Michigan-based band Heaters is an awesome, up and coming surf-rock group comprised of members Andrew Tamlyn, Nolan Krebs, and Joshua Korf. At the end of April, Heaters released their 7″ “Mean Green,” and everything has been going great since. The band is currently on tour until the beginning of September, and has an album, titled Holy Water Pool, which is set to be released on September 25th. This weekend, I caught up with Heaters at 4Knots Music Festival in New York City a few hours after they took the stage on Pier 84. Our interview was very relaxed, as we sat on a couch in the press room on the VIP boat, and the three members snacked on some chips and hamburgers.
After congratulating them on their set and complimenting them on their unique style and great stage presence, I asked the group where the influence for their sound comes from. Andrew was the first to respond. “A lot of west coast music really,” he stated. Nolan continued, “Andrew and I both kind of connected over surf records at first, so that was kind of like where we started, and then from there just added different textures and weird noises.”
The members of Heaters are huge fans of vinyl and have released all of their music in this form (in addition to digitally, of course). Therefore, they had an extremely tough time deciding the one food and one record that they would bring to a deserted island, but ultimately Josh selected pizza and Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Nolan chose tabouli and Gilded Palace of Sin by the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Andrew responded with tacos and an Animal Collective record called Feels.
Heaters also had a lot to say about the creative process behind their music. Andrew explained, “It’s really spread out. I mean, we’ll usually just come to the table with like a riff. Either like Nolan or I will have a riff in mind, and then we’ll jam it out, and then we’ll just make some weird noises with our mouths over it, and then we’ll interpret those noises into words. Our lyrics come last.” From the expression in their voices as they spoke, I could immediately tell that Heaters were in love with songwriting and creating music in general. I was quite impressed by their avant-garde approach to writing music and noted this as another reason Heaters are so incredibly unique. Heaters also had a difficult time choosing a song already in existence that they wish they had written. “I hate this question, but I love it,” Andrew remarked. He eventually chose “Poem Party” by The Strange Boys, while Nolan claimed “Flash Delirium” by MGMT.
“A big goal in my mind is to try to get to Europe,” Andrew stated, with Nolan adding, “Next year, I think that’s our big ‘to-do.'” As of right now, the band is currently content with living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but ideally would love to move to New York or Los Angeles. “It’s so cheap where we’re living. It kind of has been working out because the city we live in in Michigan is not an expensive place to live if you’re on the road. But we love New York and we’re coming out to LA in August for the first time,” Andrew and Nolan explained.
My final question to the trio was, “What do you want your fans to know about you that an interviewer has never asked?” While Andrew and Nolan struggled at first to generate an answer, Josh immediately chimed in with “We’re having a lot of fun. Being in places like this and playing shows like this are something that’s really amazing to us, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Through my interview with Heaters, I discovered that they are true lovers of creation and have a deep passion for everything about music. I had a great experience talking with Andrew, Nolan, and Josh, and I hope to see them perform live again soon. Be sure to see Heaters perform live on their national concert tour this summer in a city near you.