Cemeteries

Kyle Reigle of Cemeteries has been climbing the charts over at Bandcamp the past couple of months, and as of a few weeks ago, he can officially say that he is the most popular band/musician in the Buffalo area.  This is an impressive feat, especially considering that Reigle has done it all on his own; the percussion, guitars, keyboard, and vocals....the entire production....is done entirely by himself.  Yet, it also shouldn't be too big of a surprise, because when you deliver a good product, it sells.  Cemeteries is just that, a fantastic collection of work that is starting to get discovered.  His debut LP entitled Speaking Horrors applies a range of elements spanning from folk to dream pop, complete with melodies that border on ambience that play softly on the listener.  On his newly released single, Reigle increases his electronic use, incorporating more synth into his songs.  His spectrum of play is large, his ambitions are high, and the talents are there. It'll be exciting to see where he ends up going with his music.  If you're interested, I was lucky enough to have an interview with Cemeteries.  Have a read below:

What's the background story behind Cemeteries?  When did you decide

you wanted to pursue music?

Well I learned how to play piano and guitar at a really early age, so I guess a small part of me always enjoyed music and wanted to pursue it. It wasn't until a few years ago that I started my first band (Mutiny on the Belafonte). We actually played a few songs that are on Speaking Horrors. That was fun but due to some differences and a lack of equipment/practices we kind of fell apart. I tried playing with a few more people but that didn't work out either. Early this year I realized I'm probably better off alone, at least during the recording aspect of it all so I just kind of went for it and ended up with enough material to put something out.

Which past artists/bands inspire you most when it comes to making music?

I grew up with a wide variety of music. My mom worked a later shift when I was young so my dad, my sister and I would just lay on the floor and listen to a ton of albums until she got home. Neither of my parents are musically talented but they are definitely responsible for getting me interested in it. I think I was just inspired by music as a whole since some of the music we listened to was pretty bad. It wasn't until about five years ago that I got into independent music and my tastes and influences started to shape.

What are some of your favorite releases to come out in 2010?

My favorite was probably Teen Dream by Beach House, I just love the direction they're going with their sound. High Violet by The National, Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter and Heartland by Owen Pallett are all great. Some artists really came out of nowhere and blew me away like Avi Buffalo, Future Islands and Twin Shadow. It was a great year.

The entire production of your music releases is done by you; guitar,

percussion, vocals, mixing, etc.  Do you find it difficult producing as a

solo artist without having band mates to bounce ideas off of or record

with?

I definitely find it easier to work alone but I really want to get a band together so I can play some shows. I think it would be fine working with band mates if I found the right people, it's just pretty hard to find them.

Since you do the entire production, I suppose I should congratulate

you on the sound quality.  The production value is extremely good, where

do you do the majority of your recording?

Haha thanks, I actually did it all in my spare room. I used a Tascam DP-004 four track and Garageband to mix. Nothing special at all. I love the whole bedroom recording movement that's blown up lately, it really proves that you can create something worthwhile without spending a ton of money to do so.

On your album Speaking Horrors, I noticed you incorporated a lot of

folk influences into your tracks.  Yet on your newly released single,

which sounds great by the way, you seem to have put less emphasis on

acoustic.  Is this a new direction you're trying out?

Yes and no. I spent awhile on Speaking Horrors so I just wanted to do something fun for a change. I wrote both the songs acoustically and they kind of turned into upbeat synth songs. I'm not sure if I'll keep pursuing that direction or not, I just figured it would be a nice change of pace for the time being.

So...you go by the name of Cemeteries, you say that your album is "a

collection of ten songs about ghosts", and your newly released single is

slightly based off the 1977 Italian film Suspiria, which is widely

considered one of the scariest movies of all-time.  What is it about the

horror or supernatural theme that inspires you so much?

A lot of bands and artists are influenced by nostalgia and that's exactly what it is for me. I love film and I'm a huge fan of the horror genre. There's something about old grainy horror movies that makes me feel like a kid again and I feel my most creative when I get those feelings. Someone reviewed Speaking Horrors and complained that it wasn't scary at all but I wasn't trying to make it scary. A lot of recent albums have 80's or 50's influences and I guess hazy slasher movies are just one of my bigger influences.

Which modern music website (like Myspace or Bandcamp for example) has

helped you the most in getting your name recognized and why?

Bandcamp hands down. They just get it and their formula is perfect. Music Is Amazing is a great site that put my album up with a link to my Bandcamp page and my downloads just blew up, they helped out a lot. Tumblr is nice because I can talk about any random thing I want but Bandcamp is definitely the best.

If you could play in any city in the world, where would it be and why?

It's going to sound lame but probably Buffalo. My album is the most popular in Buffalo on Bandcamp which is amazing and I haven't even played a single show. I should probably start with with my home town haha. Besides that, probably anywhere. I rarely get out of the city let alone the state.

Lastly, what can fans expect from Cemeteries in the future?

If more people catch on to the virtual 7" I'll probably do those frequently. Right now I really want to get out there and play, that's my biggest goal. I just need to figure out if I want to get a band or go at it alone with electronics, loop pedals etc. but who knows?


Below I have posted the song "Living Alone" from his new single as well as "Fires In Your Cities" from his debut album Speaking Horrors.


 Living Alone


 Fires In Your Cities


You can download all of his stuff over at his Bandcamp, so be sure to check it out.  Enjoy!