Towers of Hanoi
Words: Cole Porterhouse

REAX: So, how long does somebody have to hang around town after college to be unofficially adopted as a true Gainesvillian?
Rachel Ryder: There's no exact formula, but if you have a Bachelor's in English and balance your schedule between a restaurant job and sipping coronas by the pool, you're making progress.

REAX: To outsiders, some scenes seem really tight-knit, like they envision all the bands meeting for brunch every Sunday and everybody's always hanging out together, sharing the same practice space. How true is that of Gainesville?
RR: It's pretty true. If you hang around here for very long, you'll realize that Gainesville is a small place. The music keeps going because of a small group of very dedicated bands. As for sharing warehouses, ours has been home to Whiskey & Co, The Takers, Averkiou, Army of Ponch, Hometeam, and a few other bands so consider that rumor confirmed.

REAX: I can think of at least a handful of Gainesville bands that have women as members. Do you think there's a more open-minded vibe toward that there, or is it just because it's a college town that attracts a larger percentage of creative, artistic women?
RR: I don't think there's a single reason but probably a variety of factors. People are open here as long as the music is good. Nobody is going to go see your band just because you're a woman. Luckily, there are a bunch of talented gals around here, so that's not an issue, but the bottom line is that if you’re in a band and doing something worthwhile, Gainesville is a great place to be. It's not particularly strange to me that there are a decent amount of female artists. I mean, us ladies comprise 50 of the population, right?

REAX: Are you at all aware of being in a position of role model, or acting as inspiration to other women?
RR: That's not something I really think about on a daily basis, but if I inadvertently inspire some girls to want to get out and rock then fuck yeah!

REAX: I imagine the Gossip thing comes up fairly often as a comparison. Are they, or is Beth Ditto in particular, an influence? What are some vocal influences or experiences people might not immediately think of when they hear Towers, like were you in choir as a kid, or a huge Heart fan?
RR: I like the Gossip, and I think Beth has a great voice, but I can't say that I use her as an influence. Our band was active for a few years before I actually came to hear them. We've played with them in the past, and they put on a great live show. That being said, most of my vocal inspiration is drawn from classic artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Janis Joplin, Rob Halford, Robert Plant, and Cyndi Lauper.

REAX: The female vocals automatically serve to set Towers apart from the quote-unquote Gainesville sound, but the band really sounds different at its core. Did you guys consciously set out to do a sound that was aggressive, but not at all in the same vein as some bigger and highly influential bands from the area?
RR: From the start, we've never had a roadmap for our band. We've gone through different stages with our sound, but they were never really intentional. We like to share a lot of music, and we'll collectively get caught up in listening to a handful of bands, which probably has an impact on what we're doing in some fashion, but most of our songs are written at practice and spontaneity is almost always a part of the process.

REAX: Is the soul vibe from direct influence? Are you guys fans of old soul, or is it more from garage rock or other styles that happened to have that groove in there?
RR: I love classic soul. Otis Redding and Al Green had it figured out a long time ago, but that's not the end of the story. There's soul in lots of places you wouldn't expect it. You just gotta listen for it. Honestly, a lot of what we do is just about capturing a moment musically and being able to reproduce it. I don't really understand the point of playing if there isn't some feeling behind it, so I like to express that vocally.

REAX: All right, self-promotion time - what have you got coming up?
RR: Well, we have a seven-inch coming out in the very near future, which we'll be shopping around. If things go as planned, it'll include a digital download of an unreleased song. We'll be doing regional shows around the southeast over the summer, and hopefully at least one more release later this year.

myspace.com/towersofhanoi