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English Interview with My Raining Stars
(By indierockmag.com)
My Raining Stars is a French group but doesn't sound like one. Recently discovered by accident while paying a visit to THE British blog in terms of indie pop, I was dumbfounded. Interview with Thierry Haliniak, not a blood brother but a soul brother.
Hello Thierry, we discovered you on the blog indie-mp3.co.uk, do you find it normal to discover an artist from France through the British? What do you think about this site?
T: Actually, it's not so surprising in that our influences are absolutely Anglo-Saxon. In this sense, we're likely to interest people listening to the same things as we do, and hence more likely, the British.
As concerns Indie-mp3.co.uk, to be honest with you, I wasn't aware of it until Tom, who runs the site, contacted us. At the time we only had excerpts from 2 songs online (Riding for a Fall and Shadows), I don't know how he came across us but he sent us a very nice email saying that these two excerpts really gave him an interest to hear more. To be honest with you, there was very little chance of knowing the site because I had acquired my first PC very soon beforehand before creating my Myspace page in October 2007…yes, I am a bit "old school", I agree! But I now often visit regularly, and I do agree with you, it is a real goldmine for any true Indie Pop fan.
Let's start talking about your album. From Popnews to A Découvrir Absolument, From St Saviour to Quickwell has been very popular with critics. What are your feelings, your desires following these first public impressions?
T: In fact it's very bizarre because not so long ago I was on the other side of the fence, and I can say that I was just a music fan (I'm still a music fan!), I swallowed the album chronicles in all the French or English Indie magazines one can possibly imagine, in search of the rare gem that I was missing. For sure I was already composing and playing tunes, but first and foremost for myself, close ones and some friends, I wasn't even asking myself the question whether these songs could please anyone else. As I compose alone, I didn't have the opportunity to gauge the value of my songs. An further, thanks to the magic of Internet, you realize once "remastered" (I'll come back to this), these songs can please a fair number of people (relatively speaking), all pop fans of course, but from different cultures and countries. It's rather surprising. I have in mind a message recently received which said: "I just listened to 'Gone forever more' for the 3rd time with a silly smile from the left cheek to the right…it's often the sign of alert to run out and buy the album on the sport…Where can I find it?" Don't you find that incredible?
I obviously hope that there will be a sequel to this album, I already have a few tunes in stock of which I'm not "too displeased with", but keep it to yourself, my partners aren't aware and one thing at a time, we're going to first try to give ourselves the means to defend this one.
What is behind My Raining Stars? When was the band formed?
T: It's a particular story that I can summarize as such: in fact, in the beginning, MRS was "my own project and only mine": I started to compose songs in the early 2000s that I shared mainly with my sister, then my girlfriend at the time and…to my dog (whose opinion is very important to me!). Once I had the approval from all 3, I recorded them from 4-track to cassette (3 because one died rapidly). I did everything on my own: machine-drums, bass, keyboards, guitars, voice, a one-man band in a way…I gradually shared them with my friends at Dynamo with whom I had I hung years earlier in a group called Nothing To Be Done (indeed, a fan of the Pastels!). And then all suddenly accelerated at the end of 2006 when, convinced of the potential of certain tunes while annoyed by the miserable quality of the recordings and arrangements (guitars in particular), they offered to re-record certain songs in the proper way to do so. The deal was as follows: they would maintain the structure, song melody, bass drums (with certain exceptions), however they had an open ticket to rearrange the guitars, keyboards and background vocals as they pleased. I "signed" on the spot!
I re-recorded some of the vocals during the summer of 2007 and then let them work on their own. I've known E-Grand and Mathéa for ages, we have the same sense of music, which is rare, and a privilege of which I am aware. We all grew up listening to the Smiths, Teenage Fanclub, early Primal Scream, Pastels and among others, the Stone Roses, and so I had an unlimited level of trust in their ability to "redress" my pop songs. To say that I was absolutely thrilled with the result is an understatement, they brought an enormous added value to the initial demos!
