To put it quite simply, indie label Mylene Sheath has been on top of its game in 2009. Dogs, by Beware Of Safety, is a huge guitar-rock record released to widespread critical acclaim. Gifts From Enola is possibly one of the biggest post-rock bands on the planet not named Explosions In The Sky. Not to be outdone, Missouri three-piece Actors & Actresses released Arrows a couple of months ago and as expected, it’s virtually dripping with talent. Drummer Dave Sumner and guitarist Andrew Schiller took the time to answer Sun On The Sand’s questions about the recent album, their label’s intuitive business model, the recent vinyl resurgence, and more. Special thanks to the band (which also includes the talented Scott Bennett, who sings, plays bass, and designs the band’s artwork) as well as Joel and Lindsay at Mylene Sheath. Oh, and for God’s sake…somebody fly these guys to Europe.

First of all, thank you both very much for doing this interview. Could you all state your names and position in the band?

DS: Dave Sumner; drums, auxiliary sounds, videodromes.

AS: Andrew Schiller; guitar, disappointment generator, truck.

You share a label, Mylene Sheath, with heavyweights like Caspian, Gifts From Enola, and If These Trees Could Talk. Do you ever feel overshadowed by these very popular acts?

AS: Even though we enjoy the music from the other acts on the label, I can’t say that we feel “overshadowed” by them. I think Mylene Sheath has worked very hard to compile a band roster that has a certain direction based on their personal tastes, but that all fit within a certain role to play. Caspian, from the very start, were huge advocates of making us known, and were ultimately the conduit to getting us familiar to all the other acts that they were friends with. This included greasing the gears to getting us into the Mylene family. Everyone on the label so far has been very supportive about our sound, even though we sound different from most of them. Mylene Sheath found ways to make our presence known and work our sound into the roster in a positive way. But we owe Caspian a huge debt.

A press release that I read said that as a band, Actors & Actresses were “dedicated to the idea that music can be heavy without being angry, and lush without being boring and aimless.” Do you feel that you successfully realized your vision when creating Arrows?

AS: I think the vision of our sound had already been established before the recording began. As players, we all have our specific tastes, but also common ideals that work well. We made a conscious choice to format our musical tendencies long ago, even before we released our EP We Love Our Enemy, into something more digestible and accessible so we just didn’t fade into this gallery of long-form, grandiose post-rock. I think Arrows is successful in that it shows cohesion and control, when it’s easy to just let it go into this anthemic opus of endless variation. We like to keep things moving along.

How did you go about trying to create that vibe, both in the writing and production stages? What were some challenges that you faced in the process?

DS: We spent a huge amount of time and effort getting the arrangements and dynamics just right and striving for variety. A song has to have a good reason to exist for us to go through with it. This was also the first time that we constructed certain things in the studio instead of beforehand, which was daunting at times. Arrows was sort of “glued together” during the production and post-production phases.

Your label, Mylene Sheath, has partnered with Gimme Sound to give away its releases for free with the promise that the bands would receive half of the ad revenue. What are your thoughts on this partnership and Gimme Sound itself?

AS: The idea behind Gimme Sound is pretty progressive. It addresses a common problem in the digital age with a fair solution – music that many times would just be taken for free, but with a karmic angle that’s almost irresistible: help people who are disenfranchised in exchange for an easy click and save. Speaking for myself, I had seen the business model before, for worthy causes such as world hunger or breast cancer – “just click here and help”. Gimme Sound works by offering something you already want with convenient method that causes real effects. I hate the term “slacktivism,” because it has roots in what’s been referred to as a culture of false honesty, but I think a system like this short-circuits any negative effect. Gimme Sound allows you to choose how you help, based on what you want. Will it last? That’s to be seen. I’m not in a position to say whether the financial effects enact real change, but I like the idea. Ultimately, it’s up to the listener, whether they get the music through Gimme Sound or not.

Are you afraid that this business model will lead to a decrease in your album sales?

AS: If Gimme Sound is honest about their download numbers, then no, because every download means a percentage that comes to us. We’re a part of this based on mutual trust and interest.

DS: My first instinct was yes, but then I understood that the reality of the situation is sort of counter-intuitive. The people who are still inclined to own a physical object (like me) will still probably buy a physical copy.

In a recent article in Ink Magazine, guitarist Andrew Schiller noted that the band changed some of the arrangements on Arrows so that the songs would fit on an LP. Did you have any reservations about doing this?

AS: No. I think ultimately that the album played out stronger because of some perceived physical limitations we put on ourselves. We found ourselves asking, “Do we really need this next set of chords? Is this song stronger because we do this?” We had some wiggle room, but I think we came out of it with more interesting material.

DS: It actually helped with sequencing the overall flow of the album.

Dave, is Andrew the only vinyl aficionado in the band or are you a collector as well?

DS: I have a small collection at this point but within a year, I’ll probably start buying the albums I really care about on vinyl, rather than on CD.

What are your thoughts on the so-called “vinyl resurgence” of late? What do you think is behind it?

AS: I think the reality on the ground is that labels release vinyl to make more of a personal connection to passionate listeners. Mylene Sheath is one of those special groups that understand and cater to this idea. A friend recently described vinyl collecting as a “tactile passion”. The digital age is a bit unbalanced in this way; instant acquisition leaves something out of the equation of enjoyment. You can have the standard listening experience at any point, but where is the sense of connection? Some people can feel it, others can’t. Mylene Sheath caters to the people who are looking for something more. It’s personal taste, it’s not objective reality.

Listening to Arrows, it seems like your sound ranges anywhere from Low to The Appleseed Cast to Jesu. What influenced you during the writing and recording of Arrows specifically?

AS: I think we all have musical tastes that overlap, but we each have our own special set of influences. If we all listened to the same bands, I would think it would get pretty boring. We’re all different in how we perceive things visually, musically, and even politically. Sometimes, it makes things pretty heated, sometimes it blows open doors that remain closed for bands that have homogeneous tastes. We’re patient.

DS: I consider myself a music fan first, and a music maker second. I listen to so many different things, it’s very difficult for me to narrow down the things that specifically influence what we do.

David Gaume was the engineer for Arrows. What role did he have in the creative process for that album?

AS: Gaume promoted us and saw something in us from the very beginning. Our first show was a loft party that he gave, and he put us in front of a hundred people that had no idea who we were. The response was amazing and positive. From there, he did live sound for shows we had, kept up with us, and so on. He was a natural choice for doing our full-length. He’s someone who is technically fluid, honest, and understands his role in a studio setting. He can make us feel at home, but he can also drop the hammer and tell us when we’re not performing, because he knows the difference. He is a rarity on the technical side of music performance. He knows the score from both sides of the board.

If you had to pigeonhole your sound, what would you call yourselves?

AS: It’s hard to say, since our tastes in music change from year to year, our production methods vary, our personal relationships modulate. Overall, our sound is a lush, hard-edge rock structure that gets where it’s going in only a few minutes. It’s textural. It’s a balance between comfortable and strange.

If you could reunite one band, either broken up or on hiatus, who would it be and why?

AS: Every band should break up.

What new music has impressed you lately, if any? What old records have you found yourself spinning?

AS: Bands that blow my mind currently are Autolux, Deerhoof, Jesu, Mogwai, Portishead, and Boards Of Canada.

DS: New? Neko Case, Future Of The Left, and Dalek. Old? Muslimgauze and Kraftwerk.

Well, that’s about it for the interview. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?

AS: Who’s ready to fly us to Europe?

Interview conducted by John Spencer