Seismic Q&A With: Greer Of The Mallard

If you could describe your music, and you had to use movie genres as the basis of  your reasoning. What genre and why? I work in a video rental shop and this is still a difficult question, because it’s still difficult to look outside what one is creating and see it with a fresh pair of ears or eyes … SCI-FI/drama/”art film” these are still so general, I feel like we use a lot of psych influences … echo/delay/reverb, kind of sounds spacey, I’ve been writing songs that deal more with experience, making for a bit of DRAMA and “art-film,”  we’re not a blockbuster kind of band.

Name a song that you wish you would have written and why? Right now it’s Third Uncle by Brian Eno, but I pose that question to myself often and it often changes, last week it was the 15th by Wire, a week before it was Carpet Rash by Total Control.

Your given one super power …. what is it? Reading minds, but of course with this game there are limitations and stipulations, aren’t there: I get to choose when I can read minds, like a conscious switch; I can turn the power on and off, and I can’t let anyone know of this power …  wait!  No this is a horrible super power, I would be miserable, same thing with invisibility/stopping time/foreseeing the future. I guess I’d want something kind of minor so it wouldn’t alter my life too much. I don’t know….the ability to change drugs into puppies and puppies into drugs with a squint of the eye. BLOTCH!

The ultimate self-sustaining tool a musician could ever need? Space to let thoughts and ideas form, though I suppose that transcends any medium.

If you were to title the most current album based on the overall process of making it, what would the title be? FINDINGMEANINGINDIFFERENCE. 

Largest source of inspiration? I would say lately I’ve found a lot of inspirations from local bands and people. Burnt Ones, Wax Idols, Lenz, always Thee Oh Sees, Grass Widow and of course my band mates. I feel very fortunate to live in San Francisco and know some wonderfully inspiring people who create a really special scene. It’s very refreshing and very supportive.

Name a cartoon character you always wanted to be or admired, when growing up?
I don’t know if I’ve ever admired a cartoon character. I remember wishing I could be an X-man.

Most bizarre thing that’s ever happened to you? My father died some years ago, and coping with the idea of death was quite bizarre (how’s that for a downer).

The last 5 things you would like to do before “THE END”?
I don’t really think about “the end.” I can’t make a one-year plan very well, so planing for the end … whether it’s “the end of my life” or “the end of the world” seems impossibly too black and white.  I suppose I’d like to go to Europe, I’d like to continue creating; whether it’s music or creativity transfers itself into other media. I’d like to try psychedelics, I’d like to continue to learn and grow as a human. Christ, is this a question from  O.K. Cupid? that’s 4, it’ll have to do.

What’s coming up for The Mallard?  We’ve been working on our second LP.  We’re in what I call the tar stage: mixing and  mastering/album art/song titles. Slowly… slowly forming into a product, verses a concept.
We’re playing a lot of local shows in San Francisco and going out to SXSW and Treefort (Boise) in March.  We have a new line up, Greer McGettrick: vocals/guitar Dylan Tidyman Jones: guitar/vocals Miles Luttrell: bass Dan Kendrick: drums. I’m really happy how  it’s sounding live, we all work well together. We’ll be in the Northwest a lot this year.