Interview with Skyler Skjelset of Fleet Foxes.

From their first self-titled EP in 2006 to their recent critically acclaimed second album released this year, Fleet Foxes are only getting started. The Seattle-based band have surpassed many expectations, especially on the charts where Helplessness Blues was ranked in the top five margin in the United States. This album bursts with melodic vibes, harmonizing vocals, and heartfelt lyrics that trigger nostalgia every now and then. Often times, the Fleet Foxes fall under the category of the indie rock genre (Google it, it's true), but they do not fall short of being an indie folk band. Their use of stringed instruments and lack of technological reliance to show off their admirable a cappella voices give them a well-rounded euphonious vibe. Fleet Foxes display an unpretentious attitude in their performances which make them seem approachable. Taking a bit of his time while on tour to answer some of my questions, here is Skyler Skjelset of the Fleet Foxes:

*Bold = Me
*Regular = Skyler

First off, I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and I would also like to congratulate you on Fleet Foxes' sophomore album, Helplessness Blues!

Thanks, it's really nice hear that! Glad to help out with your work. 

It is a personal favorite of mine as well as the critics; how do you feel about this album? Do you feel like it was a big transformation from the self-titled album & the EP's?

Honestly, I feel pretty proud of how it turned out. It was a long and process to get to the end result, but I feel like it turned into something really special. It is most definitely a transformation from the first batch of material, but I think that's a good thing. When we approached this record, I don't think anyone had not only any intention of repeating the first record's material, but any real intention at all. Robin had written a lot of songs and in a different manner than usual from the previous record and I think that opened up the door for a lot of new approaches to arrangement and the recording of the record. I think the record really shows that. As musicians, I think we all tried to stretch ourselves a bit more and attempted to take the record to some place new and exciting for us, personally. 

It also goes without saying that it's most definitely a wild transition from the first EP, but that was a different time in our lives. I still look back fondly on those recordings, but I'm grateful for how far we've come since then.

I read that you and Pecknold are fans of Bob Dylan. Did he (Dylan), as well as other artists of the time, influence you both in starting Fleet Foxes? Do any of today's artists serve as an inspiration towards your music?

It's probably fair to say Dylan influences a lot of musicians, us included. His ability to convey an emotion or feeling with some pretty traditional methods is uncanny. I'm sure if you ask any musician, they'll have an endless list of favorite Dylan songs. I know that mine constantly cycle through my top ranks as favorites. 

I don't think any one specific artist or group necessarily influenced Robin and I into starting a band, but we definitely had our group of favorites that we shared a lot of time together listening to and talking about. When I was younger, I would go through phases of being obsessed with different guitar players. Some days it would be George Harrison, other times it would be Neil Young. I think the real catalyst for starting the band was that we simply enjoyed doing things together and playing the kind of music we liked was more fun than anything else could have been. 

I think it's safe to say that there are many artists that act as an inspiration towards our/my music. I love finding new music from new people of any era and getting a chance to see what else comes up or finding something I've never heard. To be more specific, for new music I love Thurston Moore's new record and the latest Kurt Vile record. 

If you had the chance to collaborate with any musician (dead or alive), who would it be and why? Also, if you could somehow transcend time to see any artist(s) in concert, who would it be?

There are probably too many people to list... I'd love to even just share some music with some people like Lee Ranaldo or Nels Cline though. That's a hard question you are asking because I'd be so amazingly and incredibly out of my league with the people that I'd wish to collaborate with.

I'd love to see a fully formed "Help Me, Rhonda" era Beach Boys, an Odyssey and Oracle era Zombies, a reunited Beachwood Sparks, and a Marquee Moon era Television. 

There are an immense amount of people nowadays who aspire to become famous musicians for the mere purpose of achieving fame rather than aspiring to become musicians because they have a passion for playing music. Do you feel that the fame Fleet Foxes have achieved has affected your purpose for playing music? If it weren't for the band, where do you think you would be now (career-wise)?

I would say the only affect that any sort of fame the band has gathered has only been positive. It's hard sometimes... playing the same songs day in and day out, but at the same time, it has enabled me to be able to play music all day, everyday. I don't think I'd be nearly at the same place musically if it wasn't for the band. Granted, a different place wouldn't necessarily be bad, but I've never had the chance to see that side of things.

