Long Live The Autumns: Local favorites The Autumns have been making music for over a decade and there is no shortage of inspiration yet.

by Liz Ohanesian

photo by Joseph Llanes

"When I think back to when we were 17, making music that we wouldn't want anyone to hear now, I can remember these really romantic moments," says Matthew Kelly, singer and guitarist for The Autumns, of his early years with Frank Koroshec, guitarist and co-founder of the long-running band.

Kelly recalls one of the band's earliest rehearsals in the living room of Koroshec's teenage home in Newhall. "It was raining and Frankie's parents live in this rural area and when it is raining, it floods.  There are bridges and a church and hills and stuff.  I remember opening the door and us playing our dumb little song, whatever we were into, and that was what it was about and that is still what it is about." 

A lot has changed in the decade or so following The Autumn's birth in the suburbs of Los Angeles.   Throughout the late-1990s, they played seemingly every week, packing in more new fans with each gig and becoming perhaps the only local band of that era to play both Britpop and goth clubs with equal success.  They were discovered by and later collaborated with Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins).  They hit next-bit-thing status and then fell prey to the demise of Risk Records.  They lost old members and gained new ones.  At times, the space between live shows and album releases stretched to a point where even diehard fans might have erroneously assumed that The Autumns had split.  With the current lineup now going on five years and a new album, currently untitled, set for release in late-spring, it is clear that The Autumns have not been left hardened by the ride.

"It was a side benefit when people started getting into it," says Kelly of The Autumns' career.  "We appreciated that.  We still appreciate it, of course.  But, we're still in an aesthetic bubble.  The music is created in our own little world and we're pleased if we create things that we like."

Unaffected by outside influences, The Autumns have developed and maintained a sound as intensely personal as it is universal, rivaling bands like The Cure (circa Disintegration) and My Bloody Valentine in terms of expansive, body-shaking guitars and tear-jerking melodies.  The fragility of Kelly's vocals mixed with the density of the guitar work bears the intimacy of locked bedroom doors and red-line coasting stereo systems even in the most densely packed clubs.  There are, however, marked differences between The Autumns we knew a few years ago and the band today.  The Autumns's self-titled album, released in 2004 on Pseudopod in the US and Bella Union abroad, signified the end of an era.

"When we went into the studio, previously it had been about layers and multi-tracking and there were only two guitarists and 15 guitar tracks," Koroshec explains. "Now, there are three guitarists and three parts written."

"And in a live show, when it's just two guitars, me and Frank with Matthew not playing, we just drop one of the parts, which one isn't the essential part to play it live," adds third guitarist Ken Tighe.

"I think we're playing in a more stereo fashion than ever before, stage right/stage left and how it hits you," Koroshec continues.  "I think that creates a cool new space where Matthew can do his moves."

Perhaps the greatest change in The Autumns is evident in the live show.  Joined onstage by keyboardist Ted Scarlet (who also helped produce and engineer the new album), the five-piece increases to six and now performs in a fashion far more vigorous than what would have been imaginable at the beginning of this decade. Kelly, in particular, has grown more physical as a performer, often dropping his guitar in favor of dancing.

"For me, it made sense to start putting the guitar down," says Kelly.  "When you play guitar and sing and that's all you do for a decade, then it starts to be a shield.  It protects you.  The whole idea of dropping the guitar and doing something was really frightening, so for that reason, I thought I would give it a shot."

The energy with which the band now performs is indicative not only of its sound, but the pride instilled in the band members via these new developments.

"There were literally moments in the studio where I was giggling with glee over how amazing everything sounded," says bassist Dustin Morgan.  "To make music for art's sake, there is no consideration than for being artistic.  The whole rhythm section was given carte blanche to do whatever we wanted and I think that is reflected in the album too."

"I am purely creating drum parts based on what I like," adds drummer Steve Elkins. "It's not an uncooperative thing.  It's only meant to make the songs better.  I think that this is the most free I have ever been."

"It's been inspiring on so many levels," Koroshec concludes in reference to the band's recent work.  If recent gigs at The Echo and Violaine are any indication, these musicians have not just inspired each other, but longtime fans and newbies as well. Long live The Autumns.