A Quick Q&A With Hi Frisco
After releasing their scintillating self-produced debut record, ‘Goodbye, Blue Monday’, Hi Frisco are quite rightly making a name for themselves. Combining a bold and atmospheric energy, the pair embed their fresh ethos within every record they create. Following a stellar start to 2020, we caught up with Felix Rashman, one half of the East-London based duo.
Who are you and what is your role(s) within the band?
I am Felix Rashman, one half of Hi Frisco.
Primarily Henry is the musical one and I'm the producer, but we often swap hats and are both involved in the whole process. Henry does tend to make the brews though; he has good motherly instincts like that.
How/when did the band start?
About three years ago roughly, H had left a previous band and needed a hand with some songs he'd written. We were already good friends so really it was just to see if our friendship could survive the creative process, we've survived one album, so it looks like it's all good so far!
Although you’re London based, you don’t originate from there – is this correct?
Nah, we're both proud northerners even if we don’t sound like it anymore. H comes from Blackpool(ish) and I come from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.
What led you ‘darn Sarf’?
Work and a perceived lack of opportunities up north for musicians/creatives. The UK is far too LDN centric, hopefully one day that will change.
Can you confirm whether there is a distinct lack of gravy in the south, or is this purely mythical?
100% lacking, not enough gravy boats to hand.
Now we’ve clarified that, when did the writing begin for ‘Goodbye, Blue Monday’?
I guess it was a fluid process, we didn't really start out with an album in mind but after a making a few songs together it kinda felt like all the newer ones we'd done had a cohesive vibe. Originally we planned to do a couple of EP's but both us and the label felt we might as well go all in and do an album.
Were you writing with an album in mind?
For at least half of it probably not, but once you know that's the plan you kind of focus onto what could fit where and what you want it to be. Stuff like 'Goodbye Blue, Monday' (The start and finish of the record) were written as the intended start or end of the record.
Where does the title ‘Goodbye, Blue Monday’ come from?
Our mutual fave author at the time, Kurt Vonnegut (how cliche). H gave me Breakfast Of Champions to read and I loved it, so much so we nabbed the record title and a bit of design from it (the star kissed arsehole). The album comes from the words painted on the sign of an American bomb ready to be dropped in WWII, it had a kind of beautiful melancholy to it and just kinda fit the space we were both in at the time. Part mantra part wishful thinking.
You self-produced the record, are there any key influences you referenced for the record?
Dave Fridmann. Probably a bit too much Dave Fridmann... That and the Beatles.
Is there anything unconventional you’ve included in the album that we wouldn’t know about? IE. Did you mic up a hoover and stick it through a reverse tape delay?
How did you know about the Hoover?! We did a lot of weird stuff, we're kind of going to serialise some of the weirder sounds on Instagram in little videos as there are so many it's quite hard to pick our favourite. The one that sprang to mind was a faux pedal steel sound on 'Holiday' which is just glorious, sounds like Eno & Daniel Lanois on a Valium picnic.
Can you describe the record in three words or less?
‘Pop that's weird’
Your studio, ‘Calmer Than You Are’, is a reference from The Big Lebowski. We’re keen to know whether there is a rug in the studio?
There are several rugs, the finest maybe being the one woven by Afghan widows to protest the Russian invasion of their country. It's quite a thing. We've also got a large framed picture of The Jesus licking the bowling ball (Thanks Dad).
If you were to cast each other in The Big Lebowski, who is playing who and why?
Well to start with our friend Phil who built the place with us is 100% Walter, he knows it and we know it. I recon we'd be the nihilists, maybe we should call the next record Nagelbett in homage.
Can you recommend any artists/bands to listen to?
We both were admiring Wilco's ‘Star Wars’ record the other day (lovely production) also I became quite evangelical about This Heat after discovering them thanks to my Dad. Big shout outs to our friends Nancy (Of Nancy & The Mysterious Vision) who is doing wonderful things, Volleyball of whom our omni talented pal Tom, is a member, their first single is out very soon, and Jaws The Shark, which is our manager's way of unwinding when we're not winding him up.
