Javelin is the latest in a line of energetic live acts that combines elements of electronic and improvisational music. Formed by Rhode Island-bred cousins George Langford (drums, samples) and Tom Van Buskirk (vocals, keyboards, samples), Javelin has quickly made a name for itself thanks to a series of ADD-fueled live shows that have been affectionately linked to channel surfing. Early on the duo adopted a series of colorful stage setups as well, which gave Javelin a Girl Talk-like performance art/house party allure. More recently the cousins have started to expand their live show with additional musicians who can help re-create the samples and programmed beats characteristic of the ensemble’s recordings. In the studio the band also piqued the interest of two buzz labels—Luaka Bop and Thrill Jockey, who released the full length Jamz n Jemz and the group’s most recent 12”, respectively. Below the members of Javelin discuss the project’s genesis, their connection to Addison Groove Project and why it is sometimes OK to be a jackass.
Javelin is based around two cousins. At what point did the two of you start playing together more formally?
Tom: About five years ago George said, “Let’s do this.”
When was your first official show? What was the process like of turning a “studio” band into a live group?
Tom: It was 2005. We wore identical masks that were incredibly lifelike, and in low light, totally believable. A guy at the bar recognized us by our tee shirts and informed us in thick Rhode Island-ese, “I just thought you guys were wicked intense.” We had all this extraneous equipment— glockenspiel, turntable, tape machine, a drum machine we’d use for one song. It was overkill. We just continued experimenting and letting loose, eventually we developed into what we are.
Was there a certain gig or recording that made Javelin more of a fulltime band than a hobby in your eyes?
Tom: When we signed to Windish, that was when it began to feel like a full-time job.
How did you initially get in touch with Thrill Jockey and Luaka Bop?
Tom: They got in touch with us! We had given Jamz n Jemz to friends, and had one terrific book/art/music store in Chicago (Golden Age) carrying our stuff. It made its way into the hands of these consummate organizations, and we really love working with both of them.
Growing up, did you see eye to eye on music? If so what are some of the bands you bonded over? If no, what are some of the bands you disagreed about?
Tom: Huey Lewis, Steve Winwood, the Top Gun soundtrack were early favorites. Both of our families really instilled The Beatles, Otis Redding, The Band, Dylan, Dire Straits, etc. In middle school we bonded over Nirvana, Beck, The Beastie Boys. Eventually Hip Hop and soul music became our common loves.
I never liked Soundgarden. Whereas George…
When did you start working on the songs for No Mas? Can you talk a little about each of your rolls in the song creation process?
Tom: In the early days we’d each make songs and sketches on our own, and yell to the other guy to come listen. (We were living in the same house). Essentially, we’d executive produce each other— make suggestions and adjustments during the formation of a track. Once we started living in different places, we’d email each other tracks as soon as we got excited enough to record them, sometimes just quick sketches, sometimes more finished work. But the same dynamic kept working for us. If we are working on a deadline, that’s when the full blown collaboration takes place, and we make a track almost from the ground up together. It’s much faster, and can produce unexpected results because there is more volatility in the mixture, from the beginning.
The core of No Mas stemmed from a time when we were making tracks we called “mossy,” or a sound called “moss.” We pictured it being the soundtrack for dilapidated mansions with green swimming pools, or Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Mosses From an Old Manse.” Like all of our formal releases, Jamz n Jemz found its way in there, too. But we feel overall the album creates its own unique space.
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