Paul: Please introduce yourselves!
CAV: How do you do? You’ve got Andy and Ryan here from Cavil at Rest. Andy plays the bass guitar and I sing, among other things.
Paul: For the uninitiated, please give us a brief history of Cavil At Rest, who you are influenced by and what you sound like.
Ryan: Well Taylor and I picked up guitars in what must’ve been 8th grade. We started writing songs together, soon discovered that it was incredibly fun and after a few years decided to get a band together. You guys know how it goes, throughout high school we had our share of band member musical chairs. But by the end of high school we’d really started to pursue it even more seriously. With everyone going to different colleges, we knew it would be difficult but we kept it together, kept playing shows and whatnot. We’ve actually decided to take time off of school to really get the ball rolling. But yea, so that should kinda bring you up to speed. As far as influences, man, well we all are in love with music in general. That said, we each kind of gravitate to some different things. I’d rather let everyone speak for themselves as far as personal tastes, but I know we can all agree on the Zombies, Radiohead, At the Drive-In, The Beatles, Beach Boys, stuff like that. You know, fans and friends have told us we sound like anything from The Mars Volta all the way to the Beach Boys so I mean just have yourself a listen.
Paul: Is there a story behind the band name?
Ryan: Yeah, back when we were choosing a name we had a spell where we were at each other throats all the time. I was at a garage sale browsing a box of these really old worn out books. I picked up one of the especially beat up ones and read a little bit. This king was talking to his people, and they were upset about something, and the king says something like “Put your cavils to rest” and I had no idea what “cavil” meant. It basically means an argument about something trivial. I thought it was cool and proposed Cavil at Rest at the next practice. Everyone had a good laugh but we discussed what it meant to us and decided that we really liked it. Plus, it became some sort of a mantra to keep us from killing each other back then. Haha, we have this mission-statement sounding definition of the name on our website if you’re interested. So there you have it.
Paul: What influences your songs the most and is there a particular lyrical style that you like to bring across in your songs?
Ryan: I think everyone in the band gets inspired by really good art, the really passionate kind. When I hear or see another awesome band or watch a great film, or see an incredible exhibit or hear an amazing speaker, whatever it may be, I get inspired. But personal experience, daily life, family, girls, the connections you can make when you stop and think about little details and things that appear insignificant at first. I mean all that stuff influences us to create music. Lyrically, I write songs in segments. You’ve heard it before but my lyrics feel like they are kind of handed to me. I just get bursts, sometimes out of nowhere where I’ll write a verse or maybe just 2 or 3 lines and then nothing else will come for days. I’ve stopped my car before to pull over and write down a line so I don’t forget it. I love to write. I have a very detail orientated style. I’m the kind of person who pays close attention to song lyrics. I like a lot of imagery and story telling.
Paul: The EP was self-released and has already generated a good response. Has this surpassed your expectations?
Taylor: Not really to be honest haha. We feel like we are confident in what we are doing and that it is something unique. The reason we feel like we aren’t farther along is because we are also all dedicated to furthering our education. The new EP will blow the last one out of the water though.
Paul: Which is your favorite song of the three and why?
Taylor: Mine is the Flower of Rhodes because I think it’s probably the best representation of the three where Cavil at Rest is heading musically.
Ryan: I think I agree with Andy but all three kind of serve different purposes. Especially live, you know 1948 is great to pull a muscle to and The Siren’s Seduction lets us display our questionable dancing abilities. Although Kelcey can really move.
Paul: When can we expect a full length album? Will there be any specific themes and will the album sound massively different from the EP?
Andy: Full length? Hopefully very soon. Currently we are recording another five song EP with plans for a full length as soon as we are signed. Our sound has definitely changed a lot from the last three song EP, but it still has enough for people to recognize it as Cavil. I would say it’s a huge step up and a lot more mature than our previous material. We’re definitely pushing ourselves in all aspects of our music.
Paul: How is the hunt for a label going?
Andy: We’ve had a lot of interest from both major and indie labels, but we also don’t want to jump right in without really thinking about which path is best for us. We are thinking a larger indie is the way to go.
Paul: Do you have any big tour plans for what’s left of 2005? What’s the plan for 2006?
Ryan: Right now we are just focusing on the new material – getting it completed and recorded and out to the fans. Then we’ll be out on the road to support it. The plan is definitely to find a strong label that fits us. We’re going to write and record more music and tour the country and then the world.
Paul: The internet and the MP3 – good or bad?
Ryan: Oh definitely good. At least for bands like us whose main concern is just spreading the word. It’s incredible how much it’s changed the whole game. It’s so easy to get your music out there and keep in touch with fans from all over.
Paul: What have you guys been listening to lately?
Ryan: I know Taylor has been all over that new Sufjan Steven’s album. He loves that stuff. Kelcey has really likes Devendra Banhart and Olivia Tremor Control. Andy’s been listening to the new Death Cab, Jamie Cullum, Radiohead, and The Outline. And for me, Van Morrison and lot of Motown, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and whatnot.
Paul: Is there any ultimate goal you’d like to reach with your band, assuming you haven’t reached it already? What did you set out to achieve with this band?
Ryan: We’ve definitely reached the goals that Taylor and I set for ourselves when we first started playing, which was to record and play the local venues, but things have changed since then. Now our Ultimate Goal is to make a successful lifelong career out of doing what we love – making and playing music.
www.cavilatrest.com