Annuals Interview Part 1 of 2

A while back, I reported on seeing Raleigh's Annuals (MySpace) live in Los Angeles and how I was so impressed by the show! I unfortunately missed my opportunity to chat with the band that night, but since they're such nice guys, they agreeded to an e-interview, the first half of which can be read below and after the jump!
Q: So how's touring been for you? You've been all over the U.S. and Europe. How was the Icelandic Airwaves Festival?

Nick: Touring has been great! we never imagined we'd go to half of the places we've already been. Iceland was insane and the people were great!

Q: And you've been with Manchester Orchestra for a lot of it. How did you get together with them?

Nick: We are actually label-mates that dig each others music.

Q: Aside from the EP, Frelen Mas, you've also a split 7" out with Manchester Orchestra. First off, where did the EP come from?

Nick: Extra songs that didn't make it on Be He Me. B-sides, that sort of thing.

Q: And second off, about the 7". I really like the idea of bands covering songs by each others. It's like an interview conducted by two musicians rather than a writer and an artist. So where did the idea to cover each others' work come from and, more importantly, how did you approach the cover and chose the song?

Nick: Idea came from our label. it was mainly a promotional tool for the tour. We wanted to change the song as much as possible but still keep it true to the original. So we made it electronic

Q: In the independent rock world, I'd say you've sort of "made it." You played on Conan O'Brien and have been touring extensively. I'm sure you've been on T.V. shows or commercials, too, but I just didn't see them or notice ... what's your reaction to this all been? Or am I making too many assumptions?

Nick: Yeah we've been on t.v. Twice now. Both times have been stressful but we had a great time. We're still broke though!

Annuals - Where Have You Been? (Manchester Orchestra Cover)

Annuals - Carry Around

Q: I'd like to know a little more about your record label situation. You've your own label, Terpsikhore Records, but released Be He Me on Ace Fu in 2006. Now, if I've got my story straight, you're with Canvasback, which has major label connections, I think. How did all the labels come up, how did everything transpire?

Mike: Terpsikhore started out as just a way for us to release our own music in the early days. We've always had the aspiration of running our own label- but when Ace Fu dug us up we chose to pursue the opportunity with the hope it could help us further our cause with Terpsikhore. So we put out an Annuals tour EP with Terpsikhore after the original demo and before Be He Me came out on Ace Fu. And now with the jump to Canvasback things are looking more promising for Terpsikhore than ever before, we have big plans for 2008 with a lot of love and support coming from Canvasback.

Q: And who the heck is J. K. Horne?

Mike: J. K. is the owner of Terpsikhore. He's been supporting our music for years, way before anyone else cared about us. So we run Terpsikhore together and he's also been a benefactor for our group for some time. We have a lot of different project proposals coming around all the time between music, film, sketch comedy, dance, etc. J. K.'s dream is to find some degree of success in supporting and investing in myriad artistic projects/endeavors. So far it seems it's all being steered in the right direction but we've still got a lot of work to do.