| Pageantry Session | |
| Violitionist Sessions |
Session Date: June 3, 2012
Posting Date: August 20, 2012
Artist Hometown: Denton, TX
Links: Facebook
Recorded by: Michael Briggs
3 QUESTIONS
ONE: How do you view yourselves now that you’ve changed your name to Pageantry? Are you starting over, or is this a continuation of what you were working on as Roy Robertson?
Roy Robertson: For me, it’s kind of a different band. Like, it’s not really ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ it’s more just like…It’s a different band, we’re going to be playing different songs, and it’s going to be in a different style than it was before. We’re still going to be playing the songs we were playing before, but I think it is a different band, for me. I feel like it is, because it just feels different when you’re named a band and not just your, you know…it’s not a backing band, and no one will confuse that.
Ramon Muzquiz: Yeah, we’re representing everybody. The three of us represent this band now. It’s not so much Roy and…you know, I don’t tell people anymore that I play with Roy Robertson—
Roy: And it wasn’t really like that for a long time. It just took time to find a band name and to actually do it. It’s been this way for a while, I feel like.
Ramon: Yeah, I agree with that.
DJ: What direction do you think the new band will go in?
Roy: I don’t know if I actually think about what direction to go in. I think it’s more like allowing yourself to go in sort of a vague direction, like…I don’t know, exactly.
DJ: What does the new name mean?
Roy: It’s just a name.
DJ: Nothing at all? Did you pick it out of a dictionary or something?
Roy: Actually, I picked it out of a rhyming thesaurus. I didn’t, but…
Ramon: I think he told me that he just really liked the word.
Roy: Yeah.
Ramon: And then, nobody else had that name.
Roy: Other people had Pageants, and Pageant, but no one had Pageantry, so, it was kind of—
Ramon: That, and Pablo is probably going to wear an evening gowns every time we play from now on.
Pablo Burrull: I had nothing to do with it.
DJ: Have you decided on a color for the gown?
Roy: Pink, I think.
Pablo: I was thinking green.
Ramon Muzquiz: Yeah, we’re representing everybody. The three of us represent this band now. It’s not so much Roy and…you know, I don’t tell people anymore that I play with Roy Robertson—
Roy: And it wasn’t really like that for a long time. It just took time to find a band name and to actually do it. It’s been this way for a while, I feel like.
Ramon: Yeah, I agree with that.
DJ: What direction do you think the new band will go in?
Roy: I don’t know if I actually think about what direction to go in. I think it’s more like allowing yourself to go in sort of a vague direction, like…I don’t know, exactly.
DJ: What does the new name mean?
Roy: It’s just a name.
DJ: Nothing at all? Did you pick it out of a dictionary or something?
Roy: Actually, I picked it out of a rhyming thesaurus. I didn’t, but…
Ramon: I think he told me that he just really liked the word.
Roy: Yeah.
Ramon: And then, nobody else had that name.
Roy: Other people had Pageants, and Pageant, but no one had Pageantry, so, it was kind of—
Ramon: That, and Pablo is probably going to wear an evening gowns every time we play from now on.
Pablo Burrull: I had nothing to do with it.
DJ: Have you decided on a color for the gown?
Roy: Pink, I think.
Pablo: I was thinking green.
TWO: Are you currently planning any upcoming releases under the name Pageantry?
Roy: Yeah. We’re working on something right now.
Ramon: Yeah, we keep throwing around the idea of doing an EP ourselves, and more than that…I feel bad saying what we’re going to do with it at this point, because we’ve come up with so many ideas that haven’t actually— I don’t even think we’ve talked to Pablo about them.
DJ: He can read about it when we post the interview.
Ramon: So, nothing’s been set in stone at this point, but—
Roy: We’re just writing a lot now, so we’re kind of taking it one step at a time. It doesn’t really matter if we put something out, or have a deadline for it or anything, it’s just— write songs, and don’t have any plans after that. We’re going to put out a record sometime, but—
Pablo: We have enough songs for almost two records.
Ramon: It’s also a matter of figuring out which songs we want to go together on what records, or what have you. When I started playing with Roy, I played on a…was it a four song or five song EP?
Roy: It was four songs.
Ramon: That we never ended up doing anything with. Roy released one of the songs recently on Bandcamp, right?
Roy: Yeah.
Ramon: But, other than that, none of the rest of them have seen the light of day.
Roy: Yeah.
Ramon: We’ve played a lot of them, but we haven’t done anything with it otherwise.
DJ: Is there still one primary songwriter, or is everyone collaborating?
