MATT DRISCOLL: TWO IS STILL BETTER THAN ONE >>>

Tonight and tomorrow night Colonies will celebrate the release of a debut full-length album, Thirty Thousand, with two record release shows in Tacoma. Tonight the band will strap it on for those of us with iron livers, playing a show with Canon Canyon, Wheelies and Jason Clackley at The New Frontier that starts at 8 p.m. and will cost you $6 to get into.

Then, tomorrow, Colonies will do it up right for the kids at The Den, playing a gig with Freeze and Fur Coat and Xylophones that starts at 7 p.m. and also costs $6.

A long time ago in a far away place (like, sometime last year, in Ron Swarner’s poor, poor condo), the Weekly Volcano reviewed Colonies’ debut EP, Sleep Patterns. At the time, we probably said things about the rising indie band like, “Colonies demonstrate they know their way around a loud/soft dynamic better than most,” and “Singer Travis Shumate’s vocals glide atop cascading walls of on-the-money guitar work and stampeding drums, just as well as they sit beside beautiful silences.”

But who knows. We were also probably high.

In preparation for Colonies’ two record release shows in Tacoma this week, we caught up with Shumate to get his take on things. This interview was posted in two parts, with the first portion hitting Spew yesterday.

VOLCANO: What was the process of making Thirty Thousand like? Is this record's release a long time coming? How has it tested you, and what have you learned?

SHUMATE: We started recording the album in August 2008. It was a long and trying process, but it gave us enough time to be a little more meticulous with the recording. Sleep Patterns was recorded in a few weeks, and we can definitely recognize how rushed it sounds. Thirty Thousand is more complete -- not only in terms of the amount of material on the recording, but also in terms of the production.

We could have easily created Sleep Patterns again. Same style, same instrumentation, same melodic themes. But we decided to step away from what was familiar to create some new sounds, and we're really pleased with the results.

VOLCANO: You've got two record release shows planned in Tacoma - a 21+ show at The New Frontier, and an all ages gig at The Den. Why was setting it up this way important to you?

SHUMATE: We don't want to limit who is able to come to see us. We grew up in Tacoma, going to shows nearly every weekend, and this is a way to give that same opportunity to the younger crowds. Tacoma needs more live music, anyway.

VOLCANO: Technically, you're a Seattle band, right? Explain the band's Tacoma ties.

SHUMATE: We're a Tacoma band. We all grew up in the Tacoma-Gig Harbor area. We rehearse in Tacoma and we all live in the South Sound area. We spend a lot of time in Seattle, but Tacoma is home. It has a unique personality that I haven't found in any other city.

VOLCANO: With the Internet, and music coming out of every direction, how does it impact a band like Colonies? Do you worry about fitting a niche, or does it allow you more freedom of sound? It seems like music fans these days, thanks to the convenience of the Internet, can stay almost completely within their listening comfort zones - which means if you tap into that niche you have an instant audience, but it also must keep bands from reaching new and different listeners. Is this something you've had to deal with?

SHUMATE: For a band like Colonies, the Internet allows us to get our music to new audiences in a much more effective way. In the past, bands would have to tour constantly to reach new people, but the Internet allows us to get our music to people all over the world.

In terms of how the Internet shapes our sound, we try not to over-think things like that. If it feels natural, it stays. If a musician is too focused on fitting a certain niche, they are limiting their ability to grow and develop as artists.

VOLCANO: Where does it all go from here?

SHUMATE: We are anxious to write and record more music. These songs were written nearly two years ago. We're ready to start over with the songwriting process. Whether we release another EP, a full length or a 7-inch, we're ready for new material.

PHOTO CREDIT: Copyright Jaquilyn Shumate Photography