Palodine is a Seattle (WA) band that melds rock/indie music with haunted americana. We couldn't pass up the chance to chat with Palodine's Katrina Whitney...
Seven Questions for Katrina Whitney of Palodine:
Sepiachord: What bands were you in before you formed Palodine?
Katrina Whitney: Too many to list.
There are only a few barely worth mentioning. Hooo was a recording project between me and a couple friends of mine from college. We made one experimental-outsider folk sounding record called “Veil Static” that was carried by Blue Sanct Records. Several years later I become interested in old-timey folk and Americana music and formed Euclid with one of the guys from Hooo and a close girlfriend who has since moved to Austin. We made one EP called “The Carthage EP” which is still available through CDbaby.com. Right before Palodine, I formed Blackwood Hymnal to try experimenting with a more modern spin on gentle American music. We still have a Myspace page (www.myspace.com/blackwoodhymnal) where you can hear home-recorded demos. Michael and I are exploring new territory with that project that we hope to release down the road. I’d like to make it more of a summer Sunday morning sound as a contrast to Palodine's heavy, late-night, winter atmosphere.
SC: Is the band permanently a two-piece? Was it hard to scale down?
KW: I don’t like to look at anything as being permanent, because the minute you do, things inevitably change. We started as a four-piece, but it was easy to scale back to a duo because of the rapport Michael and I have with each other. We compose everything as a duo anyway, and we wanted to try a more raw and stripped-down sound. The only hard part for me was learning to sing and play drums at the same time with zero knowledge or experience with the instrument. We had a show coming up when the other members left the band so I was forced to figure it out in a matter of weeks. My playing is still rudimentary, but it has been very liberating not to have to rely on other musicians to perform our songs live. We recently played a show as a five piece with Terri Mueller drumming alongside me, so we are defiantly open to playing as a full band again in the future. We like playing both ways for different reasons.
SC: What has been your favorite show to play so far?
KW: We are still a very young band, but we have been fortunate to play a couple larger shows with Low and Woven Hand who have both been very influential bands for us, so they were the most memorable. It’s lovely performing in an intimate setting as a duo, But for some reason, I feel more comfortable when there is a large audience and I don’t know anyone there.
SC: Have you gotten to play outside Seattle much? Where do you get the best audience reaction?
KW: Again, we are still a very young band, and at this point we don’t have the money or resources to tour yet. The economy, gas crisis, domestic logistics and the violent global climate make it very challenging. Honestly, I can’t say that we have had any negative or apathetic responses at our shows. I will say that the energy is a bit lower all around when we play bars where drinking and socializing take precedence over the music being performed, or if I’m dealing with my own chemical and personal issues. After the last show we played, I had a mini breakdown that I had been holding in all day. It finally came out as soon as we finished our set and I got backstage. It’s not fun to play in that frame of mind and I’m sure people can feel it in the performance.
SC: Did you know in advance that KEXP was going to feature your song “Woman of Cain” on two of it’s podcasts?
KW: Yeah, they asked Tarnished for permission and we were happy to get some exposure. We never thought the type of music we make would get much radio play, if any. It was really cool when people started telling us they heard us on the radio that day. We were amazed when they put us into rotation from the get-go with both releases and we feel grateful that we are able to stay true to ourselves in our song-writing and so far people seem to be connecting with it. Right now it’s mostly critics and DJ’s because radio is only a small part of the equation. We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead of us to get any significant exposure.
SC: How does Garden of Deceit differ from your first album?
KW: We are always trying to experiment with our sound and G.O.D. has some heavier and edgier material on it. I think I am starting to grow into my voice and I think Michael’s guitar playing gets harder to fit into any specific genre as we develop. Also, Desolate Son had a lyrical theme running through some of the songs that correlate with the title. There were stories and scenarios, fiction and nonfiction about our freedom and ability to make choices. I tried to portray some of the consequences that can arise from our actions if they are hurtful or negative to ourselves or to people whom in theory we are supposed to love and respect. I suppose G.O.D. has a different slant on this theme and is a little more personal lyrically.
SC: Who created the "Redwing Blackbird" video? Do you plan on doing any more?
KW: Timothy Benton, a videographer from San Francisco approached us and we went with it. He has since become a close family friend and we keep in contact, so we hope to work with him again. I have ideas for the next one to be set in a more modern city vibe. We directed the "Redwing" video as a team and Timothy was very gracious about letting me be involved artistically. I have been a long-time fan of Jan Svankmajer and The Brothers Quay, so I wanted that stop-motion element in there with old objects I have collected. I’m also a visual artist, and often my art correlates with the music, so we decided to include some of that in the video as well. The story and imagery are symbolic of how our gifts can be lost or taken away by our own rejection, or when we are closed off to them by our apathy, careless ingratitude or close-mindedness, what ever they may be.
SC: What are your plans for the near future? Do you plan to tour?
KW: We have been writing a lot lately. I think we have accumulated about two full-length records worth of material, plus a few, so we are ahead of ourselves creatively. Our financial situation is another story. We are on small co-op indie labels and we have spent everything we have on the first two releases, so we are simply out of money. We are making plans to sell our house and move to Portland where the cost of living and real estate is more affordable so we can have the means to track out another record and hopefully at some point tour. I’m somewhat of a loner and I like being home and creating, so I’m not thrilled at the drudgery of touring. I mostly want to do it so people can see and feel our music live. A live show can have a very different effect on a person than a recording. At the moment, our growth publicly as a band may seem a bit stunted because of lack of funds, but behind the scenes we can’t stop making music. It just keeps coming.
