Oxford Collapse is a killer band from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2002, the band has since welcomed the world with not only 4 full length records but a handful of EPs and 7 inches. Their latest record BITS just hit shelves earlier this month. Vocalist and guitarist, Michael Pace, was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for A Week at the Most.

Many mention the 80's college rock scene as an inspiration for Oxford Collapse, however, as your record count continues to grow the 90's indie rock sound springs to mind. Is it a fair assumption to say that the likes of Pavement and Superchunk have had an influence on the band over the years?

Well, we came of age in the early to mid 90s, and both of those bands were definitely on our radar. For me personally, Superchunk was tops since they were more immediately catchy and relatable. When I first heard about Pavement in middle school there was something that wasn't as inviting, but then again I was a 13 year old idiot.

While listening to the new record BITS, I can feel a much tighter sound than previous records. Since signing to Sub Pop has the recording process changed in anyway?

Signing with Sub Pop wasn't necessarily as much of a factor as the fact that we've put out three full-lengths prior to this one, and we wanted to try something different in the studio. Rather than coming in with everything prepared and hammering it out in 10 days, we wanted to take our time, work with friends, bounce ideas off other people. While the record might sound tighter, in reality, a much looser approach to recording was taken.


You recorded close to 30 tracks for BITS and originally planned on a double album. What happened? I know some of the tracks made it on the Hann-Byrd EP and the Flameshovel Records 7 inch. Will the remaining 10+ tracks ever find a home?

We came up with the idea for a double album as a way to challenge ourselves creatively. After coming up with around 30 songs, we came to our senses and realized that the world may not be ready for an Oxford Collapse 2xLP just yet. Instead, we came up with the idea of flooding the marketplace with a few special releases, leading up to BITS. Collect 'em all and solve the puzzle!

You have toured with such bands as Chin Up, Chin Up, Thunderbirds are Now, and most recently We Are Scientists. You are about to embark on a month long tour with Love as Laughter, is there an artist/artists that you are just dying to tour with in the future?

REM in '85, Bob Dylan in '76, or the Minutement/Black Flag/Meat Puppets tours of the early 80s. That's only if we could go back in time though....wait a second, what am I talking about, I've got a time machine!

Another recent tourmate of yours was the Scottish band Frightened Rabbit. Do you have any desire to play their stomping ground of Scotland or any other overseas dates at some point?

We most definitely want to return to the land of haggis and kilts and play for our lovely Scottish friends. In fact, we are currently in the planning stages of a European tour set for the beginning of '09 that will bring us back to Scotland, among other countries.

Brooklyn has been the home of some great indie bands in the last decade or so. Do you think the New York music scene has changed since your formation in 2002?

It's become even more of a destination for the haves, have-nots, princes and poseurs, vagabonds and virgins. No one is actually from New York anymore. A monkey can't fling his feces 5 feet without hitting some dipshit who's "in a band." Give me back the good ol' days of '02, when the subway cost 2 bucks and East New York was still dangerous.

Has music always been an aspiration for you guys or has playing music been more of an accidental occurrence like some bands claim?

I don't think any of us are delusional enough to think that we can do this for a living, but we're having a lot of fun right now, and we owe it to BITS to give the big time a shot. What was the question again?

Your distinct sound, which was considered noise rock in the early 90s, seems to have gone into hiding in the last decade or so. In its place are the unoriginal sounds of familiarity. What is your opinion of the state of the current independent music scene and how do you feel it has changed over the years?

Well, first off, I don't necessarily think that familiarity is a bad thing. We can't all be re-inventing the wheel. I think what I mentioned earlier about everyone being in a band rings true today in general. It's that much easier to put out music, tour the country, and make a name for yourself than it was 10 years ago, for better or worse. It's great that any kid can record his magnum opus and put it online for the world to hear, but it also sucks for exactly the same reason. There's no filter.

Do you believe there is still hope for well-established indie labels like Sub Pop and Matador Records to stay afloat in a world currently overrun by major label domination? More and more "Mom and Pop" record stores seemed to be taken over by corporations with most independent music listeners forced to buy the latest and greatest records online. Do you feel the online market is enough?

The music industry is definitely changing, that's for sure. While technically anyone can "release" a record online, it takes people with certain talents to get that record into the right outlets. That's what a label like Sub Pop excels at. It's much less likely that your album will fall into a black void if you have people behind you working to promote it.

Nowadays some bands reach as many as 6 band members or even higher? Do believe having a band of three is more of a handicap at times or actually a blessing in disguise?

A blessing, most definitely. Can the Arcade Fire tour in a minivan? I don't think so. We jam econo!

So the hip thing with kids today seems to be creating a side project while still maintaining your day job band. Have any of you guys ventured out to any other musical experiments since getting together 6 years ago or is one band enough for you?

Adam our bass player has a fake side project called the Wealthy Catholics that have yet to write any actual songs, and Dan our drummer and I have an imaginary band called Hot Heroes that sounds like a cross between the Tall Dwarfs and the Mice.

What can we expect in the future from Oxford Collapse?

Tour the hell out of BITS and then ceremoniously break up onstage at the Vatican in 2010.

Thanks for doing this and I hope to see you in 2010 at The Vatican.

Please give yourself a pat on the back for reading this article and now form a single file line over to Sub Pop Records for such things as tour dates, videos, and all that good stuff.

Don't forget to listen to their track The Birthday Wars now.

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