Fences frontman and guitarist, Christopher Mansfield spoke to us right before the holidays about the indie band’s latest single, “Arrows” which they collaborated with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. In this interview, Christopher delves deeper into his music style, talks about making the music video and his New Year’s resolutions.
Why did it take so long to put together your second album Lesser Oceans?
We needed to get a label and getting signed to a major label is very hard. I think the signing process alone took a year. Writing the records didn’t take that long. I had the demo of the album written and finished in two weeks. So it was all the stuff behind the scenes, work and things like that is what took so long because you’re on someone else’s schedule. I can’t put out an album when I say I think it’s time. It’s like you have a staff of 50 people and someone else’s money and they’re the ones making decisions for you. Like they say, ‘This record should come out in the spring.’ and then they say ‘Wait. Wait. You have touring; you should do it in the fall. Let’s put it right out at the beginning of next year because we know you have to do this video’. It’s this kind of things that don’t really have much to do with any sort of headline or anything.
How has the long stretch in between albums changed you as an artist? And how has it affected your view on life as well?
It really hasn’t. The family that I am living with now. I didn’t really have a state of enlightenment. None whatsoever.
So what are some stories behind the songs on your upcoming album? Do you have any particular favorites?
I like “The Lake” a lot. That song to me, I was looking at a photo of my guitar player and his father on a lake house up in New Hampshire. He took the photo by a frozen lake and everything felt really still and it was like this kind of on hiatus or something and I thought it was really beautiful. I thought about that so it’s like a maybe a relationship or something and so he said ‘I’ll call you up when lake is revived.’ I write a good amount of songs through a photo honestly so I kind of tell stories. You can see pictures with a kind of still life and you can create whatever stories you want and there’s a lot of freedom doing that. A lot of things from books or movies could get you aspired from just one line or one character or something like that. There’re tons of ways to write songs than one way for me.
The “Arrows” video has a very Wes Anderson feel to it but was also directed by Jason Koenig and John Keatley. Why did you choose to work with them and how much say did you have in the making of the film?
I chose to work with them because they have kind of been long time contributors and friends of me and Macklemore as well. Especially Macklemore, he likes to work with people he trusts and people who are his friends. It just kind of makes things easier. A lot of times you can acquire a director where they don’t really know you and don’t really know them and it can be kind of difficult sometimes. So I think we’re aware that the production is so big that it’s going to take so long. Let’s just use people that we’re all very comfortable with so that a lot of challenges on a personal level could express your vision. So that was a strong thing for that situation and despite the faith of the video, I had a quite lot of say in it like the kind of colors and set design and also the story and some of the casting. So I worked really closely with a lot of these things. It’s a very stressful video for me. It’s got a lot of friends and family in it and it’s a very personal video.
How would you personally describe your brand of music?
It’s hard to say, I mean I think it’s just me describing the family I described. The way that I dress, I wouldn’t want to put it in a category. This album is not an album that I think is sort of like 80’s popular music but there’s also something’s that I think we’re really missing like classic country Johnny Cash Sun Records stuff and even think that some post punk kind of songs, songs about angels. To me, I think especially in this era of art, art is sort of a collage. There is no music of now. When people look back at this time, they’re not going to say music sounded like this because there isn’t anything. I think all people are really doing is pulling lots of things from different time periods and that’s what I’m doing as well.
You’re a former jazz student playing the upright bass at Berklee College of Music. What got you into jazz and what got you out of it?
I think I found that jazz has efficiency and chaos to it. I felt like The Boinkers because they used to punk rock. I always felt that with jazz. I mean the core changes so fast and the melodies are so frantic. I felt like that sounded more like youth to me, it really spoke to me and the smart thing is that I never really got out of it personally. I still listen to it and I still respect it just as much. I just sort of realized that was not my delivery system if you get what I mean. That’s not me. That’s how I wanted to choose to represent myself as an artist but I don’t regret it and I still listen and respect jazz.
Who are some other music artistes who have inspired you so far?
I’d say Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is really great and also not a musician but the director Harmony Korine who can be very inspiring. Both of these people I seem to fall back on quite a bit.
What is your artistic purpose?
I want to participate in culture. I don’t just want to live and take. I want to Give something and leave something behind. Not in a sense that I want to get into some sort of immortal legacy in my work. I would to just like leave something saying I was alive on this planet. I want to create something and when I’m gone it will remain.
If you could pick a song that best describes your state of mind right now what would it be?
Oh yes. A song called “Baby Arms” by Kurt Vile.
Well, what do you want for Christmas?
I’m not sure I’m going to do Christmas this year.
Why is that?
My girlfriend thinks that Christmas is a corporate scam.
So do you have any plans to tour Malaysia?
Hopefully, yes. If someone will help me out, I’d love to come.
Any New Year resolutions for the year 2015?
Yeah. I would like to become a better jump rope. I like rope jumping a lot and I think I’d like to be little more open minded and fearless. Held down by the world and concerned about so many things. I just want to live more in the moment and be more positive and rather than focus on a lot of negative things in the world which is great for music but on a personal level it can get rather tiring so I’d like to just get a little more light-hearted.
*Fences’ second album Lesser Oceans will be released on 13th January 2015
