Cedric LeMoyne: (to Shelby) Hmmm, are we telling the truth or a tall tale?

Shelby Tate: Where did the name come from…?

Cedric: There is a Kate Bush record called "Army Dreamers", and - this is my version of the story - he (Shelby) did (came up with the name) when we were 15 or 16, and we were big Kate Bush fans. We were interpreting lyrics one day, and we came across a backing vocal on a song that spoke of mommies heroes, cause the songs about kids that go to war and die. But we heard it as Remy Zero, so we went to him, and said, "Yeah, we know where you got the name. You can’t fool us."  So, in my heart, I believe he stole it from that song. But, really I don’t know where the name came from.

Shelby: Call me a thief!

VOX: What made you guys make a stop in Los Angeles?

Shelby: We traveled all over the place for a couple of years. Our manager lived in LA, that's what landed us here. We all got a house and it was convenient. We ended up recording our first record here. We just stayed and got addicted to it. It’s got a weird hold on us now. We’re completely Hollywood-ites, for the moment.

VOX: Do you guys ever think about going back to Alabama?  Kind of like REM, you know, Athens…

Shelby: Only him, he wants to stay centered in the South.

Cedric: Yeah, I feel more at home in Alabama, than anywhere else on earth.

Shelby: Good job!

VOX: Most of your songs seem to be based on what goes on around you, is it a cathartic process for you?

Cedric: By accident, it has turned out to be that way. It’s nothing we do on purpose. We never really know how or why a song is going to come or where the inspiration is going to be. Often when we look back on it, it turns out that there’s a lot of information from our really exciting lives that ends up being in the song.

VOX: Did living in Villa Elaine at the time inspire you to get into the art of Man Ray (Editor’s Note: Many famous artists, among them Man Ray, had lived in the Villa Elaine in its heyday…)?

Cedric: Actually we have always been fans…fans…we have always liked those photographs and that art. It just so happened that we found out when we moved in that they had lived there. And that was part of it what made it romantic and what made it bearable to stay there. Other things weren’t that fantastic about being there. Things are great there now. At the time when we were there, life was very dark. And so, our mantra was like, "Man Ray was here. Orson Welles was here." We said if they can do it, we can. And it kinda worked out.

VOX: Let’s talk about the music. Tell us about "Problem" and "Prophecy":

Cedric: In a strange way, "Problem" is a bookend to the song "Prophecy." It’s kind of a full circle where "Prophecy" began a process and in a strange way "Problem" was one of the last songs we wrote. We got out one set of problems and got into another equally heavy set of things. And, that’s about all I am allowed to say about that song.

VOX: How does the creative process work for you guys?

Shelby: It’s different for all the different stages of writing and recording. I guess the genesis…but what is more important, the writing or recording? For me the most important thing is the writing. The moment of being on and thoroughly embroiled with inspiration and caring about the practical side of it, getting lost and spending hours, not knowing what day it is. When you don’t have to take into account somebody else’s schedule or opinion, even. You can only do that on that side of it when you’re actually creating. That’s the most…

Cedric: Well said! As far as writing songs, any combination of people that you can get in a group of five. It can be him (Shelby) bringing us a song that was born in three minutes to us sitting down in a room, spending a few months composing and arranging a piece of music that eventually becomes a song. We all write together in pairs, in threes, it’s all very mixed up. They all come about that way, and in the end, we all get into a room or go into a studio and sit and throw ideas at each other. Eventually all the music, the creative process gets filtered through each of us.

VOX: My understanding was that you basically went into the studio with nothing and went forward from there?

Cedric: Well that’s the way it originally starts – was very always improvised…always off the cuff. We’ve grown over the years, so if we bring something to the group it can always change. And it always does change. It’s not really what you bring to the table, it’s what goes through the filtering process.

Shelby: That’s what we tell the record company, we go in without a clue, whenever we are in the studio, we don’t know what we’re doing! We just play and go at it for awhile. But we get in trouble for that.

Cedric: Right! So, that’s out story!

VOX: How do you define your success musically?

Shelby: Umm, all that we want to do, all that we try to do is make music that we all enjoy listening to - something that we can play in the car or in his apartment or whatever - things that we enjoy and like. And as long we’re able to do that, that’s really all we can ask for. As long as we’re not ashamed, as long we can be proud and happy that we’re involved in this thing together that’s all we aim for.

VOX: So what’s the next step for the band?

Cedric: Well, there’s always music being written. Actually we just got a script to a film that we get to do a soundtrack for. We’ve always wanted to do soundtrack work. We’re also really looking forward to releasing the record overseas and going…enjoying that together for the first time. Yeah, there’s always music being done. Hopefully, within the next six months or so, we’ll be able to put together another collection of songs –either an album or an EP. We have to continue getting our music out, or we’d go nuts.

Want to hear and see more of this interview? Then check out the VOX Alternative video magazine, available at record stores in Southern California, or email us for information on how to get your copy!