My Interview with Trespassers William

Despite having three albums under their belt, including various singles that received exposure on TV shows like The O.C. and One Tree Hill, Trespassers William remains one of the most modestly ethereal bands in existence today.

Here, I have the honor of talking to both Matt Brown an Anna-Lynne Williams about what influences them musically, what some of their favorite live show memories are and what is in the future for Trespassers William.

How/when did Trespassers William form? Where did you get your name from?

Matt: We formed in 1997 in Orange County, California. The name comes from a story in Winnie the Pooh regarding a sign outside Piglet's house.

Interesting! What bands/musicians have influenced you the most over the years? Anyone you'd hope to collaborate with in the future?

Matt: It's hard to say who's influenced me the most. I'd say the people I work with and play music with influence me the most these days. There's so many talented people in my life and it's kind of magical to be in their proximity and watch them create their art.

Right now as we're planning the album, I'm thinking about the other musicians that we know that we'll use to augment the recording now that it's just the two of us. Most of them are from Texas: The lovely French horn player Heather Liegh, drummer Jacob Evans and the multi-talented Robert Gomez come to mind.

Anna-Lynne: Some long-time influences are Red House Painters, Kings of Convenience and Lisa Germano. I'm not sure that the artists I enjoy the most always work their way into my own writing in a direct way, but listening to good music challenges me and puts me in powerful moods.

I've been lucky to have met a lot of artists that I admire, and to work with them and keep up some sort of contact where we collaborate or tell each other stories or give each other pep talks. Musicians like Sergius Gregoy, Jeff Martin (Idaho), John Grant and Robert Gomez are at the top of my list.

What bands/musicians have you played with thus far? Any gigs in particular that meant a lot to you or shows that were the most memorable? I'm pretty sure you guys recently did SXSW...how was that experience?

Matt: We've been lucky to play with a lot people we respect. Opening for Morrissey was something to remember for sure. There was a show on the last European tour in Leipzig, Germany that was very special for me - the feeling from the crowd, the venue, our hosts... it all felt very wonderful.

Anna-Lynne: Both of the shows we played in London last fall really bowled me over. The rooms were just filled with good, warm energy. It really changes how the stage feels and how good it is to sing personal songs when you know the audience is there with you and keeping quiet.

We've been playing live for so long that there are too many artists to name, but a few that are notable because we actually toured with them for extended periods are Damien Rice, Glissando and Robert Gomez.

SXSW is a bit tough. You travel a long way to play a very professional-feeling show and do very short sets. We played NX35 this year as well, and I must say I preferred it a lot.

I was thinking of checking out SXSW next year, but I'll definitely look into Denton's NX35. Also touring/playing with Damien Rice and Morrissey must have been a pretty cool experience... What is your favorite aspect of playing a live show? Do you guys ever do any covers?

Matt: It's been said before, but sometimes everything just comes together: the energy from the crowd, the energy on stage, the sound, etc. - and when it does, there's nothing quite like it.

Anna-Lynne: We never used to play covers on stage, except right after Different Stars came out and we played "Vapour Trail" at all of the UK performances. But we adopted "Videotape" by Radiohead on our last tour, and have some of our friends join us on stage to make a sort of choir; it's always a magical part of the evening.

"Vapour Trail" is a phenomenal cover by the way...not many people know of Ride. And I just checked out the Radiohead cover... Wow! More please? : )

I find your music to be uniquely soothing...even therapeutic. When you first started, did you have an objective as far as playing a certain genre of music? Do you see yourself going in a different direction musically in the future?

Matt: I don't think we ever thought of fitting in a genre. In the future, I see the more stripped-down, less effected and more direct sound for the band.

Anna-Lynne: Yeah, the longer I do this the more I feel like recording really bare bones vocals and writing songs that can stand alone without a lot of dressing up. I think that's what made Different Stars good as an album... I'd like to focus on that sort of feel in the future.

Definitely stick with it... Your sound stands apart from most of the music out these days.

Often musicians come to a crossroads in their career, where they're forced to choose between living as a starving yet creative artist or selling out to the record industry in order to pay the bills. From your personal experiences, do you feel there is a middle ground between the two? What advice, if any, would you give to up-and-coming bands in the midst of this dilemma?

Matt: There absolutely is a middle ground. I would say go with your gut. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If something feels uncomfortable you should probably avoid it.

Anna-Lynne: I don't think I know how to be commercial. : ) So, luckily I've kept doing things my own way, and sometimes that means being on a label or being played in a movie, and sometimes that means self-pressing a solo record and only selling a few hundred copies. The more I make music for myself, the more it seems people get something out of it anyway. And then everyone is happy at the end of the day.

Agreed! How do you feel about the current state of the world today? Be as free as you want with this question.

Matt: That's a big question - I'm trying to focus on being creative right now, so I guess that's the state of my world...

Anna-Lynne: My world is all about music and love and food and a green garden...that which makes me happy. I try not to think about all of the things that are wrong outside of that sphere, but of course they are there... I do my bit part by making art and not eating meat.

If only everyone did their bit part in their worlds...What's in the future for Trespassers William? Will you continue to work with the band as well as on your solo projects?

Matt: Right now we are planning the fourth record. I have some ideas for the next Disinterested record, but it may take awhile for that to materialize...

Anna-Lynne: Yeah, we're closing in on the next Trespassers William album. The thought of getting to return to Europe and do another tour like the one we did at the end of 2009 is very inspiring. I just want to make sure it's a really special album. The band was off in numerous directions for awhile, so if we're going to put out something at this point I have high expectations for it.

And yes - I want to put out a bunch of different projects over the next few years. Another Lotte Kestner (solo) album and lots of collaborations. Singing with boys really inspires me.

Then keep at it! (And thanks by the way for introducing me to Robert Gomez.)

Keep updated on Trespassers William info by checking out their website or MySpace.