CONCERT PREVIEW
Arcade Fire with tUnE-yArDs and Kid Koala. $26-$60.50. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood, 2002 Lakewood Way, Atlanta. www.livenation.com.
It’s been a busy year for Arcade Fire, the six-member Montreal-based indie rock band fronted by Win Butler, with younger brother William backing on multiple instruments including synthesizer and bass.
Their fourth album “Reflektor,” produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, was released in October 2013 to critical acclaim; they were nominated for an Academy Award for their score for the Spike Jonze-helmed movie “Her”; and they’ve hit the road for an arena tour, which brings them to Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta this Friday.
Will Butler discussed the band’s Atlanta experiences, being nominated for an Oscar and his pre-show rituals during a break between stops in Houston and Austin.
On his surreal Oscar moments
“The photo lineups are really fun — ‘Over here, to your left! Over here, to your left!’ … I finally got to meet Meryl Streep. I went to school with her daughter, who was one of my neighbors in college. She said, ‘Oh yeah, I remember your apartment being really filthy.’”
On doing the score for “Her”
“We did it as a band, but Owen (Pallett, who has recorded and toured with Arcade Fire) and I ended up driving the process home, but it was very much a band effort. The biggest difference with writing an album and writing a score is that it’s the director who has final say. So they might ask you to do something and you say, ‘You’re wrong!’ and they say, ‘Yeah, but it’s my movie.’ But Spike (Jonze, the director of ‘Her’) is such a gentle soul, it didn’t come to fisticuffs or anything. We definitely butted heads sometimes, but ultimately the music was Spike’s vision, and we were able to bring our vision in line with his.”
On touring with his brother
“Our whole family is musicians. They had a variety show in the ’60s that was like ‘The Osmond Show.’ So family music is not strange to us … but like a lot of brothers, we didn’t get along that well until we were older. There were no major conflicts, though. Two and a half years ago difference seems like a lot when you’re young, but as you become older, it becomes less important.”
On playing Atlanta
“We’ve had very pleasant past experiences in Atlanta. Last time we were here, we went to Little Five Points. I remember walking by some kids who were hanging out and they were like, ‘It’s Do Nothing Tuesday! Want to come do nothing with us? We’re just hanging out,’ and it was like, ‘Oh, sure.’ I have pleasant memories of our Atlanta shows.”
On fellow Northwestern University alum Stephen Colbert helming the “Late Show”
“We played Colbert this year — he’s really great, as a performer and as a host and as a person.”
On pre-show rituals
“It varies from show to show. We always gather as a band before we go on stage. I try to eat a good dinner about an hour and half before we go on. Not necessarily always a healthy dinner, but a delicious dinner.”
On going on tour now that several band members — including Butler — have kids
“There’s a different vibe, but it’s as much impacted by everyone being slightly older. We were always kind of a wussy band. We’re very civilized, no wild characters or anything.”
