Boat Beam
* Boat Beam, where does the name come from?
We like the imagery of boats lost at sea, ghost boats and beams of light in the middle of an eternity of darkness. But also it comes from a now obsolete expression in English "on her beam ends" which makes reference to a ship about to capsize. They used it to describe a person who is about to lose control completely. And that is a mood we sometimes try to capture in our music.
* Your band is three girls from three areas—can you tell me what each of you do in the band - are you the main song-writer?
Aurora is from Madrid, and she plays the cello, piano and harmonica, and sings harmonies.
Alisha is from Wisconsin, USA and she plays the viola, percussion and sings harmonies.
And I am from Sydney, Australia and I play the guitar, the piano and sing. And yes, I write most of the songs, although we are collaborating more and more.
* You're currently touring your album Puzzle Shapes. What's the reaction been? Where has been your favourite place to perform so far?
People are liking the album, which has made us incredibly happy. We're the type of artists that really care what people think, and we try to make people enjoy themselves at our concerts. We've played all over Spain, but some of our favourite places have been Ojén in Andalusía, Ourense in Galicia, and of course, Barcelona.
* Is this the first time you've performed in Barcelona?
No, we've played here before, in the Apolo and at the Primavera Festival this year. And in a museum on Las Ramblas, which we never caught the name of...
* How long did the album take to write?
A few years, because I was travelling as part of another band and only in 2008, after I left Australia and moved to Madrid, was I really able to devote myself to it completely.
* Where do you get your inspiration for your songs?
From friends, books, documentaries, dreams and experiences.
* Can you tell me a little about the creative process behind them?
Usually I write lyrics in a notebook and at the same time I'll be playing around with a chord progression on the guitar or piano. And when they seem to match each other, I put them together and that's how the song comes about. Then I show it to the other two girls and we arrange their parts. Sometimes a song evolves for a long time, like 'Lion Hunt', which changed a lot from the first rough drafts to the final album version.
* What lies ahead for Boat Beam? Are you working on new songs or just touring with the current album?
We're writing a lot of new songs and working with other musicians, developing our live show, and thinking about new elements for the next album. But we're still excited about playing the songs from the first album, because we keep adding new instruments and people to the mix.
* Which bands/artists would you love to work with in the future?
Lots of them, from as many different countries as possible. We listen to music of all types, from indie to classical to reggae to Cuban to flamenco and we'd love to be able to experiment with different styles.
* Which bands/artists do you admire, both here in Spain and elsewhere?
We love Leda Tres from Cádiz, The Sounds of Lucrezia from Barcelona, and at the moment we're really inspired by Grizzly Bear and the Dirty Projectors.
Boat Beam - Plaça del Rei, Thursday 24th, 9pm - see our link for full listings for all the BAM concerts in this year's Mercè festival.