Roy: I think it’s more that I’m…I’m still doing as much as I was before, like, I don’t write the drum parts, nor do I write the bass parts, which, Ramon and I get together and arrange the songs, but I come up with the lyrics and most of the parts and the melodies and things like that, but, you know…
Ramon: We want to be more collaborative with it though, I think.
Roy: Yeah, we’ve got…the song changes, and I’m fine with that.
Pablo: I kind of feel like, at least with Ramon and I, somebody might do something by accident, and it sounds cool or something, and whether it be him or me, the other just follows along and just kind of sticks with it. So, at least rhythmically, not by accident, but just…
Ramon: Curiosity or something.
Pablo: Yeah. Just not really thought through, just kind of done and it sounds cool, and it stuck. Never even talked about it. Some things we haven’t even mentioned and we just do it anyway.
Ramon: Yeah, we keep throwing around the idea of doing an EP ourselves, and more than that…I feel bad saying what we’re going to do with it at this point, because we’ve come up with so many ideas that haven’t actually— I don’t even think we’ve talked to Pablo about them.
DJ: He can read about it when we post the interview.
Ramon: So, nothing’s been set in stone at this point, but—
Roy: We’re just writing a lot now, so we’re kind of taking it one step at a time. It doesn’t really matter if we put something out, or have a deadline for it or anything, it’s just— write songs, and don’t have any plans after that. We’re going to put out a record sometime, but—
Pablo: We have enough songs for almost two records.
Ramon: It’s also a matter of figuring out which songs we want to go together on what records, or what have you. When I started playing with Roy, I played on a…was it a four song or five song EP?
Roy: It was four songs.
Ramon: That we never ended up doing anything with. Roy released one of the songs recently on Bandcamp, right?
Roy: Yeah.
Ramon: But, other than that, none of the rest of them have seen the light of day.
Roy: Yeah.
Ramon: We’ve played a lot of them, but we haven’t done anything with it otherwise.
DJ: Is there still one primary songwriter, or is everyone collaborating?
Roy: I think it’s more that I’m…I’m still doing as much as I was before, like, I don’t write the drum parts, nor do I write the bass parts, which, Ramon and I get together and arrange the songs, but I come up with the lyrics and most of the parts and the melodies and things like that, but, you know…
Ramon: We want to be more collaborative with it though, I think.
Roy: Yeah, we’ve got…the song changes, and I’m fine with that.
Pablo: I kind of feel like, at least with Ramon and I, somebody might do something by accident, and it sounds cool or something, and whether it be him or me, the other just follows along and just kind of sticks with it. So, at least rhythmically, not by accident, but just…
Ramon: Curiosity or something.
Pablo: Yeah. Just not really thought through, just kind of done and it sounds cool, and it stuck. Never even talked about it. Some things we haven’t even mentioned and we just do it anyway.
THREE: What impression would you like to leave with someone who is listening to your music for the first time?
Pablo: I think, at least musically— I don’t write the lyrics, but what I listen for in a lot of bands is the rhythm section. I love bass players and drummers, so if I hear…I don’t truly like when drummers show off, or when bassists show off and just kind of go on. If it’s a more creative, I guess, honest and modest creativity going between the rhythm section, that’s what I want to at least get through with my parts. Just modesty and what fits, what’s right for the song. But that’s musically, not emotionally, so…
Ramon: Yeah, lyrically, it’s all Roy still, but I agree with that. I mean, I want it to be an expression of what Roy is trying to do lyrically through music, in a way. It sounds cheesy, but—
Roy: It’s all right.
Ramon: You know, but it’s what I want to do, so…And to screw with people, sometimes. I kind of like the idea— Someone the other night told us that they really liked what we did because every once in a while they thought they knew where we were going, and then we did something that they didn’t expect at all, and that’s something about Roy’s music that I’ve always admired, and I feel like Pablo and I have helped to flesh that out a little bit more. Your turn, Roy.
Roy: I don’t think it’s really…I don’t think that’s something to be concerned about.
DJ: All right. So, it’s more about your personal satisfaction as a band, and not necessarily the satisfaction of your listeners?
Roy: Well, I wouldn’t take the listener’s advice on what to do. Like, I think that’s why people listen to bands that they like is because they’re not sending out a review and wanting you to do a survey on what you like about the band, what you don’t like about the band. You like the band because they do what they want to do, so I don’t think about it.
DJ: But I think it’s safe to say that many, if not most, bands have something that they would like to convey through their music that they would like their listeners to understand or relate to in some way…
Roy: Yeah, I don’t know if I really want…that. Like, I don’t know if my goal is to connect with people. I just don’t really…I don’t see it as being that important.
