'My first interview was with Ben Goldberg; the manager of one of my favourite bands Beirut.
Beirut are an American band formed by the multi-talented front-man Zach Condon. Their sound has been descibed as Balkan folk, Eastern European folk, Western pop and indie folk. A combination of all of the above and you have the wonderfully unique sounds of Beirut.
I interviewed Ben on the 7th January 2010. He was such a down-to -earth guy and he gave some really great answers. Here is the interview in full...
Me (after introductions): So, Ben, how did you come to manage the band?
Ben: I saw Zach play in Albuquerque and I really liked his music so then I got my friend to send me his demo. I talked to Zach and the record got very popular, very quickly, and so they needed a manager. At first I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do it, because I never saw myself as a manager. But then I decided that I would do it.
Had you always wanted to work in the music industry, or was it an on-the-spot sort of decision?
I fell into it, in a way, I’ve always been a big fan of music, and always listened to college radio. I always thought I’d get into film, but once I got to college and became a music director I realised I knew enough about music and enjoyed it so much that it was the path I wanted to go down.
Is it hard to manage such a large band with so many musicians?
Absolutely. It’s all about doing a good job, and coming up with the best solution for everyone, without annoying everyone and preventing anyone from walking away. The more you come across situations, the more you learn from them and move on.
Do all the band members get on well, generally?
Yes, they do. A lot of them were friends beforehand. However, now it’s a strange thing, because there’s this element where they’re earning a living from it, and are all reliant on it. So it does bring in some tension, because people get uncomfortable and nervous with it. But they really help each other out, and I am always around for them to answer any financial or career questions, so they don’t have to worry about anything like that and can just focus on their music. I am a removed person that’s always there to answer questions that won’t affect other members of the band.
What is it like touring with Beirut? Do you enjoy it?
(laughs) Yes it’s great because we get to go to some amazing places; we went to Brazil in August, before that in July I got to go to Norway for the first time, then down to Mexico. But you’re there to work. In the day time, before the shows, we get to walk around some amazing new places and cities that you’ve never been to before. But it’s not a vacation, and there are often a lot of stresses that come with touring with a band; normal, everyday stresses. Like losing luggage, and even where to find guitar strings in a foreign country that doesn’t speak our language, so you have to rely on people for answers.
Do you have any funny stories whilst being on the road?
(laughs again) There was a funny one in Amsterdam where we were all backstage waiting with about 45 minutes until show time and we were missing a band member, so we waited and then 10 minutes till show time and hadn’t showed up so I went to look for him, so I started heading back towards the hotel, and I spotted him walking alongside one of the canals just looking peaceful and I walked over to him “Oh hey Ben”...”Hey, you’re supposed to be on stage in 3 minutes”...”Oh really, oh okay”. (laughs) It was a little tight and difficult as the fans were getting agitated, but we got there and the show went on. Another story, in Poland we played in a huge circus tent and it was crazy; there were about 5,000 people and it was outside of town and it was insane, everyone was going crazy, it was so intense. Such a surreal atmosphere.
Do the band have a favourite venue or country that they most enjoy playing at? And where do they get the biggest crowd reaction?
They always have a desire to go to new places. It’s always changing; when they went to Brazil they thought Brazil was the most insane reaction they’d ever got, and then when they went to Mexico City they thought that was the most insane reaction they’d ever got. So it’s always changing, but so far those countries gave the biggest reactions. I think we get big reactions there because, you play New York City and London but they have the option to see their favourite bands every week, but places like Mexico don’t have this option and so we get people of all ages coming to the shows and treating it as a cultural event, almost, and they go crazy.
Does the band enjoy English festivals?
No. (We both laugh). I’m being honest, they have been a continual nightmare; places like Glastonbury, many families go, and when you’re not from England and you go there and you’re stuck in a foot-and-a-half of mud and you’re being annihilated by this slow moving mud everywhere, it really takes a lot of energy out of you. And the band have never actually played Leeds or Reading, I went up to Reading and it’s like playing on a bald man’s head; there’s just piles of dirt everywhere. I went up to Reading last year! (We both laugh). So you’ll know all about the mud then. But yeh, so far the British festival experience hasn’t been so good.
What is your personal favourite track by the band?
It would just have to be the Gulag Orkestar because it was the first song I ever heard. And as I was driving, with my girlfriend, I popped in the demo and listened to that and I remember thinking that I’d never heard demo like it before and I didn’t know how to comprehend it as it was so different. It was like Eastern Europe folk music. And there was an intimacy there because I’m very familiar with indie rock and very comfortable with it, but this was something that I was familiar with but at the same time not familiar with, and the demo just really intrigued me, and I remember just thinking ‘wow, this is really, really good right.’ This was something different that I really liked.
Do you think Beirut’s style has changed for the new album? And in what way has it changed?
Yes, it has changed. There probably won’t be any more waltzes. But there won’t be any radical changes, they won’t be playing death metal. But it is going to be a bit different. The band has been thinking about their old style, and even though they really like different sounds there is an original style and sound that they have. They’re really concentrating on remembering that style and approach.
Are they excited about all the new writing?
Not yet, this is the hard part; having to write. Having to put it all together. I don’t go to the studio at this point. It’s listening to parts of the song over and over, and it’d drive me crazy if I had to go and do that every day, and that’s why I’m not a songwriter.'