I have no idea what I'd be doing if it wasn't for being a part of this band. I actually think about that quite a bit sometimes and it makes me feel strange. I didn't really enjoy going to high-school, so I don't think I would have been able to be the kind of person that immediately continues their education through college and finds a career through that. I've played music since I was pretty young, so I'd like to think I'd still be doing that in some capacity. Robin and I have been playing together almost as long as we've been able to play the guitar and like I said before, being in a band together was just how it was for the two of us.

Playing for a highly-appreciated band must be magnificent, let alone knowing how to play the guitar and the mandolin in general. Were those instruments something you were always interested in playing? Are there any other instruments you can play or some that you've wanted to play but never got around to trying?

When I was very young, my mom had an electric bass that would more or less just gather dust in the corner. I used to pick it up and pretend like I could play it, but never really took anytime to figure it out––I was more interested in being outside. When I was in middle school, she bought me my first acoustic guitar and I played it pretty relentlessly until it finally became time to start a band. For my birthday, she bought me a really cheap electric guitar, which I eventually traded in for a new, low-end Stratocaster. I also had to prematurely cash out all the savings bonds my Grandparents had given me when I was a born, but it was worth it. Ever since then, the electric guitar has really encapsulated the idea of what music is to me.

Learning the mandolin was sort of a byproduct of the recording process for the first record. We had been playing the song "Blue Ridge Mountains" for some time before getting it recorded, with the piano being the only melodic instrument occurring. When it came time to record the song, the piano alone didn't seem enough and the mandolin was added. I think it really completes that song sonically and I am really glad that it has become more integral to our sound and recording process since then.

I can play the Bb clarinet and the bass clarinet a little bit, but am still in the learning stages. I love playing the bass clarinet because it's so physical and yet still so emotive with such a beautiful tone. The Bb clarinet is great as well, but personally I find it takes a lot more concentration and finesse to make it sound proper... Basically, I find that it's harder. 

I'd love to be able to play the drums well, but it's a hard thing to practice on tour.

Tour must be amazing; being able to travel all over the world, meet new people, visit places that people dream about visiting, and best of all, trying new food. Is there a particular place that you have visited while touring which you admired most?

I really love touring in America, actually. I don't think a lot of people realize how beautiful and vast America actually is. It gets taken for granted a lot, but there are so many beautiful places like Big Sur (most all of norther California and the west coast), New Mexico, certain parts of Texas, and the New England area. When we were driving in a van from show to show, I would do most of the driving because I loved to be able to sit up in the front and take in the scenery. 

Of course, it's really great to go over to Europe as well. I've made a lot of friends over there over the years and I'm super grateful that I get the opportunity to see them when touring. 

We're going to Japan at the end of the year, which personally, I'm really excited about. I went once before on my own when I was 18 and cannot wait to see what has changed since then. I plan on doing a little bit of traveling there after the tour and hopefully get a chance to see some sights.

On the topic of touring, what is life like on tour with Fleet Foxes? What do you like and dislike most about it?

Touring with Fleet Foxes definitely has it's ups and downs... A lot of people don't really understand that it can be pretty mentally and physically challenging. Weird and irregular sleep schedules, inconsistent meals, long hours, long drives, and the time zone changes can all be really harsh sometimes. Then, imagine being somewhere like your school and having to live there and see all of the people in your class every single day of your life, all day, for a month or sometimes longer. It can sometimes take a lot of mental awareness to keep your cool and see things in a level-headed fashion. 

But that isn't to say that I dislike it. I love touring and actually now feel quite anxious when I'm not. When I'm at home, I am generally thinking about what I'll have to get ready, how I can improve playing and performance, getting gear repaired, and making sure I get to see everyone enough before I leave since I won't get a chance to see most of them again for months. Even still, I've been playing with most of these guys since before I was even 21 and they are my family. They are the best friends I've ever had, and I feel like sometimes I might take it for granted because we see one another all the time.

