5 Questions with Greg from The World Is A Beautiful Place & I'm No Longer Afraid to Die

This week in "5 Questions", we at The Clock bring you a Q&A with guitarist/vocalist Greg Onhorse of Connecticut lo-fi superheroes The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die. Don't be intimidated by the lengthy name: the band recently signed Massachusetts indie powerhouse label Topshelf Records (home to the Saddest Landscape and launchers of Defeater's illustrious career), which will release the band's highly anticipated full length later this year. If you're a fan of the rest of that label's catalog, Brand New, 90's greatness like Mineral and Texas Is the Reason, or you just want to check out something new and interesting, give these gents a try. Keep your eyes pealed; this band is on to something great. Thanks, Greg!

1.) I have to ask about the name. Where did it come from? Is the length ever a problem for you guys? It's certainly hard to forget once you've heard it.

The name was a bad joke gone too far. When Derrick (Shanholtzer, guitar/vocals) and Tom (Diaz, keyboards/vocals) were originally talking about starting a band, they were joking about how ridiculous song titles were in post-rock. I think Derrick came up with the name, and it kind of stuck.

2.) TWIABP has been pretty DIY up to this point. Why did you decide to sign with a label like Topshelf? They certainly have a reputation for catering to the DIY crowd, but they're also a much bigger imprint than you've been associated with in the past.

I've known the Topshelf guys for a long time at this point, and they are running their labels for all the right reasons. I've been late to work so many times because I've been up talking to Kevin (Duquette, Topshelf boss) late into the night about everything he's doing at label. Also, one time Seth (Decoteau, Topshelf's other boss) bought me Chinese food. I'm so stoked they're willing to release all our stuff.

3.) You're currently working on a release for Topshelf, I assume. How are the recordings going? How does it differ from your older material, and when can we expect to see it on the shelves?

Well, at this point all we're doing is demoing out new songs for a new LP on Topshelf. We've got a few other smaller releases planned for this year, but I'm not really at liberty to talk about them yet. I've been recording them at every practice, and they're practically all I've been listening to for the last few months. When Derrick and Josh (Cyr, bass) get home from tour with their other band One Hundred Year Ocean we're gonna be locking ourselves in the basement of our house, The Handsome Woman, for the entirety of February so we can try to finish this record.

4.)TWIABP has been part of a really cool movement of more DIY, 90's rock kind of bands that have been popping up as of late. It seems like you guys are often mentioned in the same breath as The Saddest Landscape and bands of that kind. Do you notice that you're part of a movement or does it seem more like a group of friends just doing what they like? 

The best way to describe it I'd say is community. I'm booking a tour right now and talking to all kinds of people I've never met before that are willing to help us book a show in their city. I've been talking to bands I've listening to, but never met, and I'm really excited to hopefully get out and play with them in March. It's really, really fantastic how close everyone is in this scene. We're all so stoked to be a part of it.

5.) What do you have planned for 2012? Closing comments?

We're gonna do a East Coast/Midwest Tour in March/April. After that, we'll be finishing up our LP, and a few other little things here and there. I think we're going to be touring Europe in the summer and hopefully a full U.S. once our LP comes out! It's hard to say really; we're all just taking everything day by day, but I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. We're all having a blast.