motel void

In the recordings of salamander, the eclectic talents of Pea Jay, Leo Frampton, and drummer Ben Verde weave together to form a unique sonic and lyrical tapestry.

MOTEL VOID: You’re from Brooklyn, NY (I think?). How would you describe the current music scene there? Do you feel that you’re a part of it?

PJ: We are part of the music scene in Brooklyn mostly, but there are a lot of scenes happening simultaneously and we celebrate that. we’re known mostly in a circuit of indie rock oriented musicians but we love to play with experimental electronic musicians and performance artists. Cropsey Records is doing something really creative for the music scene. Wheavey uses social media channels like a mad scientist. It’s brilliant and fresh.

Leo: Shoutout cropsey records, the most mysterious record label ever to exist. No one I know in the music biz is doing anything as creative as them, brooklyn or anywhere else.

MOTEL VOID: You call your style “dreamgrunge”. Who are your favorite grunge and dream pop/shoegaze artists?

PJ: We made up dreamgrunge to avoid saying indie rock. it’s a label like “chillwave” (of which we are serious fans). we should really change it to something else since we only know and like Nirvana out of the grunge era. And what is shoegaze? Who knows? We could be a chillgaze band and not even know it.

Leo: I love the pixies and that one album by LSD and the Search for God. Really anything that I can close my eyes to and hear something different every time I listen. That’s what I think “dreamy” means in music, something layered and mystical.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve just released a fantastic new single ‘xylem’. I really love it! Could you tell us more about the recording and writing process of your tracks?

PJ: We often write the blueprints of a song individually and then build it together, although some songs are written in a more free form way. I do the electronic production work (samples, drum sequencing, midi synths) but Leo just got on Logic so we’ll see where that goes on salamander album number 2 (working title?).

We usually fill out the negative spaces of each other’s songs if we imagine something relevant to the composition. For example, on Xylem our first single, Leo wrote the chords on guitar and the lyrics, then I arranged the bass, electronic drum track, and lead melodies on guitar. On Wildfire, our 2nd single, I wrote the chords and lyrics and Leo wrote bass and piano parts. We usually just add harmonies when they sound good on the spot. Ben‘s sensitive understanding of percussive movement really contributes so much to developing the energy of a song- it can’t be understated. And working out drum parts between electronic and live percussion is super gratifying.

Leo: Making a salamander song is just like how my Aunt Dena makes her passover brisket: I don’t know how she makes her passover brisket. Like PJ said, many of the songs begin with one member writing something, but each track had a unique journey to reach its final form. A big part of what invigorates our band is that all of us are ready to jump on to someone else’s song or idea and give something to it. This is what we love to do, our heads are always in it.

MOTEL VOID: Your plans and goals for the rest of 2023? Any live shows ahead?

Leo: The big idea of [container] for us was to make an album without losing momentum, and I’m already really proud of how far we’ve come with that goal. We did our first tracking of the album in September about a year ago, and now in just a couple months the album will be released. There will definitely be a release show in NYC, keep your eyes glued to the salamander instagram feed (@salamanderisthebestbandever.)