Ramon: I don’t think you mean that in a selfish way, either.
Roy: No, I’m not trying to be mean—
Ramon: Like, you’re more so— You’re writing the stuff that you’re writing because it feels right to you, and then, I think we’ve been lucky that people have connected with it, whether it’s musically or lyrically…
Roy: Yeah, I definitely think it’s possible for people to connect with it, but it’s like, that’s great. That’s awesome that they do that, if they do, but that’s…past where I should be involved with it. That’s outside of the music.
DJ: Then why put your music out there for the public to hear? Why not just record?
Roy: Because I like to play music, and I want to do that a lot, and I like to play in front of people, but I don’t know if I do it because I want to…change people’s lives. It’s more like I want to be able to…it’s fun to go out onstage and play, and it’s fun to record things and create something out of nothing. I mean, that’s just for the simple sake of playing with your friends and recording and making something that didn’t exist before, I think is amazing. It’s a great thing to be able to do. So, it’s not that I don’t want people to connect with it, but it’s like, if I was concerned if people were connecting with it then, if someone didn’t connect with it, I would be upset that they didn’t, you know? And that’s kind of a false goal to have, if you really care about if people are going to connect with it or not.
Ramon: That makes it more…honest, you know? If you were trying to connect with people, and you didn’t, and so you altered what you did…is that what you’re saying?
Roy: I hate songs where people tell people what to do, or like, “You can make it!” You know? That kind of stuff. Like the self-empowering songs that tell you to get past this hard part of your life. I think those are kind of shitty.
Ramon: Yeah, lyrically, it’s all Roy still, but I agree with that. I mean, I want it to be an expression of what Roy is trying to do lyrically through music, in a way. It sounds cheesy, but—
Roy: It’s all right.
Ramon: You know, but it’s what I want to do, so…And to screw with people, sometimes. I kind of like the idea— Someone the other night told us that they really liked what we did because every once in a while they thought they knew where we were going, and then we did something that they didn’t expect at all, and that’s something about Roy’s music that I’ve always admired, and I feel like Pablo and I have helped to flesh that out a little bit more. Your turn, Roy.
Roy: I don’t think it’s really…I don’t think that’s something to be concerned about.
DJ: All right. So, it’s more about your personal satisfaction as a band, and not necessarily the satisfaction of your listeners?
Roy: Well, I wouldn’t take the listener’s advice on what to do. Like, I think that’s why people listen to bands that they like is because they’re not sending out a review and wanting you to do a survey on what you like about the band, what you don’t like about the band. You like the band because they do what they want to do, so I don’t think about it.
DJ: But I think it’s safe to say that many, if not most, bands have something that they would like to convey through their music that they would like their listeners to understand or relate to in some way…
Roy: Yeah, I don’t know if I really want…that. Like, I don’t know if my goal is to connect with people. I just don’t really…I don’t see it as being that important.
Ramon: I don’t think you mean that in a selfish way, either.
Roy: No, I’m not trying to be mean—
Ramon: Like, you’re more so— You’re writing the stuff that you’re writing because it feels right to you, and then, I think we’ve been lucky that people have connected with it, whether it’s musically or lyrically…
Roy: Yeah, I definitely think it’s possible for people to connect with it, but it’s like, that’s great. That’s awesome that they do that, if they do, but that’s…past where I should be involved with it. That’s outside of the music.
DJ: Then why put your music out there for the public to hear? Why not just record?
Roy: Because I like to play music, and I want to do that a lot, and I like to play in front of people, but I don’t know if I do it because I want to…change people’s lives. It’s more like I want to be able to…it’s fun to go out onstage and play, and it’s fun to record things and create something out of nothing. I mean, that’s just for the simple sake of playing with your friends and recording and making something that didn’t exist before, I think is amazing. It’s a great thing to be able to do. So, it’s not that I don’t want people to connect with it, but it’s like, if I was concerned if people were connecting with it then, if someone didn’t connect with it, I would be upset that they didn’t, you know? And that’s kind of a false goal to have, if you really care about if people are going to connect with it or not.
Ramon: That makes it more…honest, you know? If you were trying to connect with people, and you didn’t, and so you altered what you did…is that what you’re saying?
Roy: I hate songs where people tell people what to do, or like, “You can make it!” You know? That kind of stuff. Like the self-empowering songs that tell you to get past this hard part of your life. I think those are kind of shitty.
– Interview and transcription by Dale Jones