interview

First Look: Chester French

"The idea here is sort of that the music speaks for itself," says Max, one half of the Star Trak signed Chester French. "We'd sort of prefer people know the music before they know anything about us. That way they can judge it as music, without biases."

So far, we know this much of Max and D.A. of Chester French. They are named after a famous sculpture, met at Harvard, got the attention of Pharrell Williams and signed to Star Trak/Interscope. Their first single, "She Loves Everybody", tells the story of a girl who gets around the scene, and its packaging implies just how D.A. and Max interact with her. Chester French are currently readying their debut LP, and just finished a tour with Common and N*E*R*D. We caught up with the duo to find out more. Check out this first look as Chester French talk Ivy League musicians, pop music, and leaving Los Angeles.

RubyHornet: So, how many interviews start off with a question about going to Harvard (not including this one)? Does that ever get annoying?

D.A: Most of them start by asking how we got started, which inevitably includes some mentions of Harvard. That doesn't get annoying because it always affords us the opportunity to insinuate that we're geniuses.

RubyHornet: Do Ivy League groups stick together? You ever talk to Naledge and Double-O of Kidz In The Hall? Related question, anyone confuse either of you for Asher Roth?

D.A.: We met the Kidz in The Hall in Texas last year. They were nice guys. We don't get confused for Asher, unfortunately. We'd probably get some of his residual girls if they did....

RubyHornet: Your first single was packaged like a condom. In terms of presentation of your material, has that always been a thought of yours along with the music, or has that come since joining Interscope and making music on a higher visibility level?

D.A.: We've always tried to entertain our supporters and uninitiated listeners as much as possible. If we can have fun with our packaging, style, etc, we try to!

RubyHornet: You are signed to Star Trak, which may first make people think of you guys as a Hip Hop duo. How would you describe the music that you make? Does Hip Hop fit in anywhere into the equation?

D.A.: Hip Hop has been a major influence on us as musicians and playazzzz4lyfe. We describe our music as Pop because we try to make songs that anyone can appreciate and enjoy.

RubyHornet: "She Loves Everybody" is the big single that has introduced the music world to Chester French. What was the deciding factor to go with that song?

D.A.: People really seemed to instantly "get" it. And DJ's can bump it for rumps to hump in da clubz.

Max: It was the first song on our Myspace page. It chose itself by virtue of that placement.

RubyHornet: The song appears to be about a girl that gets around the scene. The dude knows she gets around, but still can't shake her. That's definitely
something a lot of guys can relate to. Did that come from personal experience? Any tips for our male readers when dealing with a girl that "Loves Everybody"?

D.A.: It came from personal experience. The only tip I can offer is the obvious one.

RubyHornet: You recently went on tour with Common and N*E*R*D. Did watching the crowd react to Common or N*E*R*D leave any lasting impressions on you guys that you can apply to your growth and stage show?

D.A.: Absolutely. Pharrell and Common are both amazingly energetic and engaging front men. They both had great bands. Both elements were inspiring.

Max: People went to those shows to have fun and show love for the performers. It was a great environment to be working on our show in.

RubyHornet: You were living in LA, then moved out. What was the deciding factor in leaving Los Angeles? How did living there affect your view of the music industry? Did you see any affects (good or bad) on your music or creative process?

D.A.: We just got tired of L.A. and of paying rent when we were on tour a lot of the time. We got to see the music industry from the inside there a bit, and the only conclusion I left with was that it's easier and more fun to create outside of that world.

RubyHornet: Would you describe your relationship as Stockton/Malone, or more Shaq/Kobe, or insert your own famous duo here.

D.A.: Rodman - Louganis.

Max: Agreed.

RubyHornet: What's up next for Chester French as '08 goes into '09? Tell our readers a little bit about the LP.

D.A.: We're getting really excited about putting it out and finally letting people hear what we do. We'll be touring a lot after that, I imagine.

Max: Our LP has thirteen songs on it, and only 8 of them suck. It's amazing.

RubyHornet: Lastly, for some of our readers, this will serve as an introduction. What are three things you want listeners to know about Chester French before going to check out more of your music?

Max: The idea here is sort of that the music speaks for itself. We'd sort of prefer people know the music before they know anything about
us. That way they can judge it as music, without biases. That said, it'd be cool if people knew we wrote, produced, and engineered pretty
much the whole thing ourselves. Yep. Yar. WHOA! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Sean CK