

On the track Pneuma, you get to scream “Shut The Fuck Up!” just how cathartic was that!

It is awesome every time.

I think you’re pretty peerless in music but do you see 50ft Wave having any peers?

I think Vic Chesnutt was as bitchin’ as Fippy and I think the Moore Brothers are as well-versed in their own language.

Your voice has altered significantly since the first Throwing Muses record, are you more comfortable with it now? It certainly suits 50ft waves more abrasive sound.

It used to frustrate me that my voice sounded so thin and wiry, so I tore it up and now it sounds perfect.

As an artist who has influenced many people to pick up instruments & play, (i spoke to Nan Turner of Schwervon and she mentioned you & Tanya) do you have any influences? Who excites you in music today?

I wish I could be influenced, then I could sound more…normal. But I hear these songs and I have to play them the way I hear them.

The Breeders picked Throwing Muses to play at ATP, & the Pixies have had 50ft Wave as support, are you still close with those bands?

Old friends are the gold ones, right? We grew up together, used to sing sad folk songs in the van on European tours because we were all homesick. We remember each other back when we were all adorable.

If ATP picked you to curate a festival would you find it easy to pick bands & films?

No. I don’t like very much. I get mad when people lie or are emotionally manipulative or trendy. I also have slightly sophomoric taste in films.

When we spoke backstage in Dublin last year, you told us that 50ft Wave was your favourite project, why does it hold such passion for you & can you reveal any long term plans for the band?

I solved so many problems with Fippy: escaped the recording industry and politics and creepy fans. The band sounds exactly the way I wanted it to and the whole venture runs as a cooperative with everyone donating their time. Videographers, producers, photographers…everyone knows we give our music away, so they know we’re broke and yet they still wanna be a part of it. It’s very moving.

I seriously think that if 50ft Wave had been formed a decade earlier you’d have been part of that female grunge scene (because music journalists love to put everyone into categories!) with Hole & Babes In Toyland, do you find it annoying that bands are judged by the gender of their singer?

I can’t believe that still happens, but women are partially to blame for defining themselves as such. I would never want to be identified by race OR gender.

50ft Wave covered your solo record Your Ghost, are their plans to cover a Throwing Muses track?

(I think Devils Roof or Counting Backwards would be interesting !)

Suggestions noted.

You have duetted in the past with Michael Stipe, & Bob Mould is their anyone you would like to duet with on a 50ft Wave track?

Vic would’ve been great. Maybe Chris Brady from Pond and Audio Learning Center. Mary Margaret O’Hara…

I think it’s wrong that bands will appear on line ups based on what is fashionable at the time not by the bands reputation or career. (example Bon Iver headlining over Muses after having 1 album out) do you have any thoughts on this?

Yeah, trendiness is a load of crap. Seems like now that we all know that, it should go away.

50 Foot Wave are; Kristin Hersh – vocals/guitar, Bernard Georges -bass, Rob Ahlers – drums. Their latest EP ‘With Love From The Mens Room is available for free download now at http://50footwave.cashmusic.org as is the rest of the bands back catalogue.