To make a small digression, E-Grand, the big chief of Dynamo is currently working on a new project that will be called…E-Grand. I was luck to be able to listen to some of the demos including one absolute "killer" known as Secret Place…we all just need to pray that he creates his own Myspace page so that everyone can benefit. Without wanting to sound too in awe in his regard, I'd simply say that he is, in my mind, a guy with enormous talent to conceive and arrange melodies. In the meantime, I recommend that everyone pay a visit, to get an idea, and listen to the 4 tunes on the Dynamo site. You won't be disappointed, that's a "Auxerrois" promise. Indeed, I am originally from Auxerre while they are from Lyon. In short, I really wanted to thank them "publically", him and Mathéa (who is responsible for the excellent background vocals and also worked on the keyboard arrangements, production and mastering). Without them this album would never have seen the light of day. I also would like to extend thanks to Dan (E-Grand's brother) who played second guitar for the live bits as well as the MRS visual and Stéphanie, Mathéa's sister, who works in the shadows for MRS. Thanks to all of you.
And the songs, do they also have a history?
T: They were composed between 2002 and 2006 for the most part due to my romantic disillusions…well, nothing very original in that, right? We all agree…girls…what a topic…I'll pass on that one!
Future: thinking of taking the adventure further? Record label, concert?
T: As regards the record labels, I've already started making contacts, things aren't all that simple as the music we play isn't very "trendy", that's the least you can say: it's neither "pumping hardrock", nor "crazy" folk, nor "glitzy" electro, it's juste indie pop (with guitar), so it's not a given. We were kindly informed on several occasions...and I can tell you that if pop comes back in fashion, those who will take an interest (we can always dream!) can go to hell ??? Nonetheless we have made several contacts, including one or two French labels but generally small Anglo-Saxon outfits with unfortunately very very low visibility on the radar. But it's not the end of the world, if we don't find a label or a distributor to our liking we'll sell the album on our own, today with the web, download platforms, Paypal and Co., we can manage on our own, it's just a matter of getting organised.
As for concerts, we practice as regularly as possible in order to be ready to perform on stage. It's true that we've done things upside down in regards to normal: we first recorded songs and now we'll play them live. I remember an interview with Noel Gallagher in which he said that before they began playing concerts, they had practiced every day for a year…we're not there, and we'll probably never get to the same destiny as Oasis (!!!), but in any case, we're working at it and it's coming.
Your first love in music?
T: Ah, very sensitive subject. To start, without a doubt Everything Flows by Teenage Fanclub, I remember as if it were yesterday, heard on the radio, I must have listened to this song a thousand times since then, I've never grown tired of it. The Concept as well, from Bandwagonesque, one of my 5 favorite albums of all time. There's also Velocity Girl (1min.27sec.!) followed by, in its entirety, the fabulous first album of Primal Scream, Sonic Flower Groove, a "Byrdiesque" pop marvel.
Without a doubt the Smiths, including (as there are so many great songs), Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before, just after their breakup. In general, I can say that I've never gotten over the guitar of Johnny Marr and the song melodies of Morrissey. The Pastels Nothing To Be Done, a perfect pop song that we liked so much that we used the name to baptize our first band…Little Baby Nothing from the "very ballsy" (vocally speaking) James Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers, a song so sweet that we've tried to redo, but I admit it's not a winning battle as in regards to vocals, I'm dragging it a bit. I also loved the Madchester scene (with the Stone Roses and Charlatans) as zell as the "shoegazing" and in particular My Bloody Valentine (Sometimes gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it), Chapterhouse (Falling Down or Breather are legends in "shoegaze popsongs" but then again these tough guys had 3 guitars on stage). In addition, Adorable's Homeboy for which I have a particular fondness (I destroyed my neck I don't know how many times dancing to this song), not to forget Twisteralla from Ride. There's also Throwing Back The Apple from the very under-rated Pale Saints, Time for the rest of your life from Strangelove (this guy always sang as if he were living the last minutes of his life), History from The Verve: one of the most beautiful ballads ever composed in my opinion, along with le All You Good Good People from Embrace before they went a bit too mainstream. I'd end with Oasis's 1st album, in its entirety, discovered live with my sister in Portsmouth in May 1994 in a small venue during their very first tour: the first time you listen to Slide Away or Live Forever at a sound volume close to the takeoff of an A307, you remember that for your entire life.
