tratford 4 are a band that represent a beacon to those that are fed up with the Bizkit/Eminem/Britney brigade that have assaulted ears for far too long now. Critics have been dismissive in comparing the band's sound to the "shoe gazer" movement, which originated in England. Though the band may not be reinventing the swirling mélange of sound typical of that early-1990s scene, that doesn't mean that it is not indeed fresh. From taking what was best of that time; the trippy guitar, whispery vocals and ambient soundscapes; the band's JetSet Records debut, The Revolt Against Tired Noises is something unique for today's modern-rock fan.

Natives of San Francisco, band mates Sheetal Singh (bass), Jake Hosek (guitar) and Andrea Caturegli (drums), had already been involved in another group, Triplo, previous to Stratford 4. Through a connection with another local band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, they were introduced to Chris Streng (guitar/vocals). Streng had played in a band, Wave, with BRMC members Rob Turner and Pete Hayes and turned out to be a perfect fit with the others.

Sheetal and Jake took some time out of their hectic schedules to answer a few questions.

Brett Hickman (STYLUS): Sheetal, Andrea and you (Jake) were all in another band together, Triplo, what were the reasons for that band's demise? And, once the band broke up, what was the reason that the three of you stuck together to form another band? Finally, what sort of style of music did Triplo fall under?

Jake: Triplo was a loose, I mean VERY loose version of early Stratford 4, sans vocals. We were just trying to figure out how to place all of our tastes and influences into music with a sever lack of knowledge of our instruments. Just lots of volume, overblown effects and two chord walls of sound. It came to a civil end. Andrea and I carried on together and Sheetal played in some other projects, but nothing was working out for any of us, until I ran into Sheetal on the street and we agreed to give it another go. We just click together well and Andrea and Sheetal make a bad-ass rhythm section.

STYLUS: The three of you met Chris by way of Rob Turner and Pete Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. How did this come about?

Jake: I came across the BRMC when they played a bar near my work and I was quite impressed. It was like finally there was someone else in this town that got it. So we became friends early on. They started practicing in the same place as us and dug what we were doing and knew we were looking for a singer. Rob and Pete were in a band with Chris before the BRMC, and they knew he was looking for a new gig. Numbers and demos were exchanged and we met up on Valentine's Day at a BRMC gig and the rest is history.

STYLUS: What does staying in San Francisco mean to the band?

Jake: High rents and funny smells. No, really it means a great deal to us to bring awareness to indie music in SF again. It seems that all that people know for bands coming out of SF are shit bands like Third Eye Blind and Train.

Sheetal: I'm not sure we're staying in SF. We'd all like to work a little less than the sixty hours a week you need to put in to pay the rent in this town. Maybe I should just speak for myself here...but I don't feel an intense loyalty to San Francisco. I'm originally from the East coast, and I've been thinking about going back. People have often asked us how living in SF has influenced our sound. I honestly don't think it has...we sort of live in our own heads most of the time.

STYLUS: Is there a "tight knit" musical community in SF as your bio page on the label's website says that there is?

Jake: It seemed like when we started it was heading in that direction. It was tight knit, but all styles were embraced. There were post-rock bands playing with alt-country bands, playing with emo bands, playing with mod and psyche bands. But now it's sort of splintered into scenes around those genres instead of openly embracing all of them together.

Sheetal: There are some great people here, and people are at the heart of a community. Because SF is so small, you see the same people everywhere-at shows, at the grocery store, on the bus. It doesn't matter that we don't play or even like the same genres of music. We're tight knit because of geographical constraints.

STYLUS: In researching the band, I saw that you recorded the album around July of 2001. But, the way that that the liner notes read, it would seem that you recorded the album at two different intervals. Were the two EPs you released previously simply re-mixed?

Jake: It was initially supposed to be just the two EPs combined, but both the band and JetSet decided that it would best to re-record some of the tracks, do a couple of new songs (All The Fading Stars and Displacer), drop two songs off of the EPs and put it together as an album.

Sheetal: The two EPs were called The Revolt Against Tired Noises (just to confuse everyone) and This Could Be Heaven. They are officially "out of print", but you can scour eBay for them.

STYLUS: How did the use of "Autopilot" on TV's Third Watch come about?

Jake: It was just a happy tour accident. We played a gig with the music director of that show in LA and she and the producers like the tune and picked it up for broadcast.

STYLUS: What were the plusses and minuses of licensing the song out?

Jake: Plus: We got paid enough to get a good bass rig and a good education in publishing and licensing rights. Minus: The show sucks. No one watches it. If JetSet didn't say anything about it in our bio, no one would even know we did it. But we are not ashamed to have done it.

STYLUS: Did it take any arm pulling with JetSet to produce the album yourselves?

Jake: No, we had the material and they were happy to put it out and not make us redo the whole thing or start from scratch with new songs. And it cost them next to nothing to put the finishing touches on it to turn the EPs into an album.

STYLUS: On a similar note, what are the effects of signing to a large, independent label such as JetSet Records?

Jake: It has been a really great experience for us so far. It has given us a chance to reach a larger audience than most indie labels could and it gave the record a chance to survive and stand out among other releases, even most major label ones, thanks to the promotion and distribution a label that size can provide. And, there is no A&R guy, no reps or other people cutting into the deal. It's just a handful of people who really care about the music as much as we do.

STYLUS: I don't see a manager listed anywhere on the album or in the press. Is the decision-making done as a unit or by a single member of the band?

Jake: Sheetal is the business end of the Stratford 4. We all do our part aside from the music, but Sheetal has always been the de facto manager of the group.

Sheetal: I may handle the business end, but all of the decisions are made by consensus.

