BOO! interviews Drawstring
After hearing great things about this duo for a long time BOO! finally caught up with Drawstring when we found ourselves on a bill with them at the end of the summer at Club Burrito. Believe the hype, because though they are happy to describe themselves as emo they have their own take on this genre. Ben Schulze’s twinkly guitar melodies and Sam Sheppard’s bold but subtle beats conjure up distinct memories for me, including nights sitting on swings when you are way too old for swings. Maybe it’s a Medway thing (the duo come from Rainham/Gillingham), but it’s probably more universal that that, the simultaneous hope and despair of being young in a small town. After the gig we quizzed Ben and Sam over messenger to find out a bit more about their thoughts and sounds and their upcoming LP ‘Cool’.
BOO: How did you start Drawstring?
Drawstring: Drawstring started as a side project from our previous band, we both wanted to write more emotionally-driven songs after discovering US mid-west and UK emo/punk bands when we were about 15/16.
BOO: Did the local scene in Medway inspire you?
Drawstring: Our local scene has never really been something that’s inspired us. We found we were playing countless gigs with metalcore bands in our previous band. Drawstring allowed us to enter a more DIY-fuelled scene. Bands such as Moose Blood (Canterbury) and Gnarwolves (Brighton) definitely inspired us when we first started writing.
BOO: What’s the songwriting process in Drawstring?
Drawstring: Our songwriting process has always come pretty natural to us. It will usually begin with me (Ben) coming up with a guitar riff/melodic idea or rhythmic pattern, translating the idea to Sam and then we will both develop it from there. We are always coming up with new ideas and I think we are constantly improving our songwriting with each release.
BOO: Can you tell us about the best and worst gigs you’ve played?
Drawstring: The best gig I think we have played is when we supported Moose Blood at the Tunbridge Wells Forum, or our first show in Europe where 70 people showed up (which was mental for us). We’ve not had many bad gigs, only some where the sound guy is a dick. If there’s at least a couple of people that are hearing us for the first time, then that’s great for us.
BOO: Your album is out on multiple formats with different labels, and you’ve put stuff out on tape before. Are you interested in in what the different formats sound like or were you just getting lots of offers to put your stuff out?
Drawstring: We are not that bothered about what format we release our music on, but we are really excited to be getting the album out on vinyl for the first time. We really wanted to get all of our friends’ labels who had helped us out in the past to be a part of the album and we’re so thankful that these people care about our music enough so we can release it on a larger scale.
BOO: Where and when did you record ‘Cool’?
Drawstring: We recorded the album with our friend Punk Rock Rick at The Clubhouse Studios in Tunbridge Wells. It took us seven days to complete and we experimented with a few different instruments/sounds that we haven’t used before.
BOO: What’s next for Drawstring?
Drawstring: Our album release is in December, then we’ll be touring and playing as many shows as possible next year and then on to writing the next release.
BOO: As this is the Halloween issue and BOO! is a bit obsessed with all things spooky, tell us what you are dressing up as for Halloween.
Drawstring: Ben – I don’t really do Halloween because I’m boring. I think Sam is going to dress up as Dustin from Stranger Things. Sam – I’m dressing up as a girl for Halloween.
The labels releasing ‘Cool’
Honeypot records are a Leeds-based independent, currently focusing on cassette releases. Other acts they have put out releases for: itoldyouiwouldeatyou, Long Body, Gun Shy. http://honeypotrecords.bigcartel.com/products Stay In Bed Records are a new s/e based label. With a strong sense of self-deprecation evident on their FB page you've got to love them already. http://buy.stayinbedrecords.com/products/579066-drawstring-cool-12-vinyl-lp Crust Baby Records are a Bristol tape based label. As well as putting out previous Drawstring releases they have also issued music by algae bloom and Splitsville. http://crustbabyrecs.bandcamp.com/album/cool Circle House Records are an Exeter-based label, releasing stuff by Taco Hell, Selfish Son and Young Adventurers. http://circlehouserecs.bigcartel.com/product/drawstring-cool-vinyl-pre-order Beth Shalom records are a UK independent label who also put on shows. They've handled releases for Drawstring's other band Penthouse, as well as Lucid rising, Lowercase Noises and Railsplitter. http://bethshalomrecords.bigcartel.com/product/drawstring-cool-mega-bundle Backpack Records are handling Drawstring's Europe Release. They've also put out cassettes and vinyl for Redwood, Don't Worry and I'm glad it's you. http://backpackrecords.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-drawstring-cool-lp-black-vinyl Old Press Records complete the set putting out a US release for Drawstring. http://oldpressrecords.com/product/drawstring-cool/
