The Out Circuit

Seattle’s Nathan Burke isn’t keen on pitching himself. His MySpace is rarely visited and even in our interview, he was more apt to praise labelmates than his own cause. But, for Burke, that’s quite alright.

Still The Out_Circuit, Burke’s musical outlet, deserves attention for their new album, Pierce the Empire With A Sound. The brutal ambience found throughout is a study in tension but Burke holds it together quite well without allowing it to escape and spill into the ear.

We recently traded questions with Burke who gave us insight into his collaborations with Thrice’s Dustin Kensrue and Coalesce’s Sean Ingram. He also speaks frankly about his spirituality, the new album and why he just doesn’t care as much as other musicians.

SSv: I’d love to start with the new album. How do you head into the studio differently than you did on Burn Your Scripts Boys? Was there a different mindset?

Nathan Burke: Yeah, there was definitely a different mindset. This time around I had a lot of other responsibilities I didn’t have before – wife, kid, job, etc. – and what was most important for me was to not compromise those in order to make a record. It took longer to make it, overall, but I also feel a lot more proud of it because I think it was done in a healthier place. Music is still important to me, but it doesn’t define my worth. I think I used to feel that way a lot. And I also felt like I had much more control over things this time and was much more sure about what I did and didn’t want. I really got down to business when I worked on this thing because I had to.

SSv: What about musically – were you tangibly aiming for something different with recording techniques?

Burke: A lot of that seemed to happen naturally, though I found I was less and less interested in guitars being the dominant part of a song. I was already moving in that direction, but this was even further. Technique-wise, the hardest thing was probably piecing everything together. There were a lot of elements from a lot of places to make cohesive. And truthfully we just did whatever budget, or lack thereof, dictated. Fortunately those choices often turned out sounding quite good.

SSv: What about some of the collaborations. How did you end up working with Dustin Kensrue (Thrice) and Sean Ingram (Coalesce) in particular?

Burke: I’ve know Dustin for a few years and we’ve always talked about doing more music together. A couple years back I did a song for a Lujo X-mas compilation with him and it went very smoothly and was a lot of fun, so for me it was a no brainer to try and get him to sing on something on this record. I think vocals are not my strong point and it just seems to make sense to get guys who are great singers to do it. At this point I’m not even pretending it’s a “band” any more and I’m not worried about pulling it off live so why not? I think there will be even more guest vocalists in the future. With Sean, I met him through Matt Johnson and the Clark brothers (Demon Hunter). We’ve all been talking about doing a project together. So I just asked him to do it, and he was psyched about the idea…

SSv: Your collaborations with Dustin – does that mean you’ll be doing some future work on a solo project of his or with Thrice?

Burke: Maybe. Or maybe a different project altogether. We’re both busy dudes with wives and kids who live far away from each other, but I think we’d both like to do more together at some point.

SSv: What about Lujo Records – what made you sign with them?

Burke: Erik [Brandon Aucoin, founder] approached me a few years ago, and frankly he had interest when no one else did. The relationship I have with them is very simple and low-drama. I know that I don’t sell a ton of records, so I don’t go around pretending like I do with them, and they get stuff out there in a way that’s professional. Though I must say I am amazed that something on Lujo hasn’t really blown up yet … it almost seems like a conspiracy. They have quite a few bands who could really help put the label on the map, but nothing’s really crashed through. Probably a matter of time. And it almost definitely won’t be me.

SSv: What artists do you think should have blown it up?

Burke: There are a few … Baby Teeth is freaking amazing, for one. I am astonished that they haven’t gotten more attention. Another one is Dark Romantics.

SSv: Why don’t you think you’d be a part of that?

Burke: Ehh, mostly cause I don’t tour, and I don’t do it full time. Plus I think the appeal of what I do is more niche. A band like Baby Teeth could rock a wedding or an uber hipster club successfully. They have a much broader appeal, and that’s great. That’s what they do.

SSv: Where did the moniker The Out_Circuit come from?

Burke: Well, originally it was a title I wrote for a Frodus song called “Out Circuit the Ending” which doesn’t really have a literal interpretation, but I think it has something to do with trying to change one’s fate. When it came time to name the band I just liked the way it sounded and figured there was a good chance no one else had a band named that.

SSv: Can you speak to the spiritual components of the album? Is that something touchy to discuss?

Burke: Not touchy for me, anyway. Basically I love Jesus. My relationship with him is the most important relationship in my life and it makes up a lot of who I am. So, naturally it comes through in what I create, both consciously and sub-consciously.

SSv: How do you write out of that place?

Burke: Out of the place of being a Christian? Well, like I said before I think its just a matter of who I am. I don’t sit down and think “what can I sneak in there that’s going to convert someone?” I just write about what’s important to me, like anyone else. And hopefully the more natural it is, the better it comes off.

SSv: Within the album title, what does “Empire” refer to specifically? And can you speak to the album’s overall theme? How do you label this group of songs with that one phrase in particular?

Burke: There are probably a lot of answers to this and some of them are Biblical. I would just say that basically the empire isn’t a literal one is the sense of a nation or political one, but more in the spiritual sense. Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Now, I am not trying to be so presumptuous as to assume that my little record is going to undo evil in the world or something … I think it’s a lot more personal than that. Its about my desire to fight evil and see it destroyed in my own life. That said, not every song is directly about that struggle, but a lot are about some kind of struggle.