And Sarah Records ? Bobby Wratten hasn't stop impressing us with Trembling Blue Stars and his other projects?
T: I clearly like Field Mice, but in general, I was a fan of the entire Sarah outfit, there really isn't anything to trow away when you recall: Brighter, The Sweetest Ache, Another Sunny Day, The Sugargliders, The Orchids, Heavenly, Secret Shine, yeah, it was sweet, I really enjoyed the state of mind of this kind of pop that was often a bit melencolic with the fragile side to the vocals, yeah it had a lot of charm to it…I listened a lot to it and apparently you can it shows…I really like what Bobby from the Trembling Blue Stars is doing these days, he composed a tune that I'm really jealous about called Idyllwild which isn't very far from the ideal pop song.
We often talk about the famous C86 tape from NME, do you also have some collectible objects from this big era?
T: I rediscovered this magnificent period thanks to the release of the great C86 collection, that gave me the urge to dive back in again…I fell in love again with East Village (I also picked up their deluxe album Drop Out, that I already had but that included a compilation of their excellent first singles, I paid a fortune for it on Ebay, but with no regrets. And so I dove back into the early days of Primal Scream, Razorcuts, Servants, Pooh Sticks, Primitives, etc., all good stuff.
So if I understand you, you fell into the cauldron as a kid. But do you find there is anything exciting from the 2000 years?
T: Quite frankly, for me the golden age of pop is there period starting with the Smiths in 83/84 to 94/95 to the 1st Oasis album with between the 2, the Stones Roses, Teenage Fanclub, Chapterhouse and among others the Pale Saints. So I'm not going to play the arrogant old bastard as was only 17 years old (What? I don't sound credible?) but yes,
I did fall in love with some great stuff such as The Upper (their highly talented ex-leader Alex is on a new project called Voxpop, it's outstanding, try The Boomerang Generation or Bad News) I also love Silver Screen (very Sarah in fact, he also produced a perfect pop song with A Little More Each Day), The Shins discovered a bit on the late (what a shame), Elliott Smith, Cotton Mather, and the Pernice Brothers. I also discovered like everyone else Brian Jonestone Massacre just after Dig! With the general compilation, I'm however a bit disappointed with their last album, some songs are really bullshit, in particular when they hold the same chord for 5 hours or when they record a washing machine for 9 minutes, you shouldn't screw around particularly when he can be very talented the buffoon! I really like Voxtrot, the 1st Electric Soft Parade, The Rainband (Only 1 album, but what an album between New Order and BRMC) I loved a band which I've lost track of but which produced a perfect album, very much in the style of Ride January as well as The Engineers in the shoegazing style, The Zillions (between Teenage Fanclub and MBV !). Very recently though, the only thing that's caught my attention is MGMT, I've become to be very stubborn, I agree. I've dedicated a small area on my webpage entitled "Songs found on the net i fell in love with", I've included there all the amazing artists I've discovered over time....so go have a look and listen in!
What a talker this Thierry who confided in me that he did this first interview of My Raining Stars as if it were his last! And yes, still amazed by this new success, it appears that all in all a fair number of people are beginning to appreciate this album with no label or official distributor (negotiate with him via myspace or email, he'll reply).
In the meantime, nothing more to add. Difficult to do so as we won't do a better job of proving the quality around From St Saviour To Quickwell between the tunes you can listen to on the web and this interview. My Raining Stars, a group just as crazy as us about music, delivering a radiating and miraculous indie pop; pop songs which behold a real snowball effect: here I am with the urge to go back in time and listen to the 20 past years of music that marked our era and ready to listen to the 20 years ahead with the same luxury. Simply exciting.
8:25 AM
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