The band seems to be very fond of facial hair, it's actually something a lot of people admire. Is it a personal choice not to have a beard like your fellow bandmates?

I find this question funny, because it makes me feel like a monk or something.

I don't really think about it all that much, to be honest. I can't really grow much for a beard anyway, but even if I could, I doubt that I would. No offense to the other members of the band, but it would drive me insane to be called "Jesus" or "beardo." Having people assume something about you just because of your facial hair as an idea is a real drag to me and I'd hate to be roped into that. It's great when people recognize you outside of a show or something, but it can also be nice to not get pinpointed just because of the way you fashion your face. 

Of course, all musicians endure the harsh criticisms of friends, family, fans, critics, and even themselves. Have these criticisms affected you personally? Do they make you doubt yourself or are they something you just brush off your shoulder?

My friends and family and even our fans have generally always been really supportive to what we do, which I am eternally thankful for. We've been really lucky with that. My parents have also always been really supportive, which has been great and really helped me get to where I am today. From my peers, band members included, I've always felt encouraged and supported to be the best I can. 

Criticisms have two sides to them, constructive and deconstructive. With personal criticisms, I generally try and keep constructive, because I want to be the best I can be and feel comfortable with my abilities. It gets a little hard sometimes, especially when learning new things like the clarinet. Sometimes it feels easier just to give up, but if you really want to be good at something, you have to be willing to work through the hard parts. 

When it comes to deconstructive criticisms from other people, I tend to not let it affect me too badly. It's never a good feeling to hear that someone is displeased or uninterested with something you've done, but everyone has there own opinions. I was never particularly popular growing up and I think it's probably pretty en pointe to say that a lot of people thought of me as uncool or strange because of my interests. I've never really been the type to go with or to avoid the crowd though, so I feel like from a very early stage in life that I've learned to let people think what they want. Generally, it doesn't affect me personally, so I don't let if affect me mentally.

Going back to what I said about people aspiring to become famous for the purpose of fame, what advice can you give to those people? What advice can you give to people who actually have a passion for music and plan to pursue it as a career?

People can aspire to be whatever they want, becoming famous included. Personally, I think it's a little unhealthy to aspire to that, but it's not necessarily wrong. I don't really have any sort of advice for them that would be any different than I would give to anyone else that has any other aspirations. But I will say that having any sort of career that is by nature creative can be a difficult one. Art and creativity in any manner is ultimately and honestly subjective to whoever the observer is. Unfortunately, for things like music, painting, writing, or photography, to turn it into a burgeoning career you are dependent upon the mass opinion. I think the ultimate thing to really remember is that if you are passionate about something, you will do it regardless of where it takes you. Like I said before in an earlier question, I'd like to think that even if this band hadn't been as successful as it has been, I'd still be doing music things in some capacity and not even to necessarily the same success. I've recently been reading a book of interviews and essays by the animator Hayao Miyazaki called Starting Point about how he got to be where he is today. There was one specific passage that really stuck out to me, because I actually think about your question a lot and I think that he phrases it probably better than I could. Remember, he is talking about animation in this book, but I think it can be related to all sorts of creative outlets:

"In the animation business, most people spend a long time working at the bottom of the organizational ladder. You usually have to endure a lengthy apprenticeship period, waiting patiently for the chance to someday demonstrate what you can do. But the opportunity to demonstrate what you can do only comes along once in a while, so unless you are extraordinarily lucky, you'll probably never make it.

To endure something is obviously exhausting and agonizing. But at the same time, you must also continue to hold what you regard as important close to your heart and to nurture it. Should you ever relinquish what you truly hold dear, the only path left to you will be that of a pencil-pusher––the type of animator whose sense of self-worth is determined by the numerical amount of his earnings, or who cycles between joy and despair over the high or low ratings his work receives."

So, do what you want, but really do it. It's never too late or unfulfilling if you truly care about it.

Thank you again so much for giving me the opportunity to interview you, I really do appreciate it. I wish you and the rest of the band the best of luck in your future and much more success.

Hey, no sweat. Thanks for the good questions and I hope your paper turns out well.

*All images found on Flickr, Tumblr, and Google.