The Courettes Interview

18 Septembre 2021

After seeing the Courettes at the Montesquiou on the rocks festival in August and their amazing concert full of energy, fuzz, and melodies, i felt the urge to ask the band a few questions. Thanks again Flavia and Martin for taking the time to answer them

Order The Courettes records here

Interview The Courettes for the Bosshoss webzine

Hi Flavia and Martin, I really enjoyed your show at “Montesquiou on the rocks” . How are you and how did you enjoy playing there ?

Salut! We´re doing great, thanks, insanely busy with a crazy schedule - missing some sleep! Montesquiou on The Rocks was absolutely fabulous. It was the first festival with no restrictions that we played since October. And the village is so beautiful. The audience was wild and fantastic, guess we were all missing the thrill and the sense of community that only a rock concert can provide. We had a blast!!!

For the people who don't know who you are, what would be your best description of the band ?

We like to say we make music as if “The Ronettes and The Ramones met at a wild party at Gold Star Studios´ echo chamber”!

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your influences and how you came to write songs and play music?

F: My name is Flavia, I come from Brazil and I love rock n´roll. I started playing bass at eleven and guitar right after. It all started with a big passion for The Beatles, which lead to the discovery of other 60s iconic bands like The Kinks, Stones, The Beach Boys, Elvis, The Velvet Underground and The Sonics, and to more obscure garage bands, old and wild soul music, girl groups, Motown and punk rock. I had many bands in my teenage and young years but I feel that it is with The Courettes that I managed to write and play the music I´ve always wanted to make.

What bands did you play with before “The Couretttes” and how did you two meet ?

We met in 2013 in a tour van heading to a two weeks tour in Brazil where Martin´s former band Columbian Neckties were supporting my former band Autoramas. We got together on the last day of the tour, started a two-year long distance relationship, I moved to Denmark, we made The Courettes, had a son, released two albums and many singles and have toured in 17 countries so far.

Autoramas

https://youtu.be/ZyEykORyZ28

Flavia, I was really impressed by your guitar sound. Could you tell us what guitar effects you are using and why ?

Glad to know you dig it. I use basically the cracked up sound of a vintage tube amp and a fuzz box. I also use a tremolo pedal and a boost gain pedal for the solos. Why? Because it sounds great!

What is your favourite guitar amp ?

My amp, Selmer Zodiac from 63.

Martin, who are the drummers who influenced you the most and do you play other instruments ?

M: Hal Blaine, Ringo Starr and Bob Bennett. Yes, I play trashy jingle bells and castanets too!

Could you tell us more about the way you record and the producers/studios you’ve been working with?

Our first album “Here Are The Courettes” (2015) was produced by Kim Kix of the great Danish band Powersolo. It was recorded live at the studio in two days, very raw and with minimal overdubs. We have also had the experience of recording at Toe Rag Studios and working with Liam Watson on our single “Boom! Dynamite” / “T-C-H-AU” in 2015.

BOOM DYNAMITE VIDEO https://youtu.be/Xx_KLyNa3V0

On the second album, “We Are The Courettes” (2018), also produced by Kim Kix, we allowed ourselves to do more overdubs, I played piano, organ and did lots of vocal harmonies. It was like a natural evolution of the first album and a bridge to the new album´s concept.

Our third album “Back in Mono” will be released October 15th 2021 on legendary British label Damaged Goods Records. It´s a big step forward in terms of songwriting and production, as it is a deep dive in the 60s Girl Groups universe and in Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. You can expect lots of overdubs, trashy pianos, philicorda organ, mellotron, castanets and jingle bells. It was produced by Søren Christensen of the Danish band The Blue Van, and he also co-wrote most of the songs. We recorded the new album and all our latest singles in our own StarrSound Studios in Denmark, full of vintage analog gear and a real echo chamber. Mixing was done by Wall of Sound aficionado Seiki Sato from Japan. We are really proud and we´re sure this is our better album so far, and we can´t wait to put it out to the world.

https://youtu.be/-vJ597Iewsw

What are your plans for touring this year and are you coming back to France ?

We have a huge tour in Europe in the Fall to promote the release of our third album “Back in Mono”. We´ll be touring in Denmark, Germany, UK, Holland, Sweden and France in 2021 and in Spain, Norway and Italy in the Spring 2022. Here are the dates in France, hope to see you French rock n´rollers in November:

10.11 Brin de Zinc - Barberaz, France

11.11 Molotov - Marseille, France

12.11 Secret Place - Montpellier, France

13.11 Le Pingouin Alternatif - Pau, France

14.11 AK Shelter - Nantes, France

15.11 L´Imposture - Lille, France

What are your favourite French bands ?

We love the 60s French beat, Sylvie Vartan, France Gall, Francoise Hardy and Serge Gainsbourg. Les Rita Mitsouko and Les Wampas are great, and of the contemporary we like Lord Diabolic

and Lipstick Vibrators.

What are your top 5 favourite records of all time and which ones would you take on a remote island ?

F: The Beatles´ “Revolver”, The Stones´ “Between the Buttons”, The Kinks´ “Something Else by The Kinks”, Os Mutantes´ first album (“Os Mutantes”) and The Velvet Underground & Nico album.

M: The Sonics´ “Here Are The Sonics”, Phil Spector´s “A Christmas Gift for you from Phil Spector”, The Delmonas´ “Do The Uncle Willy”, The Beach Boys´ “Wild Honey” and The Crystals´ “He´s a Rebel”.

What are you currently listening to?

We´ve been listening a lot to Lez Boomerang from Denmark, Link Wray, girl groups like The Ronettes and The Crystals, The Delmonas, Motown and Bert Berns´songs.

Lez Boomerang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV3kCnle6YU

What does the future hold for The Courettes ?

Hopefully more inspired tunes, great new albums, lots of tours and more and more people digging our music. More radio plays and a bigger bank account would be awesome too.

Thanks a lot for answering my questions and wishing you all the best with your various projects . Thank YOU!!!

Merci a toi!