Recording a single? There’s an app for that.

August 27, 2009 by Jordan Healy 

An obsession with numbers isn’t the only thing driving Los Angeles-based band The 88. In fact, they may owe some gratitude to Steve Jobs.

The quartet was formed in 2002 and since then they’ve been revolutionizing the way indie music is recorded and distributed.

The 88 will be at Las Vegas’ House of Blues on Sept. 19, but in the meantime, keyboardist Adam Merrin took time out to update us on the band and tour.

The Rebel Yell: How long ago did you guys come together as a band?

Adam Merrin: Keith and I have been playing together for about 18 years, but The 88 formed in 2002. We put our first record out, called “Kind Of Light,” that following year in 2003 and we’ve been going strong since.

RY: What is the significance behind the name of the band?

AM: Originally, it came from the title of a song by a band called The French Kicks, who are from New York. We were coming up with a huge list of names and that was one of them. We were all kind of able to get behind it just because it seemed kind of fitting for the name of our band and the music we play. Eighty-eight is the number of keys on a piano and I play piano in the band. It has a perfect sound for the music we make. The name also comes from a song that’s kind of considered one of the first rock ‘n’ roll songs by Ike Turner. It’s called “Rocket 88.” Then there were all these other things that came up later that we found out, like 88 mph in “Back To The Future.” All sorts of stuff like that.

RY: Your newest single, “Love Is The Thing,” has been recorded with an iPhone app called FourTrack…

AM: We found out that FourTrack lets you do multi-tracking on it. I thought it would just be a fun experiment to see how it would sound recording the entire band. It took a day. We set aside a couple hours and we used toy instruments. The drummer played on a very miniature children’s drumset and the bass player ran his bass through a tiny practice guitar amp. I played a little, cheap $150 Yahama keyboard and we just recorded everything on the phone. I ended up fixing it on the computer and then put it up on iTunes and ended up getting a bunch of press around it, which was pretty unexpected.

RY: Do you feel that the accessibility of such recording technology in the present day has made the process of recording music too easy as opposed to the old method of first gaining a recording contract and then having to fork over money for expensive studio time?

AM: I think it’s great for musicians since they’re able to record anytime they want for a small amount of money. Yeah, you needed to depend on record companies in the old days because that was the only way to record your music: spend a lot of money and get into those recording studios. Nowadays, you can do it on your phone or on a computer with recording software. I think it’s great that anyone is able to do it now. The good stuff is going to get attention and get out there. The fact that anyone can do it is pretty cool.

RY: Do you feel the press you’re receiving for “Love Is The Thing” will take you to the next level? You are an indie band, correct?

AM: Yeah. We definitely plan to stay that way just because these days you really don’t need a big label. In fact, it could be harmful in more ways than one. We kind of tried that whole thing out and it wasn’t right for us. It seems like a lot of bands are going that direction. They’re going the independent route and it’s working well. There’s just so many different ways that you can get your music out there these days. It’s just so interesting to me that record companies haven’t been able to figure out new ways to promote their bands by coming up with new alternatives. It seems like that whole industry has just kind of gone downhill. It’s amazing to me. Technology is advancing so quickly. New, great computer products are coming out. It seems like the people running the music business need to catch up and figure out something new. Whatever they’re doing, the old ways just don’t seem to be working.
RY: You mentioned trying to go the major label route. What drove you to make the decision to remain an indie rock band?

AM: At the time that we had the offer to make a record with a big company it just seemed like something we had all wanted to do and we all thought we had hit a ceiling ourselves with taking our band to the next level. We felt like they would have been able to help us in different areas we were having trouble doing ourselves. Then we realized during the time that we were with them that everything actually slowed down. Before we were signed, we had so much more going on. Even with touring and getting radio play, record sales, getting our songs on TV shows, everything had completely slowed down. It was a mutual decision between us and them to go our separate ways. It’s even gotten better since we left. It’s been pretty amazing.

RY: You’re coming to Vegas on Sept. 19 with the B-52’s. How did you end up on their tour?
AM: We used to have the same manager a while back, so they were able to get us on some shows. We did a bunch of touring with them this spring and summer. It really was a blast. Their audience just seemed to like the type of music we do. It’s just a really good fit for us. I’m really excited to be coming to Vegas again. I think the last time we were there we did a show at the Hard Rock in Wasted Space. I’m really excited to play the House of Blues.

RY: What does the future hold for The 88?

AM: Definitely not putting out an album every two years, but music whenever we record it. We’re coming up with new ways of reaching out to people by making movies or videos and posting them on our YouTube page. What’s cool is that there are so many different ways to stay connected – things like Facebook and Twitter. In between all the recording and the touring, you’re able to stay in touch with all of these people and let everyone know what’s going on. It’s a good way to keep things going without long breaks in between albums. So we’re going to try to keep up with everything and record a bunch of new music.