STYLUS: Much has been written in your press with regards to comparisons to groups such as Spiritualized, My Bloody Valentine, even Velvet Underground. While I see traces in your music of them, I also see early Pink Floyd, Madder Rose and Quasi. What do you make of these comparisons? Do you feel that there is a link to any of these artists? To some extent the press thus far has made it seem as if Stratford 4 are part of an American version or the British shoegazer movement of a decade ago. Is any of this fair and/or accurate at all to you?

Jake: Of course we have no problem being linked to any of those bands. But we don't think of ourselves as only a shoegazer band. It was definitely the collective starting point for us, but we have always strived to be something more than that. If we were all chorus pedals and fake English accents, we would not be having this conversation right now. I think that our take on it is most British bands take American musical influences and turn it into something totally new and different and very British. We try to take those British influences and make them totally new and American. But we are far from a bunch of Anglophiles sitting around trying to mimic the Brits. We try to mimic Sonic Youth, The Pixies, the Velvets...(laughs).

Sheetal: I don't know if I agree about the "taking British influences and making them American", part...British, American, Indian, Swedish...who cares? Pop music is more about hair than the actual music, isn't it? (laughs)

STYLUS: What were your reactions to the first shows you did outside of San Francisco? Was the CMJ music festival in New York last year the first one?

Jake: We did several in LA before CMJ. LA has always been supportive of us. But CMJ was the first time out of the West coast for us and was a whole different thing altogether. The crowd in New York was quite a bit more enthusiastic towards us than we thought they would be. They seemed overwhelmed by the music and circumstances of last year as we were.

STYLUS: Some of your shows have seen you sharing the bill with such luminaries as Clinic, Guided By Voices and Luna. Were there any connections made with any of those bands? Are there any wild, or, at least interesting stories from those shows?

Jake: All of those bands were amazing and it was an honor to share bills with them. Guided By Voices was one of the highlights of my life. It was the biggest gig we have played to date and we almost died getting there. After consuming many beers, I noticed that the famed GBV cooler of booze was drying up, so I took our excess backstage beers and proceeded to go onstage with GBV mid-song and handed each of them the fuel (beer) needed to finish the set, and they were so cool about it. Rob Pollard (GBV's founder/vocalist) put his arm around me and proceeded to give our band a shout out to the crowd and the whole place just went nuts. Not to mention that the whole thing took place in the palace that Purple Rain built, Minneapolis' First Avenue club.

STYLUS: In concert do you expand upon any of the songs off of the album? The way All That Damage plays out, I get the sense that this may be likely. Or, do you pick up the tempos of some of the songs or take the volume up to "11"?

Jake: We tend to come across with a much more massive sound live than the record indicates. We always try to take the songs further once we have settled into the night's set. It makes the whole thing more challenging for us. I think that the crowds like to see bands playing songs from an album on the edge stretching out a bit and we always try for something big in our set. Sometimes we achieve it and, sometimes we don't, but I think it makes it that much more fun for all.

STYLUS: When might you begin recording for the follow-up to Revolt?

Jake: We will begin the new record in the fall and it should be out in early 2003. It just depends on where we record and who we get to produce it.

STYLUS: Are there any new directions the band is hoping to head off in with regards to the next record?

Jake: I think that we will just refine what we started on the first record. The new songs are more dynamic than the old ones. Much more massive and powerful. We have just matured as players and writers. Some of the tunes on the first record were written in the very beginning of the group, so we are quite excited about the new material.

STYLUS: I think it's incredibly cool to see a female rhythm section in rock right now (or ever, for that matter). Perhaps that shouldn't be an issue. Nevertheless, it is refreshing. What are your thoughts, Sheetal, on any potential statements that this may make? On the connection, musically, between you and Andrea?

Sheetal: I don't think it should be an issue, either, but sadly, being in a band has made me aware of the fact that not a whole lot of women play music. This is the first band I've been in that isn't me and a bunch of guys...and so many nights when we play shows, there'll be three bands total, and Andrea and I are the only women on the stage. I'm not sure why this is...lack of confidence? Lack of support from friends? Actually, that may be it. When I first started playing guitar, most of my friends either thought I was being cute or unrealistic. It really bummed me out, but I didn't let it get to me. I just found new friends. I don't think it matters if you're in the rhythm section or playing guitar or flute. It would be nice to see more females in music, period.

STYLUS: Could you talk about Popular Noise Foundation, which you co-founded? What is it and what is its purpose?

Sheetal: Yeah-Popular Noise Foundation is a non-profit for local (SF/Bay Area) musicians that I started with a few friends. Back when the economy was doing really "well", there was a lot of money coming into SF, and the cost of living here went up considerably. Real estate prices in particular went through the roof. Not only did this affect apartment rents, but also commercial real estate, including rehearsal studios. Now that the economy isn't doing well, rents are still high and lots of people are unemployed. Basically, PNF realizes that circumstances are tough and we assist local "popular" (non-classical) musicians through a grants program. We negotiate discounts and donations from local recording studios, CD duplicators, t-shirt printing houses, etc; and give these services away in the form of grants. Why non-classical? We have nothing against classical music, but those musicians traditionally have access to funding from other sources (including the government) that non-classical musicians can't tap into. This strikes me as unfair and indicative of a high-culture/low-culture distinction that is bullshit. The important thing about PNF, for me, is that it is about supporting your local music community. We run it on the side, in addition to our bands and our day jobs, but it's worth it, for me. I'd hope that people in other cities will replicate the process and set up local PNF chapters al over the world. It's ambitious, but that's my goal.

STYLUS: Finally, what is the deal with the Stratford 4 lore page on the band's website (www.stratford4.com )?

Sheetal: It's completely true.