As stated above, this interview took place on 7th January 2010, so click here to watch the video for a track off the new the album 'The Rip Tide'. And click here to go to their website.
Beirut are an American band formed by the multi-talented front-man Zach Condon. Their sound has been descibed as Balkan folk, Eastern European folk, Western pop and indie folk. A combination of all of the above and you have the wonderfully unique sounds of Beirut.
I interviewed Ben on the 7th January 2010. He was such a down-to -earth guy and he gave some really great answers. Here is the interview in full...
Me (after introductions): So, Ben, how did you come to manage the band?
Ben: I saw Zach play in Albuquerque and I really liked his music so then I got my friend to send me his demo. I talked to Zach and the record got very popular, very quickly, and so they needed a manager. At first I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do it, because I never saw myself as a manager. But then I decided that I would do it.
Had you always wanted to work in the music industry, or was it an on-the-spot sort of decision?
I fell into it, in a way, I’ve always been a big fan of music, and always listened to college radio. I always thought I’d get into film, but once I got to college and became a music director I realised I knew enough about music and enjoyed it so much that it was the path I wanted to go down.
Is it hard to manage such a large band with so many musicians?
Do all the band members get on well, generally?
Yes, they do. A lot of them were friends beforehand. However, now it’s a strange thing, because there’s this element where they’re earning a living from it, and are all reliant on it. So it does bring in some tension, because people get uncomfortable and nervous with it. But they really help each other out, and I am always around for them to answer any financial or career questions, so they don’t have to worry about anything like that and can just focus on their music. I am a removed person that’s always there to answer questions that won’t affect other members of the band.
What is it like touring with Beirut? Do you enjoy it?
(laughs) Yes it’s great because we get to go to some amazing places; we went to Brazil in August, before that in July I got to go to Norway for the first time, then down to Mexico. But you’re there to work. In the day time, before the shows, we get to walk around some amazing new places and cities that you’ve never been to before. But it’s not a vacation, and there are often a lot of stresses that come with touring with a band; normal, everyday stresses. Like losing luggage, and even where to find guitar strings in a foreign country that doesn’t speak our language, so you have to rely on people for answers.
Do you have any funny stories whilst being on the road?
(laughs again) There was a funny one in Amsterdam where we were all backstage waiting with about 45 minutes until show time and we were missing a band member, so we waited and then 10 minutes till show time and hadn’t showed up so I went to look for him, so I started heading back towards the hotel, and I spotted him walking alongside one of the canals just looking peaceful and I walked over to him “Oh hey Ben”...”Hey, you’re supposed to be on stage in 3 minutes”...”Oh really, oh okay”. (laughs) It was a little tight and difficult as the fans were getting agitated, but we got there and the show went on. Another story, in Poland we played in a huge circus tent and it was crazy; there were about 5,000 people and it was outside of town and it was insane, everyone was going crazy, it was so intense. Such a surreal atmosphere.
Do the band have a favourite venue or country that they most enjoy playing at? And where do they get the biggest crowd reaction?
They always have a desire to go to new places. It’s always changing; when they went to Brazil they thought Brazil was the most insane reaction they’d ever got, and then when they went to Mexico City they thought that was the most insane reaction they’d ever got. So it’s always changing, but so far those countries gave the biggest reactions. I think we get big reactions there because, you play New York City and London but they have the option to see their favourite bands every week, but places like Mexico don’t have this option and so we get people of all ages coming to the shows and treating it as a cultural event, almost, and they go crazy.
Does the band enjoy English festivals?
No. (We both laugh). I’m being honest, they have been a continual nightmare; places like Glastonbury, many families go, and when you’re not from England and you go there and you’re stuck in a foot-and-a-half of mud and you’re being annihilated by this slow moving mud everywhere, it really takes a lot of energy out of you. And the band have never actually played Leeds or Reading, I went up to Reading and it’s like playing on a bald man’s head; there’s just piles of dirt everywhere. I went up to Reading last year! (We both laugh). So you’ll know all about the mud then. But yeh, so far the British festival experience hasn’t been so good.
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| 'Gulag Orkestar' - Beirut's debut album. |
It would just have to be the Gulag Orkestar because it was the first song I ever heard. And as I was driving, with my girlfriend, I popped in the demo and listened to that and I remember thinking that I’d never heard demo like it before and I didn’t know how to comprehend it as it was so different. It was like Eastern Europe folk music. And there was an intimacy there because I’m very familiar with indie rock and very comfortable with it, but this was something that I was familiar with but at the same time not familiar with, and the demo just really intrigued me, and I remember just thinking ‘wow, this is really, really good right.’ This was something different that I really liked.
Do you think Beirut’s style has changed for the new album? And in what way has it changed?
Yes, it has changed. There probably won’t be any more waltzes. But there won’t be any radical changes, they won’t be playing death metal. But it is going to be a bit different. The band has been thinking about their old style, and even though they really like different sounds there is an original style and sound that they have. They’re really concentrating on remembering that style and approach.
Are they excited about all the new writing?
Not yet, this is the hard part; having to write. Having to put it all together. I don’t go to the studio at this point. It’s listening to parts of the song over and over, and it’d drive me crazy if I had to go and do that every day, and that’s why I’m not a songwriter.'
As stated above, this interview took place on 7th January 2010, so click here to watch the video for a track off the new the album 'The Rip Tide'. And click here to go to their website.
