Love at first bite

Love at first bite

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 15:36

Death Cab For Cutie scores lead single in new ‘Twilight’ movie
By Paul John Caña, Contributor
Considering that highly acclaimed indie rock band Death Cab For Cutie (DCFC) has been around for over a decade, it’s hard to believe they’ve never deliberately contributed a song for a motion picture soundtrack.

Until now. We’ve heard the band’s songs on TV shows like the teen drama The OC, but for the first time we’ll get to hear vocalist Ben Gibbard’s trademark warbling on the big screen.

Now wafting through our speakers via Top 40 radio stations is “Meet Me On The Equinox,” the lead single off the new film in the Twilight Saga: New Moon. The indie rock heroes have maintained a generally straight course throughout their career, appealing mainly to young adult listeners who like their music thoughtful, well written and with just the appropriate amount of sentiment and angst. Now they’re set to conquer a whole generation of fans, mainly under the screaming teen and tweener set obsessed with the characters from Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book. Thanks to Warner Music Philippines, The Manila Times got an exclusive one-on-one with DCFC’s guitarist Chris Walla via telephone.

The Manila Times: Where are you now and what’s outside your window?

Chris Walla: Good question. Right now I am camped out here in Los Angeles and I am right across Mann’s Chinese Theater, where I can see there’s going to be a big movie premiere or something happening. It’s about 6:40 a.m. here now.

TMT: You guys started out like most bands do as a small, independent group with a loyal fan base. As you got more famous and successful, some of your older fans feel a bit resentful and alienated, and accuse you of selling out. How do you feel about that?

CW: You know to be honest, it doesn’t really bother me all that much. I don’t really view it as a betrayal. I think there are very few friends that anyone has when they’re kids all the way to adulthood. You just change and your interests differ. People’s relationships change and I think it’s a little like that. And I think the records or bands that you listen to means so much when you’re 16, 30 or 45 years old and it can mean something completely different to you a few years outside of the time you started listening to them, or even not at all. We just tried really hard to make the kinds of records that we really wanted to make and that we ourselves might want to listen to. But I completely understand that sentiment because I feel that way myself about bands that I like.

TMT: Really? Like what bands?

CW: Hmm . . . well, for a while I felt that way about U2. They made so many different sorts of records and while I don’t particularly like some of them, I know all of those records have integrity and those guys always made records that they wanted to make. I like their stuff up until Achtung Baby, and then they made All That You Can’t Believe Behind, and in between those years, they did records that I didn’t really like.

TMT: Was there a specific moment for you when you felt like you crossed that threshold between young upstart band into confident, successful rock stars?

CW: (Laughs) First of all, I have to qualify this by saying that I don’t think I’ve ever had that moment when I felt like that. I think I’m still a bit at that pinch-me-I must be dreaming stage where I feel like I’d wake up at any moment and I’d be back serving coffee somewhere. But, yeah, I think playing Saturday Night Live was a pretty big deal. We’ve been watching that since we were kids and it’s just one of those moments where you really aspire to have.

TMT: So you have a song on this “little” movie called New Moon. Tell me how that happened. Did you sit down to write the song specifically for the movie?

CW: You know Ben (Gibbard) is always writing songs. We had this song and then there was this potential to have it in the film and we tweaked it around some, rewrote it a little, molding and shaping. I’m a fan of the book. It’s such a huge cultural phenomenon and it really is an honor to be part of it.

TMT: Speaking of movies, are you a moviegoer yourself? What’s your favorite movie?

CW: Oh I’ve just recently been on a Wes Anderson binge. I just finished watching The Life Aquatic of Zissou. I tend to like stuff that’s sort of slow but visually arresting and I think Wes Anderson is a master at that. And of course, I like the big blockbusters like New Moon. (Laughs)

TMT: So are you going to be there lining up with everyone else when New Moon opens?

CW: Actually I will be here in LA when it opens and I am going to the premiere. It should be fun and I’m excited to go see it.

TMT: As a band, do you guys get to see each other and hang out during your down time?

CW: Not as often as I thought we would. You see, we’re spread out all around now, we live in different cities and we only get to see each other during recording and touring. Then again, we tour so much. We pretty much spent the last six months on the road.

TMT: What are you guys up to next? Any chance we might see you over here in Manila anytime soon.

CW: We actually haven’t started anything new, there are no new songs in the works, but we’re probably going to start next year. We’re probably just going to stay home and make records next year, so it would be a big surprise if we do any touring at all next year. But yeah, I would love to go and play for our fans there in Manila.