LMC | Are there any other bands you listen to who also play the Autoharp? What inspired you to pick that instrument up?

Marcos: I first heard Echo and the Bunnymen use the Autoharp, and then other bands that I was into like The Telescopes, Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized. They would use it one strum at time to accent a change in the song. That made me want to get one to emulate that, but instead I ended up using it like a rhythm guitar and writing songs with it.

LMC | What can fans expect from your upcoming fall record release?

Marcos | We recorded our first album last summer with Rob Campanella (of The Brian Jonestown Massacre) in his studio and officially self-released it in January of this year. Most of the songs on that album however had been stuff we had written almost 3 years ago that we basically wanted to finally record and place on a proper album. The new stuff is a little harder, more raw, open-ended. The song arrangements are a lot less poppy and the lyrics are a little less personal. We had such a great time recording with Rob and mixing with Rick Parker (of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) that we are hoping to do the same combo after this summer, and plan on playing four of the new songs at our upcoming shows in Austin.

LMC | Where are you guys based out of?

Marcos | I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and moved here over 10 years ago. Our drummer Stephen is from San Diego, Tommy is from D.C. and Christina is actually from Los Angeles. We all currently live in Silverlake.

LMC | I understand you guys have a connection to Spindrift.

Marcos | I’ve been playing the Autoharp, harmonium, melodica, lap-steel, castanets, tambourine, you name it in Spindrift for over two years. I’m basically the miscellaneous guy in the band and try to play as many shows with them as I can. Christina, our bass player, has been really good friends with Plucky, Dave and KP in Spindrift for over 5 years. I think most importantly we’re all very good friends and hang out regularly.

LMC | Are you planning on touring to promote this new album in Europe?

Marcos | Well, if the Black Angels still want to take us with them the next time they go, we would be delighted!

LMC | If you had a million dollars put in your bank account tomorrow, how would that affect your band’s future plans?

Marcos | I think all of us would quit our jobs and use those funds to tour and basically have the best life for the next ten years or however long a million dollars last these days.

LMC | What bands are you excited to see during Psych-Fest 2?

Marcos | We’re excited to see a lot of our friends’ bands like The Black Angels and Dead Meadow, and other bands that we have been hearing a lot about like The Golden Animals, The Wooden Shjips, and The Strange Boys. And of course Sky Saxon.

LMC | Are you guys currently on a label?

Marcos | We’re currently on Do It Yourself Records. Our main priority is to keep writing, playing and hopefully touring. We’re open to labels if it’s the right one.

LMC | What was the process you guys used to write a song like “Knife”?

Marcos | What I usually do is play the Autoharp and write the chord progressions that make the different parts of a song, then I use the computer to layer in bass lines and drum beats to make a rough demo. We listen to the demos as a band and use it as a backbone to learn off of, and we attempt to learn the structure while also adding in new elements and making the song better as a band.

LMC | What is the significance of the title track on your album Ashes?

Marcos | The lyrics and the song title from Ashes were influenced by Cormac McCarthy’s book The Road. We had these cool pictures taken in the snow that we wanted to use as our album artwork and thought that the imagery in those photos matched the bleak feeling from the book which described a world and atmosphere filled with ashes.

Catch Lower Heaven at Psych Fest 2 on Friday March 13th! Their debut release Ashes is available on Itunes and LowerHeaven.com

Livemusiccapitol.com

The Black Angels | 11:45pm
 Austin’s psychedelic torch bearers and Psych Fest 2 curators The Black Angels headline Friday, closing out the night with their their drone n’ roll. There are rumors of a special guest… more info as it comes.
Check out our interview with Christian and Alex and some live footage of Black Grease.
theblackangels.com | myspace.com/theblackangels

The Golden Dawn | 11pm
 George Kinney and crew take the Fest full-circle back to 1968, performing their cult status Psych masterpiece Power Plant from start to finish. Pay homage to these Texas legends as they bring history to life.
georgekinney.com | myspace.com/originalgoldendawn

Lower Heaven | 10pm
 This four piece from Silverlake, California creates lush shoegaze with a variety of vintage instruments, including an auto harp. These veteran musicians pay homage to thier influences (The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Velvet Underground, Ech and The Bunnymen), and at the same time cut new paths and pave new roads to a place all their own.
lowerheaven.com | myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomlowerheaven

Woven Bones | 9:15pm
 The trio bring gritty reverb-drenched garage and shoegaze to the stage to kick things off. The buzz behind the few recordings they’ve released and acclaim for their live shows has us betting they’ll be hitting the road soon, spreading their dirty lo-fi grooves nationwide.
wovenbones.com | myspace.com/wovenbones

We got a handfull of great reviews online, thank you!

http://elbo.ws/artist/lower-heaven/

http://www.filter-mag.com/index.php?c=11&id=16889

http://www.prefixmag.com/photos/black-angels-darker-my-love-lower-heaven-troubadou/

http://nuravebrainwave.blogspot.com/2008/06/black-angelsdarker-my-lovelower-heaven.html

http://thescenestar.typepad.com/ss/2008/04/live-brmc-the-w.html

http://yourhere.mtv.com/clip.aspx?key=3EC7393295C2E9B1&ctx=feat

http://www.flickr.com/photos/porcupiny/sets/72157604325364688/