Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Director: Mike Bruce
Editor: Mike Bruce

Marcos Chloka is the lead singer and guitarist for the Silverlake, California quartet known as Lower Heaven. The group is responsible for a unique psychedelic shoegaze that will be gracing Austin several times in the coming month of March. He recently spoke to Live Music Capitol about the band’s novel songwriting approach, being recorded in the studio by his peers, and the benefits of employing a corded zither (Autoharp).

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

lowerheaven.com | myspace.com/wwwmyspacecomlowerheaven