When literature and music collide

Literary nerds will spot the beatnik shout-out pretty quickly when they here the name The Subterranean Howl. The band’s core songwriter Simon Milliman is an avid reader and designed the name that way. Listeners can hear a host of other references as they take in the diverse sounds of the Portland-based band.

Milliman is joined by Clinton Christenson, Lauren Smith, Phil France, Anthony Frey and Bryan Daste to round out the band’s lineup. Together, they have been throwing together an array of styles to create something that could be referred to as unique in a somewhat homogeneous indie realm.

Milliman and Smith were kind enough to sit down and help Portland come to know The Subterranean Howl.

Daily Vanguard: How did the band get together?
Simon Milliman: The Subterranean Howl released an album and did some shows in 2008, but really didn’t start moving until January of 2009 after revamping the lineup. [I] conned Clinton into joining one of his bands back in 2005, and together they have been conning other friends to join and leave their bands ever since. Phil is Clinton’s old schoolmate and Lauren his former girlfriend.

Lauren Smith: I recently joined the band around October of last year. I am one of the newer bandmates … Phil, who was in the band, had to leave and move to Alaska, and they needed someone to fill in for the shows. I played that one show and then they asked if I wanted to stay with the band. Phil ended up coming back and joined as a guitarist.

DV: What is the story behind the name? Is there a reference to the beat generation with Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Jack Kerouac’s The Subterraneans?
SM: Both are correct. [I am] a big fan of both. Some band members wanted the name to be funny, others very serious. In the end, [I] liked the versatility of The Subterranean Howl and its appeal to those who read books, that it could have social, political and spiritual connotations or that it could simply be a fairly accurate description of the band’s sonic aesthetic.

DV: How would you describe the music of The Subterranean Howl?
LS: I think we have a lot of different styles. Some of our music is really poppy and energetic, and some is almost eerie. I’ve never really heard this kind of music before. It’s really hard for me to put definition to it. Certain bands, they have one sound, and they play the same style. I feel that we don’t.

DV: How does the songwriting process go? Is there a main songwriter or is it a collaborative effort?
SM: Everyone is encouraged to bring ideas to the table, but so far [I have] written all of the music the band performs. The final creations are always very mutated forms of [my] original ideas, and that is due to the rest of the band’s creativity, which [I] rely on heavily.

DV: Any future plans on recording?
SM: We’re entering the studio in August and planning for an October release of the new album, The Tyranny of the Visual. Hopefully all of the same people will be involved in the production as well as beloved friends such as Jeremy Wilson, who will record the drums for us at Mastan Music Studios.

This interview has been edited for length and brevity.