Exclusive Interview: Winston and the Telescreen
Artist Spotlight of the Indie Rock Band
Mar 31, 2009
Indie rockers Winston and the Telescreen describe their sound as what occurs when reasonably well-educated young men spend their afternoons listening to the Beatles and Radiohead albums, and their nights drunken dancing at local clubs to the Cure and Joy Division.
The five man Inland Empire based band is most often compared to Belle and Sebastian or Coldplay , and is comprised of founder Trevor Monks on drums, Paul Akers on keyboard, James Breker on bass, Brian Kaminskas on guitar, and frontman David Tetz.
What genre of music would you characterize the band as being?
"Usually I just end up calling it Indie Rock. It's always a tough question to answer because we're constantly pulling in different influences and each song seems to go in its own direction. We try not to get in the way of the songs too much and let them evolve on their own. If there is a word for meshing 60's, 80's and Millennial music then that's what our genre is." - David Tetz
"I tell people it is Indie/piano-rock with some hints of Cure/Coldplay. I also tell people it is the attempts of Jazz and Classically trained musicians that play and write pop music." - Brian Kaminskas
What's the story behind the band's name, there is an obvious reference to George Orwell's 1984, but why?
"Basically I just went to my bookcase and pulled down some of my favorite books...Hemingway, Hesse and Vonnegut all ended up being eliminated in favor of the two dystopias 1984 and A Brave New World. The band's name ends up being the same as the songs though and by that I mean that there are some meanings that are inherent that you might not realize until much later. As a songwriter it seems like my life is being broadcast to the listening public, the songwriter refuses to give the person privacy, and it is my nature to be a private person, but it is also my nature to be completely honest. It's a battle with myself about what literary references can I throw out there to help disguise my own personal stories, but the disguise has to illuminate the subject matter. Lyrically I'm the protagonist and the antagonist locked in battle...the Winston, and the Telescreen." - David Tetz
Your music is very diverse...who are the bands biggest influences?
"The Beatles, Queen, Bob Dylan, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Hesse, Milan Kundera, Alan Moore, and always Radiohead." - David Tetz
"Jazz musicians and classical composers like Steve Reich. Pop influences include The Strokes, Coldplay, Albert Hammond Jr, and Smashing Pumpkins." - Brian Kaminskas
"Calexico, Aphex Twin, Magnetic Fields, Menomena, and Radiohead's newest album." - Paul Akers
"Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, and Medeski, Martin and Wood." - Trevor Monks
"Yes" - James Breker
What does the future hold for Winston and the Telescreen?
"I just want to keep putting out songs that I’ll be proud of for the rest of my life...I would love for Winston to become successful enough that we could tour England and Japan and across the U.S., but I’ve learned to take it one step at a time. For now I’m focused on finishing the album..." - David Tetz
"I just want to play and write good music...We could all do Top 40 and pay the bills, but that drains ones creativity." - Brian Kaminskas
Winston and the Telescreen have been known to attract fans of various styles and ages from discerning hipsters, to youthful masses, and even uptight musicians. The band's new CD "Love Amongst Lepers" is planned for release in mid-April.
The band were in conversation with Suite101.
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