Birds & Batteries

By Andres Jauregui
Photo by Brian Stevens

From remixes to mash-ups to sample-based and sample-augmented tunes, we live in a tech-savvy musical era whose zeitgeist is the laptop-assisted bedroom project. Where artists once struggled to find a voice among piano keys or along the weathered fret board of an acoustic guitar, today’s musicians can add to those traditional means a bramble of cables, shareware, MIDI brains and other electronic paraphernalia that offer not only the promise of greater expression, but the latent challenges of learning curves and the allure of limitless complexity.

While Birds & Batteries might have started as a bedroom project back in guitarist/songwriter Michael Sempert’s native Boston, the San Francisco incarnation of the band has leapt to the stage gracefully. As their name suggests, Birds & Batteries blend organic and synthetic textures into seamless compositions of varied style and influence that subtly balance twang and tech. But according to Sempert, the band owes more to the sum of its parts than to the contributions of any one man — or machine. “A lot of people react to our music like it’s a juxtaposition of disparate elements, almost as if it’s a concept for the band. But I like drum machines; I like pedal steels; I don’t see why they shouldn’t go together,” Sempert says. “I like having an element of the machine in there, but we’re interested in expanding our membership and having more music made by humans and less by machines. We’re playing [The Bay Area Takeover at] SXSW, and we’re looking to get as many horns and strings down there as possible.”

In addition to the core members, Birds & Batteries often enhance their albums and live shows with a rotating cast of local musicians — many of whom play in bands associated with Bay Area music collective Thread Productions — on everything from trombones to cellos.

“It’s tough out there trying to find musicians that share a certain vision, so we feel very lucky in that sense,” Sempert says. “Thread has done some great things for the S.F. scene, including some amazing showcases and a couple of great compilations. We’re strengthening the bonds within a community of bands, sharing resources and supporting each other.”

Shortly after relocating from the East Coast, Sempert found work as a soundman at the Hotel Utah Saloon. There he met drummer Brian Michelson and, together with help from collaborators such as Neil Thompson of Low Red Land on pedal steel, they remixed and remastered Sempert’s demo, self-releasing selections from... Nature vs. Nature in 2005. Winning critical acclaim from the blogosphere and the independent press, the album charted for three consecutive weeks on the CMJ top 200, peaking at #135.

After touring with Low Red Land in Winter 2006, Birds & Batteries solidified their lineup by adding keyboardist/vocalist Julie Ann Thomasson (of Or, The Whale) and bassist Jill Heinke. The band recorded its sophomore album I’ll Never Sleep Again at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone studio with Ian and Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof, Erase Errata). Part allegory, part soliloquy, I’ll Never Sleep Again is an eclectic collection of resplendent pop and sweeping balladry that leads off with a lush, electronic cover of Neil Young’s 1972 classic, “Heart of Gold.”

“I think that when indie rock artists cover songs, they generally try to cover obscure songs, and they generally hide them in their album somewhere. I thought, ‘Well, why hide it?’ There’s no pretense about it. That song is very close to me and I feel like it sets up the narrative for the record perfectly,” Sempert says.

I’ll Never Sleep Again garnered positive attention from various media outlets including National Public Radio and the East Bay Express, which named the album among its top 10 of 2007. Birds & Batteries played over 60 dates (all booked by Sempert on his laptop) over two national tours in support of the album last year, a fact that Sempert is proud of but also wants to improve upon.

“I feel that for bands to think they’ll blow up online and then everything will be hunky dory — I mean, the most successful bands tour constantly — so I just don’t see that equation panning out for somebody. I think that if you want to make music your livelihood, you have to want to go on tour,” Sempert says. “I’m hoping to play at least a hundred shows this year.”

www.birdsandbatteries.com