Caddywhompus Think Like Sailors, Drink Like Country Boys

Sometimes, we prefer to get to know a band via seemingly random numerical associations. Today we Count Off with Sean Hart, one half of New Orleans noise-pop duo Caddywhompus. Their new album, Odd Hours, is out now via Inflated Records.

1: Describe your band in one sentence or phrase.
Noise-rock and pop played by two people with instruments.

3: Who are three artists who you most admire, and why?
Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, because he’s a beast and has been making music with one of the best bands ever, with a consistently amazing catalog, for 23 years. Ian Curtis, because he's the best. [Author] Kahlil Gibran, because he's spiritual .

7: If you won the lottery and could buy any instrument, gear, record or other music-related object you wanted, what would you pick and why?
We would hire a music repairman to fix whatever breaks. I don't think we're really gearheads. We use gear as a means to an end, not really an end in and of itself. Whatever is available, cheap and sounds good is what we like to use.

9: If you were a professional athlete, what would your entrance music be?
U2, "Mysterious Ways." My dad used to listen to Achtung Baby by U2 all the time when I was a kid, and that was Jeff Bagwell’s [Houston Astros] intro music. [ed. — it was actually Craig Biggio's walk-up music; same team, though.]

10: What’s your favorite album that’s celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2017?
Complex Full of Phantoms, the split 12" with By the End of Tonight and Tera Melos. Honorable mention is Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective. 2007 was a really good year for music. That was the year I moved to New Orleans; Chris [Rehm, guitars / vocals] was still in high school in Houston. I listened to Complex Full of Phantoms and Strawberry Jam on repeat on my dorm room record player. Chris also showed me [the] Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band EP that year, which was also one of our shared favorites of 2007.

12: What’s been the biggest challenge in your career as a band so far?
Finding new people to help us manage the band. We confronted our philosophy as a band and had to redefine how we do things that surround our music. Leaving our comfort zone was challenging, but helpful.

13: Do you follow any superstitions when you're on the road?
Red sky at night, sailors' delight,
Red sky at morn, sailors' scorn.

21: The band’s chilling out at a bar that has a jukebox, and it’s your turn to collectively pick a song. What do you put on?
Patsy Cline, "Back in Baby's Arms." We wouldn't be able to come to agreement on a song, but Patsy would be a good artist to play at a bar, and someone we both deeply admire artistically. We did a full set of Patsy Cline covers on Halloween one year, and reinterpreted her songs in our own fashion as Caddy Cline, so we love all her songs. That's the one Chris wanted to choose — although I think "Walkin' After Midnight" would be less depressing for a bar chill sesh, cliché as it is.

50: What’s your favorite American state/city to play?
NYC. It's a great place to be and a tough city to live in. When people come to our shows,I feel as if they really wanted to be there, 'cause there's so many different things they could be doing. It makes the show special and feels great to be surrounded by that energy. We love New York!

51: Suppose you could pick any album you wanted and send it out into space for extraterrestrial life to enjoy (and hopefully spare the human race from intergalactic terrorism). What do you pick?
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division, because it seemed like a title that alludes to intergalactic joy, and B L A C K I E's SPRED LUV, to spread luv, per the EP's message. Also, something by Behold ... the Arctopus, just to be intimidating.