New Interview With The Invisible World: Approaching the Event Horizon!

Readers, perhaps you checked out our interview with Nebraska's legendary The Millions earlier this week and found yourselves wondering, "Who's going to be the lucky so-and-sos opening for their sure-to-be-epic return to the Bottleneck on the 27th?"  Will it be a mid-90's Lawrence band who played with The Millions back in the day?  Or will it be an up-and-coming Lawrence band heavily influenced by their 90's elders?  Well, it turns out that it's neither.  It's a band from KC called The Invisible World.  We decided to sit down with the band's Bryce, Jesse, and Brandon and figure out who they are and what the hell they're all about.  Enjoy this chat in which we talk about the band's music and philosophy, reflect on our favorite Sam Neill films, and swap some stories about our mutual friend Beth Beavers.

You can study up on The Invisible World via some ReverbNation tunes over here and give them a "like" on FB here .  Make sure to show up early on the 27th to catch their set.


Chip:  So you fellows have scored a pretty sweet gig opening up for beloved 90’s band The Millions in what may well be their last show in Lawrence (or not).  At any rate, it’s likely to be a packed house.  How did you land such a prime show?  And are you nervous as hell?  And what can first-time listeners expect from your opening slot?

Bryce: We're really excited to be opening for The Millions! Especially in Lawrence, at The Bottleneck. The opportunity to open for a band with such history and clout makes us happy to be doing what we're doing. I think landing the show was really just kind of a stroke of luck for us.  After an eight-month hiatus we're back on the show circuit and this (as you mentioned) is a prime show to have as one of our first ones back. The Bottleneck was kind enough to book us on it after we asked for any opening slots that they could offer.  Naturally, we've got some nerves going on, but I think once showtime roles around the audience can expect a uniquely engaging and genuine performance. 

Richard:  I’m digging your song “Joliet,” which starts off with the attention-getting line “Get down, I’m here for your money.”  It seems like it’s going to shape up as a straightforward narrative, but then, well, I’m not sure what exactly happens in that song!  There’s “demons in the brain” and a dude named “Sozo” and such.  Tell us what’s going on there!

Jesse: When I wrote the song we were staying in Joliet, Illinois, with a charity that we are involved with. Most of the lyrics were put to paper while waiting on a train to Chicago, hence the line "take the train back to Chicago," which led to me meeting that weird man named Sozo. I started the song wanting to write about a bank robbery but it really just evolved to a song about someone who is troubled by something and searching for answers. Most of our songs seem to end up in a different place than they begin.  This one in particular ended up being something totally different. That's what makes it fun.

Chip:  I like the video for “Cars,” especially the part where the sad old car on the car lot seems to come to life!  It’s far superior to that shitty Cars 2 flick from Pixar.  Tell us about the video and how you think it reflects the philosophy of the band.  I’m sensing there’s something being said here (and maybe in the band name as well?) that’s maybe kind of similar to when that paper bag is "dancing" with Ricky Fitts in American Beauty, if you get my reference. Also, do you guys smoke weed at all?

Brandon: The video is something that we are very proud of. The ideas of maturing and moving on that are prevalent in the video reflect what we have gone through as a band.  We have had a lot of changes to the band over the last couple of  years, which include lineup changes, a name change, and a whole new approach to the way we operate. It was hard for us to make the changes we have, but we feel it will be worth it in the end. Also, drugs are illegal.

Jesse: This video could not have been possible without the many folks who donated to our Kickstarter. We were able to raise $1000 because people saw what we were trying to do and appreciated our vision. The response to the video and song has been very overwhelming. We hoped that people would recognize the little things in the video like the car coming to life and the connection between our character and the car. Just like the band name and most of our songs, it conveys that you can understand the surface meaning or story of something, but there's always a layer underneath that can be perceived in a different way.I guess you could say that's our band's "philosophy", or really just our understanding of how the world is. There's always something underneath, and I think fans respond to that concept.

"Cars" video:

Richard:   What’s on the horizon for The Invisible World?  Is there an album in the works?  A lot of shows coming up?

Bryce: I'd have to say that we don't have a completely clear vision for the horizon yet. Right now we are focusing on getting our live show hammered out and developing our capacity to hit the road. The "Cars" video has surprised us... which I could see leading to more effort being put towards developing new and captivating ways of presenting our material. Music is the backbone of this band, but other forms of media and entertainment are always going to be an element of this. Personally, I can't wait to see where we go from here.  There are endless possibilities these days. Music, film, art...all of it has a sort of unrestrained feeling since the internet took over. I don't know why, but this whole time all I can think about is that Sam Neill movie Event Horizon... I really just hope we don't end up in that situation.

Brandon: I'll try not to be as long winded as Bryce. We are working on recordings for our new songs. We are taking a new approach, and doing it all ourselves, as opposed to going to an actual studio. It's a lot of trial and error. And then more error. But we are having lots of fun with it. 

Bryce: Brandon just doesn't appreciate a good Sam Neill reference. 

Brandon: That's because he's not relevant anymore...

Chip:  Who in hell is Sam Neill? 

Richard:  I really like him in In the Mouth of Madness.

Jesse: The fall is really starting to book up, as well as the rest of our summer. We will be announcing shows in the coming weeks that folks can make their way to around the KC area. When we have all the details for the shows hammered out, we will post them to our Facebook page.  Also I like turtles...

Chip:  Sam Neill?  Turtles? Are you certain that you all don't smoke weed?

Chip:  I hear that we have a mutual friend: Beth Beavers.  She’s pretty much the coolest chick in LFK, am I right?  And she certainly has the best name.  It makes me smile every time I say it.  When I find myself in a sticky situation these days, I often ask “What would Beth Beavers do?”  And the answer usually involves alcohol.   Can you tell us a cool Beth Beavers story, but nothing too embarrassing because  I don’t want her on my bad side. (just tell me the embarrassing stuff privately).

 Jon:  Beth Beavers is one of  the oldest friends I have and she remains one of the coolest people I have ever met. There are too many cool stories that involve this woman, but my favorite story is definitely of the time we first met.  We both shared a history class together and sat close to one another. Close enough, in fact, that she overheard me telling this other girl about a party I had went to over the weekend. Right in the middle of my story, Beth turns around in her seat and bursts out with "And why wasn't I invited to this party?" Keep in mind, I had never said a word to Beth in my life at this point, so it had shocked me a little. I told her that I would invite her to the next party I went to, and I did, and we have been great friends ever since.

Bryce:  You are absolutely right! I met BB in my high school broadcasting class. She reported on cool stuff and I was all..."Right on, Beth!"  Great gal. Everyone should be so fortunate as to know her. I also often wonder "What would Beth Beavers do?" Most of the time it ends up alright. 

Brandon: Yeah, last time I hung out with Beth, I ended up passed out on the hood of a car. Good times.